By STEVE EIGHINGER

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Can anyone stop those Hawkeyes?

Iowa drivers will be out to cash a fourth straight $3,000 first-place check being offered at tonight's Titan Wheel and Tire late model shootout at Quincy Raceways.

Terry Neal (2008) of Ely, Tom Darbyshire (2007) of Morning Sun and Jeff Aikey (2006) of Waterloo are the Iowa drivers to leave town with some serious cash in their pockets the past three years.

This is the fourth year for the $3,000-to-win event, which for the past three summers served as the big July 4 weekend race. But when the track acquired an earlier date (July 3) for its UMP Summernationals tour stop the decision was made to move the $3K special back a week.

This time of the year has proven to be fruitful for Iowa drivers at the Bullring even before the $3,000-to-win race came along. In fact, Iowa hotshoes have won six of the previous nine July 4 specials (we're counting this weekend as a July 4 special).

Here's a look back at the $3,000-to-win/July 4 late model winners since 1992, with Iowa drivers in bold face:

2008: Terry Neal ($3,000 race)

2007: Tom Darbyshire ($3,000 race)

2006: Jeff Aikey ($3,000 race)

2005: Terry Neal

2004: Jamie Wilson

2003: Terry Gallaher

2002: Lonnie Bailey

2001: Rained out

2000: Jeff Aikey

1999: Curt Martin

1998: Tommy Elston

1997: Jason Frankel

1996: Jason Frankel

1995: Jason Frankel

1994: Mark Burgtorf

1993: Jim Swank

1992: Mark Burgtorf

The racing doesn't stop with the late models tonight. There's a full lineup of classes, and all have increased purses. The modifieds are paying $500 to win, the stock cars $400 and the bobby stocks $250

Big week starts tonight: Tonight's big-money run is the first of three huge dates over an eight-day span.

The $10,000-to-win UMP Summernationals will be back at the Bullring on Friday following a year's hiatus. The event was rained out last summer and unable to be rescheduled. This year's purse of almost $40,000 is the richest in track history.

The hottest drivers through the early rounds of the Summernationals, which started June 11 in Brownstown, Ind., and conclude July 11 in Wauseon, Ohio, include Randy & quot;King Kong & quot; Korte, Kevin & quot;The Flatland Flash & quot; Weaver, two-time defending champ Dennis Erb Jr., Rodney Melvin, Jason Feger, Terry Casey, Ryan Unzicker, Scott James, Shannon "The Mowequa Missile" Babb, Steve Sheppard Jr. and Jeep Van Wormer.

Babb (2007) and Korte (2006) won the first two Summernationals events in Quincy. Erb won Northern All Stars races in 2005 and 2006 at the Bullring.

Next Sunday night features the mid-season championship races in all four classes. The midseason championship also represents the first leg of the track's unofficial triple crown -- winning the midseason and season-ending championship races, plus the points title.

The most recent triple crown winners:

Late models: Mark Burgtorf (2006, 2003, 1994).

Modifieds: Michael Long (2007), Wyatt Lantz (2005), Tony Dunker (2004), Greg Uppinghouse (1999), Hank DeLonjay (1994).

Stock cars: None.

Hobby stocks: Eddie Dieker (2001, 1999).

IMCA national championship: Several local drivers are in the hunt for the IMCA national championship. Kevin & quot;The Wildman & quot; Blum (535 points) of Colona, Ill., currently leads the standings, but Lonnie Bailey (530) of Quincy is in second.

Justin Reed (515) of Quincy is fourth and Keith Pratt (510) of Mendon fifth. Mark Burgtorf (461) of Quincy is 10th and defending champ Jason Frankel (451) of Quincy is 11th. Burgtorf won the national title in 1998.

Century mark: According to IMCA officials in Vinton, Iowa, Burgtorf entered the weekend needing one feature victory to reach 100 at IMCA tracks. Late last year the 14-time Quincy track champ passed 200 overall feature victories for his career.

-- seighinger@whig.com / 221-3377