By STEVE EIGHINGER
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Lonnie Bailey, who took over the late model points lead a week ago tonight at Quincy Raceways, is in position to collect as many as three championships by the end of the season.
Bailey also leads the points pursuit at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, and is a close second in the IMCA national chase. If Bailey can win all three he would duplicate what fellow Quincy driver Jason Frankel accomplished in 2008.
Bailey leads Justin Reed by three points (407-404) at the top of what is still a jammed-up late model standings at the Bullring. Keith Pratt (384), Mark Burgtorf (375), Jerry Weisenberger (366), Jason Perry (362), Bill Genenbacher (360) and Joey Gower (358) are all close behind.
Bailey is seeking his second title at both the Quincy and West Burlington tracks. He won the 2004 championship at Quincy and collected the 2007 title at West Burlington. He has never won an IMCA national crown.
Frankel and Burgtorf (1998) are the only Quincy area drivers to win the IMCA national title. Quincy Raceways has only been affiliated with the IMCA since 1998.
At West Burlington, Bailey has a more comfortable (270-241) advantage over runner-up Tom Darbyshire. In the national chase, Kevin Blum leads Bailey 732-716.
IMCA late model points end Aug. 30.
Eyeing the derby: A year ago at this time, Frankel was on his way to winning those two track titles and the IMCA national championship, but was not a factor in the Deery Brothers Summer Series tour. That wound up being about the only thing missing from his list of 2008 credits.
This year Frankel has opted to attack the Deery schedule and not worry as much about the individual track championships. And while he will not repeat either of those individual track titles, the Deery championship is well within reach.
When the tour pulls into Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday, Frankel will be in second place, only seven points (424-417) behind five-time series champ Jeff Aikey.
There are still 12 Deery shows remaining, capped by the $10,000-to-win Pepsi USA Nationals at West Burlington on Sept. 18-19. The Deery tour will make its second stop of the season at Quincy Sept. 6.
Frankel has one Deery win this year, April 11 at West Burlington. Aikey has yet to collect a checkered flag.
Reed hits 70 mph: It was an interesting evening a week ago tonight for modified driver Justin Reed. He had a shot at passing Wyatt Lantz on the final turn of the final lap in the $1,000-to-win River City Rumble II, but slipped the cushion and wound up ninth.
During that race, however, Reed turned a 70.441 mph lap and became the first modified driver to hit the 70 mph mark in a feature-type event since track officials unveiled the Bullring's slick electronic scoring system two years ago.
Up front place to be: If you think most victories are won by drivers starting at or near the front, well ... statistics prove you right. Check this out:
* Eight of the 14 late model features have been won from the front row, and 12 of the 14 winners have come from the first two rows. The only exceptions have been compliments of Frankel, who won from the No. 9 starting position July 5 and the No. 5 spot June 21.
* Among the modifieds, two of 12 winners have been from the front row, five of 12 from the first two rows.
* In the stock car series, four of 14 winners have come from row one, eight of 14 from the first two rows.
* And in the hobby stocks, only one of 14 winners has started on the front row and four of 14 have come from the first two rows.
Add 'em all together and you have 15 winners having come from the front row of 54 features. Twenty-nine (29) of 54 have come from the first two rows.
Heat race points: You can file this under how important those heat race points can be. Jim Powell leads Steve Carlin feature points 463-462, but trails in the track championship standings 482-478.
The amazing thing about Powell (still) leading in feature points is that he was docked 12 points a few weeks ago for rough driving in the main event.
The hobby stocks and late models are the only classes that count heat race points.
-- seighinger@whig.com / 221-3377
