The off season of racing In the Iowa and the rest of the midwest can be called silly season but for me I am wondering what big racing story will come down the wire this off season and on Tuesday December 3rd, a story caught my eye that was that the Malvern Bank Super Late Model Racing Series acquires IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series for 2020 beyond. I will share the press release and then my thoughts.
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VINTON, Iowa (Dec. 3) – One era in IMCA Late Model racing ends and another begins in 2020.
The IMCA Summer Series becomes part of the Omaha, Neb.-based Malvern
Bank Super Late Model Racing Series, owned by Joe and Steve Kosiski,
next season.
“It has been a great 33-year ride for this series and our traveling
Late Model drivers,” IMCA President Brett Root. “The growth in Late
Model sanctions, however, in 2019 demonstrated that we needed to commit
our time and resources to further developing national and weekly race
programs for that division.”
“I firmly believe Late Model touring series across the Midwest need
unification,” Root added. “The Malvern Bank Super Late Model Racing
Series has rules that accommodate IMCA Late Model members and this is a
positive step in the right direction for those drivers who want to be
part of touring events.”
“I can’t adequately thank the many drivers and track promoters who
have supported this series for so many years. Summer Series events have
been season highlights at a lot of tracks for a lot of years,” he
concluded. “That same thanks goes to the Deery Brothers Automotive
Group, the title sponsor for the series the last 28 years.”
The longest running Late Model series in the Midwest, the Deery
Brothers Summer Series was launched in 1987 as a way to give the weekly
competitor the opportunities to race at different tracks they might not
get to otherwise.
And travel and race they did, at a total of 499 events.
The first-ever Summer Series event was held on April 11, 1987 at 34
Raceway in West Burlington, which has now been the site of 50 tour
races, more than any other venue.
The series traveled to 42 different tracks primarily in Iowa and
Illinois, with occasional visits to speedplants in Minnesota, Nebraska,
South Dakota and Wisconsin. A typical car count of 35 entries vied at
the average of better than 15 events held each season.
One hundred and two different drivers won Summer Series features and
18 different drivers won the series title at least once. Jeff Aikey of
Cedar Falls lead the way in both career categories, with 70 feature wins
and seven series championships.
The most notable series achievement, however, can be credited to Darrel DeFrance of Marshalltown.
Appropriately nicknamed The Ironman, DeFrance competed at every event in tour history, arriving late to the track on several occasions while winning 14 features.
Questions regarding Malvern Bank Super Late Model Racing Series rules
and scheduling should be directed to Joe Kosiski at 402 342-3453.
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While many may wonder what this mean for IMCA Late Models and weekly racing, I actually think it will work itself out and make the racing better for the drivers and fans. Many also are wondering what this will mean since the SLMR is primarily a Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska Series meanwhile the Summer Series has been mostly an Eastern Iowa Series.
Late Model Driver Curt Schroeder mentioned he is expecting a Western Series (SLMR series), an Eastern Series (Deery Series) and the Top 15 in Points from both series meet at Knoxville in the Invitation Only Race. I actually think it would be a great idea, this would open the possibly of having more late model races.
I am disappointed that the Deery Brothers Summer Series as we all know wont be the same, as only one driver made it to all 499 Deery Series Races and that was "The Ironman" Darrel DeFrance.
So in short I think it will work itsself out and you would will see the New Late Model Series work out for the drivers and fans plus Weekly Racing for Late Models will be better than it has been the last few seasons, I am more than excited to see how this works out.
This off season also means race tracks begin to reveal their 2020 racing schedules and I am collecting all those schedules and will update them as much as possible until I share them on the Trackside Report Facebook Page in early March so as I take time to spend it with family and help out at home wrestling meets during the off seasons I am looking forward to the 2020 season.
