Tyler Bruening heads for a $5,300 payday at I-80 Speedway.
What won the race: Tyler Bruening of Decorah, Iowa, sailed around the outside of race-long pacesetter Kyle Berck to grab the lead on lap 26 and drove away over the remaining circuits to capture Thursday night's 35-lap Malvern Bank Super Late Model Series feature at I-80 Speedway. The 32-year-old driver beat Berck to the finish line by over a straightaway for a $5,300 paycheck, the largest winner's purse of the season offered by I-80 promoter Joe Kosiski's regional tour.
Key notes: Bruening registered his second Malvern Bank Series win of the season at I-80 and his third overall triumph on the tour. He also has two runner-up finishes in his five Malvern Bank starts. ... Berck, the tour's all-time winningest driver, fought off several challenges from Bruening before the Iowa racer charged around the outside to assume command off turn two on lap 26. ... The race ran caution-free after two slowdowns on the second lap. ... The top 10 finishers in Thursday's Malvern Bank feature receive an invitation to compete in September's Mobile Tech 22 at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.
Winner's sponsors: Bruening's Capital Race Car is sponsored by Bruening Rock Products, Bennett Explosives and Skyline Materials.
Points chase: Before Thursday's event, Kyle Berck of Marquette, Neb., had 1,090 points to lead tour rookie Nick Deal (1,082) and Bill Leighton Jr. (1,056).
Current weather: Clear, 86°F
Car count: 38
Polesitter: Jason O'Brien
Heat race winners: Ben Schaller, Tyler Bruening, Tad Pospisil, Corey Zeitner, , , ,
Consolation race winners: Bill Leighton Jr., Jim Johnson, ,
Next series race: July 26, Crawford County Speedway (Denison, IA) $2,000