Olson atop Eastern Iowa Driver Rankings for July 22

Welcome to the Inside Track's Eastern Iowa Driver Rankings. Each week of the racing season, the Gazette's Jeremiah Davis will rank the area's top 10 drivers across all divisions.

Think the list should be different? Tweet him at @jeremiahdavis10, send him an email at jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com or leave a comment at The Inside Track by Jeremiah Davis Facebook page.

New this week: Zach Less, Quinton Miller

Dropped out:  Jeff Aikey, Benji Irvine

Just missed the cut:  Matt Ryan, Troy Cordes, Jenae Gustin, Andy Nezworski, Jarrett Franzen, Nick Marolf, Jerry Luloff, Richie Gustin, David Brandies, Mark Schulte, Kyle Brown, Tyler Soppe, Brian Irvine

RANK

+/-

NAME

CLASS

THOUGHTS

1

+1

Tony Olson

Sport Mod

Back and forth we go for the top spot in these rankings. I'll be honest, I sat here for at least a half hour debating myself for who should be No. 1. Ultimately, I ended up going with number of wins this season. The top three have 18, 17 and 15, respectively, so here Olson sits. He ran second at Farley on Friday, then won at Independence (again) and Vinton (again) to get to 18. That's a lot. 

2

-1

Justin Kay

Late Model

Speaking of a lot, Kay has 17 wins this season, and missed out on a shot at getting to 18 this weekend because the grader at Davenport Speedway broke down and they couldn't race. He won at West Liberty on Saturday, then ran second at Dubuque on Sunday. I took him out of the top spot, and there's a Deery Bros race tonight (Wednesday, July 22), so you can take it to the bank he'll win.

3

+1

Nathan Ballard

Hobby Stock/

Hobby Stock/

Sportsmen

Here's the deal: he's so far and away the best in a Hobby Stock at Hawkeye Downs, it's become the expectation for him to win. But what he's done there and Vinton this year is seriously impressive, and now he's added the Sportsmen and is solid there, too. He won both at the Downs Friday, won at Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa on Saturday, then recovered from a flat for third in Vinton on Sunday.  

4

-1

J.D. Auringer

Modified

Auringer didn't have a great week by his recent standards, and didn't get a win for the first time in a few weeks. He ran second at Farley on Friday night, had issues in the feature at Independence on Saturday for 13th, then ran fourth at Dubuque on Sunday. He won't be down (if you want to call it that) long.

5

+2

Jeremiah Hurst

Modified

This guy continues to dominate at Jackson County Speedway, but is fast everywhere he goes these days. He was sixth at Farley on Friday night, then won again in Maquoketa on Saturday and ran second at Dubuque Speedway on Sunday. He's building up his short track notebook for Supernationals.

6

-1

Tyler Droste

Late Model/

Modified

Droste is almost always a level-headed guy, especially after bad runs. He was certainly frustrated after many issues on track at Marshalltown Speedway in his Modified on Friday night, where he was credited with 24th. He bounced back for another top five with a fourth at Independence on Saturday night in his Late Model.

7

+3

Damon Murty

Stock Car

Another Sunday at Benton County Speedway in Vinton, another victory for Damon Murty in his 99D Stock Car. Cue up that rap song I don't know the name of with the hook "all I do is win." He also got the win at Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway in Des Moines on Friday night. 

8

+1

Ryan Dolan

Late Model

Dolan only raced once this weekend, but he was perfect in that lone start. He won at Independence Motor Speedway in his Late Model. I guess after he ran third there in the Deery Bros show and said he was close, everyone should've listened. He'll be a factor at East Moline tonight, if he chooses to go.

9

NR

Zach Less

Modified

Less makes his debut in the rankings - if memory serves, that is - after a really good weekend ended with a victory. He was third at Farley Speedway on Friday, then ran sixth at Independence Motor Speedway on Saturday. He got his win at Benton County Speedway in Vinton, one of a few there this year. 

10

NR

Quinton Miller

Hobby Stock

Another rankings debut, this time for an Independence native. Miller has been on a roll of his own lately, with a handful of wins in the last few weeks. He got the win at Farley Speedway on Friday night, then ran third at his home track in Independence on Saturday. The Hobby Stock field may not be huge, but it's strong.

Previous: April 29; May 6; May 13; May 20; May 27; June 3; June 10; June 17; June 24; July 1; July 8; July 15

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com