Neal Outlasts Thornton for Second DeFrance Memorial Triumph
It was an emotional night for Jake Neal as he returned to victory lane with the Malvern Bank Super Late Model Racing Series in Friday’s ninth edition of the Dale DeFrance Memorial.
The third dual race of the season brought both East and West tours back together to the high-banked quarter-mile Marshalltown Speedway in Marshalltown, Iowa as the track and tours pay homage to an Iowa racing legend in Dale DeFrance. It was the fifth consecutive year the DeFrance Memorial has been ran under the SLMR late model series banner. A strong 31-car field packed the pit area for a chance to take home a $4,500 payday in front of a jam-packed crowd at the Central Iowa Fairgrounds.
Keyser Manufacturing Qualifying saw 2025 East Series Points Runner-Up Chad Simpson set the overall fast time as he came out in the fourth and final group and laid down a 14.246 second lap. The first group of qualifiers was headed by Dylan Thornton. The Reigning East Series Champ and Reigning DeFrance Memorial Winner clocked in at 14.370 seconds to set the early tone. Tim Ward was the fastest in group 2 with a 14.645 second lap, while Jake Neal set the quickest lap in group 3 with a 14.433 second time.
The four heat races were topped by Kyle Berck, Curt Schroeder, Corey Zeitner, and Jeff Aikey. Each driver received a rubber pit mat and a prize package for their efforts as part of the many contingency awards that were sprinkled throughout the field of competitors all through the night. Chad Simpson would return as the top point earner, and he would take on the challenge of the Skyline Materials Lucky 6th Place Starter bonus. Simpson had won the bonus earlier this season at Bloomfield, Iowa, and if he were to win this time, it was worth $2,000 on top of the $4,500 to win feature.
Some NAPA Auto Parts prize packs went to the two Predator Custom Trailers B-Feature winners, those being Blair Nothdurft and Jason Hahne. Meanwhile, Chad Holladay and Dylan Sillman also raced their ways into the main event. After provisional starting spots were decided, a massive 28-car field was assembled to settle the score in the 44-lap Malvern Bank Main Event.
After a 4-wide salute including a missing-man formation in honor of Dale DeFrance, Jake Neal would bring the field down to the green flag from pole position. The race took a little while to get going as a couple of multi-car pileups saw some drivers in and out of the hot pit area and suffering damage.
When the race got going, Jake Neal led the way while Dylan Thornton followed close behind. Both drivers were looking for the second victory in the DeFrance Memorial and their first feature win on the 2026 SLMR campaign. The two would stay at the front of the pack all race long while Tim Ward and Chad Simpson battled for the third and fourth positions.
Neal ran the top side as close to perfection as he could, but having to navigate lapped traffic. Thornton also found difficulties as he tried to use the low lane and then, off and on, had to go to the high side. Neal’s lead over Thornton Fluctuated throughout the race, but as the feature came down to the final ten laps, Thornton was right on Neal’s back side trying to go low and make any move on the inside for the lead.
Thornton tried everything he could think of, but Neal was just too fast on the outside lane. Neal would go on to lead all 44 laps and officially win his second career Dale DeFrance Memorial at Marshalltown. The win officially snapped a 4-year, 113-race drought for the Omaha, Nebraska driver. The victory also marked his eighth career SLMR feature win and his first with Al Humphrey Motorsports and Cooney Motorsports after racking up multiple top-5 finishes throughout the season.
Dylan Thornton would have to settle for second while Chad Simpson came home in third. Tim Ward and Jesse Sobbing finished out the top five.
With the 9th annual Dale DeFrance Memorial in the books, the Iowa tripleheader weekend will finish on Saturday as the East heads north for the 2nd annual “King of the Bullring” at the Winneshiek Raceway in Decorach. After that, the Series heads back to Malvern Bank’s home track, the Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa for the Hampel Memorial.
Credit: Anthony Ainslie
Photo Credit: Mike Rufer
