Eighteen-year-old Chris Martin is on a roll now winning his second straight Shottenkirk.com Sprint Invaders main event and extending his point lead in the process. Thursday night's flag-to-flag triumph at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa, follows up a win three weeks ago at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines with the young driver proving that he can not only win on the big half-miles, but on the quarter-mile bullrings as well.
Josh Schneiderman was a heat race winner and later took the checkers first in the Budweiser "King of Beers" Shake Up Dash, but when he drew the number six for his starting spot that landed the Dash runner-up, Martin on the pole for the 25-lap main event. The initial start was waved off when cars bunched up before the green and on the second attempt seventh starting Ryan Jamison slid to the infield in turn one placing the former three-time Invader champion at the rear of the nineteen car field for the third try at a start.
This one stuck and it was Martin racing out to the early advantage with fellow front row starter Cody Wehrle keeping him honest while working the low line around the quarter-mile. Josh Schneiderman was on the move slipping past his brother Jarrod for third and as he challenged Wehrle for second it allowed Martin to open up a lead. With lapped traffic now in play Wehrle went too high in turn four on the ninth circuit slipping off the top of the racing surface and losing three positions before he could scramble back into the groove in turn one. Three laps later the caution waved for Damian Getchell who had spun off the top of turn two and that planted Josh Schneiderman on the push bar of Martin for the restart.
With both drivers running the top Martin again began to ease away and when Schneiderman pushed to make up ground, he too slipped over the top in turn four and spun to bring out the caution with nine laps to go. Nate Van Haaften was now up to second and before another lap could be scored Justin Bucholz spun in turn four as he challenged Tim Moore for the fifth position with four other cars, Ryan Jamison, John Hall, John Schulz and Lucas Glasgow all making contact with Bucholz.
Only Schulz was able to restart and once back to green Martin made sure that nobody would be able to make a challenge as he pulled away to a commanding victory. Wehrle battled back to take away the second spot late in the race leaving Van Haaften to finish third while Jarrod Schneiderman and Tim Moore filled out the top five. Harold Pohren was the Hard Charger of the event coming from thirteenth to sixth, Dave Getchell was seventh, Josh Schneiderman made it back up to eighth, Schulz followed him in ninth and Tyson Hart returned to action completing the top ten.
In victory lane Martin was quick to thank his father and his crew for all of their hard work to give him such a fast car to drive and also pointed out that none of this would be possible without the help of all of his sponsors.
The Shottenkirk.com Sprint Invaders return to action on Tuesday night, July 26th at the Dubuque Fairground Speedway during the Dubuque County Fair with some extra purse money on the line. The event will pay $2,000-to-win and $325 to start the main event on the wide and progressively banked 3/8-mile oval. The Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds will also be in action.
Results
Randall's Performance Heat 1 - 1. Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington 2. Nate Van Haaften, Otley 3. Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis 4. Dave Getchell, Sperry 5. Harold Pohren, Lowell 6. John Schulz, West Burlington 7. Tyson Hart, Monmouth IL
Cen-Pe-Co Lubricants Heat 2 - 1. Chris Martin, Ankeny 2. Cody Wehrle, Burlington 3. Tim Moore, Rock Island IL 4. Damian Getchell, Sperry 5. John Greenwood, Woodward 6. Richard Brod, Plainfield IL
Fraise Mowerports Heat 3 - 1. Jarrod Schneiderman, West Burlington 2. Jacob Glasgow, Burlington 3. John Hall, Marion 4. Justin Bucholz, Davenport 5. Andy Krieger, Burlington 6. Rob Weuve, Oakland Acres
Golden Eagle Distributing Budweiser "King of Beers" Dash - 1. Josh Schneiderman 2. Martin 3. Wehrle 4. Jarrod Schneiderman 5. Van Haaften 6. Glasgow
Shottenkirk.com Main Event (start) - 1. Martin (1) 2. Wehrle (2) 3. Van Haaften (4) 4. Jarrod Schneiderman (3) 5. Moore (8) 6. Pohren (13) 7. Dave Getchell (10) 8. Josh Schneiderman (6) 9. Schulz (16) 10. Hart (19) 11. Damian Getchell (11) 12. Krieger (15) 13. Brod (17) 14. Greenwood (14) 15. Weuve (18) 16. Bucholz (12) 17. Hall (9) 18. Jamison (7) 19. Glasgow (5)
A solid field of thirty-one Sport Mods were also in action for a healthy $1,000-to-win and after the four heats and two B-Mains were caution plagued, the 20-lap feature went off non-stop on the well prepared racing surface. Pole-sitter Ben Chapman would lead the opening two laps before Matt Petrzelka would drive by him using the outside line. Chapman tried to fight back down low, but soon joined the leader up on the high side just waiting for a mistake.
Brayton Carter was finding the bite on the inside though and steadily closed in on the leaders finally taking second away from Chapman with three-laps to go and while Carter could pull even with Petrzelka in the turns in those closing laps, the momentum off the top side was enough to bring Petrzelka to the checkers first by a car-length over Carter. Chapman held on to finish in third with Dan Mohr in fourth, Tyler Soppe came from the sixth row to finish fifth while Gage Neal edged out Matt Short for sixth. Corey Dripps improved four spots from where he started to run eighth while Dalton Simonson and Joey Schaefer completed the top ten.
Both the Midwest Jalopies and the American Iron Racing Series (AIRS) were also on hand to put on some good racing while bringing back a lot of great memories for many, including me.
There is one more race on the 2016 calendar for the Cedar County Raceway and that will come on Tuesday, August 2nd, when both the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models and the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds converge on the quick quarter-mile that is expertly groomed by the "Dirt Doctor" Al Dlouhy.
No racing for me this weekend, but that will get me geared up for a big week of Modified action in Des Moines, Oskaloosa and Knoxville next Monday through Thursday. See ya on the Back Stretch!
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