My focus turns to Sprint Car racing this time of year with the winged wonders of speed featured at nearly every event on my projected schedule right on up to Labor Day starting last night with the return of the Sprint Invaders to the Dubuque County Fair.
This has always been one of my favorite fairs to visit as it always draws a big crowd with plenty of entertainment for young and old as well as a great selection of food and drinks. And, with near perfect weather on Wednesday night the place was hopping with a five year best of twenty-one Sprint Invaders signed in for action. Pair that up with solid fields in the same quantity range for the Modifieds, Sport Mods and Legend Cars and we were set for a great night of racing, especially since the Dubuque Speedway high banks were again yielding three or more grooves for the drivers to choose from.
The opening laps of the Sprint Invader main event were wild with John Schulz, Paul Nienheiser and Wayne Johnson shuffling back and forth, all three drivers holding the advantage at one point or another until Johnson took control on lap three. Sprint Car Hall of Fame member Terry McCarl was poised to make it a four car battle for the front before he spun in turn two and on the restart Johnson and Nienheiser, who was tonight's driver of the Midland Performance #50, separated themselves from the field.
Johnson pushed his lead to almost a full straightaway before getting into traffic and that allowed Nienheiser to get back into the hunt for the front. With drivers often racing two wide for position in front of him Johnson had to use several different lines to drop them a lap down and each time that it looked like Nienheiser would get to his bumper, the veteran driver from Oklahoma would use his experience to maintain the point.
In the closing laps the leader was working so hard in traffic that one of the lappers, Tanner Gebhardt was able to get past Johnson to be back on the lead lap, but Nienheiser could get no closer than five car lengths as Johnson secured the win. Jamie Ball came from eighth to finish third while the current Sprint Invader point leader John Schulz maintained his advantage by finishing fourth while Carson McCarl took fifth.
It was a stout and diverse field of drivers that entertained the Dubuque County Fair crowd including up and coming teenagers Mason Campbell and Riley Goodno as well as three talented young ladies in McKenna Hasse, Bailey Goldsberry and Katlynn Leer. Click here for Bill Wright's story and the full results from the Sprint Invaders.
The next action for the Sprint Invaders will come on Friday and Saturday August 16th and 17th with the series at the Pepsi Lee County Speedway on Friday night before moving to 34 Raceway west of Burlington on Saturday. Both events, loosely known as the Sprint Invader Nationals, will pay $2,000 to win. Also, the race that had been rained out in April at the Quincy Raceways has been rescheduled for Sunday September 8th and the last two appearances by the Invaders at the Bullring on Broadway have been spectacular.
There was good money on the line in the other three divisions as well at Dubuque on Wednesday and there was a nice mix of track regulars and visitors in both the Modifieds and the Sport Mods.
Jeff Larson drew the pole of the twenty-lap Modified main event and many believed that this would be a race for second. His fellow front row starter Matt Gansen had other ideas though as the two swapped the lead back and forth for the first two circuits before Gansen settled into the lead on lap three. Three cautions and their restarts would keep the field tight, but outside of one stumble on the turn four cushion late, Gansen was flawless in taking the win. Larson had to fight off Mark Schulte to earn the runner-up spot, Kenny Kostenbader was fourth and Troy Cordes came from fourteenth to finish fifth.
Mitch Manternach started from the pole in the fifteen lap Sport Mod headliner and when top contenders Jason Roth and Tyler Soppe tangled in turn one on lap three that suddenly made the leader Manternach the race favorite. Wisconsin drivers Wes Digman and Scott Busch waged an excellent battle for second mid-race but when the caution waved with just two laps to go they cost some folks some extra time in the beer tent with their antics as to who would line up where for the green, white, checkers restart.
Manternach would go unchallenged to take the convincing win as Digman took second after Busch faded out of the top five. Rusty DeShaw was third, Kip Siems came from a seventh row start to finish fourth and when Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, driver Brandon Schmitt spun in turn four coming to the checkers that allowed Soppe to get back into the top five.
As they often do the Legend Car drivers came from near and far to compete, one from as far away as Bismarck, North Dakota, but it would be Columbus Junction, Iowa, driver Jason Utter who would take the lead on lap eight and then go the rest of the unusually long 30-lap distance unchallenged to take the win. Tim Brockhouse finished second, Jackson Lewis was third, Ryan Mech fourth and Francesca Hoch filled out the top five.
It wan an all around enjoyable evening at the Fair and it was good to finally meet second year promoter Nick McCrady in person. Nick credited his quick success to the great crew that works with him and I know that Bill W and I had a great time sharing the microphone with Rob Hinckley and "Big Boy" Jason Frommelt. Hopefully I can make it back up to Dubuque or Maquoketa again before the end of the season.
McCrady did share one bit of bad news with me in that the October Sunday Series that had originally been scheduled for Maquoketa will not happen as planned as apparently the city did not like the concept. Why put up with a little noise in order to bring in some out of town revenue for a few weeks in the Fall? Oh well, looks like I will just have to watch the NFL a little more than I had originally planned.
Next up for me will be the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation A Force Against Addition event featuring Tony Stewart's Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Cars on Sunday night at 34 Raceway near Burlington. Stock Cars will be in action with big money on the line as well so hopefully I will see you there on the Back Stretch!
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