Gharst regains point lead with second Donnellson Invader triumph
By Jake Croxton

DONNELLSON, Ia (June 27) – Kaley Gharst slid past Rager Phillips with ten laps left in the Olson Bros. Custom Shop / Budweiser 25 at the Lee County Speedway. The Decatur, Ill. driver went on to claim his second Ideal Ready Mix Sprint Invaders A-Main win of 2007.

“We were all kind of following each other around the top until we got to lapped traffic,” said the driver of the Hostiowa.net / Bell Helmets / Wesmar / Maxim. “That’s when we started to pass some cars and we ended up getting to second before the yellow came out…After a couple restarts, I got Rager there with a slide-job going into one and I knew if I kept my momentum up top we’d be alright.”

Rager Phillips led from the outset of the 25-lapper in his Heartland Harley-Davidson / Plath Motorsports entry. Light sprinkles and high humidity led to extremely heavy track conditions and a high cushion. Within five laps, the leaders were already in traffic, which included cars racing from ninth through the balance of the field. Phillips led Ryan Jamison and Brian Hetrick around the 3/8-mile before Gharst began picking off cars and gaining on the leaders.

Caution slowed the torrid pace on lap 11 as John Schulz and Larry Pinegar tangled in turn four behind the leaders. That put Gharst within striking distance of young Phillips.

As lap 14 went up on the board, Gharst made his move only to have the pass called back as Pinegar stalled for a second time. On the ensuing restart, Gharst made it look academic as he put a slide-job on Phillip and drove away from the field.

Phillips’ luck ran out on the cushion with six laps to go, as the early leader clipped the guardrail and did an easy rollover to bring out the only red flag of the night. Other than a minor bruise to the ego, Phillips was uninjured.

Nick Eastin and Brian Hetrick engaged in some of the best racing of the night following the final restart as the duo traded slide-jobs for third position. With three to go, the two nearly made contact and Hetrick retired to the infield with front-end damage.

“I don’t think us racing had anything to do with him getting tore up,” said Eastin of the battle. “It was unfortunate, but he said he [Hetrick] got into the wall a little bit and it just wouldn’t turn. I was waiting for him to come back under me – we were having a heck of a run for third place. The track was fast and narrow all night long. We kind of misjudged it for the feature and it got slicker than we thought it would…The car was a little tight and I figured the track would come to us. About the first 15 laps we were fast and the last 10 it was everything we could do to keep it straight.” Eastin continued his string of top-three finished in his limited 2007 campaign.

Jamison held on for second, equaling his best run of 2007.

”Second’s better than nothing considering what carnage we seen that could happen with the 14P dumping out like that, but you’ve got to give it to Gharst,” said the two-time and defending series champion. Jamison’s final opportunity at Gharst was hampered by an oil leak that doused the driver’s throttle foot on the final restart.

Matt Sutton and Josh Schneiderman rounded out the top five. Chris Urish, Matt Rogerson, Bobby Mincer, Schulz, and Lance Gullo completed the top ten. 

Darin Thye and Billy Roberts each led the Discount Tire IMCA Modified feature, before giving way to defending track titlist Josh Foster in his Five Star Drywall / All-Pro Mowing & Lawn Care / Raider. Foster took the lead for good on lap six and held off Brandon Savage for his first win of 2007. Kevin Cale, Roberts, and Thye finished in the top five.

Jason Cook bypassed early leader Derek Goble in Budweiser IMCA Stock Car competition and drove to his first victory of 2007. Cook used the high line in his Keystone Beer / 4th Street Bar & Grill / Welcome Inn / Cutlass to hold off John Oliver, Jr. over the last third of the event. Cole Simmons, Brandon Rothzen and Abe Huls rounded out the top five.

David Helenthal led every lap to pick up the $300 winners’ share of the GM Giant Wild Thing finale. Helenthal was unchallenged in his Mitsubishi Eclipse with Steven Delonjay, Jena Barthelmes, Jim Oliver, III, and Geoffrey Theobald following in the top five.

Double features for four classes and the Jim Baier Mid-Season Championship hit the Lee County Speedway in two days on June 29. Race time is 7:30.



Results

Car Count – 25
Cautions – 3 – L11, 14, 19 (RED – Phillips flip)
Leaders – Phillips 1-14, Gharst 15-25
Laps Led – Phillips 14, Gharst 11
Highest Finishing Rookie – Jordan Goldesberry (11th)

Contingency:
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Josh Schneiderman
(Started 17th, Finished 5th)
Rod End Supply – Larry Pinegar, II
Saldana Racing Product – Jimmy Davies
Ultra Shield – John Schulz
Diversified Machine – Travis Porter
Kinser Air Filters – Rager Phillips
MPD – Bart Andrews
The Brake Man – Bobby Mincer
M&W Aluminum Products – Chris Urish

Staats Awards Heat Race #1 (Top 5 advance) -- 1. Nick Eastin, Burlington; 2. John Schulz, Burlington; 3. Jimmy Davies, Oquawka, IL; 4. Bobby Mincer, Burlington; 5. Justin Newberry, Burlington; 6. Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO; 7. Jordan Goldesberry, Springfield, IL; 8. Lance Gullo, Springfield, IL; 9. Bret Tripplett, Middletown, IL

Storm Steel / Abrasive Jet Technologies Heat Race #2
(Top 5 advance) -- 1. Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis; 2. Rager Phillips, Pleasantville; 3. Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL; 4. Matt Rogerson, Burlington; 5. Larry Pinegar, Pleasantville; 6. Korey Weyant, Springfield,  IL: 7. Josh Schneiderman, W. Burlington; 8. Matt Harms, Chillicothe, IL

Budweiser Heat Race #3 (Top 5 advance) -- 1. Brian Hetrick, Stronghurst, IL; 2. Travis Porter, Rock Island, IL; 3. Bart Andrews, Muscatine; 4. Matt  Sutton, Macomb, IL; 5. Chris Urish, Elkhart, IL; 6. Dan Avery, Burlington; 7. Mark Tischer, Hannibal, MO; 8. Tim Moore, Moline, IL

Shake-up Dash – 1. Eastin; 2. Hetrick; 3. Schulz; 4. Porter; 5. Phillips; 6. Jamison

B-Main (Top 5 advance) -- 1. Hull; 2. Schneiderman; 3 Gullo; 4. Goldesberry; 5. Weyant; 6. Tripplett; 7.Tischer; 8. Harms; 9. Avery; 10. Moore DNS

Olson Bros. Custom Shop / Budweiser 25 -- 1. Gharst
(8); 2. Jamison (2); 3. Eastin (3); 4. Sutton (12); 5. Schneiderman (17); 6. Urish (15); 7. Rogerson (11); 8. Mincer (10); 9. Schulz (5); 10. Gullo (18); 11. Goldesberry (19); 12. Newberry (13); 13. Andrews (9); 14. Weyant (20); 15. Davies (7); 16. Porter (6); 17. Hetrick (4); 18. Phillips (1); 19. Pinegar (14); 20. Hull (16)

IMCA Modifieds
A-Main 01 -- 1. Josh Foster, Montrose; 2. Brandon Savage, Keokuk; 3. Kevin Cale, Donnellson; 4. Bill Roberts, Burlington;5. Darin Thye, Burlington; 6. Mitch Higdon, Fort Madison; 7. Jeff Waterman, Quincy, Ill.; 8. DaveCloke, Burlington; 9. Levi Smith, Donnellson; 10. Jim Gillenwater, Keokuk; 11.Wyatt Lantz, Bowen, Ill..

Heat 01 -- 1. Kevin Cale, Donnellson; 2. Darin Thye, Burlington; 3. Josh Foster, Montrose; 4. Mitch Higdon, Fort Madison; 5. Dave Cloke, Burlington; 6. Levi Smith, Donnellson

Heat 02 -- 1. Brandon Savage, Keokuk; 2. Bill Roberts, Burlington; 3. Jeff Waterman, Quincy, Ill.;4. Wyatt Lantz, Bowen, Ill.; 5. Jim Gillenwater, Keokuk.

IMCA Stock Cars

A-Main 01 -- 1. Jason Cook, Mt. Pleasant; 2. JohnOliver, Jr., Danville; 3. Cole Simmons, Morning Sun;4. Brandon Rothzen, Media, Ill.; 5. Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 6.Chris Wibbell, Dallas City, Ill.; 7. Trent Vrchoticky,Columbus Junction; 8. Dennis Harwood, West Point; 9. Chris Webb, Biggsville,Ill.; 10. Derek Goble, Burlington; 11. Doug Huls,Carthage, Ill.; 12. Steve Steinkuhrer, Camp Point, Ill.; 13. Nick Fenton,Mt. Pleasant; 14. David Wietholder, Liberty, Ill.; 15.Corey Strothman, New London.

Heat 01 -- 1. Derek Goble, Burlington; 2. Jason Cook,Mt. Pleasant; 3. Dennis Harwood, West Point; 4. ColeSimmons, Morning Sun; 5. Corey Strothman, New London; 6. DougHuls, Carthage, Ill.; 7. David Wietholder, Liberty,Ill.; 8. Nick Fenton, Mt. Pleasant.

Heat 02 -- 1. Trent Vrchoticky, Columbus Junction; 2.Abe Huls, Carthage, Ill.; 3. Brandon Rothzen, Media,Ill.; 4. Chris Wibbell, Dallas City, Ill.; 5. Chris Webb, Biggsville,Ill.; 6. Steve Steinkuhrer, Camp Point, Ill.; 7. JohnOliver, Jr., Danville.
 

4 Cyl. Wild Things
A-Main 01 -- 1. David Helenthal, Fort Madision; 2.Steven DeLonjay, Quincy, Ill.; 3. Jena Barthelmes,Marion; 4. James Oliver III, Hamilton, Ill.; 5. Geoffrey Theobald,Wapello; 6. Jeff DeLonjay;; 7. Dan Keltner, Wapello;8. R Noble, Wapello; 9. Chuck Fullenkamp, Fort Madison; 10. Randy Foor,Morning Sun; 11. Todd Cloke, Mt. Pleasant; 12. GabeHarrison, Warsaw, Ill.; 13. Jeremy Pundt, Donnellson; 14. BillWhalen;; 15. Brian Polson, Burlington; 16. Jerry Taft, Donnellson; 17. Travis Jordan, Donnellson; 18. Travis DeMint, Basco,Ill.; 19. Bryan Rodefer, Fort Madison; 20. DennisSchulte, Keokuk; 21. Brent Hartley, Niota, Ill.; 22. Dave Cloke,Burlington; 23. Tyler Schulte, Montrose; 24. RyanAnderson, Donnellson; 25. Michael Grossman, Keokuk; 26. Josh Green, Wapello; 27.Tyler Whalen, Riverside.
 

Heat 01 -- 1. Geoffrey Theobald, Wapello; 2. StevenDeLonjay, Quincy, Ill.; 3. Dennis Schulte, Keokuk; 4.Chuck Fullenkamp, Fort Madison; 5. Jeff DeLonjay;; 6. Jena Barthelmes, Marion; 7. Travis DeMint, Basco, Ill.; 8. Michael Grossman, Keokuk; 9. Dave Cloke, Burlington.

Heat 02 -- 1. Tyler Schulte, Montrose; 2. JamesOliver III, Hamilton, Ill.; 3. Dan Keltner, Wapello;4. Ryan Anderson, Donnellson; 5. Randy Foor, Morning Sun; 6. TylerWhalen, Riverside; 7. Travis Jordan, Donnellson; 8.Todd Cloke, Mt. Pleasant; 9. Jerry Taft, Donnellson.

Heat 03 -- 1. David Helenthal, Fort Madision; 2. RNoble, Wapello; 3. Brent Hartley, Niota, Ill.; 4.Brian Polson, Burlington; 5. Bryan Rodefer, Fort Madison; 6. Jeremy Pundt,Donnellson; 7. Gabe Harrison, Warsaw, Ill.; 8. Bill Whalen;; 9. Josh Green, Wapello.