Mitrisin runs off and hides for first 2007 Invader victory
By Jake Croxton

DONNELLSON, IA (Aug 18, 2007) – Oskaloosa, Iowa, throttle-stomper Jeff Mitrisin started on the pole and dominated the 25-lap Ideal Ready Mix Sprint Invaders event at Lee County Speedway. “The Magician” made the competition disappear as he sliced through the 22-car field.

“We can usually show somewhat decent when we come down here,” said the driver of the Wares-Harrison Motorsports / Pro Line Buildings / Mitrisin Motors /
Ostrich / Eagle. “ I feel like we can run fair if we stay out of trouble. Tonight was just a good run; we ran off the front of the heat race. We ran the bottom [in the Dash] just to see what would happen in case I had to run down there and it hurt me a little bit. We ran fourth, but in the long run it put me on the pole…Lapped traffic was the key tonight. We stayed clean…and there were a lot of fast cars here, tonight.”

While Mitrisin sailed on in the opening 19-lap green flag run, the action for positions two through ten made up it. Youngster Jordan Goldesberry and Springfield, Illinois’ Korey Weyant duked it out for the runner-up position for fifteen of those laps. As the field worked lapped traffic, the veterans began to shine. Nick Eastin and Bobby Mincer began to reel in the second-place battle while points leaders Matt Sutton and Kaley Gharst moved forward from their respective tenth and twelfth starting positions.

The only caution flew on lap 19 as the left portion of Lance Gullo’s top wing collapsed. When the debris was clear, eight lapped cars separated Mitrisin from second-running Weyant.

“There was a big group there that was third place, fourth place, through about tenth,” continued Mitrisin. “I ran them down there because they were all racing. I thought ‘I need a yellow here’ because there was a lot of good hard racing going on there. Luckily we got the yellow and we just rolled around the last five laps there.”

The victory marked Mitrisin’s third win in three years at the Lee County facility. The win also breaks a five-way tie for fifth on the all-time win list as Mitrisin is now alone in fifth with five career victories.

“I really don’t know,” Mitrisin responded when asked of his Donnellson success. “Whenever we roll in here,
I feel like we’re the one’s to beat…I ran good here when I was in my Modified. I don’t know if it fits my
style, whatever my style is, but you’ve got to be able to rip around the cushion here…I haven’t had a real
bad night here, ever.”

Eastin slid past Weyant on the restart and continued his streak of top 10s on his limited schedule.

“I spent the last week in Knoxville and I think I learned a lot just watching those guys work traffic,”
admitted Eastin, driver of the Wunderlich Excavating & Plumbing / B&B Auto Body / Bill Glasgow / Automotive
Machine / Eagle. “I just kept thinking about shooting straight through it and hopefully let the cushion or
the rubber catch me. I figured that everybody would go to the top and I knew that those lapped cars wouldn’t
stick on the bottom. I just shot to the bottom and luckily was able to get by Weyant and get back into
the rubber before everybody got back by me.”

Bobby Mincer also took advantage of the late-race restart and followed Eastin through to third.

“Once you got in there, [if] there was an opening, you had to just shoot through it,” Mincer said of working
traffic. “Otherwise, I knew there were guys that were fast behind me. If I didn’t make a move, they were
going to make a move. The car was comfortable enough that it didn’t seem like a big deal. I was trying to
be aggressive, but patient, and wait for that opening so that I could get through it and get away from those
cars. Thank God it opened up and we did get clear of it.”

The 2004 series champion debuted a brand new Maxim chassis for the event.

“Whether we ran up on the cushion or in the middle or the bottom, we passed cars…The only thing we had a problem with was that we had a brand new fuel tank and
bladder. [I think we had some rubber particles] starting to plug some nozzles and it was laying the motor down a little bit.”

Sutton and Gharst ended the event in the top five. Weyant slipped to sixth, while Russ Hall, Skip
Jackson, Dustin Selvage, and Goldesberry completed the top 10.

In support action, Knoxville, Illinois’ Greg Rossell took the lead from early leader Benny Burnett and
never looked back in the 15-lap Mod Lite A-feature. Burnett expired an engine five laps later and retired
from the event. That handed second place to Justin Buchholz but he never challenged and settled for the
runner-up spot. Jeff Norton, Paul Hallett, and Chuck Mayerhofer rounded out the top five.

Rob Hammel had his eyes on two feature win trophies in
two nights in GM Giant Wild Thing competition.
However, part-time campaigner and defending champ
Dennis Schulte spoiled Hammel’s fun and picked off the
15-lap finale. Jim Oliver, III, Dan Keltner, and Wayne
Noble followed across the line.

Next Friday will be the Shottenkirk Season
Championship for all five weekly classes. While racing
action starts at 7:30, come early for kids’ racecar
rides at 6:45.

Results

Car Count – 25
Cautions – 1 – L19
Leaders – Mitrisin 1-25
Laps Led – Mitrisin 25
Highest Finishing Rookie – Jordan Goldesberry (10th)

***Porter flipped in Heat #2, Rogerson flipped in Heat
#3 – both were uninjured

Contingency:
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Kaley Gharst
(Started 12th, Finished 5th)
Rod End Supply – Tyler Thompson
Rod End Supply – Jordan Goldesberry
Saldana Racing Product – Jimmy Davies
Ultra Shield – Brian Stansberry
Diversified Machine – Josh Schneiderman
MPD – John Schulz
The Brake Man – Korey Weyant
M&W Aluminum Products – Russ Hall
Hepfner Racing Products – Dan Avery
 

Sprint Invaders

A-Main 01 -- 1. Jeff Mitrisin;; 2. Nick Eastin, Burlington, Iowa; 3. Bobby Mincer, Burlington, Iowa; 4. Matt Sutton, Macomb, Ill.; 5. Kaley Gharst, Decatur, Ill.; 6. Korey Weyant;; 7. Russ Hall, Des Moines, Iowa; 8. Skip Jackson;; 9. Dustin Selvage, Indianola, Iowa; 10. Jordan Godesberry;; 11. Josh Schneiderman;; 12. John Schulz;; 13. Ryan Jamison, Burlington, Iowa; 14. Matt Harms, Chillicothe, Ill.; 15. Bart Andrews, Muscative, Iowa; 16. Tyler Thompson, Des Moines, Iowa; 17. Lauren Densley;; 18. Jimmy Davies, Oquawka, Ill.; 19. Lance Gullo, Reverton, Ill.; 20. Brian Stansberry, Moulton, Iowa; 21. Daniel Avery, Burlington, Iowa; 22. Gary Bonar, Burlington, Iowa; 23. Matt Rogerson, West Burlington, Iowa; 24. Travis Porter;; 25. Rager Phillips, Knoxville, Iowa.

Heat 01 -- 1. Dustin Selvage, Indianola, Iowa; 2. Jordan Godesberry;; 3. Nick Eastin, Burlington, Iowa; 4. Matt Sutton, Macomb, Ill.; 5. Skip Jackson;; 6. Jimmy Davies, Oquawka, Ill.; 7. Matt Harms, Chillicothe, Ill.; 8. Gary Bonar, Burlington, Iowa.

Heat 02 -- 1. John Schulz;; 2. Russ Hall, Des Moines, Iowa; 3. Lauren Densley;; 4. Bart Andrews, Muscative, Iowa; 5. Brian Stansberry, Moulton, Iowa; 6. Daniel Avery, Burlington, Iowa; 7. Travis Porter;; 8. Tyler Thompson, Des Moines, Iowa.

Heat 03 -- 1. Jeff Mitrisin;; 2. Korey Weyant;; 3. Bobby Mincer, Burlington, Iowa; 4. Kaley Gharst, Decatur, Ill.; 5. Josh Schneiderman;; 6. Lance Gullo, Reverton, Ill.; 7. Rager Phillips, Knoxville, Iowa; 8. Matt
Rogerson, West Burlington, Iowa.



4 Cyl. Wild Things

A-Main 01 -- 1. Dennis Schulte, Keokuk; 2. Rob Hammel, Hamilton, Ill.; 3. James Oliver III, Hamilton, Ill.; 4. Dan Keltner, Wapello; 5. R Noble, Wapello; 6. Kevin Palmer, Winfield; 7. Gabe Harrison, Warsaw, Ill.; 8. Adam Seabold;; 9. Ryan Anderson, Donnellson; 10. Chris Steele, Keokuk; 11. Stevie Shull, Rome; 12. Tyler Westercamp, Rome; 13. Brock Sammons, Rome; 14. David Helenthal, Fort Madision; 15. Kenny Foor, Wapello; 16. Hamza Smajlovic, Hamilton, Ill.; 17. John Haltmeyer;; 18. Dane Fenton, Burlington; 19. Philip Palmer, Mount Pleasant; 20. Randy Foor, Morning Sun; 21. Jermy Billings,
Keokuk.

Heat 01 -- 1. Dennis Schulte, Keokuk; 2. Rob Hammel, Hamilton, Ill.; 3. Gabe Harrison, Warsaw, Ill.; 4. James Oliver III, Hamilton, Ill.; 5. Adam Seabold;; 6. Brock Sammons, Rome; 7. Philip Palmer, Mount Pleasant.

Heat 02 -- 1. Dan Keltner, Wapello; 2. R Noble, Wapello; 3. Stevie Shull, Rome; 4. Ryan Anderson, Donnellson; 5. Chris Steele, Keokuk; 6. Kenny Foor, Wapello; 7. David Helenthal, Fort Madision.

Heat 03 -- 1. Tyler Westercamp, Rome; 2. Hamza Smajlovic, Hamilton, Ill.; 3. Randy Foor, Morning Sun; 4. Jermy Billings, Keokuk; 5. Dane Fenton, Burlington; 6. Kevin Palmer, Winfield; 7. John Haltmeyer;.

Mod Lites

A-Main 01 -- 1. Greg Rossell, Knoxville, Ill.; 2. Justin Buchholz, Pleasant Hill, Ill.; 3. Jeff Norton, Davenport; 4. Paul Haslett, Muscatine; 5. Chuck Mayerhofer, Dixon, Ill.; 6. Jerame Mowery, Moline, Ill.; 7. David Norton, Moline, Ill.; 8. Mike Thomas, Des Moines; 9. Robert Guss, III, Moline, Ill.; 10. James Chesmore, Wapello; 11. Troy Philpott, Muscatine; 12. Benny Burnett, Vandalin, Mo.; 13. Mike Morrill, Altoona.

Heat 01 -- 1. Benny Burnett, Vandalin, Mo.; 2. Jeff Norton, Davenport; 3. Troy Philpott, Muscatine; 4. Chuck Mayerhofer, Dixon, Ill.; 5. Jerame Mowery, Moline, Ill.; 6. David Norton, Moline, Ill.; 7. Robert Guss, III, Moline, Ill..

Heat 02 -- 1. Greg Rossell, Knoxville, Ill.; 2. Justin Buchholz, Pleasant Hill, Ill.; 3. Paul Haslett, Muscatine; 4. Mike Thomas, Des Moines; 5. James Chesmore, Wapello; 6. Mike Morrill, Altoona.