Hull brings the fireworks with last-lap charge at West Liberty
By Jake Croxton

WEST LIBERTY, IA (July 3, 2007) – Jerrod Hull extended his all-time Ideal Ready Mix Sprint Invaders win lead as he ended a thrilling battle for the checkers on top at the West Liberty Raceway’s Aarons’ Sales & Lease 25. The win was the eleventh of Hull’s career and first of 2007 in his Lighthouse Christian Center / Red Brick Transportation / Midland Performance / Automotive Machine / Avenger. The more impressive factor was that Hull charged from 17th after winning the B-Main.

“We were fast in the B and kept making up ground in the A,” said Hull. “It’s fun to win from up front, but when you start that far back and win one – I don’t think I’ve ever won one from that far back. It was fun racing with a class act like Skip [Jackson] and Rager [Phillips] was in it at the end. Who knew we’d have ended up at the front.”

Early on, Kaley Gharst looked to have the field covered after moving from fourth to first on the opening circuit. At times, the series points leader built up a straightaway lead over the field and began lapping cars at furious pace.

Behind Gharst, a furious battle was contested for the runner-up spot between Australia’s Skip Jackson and Rager Phillips. As Gharst approached the heart of
lapped traffic, the Hostiowa.net / Bell Helmets / Maxim drastically slowed coming to the completion of lap 13 with a broken throttle cable. At the same time, Jordan Goldesberry took the wildest ride of his young career as he missed the cushion and promptly left the big ½-mile over the turn three wall. The 16-year old
was uninjured.

One final yellow slowed the pace on lap 15 for Tyler Thompson’s trip into the turn three wall. The battle for second turned into one of the best Sprint Invader
finishes in recent memory as Hull joined restart leader Jackson and Phillips. The trio alternated lines over the final five circuits with Jackson holding the advantage. Coming to the white flag, it was nearly three abreast as Hull dove underneath Jackson for the final time and made it stick. Meanwhile, Philips popped the turn two concrete with a flat right front tire and busted Jacobs Ladder.

Hull led the field under the finish ahead of Jackson, John Schulz, Josh Schneiderman, and Russ Hall. Phillips coasted to a stop in turn four, and finished a disappointing 14th.

“Mark Burch had a great car,” said the Aussie Jackson of his Engler Machine & Tool / Big Game Tree Stands / Wireless Amber Alert / Wolfweld. “Kaley was very good – we weren’t good enough to match him. Jerrod got me at the end and good on him.”

“The track really widened out… it surprised me what happened [with Gharst] but it didn’t break my heart,” Jackson said of the late restart.

Schulz was the benefactor of Phillips’ misfortune and scored his best finish of 2007 in third.

“I wish we would’ve seen the yellow with three or four to go,” commented the Burlington, Iowa veteran. “The way we got it going on the top, I think we had
something for them. Every week, we’re getting better and better. We’ve had a couple good runs and didn’t get the job finished. You can see it starting to come
around.”

Matt Sutton, Larry Pinegar, Matt Rogerson, Bobby Mincer, and Lance Gullo completed the top ten.

The series moves to 34 Raceway on Wednesday, July 4 for an Independence Day spectacular. Due to weather concerns (which seem to be the trend over the last two
seasons) a Thursday, July 5 rain date has been installed for 34. July 6, the series returns to Lee County Speedway for the annual running of the Lee County Fair race.


Results

Car Count – 28
Cautions – 2 – L13 (Goldesberry flip), 15
Leaders – Gharst 1-13, Jackson 14-24, Hull 25
Laps Led – Gharst 13, Jackson 11, Hull 1
Highest Finishing Rookie – Jordan Goldesberry (20th)

Contingency:
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Jerrod Hull
(Started 17th, Finished 1st)
Rod End Supply – Ryan Jamison
Rod End Supply – Josh Schneiderman
Saldana Racing Product – Korey Weyant
Ultra Shield – Matt Rogerson
Diversified Machine – Matt Sutton
Kinser Air Filters – Rager Phillips
MPD – Larry Pinegar
The Brake Man – Kaley Gharst
M&W Aluminum Products – Lance Gullo

Staats Awards Heat Race #1 (Top 4 advance) -- 1. Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL; 2. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 3. Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL; 4. Matt
Sutton, Macomb, IL; 5. Matt Rogerson, Burlington; 6. Brian Hetrick, Stronghurst, IL; 7. Joe Beaver, Knoxville

Storm Steel / Abrasive Jet Technologies Heat Race #2 (Top 4 advance) -- 1. Sean Walden, Bentonville, AR; 2. Tyler Thompson, Des Moines; 3. John Schulz, W.
Burlington; 4. Jordan Goldesberry, Springfield, IL; 5. Justin Newberry, Burlington; 6. Jimmy Davies, Oquawka, IL; 7. Tim Moore, Moline, IL

Budweiser Heat Race #3 (Top 4 advance) -- 1. Rager Phillips, Pleasantville; 2. Russ Hall, Des Moines; 3. Lance Gullo, Springfield, IL; 4. Bobby Mincer, Burlington; 5. Matt Harms, Chillicothe, IL; 6. Dan Avery, Burlington; 7. Bart Andrews, Muscatine

Ideal Ready Mix Heat Race #4 (Top 4 advance) – 1. Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis; 2. Josh Schneiderman, W. Burlington; 3. Larry Pinegar, Pleasantville; 4. John
Hall, Marion; 5. Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO; 6. Travis Porter, Rock Island, IL; 7. Jamie Needham, Moline, IL

American Racer / Boubin Tire Shake-up Dash – 1. Gharst; 2. Jackson; 3. R. Hall; 4. Jamison; 5. Schneiderman; 6. Phillips; 7. Walden; 8. Thompson

B-Main (Top 4 advance) -- 1. Hull; 2. Hetrick; 3. Harms; 4. Rogerson; 5. Andrews; 6. Porter; 7. Newberry; 8. Davies; 9. Moore; 10. Avery; 11. Beaver
DNS: 12. Needham DNS

Aaron’s Sales & Lease 25 -- 1. Hull (17); 2. Jackson (5); 3. Schulz (10); 4. Schneiderman (2); 5. R. Hall (6); 6. Sutton (13); 7. Pinegar (12); 8. Rogerson
(20); 9. Mincer (15); 10. Gullo (11); 11. Walden (7); 12. J. Hall (16); 13. Weyant (9); 14. Phillips (3); 15. Harms (19); 16. Jamison (1); 17. Hetrick (18); 18.
Thompson (8); 19. Gharst (4); 20. Goldesberry (14)