Schulz ends Invader drought in style at 34 Raceway
by: Jake Coxton

BURLINGTON, Ia (July 4) – For the first time since Donnellson on September 27, 2003, John Schulz can call himself a winner with the Ideal Ready Mix
Sprint Invaders. Schulz used a late-race restart to work around Russ Hall and led the final five laps to claim the victory in front of his hometown crowd.

“I knew last night at West Liberty we were awful good,” said the driver of the Ideal Ready Mix / Vermeer / 4th Street Bar & Grill / Bobby Jacks / J&J.
“ I’ve had this one circled on the calendar because I knew we had a good racecar. Early, we were a little tight and had to burn some fuel off. I said with about
seven to go, we’re going back to the top…and we were a rocket those last seven.”

It was Schulz’ fourth career Invader win, with the first two coming back in the series’ first season in 2002 at Donnellson and Memphis, Missouri. However, this one meant a lot to the veteran Schulz.

“This is where I started about 1992 and home’s about five minutes from here. It’s always great to come back and see everybody. This is where I learned how to do
it. Every win gets better up here. I love coming back here.”

Russ Hall got the jump on the initial start and led the 20-car field. Two laps later, Hall was the recipient of a slide job from Pleasantville, Iowa youngster Rager Phillips. Phillips rocketed away from the field until Kaley Gharst freed himself from traffic. The Decatur, Ill. driver tracked down Phillips on lap 11, but was forced to endure
disappointment for the second night in a row as a broken gear left the Hostiowa.net / Bell Helmets Maxim stranded at the entrance to turn one.

Phillips got away again on the restart and looked to have the race in hand. However, Travis Porter’s spin in turn two bunched the field up one more time on lap
18. Ninth-starter Brian Hetrick dove underneath on the that restart and the duo traded slide jobs with Hetrick leading officially at lap 20. However, it was
all for naught for both competitors as almost they simultaneously slowed on the heavily cushioned 3/8-mile surface. Phillips broke a rod bearing, while Hetrick wore the cam lobe that drives the fuel pump.

That turned the lead back over Hall and his Waterfront Seafood / T&R Concrete / Wesmar / Eagle, but Schulz was lurking on the lap 20 restart.

“John Schulz showed me around the top, there,” said Hall. “ I just kind of got stuck on the bottom and I was worried that people we going to roll back by us.
This is only our thirteenth time in a sprint car and we’re getting around pretty good. We made a few rookie mistakes there at the end. If we keep racing with these guys and learning, we’ll be right there in the front.”

Schulz blasted around the cushion and it was academic from there as he cruised to the win. Matt Sutton wound up second.

“It was [a very weird race] with a lot of attrition,” said the driver of the S&S Shortstop / Thom’s Auto Body / Onion Farms / Olson Bros. / Maxim. “I should’ve
went to the top a couple laps earlier.” With Gharst’s falter, Sutton will carry the points lead into Donnellson on Friday.

Ryan Jamison and California invader Adam Main rounded out the top five. B-Main winner Jerrod Hull, Bobby Mincer, Larry Pinegar, Nick Eastin, and Josh
Schneiderman completed the top ten.

The annual running of the Lee County Fair is next up for the Invaders on Friday, July 6 with Modifieds and Hobby Stocks in support. From there, the series travels to Bloomfield Speedway next Thursday, and Tipton Speedway next Friday.

Results

Car Count – 29
Cautions – 4 – L11, 18, 20, 24
Leaders – Russ Hall 1-2, Phillips 3-19, Hetrick 20,
Schulz 21-25
Laps Led – Phillips 17, Schulz 5, Hall 2, Hetrick 1
Highest Finishing Rookie – n/a

**Goldesberry flipped in hot laps and was uninjured.
Newberry flipped in Heat #4 and was uninjured.

Contingency:
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Jerrod Hull
(Started 17th, Finished 6th)
Rod End Supply – Josh Schneiderman
Rod End Supply – Ryan Jamison
Saldana Racing Product – Korey Weyant
Ultra Shield – Russ Hall
Diversified Machine – Brian Hetrick
MPD – Matt Harms
The Brake Man – Travis Porter
M&W Aluminum Products – Matt Rogerson

Staats Awards Heat Race #1 (Top 4 advance) -- 1. 10 Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa; 2. 3* Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL; 3. 35 Brian Hetrick, Stronghurst, IL; 4. 31P
Travis Porter, Rock Island, IL; 5. 12 Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO; 6. 99 Jimmy Davies, Oquawka, IL; 7. 18A Dan Avery, Burlington; 8. 10T Tim Moore, Moline, IL

Storm Steel / Abrasive Jet Technologies Heat Race #2
(Top 4 advance) -- 1. Nick Eastin, Burlington; 2. 14P Rager Phillips, Pleasantville; 3. Bobby Mincer, Burlington; 4. 16S Donnie Steward, Burlington; 5. 35A
Adam Main, Grass Valley, CA; 6. 29 Matt Rogerson, Burlington; 7. 9X Bart Andrews, Muscatine

Budweiser Heat Race #3 (Top 4 advance) -- 1. 00 Larry Pinegar, Pleasantville; 2. 3 Matt Sutton, Macomb, IL; 3. 51J Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis; 4. 99W Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL; 5. 0 Nick Guernsey, Burlington; 6. 4M Mark Tischer, Hannibal, MO; 7. 83 Chris Urish, Elkhart, IL

Ideal Ready Mix Heat Race #4 (Top 4 advance) – 1. 2 John Schulz, Burlington; 2. 29X Russ Hall, Des Moines; 3. 49 Josh Schneiderman, W. Burlington; 4. 53H Matt Harms, Chillicothe, IL; 5. 36 Justin Newberry, Burlington; 6. Lance Gullo, Springfield, IL; 7. 65 Jordan Goldesberry, Springfield, IL

Fastway Fabrication & Repair Shake-up Dash – 1.Gharst; 2. Schulz; 3. Mitrisin; 4. Pinegar; 5. Sutton; 6. Hall; 7. Phillips; 8. Eastin

Valley Distributing Corp. B-Main (Top 4 advance) -- 1. Hull; 2. Main; 3. Rogerson; 4. Gullo; 5. Davies; 6. Tischer; 7. Moore; 8. Guernsey; 9. Avery; 10. Newberry
DNS; 11. Andrews DNS: 12. Urish DNS; 13. Goldesberry DNS

Burlington Pepsi / Ideal Ready Mix 25 -- 1. Schulz (4); 2. Sutton (1); 3. Hall (2); 4. Jamison (11); 5. Main (18); 6. Hull (17); 7. Mincer (10); 8. Pinegar (6); 9. Eastin (8); 10. Schneiderman (12); 11. Harms (16); 12. Rogerson (19); 13. Weyant (15); 14. Gullo (20); 15. Steward (14); 16. Porter (13); 17. Hetrick (9); 18. Phillips (7); 19. Gharst (3); 20. Mitrisin (5) DNS