By Bill W
Dubuque, IA, July 24, 2019 – Another entertaining feature commenced at the Dubuque Speedway at the Dubuque County Fair Wednesday night. For the third year in a row, an out-of-stater took the $2,000 top prize when Wayne Johnson of Tuttle, Oklahoma claimed it in the Two-C Racing #2c over the 21-car field. It was Johnson’s second career win with the series.
A scramble for the lead of the 25-lap main event early resulted in sixteen-year-old Riley Goodno and Harold Pohren spinning before a lap could be completed. Johnson, John Schulz and Paul Nienhiser wrestled back and forth for the early advantage, but it was the Oklahoman at the fore. Nienhiser grabbed second on lap two, before a fourth running Terry McCarl brought out a mandatory caution with a 360 spin in turn two and restarted at the tail.
Johnson led Nienhiser, Schulz, Jamie Ball and Chris Martin back to what would be non-stop green flag conditions the final 23 laps. Martin and Ball would wrestle for fourth before Jamie took the spot permanently. He then set his sights on Schulz as the leaders went into heavy lapped traffic on the seventh circuit.
Ball would use the low side to pass Schulz for the show position. Meanwhile, up front, Johnson and Nienhiser were in a class of their own in traffic. The leaders had to split cars on numerous occasions as they pulled away. Johnson would lap up to tenth place at the checkers.
Following Johnson across the line were Nienhiser, Ball, Schulz and Carson McCarl, who moved into the top five at the halfway point. Tanner Gebhardt, Brayden Gaylord, Martin, Terry McCarl (from the back) and hard-charger Dustin Selvage rounded out the top ten. Pohren, Terry McCarl and Johnson were heat winners, and Schulz won the Shake-up Dash.
“I’ve never been here before,” said Johnson in Victory Lane. “This place is like a ‘pleasure dome.’ The boys gave me a really good car. We got a little free at the end. I knew the lapped cars were good on the bottom, but I knew if I couldn’t pass the lapped cars they (the cars behind him) couldn’t either. We were fortunate to get to start up front. It was pretty crazy for a little bit. Lapped cars were everywhere. I’m not sure where the second place car was…I just went as hard as I could for 25 laps.”
“Lapped traffic threw us a pretty big curveball,” said Nienhiser. “We kind of got to the lead on both the starts, and I didn’t really cycle through three and four as well. Once we got to traffic, I kind of reeled Wayne in. I think I used my brakes up. We lost them about halfway through there, and it made it tricky in heavy traffic. All in all, it was a good run. I’d love to get a win in Scott’s (Bonar) car. We’ve been really close three or four times now.”
“That was a lot of fun,” said Ball. “We had a super-good start the first time, and a decent one on the second. I kind of committed to the bottom and tried to make some hay while everyone else was up top. My goal was to get John Schulz and then get it up top and let it eat. Finishing third after starting eighth and getting beat by Wayne Johnson and Paul Nienhiser is nothing to hang our head about. We’ve ran four out of the five years the Sprint Invaders have come here and we have a win, two thirds and a fifth.”
The Sprint Invaders next action will see two more $2,000 to win events. On Friday, August 16, they return to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, before hitting the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa on Saturday, August 17.
Sprint Invaders A main (started), 25 laps: 1. 2c, Wayne Johnson, Tuttle, OK (3) 2. 50, Paul Nienhiser, Chapin, IL (5) 3. 5J, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (8) 4. 99, John Schulz, West Burlington, IA (2) 5. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (12) 6. 81, Tanner Gebhardt, Burlington, IA (10) 7. 13, Brayden Gaylord, Wever, IA (11) 8. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (9) 9. 17A, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (4) 10. 88, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (19) 11. 22, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (1) 12. 35, Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA (20) 13. 11, Colton Fisher, Mediapolis, IA (17) 14. 8L, Tom Lenz, Marion, IL (7) 15. 9, Daniel Bergquist, Burlington, IA (13) 16. 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA (16) 17. 40c, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (14) 18. 50P, Harold Pohren, Lowell, IA (6) 19. 70K, Katlynn Leer, Moulton, IA (18) 20. 4, Bailey Goldesberry, Springfield, IL (21) 21. 11c, Mason Campbell, New Berlin, IL (15). Lap Leaders: Johnson 1-25. KSE Hard-charger: Selvage.
Randall’s Performance Heat one (started), 8 laps: 1. Harold Pohren (3) 2. Riley Goodno (1) 3. Tom Lenz (2) 4. Tanner Gebhardt (4) 5. Daniel Bergquist (6) 6. McKenna Haase (5) 7. Dustin Selvage (7)
CenPeCo Lubricants Heat two (started), 8 laps: 1. Terry McCarl (5) 2. Paul Nienhiser (7) 3. Jamie Ball (2) 4. Brayden Gaylord (1) 5. Cody Wehrle (4) 6. Colton Fisher (6) 7. Josh Higday (3)
Heat three (started), 8 laps: 1. Wayne Johnson (4) 2. John Schulz (3) 3. Chris Martin (6) 4. Carson McCarl (5) 5. Mason Campbell (1) 6. Katlynn Leer (2) 7. Bailey Goldesberry (7)
Budweiser King of Beers – Golden Eagle Distributors Shake-up Dash (started), 6 laps: 1. John Schulz (1) 2. Wayne Johnson (4) 3. Terry McCarl (3) 4. Paul Nienhiser (5) 5. Harold Pohren (2) 6. Riley Goodno (6)
Contingencies
Pyrotec – Josh Higday
Saldana Racing Products – Daniel Bergquist
Kreitz Oval Track Products – Colton Fisher
Mystery Tire Spot – Terry McCarl