By Bill W
September 21, 2021 – This weekend marks the culmination of another exciting season for the Sprint Invaders! The annual $5,000 to win “Fall Haul” leads things off for the Sprint Invaders at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa Saturday. The race will mark the points finale with just 45 markers separating leader Jonathan Cornell from second place Colton Fisher. On Sunday, the series vies for $2,500 to win as “Open Wheel Madness” commences at the East Moline Speedway in East Moline, Illinois.
Washington’s Seth Bergman, Oklahoma’s Blake Hahn and Canada’s Dylan Westbrook are winners of the “Fall Haul” in the previous three seasons of the race’s existence. You never know who might be vying for the increased purse Saturday night! Sponsors for the race making a boost in the purse possible are: US Bank, Stronghurst Collision and Refinish, Chris Martin Racing, Rocket Graphics, Midland Performance, T&J Trucking, American Hemp Research, Fenton Pawn Shop, Robert Tire Center, PositivelyRacing.com, OpenWheel101.com, Steve Morrison Trucking, GB Motorsports, Ferguson Taxidermy, Jenson Sykes, Todd Taeger Family, Maxim Racing and Premier Powdercoating.
Lap Sponsors for the 30-lap main event are: Roth Trucking, Collision Center of West Burlington, Beckman Towing, MT Farms, Cash for Junk Cars, Dairy Queen, Fenton Pawn Shop, JSR, Randy Samberg, Kirchner Machine, Rodney Bliesner, Heartland Trailer Manufacturing, Avis of Burlington, Brayden Gaylord Racing, Simplot Grower Solutions, Lee County Speedway, Tanner Gebhardt Racing, Automotive Machine, Jake the Barber, The Roofing Company, Wagner Construction, Big River Garage Door, Rusty Rogerson, Jimmie Sykes, Wingnut Motorsports, Nick Guernsey Racing and Weigert Handyman Service.
Cornell sits atop the point standings ahead of Colton Fisher, who picked up his first career Sprint Invaders win on September 11 at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. Kaley Gharst is third, ahead of Tanner Gebhardt and Daniel Bergquist. Wyatt Wilkerson, Chris Martin, Josh Higday, Cody Wehrle and Josh Schneiderman round out the top ten.
This marks the 70th time the Sprint Invaders will line up for a feature event at 34 Raceway. Matt Rogerson and Jerrod Hull lead the all-time win total with five apiece. John Schulz, Dustin Selvage and Schneiderman have all recorded four, Gharst, Matt Sutton, Bobby Mincer, Ryan Jamison, Jon Agan and Paul Nienhiser have three, and Mike Houseman Jr., Joey Moughan and Chris Martin have two. Nienhiser and Martin both won at the 3/8-mile oval earlier this season.
The Illinois Midget Racing Association (IMRA) will also be on the all open wheel card. Adult General Admission is $20, with Students and Seniors $18. Kinds 10 and under are FREE. Grandstands open at 5 p.m., hot laps are at 6:30 with racing to follow.
Sprint Invaders Return to East Moline Sunday, September 26
Sunday’s non-point event in East Moline will also feature an increased purse with $2,500 to win. The Sprint Invaders will return by popular demand after an electrifying event there in July that saw Ayrton Gennetten top the field.
The July event was the first Sprint Invaders venture to East Moline in twelve years. Gharst won there in 2007 and 2009, and John Schulz was victorious in 2008.
The IMRA midgets will be on hand, along with IMCA Mods, Sport Mods and Sport Compacts. Adult General Admission is $12, Reserved seating is $15, Seniors $10 and Students $8. Grandstands open at 4 p.m. with the drivers meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. with hot laps and racing to follow.
Check out the new website for the Sprint Invaders located at www.SprintInvaders.org!
2021 Sprint Invaders Driver Points (Feature Wins)
Jonathan Cornell, Sedalia, MO, 1854 (2)
Colton Fisher, Mediapolis, IA, 1809 (1)
Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL, 1784
Tanner Gebhardt, Burlington, IA, 1761
Daniel Bergquist, Burlington, IA, 1628
Wyatt Wilkerson, Morning Sun, IA, 1575
Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA, 1464 (1)
Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA, 1356
Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA, 1337
Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA, 1180
Brayden Gaylord, Wever, IA, 943
Kurt Mueller, Reynolds, IL, 896
Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA, 840
Dugan Thye, Burlington, IA, 712
Tim Moore, Moline, IL, 674
Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis, IA, 583
Blaine Jamison, Mediapolis, IA, 532
Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA, 396
Rob Kubli, Milo, IA, 368
Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA, 216
Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA, 194
Braydn Greubel, Lacona, IA, 160
Other Feature Winners: Paul Nienhiser, Chapin, IL (2), Ayrton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, MO (2), Garet Williamson, Kingdom City, MO