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Bill Wright
PEORIA, IL, August 17, 2024 – Paul Nienheiser of the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders claimed his second consecutive victory at Peoria Speedway on Saturday night. The Chapin, Illinois native earned $2,000 for his 20th career win in the series aboard the Scott Bonner #50. Nienheiser also solidified his points lead with the Sprint Invaders after suffering a tough loss on Friday night at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa.
As the field assembled for the 25-lap race, rain began to fall. Cars stayed on the track for several laps to allow the surface to slick. As a result, the race was shortened to 20 laps. The track was dry for qualifying and the start of the race, but the rain significantly altered the track, at least for the first few laps.
It took four tries to get the race started: Riley Scott spun on his first try, Tyler Shoemaker stopped on his second try with a throttle problem, and Ryan Banton rolled over on his third try, taking with him Colton Fisher and Preston Perlmutter, the latter two of whom restarted from the back of the pack despite Perlmutter's wing being badly damaged.
Cody Wehrle, who won the dash, took the lead from the pole as soon as the track turned green, ahead of Nienheiser, Chase Richards, Terry McCaul and Austin Archdale. Nienheiser had a good look at the leaders and earned a spot in the points on lap four, but Tyler Lee slowed the pace, bringing out the final caution of the race.
Nienheiser returned to the green leading Wehrle, Richards, McCaul and Archdale. Fisher, who restarted from the back of the pack after the accident, moved into the top five by lap eight. Nienheiser caught up with the lapped cars by lap 11. McCaul passed Richards for third place on lap 13, while Fisher moved up to fourth place late in the race.
At the front, Nienheiser broke away from the pack and stormed his way to victory. Wehle took second ahead of McCaul, Fisher and Chase Richards. Archdale, Blaine Jamieson, McKain Richards, Tanner Gebhardt and Scott rounded out the top 10. Chase Richards and Perlmutter won their heats and Wehle won the dash.
“We definitely didn't expect the rain to come before the race started,” Nienheiser said in victory lane. “We've been working on it since the hot laps. Scott made some adjustments that we thought would help with the slicks, and honestly, it might have helped with the tacky tires. I think maybe some of the drivers were too tight. Banton got up on his bike and fell. We got a little bit of luck. It was a good way to end the weekend.”
“It was good to start on a track that was good for the race,” Wehrle said. “We just didn't get any chances and struggled to get into the dash. Our car is strong for the race. It's disappointing to lose to Paul, but I don't think there's anyone I'd rather lose to than Paul and Scott and the wisdom they have. I know they had a tough Friday and a tough month. I'm happy for them and sad for our team.”
“I thought the rain might be tough,” McCaul said, “I tightened it up a lot after the heat. I was too loose in the heat race. I was happy to get through the first couple of skirmishes and had good handling. The track actually started to slide right up and I started to run. The car really got going at the end and I was able to work my way up to third and make up a little bit of ground on second place. Overall, it was a good night. I think I earned two nights' worth of (Car Owner Points Fund sponsored by Avis and Budget Rent-A-Car of Burlington) for Jimmie (Davis), so that was good too.”
The Morfeld Solar Sprint Invaders will conclude their season with the $5,000 prize “Fall Haul” at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, on Saturday, September 28. For more information about the Sprint Invaders, visit www.SprintInvaders.net or find them on Facebook.
Morfeld Solar Sprint Invaders Results
Shotkirk Automotive Group A Main (Start), 20 Laps: 1. 50, Paul Nienheiser, Chapin, IL (3) 2. 40, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (1) 3. 99, Terry McCaul, Altoona, IA (8) 4. 11, Colton Fisher, Mediapolis, IA (6) 5. 4, Chase Richards, Burlington, IA (5) 6. 2A, Austin Archdale, Brimfield, IL (9) 7. 51J, Blaine Jamison, Mediapolis, IA (11) 8. 31, McCain Richards, Burlington, IA (7) 9. 81, Tanner Gebhardt, Burlington, IA (14) 10. 88, Riley Scott, Quincy, IL (12) 11. 42P, Preston Perlmutter, San Antonio, TX (4) 12. 25Y, Brett Yeager, Cole Valley, IL (16) 13. 7, Tyler Lee, Cedar Rapids, IA (15) 14. 6R, Ryan Bunton, Morton, IL (2) 15. 2B, Garrett Benson, Concordia, MO (13) 16. 1T, Tyler Shoemaker, Clinton, IL (10). Lap Leaders: Gebhard Wehrle 1-3, Nienheiser 4-20. $75 Kristin Wohllevitt/KSE Hard Chargers: Fisher.
Randall's performance Heat 1 (Start), 10 laps: 1. Chase Richards (1) 2. Cody Wehrle (5) 3. Colton Fisher (4) 4. McCain Richards (3) 5. Blaine Jamison (2) 6. Tyler Shoemaker (7) 7. Garrett Benson (6) 8. Tanner Gebhardt (8)
Joshua Denning & Associates Heat 2 (Start), 10 laps: 1. Preston Perlmutter (1) 2. Paul Nienheiser (5) 3. Ryan Bunton (7) 4. Terry McCaul (3) 5. Austin Archdale (6) 6. Riley Scott (4) 7. Brett Yeager (8) 8. Tyler Lee (2)
Agriland FS Dash (Start), 6 laps: 1. Cody Wehrle (2) 2. Ryan Bunton (1) 3. Paul Nienheiser (6) 4. Preston Perlmutter (3) 5. Chase Richards (4) 6. Colton Fisher (5)
Unforeseen circumstances
King Racing Products – Chase Richards
DMI – McCain Richards
Saldana Racing Products – McKain Richards
BMRS – Cody Wale
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