The 360 cubic inch Sprint Invaders would close out their championship weekend Sunday with a second 2022 visit to Adams County Illinois Speedway east of Quincy. Pro Crate Late Models, Street Stocks, and Hart Limited B Mods would also be a part of the action. This season ending race for the track would follow by one week the highly successful two day Chad McCoy Memorial, wrapping up a stellar first season for new track operators Jim and Tammy Lieurence.
Twenty five sprinters would lead a field of sixty seven cars in the four divisions on a night plagued by yellow (and red) fever. Problems began in the first Invader heat, when Alex VanderVoot had his #5A dig in the racing surface entering turn one and he flipped hard multiple times. He was apparently uninjured, but was done for the night.
The track crew worked hard during the night to stay on top of a bit of a dust problem, and after some extra manicuring during intermission, the surface was plenty racy for the features, with a very "tall" cushion.
Late models would kick off the feature action, going at it for twenty laps. Heat winners Tommy Elston and Braden Bilger sat on row one, which of course made the veteran Elston the odds on favorite. But that's why we race 'em! Bilger jumped to the lead from his outside starting spot, pacing the opening lap. Mark Burgtorf, in the Lynn Richard #15R started fourth and drove around Bilger to lead lap two. But Braden kept his #17B within striking distance, charging back to the front as lap six was scored. The first yellow came with eight in the books, as 2022 Four Cylinder track champion Jeffrey Delonjay slowed before exiting the track. Jeffrey was making his late model debut in a car his team purchased from Spencer Coats earlier in the season and put back together as #32D. One more lap was scored before a second yellow as Jason Oenning and Bill Berghaus got together. The third and final caution came on the restart as Elston slowed, the result of his right rear tire going down. Attempting a restart, Tommy then pulled to the infield, his night over. Through it all, Bilger stayed in command. He was a joyous first time winner in victory lane! Burgtorf went unchallenged in second, while Darin Weisinger Jr. cleared track champ Denny Woodworth for third. James Dickerson was the final car running in fifth.
Sprint Invaders would then come to the track, twenty strong for twenty five laps. Paul Nienhiser had captured the dash win, but the redraw saw him line up fourth alongside Austin Archdale, while Garet Williamson and Chris Martin inherited row one. The first attempted start was yellow flagged when #99 of Bret Triplett stalled. Williamson grabbed the early lead ahead of Martin, with Nienhiser taking second on lap two. One more lap was scored before the next caution, and Martin retook second following the single file restart. The red flag then waved as Riley Goodno went for a wild upside down ride off turn three. Back to racing, previous Adams County winner Chase Randall entered the conversation in third, rode the cushion to second, then powered to the lead on lap eight. Another caution soon followed, and then Randall and Williamson engaged in a series of slide jobs with Williamson finally completing a decisive pass. After a caution near the halfway mark, Williamson was able to open a bit of breathing room as Nienhiser rebounded to battle side by side with Randall for second. Nienhiser settled in to second and Zach Daum drove the inside line to third as Randall faded to fourth. With five laps remaining, Cameron Martin brought out a final red flag, as he too flipped hard between turns three and four. Two more yellows marred the final laps, but Williamson held on to pick up his second ever win with the Invaders. Daum used a last lap pass to claim runner up honors over Nienhiser, and Chris Martin cleared Randall on that final circuit to finish fourth.
We could now identify the sprint car faithful with a fair amount of the large, late arriving crowd headed for the gates as the HART Limited B Mods entered the track for twenty laps of racing. All but one of the twenty two signed in made the call. After a false start, pole sitter A. J. Tournear paced lap one ahead of third starting Tanner Klingele. Following a lap two caution, Klingele led by a nose as he raced three wide with Tournear and fifth starting Austen Becerra. Becerra then powered to the front, while Klingele, Tournear, track champion Adam Birck, and Dave Weitholder in the #117 battled for position behind him. The next stoppage came with eleven laps down, and Birck used the high line to claim second. Seven laps remained when the fourth red flag of the night waved as Michael Goodwin went for a roll in turn three. Back under green, Weitholder and Klingele swapped positions behind the front duo. Two more cautions came with five laps remaining, but it only delayed Becerras' appearance in victory lane, as he took the trophy and $600 prize. Birck was runner up, trailed by Klingele, Weitholder, and Tournear.
Street stocks would wrap up the program, eleven cars for eighteen laps. Robert Cottom sat on the pole, quickly jumping to the lead ahead of Steve Grotz and Rudy Zaragoza. On lap two, Zaragoza moved to second while Beau Taylor raced to third ahead of a lap five caution, which sent him back to fourth. Taylor again took third on the restart, then a stack 'em up in turn two saw Zaragoza charged with the melee, sending him to the tail. A final caution came with six to go, but Cottom was not to be denied as he cruised to the win. Taylor was strong in second as Jake Powers raced home third. Zaragoza rebounded to fourth, while Steve Dieckmann completed the top five.
This put a wrap on our three night, three state racing weekend as well as the season at Adams County Speedway. Next up, we hope to make the opening night of the Fall Bash at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa on Thursday, so stay tuned for that!
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