DONNELLSON, Iowa — Cam Martin had watched his brother win double-digit features and two championships with the Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders, but now he joins him in the winner’s club after conquering a tough 27-car field at Lee County Speedway Friday night.
The first career Sprint Invaders win for the Ankeny, Iowa, driver was worth $2,000.
Tyler Lee led early in the 25-lap main event after starting on the pole, over Cam Martin, Zach Daum, Josh Schneiderman and Chris Martin. Schneiderman took third from Daum on lap two, and Chris Martin followed him into fourth a lap later.
As Lee pulled away from the field and approached lapped traffic, Chris Martin passed Schneiderman for third on lap nine. The only caution of the event came when Jack Wagner came to a stop in turn four with 12 laps down.
Lee led Cam Martin, Chris Martin, Schneiderman and Daum back to green. Cam Martin pounced on the opportunity the restart gave, sliding in front of Lee in turn one. On lap 14, Chris would follow him into second.
Despite entering traffic with seven to go, Cam worked it expertly and won over Chris, Lee, Schneiderman and Riley Goodno.
“Sprint Invaders was the first 360 group I raced with,” said Martin. “I didn’t think it was going to take this long. Just to see Chris’s past success with this series is super cool. It’s just something I want to match, and maybe better someday. It’s just a testament to how good competitors the Sprint Invaders are. It’s not easy to win with these guys. Luckily, we were able to get to second right off the bat. I got to (Lee’s) bumper in lapped traffic there, and he did a good job of getting through it early. That restart left the door open a little too wide, and I had to throw it in there and hope it stuck.”
“If I’m going to run second to anyone, I hope it’s him,” Chris said of his brother’s win. “It’s really good for the whole race team. He’s been working hard on getting better, and he’s good on his equipment. It was an awesome way to end the night to come from seventh. I haven’t had to work that hard to move up through there in the 360’s. I knew pulling in here tonight, that Cam was one of the cars to beat tonight. He proved that I was right.”
“The restart definitely hurt us,” said Lee. “It slowed our momentum and there were a few mistakes there that caused two to get by me. I had some fast cars behind me (when leading). I had to get going in lapped traffic. I had to keep my distance if I could. I can’t complain about third. It’s always fun to run up front. Hopefully, we’ll have some more of those.”
The finish:
Feature (25 laps): 1. 4, Cam Martin, Ankeny, IA (3) 2. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (7) 3. 7, Tyler Lee, Cedar Rapids, IA (1) 4. 49, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (4) 5. 22, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (6) 6. 99, Zach Daum, Pocahontas, IL (2) 7. 7s, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (12) 8. 1TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (11) 9. 11T, Trey Meredith, Dade City, FL (5) 10. 23, Seth Bergman, Snohomish, WA (16) 11. 5A, Alex Vande Voort, Knoxville, IA (9) 12. 57, Cam Sorrels, Hallsville, MO (14) 13. 40, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (19) 14. 15JR, Cole Mincer, Burlington, IA (10) 15. 4w, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (15) 16. 16, Dustin Clark, Agency, IA (13) 17. 71, Nathan Murders, Burlington, IA (17) 18. 11x, Jaden Alexander, Knoxville, IA (18) 19. 63, Jack Thomas, Bates City, MO (8) DNS – 59, Evan Semerad, Malcolm, NE.
