QUINCY, Ill. — Chase Randall kept his roll going with the Sprint Invaders Sunday night, when he won yet again at a track he had never seen.
The Waco, Texas, native swept the night at the Adams County Illinois Speedway, taking home $2,000. It was Randall’s fifth win with the series this year.
Randall and Paul Nienhiser started in row two of the 25-lap main event and both wasted no time heading for the front. Nienhiser captured the early lead and set his groove on the cushion of the banked third-mile bullring. Randall and polesitter Jake Griffin followed.
The leaders were quickly in lapped traffic on the sixth circuit. Most of the lappers raced on the bottom, while the leaders sailed up high. Nienhiser got his right rear above the turn-three cushion and slowed a bit. Randall pounced on the opportunity and shot past for the lead on lap eight.
Aidan Zoutte tangled with Ryan Jamison to bring a caution 12 laps in. Randall led Nienhiser, Bret Tripplett, Cody Wehrle and Griffin back to green flag.
Wehrle snatched third and Tanner Gebhardt moved in the top five before Wignall spun in turn three to bring the final caution.
The opportunity for clean air was not lost on Randall, who stretched his lead again. Behind him, Gebhardt and Wehrle battled for third, while Steven Russell, making his Sprint Invaders 2022 debut, had worked from the seventh row into the top five.
Randall and Nienhiser reached lapped traffic again with four to go, but a late slip over the turn two berm by Nienhiser sealed his sixth second-place finish of the season.
Wehrle used a late push to gain third, ahead of hard-charger Russell and Gebhardt.
“We’ve seen a lot of new race tracks,” said Randall. “They’ve all turned out really nice. I’ve just had a blast up here (in the Midwest) this summer. I can’t thank my Dad (Jon) enough. It wouldn’t be possible without him. It was a really good race between Paul and me there. I was searching for the best line and I kind of found it on the bottom in one and two. The track was super-technical toward the end and the cushion got way over the banking. I fell off of it a couple times. I’m just glad we hung on and it was a good race with Paul.”
“I made a couple of bad corners there,” said Nienhiser. “I can tell you exactly where and when they were. I think they ultimately cost me the race. I sacrificed the lead there to Chase, and I knew it was going to be hard to drive back by him unless he made a mistake. We both made plenty there in the middle to the end. I just couldn’t capitalize on them. It kind of stinks a little bit. We made gains on the car all night long. When we jumped to the early lead there, I thought we had what we needed. I think this one’s a little on me.”
The finish:
Feature (25 laps): 1. 9, Chase Randall, Waco, TX (3) 2. 50, Paul Nienhiser, Chapin, IL (4) 3. 40, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (6) 4. JR1, Steven Russell, Russellville, MO (13) 5. 81, Tanner Gebhardt, Burlington, IA (2) 6. 99, Bret Tripplett, Lincoln, IL (5) 7. 11, Colton Fisher, Mediapolis, IA (8) 8. 51J, Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis, IA (9) 9. 7, Tyler Lee, Cedar Rapids, IA (16) 10. 78, Dugan Thye, Burlington, IA (7) 11. 35, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (12) 12. 0, Jake Griffin, Quincy, IL (1) 13. 2A, Adam Archdale, Brimfield, IL (15) 14. 21, Dylan Wignall, Altoona, IA (11) 15. 4, Chase Richards, Burlington, IA (14) 16. 14, Aidan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (17) 17. 02s, Josh Jones, Knoxville, IA (18) 18. 31, McCain Richards, Burlington, IA (10) DNS – 28, Luke Verardi, Taylorville, IL, 16, Dustin Clark,