EAST MOLINE, Ill. — Youth has been served this season with the Sprint Invaders series.
Fellow teens Chase Randall and Tyler Lee duked it out Sunday night at East Moline Speedway, with Randall emerging with his third win with the series of the year.
The Waco, Texas, native netted $2,000 aboard the Bush’s Chicken No. 9.
Colton Fisher shot out to lead lap one of the 25-lap feature, but after a lap was completed, he hit a turn three rut that upset his car and did all but flip it. Suspension damage sent him pitside.
The restart saw Lee assume the lead, ahead of Randall, Jamie Ball, Bret Tripplett and Dugan Thye.
Randall shot around Lee to the point when the green waved Thye’s top five run ended after he too, bicycled in turn three and came down, flattening his left-rear tire. A lap later, McCain Richards and Ryan Edwards tangled, while J.J. Hickle, who had advanced from row five to battle for fourth, retired with mechanical issues.
Lee stuck with Randall on the restart and stayed low to make a pass for the lead in turn two on lap eight. A Luke Verardi spin slowed things again. Verardi was fifth at the time. Lee led Randall, Ball, Tripplett and Paul Nienhiser, who had advanced from 17th, back to green. One last slowdown occurred when Devin Wignall stopped in turn two on lap 10.
Once green, the action ensued, with Nienhiser shooting from fifth to third on lap 12. Randall began closing on Lee again, and on lap 16, snuck under him to retake the point. The leaders were in lapped traffic with five to go.
Nienhiser used the opportunity to get under Lee in turn three with two to go to cinch the runner-up spot, completing a night that started with a broken axle in his heat.
Randall, Nienhiser and Lee were followed by Tripplett and Ball at the checkers.
“I really had to get to searching after (Lee) got by me the second time,” said Randall. “I kind of found a lane that worked for me, and kind of kept working it in and made the pass. I’m just happy to be here in Victory Lane, and cap off a long weekend with a win. We’ve had a long stretch of races this month, and it’s just really fun to race up here and race at these new tracks.”
“I can’t complain,” said Nienhiser, who finished second for the fifth time this season. “You have a little success, and you run second so many times…you can get frustrated with that. Coming from the back on a technical track…we came from the back and did what we had to do to survive. By the time we got to second, Chase was a straightaway ahead of us and we ran out of time. All in all, it was a good run for us. Scott (Bonar) had the car good, no matter where we were running on the track.”
Travis Denning won the IMCA late model feature, Jesse Owen topped the street stock race and Logan Gustaff aced the hobby stock run.
The finish:
Feature (25 laps): 1. 9, Chase Randall, Waco, TX (4) 2. 50, Paul Nienhiser, Chapin, IL (17) 3. 7, Tyler Lee, Cedar Rapids, IA (1) 4. 99, Bret Tripplett, Lincoln, IL (7) 5. 35, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (3) 6. 51J, Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis, IA (11) 7. 28, Luke Verardi, Taylorville, IL (10) 8. 4x, Chase Edwards, Burlington, IA (8) 9. 81, Tanner Gebhardt, Burlington, IA (13) 10. 31, McCain Richards, Burlington, IA (15) 11. 2A, Austin Archdale, Brimfield, IL (16) 12. 21, Devin Wignall, Altoona, IA (12) 13. 78, JJ Hickle, Quilcene, WA (9) 14. 357, Ryan Edwards, Waverly, IL (14) 15. 11T, Dugan Thye, Burlington, IA (5) 16. 40, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (6) 17. 11, Colton Fisher, Mediapolis, IA (2) DNS – 50G, Brandon Wimmer, Fairmount, IN.