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(Bill W) – August 23, 2010 – “Showtime” Kaley Gharst led the Sprint Invaders points going into Saturday night at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa and he proved why, by winning the first of two features, and coming home fourth in the second. The Decatur, Illinois driver posted his fourth win of the year with the series, driving the Plath Motorsports #14P.

The draw for heat races had gone well lately, but not on this night. “I have been drawing very well, but my luck ran out in the draw on Saturday,” says Kaley. “Fortunately, we started on the outside of row three, and got a good start there. We were up to third at the start, and worked our way up into the lead.”

The win in the heat qualified him for the Dash. “Our draw for the dash was fifth, and we ended up fourth,” says the 2007 Sprint Invaders champion. “The redraw worked in our favor again, and that put us on the pole for the first feature.”

Track conditions changed immensely during the night. “The track was pretty dusty there in the heats and dash,” says Kaley. “There wasn’t a whole lot to get a hold of. We made some pretty big changes from hot laps to the heat race. They tilled it before the features, and that gave us some bite on the top and bottom. We loosened it up before the first feature.”

The racing surface provided two good grooves for the drivers, and Kaley took the lead for good on the second go-around of the first of two 20-lap main events. “We were able to start up front in clean air, and that is always big,” he says. “We raced with Ben (Wagoner) for a lap or two there before we got out front.”

Kaley adjusted to where the car felt right on the track. “Our plan was to run the top, but the bottom worked well the first couple of laps,” he says. “So I just stayed there, and it worked out for us. The car was really good and I have to thank our crew for that.”

The win came despite several restarts for cautions. The second feature didn’t provide that many opportunities to bunch the field for Kaley, who started 15th. “We really needed the number of yellows we had in the first one to make it to the front in the second one, but that didn’t happen,” he says. “I think there was only one yellow, and it was towards the end.”

Still, it was a good run to earn hard-charger honors up to fourth. “We got really spaced out there, but that is part of it,” says Kaley. “We still came up to fourth, so that was pretty good for us.”

Points were probably the last thing on Kaley’s mind, but he was able to increase his lead in the standings with two strong runs. “You just want to be consistent on a night like this,” he says. “You can’t really think about points, you just have to go out and try to finish up front.”
Keep an eye on Kaley's progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com!
If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net .
Kaley and car owners Randy and Lori Plath would like to thank Sebastian Powder Coating and Sandblasting, Holtkamp Truck and Trailer Repair, Nelson’s Catering, Pieper Inc., Lange Chiropractic, Rockstar Graphics, Scott Performance, Midland Performance and GPC Race Products.

(Bill W) – August 18, 2010 – “Showtime” Kaley Gharst picked up a win in Knoxville on August 5. He has five career wins at the Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, but this one came at the Knox County Speedway in his home state of Illinois with the Sprint Invaders. The point leader with the series will be back in the Plath Motorsports #14P this weekend for the “Night of the Twins” at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa.

It was the first appearance for the Sprint Invaders at the Illinois ½ mile. Kaley would run third in his heat after starting fifth. “We didn’t draw well in the heat, but we worked our way up to third,” says the Decatur 22 year old. “Luckily, they took the top three to the dash.”

The Shake-Up Dash was next. “The draw was not good to us again, we drew a six,” says Kaley. “We were able to work up to fourth, but then the draw put us outside of row three for the feature anyway.”

Dry conditions greeted the drivers. “It’s a nice big track, but I don’t know how often they run it,” says the 2007 Sprint Invaders champion. “It was taking rubber early in the night. We were actually loose all night, so we went pretty extreme to get the car to tighten in the corners. They moved the infield tires out a bit (before the feature) to eliminate some of the rubber the cars were running in. That made it interesting for a little bit…at least until more rubber was laid down.”

Kaley was on the move early. “We had a good start and got up to third behind (Matt) Sutton and (Jimmy) Davies,” he says. “I wasn’t able to do a whole lot until Davies got a little tight in turn two. I was able to get underneath him, and ran up on Sutton. I kind of followed him a couple laps until we were in traffic. He ran on it fast in turn one, and had to back out of it. I stayed on the throttle and went around the outside of him (lap 15). I was hoping it would stick, and it did.”

It was on to the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa aboard the Nelson’s Catering #44G. Kaley qualified on Thursday. “We drew a good number, and we qualified 18th,” he says. “That was probably as well as we qualified all year at Knoxville. We were loose in the heat and finished sixth. Then in the B, we were off on the car, and we fell back quite a ways. I was able to gain a little ground late.”

Friday night rains turned the program into a day show on Saturday. Kaley lined up seventh for the semi-feature that transferred the top ten to the main event. “I think we had it figured out on Saturday,” he says. “We passed a few cars, but then our motor let go. That put us behind for Saturday night.”

Disappointed, Kaley and the crew were ready to go again on Saturday. The 10-lap E feature was up first, and provided little opportunity to get into the top two (from inside row four) on the heavy surface. “We put another motor in and started seventh in the E,” he says. “We were able to move up to fourth, but that was all we could do on a one-lane track like that.”

Double features means double points for the Sprint Invaders on Saturday at 34 Raceway. The point race has been tight with Kaley leading Matt Sutton by five points, and Ryan Jamison by ten.
Keep an eye on Kaley's progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com!
If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net .
Kaley and car owners Randy and Lori Plath would like to thank Sebastian Powder Coating and Sandblasting, Holtkamp Truck and Trailer Repair, Nelson’s Catering, Pieper Inc., Lange Chiropractic, Rockstar Graphics, Scott Performance, Midland Performance and GPC Race Products.

(Bill W) – July 20, 2010 – Kaley Gharst found himself back in Victory Lane with the Ideal Ready Mix Sprint Invaders Thursday night at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa. The win was Kaley’s second of the Sprint Invaders 2010 season, and 15th overall, which is tops all-time in series’ history. The win also put him on top of the Sprint Invaders standings heading into their next race on August 1. The 22 year old driver is still weighing his racing options for this weekend.

Kaley fought through a tough draw, driving from fifth to second in his heat race at Tipton. “We didn’t have the best starting spot,” says the Decatur, Illinois driver. “We were able to get to third, and we still had a little left. We were able to get by Donnie (Steward) for second, and the car was really good. It was a bit loose, but I think everyone was.”

In the Dash, Kaley took a trip over the berm in turn one. “We didn’t have a whole lot of time to get the car tightened up the way we wanted,” he says. “We did a couple of things, but it wasn’t enough. We were running fourth, and got off the track in one. It ended up helping us in the redraw.”

The redraw would put him outside of row one for the feature. “We got out to a lead and the car felt good until we got to traffic,” says Kaley. “It got extremely tight when I got behind the lapped cars. I couldn’t get by them, and all of a sudden (Ryan) Jamison comes by and passes all of us.”

Kaley was able to drive the Plath Motorsports #14P back to the point and lead the last few laps for the win. “(Jamison) found something down there we couldn’t,” he says. “Once I got around those cars and back in clean air, we were able to get back around him.”

Double duty at Knoxville on Saturday didn’t go well as the #14P in the 360 division was paired with the family #44G in the 410’s. “Neither car went very good all night,” says Kaley. “The 410 car felt good in hot laps, but I made a mistake in qualifying. I decided to run the top of one and two. After the checkers I went through the bottom and it stuck all the way around like glue. I knew I had given up three or four-tenths of a second with that decision.”

The problems continued with the 410. “After the heat, the oil dumped out of the engine,” says Kaley. “We’ll get a chance to look at that this week, and hopefully, it’s not too serious.”

Time trials (28th quick) also put the #14P behind the 8-ball with the 360’s. “The car felt pretty good in qualifying, but we were behind on speed,” says Kaley. “I’m not sure where we could have picked more up. I was battling with (Robby) Wolfgang for fifth for awhile, but we were lagging due to gear choice. We were a little better in the B, but neither 410 nor 360 went well. It wasn’t a good weekend at Knoxville.”
Keep an eye on Kaley's progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com!
If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net .
Kaley and car owners Randy and Lori Plath would like to thank Sebastian Powder Coating and Sandblasting, Holtkamp Truck and Trailer Repair, Nelson’s Catering, Pieper Inc., Lange Chiropractic, Rockstar Graphics, Scott Performance, Midland Performance and GPC Race Products.

Photo - The Plath Motorsports team in Victory Lane at Tipton (Sandy Brockway Photo)

(Bill W) – July 14, 2010 – Rain put a damper on a two-day race weekend for Kaley Gharst, but the Sprint Invaders managed to get a race in at the Lee County Speedway during their Fair on Friday in Donnellson, Iowa. The Decatur, Illinois driver drove to a fifth place finish after losing his brakes. The he had some tough luck, he pulled to within 13 points of the Sprint Invaders point lead heading into Tipton on Thursday.

Driving the Plath Motorsports #14P entry, Kaley drove to a strong second place finish in his heat after starting outside of row two. “The track was wide to begin with and there wasn’t much on the bottom,” he says. “It was an advantage to start on the outside. We were able to get by Mike Hess and followed (Josh) Schneiderman the rest of the way and got up in a dash spot.”

Kaley would start in the second row of the dash and finish fourth. “The car was really good,” he says. “We were at a bit of a disadvantage starting on the inside (row two) at that point. It was good to get some more laps. We were loose, so we corrected that for the feature.”

The team was hoping the improvements would get Kaley in Victory Lane at the 3/8 mile oval…it’s a place he found back in June there. “Unfortunately, we really didn’t get to prove how good the car was,” says the 2007 Sprint Invaders champion. “The track took rubber about five laps in. Then our brake caliper and rotor came loose, and we drove the rest of the way without brakes.”

The condition impeded any progress forward from starting spot inside row two. “It was dragging pretty bad…not locking up, but dragging,” describes Kaley. “I pushed on the brake pedal and there wasn’t anything there. It ended up being a long 25 laps.”

Still in the top five, Kaley worked to maintain his spot. “We fell back to fifth, and kind of rode around there,” he says. “I saw that Ben (Wagoner) moved up above everybody there and was able to take the lead. I wanted to do the same thing, but without brakes, I couldn’t do it.”

A time or two, Kaley tried a move, but his entry and exit in the corners was limited. “I had to do some weird stuff with the car to get it to turn,” he says. “The car just wasn’t real stable and I couldn’t take many chances. We just ran from the bottom to the middle and held our spot. I did try a move on (Mike) Trent once, but he slid up and I about ran over his right rear. After that, I played it pretty safe and brought it home fifth.”

After the Sprint Invaders show at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton tomorrow night, the Plath Motorsports #14P is planning on racing in the 360 class at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday. If some tire money can be rounded up for the family #44G, Kaley very well may be doing double duty at Knoxville.

Kaley will be selling $10 t-shirts from previous seasons at Tipton and at Knoxville, so stop by the trailer!

Keep an eye on Kaley's progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com!

If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net .

Kaley and car owners Randy and Lori Plath would like to thank Sebastian Powder Coating and Sandblasting, Holtkamp Truck and Trailer Repair, Nelson’s Catering, Pieper Inc., Lange Chiropractic, Rockstar Graphics, Scott Performance, Midland Performance and GPC Race Products.

(Scott Leeman Designs)

Bill W Media

sprntcar@hotmail.com

Monroe, IA USA

(Bill W) – July 8, 2010 – Kaley Gharst competed in two events last weekend, one in the family 410, and one in the Plath Motorsports #14P with the 360 Sprint Invaders series. Eighth and fifth place finishes were turned in at the Jacksonville Speedway in Illinois on Friday, and the West Liberty Raceway in Iowa on Saturday. This week, the Decatur, Illinois driver will try to get two events in (Mother Nature willing) with the Invaders at the Bloomfield Speedway and the Lee County Speedway in Iowa.

The 2nd Annual Leon Smith Memorial saw a strong field of cars assembled at Jacksonville on Friday night aiming for $2,500 to win. Starting towards the tail of the field, Kaley would finish fifth in his heat. "We drew bad, and then I made it worse by jumping the start of the heat race," he says of being sent towards the tail. "That put us back even further."

The first lap of the feature saw chaos. "We got caught up in a first lap crash and bent some stuff in the front of the car," he says of the family #44G. "We had a bent nose wing and some other stuff going on."

Jacksonville rules saw him retain his starting spot inside row five. With a one-lane track, he maintained an eighth place finish. "We were able to get going," says Kaley. "It was similar to the track we saw the week before with the Sprint Invaders and it took rubber early. There just wasn't an opportunity to move forward. We couldn't complain about ninth after that."

At West Liberty on Saturday, Kaley maintained his third place standing in Sprint Invaders points. "It was a nice track," he says of the big half-mile. "It was wide from the beginning and had a top and bottom and a middle too. We changed some things with the fuel to the motor after hot laps."

Kaley struggled to fifth in the heat. "The (fuel) change hurt us in the heat," he says. "The motor just wasn't running well. So for the feature, we went back to where we were in hot laps. We had been overheating too, so a radiator change solved that one."

Starting outside row five, it took awhile, but the 2007 Invaders champion plugged his way forward. "At the beginning, we weren't doing a whole lot," he says of his run. "We came on after a while and got by a few cars. We were able to come out of there with a fifth place. We were looking for a little better finish, but I think we found out some things with the motor."

Kaley is eager to get back to Bloomfield tonight for the Invaders date there. He swept both 2007 events at the big 3/8 mile. He is also excited to get to the Lee County Speedway tomorrow, where he leads all Invaders in wins there over the years with four. "I think we've got things solved with this new motor, and hopefully, we'll have things good to go for this weekend."

Keep an eye on Kaley's progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com!

If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net .

Kaley and car owners Randy and Lori Plath would like to thank Sebastian Powder Coating and Sandblasting, Holtkamp Truck and Trailer Repair, Nelson's Catering, Pieper Inc., Lange Chiropractic, Rockstar Graphics, Scott Performance, Midland Performance and GPC Race Products.

(Brandon Anderson Photo)

Bill W Media

sprntcar@hotmail.com

Monroe, IA USA

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