News

4/17/2009 -
(Bill W) April 17, 2009 – Kaley Gharst emerged triumphant at the season opener for the Ideal Ready Mix Sprint Invaders with a win Friday night at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. The race served as a preliminary event in the 1st Annual Sprint Invaders Spring Nationals. Gharst was followed by Ryan Jamison, Matt Rogerson and Brian Brown. All are locked into Saturday night's finale paying $2,500 to the winner!

Pole-sitter Ben Wagoner led the first of twenty laps in the feature. Jamison overtook him on the second circuit and started to pull away from the pack. Meanwhile, Rogerson, who has captured more feature wins (five) than any other driver in Sprint Invaders history at 34 Raceway, had moved into third by lap seven, when Josh Schneiderman spun bringing out a caution.

Jamison led Gharst, Rogerson, Wagoner and Brown back to green flag racing on the restart. A lap later, Gharst went high to loop around Jamison for the point. Jamison stayed close to the leader on the dry surface, while Brown found his way by Wagoner and Rogerson to move into third.

With thirteen laps completed, when Mike Houseman Jr. spun, bringing out the final yellow flag of the event. Rogerson worked back by Brown for third to settle the final running order, while Gharst checked out on Jamison to secure his eighth career win with the Sprint Invaders. The 2007 series champion talked about the final restart. "The caution gave me an opportunity to move my wing back," he said. "I couldn't do it under green. We're glad to start the year with a win. We got here tonight and checked out the track. We threw a setup on it, and it worked."

Gharst's win came aboard Randy Plath's #14P, and was the first of his career at the 3/8 mile banked oval. Jamison talked about losing the lead after the restart. "The yellow was a bit of a hindrance for me. We were good on the bottom. We had a good lead at that point, and I think if it stayed green we could have held on. I think that it was better to be in second where Gharst was, than leading. I'm sure he was searching around a bit. Our main goal was to get locked in, and we did that."

Rogerson talked about his hard-charger honor, worth $125 courtesy of Donnie Hamilton. "I was able to go by a lot of guys by going through the middle there. They were either high or low, and slowing down when they hit the corners. I just sailed by them through the middle. Once I got by several of those guys, I hit the bottom. I think I can run a little lower than most guys here."

Behind Brown, 2008 series champion John Schulz rounded out the top five. Josh Higday, Bobby Mincer, who took the B, Jimmy Davies, Matt Sutton and Wagoner completed the top ten.

In a rare time trial show for the Sprint Invaders, Matt Sutton took $150, courtesy of Electric Rayz Tanning, for his quick time of 14.652 seconds. He was the only car in the fourteen second bracket. Gharst, Schneiderman and Brown won heats.

Results

Spring Nationals 20-lap Preliminary A main Finish (started): 1. 14P, Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL (5) 2. 51J, Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis, IA (3) 3. 29, Matt Rogerson, Burlington, IA (12) 4. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (6) 5. 2, John Schulz, West Burlington, IA (4) 6. 10, Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA (8) 7. 15, Bobby Mincer, Burlington, IA (15) 8. 99, Jimmy Davies, Oquawka, IL (11) 9. 3, Matt Sutton, Macomb, IL (9) 10. 84, Ben Wagoner, Emden, IL (1) 11. 49, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (10) 12. 4J, Justin Parrish, Oquawka, IL (2) 13. 7, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (16) 14. 40, Andy Huston, Roseville, IL (17) 15. Y2, Mike Houseman Jr., Des Moines, IA (18) 16. 53H, Matt Harms, Morton, IL (13) 17. 14, Tony Daniels, Galesburg, IL (14) 18. 80x, CJ Houseman, Norwalk, IA (19) 19. 83, Jim Moughan Jr., Springfield, IL (7) 20. 1PC, Pete Crall, DeSoto, KS (20) DNS - 29x, Russ Hall, Des Moines, IA. Lap Leaders: Wagoner 1, Jamison 2-7, Gharst 8-20. Hard Charger: Rogerson.

Golden Eagle Distributors/Budweiser Heat Race #1 winner: Ben Wagoner

HustonLand Improvement Heat Race #2 winner: Josh Schneiderman

Cole Implement Heat Race #3 winner: Brian Brown

Holtkamp's Trailer Repair B main winner: Bobby Mincer

Qualifying Results: 1. Matt Sutton, 14.652; 2. Dustin Selvage, 15.080; 3. Josh Higday, 15.106; 4. Jim Moughan Jr., 15.150; 5. Russ Hall, 15.165; 6. Brian Brown, 15.192; 7. Kaley Gharst, 15.287; 8. John Schulz, 15.362; 9. Ryan Jamison, 15.377; 10. Mike Houseman Jr., 15.382; 11. Bobby Mincer, 15.413; 12. Justin Parrish, 15.452; 13. Ben Wagoner, 15.569; 14. Josh Schneiderman, 15.644; 15. 12, Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO, 15.671; 16. Jimmy Davies, 15.731; 17. Matt Rogerson, 15.750; 18. 16HD, Donnie Steward, West Burlington, IA, 15.878; 19. 0, Nick Guernsey, Burlington, IA, 15.989; 20. Matt Harms, 16.012; 21. Pete Crall, 16.068; 22. CJ Houseman, 16.250; 23. Andy Huston, 16.387; 24. Tony Daniels, 16.516.

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2/25/2009 - Kaley Gharst jumped into a new car to lodge two top tens in Western Australia’s “King of Wings” held at the Perth Motorplex. The finishes came despite some setbacks mechanically and luck-wise. This weekend, Kaley will tackle the “Krikke Boys Shootout” at the Bunbury City Speedway commencing this Saturday and Sunday.

Kaley, piloting the Steve Duggan #41 Maxim, qualified 14th in Friday’s “King of Wings” field. “That was o.k. for being out of a sprint car for five months,” says Kaley. “We decided not to practice during the week. We didn’t want to tear the car up before we even raced, and I think it was a good decision.”

The qualifying effort lined Kaley up inside row two for his heat. “We got a good start there and tucked in behind (Luch) Monte,” he says. “We ran him down, and I made a bid for the lead, but unfortunately, the yellow came out. I couldn’t get back underneath him after we restarted.”

After finishing fourth in the dash, Kaley lined up inside row four for the preliminary feature. “The cushion was against the wall, and we had a bar package that was way too tight for the track,” he relates. “It seemed like we were being passed by someone every lap, but somehow we came out the other end in ninth.”

Saturday brought several changes to the machine sponsored by Steve and Karenna Duggan, Cowara Contractors, RJ Vincent, Spencer Motors, Skipper Trucks, Perkins Builders, Big Lift Cranes and Mason Signs. “We changed the bar and shock package to try and get the car better, and it really felt good in practice,” says Kaley. “We lined up third in the heat race, but some mayhem started on the outside (between Darryl Clayden and Jack Dover) resulting in a car (Clayden’s) heading straight for the infield. That collected me on the bottom and sidelined us for the heat.”

Kaley scraped in through the B main. “We started outside row one, but the car was soft on the right rear again,” he says. “We managed to grab fourth and the final transfer.”

The 20 year old driver was poised for a charge, starting 24th in the finale. “We worked quite a bit on the car to get it better,” says the native of Decatur, Illinois. “We headed to the cushion and the car felt great. We were storming through there pretty good after that. We managed to pass Reidy for 10th coming out of turn four at the checkers, so I think we have the car pretty close to where it needs to be.”

Kaley is excited about his machine heading into the “Krikkie Boys Shootout”. “I feel like we have a good car for this weekend,” he says. “I just need to do my job, and hopefully, we can get a win before I head back to the States!”

Back in the States, Randy Plath is preparing his #14P for a run with the Sprint Invaders. Kaley will be behind the wheel, seeking his second championship with the series. In 2007, Kaley dominated the series with seven wins. The Sprint Invaders first race will commence on Friday, April 3 at the Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Illinois.

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 .

Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IAUSA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net

2/16/2009 - There has been a bit of a change in Kaley Gharst's plans for racing "Down Under". Instead of driving for the
Farrell family, he'll be campaigning the Steve Duggan #41 Maxim,
sponsored by Steve and Karenna Duggan, Cowara Contractors, RJ Vincent, Spencer Motors, Skipper Trucks, Perkins Builders, Big Lift Cranes, Mason Signs,Maxwill and Passmore. Brian "Bear" Chalmers will manage Kaley while he is in Australia.

After some practice this week to tune things in, the 20 year old Decatur, Illinois native will campaign the #41 at the "Kings of Wings"
at the Perth Motorplex this Friday and Saturday, the "Krikke Boys Shootout" at the Bunbury City Speedway, and the "Sprintcar Smackdown" at the Kalgoorlie International Speedway, all in Western Australia.

"The Steel City Outlaw" Tim Shaffer was the latest American to confirm that he will be contesting the biggest shows in Western Australia, and he'll be joined by others including Michigan's Chad Blonde, Nebraska's
Jack Dover, North Dakota's Wade Nygaard and the "King of California" Jonathan Allard.

Kaley finished in the runner-up spot in last year's "Krikke Boys Shootout" and is looking forward to his first run at Kalgoorlie. "I
always look forward to the new tracks," he says. "But it's nice to know that we've already run with some success at Perth and Bunbury too!"

Back in the States, Randy Plath is preparing his #14P for a run with the Sprint Invaders. Kaley will be behind the wheel, seeking his second championship with the series. In 2007, Kaley dominated the series with seven wins at the ripe old age of 18! The Sprint Invaders first race will commence on Friday, April 3 at the Morgan County Speedway in
Jacksonville, Illinois.

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

Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IAUSA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net mailto: sprntcar@iowatelecom.net

10/9/2008 - Kaley Gharst – Driveline Doom!

(Bill W) – October 9, 2008 – In 2007, Kaley Gharst was the Sprint Invaders Association champion. A plan to concentrate on the 410s this season, took him away from the 360 series based in Southeast Iowa and Illinois. Last Saturday, he had an opportunity to race in the series’ finale at the 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa in his first 2008 appearance with the series. Driving the Randy Plath #14P, unfortunately, the night went like a lot of the season had already gone.

With 39 of the stoutest 360 drivers in the Midwest assembled, the draw was important. The Decatur, Illinois driver did his part by drawing outside row one in his heat and running away with the win. “We were fortunate to draw a good number,” says Kaley. “That gave us clear sailing in the heat. The car was pretty decent.”

A top two finish in the heat, qualified Kaley for the Shake-up dash, and he finished where he started (fifth). “We didn’t change much all night long, really,” says the 20 year old. “We maintained in the dash. We had problems with the brakes all night. We kept throwing out brake pads.”

Kaley posted outside row two for the $1500 to win 25-lap main event. There was no need to spend a lot of time on setup. “We took a bit of stagger out for the feature, but otherwise, went with what we had,” he relates. “We put on a different brake caliper too, and that helped our brake situation.”

Track conditions changed, especially on one end. Kaley quickly moved into second behind Jack Dover. “The track was heavy all night long, except for turns one and two in the feature,” he says. “We were right there hanging out behind Dover.”

A series of cautions and a red flag period marred the first several laps. Kaley continued to tail Dover. “I think we had a shot at him,” he says. “I was taking my time and planned on waiting for lapped traffic and not do anything stupid to force something. We took a couple of shots on him on restarts, but nothing serious and the motor was stumbling a bit on the starts.”

Following the red flag period, Kaley shelled the driveline in Plath’s machine ending his night. “We lost the driveline heading into turn three there,” he explains. “The driveline clipped me a bit when I came off the throttle, but I’m fine. People saw me limping, but I had a little limp before that anyway.”

After winning 12 races and a championship in 2007, this year has been tough in comparison. “Unfortunately, I think we had a shot at winning the thing, or at least a top three,” he laments. “It was looking good until that mechanical failure. I’d like to thank Randy Plath for giving me the opportunity to race his car last weekend, and the motor belongs to Dale Oaks, who we teamed up with at Donnellson to win earlier this year.”

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 at driver introductions at the 34 Raceway (Dessa Rodeffer Photo)

Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IAUSA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net

9/11/2008 - (Bill W) – September 11, 2008 – The Jerry Richert Memorial is traditionally held on the Saturday after Labor Day, and this year’s event was no different. Kaley Gharst had raced there one other time in 2006 and finished fourth, so hopes were high coming in. The Decatur, Illinois driver’s night was going well until an Unidentified Flying Object found its way into the cockpit of the Marty Johnson #81 and ended his night in pain.

Drawing the 31st pill in the 34 car field for qualifying seemed tough, but a ninth quick effort was acceptable. “Going out late wasn’t such a disadvantage,” says Kaley. “(Mark) Dobmeier went out right before us and had quick time. We were pretty happy with that effort, because of the way we’ve been qualifying all year.”

“The car was working pretty decent in the heat,” continued Kaley. He found himself outside row two for the first heat beside IRA point leader Billy Balog. He roared into third with a good start, and worked by Kim Mock to finish second behind Bronson Maeschen.

The feature invert saw Kaley lining up 10th in the 25-lapper. Just as the cars took to the track, the rain fell. A one and a half hour rain delay took its toll on the track, and it was super-fast early. “All of the rain made it a little tricky,” says the 20 year old. “It was heavy, and we were tight at the beginning. Once the track blew off a bit, we started passing some cars.”

Kaley began picking his way forward again. He held down a top ten spot, and had worked his way up to seventh when the white flag flew. “We were running behind (Dusty) Zomer there, on what I guess was the last lap, and that’s when we got hit and that ended our night,” he remembers.

The normal fan saw him pull into the infield on the fourth turn, but Kaley explains what happened inside the car on the last lap. “Something came through the right side of the car, tore up the wing, went through the side panel and got me in the shoulder,” he says. “We have no idea what it was. Whatever it was hurt a lot! I didn’t know it was the last lap, or else I may have been able to make it another 50 yards. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

The pain in the arm continues, but Kaley wouldn’t mind racing somewhere, somehow this week. “It’s doing o.k. with an occasional pain pill,” he says. “It would have been nice to get a ride for the Sprint Invaders shows around here this weekend, but right now it looks like we’ll be taking the week off.”

Kaley is thankful for getting to race the #81 again last weekend. “I just like to thank Marty Johnson again, and his sons Cody and Austin for all the help and hard work they’ve put in to let me race their car,” he reiterates.

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 .

(www.HeartlandMotorsports.com Photo)

Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IAUSA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net