BANNER, Ill. — After a fourteen-year absence the Sprint Invaders returned to the Spoon River Speedway on Saturday.
Despite sweltering conditions in the afternoon and the area being placed under a severe thunderstorm watch for the evening, twenty-three Winged Sprint Car drivers checked in.
It would be the first time for many of the drivers to compete at a track that has a reputation for staging some great open-wheel action.
A pair of unrelated Martins, Chris and Randy would bring the field to green for the start of the twenty-five-lap headliner, but it would be the third starting Ryan Bunton that would sneak under both of them to lead the opening laps. With Bunton digging around the bottom, Chris Martin went to the top side and would sail by Bunton to take the point on lap six.
A two-time champion with the Sprint Invaders, Martin would extend his lead working lapped traffic like a master while the battle for second heated up well behind him with Bunton, Randy Martin and the ninth starting Colton Fisher slicing through traffic as well.
The first caution of the event would wait until lap 18 when Tyler Lee slid off the top of turn four and on the restart Josh Higday got into the mix moving to third in one lap and then to second while using the extreme low line. But when Alex VandeVoort spun in turn two with 19 laps down, Higday had to go back to third behind Fisher for the restart.
On that restart the top four all aimed for the bottom of turn one, sending the field behind them roaring to the cushion. Ohio visitor Luke Griffith looked to move from seventh to fourth through the first set of turns and down the backstretch only to have that effort wiped out when Devin Wignall spun in turn three.
This would be the final restart of the race and as the leader, Martin, went to the bottom, Fisher ran the cushion and appeared to have a run on the leader with just five laps remaining. The cushion couldn’t hold him in turn two though and Fisher had to turn the car completely sideways to stay on the gas to make the save.
This would allow Martin to get away over the final laps to make him the fourth different winner in four events completed on the Sprint Invader schedule.
Higday was able to get by Fisher in the closing laps to come from 14th to second while it would be the second straight podium finish for Fisher on the weekend.Â
Feature Finish (25 Laps)
1. Chris Martin; 2. Higday; 3. Fisher; 4. Bunton; 5. Cam Martin; 6. Griffith; 7. Tripplett; 8. Gebhardt; 9. R. Martin; 10. Verardi; 11. Jamison; 12. Wignall; 13. Watt; 14. C. Richards; 15. Shelton; 16. Archdale; 17. Zoutte; 18. Wehrle; 19. M. Richards; 20. VandeVoort; 21. Moughan; 22. Lee; 23. Selvage