(Bill W) May 28, 2010 – It was all about CJ on Friday night with the Ideal Ready Mix Sprint Invaders. CJ Houseman won at the CJ Speedway in convincing fashion, posting his second career feature win with the Sprint Invaders. He led all 20 laps on the 4/10 mile oval in Columbus Junction, Iowa.
By virtue of the Shake-Up Dash draw, CJ started on the pole of the feature and took off immediately. A long night of racing took its toll on the track and streaks of rubber quickly developed on the hard surface.
CJ's car seemed hooked up better than any of his competitors. "The track helped a lot, but all the way from the heat to the dash to the feature, it was perfect," he said. "We burnt the tires pretty good, but the win makes up for it. I can't say enough about my guys, and this is my brother's (Mike Jr.) motor. My dad would sell his house just to be able to let us do this."
Donnie Steward was in pursuit of the leader, with Matt Sutton, Joe Beaver and Jon Agan behind him when rookie Mike Williams spun in turn two and collected Seth Wilke and John Schulz. Only Schulz would return.
On the restart, Beaver and Agan worked under Matt Sutton. Five laps later, Sid Blandford Jr. made heavy contact with the frontstretch fence, bringing out the last caution of the night. From there, it was smooth sailing for CJ, as he pulled away from the rest of the field.
Beaver found his way by Steward to finish second. "We had a decent starting spot, and it was a good night for us," he said. "The rubber kept getting heavier and heavier, and the two restarts helped us. We were able to get under some guys. The car was so good, it was lifting in the corners."
Agan settled for a strong third. "We were good all night long, but our starts weren't like we'd wanted them," he said. "Once we got to the halfway point in our races, we were going good, but we gave the leaders too much of a cushion. Rubber-down is always tough, and our biggest issues were some brake problems. It's tough to be smooth that way. To pass a few cars is a good thing."
One of the few to still pull to the races with an open trailer, CJ Houseman cherished the win. "It's safe to say we're underfunded," he said. "It's hard to race with the big sponsor/big buck teams, so the wins are special. What you see on the track is what we have in our operation. Hopefully, we can go two for two tomorrow night!"
Saturday night, the Sprint Invaders hit the 34 Raceway, where it is "Free-4-All" Night. Admission to the grandstands will be FREE, with pit passes only going for $12!
Beaver, Ryan Jamison and Sutton won Friday heats, while Sutton also took the dash. Bobby Mincer returned after his big crash at Jacksonville Speedway on May 7 to take the B main, and then earned hard-charger honors, driving from 16th to 9th in the main event.
Results
Ideal Ready Mix 20-lap A main Finish (started): 1. 80x, CJ Houseman, Norwalk, IA (1) 2. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (3) 3. 4A, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (5) 4. 16HD, Donnie Steward, West Burlington, IA (2) 5. 3, Matt Sutton, Macomb, IL (4) 6. 51J, Ryan Jamison, Mediapolis, IA (6) 7. 10, Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA (11) 8. 1m, Jim Moughan Jr., Springfield, IL (7) 9. 15, Bobby Mincer, Burlington, IA (16) 10. 45c, Russ Hall, Pleasant Hill, IA (9) 11. 12, Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO (12) 12. 14P, Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL (17) 13. 84, Ben Wagoner, Emden, IL (15) 14. 99, Jimmy Davies, Oquawka, IL (10) 15. 68, Mike Houseman Jr., Des Moines, IA (18) 16. 2, John Schulz, West Burlington, IA (19) 17. 9x, Bart Andrews, Mediapolis, IA (13) 18. 7, Sid Blandford Jr., Vail, CO (14) 19. 4, Mike Williams, Knoxville, IA (8) 20. 38, Seth Wilke, Burlington, IA (20). Lap Leaders: CJ Houseman 1-20. Hard Charger: Bobby Mincer.
Golden Eagle Distributors - Budweiser of Burlington Heat Race #1 (8 laps, top five to feature, top two to Dash): 1. Joe Beaver (1) 2. Jon Agan (3) 3. Jim Moughan Jr. (5) 4. Jimmy Davies (2) 5. Bart Andrews (4) / 6. Justin Parrish (6) 7. Seth Wilke (8) 8. 88, Jarrod Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (7) DNS – 61J, Daniel Bergquist, Burlington, IA
Cole Implement of Media, IL Heat Race #2 (8 laps, top five to feature, top two to Dash): 1. Ryan Jamison (1) 2. CJ Houseman (5) 3. Mike Williams (4) 4. Josh Higday (7) 5. Sid Blandford Jr. (2) / 6. John Schulz (8) 7. Kaley Gharst (6) 8. 31P, Travis Porter, Rock Island, IL (3)
Huston Land Improvement of Roseville, IL Heat Race #3 (8 laps, top five to feature, top two to Dash): 1. Matt Sutton (1) 2. Donnie Steward (2) 3. Russ Hall (4) 4. Jerrod Hull (6) 5. Ben Wagoner (5) / 6. Bobby Mincer (3) 7. Mike Houseman Jr. (8) 8. 53H, Matt Harms, Chillicothe, IL (7)
Cen-Pe-Co Lubricants Shake-Up Dash (6 laps): 1. Matt Sutton (1) 2. Jon Agan (4) 3. Ryan Jamison (2) 4. CJ Houseman (6) 5. Donnie Steward (3) 6. Joe Beaver (5)
Holtkamp's Truck & Trailer Repair B Main (10 laps, top three to feature): 1. Bobby Mincer (3) 2. Kaley Gharst (5) 3. Mike Houseman Jr. (6) 4. John Schulz (2) 5. Seth Wilke (4) / 6. Jarrod Schneiderman (7) 7. Matt Harms (9) 8. Justin Parrish (1) 9. Travis Porter (8) DNS – Daniel Bergquist
Contingency Awards:
Rod End Supply: Mike Williams, Ben Wagoner
Saldana Racing Products: Mike Houseman Jr.
Weld Racing: Jerrod Hull
Hepfner Race Products: Bart Andrews