6/11/2010
Sprint Source
Kaley Gharst - Victory at Lee County!
(Bill W) – June 10, 2010 – It must have felt like an eternity for “Showtime” Kaley Gharst, but he won his first race of the season in convincing fashion last Wednesday night at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. The Decatur, Illinois driver led all 25 laps with the Sprint Invaders to take his 14th career feature win with the series. That is tied for tops on the all-time list. Saturday, he will return to the Knoxville Raceway in the family #44G.
With 30 cars in the pits, a bad draw was not the best of starts. Kaley made the most of it, however. “We had a bad draw (47 out of 50), but it worked out for us,” he says. “We started outside row four in the fourth heat. The first start, (Mike Williams) crashed in front of us, so that moved us up to sixth. We got a real good start the next time and got around a couple of them.”
By the time the checkers waved, despite a heavy track, he had driven to second. “We were fourth by the flagstand, and we were able to get a couple more in one and two,” says Kaley. “We came out of there second, and that was important, because it got us in the dash and gave us a chance to start up front in the feature.”
The draw continued to stink for the Shake-up Dash, but some luck came when winner Jim Moughan’s draw put Kaley on the front of the main event. “We drew an eight for the dash and we needed to finish in the top six to make the first three rows,” says Kaley. “We were able to bring it home fifth. Luckily, the draw worked in our favor and we ended up starting on the pole.”
The preliminary events weren’t without issues, and an adjustment had to be made for the feature. “We were chasing an overheating motor all night long,” says Kaley. “Finally, we got a good temperature for the feature, but to get it done, we had to kill the drive off the bottom with the gear. I was a little worried, but it ended up working out for us.”
At the drop of the green, the battle was for second, as Kaley quickly opened up a straightaway lead on his competition. Despite a few cautions and restarts, he maintained his dominance. It was his fourth win in Sprint Invaders competition at the 3/8 mile oval, and his first since a Winged Outlaw Warriors win in 2008 in Dale Oaks #41. “The top of one and two had a big cushion, and the first half was pretty much against the fence,” he says of the racing conditions. “I never did go to the bottom to see if there was anything down there. In three and four, there was a pretty big hole up top. I went up there a few times and you could get around it if you got high enough. I wanted all the drive I could get, so I chose the bottom on that end.”
The Randy and Lori Plath Motorsports #14P team brought out a different car. “We put together another car on Tuesday night, and it’s a car we ran last year,” says Kaley. “The car we’ve been running the last three weeks…we just were struggling and couldn’t get it to do anything. I was happy to get this car out here and get a win with it. I’d like to thank the team for the hard work they put in this week. Randy, Nick, John, Lucas and everyone just did a great job.”
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 owner Randy 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.
Submitted By: Bill Wright
