Night number two of the Arnold Motor Supply Knoxville 360 Nationals started out with a new track record for the division and ended with a pass for the lead coming off turn four for the checkers.
With Brian Brown starting from the pole position in the twenty-lap main event you knew that he would be the man to beat and he lived up to that promise early by opening up a solid lead over Travis Rilat. A lap four caution involving Ben Gregg and Don Young slowed the pace and on the restart it was “The Gasman” Jack Dover on the move as he drove past Gregg Bakker to take second. Dover appeared to be reeling in Brown when on lap nine a puff of smoke ended his night as he coasted to a halt in turn four.
Both Terry McCarl and Sam Hafertepe Jr. made strong moves on this restart with McCarl picking off the second spot from Rilat while Hafertepe drove past Bakker for fourth. With open track in front of him Brown continued to set a blistering pace while McCarl stayed just within striking distance. With the laps winding down McCarl searched out a different groove and he found what he wanted as he closed to within four car lengths with two laps to go. With just one lapped car between him and the checkers Brown disposed of Kenneth Walker coming to the white flag and he maintained his four car length advantage over McCarl headed down the backstretch.
Then it happened. As race fans at Knoxville have seen many times over the years, Terry McCarl has the unique ability to find that one burst of speed that he needs to make a big pass and tonight was no different as he stuck the Big Game Tree Stands #24 to the bottom of turn three to take the lead and the win away from Brown off the final turn of the race. Rilat would take home the third spot with Hafertepe fourth and Bakker in fifth. Bronson Maeschen started sixth and finished sixth, Garry Lee Maier was seventh, Tim Crawley worked his way forward from row seven to finish eighth, Lou Kennedy Jr. was ninth and Davey Heskin completed the top ten.
With Brian Brown starting from the pole position in the twenty-lap main event you knew that he would be the man to beat and he lived up to that promise early by opening up a solid lead over Travis Rilat. A lap four caution involving Ben Gregg and Don Young slowed the pace and on the restart it was “The Gasman” Jack Dover on the move as he drove past Gregg Bakker to take second. Dover appeared to be reeling in Brown when on lap nine a puff of smoke ended his night as he coasted to a halt in turn four.
Both Terry McCarl and Sam Hafertepe Jr. made strong moves on this restart with McCarl picking off the second spot from Rilat while Hafertepe drove past Bakker for fourth. With open track in front of him Brown continued to set a blistering pace while McCarl stayed just within striking distance. With the laps winding down McCarl searched out a different groove and he found what he wanted as he closed to within four car lengths with two laps to go. With just one lapped car between him and the checkers Brown disposed of Kenneth Walker coming to the white flag and he maintained his four car length advantage over McCarl headed down the backstretch.
Then it happened. As race fans at Knoxville have seen many times over the years, Terry McCarl has the unique ability to find that one burst of speed that he needs to make a big pass and tonight was no different as he stuck the Big Game Tree Stands #24 to the bottom of turn three to take the lead and the win away from Brown off the final turn of the race. Rilat would take home the third spot with Hafertepe fourth and Bakker in fifth. Bronson Maeschen started sixth and finished sixth, Garry Lee Maier was seventh, Tim Crawley worked his way forward from row seven to finish eighth, Lou Kennedy Jr. was ninth and Davey Heskin completed the top ten.
Brian Brown had a special paint scheme for his #21 at the 360 Nationals as he lines up next to Travis Rilat - Barry Johnson photo
Friday Notes…..Jack Dover was the first car out to time and established a new track record for the 360’s but his hold on that record was short-lived as 17-year-old Cale Conley from Vienna, West Virginia, took it even lower with a lap of 15.973…..Conley failed to transfer out of the first heat, won the B-Main from the pole and then finished 18th in the feature race…..Colorado driver Joe McCarthy timed in well, but he would then like to forget the rest of the night. McCarthy tangled with Butch Hanssen in the second heat sending him to the C-Main that he won convincingly. His night came to an abrupt halt in the B-Main when he slapped the turn one guardrail on lap two and rolled hard three times…..Garry Lee Maier edged out track regular Dennis Moore Jr. for the fourth and final transfer position in the fourth heat…..Arizona driver Ben Gregg looked good winning the fifth heat only to have his night end early in the lap four incident in the A-Main…..The start of the B-Main had its own drama as the pole-sitter Conley set a very slow pace coming to the line in turn four. The first start was called back by flagman Justin Clark and on the second try the fourth starting Kenny Jacobs hit the go button a bit early and climbed the left rear wheel of outside front row starter Kevin Ramey. Jacobs’ car got onto its side, but from a distance did not appear to be too damaged. The veteran driver however climbed out and walked away dejectedly apparently looking for someone to vent his frustration to…..Brad Sweet, driving one of Kasey Kahne’s sprinters, held off Brady Bacon for the fourth and final transfer out of the B……The track stayed heavy and somewhat narrow all night after steady rain fell for most of the morning……Saturday’s forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-90’s so it won’t only be the racing that is hot at Knoxville as a full program of 410’s will be run along with the finals of the 360 Nationals…..I’m looking at purchasing a horizontal directional drill from Vermeer to take care of some gophers in my backyard. See, event sponsorship really does work!
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