For the story and full results visit the Knoxville Raceway website.
Former Knoxville track announcer Blake Anderson is back in the booth tonight as he is now the regular USAC voice and he has sprung a new nickname on us for Dustin Morgan, While most nicknames are pretty obvious and shared by drivers in other divisions or regions, Morgan’s “Full Blown Chaos” moniker is truly an original.
Group qualifying for the twenty-five 305’s on hand has had its share of issues with wheels coming off, spinouts and drivers trying to race each other rather than spreading out. What should have taken ten minutes is now nearing a half hour.
Brady Bacon establishes the quick time for the USAC Sprints while Levi Jones blows a right rear tire on his second lap.
USAC 1st heat – Daron Clayton hooks the cushion in turn one on the opening lap and takes a tumble. On the second start Hunter Schuerenberg bicycles in the same spot, brings it back down on all fours, bounces off the wall and continues on but will be headed to the B-Main after finishing seventh. Bacon backs up his fast time with the heat race victory.
USAC 2nd heat – I am thinking that I am a jinx for Robert Ballou as I swear that whenever I see him race he ends up flipping. That trend continues tonight as Ballou jumps the cushion in turn four and flips while leading this one. “The Wild Man” would return to start the A-Main at the back and work his way up to 11th at the finish. I’ll test the jinx theory again on Tuesday at Oskaloosa.
USAC 3rd heat – Justin Grant gets by Damion Gardner on the final lap to take the fourth and final transfer spot in a race won by Californian Keith Bloom Jr.
USAC 4th heat – It’s Full Blown Chaos as Dustin Morgan takes the win.
305 A-Main – Current All Iowa Points leader for the division Bill Boles is scheduled to start third, but does not make the call. Former IMCA Modified competitor down at Missouri’s I-35 Speedway and the now defunct Jamesport Speedway, Chad Huston starts from the pole and dominates the twelve-lap affair for his first career win at the Knoxville Raceway. Jamie Ball chases him all the way and finishes second, 2010 All Iowa Champ in the 305’s Casey Friedrichsen comes from sixth to third while the race to watch was for fourth as Matt Stephenson and Carson McCarl traded sliders over the final laps with Stephenson prevailing.
USAC A-Main – Jon Stanbrough jets to the lead working the bottom line on both ends of the half-mile. The red flag flies on lap two when veteran Dave Darland gets upside down in turn one. On lap eight defending race winner Bud Kaeding sweeps by Stanbrough on the cushion to take the lead and a lap later Brady Bacon follows Kaeding into second. Bacon stays close, but Kaeding looks in control until his car hops the cushion in turn two on lap thirteen and spins to a stop with a flat left rear tire. Bacon assumes the lead on the restart with Chris Windom now challenging on the bottom. Windom takes the lead going down the back stretch on lap fifteen only to have Bacon drive right back around him on the topside of turn four. Brady then drives to the low groove entering turn one to cut off Windom’s momentum and the moves works great as Windom is now fifteen car lengths back down the back stretch. Lapped traffic allows Windom to cut into that gap and on on the final lap he makes one last run into turn three, but he cannot hold it on the bottom and Bacon completes the clean sweep with the feature win. Jerry Coons Jr. comes from rown four to finish third, Stanbrough holds down fourth and Bryan Clauson comes from a tenth row start to take fifth.
Our tickets are purchased and we are looking forward to spending the week with our friends in Section I rows 19, 20 and 21, so there will not likely be daily updates from the Knoxville Nationals here this week as I will leave the notebook in the car. Plus, with the Press Luncheon now moved to Thursday each year I no longer have the opportunity to report on that. Check back in next week and hopefully I’ll have a summary of the week for you.
Enjoy the Nationals or the racing event that you choose to attend this week!
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