Friday, August 11, 2017

Defending Champ Johnson Doubles Up Friday at Knoxville Nationals

After an early end to his qualifying night on Thursday the defending champion of the 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals Jason Johnson locked himself in to Saturday night's Championship by winning the Friday night A-Main. Then, for good measure, Johnson denied Australian driver James McFadden the coveted "golden ticket" by also winning the annual Speed Sport World Challenge.

With the top four finishers qualifying for positions seventeen through twenty in tomorrow night's finale, Friday's 25-lap main event was very important and it would be Jacob Allen being perhaps a surprise leader of the opening lap. Johnson, who started outside of Allen on row one, raced to the lead on lap two just before the red flag waved when Lynton Jeffrey tipped over in turn three after getting up on the inside berm.

The only damage was to the wings so after a quick change in the work area Jeffrey rejoined the field for the restart. Johnson would pull away from Allen while Jeffrey would have his newly replaced top wing collapse just a couple of laps later sending him to the pits. With Johnson driving away Allen was doing his best to try to stay in the top four as Aaron Reutzel chased him, while the man to watch was Allen's Shark Racing teammate Logan Schuchart. Starting from row six Schuchart was on the move cracking the top four and not letting up there as he was then up to second with ten laps remaining.

What a story line it would have been if the two underfunded World of Outlaws regulars could have made the show on Saturday, but when Allen got sideways in turn four and then hopped up onto the berm in order to save it with eight laps remaining he quickly dropped out of third and eventually faded to twelfth at the checkers.

Johnson would win this one going away with Schuchart in second while second row starters Aaron Reutzel and Cory Eliason also transferred to Saturday's headliner finishing third and fourth respectively. Chad Kemenah tried to run down Eliason over the final five laps, but could not get to him in fifth as Spencer Bayston, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brooke Tatnell, Tim Kaeding and Sammy Swindell rounded out the top ten.

After his victory lane celebration wrapped up Jason Johnson would line up fourth for the twenty-lap Speed Sport World Challenge where the winner, if not already qualified for Saturday's A-Main, would lock himself into the big show. Front row starters James McFadden and Thomas Kennedy both needed that "golden ticket" and it would be McFadden taking the lead at the start. Kennedy, who switched to his own equipment tonight, had his night come to an early end when something popped under the hood on lap five when he was running a strong second.

Shortly after the restart Johnson would drive under McFadden for the lead and, just like he had a half hour earlier, Jason would open up a large gap on the field. McFadden would do his best to keep pace and as the laps wound down, with the leader now working traffic, he started to close back in. With two laps remaining Johnson had three cars racing for position front of him and when he showed his patience that allowed McFadden to close in quickly and he had a run at Johnson coming to the white flag. However, when he caught the berm coming off four that squelched McFadden's momentum and he could not make a run on Johnson who earned his second checkered flag of the night.

McFadden's second place run will help his checkbook, but he will start from fourth in tomorrow's C-Main. Brad Sweet made a late charge up to third and he just might be your dark horse for Saturday night. Dominic Scelzi was fourth and Brian Brown continued to show that he has the speed to win this week by passing Lynton Jeffrey late for fifth.

The field is now set for Saturday night with David Gravel and Donny Schatz starting from the front row. Both Brad Sweet and Brian Brown have proven that they are capable of challenging, Jason Johnson served notice tonight that he would like to defend his title even though he will have to do it from the ninth row and, if you haven't already heard, NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi has given Wednesday's winner Kyle Larson permission to fly back from Michigan after practice to start ninth for the fifty lap main event.

Who will win the 57th Annual 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals? Come join us and find out first hand!

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