After being rained out at two different tracks on Friday night (thanks future radar!), and then having our Saturday night destination washed out early in the day, we set our sites on the Knoxville Raceway for a full night of social distanced Sprint Car action. The Sprint Car Capital of the World is taking every precaution to keep everybody safe during the pandemic including temperature checks for anybody going to either the infield or one of the suites and, in the grandstands, race fans were directed to sit in only even numbered rows and leave at least three seats between each individual or traveling group. so fans were evenly distributed throughout the front stretch grandstands. And while I have nothing similar to compare it to, it looked like a pretty strong crowd for a weekly show presented by the Knoxville Hy-Vee conveniently located right across the street from the track.
Cans of Busch Light were also on sell for just one dollar and after setting quick time in the 410's Brian Brown donated $100 to cover the beer for the first one hundred fans to visit the beer stand near the main entrance. I notice that a tweet of that gesture and how it compares to other professional athletes haggling over money has "gone viral" so to speak on this Father's Day morning.
With lightning to the southeast, one little non-threatening cloud produced a pretty heavy mist during the final two heat races of the night, but it ended as the B-Main for the 360's was under green and the extra moisture likely helped an already fast and two grooved racing surface for the night's three main events.
The Pro Sprint Series was up first with perhaps a new record car count for the division at seventeen since they went exclusively to the crate engines and it would be the top two drivers in career wins in the class that was formerly known as the 305's starting from the front row. Devin Kline would get the jump on Matthew Stelzer and would lead the entire fifteen lap distance to take the win, the twelfth of his career now putting him in a dead heat with Stelzer who could only chase him in for second tonight. During his victory lane interview with Mike Roberts, Kline noted how winded he was after a two year layoff and that this was a one-time stint in a car that will be driven by Matt Allen for the rest of the year. Russ Hall finished in the third spot, Mike Mayberry was fourth and Evan Epperson completed the top five.
Another stout field of thirty-three drivers signed in for the 360 class with four heats and a B-Main setting the field for the 18-lap headliner. Defending track champion Carson McCarl would set a quick early pace from his pole position with Jamie Ball quickly coming from fifth to second. Caution on lap three for a Stu Snyder spin allowed Ball to challenge down low on the restart, but McCarl's high side momentum kept him out front until the caution waved again two laps later, this time when Tom Lenz slowed to a halt at the top of turn two.
On the restart McCarl went low into turn one while Ball went to the cushion and Jamie would sail to the lead down the back stretch. Matt Juhl was also on the move after starting eighth and once he got to second he found himself a full straightaway behind the leader. That gap had been cut in half by the time that the white flag waved and just as Ball was about to exit turn four and take the win the red flag waved for an incident in turn two.
Reportedly Kelby Watt had spun in turn two and as he tried to save the spin Matt Moro had no place to go with contact launching him directly into the turn two guardrail. Thankfully Matt crawled out of the car shaken, but uninjured and the race was delayed for about ten minutes as the track crew repaired some fencing at the scene.
This would now leave us with a green-white-checkers restart with Juhl right on the tail tank of Ball. Jamie would set a very slow pace all the way to the exit of turn four and you could see the sparks coming off the brakes of Juhl as he tried to anticipate the start. The strategy worked to perfection for Ball and he drove away from his challenger to take the popular win in his hometown. Juhl spent the final two circuits fighting off Clint Garner to finish second while McCarl and fellow front row starter Joe Beaver went fourth and fifth at the checkers.
The 410's would round out the evening with twenty laps and after watching his dominating run from sixth to first in his heat race, all eyes were on the beer drinkers' favorite Brian Brown who lined up eighth in this one. Young Sawyer Phillips was impressive from the pole position hugging the bottom on both ends to lead the first four laps with Austin McCarl and Aaron Reutzel in hot pursuit. The top three were in a tight formation coming to score lap five and Reutzel would make a nifty move exiting turn four to go from third to first. McCarl followed him into second with Brown, who moved from eighth to fourth on the opening lap, soon passing Phillips as well to take up the chase in third.
Reutzel was on the fly and making quick work of the slower traffic allowing him to maintain a full straightaway advantage as the race went green to checkers. And, even though he earned the pole position for the finale of the 2019 Knoxville Nationals, this would be Reutzel's first career feature at the hallowed speedway. The battle for second was a good one that was decided when the contenders closed quickly on Tori Knutson and McKenna Haase who entered turn three side-by-side with just a couple of laps remaining. Thankfully both former track champions showed patience or this could have gotten ugly and when the inside line opened up Brown was there to take it and race past McCarl for the runner-up position.
Sawyer Phillips posted his career best finish in a 410 placing fourth while Matt Juhl completed a successful evening of double duty finishing in fifth.
For any of you race fans who might be on the fence in regard to attending a dirt track race during the pandemic, the Knoxville Raceway and its large facility would be a good place to start. And besides, you know that you are going to be treated to a great night of Sprint Car racing as well.
That being said, keep in mind that Knoxville will not be in action next week due to the Jackson Nationals being run up in southern Minnesota. But they do come back with two days of racing on the holiday weekend running weekly shows on both Friday and Saturday nights July 3rd and 4th.
With Knoxville taking next weekend off, I will be with the Sprint Invaders next Friday night June 26th on the quarter-mile at the Davenport Speedway, then on Saturday night June 27th the Invaders return to 34 Raceway west of Burlington. Before that, on Wednesday June 24th I look forward to returning to the Stuart Speedway where I will sub in on the microphone for Tony Paris during the 2nd Annual Jake Durbin Memorial.
Hope to see you somewhere along the line on the Back Stretch!
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