McCarl shows WoO how to run the Knoxville oval
Saturday, June 27, 2009
By Bob Wilson
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (June 27) Home-grown Altoona (Iowa) driver, Terry McCarl led flag to flag as he swept to a feature event win during the World of Outlaws (WoO) Knoxville Raceway Shootout. McCarl led the entire 25-lap event and did it in track record fashion.
McCarl, who started on the pole of the race, had his hands full during the opening laps with fellow front row starter Kraig Kinser. The two raced side by side for the first five laps with McCarl taking the low line and Kinser just a line higher with near-perfect track conditions. At lap five McCarl could claim a fifteen car-length advantage as the front runners were racing the big Knoxville half-mile oval in just over fifteen seconds per lap.
With no caution flags the top runners came upon lap traffic in a hurry and encountered the back markers on lap nine. That is when Kinser fought his way back into contention as did third running Lucas Wolfe. Behind this trio was Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz and Don Droud, Jr.
By lap 15, Kinser was only five car lengths behind the fleet McCarl due to heavy lap traffic. It stayed close like that for nearly five laps until Kinser became trapped behind several slower cars and McCarl was able to pull away once again.
Lap 20 saw both Steve Kinser and Schatz get around Wolfe as the 2008 WoO Rookie of the Year began to drift backward in the waning laps. A couple of laps later Schatz passed Steve as well as his son, Kraig. By this point in the race the reigning Knoxville Nationals champion was running out of laps.
McCarl came across the finish line some 20 car lengths ahead of Schatz for his 44th career win here placing him fourth on the all-time winners’ list, just one ahead of the great Earl Wagner. Kraig Kinser held for third followed by Steve Kinser. Fifth went to Jason Sides who started 12th. Rounding out the top ten finishers were Jason Meyers, Wolfe, Johnny Herrera, Droud, Jr. and Tim Kaeding.
The companion division 360 sprints saw Clint Garner take his fourth feature event win here. Pole sitter Tasker Phillips lead the first three laps before Garner grabbed the point and lead to the finish.
The first four laps saw two red flag conditions as first Chad Humston crashed his sprinter when he experienced sudden pressure loss in a tire. Jon Corbin was the next victim when he crashed into the turn four fence.
On the restart for lap five, 360 Knoxvile rookie contender Jonathon Cornell registered a fourth place position after starting 16th. That is all he would advance as the race went non-stop to the finish after that as Garner won going away.
Phillips placed a career best in second, Nate VanHaaften took a career best in third and Cornell finished in fourth. Dustin Selvage was fifth. David Hall, Matt Moro, Dennis Moore, Jr., Jon Agan and Gregg Bakker completed the top ten finishers.
A total of 35 360 sprinters and 41 410 sprinters competed on the evening.
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