Brown takes IRA Knoxville Tilt; Selvage Wins 360s
Saturday, May 8, 2010
By Bob Wilson
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (May8) Brian Brown captured the annual Interstate Racing Association (IRA) Knoxville Challenge Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway while young Dustin Selvage was victorious in the 360 sprints end of things.
Front row starter Lynton Jeffrey led the 20-lap feature for the first eight go-arounds. Brown, who started in the eighth slot, quickly made his way forward and reeled-in the leader. Their battle for the top spot was close until finally Brown dove low in turn two on the ninth lap to take the lead as that duo exited and ran down the back stretch. Jeffrey kept it close but Brown was not to be denied on this night.
A yellow on lap ten for a stalled car bunched the field and on the restart Mark Dobmeier made a pass of Jeffrey to grab the runner-up spot. Behind them Don Droud, Jr. approached as did the sprinters of Brooke Tatnell and Austin McCarl. This group of six cars made for exciting racing around the big Knoxville half-mile oval.
Lap 15 saw Brown enter into lap traffic and he deftly managed the backmarkers. A yellow was thrown on the 17th circuit for another stopped car and the entire field once again went into single file mode.
Brown led those same cars back to the green with but a few laps remaining. Only McCarl fell backward as Dusty Zomer made a pass of him. In the end it was Brown claiming his 16th feature event win on this track in his self-owned Maxim while taking $3,000 back to Missouri. Trailing at the line were Dobmeier, Jeffrey, Droud Jr. and Tatnell. Completing the top ten were Zomer, McCarl, Josh Schneiderman, Ian Madsen and Bronson Maeschen.
In 360 sprints, Dustin Selvage garnered his fourth career win in that division. Front row starter Gregg Bakker led most of the way and appeared to be headed for the win as the race wound down.
A yellow just prior to the midway point forced the field to close and on the restart Bakker led pole sitter Nate VanHaaften and Selvage back to the stripe. While Bakker led the event, right behind him a struggle for the runner-up spot was being contested. Lap ten saw Selvage get by for second as one lap later VanHaaften dropped from the event.
Selvage began to press Bakker nearly as soon as he took the second spot. As the two frontrunners sailed out of turn four on the fourteenth circuit, Selvage had the lead. He then went on to capture this feature event by six car lengths. Lee Grosz, who came into third after VanHaaften exited kept that spot, Clint Garner, a 12th position starter took fourth and Dennis Moore Jr. (who started beside Garner) was fifth. Matt Moro, Chad Humston, Tom Lenz, Brett Mather and Josh Higday rounded out the top ten.
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