Knoxville Midseason Champions Go To Nebraskans Droud and Humston
Saturday, June 19, 2010
By Bob Wilson
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (June 19) Don Droud Jr. (410s) and Chad Humston (360) captured Mid-Season Championships at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night. In addition, Tasker Phillips took the nightcap in the 305 division.
On a track that showed a dry face on this evening, Don Droud was able to utilize his pole position start to collect the $3,500-to-win 20-lap feature. With nearly seven inches of rain during the week on the big half mile, track crews were unable to prepare the surface in ordinary fashion.
Once the green fell on the event, Droud had his hands full with fellow front-row starter Brian Brown. With a red being thrown on the first lap and then again after the restart on lap two, it seemed that this race might never get started. After those restarts things went green for the distance except for a significant yellow at the end of thirteen laps.
Just after the second red, Wayne Johnson was able to get by Brown as Brown went low on that restart and Johnson floored it on the cushion in turns one and two. Racing down the backstretch, Johnson took the position and began his pursuit of the leader. But lap eight would see Johnny Herrera (a ninth place starter) moving forward to grab the runner-up spot. One lap later he had the lead as he cleanly slid Droud for the lead and then ran on the bottom through turns three and four to secure that position. The following lap saw Herrera slow down and pull into the pits after he experienced drive train problems.
Droud then took Gil Sonner machine to the top spot which he held to the finish for his 13th career win here. It was after the lap 13 slow down for pieces of the drive train that drivers began to spot the rubber down on the track and that led to a single file pursuit to the finish. Droud, in fact, pulled away from Johnson to win by 100 yards at the finish. At victory lane Droud mentioned that it was Herrera who found the rubber first and utilized it for the rest to follow. The race was cut from 25 laps to 20 laps due to track conditions.
Trailing at the finish were Johnson, Davey Heskin, Skip Jackson and Brian Brown. Completing the top ten were Ian Madsen, Ryan Bunton, Mike Moore, Josh Schneiderman and Erin Crocker.
The 360 feature event went to Chad Humston, his first career win here. Humston had been a factor during the event but it took a caution for him to make his bid and gain the win.
At the outset, the feature event looked to be in the lap of Ryan Roberts as he started on the pole and pulled away from the pack. In fact, by lap eleven Roberts’ lead looked insurmountable. Then, on lap 14, just after the leader had crossed the start-finish line, an inadvertent yellow was thrown for a car that had spun and then kept enough momentum that it kept going. That yellow made the difference in the outcome of the race.
On the restart, Humston was all over Roberts as he dove to the bottom in turns one and two to take the lead. Roberts valiantly fought back but was unable to overtake the Burch Wolfweld machine, finishing no more than two car lengths behind at the checkers. Russ Hall came across the stripe in a close third. Completing the top five were Jon Agan and season points leader Clint Garner. Josh Higday, Johnny Anderson, Dustin Selvage, Jon Corbin and Dennis, Moore Jr. completed the top ten.
In the 305 division, 17-year-old Tasker Phillips captured his second career win here. Only two yellows slowed the race and each time Phillips was up to the challenge on the restarts. At lap eight he enjoyed a huge lead only to see melt away with a yellow flag.
The four remaining laps saw him defend that lead over hard charging Matt Stevenson and third place Steve Breazeale. Chad Huston and Mathew Stelzer completed the top five in this 12-lap event.
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