Kinser wins Friday qualifying main at 50th Annual Knoxville Nationals
Saturday, August 14, 2010
By Stacy Ervin
Kraig Kinser won the Friday qualifying feature at the 50th Annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil. The win came on Saturday afternoon, August 14, after rain washed out the show on Friday night. The win was worth $5,000 for the 2005 Knoxville Nationals champion from Indiana. The afternoon racing program was sponsored by Premier Chevy Dealers.
Kinser started on the pole of the 20-lap main event and led the distance. The race had a little trouble getting started when there was a stack up on the start and flagman Doug Clark called it back. From there though, the race went green to checkered on a very heavy track.
Jason Meyers, who took a big blow to his qualifying night when he was penalized for failing to report to the scales after he had crossed the line with the final transfer spot from the B-Main, started outside the front row and finished second.
The finishes this afternoon put Kinser and Meyers in the middle of the C-Main to start Saturday night’s finale.
Kinser and Meyers won the twin 15-lap semi-features, which saw the top 10 in each transfer to the A-Main. Racing had trouble getting started as the red flag came out at the start of the first semi when Chris Schmelzle and Ty Bartz got together in turn one and collected Rob Kubli. All three cars flipped.
American driver Craig Dollansky won the 20-lap Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge invitational. The $10,000 to win race featured drivers who qualified in various selected events in the United States, Canada and Australia. This was the 17th annual event.
Polesitter Trevor Green had the early lead until Dollansky, who started seventh, passed him on the backstretch on the ninth circuit. However, Green got the lead back when the caution came out for debris just after that. Dollansky took the lead back on the 12th lap with a similar pass and never looked back. Lucas Wolfe finished second and Max Dumesny third. Green fell back to fourth.
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