Knoxville's 360 'Young Guns' to Challenge 'Masters' at 2006 Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters Classic
Thursday, December 8, 2005
In a major shake-up to the format of the Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters Classic, Knoxville Raceway director of racing Ralph Capitani announced today that 25 of the track’s regular winged 360-cubic-inch sprint car ‘young guns’ will get an opportunity to challenge the age fifty-and-over sprint car ‘Masters’ on Friday, June 2, 2006, in a special feature race. Hoosier Tire Midwest will sponsor three $1,000-to-win 15-lap features that night, including the fourteenth annual Masters Classic, the first-ever Young Guns Invitational, and the inaugural Masters vs. Young Guns Challenge finale. The fourth annual United States Auto Club (USAC) Pepsi/Mt. Dew King Doodlebug Midget Classic will also be held that night during the seventeenth annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction weekend.
According to Capitani, “This year we only drew 19 Masters, so we knew we needed to do something different for 2006. We’re hoping to add some excitement to the program by bringing in the top 25 of our ‘360’ track regulars for a special non-point invitational, which will pit the best of them versus the best of the age fifty-plus Masters. It will be interesting to see how veteran drivers such as Roger Rager, Jimmy Sills and Shane Carson stack up against the likes of Jake Peters, John Kearney and Johnny Anderson!”
The format for the first-ever Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters/Young Guns Challenge is as follows: time trials for all Masters (age fifty and over) and Young Guns (invited Knoxville ‘Top 25’, as of points on May 22, 2006) with the top 15 of each locked into their respective features; 8-lap consolation races for non-qualified Masters and Young Guns with five more drivers from each qualifying for their respective features; 15-lap, 20-car, $1,000-to-win Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters Classic with the top 10 qualifying for the Challenge race; 15-lap, 20-car, $1,000-to-win Hoosier Tire Midwest Young Guns Invitational with the top 10 qualifying for the Challenge race; and the 15-lap, 20-car, $1,000-to-win Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters vs. Young Guns Challenge finale.
The Saturday, June 3, program will again feature the track’s weekly 410 c.i. sprint car division and the fifth annual USAC-sanctioned Pepsi/Mt. Dew Knoxville Midget Nationals. The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction banquet will again be held on Saturday afternoon in the Dyer-Hudson Building on the Marion County Fairgrounds. Those seeking more information on the Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters vs. Young Guns Challenge are urged to visit the track’s web site at www.knoxvilleraceway.com.
“Hoosier Tire Midwest Masters Classic” Race Winners:
Year – Driver, Number, Hometown,
1993 – Rick Ferkel, 33F, Tiffin, OH
1994 – Rick Ferkel, 33L, Tiffin, OH
1995 – Rick Ferkel, 45, Tiffin, OH
1996 – Billy Engelhart, 7, Madison, WI
1997 – Billy Engelhart, 7, Madison, WI
1998 – Jerry Crabb, 12x, Des Moines, IA
1999 – Roger Rager, 6, Pequot Lakes, MN
2000 – Terry Pletch, 29, Frankfort, IN
2001 – Roger Rager, 6, Pequot Lakes, MN
2002 – Mike Peters, 49, Wichita, KS
2003 – Jimmy Sills, 20, Marysville, CA
2004 – Jimmy Sills, 20, Elverta, CA
2005 - Roger Rager, 2K, Pequot Lakes, MN
|