In the Groove
Sunday, May 21, 2006
by Stacy Ervin - It was another wild night of action at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday, May 20, as another new winner and a favorite capped the feature events.
In the 410 division, popular Missouri driver Brian Brown dominated the 20-lap main event to get his fourth career win at the hallowed half-mile. He did so by taking an early lead from his outside front-row starting spot and keeping challengers at bay during the course of the race.
As soon as the race began, Brown pulled away from polesitter Chris Walraven and Wayne Johnson, who started right behind Brown, began to give chase. In the early laps, last week's winner Kaley Gharst bicycled his machine in turn two, but kept going to avoid the early caution. A few laps later, Brown endured his first scare of the feature when Trevor Green got completely sideways in front of him, but all was well.
The red flag came out on lap nine when Matt Moro took a particularly nasty tumble in turn four after making contact with Rager Phillips. Earlier in the night, Moro had won a Heart of Gold Award at the track, along with Tyler Houseman. During the caution period, Gharst changed a tire, as did Phillips, and both restarted at the tail.
On the restart, Brown again led. But a lap later, Billy Alley jumped the berm, got sideways and left Lynton Jeffrey with nowhere to go but to pancake him in turn two. Jeffrey nearly tipped over in the melee, but did not. However, neither machine could restart.
On the restart, Johnson pulled a classic slide job on Brown in turn one, but Brown anticipated the move and dove right back by. The red flag returned again, though, when Larry Ball Jr. got upside down in turn one.
On the restart, Brown would not be denied, and Skip Jackson dove low on Johnson to take second. After that, the top three spread out and left the battling to a pair of Sioux Falls drivers, Dusty Zomer and Clint Garner, for fourth. Just before the race ended, Garner got sideways and that allowed Kerry Madsen to put a slide job on Zomer.
Brown went on to win, with Jackson second and Johnson third. Garner held off Madsen for fourth.
The 360 division saw a first-time feature winner in rookie Minnesota pilot Dustin Lindquist. He started the race in the fifth spot and quietly moved his way toward the front.
On the start of the 15-lap feature, Josh Higday took a very nasty ride in turn one, looking a bit like he was caught in a tornado for a moment.
With a complete restart, outside front-row starter Brett Mather got the early lead with third starter Johnny Anderson chasing. Anderson wrestled the lead from Mather just as the yellow flag was coming out on lap four for Joe Beaver, who had turned head-on into the pit gate at turn four. That negated Anderson¹s pass.
On the restart, Mather and Anderson again raced side-by-side, with Anderson finally surging ahead on lap eight.
On the ninth lap, Lindquist got second away from Mather, but again, it came just as the yellow flag was coming out for Tom Lenz, who looped his machine in turn four.
On the restart, Anderson was chased by Lindquist. But the yellow returned shortly after, when last week's winner John Kearney stopped his machine. On the prior lap, Kearney's car had made a wicked noise as the field came by the frontstretch, and at the flagstand, he got up over the tail tank of another car, nearly taking a wild ride. The contact rendered his right front tire flat and that caused the stoppage.
On the restart, Lindquist took the lead as the white flag was flying and went on to get his first win.
His luck was much better than a couple of his fellow Minnesota pilots. Danny Heskin flipped badly in hot laps and could not return for his heat race. Ironically, he would have been in the same heat with his brother, Davey, who suffered mechanical problems and could not finish out the seven-lap event.
Also in the 360 division, Tyler Thompson was the other car to get upside down on the night, flipping over after hitting the fence in turn four during his heat race.
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