Four Different Winners on Twin Features Night at Knoxville
Saturday, July 7, 2007
by Bob Wilson - It rarely happens that a driver can win both ends of Twin Features night and that rule held again at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night. Feature winners were Brian Brown and Mark Dobmeier in the 410s and Matt Moro and Rick Ideus in the 360s. For Dobmeier and Ideus it marked their initial wins at this historic fairgrounds oval.
In the first 16-lap feature, 2007 Knoxville points leader, Dusty Zomer grabbed the lead at the outset while rookie Davey Heskin paced him lap for lap. On circuit number five the cushion ride paid off for Heskin as he took the lead away for two laps, but lap seven saw Zomer take the point back again.
Zomer kept the lead through a yellow-flagged Skip Jackson spin and rode the bottom of the half-mile oval as he now had company in the form of Brown, who was running the cushion. Brown began reeling him in as expectations were high for a great battle between the two.
Then on lap 12 Rager Phillips rode out a terrifying tumble past the flag stand as he and another car had collided at speed as they ran down the front chute. After several long minutes he crawled out of his destroyed sprinter and was later taken to the Knoxville Community Hospital to be checked over.
When the race resumed, Brown was able to get by Zomer as they raced out of turn two and down the backstretch. Brown then began extending his lead at the end in his Wise Guy Motorsport sprinter to collect $2,200 and his 11th career win here. He was followed by Zomer, Alley, Heskin, Calvin Landis and Mark Dobmeier.
The second (inverted by the finish of the first) feature, Brent Antill utilized the cushion to secure the top spot for the first dozen laps. Antill was able to fend off all comers through two yellow flag restarts during this portion of the race. When the race hit laps 13, Mark Dobmeier, who had started thirteenth, took the lead after setting up Antill and sliding him in turns one and two.
One final yellow flag with two laps to go was not enough for anyone to catch the fleet North Dakota driver as he drove to a $2,200 pay day and his first win herein his Lundstrum-owned sprinter. He was trailed at the stripe by Lynton Jeffrey, Calvin Landis, Antill, Clint Garner and Kaley Gharst. Brown finished sixth which brought him to within 45 points of taking the 2007 points lead from Zomer.
The first 360 Twin Twelve was dominated by Matt Moro from start to finish. The second generation driver took his father's car to the point at the outset and never relinquished that spot for the six-mile distance. It was only at the end when he came upon lap traffic that David Hall was able to place the Moro machine in his sites.
Moro's win was the third in this division here as Hall, Brett Mather, Frankie Heimbaugh and Ryan Roberts followed him to the checkers.
The second $900-to-win 360 feature was inverted according to the finish of the first one. The race saw a four-car melee in turn one at the drop of the green flag. Cars involving Gary Moyer, John Schulz, Russ Hall and Tyler Thompson rode the wrecker's hook back to the pit area. No injuries were reported.
When the race restarted, Tom Lenz collected lap one then promptly blew and engine right at the flagstand. Dustin Selvage took the point on the restart and held that spot until Rick Ideus passed him on a lap five. Ideus slowly pulled away from Selvage and won in his self-owned Schnee to garner his first ever win here. Selvage trailed, followed by John Hall, Bryan Dobesh and Ryan Roberts. Points leader Josh Higday lost an engine during qualifying heat races but still managed to keep his points lead even though he was not racing in either feature.
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