Smith wins Fourth Annual Late Model Nationals; Alexander wins 305 Sprint Championships
Sunday, September 30, 2007
By Stacy Ervin
Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wisconsin, won the Fourth Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, on Saturday, September 29, 2007. He garnered $35,000 for the career win, which saw him put on a dominating performance through the last half of the race.
The race had a tough time starting as Chris Spieker slowed to a stop in turn three before a lap could be completed. When it did go green, outside front-row starter and defending champion Brian Shirley took the lead and held off charges from polesitter Billy Moyer and third starter Steve Francis. Shirley hit lapped traffic on lap seven and continued to hold the lead until the 22nd circuit.
Shirley jumped the cushion in turn four on that lap and Moyer took over the lead. Moyer held on through heavy lapped traffic and soon faced a challenge from Smith, who started sixth. Smith led laps 28 and 29, but Moyer got the lead back on lap 30 in heavy traffic. The yellow flag came out the next time around for debris on the race track.
When the race resumed, Moyer continued to lead, getting back to lapped traffic on the 37th circuit. On the 47th lap, Smith wrestled the lead away in turn one and held it through lap 53. Smith jumped the cushion in traffic on the backstretch at that point and Moyer went back to the lead.
Moyer led laps 54 through 57 before he and Smith went three wide with Rick Eckert, who was being lapped, and Smith took the lead at the line. From there, Smith worked on building a substantial lead through traffic, gaining a half straightaway on Moyer by lap 63. By lap 78, Smith was lapping early leader Shirley in 10th place. By lap 84, Smith had lapped up to seventh place and looked to be cruising to victory.
But the yellow returned at lap 97 when Paul Glendenning spun in turn one, erasing Smith’s nine-second lead. However, Smith was able to hold off all the charges and get the victory.
Moyer finished second and Francis third. Darren Miller rocketed to fourth. Billy Drake made a late-race pass to get fifth. Brian Birkhofer, who won the inaugural event, finished sixth and was the last driver on the lead lap.
John Duty of Portland, Oregon, won the late-model C-Main. Jeep Van Wormer of Pinconning, Michigan, won the B-Main. Darrel DeFrance of Marshalltown, Iowa, transferred to the B-Main from the C and then raced to the final transfer from the B to the night’s main event.
Stacey Alexander came from 10th starting spot to win the 20-lap 305 Mid-States Sprint Championship. The Lacona, Iowa, native won $1,500 for his second-ever win at the hallowed half-mile. Alexander, who has been a longtime regular in the 360 division, won his first race during Thursday night’s preliminary qualifying event.
Outside front-row starter Marty Stephenson led the first lap of the event, but polesitter Jack Potter wrestled the lead away on lap two. Clint Garner took over the second spot from Stephenson on lap three and set his sights on Potter. The next time around, Stephenson got into the fence and lost a couple of spots before he coasted to a stop with a flat right-rear tire to bring out the yellow on lap five.
On the restart, Garner tried a slide job on Potter for the lead but did not make it work. And the red flag came out as John Kearney turned sideways in turn one, was hit in the right-rear tire by another car and was then T-boned by Josh Padellford, who flipped violently down the frontstretch.
When the race resumed, Potter held the point as Garner began to face a challenge from Alexander. Potter hit lapped traffic just past halfway and Alexander quickly disposed of Garner and stuck himself on Potter’s tail. When Potter got held up by a slower car on lap 15, Alexander got the lead in turn four and held on to it for the finish. Potter was second with Garner third. The only female competitor in the division this weekend, Trish Dover, ran a steady race to finish fourth.
The 305 A-Main was originally scheduled to see Rager Phillips start on the pole, but he blew his only motor on Friday’s qualifying night and was unable to return for the finale.
Kearney won the 305 B-Main, coming from his last-row starting spot and taking the lead at the halfway point.
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