In The Groove
Monday, June 2, 2008
In The Groove
By Stacy Ervin
Well the weather is finally cooperating with Knoxville Raceway's 2008 season, but there certainly was an odd vibe going on throughout this past weekend. May 30 and 31 marked the first two-day event of the season and included crazy happenings, a look at sprint-car racing history and plenty of great racing.
The action started Friday with the 16th annual Masters Classic and the companion 305 event. This year's Masters got a shot of excitement when it was announced that three legends would return to the hallowed half mile. Rick Weld, TJ Giddings and Randy Smith were all Knoxville favorites at one time and it was evident that their popularity is still strong. Giddings and Smith were the rivalry to watch before Lasoski and McCarl came along. Friday's run for Giddings came in a car his sons put together to resemble the famous old Shady Oaks Steakhouse car and you could just tell by listening to him that the Jedi was having the time of his life back at Knoxville. For Smith, his first Masters turned into a convincing win in the always strong Dwight Snodgrass machine normally piloted by Josh Higday in weekly competition.
The Masters also provided a little look into some concepts that would carry through to Saturday night's Knoxville Championship Cup Series action. First, defending Masters champion AJ Weaver was having a strong run out in front of the field when his race car went hard into the guardrail and was pretty much demolished. It may have been a premonition of wicked wrecks to come on Saturday.
Second, the fantastic run by female competitor Judi Bates in the Masters saw her come home second and nearly become the first woman to win a race here. That was a little foretelling to what would happen the next night when Natalie Sather took to the track. Sather crossed the line first in her heat race in convincing fashion, but was found to be too light at the scales. That costly mistake relegated her to start the B-Main from the tail and she was a woman on a mission. After taking a transfer spot to start the A from the tail, she came up through on a fantastic racing surface to finish 10th. When Sather first began frequenting Knoxville a few years ago, she certainly had her up and down moments. But running
Knoxville and traveling around a bit has really turned her into a fierce and formidable competitor. And there is absolutely no doubt she is a big fan favorite.
And third, Tom Lenz, a low-budget racer now from Marion, nearly won Friday's 305 feature but came up one spot short. The next night, with the 360 tucked under the hood, Lenz led the early laps of the feature until he was caught by Higday on a restart. Unfortunately, Lenz was one of the first racers pushed out to start the feature and there were many laps under caution. As the race neared its completion, Lenz began to run out of fuel and slipped back to a ninth-place finish. Still, it was a great run for the likable veteran who deserves much more attention.
Saturday's activities at the track began with the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. This is always a great time to look back at the history of our beloved sport and it always brings an air of prestige around the speedway. You just never know which legends you will see roaming Ralph Street during this weekend. Parnelli Jones spent some time in the pressbox with us, was genuinely wonderful to be around and relished in watching the dirt fly. It always makes me realize how lucky we are to spend so much time at Knoxville and have the Sprint Car Capital of the World right here.
Saturday night's action started out with the first of several vicious crashes for the 360 division coming in hot laps. Joe McCarthy, who had run the Masters the night before, was attempting to shake off some bugs which had plagued him Friday when he got together on the frontstretch with Rod Richards and went for a tumble. McCarthy smacked a couple of billboards on the inside guardrail and nearly went over the fence. I'm sure it was not the way he envisioned getting to victory lane at Knoxville Raceway.
And that was only the beginning. When the first heat race commenced, the frontstrech got the better of Nate Mosher, who nearly vaulted out of the park in turn one. Parts and pieces, including the entire front end, of his car cleared the Skate Pit, crossed Highway 14 and ended up at least as far as the Dingus parking lot, which was filled with cars, of course. That incident left the large crowd in attendance stunned to say the least.
Then, in a later heat race, the frontstretch and turn one again became the scene of a bone-jarring mess. At the start, Pete Crall, Joe Beaver and Ryan Roberts somehow got together and the three cars were suddenly a careening ball of carnage. This one sent the fans on a mission to find that full moon to explain the craziness.
While those were certainly the worst incidents of the night, the 360 feature still didn't settle the scene down much. As the cars were staging, Dustin Selvage hopped the berm in turn two and flipped over. The damage left him unable to make the start and Danny Heskin was allowed to go in his place. That completed a pretty good weekend for Heskin and his brother, Davey, who set a very fast quick time in 410 time trials.
As the cars were taking the checkered flags at the completion of the 360 feature, as Lenz was slowing out of fuel, cars had to scramble to avoid his machine. Most did, but Bryan Dobesh could not, and the two made contact, which sent Dobesh into the fence in turn two and flattened Lenz' tire.
Though no true race fan enjoys watching cars get torn up and drivers potentially get hurt, it is an unchangeable facet of the sport we love. We know at times it's going to happen and there's nothing we can do. It was fantastic to see all the drivers involved walk away under their own power and seemingly not get seriously hurt. Unfortunately, it didn't end so well for fellow 360 competitor Frankie Heimbaugh, who was injured Thursday night during a practice session and may be sitting out for a while to let himself heal.
The wild rides of the night notwithstanding, the racing action was second to none on this night. After a couple of weeks of weather-related sub-par track conditions, this one was as good as it gets. Anyone who missed this show missed a lot. With the World of Outlaws in town for two nights this coming week, let's hope the stellar racing continues. Knoxville is definitely the place to be every week.
(Pictured): Billy Alley celebrates with his team and family in Victory Lane after winning the 410 feature Saturday
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