Brown wins Friday main at 48th Annual Knoxville Nationals
Saturday, August 9, 2008
By Stacy Ervin
An engine fire put a scare into him on Thursday night, and another former Knoxville Raceway track champion scared Brian Brown on Friday.
Brown, the defending Knoxville Championship Cup Series track champion from Higginsville, Missouri, won the non-qualifiers’ feature at the 48th Annual Super Clean Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Friday, August 8. The Friday night show was presented by myracelife.com.
Brown started on the pole of the 20-lap main event and led every lap en route to the $5,000 payday. It looked to be an easy victory until the final laps, when Australia’s Kerry Madsen, who won a track championship here in 2005, put himself in position to steal the show.
There was a yellow flag on the original start when Justin Zimmerman spun in turn one and was hit by Brian Ellenberger. After that wreckage was cleared, Brown took control of the race. Natalie Sather pulled off the track at lap three when her motor showed heavy smoke. Former track champion Skip Jackson exited the race at lap five.
Brown began to come to lapped traffic at lap eight with second-place runner Mark Dobmeier closing. But the real closer was Madsen, who had come from a 17th starting spot in the B-Main to finish second there and transfer to the main.
Starting 22nd in the A, Madsen moved to 12th on the sixth lap, was ninth by lap 12 and fourth by lap 18. Meanwhile, Brown was using a diamond move, skimming the tall white fences through the turns and hugging the bottom berm coming out of turns two and four.
Brown looked to be running away from Dobmeier and third-running Seth Brahmer, but the caution flag came out on the white-flag lap when Cody Darrah exploded a left-rear tire.
That set up a green, white, checkered restart that saw Madsen pass both Dobmeier and Brahmer. He ran out of laps in his quest for the win, however, and Brown got his 12th career 410 victory at the hallowed half mile.
In victory lane, Brown noted it may not have been the A feature victory he really wants to win at the Nationals, but he planned to give his all in Saturday’s finale. The Friday win meant he would start in the middle of Saturday’s C-Main.
“Tomorrow night is going to be real tough,” he said, but noted his plan to make a run. “This is where heroes are made. Anybody can start on the front and win.”
Madsen also showed his determination to put on a show on Saturday night coming from his starting spot next to Brown in the middle of the C.
“If I can get to the B, we’ll get ’er done,” he said, noting only the top two will transfer from his main. “The fans need to petition to take four out of the C.”
Behind Brown and Madsen, Dobmeier was third, Brahmer fourth and Brian Paulus fifth.
Heat races were won by Brian Brown, Blake Feese, Seth Brahmer, Mark Dobmeier and Rob Chaney. Tim Shaffer won the B-Main to transfer to the A along with Madsen, Ellenberger and Gregg Bakker.
For the third night in a row, turn one was not a friendly corner as another wicked crash started off the night’s B-Main. Steve Dyer went careening into the fence while Tony Shilling and Spud Gustin were caught up in the carnage. All drivers were able to walk away.
Following the non-qualifiers’ A-Main, Madsen went on to win the myracelife.com World Challenge, a special event for drivers who qualify through various international events. It was a 16-lap event that paid $10,000 for the win.
Scrambles for the pole for the A, B and C mains for Saturday’s finale were also held Friday. Doug Esh won the C Scramble and Chad Kemenah won the B Scramble.
Steve Kinser won the A Scramble, which saw Joey Saldana get sideways in turn four on the first lap and nearly tip over. Saldana ended up backed into the fence, was able to restart but finished in the 10th and final position.
In victory lane, Kinser said he wants to keep working his way to the top and get his 13th Nationals championship.
“Hopefully tomorrow night we’re back on this podium,” he said. “It would be nice to win another one.”
The night also featured a marriage proposal in victory lane before the opening ceremonies and a five-minute fireworks display at the conclusion of the World Challenge race.
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