Dobmeier and Giannetto grab Knoxville Checkers
Sunday, August 24, 2008
by Bob Wilson
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 23) Mark Dobmeier and Jesse Giannetto each won feature events at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night. It was Championship Cup Series #16 as the sprint season has wound down to just one final event.
Dobmeier had quite a battle in gaining his fourth career feature at this track. His main opponant was pole sitter Ryan Anderson as the western Iowa driver put his sprinter on the high cushion and rode the big half mile at high speed. All Dobmeier could do was the same thing, just to keep up.
Lap six saw a red flag thrown for a wreck involving Bob Weuve who had spun in turn two and collected Travis Cram. Neither driver was injured.
On the restart Anderson again took control with Dobmeier in tow. By the half-way point of this 20-lap sprint Anderson could claim only an 8 car-length lead.
A caution flag was waved on the 12th go around as track officials spotted debris on the racing surface in turn three. Just prior to the slowdown, Dobmeier had taken the point with Anderson, Brian Brown, Danny Lasoski and Billy Alley following.
On the restart, Brown and Lasoski made passes of Anderson to put him back to fourth but Dobmeier was firmly in control. Three laps later the yellow was once again displayed for a stopped car on the track and the cars came to a single file slowdown.
The final restart of the race saw Lasoski sneak by Brown on the outside to take the runner-up spot as he raced through the middle of turns one and two. Meanwhile, Dobmeier placed his J&J/Kistler on the cushion and raced pall mall around the half-mile oval.
Brown would get by Anderson on lap sixteen and Alley would do the same three laps later. In the end it was Dobmeier crossing the finish line 15 car lengths in front of Lasoski, who had started 12th. Brown, Alley (started 11th) and Davey Heskin completed the top five. Anderson, Don Droud (from 14th), Jr, Justin Henderson, Jake Peters, and Wayne Johnson rounded out the top ten.
In the companion 360 sprint division, pole sitter Jon Agan took a quick lead and was soundly chased by Jesse Giannetto from the start. Giannetto made many attempts to make a pass of Agan but nothing seemed to work. At the end of five laps he was arear by five car lengths.
A yellow flag at the end of eight laps bunched the cars together again as Giannetto again tried to pass the Agan machine. He was not successful until lap 12 when he dove low in turns one and two and finally took the lead as he hit the curve in turn three. Again stayed close but was not able to retake the lead.
The win was Giannetto's fifth career win here. Following Giannetto to the line were Agan, Matt Moro, Gregg Bakker, and Cliknt Garner. Rounding out the top ten were Larry Pinegar II, John Kearney, Josh Higday, David Hall and Dustin Salvage.
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