Kerry Madsen won a half beef during the Marion County Fair in Knoxville Saturday (Ken's Racing Pix) (Video Highlight from Knoxville Raceway)
Clint Garner Wins #40 in #40; Matthew Stelzer Becomes All-time Winner in Pro Sprints
Myles Michehl Sweeps Dirt Trucks
by Bill Wright
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 13, 2019) – Van Wall Equipment Marion County Fair Night was jam packed full of great racing Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway! Kerry Madsen won half a beef and $4,000 on the way to his 22nd career 410 sprint car feature win here. Brian Brown cashed in $5,000 for his 49th career win in the make-up 410 feature from June 22. Clint Garner won his 40th career main event in the 360 class, while Matthew Stelzer became the all-time leading feature winner in the Pro Sprints presented by Pace Performance, with his 13th career victory. Myles Michehl swept the two ten-lap Dirt Truck main events scheduled, his first wins here. In under three hours time, ten heats, two B mains and six feature events were run off in an efficient manner in front of the Marion County Fair crowd.
In the regularly scheduled 20-lap 410 feature, AJ Moeller led lap one from his pole position. A point invert of eight had Kerry Madsen starting fifth, but at the conclusion of lap two, he was already at the point. Brian Brown started eighth, but was also in the top five by the second circuit. Lynton Jeffrey passed Moeller for second on lap three, before Jamie Ball spun in turn four.
Madsen led Jeffrey, Moeller, Brown and Wayne Johnson back to green. Brown quickly claimed third, while Parker Price-Miller jumped from seventh to fourth. On lap five, Brown shot by Jeffrey for second, and pursued the leader. Terry McCarl and Price-Miller had an entertaining battle for the fourth spot going in the middle stages of the race, while the leaders hit lapped traffic.
As Madsen sliced through traffic, Brown stayed close, but could not catch the St. Mary’s, New South Wales native. Price-Miller, Gio Scelzi and Jeffrey chased the lead pair to the checkers. Rico Abreu, Terry McCarl, Davey Heskin, Austin McCarl and Johnson rounded out the top ten. Brown set quick time over the 35-car field, while Chris Martin, Tasker Phillips, Craig Dollansky and Austin McCarl won heats. Trey Starks won the B main.
“We have a great engine builder,” said Madsen, whose team changed a motor after the heat. “All of our stuff runs well. I wasn’t able to tinker on the car much, so maybe that helped us. I got a great start and the car was really ripping. That’s good racing (lapped traffic that he dealt with). What makes racing good is fighting through the lapped cars. That’s what it’s all about.”
The 25-lap make-up feature belonged to Brian Brown. Brown started outside row one, and led every lap. Justin Henderson was on the move early, advancing into the top five by lap two, and then passing Matt Juhl for fourth on lap three. Brown was into lapped traffic ahead of second place, Lynton Jeffrey, by lap six. A circuit later, both Terry McCarl and Henderson shot by Jeffrey in the second and third place spots.
Henderson clearly was fast on the cushion and shot by McCarl for second on lap nine. By lap 12, Brown’s lead was 5.4 seconds. Juhl entered the top three with nine to go, and Austin McCarl took fourth on lap 18.
With five to go, Brown’s lead peaked at over six seconds. At the checkers, he lapped up to eighth place. Henderson finished second, ahead of Juhl, Austin McCarl and Brooke Tatnell. Terry McCarl, Trey Starks, Jeffrey, Mason Daniel and Davey Heskin completed the top ten. The win was Brown’s 49th here, putting him one behind Sammy Swindell, who sits fifth all-time in feature wins.
“This is not easy by any stretch of the imagination,” said Brown in Victory Lane. “This thing is just a pleasure to drive. I felt in the first race, we had Kerry where we might have an opportunity. I missed the bottom coming to the white and that was a little frustrating. Starting on the front, you have to go hard for 25 laps. It’s a long time, so you can’t run the tires off. You have to search around a little. Hat’s off to the Dunkin’s. It was a phenomenal track for this many cars in the heat.”
Clint Garner led early in the 18-lap 360 feature over Ryan Roberts and Ryan Giles. Joe Beaver entered the battle for a podium spot, as he and Giles exchanged third, before Rob Kubli spun at the halfway point. Garner led Roberts, Giles, Beaver and Carson McCarl back to green.
While Giles gained second, McCarl made a bold move through the middle of the pack to pick up two spots of his own. Beaver gained fourth from Roberts, before sliding under McCarl and spinning in turn three on lap 12. His spin collected Roberts and sent both cars upside down. Both walked away.
The shake-up with six laps to go saw Garner leading Giles, McCarl, Jamie Ball and Ryan Leavitt back to green. McCarl took second on the restart, and Ball followed him into third on lap 14. Ball was riding the cushion to perfection and shot around McCarl, who was in the low groove for second with three to go.
There was no catching Garner, who won his 40th career feature in Boyd and Glenda Fluth’s #40, and took home half a hog. Ball was second, ahead of McCarl, Leavitt and Giles. Jon Agan, hard-charger Travis Rilat, Calvin Landis, Ricky Montgomery and Matt Moro rounded out the top ten. Roberts set quick time over the 32-car field, and Landis, Josh Baughman, Nate Mills and Kyle Bellm won heat races. Devon Dobie took the B main.
“I thought I was running away with it, and Ryan must have peeked under me a little bit,” said Garner in Victory Lane. “I knew there was some stuff on the bottom of three and four. In one and two, I didn’t think there was much to be had there. I had to move around a little bit and get him thinking. At the end of the day, I think ‘high, high’ was to my liking. My wife told me when I left the camper, ‘Go win me a hog!’”
Rookie Mike Johnston led early in the 15-lap Pro Sprints presented by Pace Performance feature, ahead of Matthew Stelzer, Evan Epperson, Russ Hall and Devin Wignall. Wignall gained fourth on the second lap, while Stelzer closed on the leader.
On lap eight, Stelzer made a pass for the point, relegating Johnston to second. Wignall gained third from Epperson on lap 11 and then took second from Johnston on the next go-around. Up front, however, Stelzer was checking out.
Stelzer’s 12th career win put him on top of the all-time list for the division. Wignall was second, ahead of Epperson, Hall and Johnston. Chris Walraven, Chase Young, Mike Mayberry, Jeff Wilke and Mike Ayers completed the top ten. Hall set quick time, and Wilke and Wignall were heat winners.
“When we heard there was going to be a quarter-hog on the line, I was really focused to get one for my guys,” said Stelzer in Victory Lane. “We knocked one thing off the bucket list this year, and that was to be the all-time leading feature winner here. We have one more goal this year. I felt like Steve Breazeale up there on the cushion tonight.”
Myles Michehl was able to sweep twin features for the Dirt Trucks annual visit to Knoxville. In the first of two ten-lap events, Lou Sipolt led lap one, before former Knoxville sprint regular, Jeff Johnson, took over. Jeff Frevert led lap four, before Michehl found his way to the point from his eighth starting spot.
In the second feature, Michehl led from start to finish. “I’d like to thank Jeff Frevert,” said Michehl in Victory Lane. “It’s his truck. I just get to drive him. It’s pretty cool (winning at Knoxville). Last year, we led until about one to go, when the exhaust fell off this thing. I wanted to make sure I got it tonight.”
Join us Sunday night, July 14 for the annual Enduro! The Marion County Fair runs through July 18! For tickets and other information, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
410 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (32), 15.620; 2. 2M, Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. (31), 15.764; 3. 41S, Gio Scelzi, Fresno, CA (19), 15.792; 4. 71P, Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, IN (27), 15.818; 5. 83, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (4), 16.023; 6. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (13), 16.066; 7. 4, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (11), 16.072; 8. 7X, Justin Henderson, Tea, SD (30), 16.095; 9. 64, Scotty Thiel, Sheboygan, WI (21), 16.116; 10. 2C, Wayne Johnson, Tuttle, OK (6), 16.132; 11. 56N, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (7), 16.137; 12. 24, Rico Abreu, St. Helena, CA (25), 16.148; 13. 1, Travis Rilat, Heath, TX (34), 16.155; 14. 09, Matt Juhl, Tea, SD (3), 16.174; 15. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (24), 16.177; 16. 55, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aust. (9), 16.187; 17. 49, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (29), 16.238; 18. 44S, Trey Starks, Puyallup, WA (33), 16.245; 19. 13, Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks, ND (17), 16.267; 20. 2KS, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (16), 16.277; 21. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (18), 16.281; 22. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (10), 16.310; 23. 7, Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN (2), 16.348; 24. 33M, Mason Daniel, Springville, CA (1), 16.400; 25. 5J, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (28), 16.461; 26. 17, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX (26), 16.477; 27. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust. (20), 16.544; 28. 84, Tom Harris, Banbury, OXFD, UK (14), 16.612; 29. 85, Chase Wanner, Batavia, IA (15), 16.617; 30. 15, Bobby Mincer, Burlington, IA (8), 16.870; 31. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA (23), 17.038; 32. 19, Bob Weuve, Newton, IA (12), 17.063; 33. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (5), 17.368; 34. 7S, RJ Johnson, Tampa, FL (22), 17.581; 35. 6, Frank Rodgers III, Lucas, IA (35), NT.
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:14.5: 1. Chris Martin (1); 2. Josh Schneiderman (2); 3. Lynton Jeffrey (5); 4. Brian Brown (6); 5. Scotty Thiel (4); 6. Jamie Ball (7); 7. Chase Wanner (8); 8. Travis Rilat (3) DNS – Joe Beaver
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:17.2: 1. Tasker Phillips (1); 2. Wayne Johnson (4); 3. Trey Starks (2); 4. Matt Juhl (3); 5. AJ Moeller (5); 6. Kerry Madsen (6); 7. Josh Baughman (7); 8. RJ Johnson (9); 9. Bobby Mincer (8)
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Craig Dollansky (1); 2. Mark Dobmeier (2); 3. Gio Scelzi (6); 4. Terry McCarl (5); 5. Davey Heskin (4); 6. Sawyer Phillips (3); 7. Glen Saville (7); 8. Joe Simbro (8) DNS – Frank Rodgers III
Heat four (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Austin McCarl (2); 2. Rico Abreu (4); 3. Brooke Tatnell (3); 4. Justin Henderson (5); 5. Parker Price-Miller (6); 6. Mason Daniel (1); 7. Tom Harris (7); 8. Bob Weuve (8)
B main (started), 12 Laps, 3:30.6: 1. Trey Starks (1); 2. Sawyer Phillips (2); 3. Jamie Ball (3); 4. Mason Daniel (4) / 5. Glen Saville (5); 6. Bobby Mincer (8); 7. Chase Wanner (7); 8. RJ Johnson (11); 9. Joe Simbro (9); 10. Bob Weuve (10); 11. Josh Baughman (6) DNS – Travis Rilat, Tom Harris, Joe Beaver, Frank Rodgers III
A main (started), 20 Laps, NT: 1. Kerry Madsen (5); 2. Brian Brown (8); 3. Parker Price-Miller (4); 4. Gio Scelzi (7); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (6); 6. Rico Abreu (10); 7. Terry McCarl (3); 8. Davey Heskin (14); 9. Austin McCarl (13); 10. Wayne Johnson (2); 11. Mark Dobmeier (17); 12. Justin Henderson (9); 13. Brooke Tatnell (16); 14. Trey Starks (21); 15. Matt Juhl (19); 16. Mason Daniel (24); 17. Sawyer Phillips (22); 18. Josh Schneiderman (12); 19. AJ Moeller (1); 20. Chris Martin (15); 21. Tasker Phillips (18); 22. Scotty Thiel (11); 23. Craig Dollansky (20); 24. Jamie Ball (23). Lap Leaders: Moeller 1, K. Madsen 2-20. Hard-charger: Daniel.
Make-up A main (started), 25 Laps, 8:06.6: 1. Brian Brown (2); 2. Justin Henderson (9); 3. Matt Juhl (3); 4. Austin McCarl (6); 5. Brooke Tatnell (8); 6. Terry McCarl (4); 7. Trey Starks (15); 8. Lynton Jeffrey (1); 9. Mason Daniel (17); 10. Davey Heskin (7); 11. Sawyer Phillips (11); 12. RJ Johnson (10); 13. Tasker Phillips (13); 14. Jamie Ball (18); 15. Chris Martin (16); 16. Bobby Mincer (19); 17. Joe Simbro (20); 18. Josh Schneiderman (12); 19. Josh Baughman (14); 20. AJ Moeller (5); 21. Glen Saville (22); 22. Bob Weuve (21). Lap Leader: Brown 1-25. Hard-charger: Starks.
360 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 18, Ryan Roberts, Aurora, NE (13), 16.675; 2. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (10), 16.715; 3. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (25), 16.741; 4. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (3), 16.821; 5. 3, Ayrton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, MO (5), 16.825; 6. 1K, Kelby Watt, Adel, IA (31), 16.884; 7. 5J, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (6), 16.905; 8. 81E, Eric Bridger, Winterset, IA (14), 16.906; 9. 4, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (22), 16.908; 10. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (30), 16.930; 11. 22, Ryan Leavitt, Knoxville, IA (1), 16.986; 12. 2M, Matt Moro, Polk City, IA (20), 16.995; 13. 70, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA (29), 17.002; 14. 83, Rob Kubli, Milo, IA (8), 17.007; 15. 23D, Devon Dobie, Wapakoneta, OH (17), 17.029; 16. 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA (7), 17.031; 17. 66, Ricky Montgomery, Lakewood, CO (4), 17.071; 18. 17, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX (27), 17.150; 19. 40C, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (9), 17.176; 20. 75AU, Kyle Bellm, Nixa, MO (12), 17.191; 21. 1, Travis Rilat, Heath, TX (26), 17.226; 22. 76, Brad Comegys, Bondurant, IA (24), 17.300; 23. 24N, Nathan Mills, Bondurant, IA (19), 17.315; 24. 33, Alan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (21), 17.332; 25. 35, Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA (16), 17.361; 26. 8L, Tom Lenz, Marion, IA (28), 17.363; 27. 15, Christian Bowman, Altoona, IA (23), 17.404; 28. 19, Rob Weuve, Oakland Acres, IA (11), 17.466; 29. 64C, Casey Greubel, Lacona, IA (2), 17.658; 30. 67, Jon Hughes, Knoxville, IA (32), 17.903; 31. 11B, Ben Woods, Newton, IA (15), 18.176; 32. 1A, John Anderson, Des Moines, IA (18), NT.
Heat one (started), 7 Laps, 2:01.7: 1. Calvin Landis (3); 2. Travis Rilat (1); 3. Ricky Montgomery (2); 4. Jon Agan (4); 5. Josh Higday (7); 6. Ryan Roberts (6); 7. Ayrton Gennetten (5); 8. Casey Greubel (8)
Heat two (started), 7 Laps, 2:02.1: 1. Josh Baughman (2); 2. Carson McCarl (4); 3. Joe Beaver (6); 4. Brad Comegys (1); 5. Kelby Watt (5); 6. Tom Lenz (7); 7. Rob Kubli (3); 8. Jon Hughes (8)
Heat three (started), 7 Laps, 2:05.7: 1. Nathan Mills (1); 2. Ryan Leavitt (4); 3. Ryan Giles (6); 4. Cody Wehrle (2); 5. Jamie Ball (5); 6. Devon Dobie (3); 7. Ben Woods (7) DNS – Christian Bowman
Heat four (started), 7 Laps, 2:03.0: 1. Kyle Bellm (2); 2. Matt Moro (4); 3. Clint Garner (6); 4. Alan Zoutte (1); 5. McKenna Haase (3); 6. Eric Bridger (5); 7. Rob Weuve (7) DNS – John Anderson
B main (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Devon Dobie (2); 2. Rob Kubli (1); 3. Josh Higday (5); 4. Tom Lenz (6) / 5. Brad Comegys (3); 6. Alan Zoutte (4); 7. Rob Weuve (8); 8. Casey Greubel (7); 9. Jon Hughes (9) DNS – Christian Bowman, Ben Woods, John Anderson
A main (started), 18 Laps, NT: 1. Clint Garner (2); 2. Jamie Ball (8); 3. Carson McCarl (5); 4. Ryan Leavitt (7); 5. Ryan Giles (3); 6. Jon Agan (10); 7. Travis Rilat (18); 8. Calvin Landis (9); 9. Ricky Montgomery (16); 10. Matt Moro (11); 11. Ayrton Gennetten (12); 12. McKenna Haase (19); 13. Cody Wehrle (20); 14. Eric Bridger (13); 15. Rob Kubli (22); 16. Kyle Bellm (15); 17. Devon Dobie (21); 18. Nathan Mills (17); 19. Josh Baughman (14); 20. Joe Beaver (4); 21. Ryan Roberts (1); 22. Kelby Watt (6); 23. Tom Lenz (24); 24. Josh Higday (23). Lap Leader: Garner 1-18. Hard-charger: Rilat.
Pro Series Results
Time Trials (Group Qualifying): 1. 29, Russ Hall, Pleasant Hill, IA (3), 17.493; 2. 56, Chris Walraven, Knoxville, IA (4), 17.576; 3. 0, Mike Mayberry, Fremont, IA (7), 17.592; 4. 50, Mike Ayers, Waukee, IA (6), 17.735; 5. 21, Evan Epperson, Muscatine, IA (13), 17.735; 6. 14J, Mike Johnston, Des Moines, IA (9), 17.783; 7. 71, Brandon Worthington, Indianola, IA (1), 17.802; 8. 99, Matthew Stelzer, Papillion, NE (5), 17.899; 9. 41, Jeff Wilke, Genoa, IL (12), 17.955; 10. 21X, Devin Wignall, Altoona, IA (11), 18.033; 11. 11, Tyler Barrick, Slater, IA (14), 18.254; 12. 26, Chase Young, Des Moines, IA (2), 18.316; 13. 2, Matt Johnson, Melcher-Dallas, IA (10), 18.946; 14. B29, Adam Mason, Knoxville, IA (8), 18.382
Heat one (started), 6 Laps, 1:51.4: 1. Jeff Wilke (2); 2. Tyler Barrick (1); 3. Russ Hall (6); 4. Mike Mayberry (5); 5. Evan Epperson (4); 6. Brandon Worthington (3)
Heat two (started), 6 Laps, 1:49.9: 1. Devin Wignall (2); 2. Matthew Stelzer (3); 3. Chase Young (1); 4. Mike Johnston (4); 5. Chris Walraven (6); 6. Mike Ayers (5)
A main (started), 15 Laps, 4:55.5: 1. Matthew Stelzer (4); 2. Devin Wignall (3); 3. Evan Epperson (1); 4. Russ Hall (8); 5. Mike Johnston (2); 6. Chris Walraven (6); 7. Chase Young (12); 8. Mike Mayberry (7); 9. Jeff Wilke (5); 10. Mike Ayers (9); 11. Brandon Worthington (11); 12. Matt Johnson (13); 13. Tyler Barrick (10) DNS – Adam Mason. Lap Leaders: Johnston 1- 7, Stelzer 8-15. Hard-charger: Young.
Dirt Trucks Results
A main #1 (started), 10 Laps: 1. 21, Myles Michehl, Fort Dodge, IA (8); 2. 23, Jeff Johnson, Indianola, IA (7); 3. 2x, Jeff Frevert, Fort Dodge, IA (5); 4. 1, Brad Moyer, Alleman, IA (9); 5. 9, Lou Sipolt, Altoona, IA (2); 6. 40, David Safill, Des Moines, IA (10); 7. 17, Bryan Spangler, Des Moines, IA (6); 8. 79, Shonn Mapes, Ankeny, IA (1); 9. 2, Del Enos, Des Moines, IA (4); 10. 16, Justin Schroeder, Coon Rapids, IA (3). Lap Leaders: Sipolt 1, J. Johnson 2-3, Frevert 4, Michehl 5-10. Hard-charger: Michehl.
A main #2 (started), 10 Laps: 1. Myles Michehl (1); 2. Jeff Frevert (4); 3. Jeff Johnson (2); 4. Brad Moyer (10); 5. Lou Sipolt (8); 6. David Safill (9); 7. Bryan Spangler (3); 8. Shonn Mapes (7); 9. Justin Schroeder (6); 10. Del Enos (5). Lap Leader: Michehl 1-10. Hard-charger: Moyer.