Brian Brown Posted win #61 at Knoxville Saturday (Video Highlights from DirtVision.com)
Aaron Reutzel Repeats with 360s; Kade Higday Dominates Pro Sprints
by Bill Wright
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (May 20, 2023) – Brian Brown notched another achievement Saturday on Vermeer Night at the Knoxville Raceway. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver drove to his 61st career win passing Doug Wolfgang on the all-time win list at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World.” The driver of the Brian Brown Racing #21 was paid $5,000 for his efforts. Aaron Reutzel repeated his 360 win here of two weeks ago, and Kade Higday dominated the Pro Sprints feature in a pair of non-stop events.
Kerry Madsen shot out to an early lead in the 20-lap 410 feature ahead of Lynton Jeffrey, Austin McCarl, Aaron Reutzel and Brown, who started in row four. Reutzel passed McCarl for the second spot on lap two, but Austin regained his momentum on the low side of three and four and passed both Reutzel and Jeffrey to move into second on lap three.
Another car on the move was Tasker Phillips, who used the low side of one and two to pass both Brown and Reutzel to go from sixth to fourth. It came up a bit short when there was contact between Phillips and Reutzel, ending the latter’s night early.
Madsen led McCarl, Jeffrey, Brown and Phillips back to green. Brown quickly took third from Jeffrey. McCarl challenged Madsen for the lead, briefly passing him on lap seven. A stumble allowed Madsen to get back by and showed him the fast low side of the track. Brown used the high side to get by McCarl, but that pass was negated when Ian Madsen stopped with a flat right rear seven laps in.
The restart was the opportunity Brown needed. He hit the high side to pass McCarl for second and then the low side of three and four to outrun Madsen to the line and the lead. A final caution flew for a stopped Gennetten at the halfway point.
While Brown increased his lead, Madsen and McCarl battled tooth and nail fo rthe second spot. McCarl grabbed it low on lap 12, but Madsen returned to the spot with a slider the next time around. McCarl settled onto the cushion and found speed, grabbing the spot for good with two to go.
McCarl gained on Brown the last couple of laps, but fell short. Kerry Madsen held on to third, followed by Davey Heskin and Jeffrey. Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tasker Phillips, Sawyer Phillips, Buddy Kofoid and Garet Williamson rounded out the top ten. Chase Randall was the hard-charger and won the Perseverance Award in honor of the late Dakota Whitlatch. The late Arleta Voyce was also honored in opening ceremonies.
Brown set quick time after drawing the last pill in the 34-car field. Kaleb Johnson, Austin McCarl, Kofoid and Justin Henderson won heat races. Dusty Zomer claimed the B main.
“We’re just trying to get these things one by one,” said Brown of passing Wolfgang. “Those things are probably going to be very cool for me as I get older and sit on the porch. Doug Wolfgang is a hero to me. He’s one of the top two or three sprint car drivers of all time. So be able to beat him is cool. I didn’t know. Starting seventh, that lineup had every player in the first couple rows. We got a good start and Aaron (Reutzel) and I raced really hard. He got into it with Tasker and I was lucky to sneak through there. At the end, I wasn’t sure what to do. I knew Austin had been really good. Emerson (Axsom) was kind of in my line in three and four and I couldn’t get off the corner. All in all, we got the win.”
Chase Randall took the lead immediately from the second row in the 18-lap 360 main event, chased by Jamie Ball, Josh Higday, Garet Williamson and Reutzel. Reutzel gained fourth on lap two, and took third from Higday on lap three. He gained second from Ball on lap four and set his sights on Randall.
On lap seven, Reutzel used the low side of turn two to get by Randall and take the lead. The next circuit, he was in lapped traffic and on the move, cruising to his sixth career 360 win here. Randall held onto second, while Ball held off Ryan Grimes for third. Tyler Groenendyk, Williamson, Tasker Phillips, John Carney II, Clint Garner and Higday completed the top ten in the non-stop event. Williamson set quick time over the 35-car field, while Garner, Sammy Swindell, Reutzel and Sawyer Phillips won heats. Jace Park took the B.
“We’re just finally getting going,” said Reutzel of his recent success. “We have a good baseline now and it’s finally all coming together. It’s always fun to come from a little further back than the front row. Chase (Randall) was setting a good pace. I knew the bottom was going to be good, I just wasn’t able to get there on the start with (Ball) down there. Luckily, I was able to get by him and get to the bottom, and get by Chase before he saw the bottom was better. It was smooth sailing after that.”
The 15-lap Pro Sprints feature also went non-stop. Ryan Navritil took the early lead, followed by Jeff Wilke, J Kinder, Kade Higday and Chase Young.
Higday quickly asserted himself, passing Kinder for third on lap two, and sailing around Wilke for second on lap three. With Brandon Worthington also off to a good early start, the pair made a sandwich out of Navratil when both passed him on lap four to move into first and second.
Higday had a three second advantage by the halfway point, and continued to build it as he hit lappers with five to go. By the time he hit the checkers his advantage was eight seconds over the hard-charging Worthington, Matt Allen, Kinder and Young. Wilke, Casey Friedrichsen, AJ Johnson, Matthew Stelzer and Josh Jones rounded out the top ten. Young set quick time, and Higday and Worthington won the heats.
“It’s actually been since 2017,” said Higday of his sixth win here. “That’s a pretty big win for me and my little team here. We don’t have the nicest stuff. This car was actually built in 2000. That’s proof that you don’t need all new stuff to win though. We tried some different stuff from a couple weeks ago.”
Join us next Saturday, May 27 for Vermeer Night featuring all three sprint car classes in the Knoxville Championship Series! For more information on the Knoxville Raceway, visit us online at www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
410 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (34), 15.682; 2. 2M, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (1), 15.788; 3. 6, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (6), 15.856; 4. 1, Justin Henderson, Tea, SD (8), 15.878; 5. 2, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (15), 15.892; 6. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (20), 15.894; 7. 8, Aaron Reutzel, Clute, TX (11), 15.908; 8. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (18), 15.946; 9. 5, Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. (29), 15.958; 10. 88, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (13), 15.978; 11. 27, Emerson Axsom, Franklin, IN (32), 16.006; 12. 10, Kalib Henry, Sacramento, CA (3), 16.013; 13. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (10), 16.031; 14. 22, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (19), 16.046; 15. 71, Buddy Kofoid, Penngrove, CA (30), 16.074; 16. 24W, Garet Williamson, Columbia, MO (2), 16.135; 17. 22K, Kaleb Johnson, Sioux Falls, SD (21), 16.136; 18. 24T, Christopher Thram, Sanborn, MN (28), 16.146; 19. 2KS, Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. (12), 16.156; 20. 09, Matt Juhl, Tea, SD (17), 16.187; 21. 19, Ayrton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, MO (33), 16.197; 22. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (22), 16.198; 23. 25, Lachlan McHugh, Gold Coast, QLD, Aust. (31), 16.213; 24. 7W, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (26), 16.280; 25. 3J, Dusty Zomer, Sioux Falls, SD (27), 16.386; 26. 6B, Brandon Wimmer, Fairmount, IN (7), 16.386; 27. 12X, Chase Randall, Waco, TX (24), 16.435; 28. 14T, Tim Estenson, Fargo, ND (9), 16.436; 29. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA (23), 16.812; 30. 15JR, Cole Mincer, Burlington, IA (5), 17.259; 31. 6X, Frank Rodgers III, Lucas, IA (4), 17.366; 32. 5G, Gage Pulkrabek, East Grand Forks, MN (14), 18.027; 33. 9H, Landon Hansen, Newton, IA (16), 18.160; 34. 76, Brad Comegys, Bondurant, IA (25), NT
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:17.8: 1. Kaleb Johnson (2); 2. Ayrton Gennetten (1); 3. Kerry Madsen (4); 4. Brian Brown (6); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (5); 6. Dusty Zomer (7); 7. AJ Moeller (3); 8. Joe Simbro (8); 9. Landon Hansen (9)
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:15.7: 1. Austin McCarl (4); 2. Sawyer Phillips (1); 3. Tasker Phillips (5); 4. Christopher Thram (2); 5. Davey Heskin (6); 6. Riley Goodno (3); 7. Brandon Wimmer (7); 8. Cole Mincer (8) DNS – Brad Comegys
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:19.0: 1. Buddy Kofoid (3); 2. Lachlan McHugh (1); 3. Aaron Reutzel (5); 4. Ian Madsen (2); 5. Chase Randall (7); 6. Emerson Axsom (4); 7. Frank Rodgers III (6) DNS – Carson McCarl
Heat four (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Justin Henderson (6); 2. Garet Williamson (3); 3. Matt Juhl (2); 4. Kalib Henry (4); 5. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5); 6. Tim Estenson (7); 7. Dustin Selvage (1); 8. Gage Pulkrabek (8)
B main (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. Dusty Zomer (5); 2. Chase Randall (7); 3. Dustin Selvage (4); 4. Carson McCarl (1) / 5. Brandon Wimmer (6); 6. Riley Goodno (3); 7. Tim Estenson (8); 8. Joe Simbro (9); 9. Frank Rodgers III (10); 10. Landon Hansen (12); 11. Gage Pulkrabek (11); 12. AJ Moeller (2) DNS – Cole Mincer, Brad Comegys
A main (started), 20 Laps, NT: 1. Brian Brown (7); 2. Austin McCarl (3); 3. Kerry Madsen (1); 4. Davey Heskin (6); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (2); 6. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9); 7. Tasker Phillips (5); 8. Sawyer Phillips (16); 9. Buddy Kofoid (10); 10. Garet Williamson (12); 11. Chase Randall (22); 12. Justin Henderson (8); 13. Kalib Henry (11); 14. Matt Juhl (15); 15. Dustin Selvage (21); 16. Dusty Zomer (19); 17. Carson McCarl (23); 18. Lachlan McHugh (18); 19. Ian Madsen (20); 20. Christopher Thram (17); 21. Ayrton Gennetten (13); 22. Emerson Axsom (14); 23. Aaron Reutzel (4) DNS – Kaleb Johnson. Lap Leaders: K. Madsen 1-7, B. Brown 8-20. Dakota Whitlatch Perseverance Award Hard-charger: Randall.
360 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 24W, Garet Williamson, Columbia, MO (13), 16.384; 2. 4W, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (16), 16.474; 3. 8, Aaron Reutzel, Clute, TX (19), 16.480; 4. 9, Chase Randall, Waco, TX (26), 16.536; 5. 1E, Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA (18), 16.542; 6. 77X, Alex Hill, Six Nations, ONT, Can. (1), 16.542; 7. 9G, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (20), 16.652; 8. 4, Cam Martin, Ankeny, IA (31), 16.660; 9. 4J, John Carney II, El Paso, TX (4), 16.706; 10. 17, Tyler Groenendyk, Oskaloosa, IA (28), 16.751; 11. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (25), 16.754; 12. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (24), 16.783; 13. 22, Ryan Leavitt, Knoxville, IA (11), 16.793; 14. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (6), 16.812; 15. 99, Tony Rost, Omaha, NE (8), 16.821; 16. 5M, Collin Moyle, Knoxville, IA (15), 16.836; 17. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (29), 16.842; 18. 01, Sammy Swindell, Lakeland, TN (34), 16.851; 19. 8H, Jacob Hughes, Hartford, SD (17), 16.904; 20. 6A, Alex Vande Voort, Knoxville, IA (33), 16.909; 21. 0, Chase Porter, St. Joseph, MO (35), 16.926; 22. 6, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (27), 16.929; 23. 7A, Jack Anderson, Newton, IA (30), 16.932; 24. 1K, Kelby Watt, Adel, IA (23), 16.945; 25. 87J, Jace Park, Overland Park, KS (12), 16.966; 26. 7B, Ben Brown, Marshall, MO (2), 16.991; 27. 83, Austin Miller, Lacona, IA (10), 16.996; 28. 33, Alan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (9), 17.346; 29. 8M, Kade Morton, Coweta, OK (21), 17.418; 30. 4C, Tuesday Calderwood, Goodyear, AZ (22), 17.465; 31. 86, Timothy Smith, Rocheport, MO (3), 17.551; 32. 14, Aidan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (14), 17.713; 33. 41D, Dan Henning, Columbia, IA (7), 18.504; 34. 13MJ, Brandon Halverson, Jackson, MN (5), 19.806; 35. 1A, John Anderson, Des Moines, IA (32), NT
Heat one (started), Laps, 2:01.2: 7 1. Clint Garner (2); 2. Chase Porter (1); 3. John Carney II (4); 4. Garet Williamson (6); 5. Josh Higday (5); 6. Ryan Leavitt (3); 7. Jace Park (7); 8. Kade Morton (8); 9. Dan Henning (9)
Heat two (started), 7 Laps, NT: 1. Sammy Swindell (2); 2. Tyler Groenendyk (4); 3. Jamie Ball (6); 4. Alex Hill (5); 5. Joe Beaver (3); 6. Ben Brown (7); 7. Tuesday Calderwood (8); 8. Brandon Halverson (9); 9. Dustin Selvage (1)
Heat three (started), 7 Laps, 2:01.4: 1. Aaron Reutzel (6); 2. Tasker Phillips (4); 3. Tony Rost (3); 4. Ryan Giles (5); 5. Jacob Hughes (2); 6. Timothy Smith (8); 7. Austin Miller (7); 8. Jack Anderson (1) DNS – John Anderson
Heat four (started), 7 Laps, 2:02.6: 1. Sawyer Phillips (4); 2. Kelby Watt (1); 3. Chase Randall (6); 4. Alex Vande Voort (2); 5. Cam Martin (5); 6. Collin Moyle (3); 7. Alan Zoutte (7); 8. Aidan Zoutte (8)
B main (started), 10 Laps, 3:09.8: 1. Jace Park (5); 2. Dustin Selvage (3); 3. Jacob Hughes (2); 4. Timothy Smith (11) / 5. Jack Anderson (4); 6. Collin Moyle (1); 7. Kade Morton (9); 8. Ben Brown (6); 9. Tuesday Calderwood (10); 10. Austin Miller (7); 11. Alan Zoutte (8); 12. Brandon Halverson (14); 13. Aidan Zoutte (12); 14. Dan Henning (13) DNS – John Anderson
A main (started), 18 Laps, 5:40.0: 1. Aaron Reutzel (6); 2. Chase Randall (3); 3. Jamie Ball (5); 4. Ryan Giles (7); 5. Tyler Groenendyk (8); 6. Garet Williamson (4); 7. Tasker Phillips (11); 8. John Carney II (9); 9. Clint Garner (13); 10. Josh Higday (1); 11. Dustin Selvage (22); 12. Sawyer Phillips (10); 13. Alex Hill (2); 14. Ryan Leavitt (19); 15. Cam Martin (12); 16. Kelby Watt (18); 17. Joe Beaver (17); 18. Jace Park (21); 19. Tony Rost (15); 20. Sammy Swindell (14); 21. Timothy Smith (24); 22. Jacob Hughes (23); 23. Alex Vande Voort (20); 24. Chase Porter (16). Lap Leaders: Randall 1-6, Reutzel 7-18. Hard-charger: Selvage.
Pro Series Results
Time Trials (Group Qualifying): 1. 26, Chase Young, Des Moines, IA (9), 17.677; 2. 0, Mike Mayberry, Fremont, IA (15), 17.932; 3. 12P, Ryan Navratil, Des Moines, IA (10), 18.073; 4. 8J, AJ Johnson, Oskaloosa, IA (7), 18.198; 5. 41, Jeff Wilke, Knoxville, IA (5), 18.310; 6. 88, J Kinder, Iberia, MO (12), 18.373; 7. 24, Kade Higday, Pleasant Hill, IA (6), 18.378; 8. 99, Matthew Stelzer, Papillion, NE (3), 18.506; 9. 3TJ, Joel Thorpe, Urbandale, IA (4), 18.510; 10. 02S, Josh Jones, Knoxville, IA (1), 18.573; 11. 17, Matt Allen, Norwalk, IA (13), 18.594; 12. 71, Brandon Worthington, Indianola, IA (14), 18.617; 13. 14J, Mike Johnston, Des Moines, IA (8), 18.697; 14. 2, Casey Friedrichsen, Arthur, IA (2), 19.098; 15. 55, Toby Mosher, Osceola, IA (11), 19.335
Heat one (started), 6 Laps, 1:48.8: 1. Kade Higday (3); 2. Jeff Wilke (4); 3. Matt Allen (1); 4. Chase Young (6); 5. Ryan Navratil (5); 6. Joel Thorpe (2); 7. Mike Johnston (7); 8. Toby Mosher (8)
Heat two (started), 6 Laps, 1:50.3: 1. Brandon Worthington (1); 2. J Kinder (4); 3. Matthew Stelzer (3); 4. Mike Mayberry (6); 5. AJ Johnson (5); 6. Josh Jones (2); 7. Casey Friedrichsen (7)
A main (started), 15 Laps, 4:59.0: 1. Kade Higday (3); 2. Brandon Worthington (9); 3. Matt Allen (10); 4. J Kinder (2); 5. Chase Young (6); 6. Jeff Wilke (4); 7. Casey Friedrichsen (14); 8. AJ Johnson (7); 9. Matthew Stelzer (8); 10. Josh Jones (12); 11. Mike Mayberry (5); 12. Ryan Navratil (1); 13. Joel Thorpe (11); 14. Toby Mosher (15); 15. Mike Johnston (13). Lap Leaders: Navratil 1-3, K. Higday 4-15. Hard-charger: Worthington.