Tyler Courtney swept the night at Knoxville with USAC Saturday (Knoxville Raceway Photo)
Jon Agan Wins First in Three Years with 360’s; Eric Bridger Wins Again in 305’s
by Bill Wright
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (June 9, 2018) – Tyler “Sunshine” Courtney swept the night as the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series invaded the Knoxville Raceway here Saturday on Hy-Vee Night! The Indianapolis, Indiana native took home $5,000 for his win aboard the Clauson-Marshall Racing #7BC. It was also announced during the day that the Corn Belt Nationals will take place July 5 and 6, 2019, and pay $20,000 to the USAC winner, and $1,000 to start!
Jon Agan overcame some tough luck, taking his eleventh career win at Knoxville in the 360 class, but his first since July 4, 2015. Eric Bridger led wire to wire for his fourth win of the season in the 305 class.
Brady Bacon led from the pole early in the 30-lap USAC feature, ahead of CJ Leary and Chad Boespflug. Last year’s winner here, Justin Grant, and Tyler Courtney battled for the fifth spot, before Courtney took it for good on lap three. The next circuit would see “Sunshine” surge from fifth to third.
Bacon entered traffic on lap six, and by lap ten, led Leary, Courtney, Chase Stockon and Grant. Courtney reeled in Leary in traffic and made a pass for second on lap 19. On the 20th lap, he would slide in front of Bacon for the point. Leary would follow him into second a lap later. While Courtney pulled away, the only other move late in the race was a Grant pass of Stockon for fourth.
Courtney’s first career win at Knoxville came ahead of Leary, Bacon, a closing Grant, and Brody Roa, who took fifth on the last lap. Stockon, Robert Ballou, hard-charger Dave Darland, Chris Windom and Kevin Thomas Jr. rounded out the top ten. Courtney started his sweep with quick time and a heat win. Other heat winners were Grant and Windom. Darland flipped in turn three during his heat race, but his team was able to make repairs before the feature.
“I knew lapped cars were going to be tough to get around, because they were going to continue to run the top,” said Courtney after his win. “I knew I’d have to do something drastically different to get around those guys. I knew if I could stick the bottom, there was enough to get off the corner. We were able to get by (Leary) and then we slid Brady for the lead. This is really cool guys. I think I showed how bad I wanted it last year here and I put myself in a bad position (and crashed) and that cost me a race. Thank you, Knoxville, for having us, and I’m already looking forward to next year.”
“This is a big comeback from last night at I-80 (Speedway),” said the second place Leary. “We struggled really bad. I’m really glad our team found some speed. It feels good to get some momentum going again. I thought I might have something for the win there. Tyler just got the lapped cars better than me. I feel really good for this team.”
“I felt (the car) fading away a little bit,” said the third place Bacon. “We had some sort of bleeder malfunction. I don’t know if it was self-induced or mechanical. We had a good run going. It was our kind of track. I didn’t think we had a great car at the beginning, but we found out we had a problem. It would have been good to get another win at Knoxville, but it looks like next year we’ll have two days to do it.”
Jon Agan led from his pole position early in the 18-lap 360 main event over AJ Moeller and Matt Moro. Ryan Giles was the man on the move early, taking third from Moro on lap two and second from Moeller on lap three. Using the low side, Giles tried to keep pace with the leader. Clint Garner was fast as well, grabbing third on lap seven, before Joe Beaver and Mason Daniel contacted, ending top ten runs.
The only restart of the race saw Agan lead Giles, Garner, Moeller and Moro back to green. Moro and Garner would put on a great duel for third, with Garner eventually prevailing. Up front, Agan hit lapped traffic with three to go and slowed a bit. Giles gained on him, but in the last corner, Agan snuck below the lapped car of Brad Comegys to take the win.
Agan was followed by Giles, Garner, Moro and Christian Bowman. McKenna Haase, Calvin Landis, Moeller, hard-charger Sawyer Phillips and Cody Wehrle rounded out the top ten. Moeller set quick time, while Bowman and Haase were heat race winners.
“The race car was off a little bit and so was the driver,” said Agan in Victory Lane. “We haven’t raced every week and don’t have a real strong base. We checked out in the first feature here of the year and broke a piston. We’ve been running an older motor that just doesn’t have Knoxville ‘smoke’. This was our first night out with one of our good motors. We needed this win. We’ll take it. It’s been a couple years since we’ve been up here. It definitely hasn’t been for a lack of effort on our team’s part.”
Eric Bridger had another great night, leading all 15 laps of the 305 feature for his fourth win of the season, and sixth in his career. Devin Kline chased him the distance, closing in the late stages in traffic. Tyler Glass claimed third on the second lap and held on to that spot, ahead of Ryan Leavitt and Kelby Watt, who passed Rob Kubli for fifth on the last go-around. Matthew Stelzer, Joe Simbro, Mike Ayers and Casey Greubel rounded out the top ten. Bridger set quick time for the seventh time in eight nights, while Watt and Stelzer won heats.
“When you race against Devin and Ryan, that’s tough competition there,” said Bridger in Victory Lane. “We had a good race car. We’re definitely on the momentum train, and we want to keep setting those quick times. Winning features helps a lot too.”
Join us next week, Saturday, June 16, for Van Wall Equipment and “Future Stars” Night featuring the 410, 360 and 305 sprint cars! For more information, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
410 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 7BC, Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, IN (24), 18.948; 2. 4, Justin Grant, Ione, CA (14), 18.962; 3. 32, Chase Stockon, Fort Branch, IN (6), 18.976; 4. 30, CJ Leary, Greenfield, IN (10), 19.028; 5. 98, Chad Boespflug, Hanford, CA (5), 19.098; 6. 99, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK (4), 19.100; 7. 69, Kevin Thomas Jr., Cullman, AL (11), 19.129; 8. 17, Nick Bilbee, Indianapolis, IN (15), 19.226; 9. 91, Brody Roa, Garden Grove, CA (23), 19.280; 10. 12, Robert Ballou, Rocklin, CA (1), 19.381; 11. 18, Jarett Andretti, Mooresville, NC (22), 19.384; 12. 5, Chris Windom, Canton, IL (19), 19.437; 13. 36D, Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN (7), 19.487; 14. 0, Brandon Stevenson, Holstein, IA (3), 19.640; 15. 5E, Tom Harris, Banbury, OXFD, UK (2), 19.697; 16. 74X, Josh Hodges, Tijeras, NM (17), 19.720; 17. 52, Isaac Chapple, Willow Branch, IN (21), 19.804; 18. 77K, Katlynn Leer, Moulton, IA (8), 19.881; 19. 78, Rob Caho Jr., Wyoming, MN (18), 19.908; 20. 11W, Wyatt Burks, Topeka, KS (9), 20.080; 21. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust (16), 20.091; 22. 71, Robert Bell, Colfax, IA (12), 20.943; 23. 11X, Frank Rodgers III, Lucas, IA (13), 21.196; 24. 12G, Kelly Graham, Hedrick, IA (20), 21.573.
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Tyler Courtney (6); 2. CJ Leary (5); 3. Kevin Thomas Jr. (4); 4. Josh Hodges (1); 5. Robert Ballou (3); 6. Rob Caho Jr. (7); 7. Robert Bell (8); 8. Dave Darland (2)
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:45.8: 1. Justin Grant (6); 2. Nick Bilbee (4); 3. Isaac Chapple (1); 4. Chad Boespflug (5); 5. Jarett Andretti (3); 6. Wyatt Burks (7); 7. Brandon Stevenson (2); 8. Frank Rodgers III (8);
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Chris Windom (3); 2. Brady Bacon (5); 3. Chase Stockon (6); 4. Brody Roa (4); 5. Tom Harris (2); 6. Glen Saville (7); 7. Katlynn Leer (1); 8. Kelly Graham (8);
A main (started), 25 Laps, 10:45.6: 1. Tyler Courtney (6); 2. CJ Leary (3); 3. Brady Bacon (1); 4. Justin Grant (5); 5. Brody Roa (9); 6. Chase Stockon (4); 7. Robert Ballou (10); 8. Dave Darland (17); 9. Chris Windom (12); 10. Kevin Thomas Jr. (7); 11. Jarett Andretti (11); 12. Chad Boespflug (2); 13. Josh Hodges (16); 14. Tom Harris (13); 15. Nick Bilbee (8); 16. Glen Saville (21); 17. Wyatt Burks (20); 18. Brandon Stevenson (14); 19. Robert Bell (22); 20. Rob Caho Jr. (19); 21. Frank Rodgers III (23); 22. Kelly Graham (24); 23. Isaac Chapple (15); 24. Katlynn Leer (18). Lap Leaders: Bacon 1-19, Courtney 20-30. Hard-charger: Darland.
360 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (12), 16.044; 2. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (16), 16.053; 3. 33M, Mason Daniel, Springville, CA (17), 16.074; 4. 3, Nate Van Haaften, Otley, IA (3), 16.095; 5. 2M, Matt Moro, Polk City, IA (13), 16.157; 6. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (2), 16.211; 7. 4, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (4), 16.256; 8. 70, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA (6), 16.266; 9. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (15), 16.294; 10. 8L, Tom Lenz, Marion, IA (5), 16.434; 11. 15, Christian Bowman, Altoona, IA (7), 16.435; 12. 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA (9), 16.440; 13. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (10), 16.449; 14. 76, Brad Comegys, Bondurant, IA (14), 16.593; 15. 24N, Nathan Mills, Bondurant, IA (18), 16.633; 16. 40C, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (8), 16.712; 17. 6, Mitchell Alexander, Knoxville, IA (1), 16.712; 18. 28AU, Allan Woods, Brisbane, QLD, Aust. (11), 17.072.
Heat one (started), 7 Laps, 1:56.9: 1. Christian Bowman (1); 2. Jon Agan (3); 3. Matt Moro (4); 4. Sawyer Phillips (7); 5. Joe Beaver (2); 6. AJ Moeller (6); 7. Mitchell Alexander (8); 8. Mason Daniel (5) DNS – Nathan Mills
Heat two (started), 7 Laps, NT: 1. McKenna Haase (1); 2. Clint Garner (4); 3. Tom Lenz (2); 4. Calvin Landis (3); 5. Cody Wehrle (8); 6. Ryan Giles (6); 7. Allan Woods (9); 8. Brad Comegys (7); 9. Nate Van Haaften (5)
A main (started), 18 Laps, NT: 1. Jon Agan (1); 2. Ryan Giles (5); 3. Clint Garner (4); 4. Matt Moro (3); 5. Christian Bowman (6); 6. McKenna Haase (7); 7. Calvin Landis (8); 8. AJ Moeller (2); 9. Sawyer Phillips (13); 10. Cody Wehrle (14); 11. Nate Van Haaften (12); 12. Tom Lenz (9); 13. Mitchell Alexander (16); 14. Allan Woods (17); 15. Brad Comegys (15); 16. Nathan Mills (18); 17. Mason Daniel (10); 18. Joe Beaver (11). Lap Leader: Agan 1-18. Hard-charger: Phillips.
305 Results
Time Trials (Group Qualifying): 1. 81E, Eric Bridger, Winterset, IA (11), 17.127; 2. 22, Ryan Leavitt, Knoxville, IA (19), 17.136; 3. 5C, Devin Kline, Knoxville, IA (15), 17.288; 4. 0, Mike Mayberry, Fremont, IA (10), 17.290; 5. 50, Mike Ayers, Waukee, IA (13), 17.324; 6. 21, Evan Epperson, Muscatine, IA (6), 17.424; 7. 23K, Rob Kubli, Milo, IA (9), 17.427; 8. 12T, Tyler Glass, Cedar Rapids, IA (14), 17.429; 9. 33, Jayce Jenkins, Colfax, IA (16), 17.430; 10. 4, Chris Horton, Indianola, IA (5), 17.512; 11. 1K, Kelby Watt, Adel, IA (2), 17.532; 12. 99, Matthew Stelzer, Papillion, NE (3), 17.645; 13. 02S, Josh Jones, Knoxville, IA (8), 17.673; 14. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA (18), 17.808; 15. 41, Jeff Wilke, Genoa, IL (17), 17.862; 16. 64C, Casey Greubel, Lacona, IA (12), 17.874; 17. 41D, Dan Henning, Columbia, IA (7), 17.980; 18. 67, Jon Hughes, Knoxville, IA (1), 18.115; 19. 26, Chase Young, Des Moines, IA (4), 19.399.
Heat one (started), 6 Laps, 1:47.2: 1. Kelby Watt (1); 2. Rob Kubli (3); 3. Devin Kline (5); 4. Eric Bridger (6); 5. Jayce Jenkins (2); 6. Josh Jones (7); 7. Mike Ayers (4); 8. Jeff Wilke (8); 9. Chase Young (10); 10. Dan Henning (9)
Heat two (started), 6 Laps, 1:45.2: 1. Matthew Stelzer (1); 2. Chris Horton (2); 3. Tyler Glass (3); 4. Ryan Leavitt (6); 5. Joe Simbro (7); 6. Evan Epperson (4); 7. Casey Greubel (8); 8. Mike Mayberry (5); 9. Jon Hughes (9)
A main (started), 15 Laps, 4:36.6: 1. Eric Bridger (1); 2. Devin Kline (2); 3. Tyler Glass (5); 4. Ryan Leavitt (3); 5. Kelby Watt (6); 6. Rob Kubli (4); 7. Matthew Stelzer (8); 8. Joe Simbro (11); 9. Mike Ayers (10); 10. Casey Greubel (13); 11. Dan Henning (17); 12. Mike Mayberry (9); 13. Chris Horton (7); 14. Jeff Wilke (16); 15. Josh Jones (14); 16. Jon Hughes (15); 17. Jayce Jenkins (12); 18. Chase Young (18) DNS – Evan Epperson. Lap Leader: Bridger 1-15. Hard-charger: Henning.