Winners at Knoxville Saturday night were Mason Daniel (360), Brian Brown (410) and Eric Bridger (305)
Mason Daniel Pulls Off Shocker in 360’s; Eric Bridger Dominates 305’s
by Bill Wright
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (June 16, 2018) – Brian Brown raced past Lynton Jeffrey to win his fifth feature of the season at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver picked up $4,000 for his 42nd career victory at Knoxville aboard his Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21. Sprint car rookie Mason Daniel drove his way through traffic to a win in the 360 class. The Californian picked up $1,500 for his win. Eric Bridger dominated again in the 305 class, leading wire to wire, and matching Brown by winning for the fifth time in 2018.
Lynton Jeffrey led from the pole in the 20-lap 410 feature over AJ Moeller, Brian Brown, Kerry Madsen and Terry McCarl. Moeller broke in turn two on the second lap halting things. On the restart, Brown shot under Jeffrey for the lead, but the start was called back when the restart cone was hit. Jeffrey would maintain his lead until Rager Phillips slowed with a flat tire on lap five.
Jeffrey led Brown, Madsen, Terry McCarl and Brooke Tatnell back to green. McCarl quickly took third, while Brown hounded the leader. On lap seven, he nipped Jeffrey at the flag stand by .009 of a second. From there, he pulled away. McCarl would follow him into second. Davey Heskin was also on the move on the bottom, gaining the top five, and then passing Madsen and Jeffrey on laps twelve and thirteen to gain third place.
Brown was into heavy lapped traffic, when the second place car of McCarl locked up on the frontstretch, ending his second place run. A five lap Dash saw Brown pull away for the win over Heskin, Madsen, Tatnell and Jeffrey. Matt Juhl, hard-charger Austin McCarl, Shane Golobic, Josh Schneiderman and Carson McCarl rounded out the top ten. Jeffrey set quick time on the night, while Tasker Phillips, Jordyn Brazier and Carson McCarl won heats.
“Lynton’s a heck of a racecar driver, and he was racing a good race,” said Brown in Victory Lane. “He was kind of moving around. What was good about that was that my car would go anywhere. This is a new Maxim tonight and it worked flawless. Hats off to all my guys. It’s been a pretty good season to start. We’re looking forward to next week and two weeks from now, especially (when the World of Outlaws visit). That was a workout!”
The 18-lap 360 main event went non-stop. Nate Van Haaften used his familiar low groove to pace Mason Daniel, Jon Agan, Christian Bowman and Matt Moro early on. Early, the race for fourth was the best one on the track, with Moro taking the spot on lap three.
Up front, Daniel was gaining on Van Haaften, using the high line around the half-mile. The two raced side by side for a couple of laps before Daniel took a narrow .013 of a second lead on lap eight. Around the same time, Clint Garner moved into the top five.
Daniel entered heavier traffic with six laps to go, but maneuvered it well and extended his lead. In the end, the Californian, who is racing sprint cars for the first time this year, won his first race at Knoxville. Van Haaften would follow, ahead of Agan, Moro and Garner. Ryan Giles, McKenna Haase, Sawyer Phillips, Bowman and Calvin Landis would complete the top ten. Moro set quick time, while Agan and Van Haaften were heat winners.
“This is something else,” said an emotional Daniel in Victory Lane. “We struggled the past couple of times we’ve been here. To come out and get the win tonight was amazing. The car was great. Garrett, Landon and Danny (Lasoski) did a great job and I can’t thank them enough. We actually lost the brakes, so we had to be on the top with the throttle wide open. With (Lasoski’s) knowledge and helping me out with the track one where is fast and where it’s not and what to do…it’s really helpful.”
Eric Bridger left little doubt again in the 305 class, as he led from start to finish in the non-stop 15-lap feature. For the second week in a row, Ryan Leavitt cruised in the second spot, while Jayce Jenkins nailed down third.
The best race was for fourth fifth and sixth. Kelby Watt, Mike Mayberry and Matthew Stelzer raced hard through the middle stages. In the end, it would be Watt taking fourth, ahead of Stelzer. Hard-charger Devin Kline would recover from qualifying issues to drive from row seven to sixth, ahead of Mayberry, Rob Kubli, Jeff Wilke and Casey Greubel. Bridger set quick time for the seventh time this season, while Kubli and Wilke were heat winners.
“This is awesome,” said Bridger. “Starting on the front row helps. You’ve got to get a start there, and I knew the way the racetrack was…I was happy to get through lapped traffic and see that checkered flag. I had trouble with the first (lapped) car there but after that, I got my rhythm going.”
Join us next week, Saturday, June 23, for Marion County Farm Bureau and Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame Mid-Season Championship Night featuring the 410, 360 and 305 sprint cars! It’s also $1 Busch Light night. For more information, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
410 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 12, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (2), 15.547; 2. 2M, Kerry Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, Aust. (9), 15.600; 3. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (7), 15.661; 4. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (4), 15.680; 5. 09, Matt Juhl, Tea, SD (11), 15.744; 6. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (5), 15.754; 7. 17W, Shane Golobic, Fremont, CA (21), 15.761; 8. 56N, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (8), 15.764; 9. 55, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aust. (22), 15.788; 10. 2KS, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (15), 15.844; 11. 49, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (3), 15.866; 12. 71A, RJ Johnson, Tampa, FL (6), 15.987; 13. 7W, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (1), 16.031; 14. 21AU, Jordyn Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (17), 16.079; 15. 7, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (20), 16.098; 16. 9, Rager Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (19), 16.229; 17. 10, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (14), 16.256; 18. 4, Dakota Hendrickson, Omaha, NE (13), 16.317; 19. 3, Dakota Jackson, Elizabethtown, IN (16), 16.447; 20. 85, Chase Wanner, Agency, IA (12), 16.448; 21. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust. (23), 16.474; 22. 15, Bobby Mincer, Burlington, IA (18), 16.505; 23. 19, Rob Weuve, Oakland Acres, IA (10), 17.325.
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:10.4: 1. Tasker Phillips (2); 2. Rager Phillips (1); 3. Brian Brown (5); 4. Austin McCarl (3); 5. Shane Golobic (4); 6. Lynton Jeffrey (6); 7. Bobby Mincer (8); 8. Dakota Jackson (7)
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:12.0: 1. Jordyn Brazier (2); 2. Davey Heskin (4); 3. Don Droud Jr. (1); 4. Kerry Madsen (6); 5. Josh Schneiderman (3); 6. Matt Juhl (5); 7. Chase Wanner (7); 8. Rob Weuve (8);
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:09.8: 1. Carson McCarl (2); 2. Brooke Tatnell (4); 3. Terry McCarl (5); 4. Dakota Hendrickson (1) 5. AJ Moeller (6); 6. RJ Johnson (3); 7. Glen Saville (7)
A main (started), 20 Laps, NT: 1. Brian Brown (3); 2. Davey Heskin (6); 3. Kerry Madsen (4); 4. Brooke Tatnell (7); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (1); 6. Matt Juhl (8); 7. Austin McCarl (13); 8. Shane Golobic (9); 9. Josh Schneiderman (15); 10. Carson McCarl (10); 11. RJ Johnson (14); 12. Jordyn Brazier (11); 13. Glen Saville (19); 14. Chase Wanner (18); 15. Bobby Mincer (20); 16. Terry McCarl (5); 17. Don Droud Jr. (17); 18. Dakota Hendrickson (16); 19. Rager Phillips (12); 20. Rob Weuve (21); 21. AJ Moeller (2); 22. Tasker Phillips (22); 23. Dakota Jackson (23). Lap Leaders: Jeffrey 1-6, Brown 7-20. Hard-charger: A. McCarl.
360 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 2M, Matt Moro, Polk City, IA (3), 16.395; 2. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (1), 16.431; 3. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (16), 16.521; 4. 33M, Mason Daniel, Springville, CA (5), 16.553; 5. 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA (13), 16.657; 6. 15, Christian Bowman, Altoona, IA (10), 16.716; 7. 4, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (15), 16.837; 8. 70, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA (4), 16.846; 9. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (6), 16.889; 10. 3, Nate Van Haaften, Otley, IA (11), 16.896; 11. 40C, Cody Wehrle, Burlington, IA (2), 16.941; 12. 24N, Nathan Mills, Bondurant, IA (8), 16.949; 13. 03, Shayle Bade, Lincoln, NE (9), 16.959; 14. 76, Brad Comegys, Bondurant, IA (7), 17.059; 15. 6, Mitchell Alexander, Knoxville, IA (12), 17.229; 16. 8L, Tom Lenz, Marion, IA (14), 17.302;
Heat one (started), 7 Laps, 1:59.2: 1. Jon Agan (3); 2. Cody Wehrle (1); 3. Sawyer Phillips (2); 4. Matt Moro (6); 5. McKenna Haase (4); 6. Ryan Giles (5); 7. Mitchell Alexander (8); 8. Shayle Bade (7)
Heat two (started), 7 Laps, 1:58.8: 1. Nate Van Haaften (2); 2. Christian Bowman (4); 3. Clint Garner (6); 4. Calvin Landis (3); 5. Mason Daniel (5); 6. Nathan Mills (1); 7. Tom Lenz (8); 8. Brad Comegys (7)
A main (started), 18 Laps, 5:13.3: 1. Mason Daniel (2); 2. Nate Van Haaften (1); 3. Jon Agan (4); 4. Matt Moro (5); 5. Clint Garner (6); 6. Ryan Giles (7); 7. McKenna Haase (8); 8. Sawyer Phillips (9); 9. Christian Bowman (3); 10. Calvin Landis (10); 11. Shayle Bade (14); 12. Cody Wehrle (11); 13. Nathan Mills (12); 14. Tom Lenz (15); 15. Mitchell Alexander (13); 16. Brad Comegys (16). Lap Leaders: Van Haaften 1-7, Daniel 8-18. Hard-charger: Bade.
305 Results
Time Trials (Group Qualifying): 1. 81E, Eric Bridger, Winterset, IA (4), 17.283; 2. 0, Mike Mayberry, Fremont, IA (6), 17.455; 3. 99, Matthew Stelzer, Papillion, NE (7), 17.529; 4. 1K, Kelby Watt, Adel, IA (10), 17.564; 5. 22, Ryan Leavitt, Knoxville, IA (16), 17.646; 6. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA (11), 17.756; 7. 50, Mike Ayers, Waukee, IA (8), 17.78; 8. 33, Jayce Jenkins, Colfax, IA (13), 17.782; 9. 21, Evan Epperson, Muscatine, IA (17), 17.839; 10. 64C, Casey Greubel, Lacona, IA (12), 17.867; 11. 23K, Rob Kubli, Milo, IA (5), 17.947; 12. 41, Jeff Wilke, Genoa, IL (3), 17.998; 13. 41D, Dan Henning, Columbia, IA (9), 18.105; 14. 71, Brandon Worthington, Indianola, IA (14), 18.143; 15. 67, Jon Hughes, Knoxville, IA (1), 18.29; 16. 26, Chase Young, Des Moines, IA (15), 20.011; 17. 5C, Devin Kline, Knoxville, IA (2), 19.279.
Heat one (started), 6 Laps, 1:48.4: 1. Rob Kubli (1); 2. Ryan Leavitt (4); 3. Evan Epperson (2); 4. Devin Kline (9); 5. Eric Bridger (6); 6. Mike Ayers (3); 7. Matthew Stelzer (5); 8. Dan Henning (7); 9. Jon Hughes (8)
Heat two (started), 6 Laps, 1:48.1: 1. Jeff Wilke (1); 2. Jayce Jenkins (3); 3. Casey Greubel (2); 4. Mike Mayberry (6); 5. Kelby Watt (5); 6. Joe Simbro (4); 7. Brandon Worthington (7); 8. Chase Young (8)
A main (started), 15 Laps, 4:33.5: 1. Eric Bridger (2); 2. Ryan Leavitt (3); 3. Jayce Jenkins (1); 4. Kelby Watt (5); 5. Matthew Stelzer (7); 6. Devin Kline (13); 7. Mike Mayberry (4); 8. Rob Kubli (6); 9. Jeff Wilke (9); 10. Casey Greubel (10); 11. Chase Young (16); 12. Evan Epperson (8); 13. Joe Simbro (11); 14. Brandon Worthington (14); 15. Jon Hughes (16); 16. Mike Ayers (12) DNS – Dan Henning. Lap Leader: Bridger 1-15. Hard-charger: Kline.