Three Different Sprint Winners at Knoxville Raceway
By Bob Wilson
Terry McCarl, Brent Antill and Ryan York each won feature events at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night. McCarl and Antill won 410 features during the annual Twin Features Night and York captured the 360 end for that division.
In the first Twin Feature, Kerry Madsen got the jump on fellow front row starter McCarl to take the lead in the early going of the 20-lap event. Madsen chose the low line around the big half-mile oval with McCarl testing the track in several lines. At the end of five laps McCarl trailed by only five car lengths.
It was about at this point in the race that Madsen changed lines to run high which McCarl had settled on too. As the front running duo headed into lap eight they were running nose to tail. McCarl made several challenges for the lead on the ensuing laps but Madsen was able to fend off those advances. At the half way point of the ten-mile event all eyes focused on the top two as they came across the line nose to tail. A red flag on the thirteenth circuit slowed the field and the restart saw a two-car pileup in turns one and two involving Eric Vander Ploeg and Wayne Johnson.
As the cars pushed off for the single file restart it the Madsen sprinter failed to fire. He was pushed to the infield and sat out the rest of the race.
McCarl then inherited the lead and went on to capture the win, his 35th here, tying him with Randy Smith for sixth on the all-time list here. Don Droud, Jr. took the runner-up spot and Ricky Logan was third. Clint Garner finished fourth and Brian Brown came across the line for fifth.
The inverted second feature found Jon Agan on the pole and in the lead at the drop of the green flag. Agan built as much as a twenty car length lead at the half way point by running the cushion of the track. At this point he was trailed by Antill, Travis Cram and Derek Beckman. The drivers who had finished in the front of the first feature were battling to the front but were by no means a threat at this point.
With a wide open track and no lap traffic, several cars began to move forward. With just five laps to go Calvin Landis, Randy Anderson and Terry McCarl had entered the top six running order. It was also at this time that Agan began to miss his line in turns three and four allowing Antill a chance to make up some of the difference. Coming out of the fourth turn on lap 18, Antill was able to overtake the Agan machine and gain the lead.
Antill then held that spot to the finish to claim his sixth career win here. Agan held for second and McCarl, who had started 15th took third. Landis registered fourth and Cram rounded out the top five finishers.
The 360 feature event proved to be an exciting affair with rookie Ryan York taking his first career win here. Johnny Anderson led at the outset of the 15 lap event as York immediately took up the chase from his second row starting nod. Billy Alley, a fifth row starter, and a double feature winner the previous week, was bogged down in traffic and unable to become a factor in this one.
Just as lap eight was completed, the caution flag was thrown for debris on the track. The single file restart saw York grab the lead from Anderson as the twosome ran down the back chute, with York high and Anderson low. One lap later Josh Higday came into the picture having taken second from Anderson. Higday's charge from the third row saw him fall right on the back bumper of York with the laps waning.
On the white flag lap Higday performed a perfect slide maneuvor in turns one and two to grab the lead, but York compensated by diving low and pulling along side of Higday as the two charged down the backstretch. Roaring into turn three, York gained a very slight advantage as they headed side by side through the turn. Entering the final curve, York made his advantage count as the youngster pulled ahead of Higday and pulled away on the front stretch to win by the slightest of margins. Higday, John VanDenBerg, Anderson and Eric Mason completed the top five finishers.
410 sprints - Hy-Vee Night
Time Trials: 1. 24, Terry McCarl, , 15.473; 2. 82, Kerry Madsen, , 15.515; 3. 7X, Don Droud Jr, , 15.535; 4. 55, Clint Garner, , 15.589; 5. 92, Travis Cram, , 15.64; 6. 12X, Wayne Johnson, , 15.723; 7. 17G, Ricky Logan, , 15.73; 8. 1S, Randy Anderson, , 15.745; 9. 6, Brian Brown, , 15.774; 10. 10, Jaymie Moyle, , 15.786; 11. 4K, Lynton Jeffrey, , 15.788; 12. 60, Colin Northway, , 15.794; 13. 91, John Sernett, , 15.795; 14. 57A, Eric Vander Ploeg, , 15.842; 15. 4, Jon Agan, , 15.855; 16. 20AU, Troy Little, , 15.865; 17. 5J, Jeff Mitrisin, , 15.881; 18. 21X, Skip Jackson, , 15.891; 19. R19, Justin Henderson, , 15.932; 20. 70, Calvin Landis, , 15.943; 21. 11J, Jeff Johnson, , 16.006; 22. 50D, Derek Beckman, , 16.03; 23. 1, Brent Antill, , 16.082; 24. 1A, Eddie Leavitt, , 16.22; 25. 45, John Schulz, , 16.225; 26. 69, Mike Moore, , 16.235; 27. 20A, Adam West, , 16.288; 28. 71X, Robert Bell, , 16.89; 29. 35X, Greg Jones, , 17.456; 30. 50, Tyler Houseman, , 17.999
First Heat: 1. Eddie Leavitt; 2. Justin Henderson; 3. Skip Jackson; 4. Terry McCarl; 5. Ricky Logan; 6. Colin Northway; 7. Wayne Johnson; 8. John Sernett; 9. John Schulz; 10. Robert Bell
Second Heat: 1. Brent Antill; 2. Eric Vander Ploeg; 3. Kerry Madsen; 4. Calvin Landis; 5. Randy Anderson; 6. Lynton Jeffrey; 7. Travis Cram; 8. Mike Moore; 9. Greg Jones; 10. Jeff Mitrisin
Third Heat: 1. Derek Beckman; 2. Brian Brown; 3. Jeff Johnson; 4. Clint Garner; 5. Jon Agan; 6. Don Droud Jr; 7. Troy Little; 8. Jaymie Moyle; 9. Tyler Houseman; 10. Adam West
B Main: 1. Wayne Johnson; 2. Travis Cram; 3. Jaymie Moyle; 4. Mike Moore; 5. John Sernett; 6. Troy Little; 7. John Schulz; 8. Greg Jones; 9. Tyler Houseman; 10. Robert Bell; 11. Jeff Mitrisin
1st A Main: 1. Terry McCarl; 2. Don Droud Jr; 3. Ricky Logan; 4. Clint Garner; 5. Brian Brown; 6. Travis Cram; 7. Randy Anderson; 8. Skip Jackson; 9. Jeff Johnson; 10. Calvin Landis; 11. Justin Henderson; 12. Brent Antill; 13. Derek Beckman; 14. Eddie Leavitt; 15. Jon Agan; 16. Kerry Madsen; 17. Eric Vander Ploeg; 18. Wayne Johnson; 19. Colin Northway; 20. Lynton Jeffrey
2nd A Main: 1. Brent Antill; 2. Jon Agan; 3. Terry McCarl; 4. Calvin Landis; 5. Travis Cram; 6. Randy Anderson; 7. Kerry Madsen; 8. Clint Garner; 9. Justin Henderson; 10. Derek Beckman; 11. Ricky Logan; 12. Brian Brown; 13. Skip Jackson; 14. Jeff Johnson; 15. Mike Moore; 16. Jaymie Moyle; 17. Colin Northway; 18. Eddie Leavitt; 19. Don Droud Jr; 20. Lynton Jeffrey
Advance Auto Parts 360 sprints
First Heat: 1. Billy Alley; 2. Ryan York; 3. Dave Hesmer; 4. Steve Brazeale; 5. Brett Golick; 6. Ed Ergenbright; 7. Rob Edwards; 8. Tom Lenz; 9. Rod Foster
Second Heat: 1. John Van Den Berg; 2. Mitch Alexander; 3. Mike Houseman; 4. Matt Moro; 5. Joe Beaver; 6. DJ Heskin; 7. Frankie Heimbaugh; 8. Chris Martinez; 9. Dan Thornburg
Third Heat: 1. Josh Higday; 2. Johnny Anderson; 3. Rodney Turner; 4. Bobby Mincer; 5. Michael Jones; 6. David Hall; 7. John Hall; 8. Nate Mosher
Fourth Heat: 1. Dave Middleswart; 2. Doug Wilson; 3. Eric Mason; 4. Jesse Giannetto; 5. Brett Mather; 6. Alan Zoutte; 7. Bruce Williams; 8. Curtis Thorson
B Main: 1. Matt Moro; 2. Joe Beaver; 3. Ed Ergenbright; 4. Frankie Heimbaugh; 5. Michael Jones; 6. DJ Heskin; 7. David Hall; 8. John Hall; 9. Alan Zoutte; 10. Tom Lenz; 11. Bruce Williams; 12. Rob Edwards; 13. Chris Martinez; 14. Stacey Alexander; 15. Nate Mosher; 16. Dan Thornburg; 17. Rod Foster
A Main: 1. Ryan York; 2. Josh Higday; 3. John Van Den Berg; 4. Johnny Anderson; 5. Eric Mason; 6. Jesse Giannetto; 7. Billy Alley; 8. Doug Wilson; 9. Dave Hesmer; 10. Steve Brazeale; 11. Rodney Turner; 12. Bobby Mincer; 13. Matt Moro; 14. Mike Houseman; 15. Brett Golick; 16. Ed Ergenbright; 17. Joe Beaver; 18. Mitch Alexander; 19. Frankie Heimbaugh; 20. Dave Middleswart