Knoxville feature winners: Tyler Groenendyk (Pro), Brian Brown (410), Terry McCarl (360) (Video Highlights from DirtVision.com)
Terry McCarl Debuts in 360’s with Win; Defending Champ Tyler Groenendyk Wins in Pro Sprints
by Bill Wright
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (April 30, 2022) – Brian Brown won for the 57th time in 410 action at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night matching Steve Kinser’s illustrious win total at the famed half-mile. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver pocketed $5,000 for his win aboard the Brian Brown Racing #21. Terry McCarl, who will run in the 360 class this season, started off things in spectacular fashion with victory, and Tyler Groenendyk picked up his fifth career win with the Pro Sprints presented by Pace Performance on a cold, windy night at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World.”
Matt Juhl took off from his starting spot on the pole to lead early in the 20-lap 410 feature. With a lap in the books, AJ Moeller climbed a competitor’s right rear and took a wild ride through turns one and two. He walked away.
Juhl led Brown, Justin Henderson, Davey Heskin and Carson McCarl back to green. McCarl quickly took fourth before Tasker Phillips, who was running in the top ten had an attempted slider end up in the turn two wall. He was o.k.
The restart was Brown’s chance, and he took advantage, sliding in front of Juhl to take the point. Motor issues for Josh Higday slowed things again two laps later. That negated a pass that Don Droud Jr. had made to enter the top five, but it didn’t deter the veteran, as he shot from sixth to fourth when the green fell again.
Jordan Goldesberry was the next to have issues with 11 to go. The next restart saw Carson McCarl obliterate the cone, costing him a spot. Brown then led Juhl, Henderson, Droud and Austin McCarl, who started 17th. Droud took third from Henderson, and Austin McCarl followed into fourth. The good battle also saw Carson McCarl get back in the fray before Lynton Jeffrey ran out of fuel with nine to go.
A fuel only open red flag period was instituted. The last nine laps saw Brown pull away as he got his just deserts in Victory Lane. Juhl held on for second, with hard-charger Austin McCarl completing the podium. Henderson, Droud, Carson McCarl, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Heskin, Chris Martin (from 23rd) and Ayrton Gennetten completed the top ten. AJ Moeller set quick time over the 30-car field, while Brown, Heskin and Hafertepe were heat winners. Tyler Drueke claimed the B.
“One guy doesn’t deserve to be in the same sentence with the other guy, and that’s Steve Kinser,” said Brown about his historic win. “He paved the way for guys like us. He’s one of my heroes. To have my name alongside his, as a feature winner here is pretty awesome. I’m proud of all of my guys. We had probably the roughest week we’ve had. We had some stuff that went on in the shop and we just had to keep working and working. These guys never quit.”
Before a lap could be completed in the 18-lap 360 feature, Ryan Leavitt turned his car over, collecting Shayle Bade and Alan Zoutte. All were o.k. Terry McCarl led from outside row one ahead of Clint Garner and rookie Chase Randall. Two laps in, Tony Rost caught the inside berm in turn three and shot across the track to the wall, flipping. Devin Kline was caught in the melee, with his top wing sheared off. No one was hurt.
Joe Beaver got upside down in turn one on the restart. He too was ok. McCarl led Garner, Randall, Garet Williamson and Brady Forbrook back to green flag racing. Kaleb Johnson shot from sixth to fourth before Calvin Landis came to a stop on the frontstretch, bringing the last caution with seven to go.
After the restart, McCarl and Garner separated themselves from the rest of the pack. The leaders were in traffic by lap eight. Garner reeled in McCarl a pair of times, but it was to no avail. McCarl’s ninth career 360 win at Knoxville came ahead of Garner, Johnson, Randall and Williamson. Forbrook, hard-charger Christian Bowman, Jamie Ball, Nathan Mills and Riley Goodno rounded out the top ten. Garner set quick time over the 24-car field, while Cam Martin, Mills and McCarl won heat races.
“It always feels good to win,” said McCarl in Victory Lane. “With Clint and all these guys…it certainly helped to start on the front row. This wind is doing crazy stuff. I want to thank Don Long for letting me do this (the 360 class). We almost did this last year. I just don’t want to race against my sons. I’m really a competitive person and it throws me off if they’re on the racetrack. I’m always wanting them to do well.”
Brandon Worthington led the 15-lap Pro Sprints presented by Pace Performance feature in the early going ahead of Eric Bridger, Mike Mayberry, Tyler Groenendyk and Kade Higday. A caution for Josh Jones on lap two saw a Tyler Barrick tip over on the restart. He was o.k.
Once green, Higday asserted himself on the high side, going from fifth to third, and then capturing second from Bridger on lap four. Meanwhile, Groenendyk took fourth from Mayberry. Eight laps in, disaster would strike for Higday when he slowed and exited, bringing out the caution.
With seven laps to go, Worthington led Bridger, Groenendyk, Mayberry and Jeff Wilke back to green. Groenendyk shot around Bridger on the restart. With four laps to go, he used the cushion to take the point. Worthington made one last charge on the low side and fell just .081 of a second short in his quest for the win.
Following Groenendyk across the line were Worthington, Mayberry, Bridger and hard-charger Matthew Stelzer. Matt Allen, Wilke, Chase Young, Mike Johnston and JJ Beaver completed the top ten. Worthington set quick time, and heats were won by Higday and Stelzer.
“I think I was o.k. (at the end) there, but definitely wasn’t great,” said Groenendyk of the close finish. “I knew he had to be close. I got going really good after that restart, and kind of started getting tight at the end. I knew I had to get my act together. I probably wasn’t going to pull this one off, but thankfully, the last few laps were just enough to get it done.”
Join us next Saturday, May 7, for Busch Light Night at Knoxville! All three sprint car divisions will be back in action. For more information, visit or check Knoxville Raceway’s Facebook and Twitter.
410 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (15), 14.917 ($100 from OpenWheel101.com); 2. 7, Justin Henderson, Tea, SD (5), 14.918; 3. 09, Matt Juhl, Tea, SD (18), 15.009; 4. 2, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (30), 15.081; 5. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (20), 15.137; 6. 3, Ayrton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, MO (4), 15.158; 7. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (24), 15.176; 8. 2M, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (9), 15.236; 9. 11, Roger Crockett, Broken Arrow, OK (3), 15.244; 10. 1M, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (22), 15.275; 11. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (7), 15.295; 12. 22, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (10), 15.345; 13. 14, Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA (27), 15.366; 14. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (29), 15.370; 15. 49, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (14), 15.372; 16. 88, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (17), 15.374; 17. 76, Nathan Mills, Bondurant, IA (8), 15.407; 18. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (16), 15.459; 19. 2KS, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (28), 15.509; 20. 12, Tyler Drueke, Eagle, NE (6), 15.510; 21. 22K, Kaleb Johnson, Sioux Falls, SD (2), 15.510; 22. 65, Jordan Goldesberry, Springfield, IL (1), 15.522; 23. 6, Brandon Wimmer, Fairmount, IN (21), 15.544; 24. 14T, Tim Estenson, Fargo, ND (26), 15.585; 25. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (23), 15.632; 26. 15, Bobby Mincer, Burlington, IA (12), 15.791; 27. 7W, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (25), 15.875; 28. 7B, Ben Brown, Marshall, MO (11), 15.907; 29. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA (13), 16.050; 30. 25, JJ Hickle, Quilcene, WA (19), NT.
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:09.3: 1. Brian Brown (4); 2. Austin McCarl (1); 3. Josh Higday (2); 4. Don Droud Jr. (3); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (5); 6. Ryan Giles (7); 7. AJ Moeller (6); 8. Chris Martin (9); 9. Jordan Goldesberry (8); 10. Ben Brown (10)
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:08.2: 1. Davey Heskin (4); 2. Sawyer Phillips (2); 3. Justin Henderson (6); 4. Tasker Phillips (3); 5. Carson McCarl (5); 6. Brandon Wimmer (8); 7. Nathan Mills (1); 8. Tyler Drueke (7); 9. Bobby Mincer (9); 10. Joe Simbro (10)
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:07.0: 1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1); 2. Josh Schneiderman (2); 3. Riley Goodno (3); 4. Roger Crockett (4); 5. Matt Juhl (6); 6. Ayrton Gennetten (5); 7. Kaleb Johnson (7); 8. Dustin Selvage (9); 9. Tim Estenson (8) DNS – JJ Hickle
B main (started), 10 Laps, NT: 1. Tyler Drueke (1); 2. Kaleb Johnson (2); 3. Chris Martin (5); 4. Jordan Goldesberry (3) / 5. Tim Estenson (4); 6. JJ Hickle (10); 7. Dustin Selvage (7); 8. Joe Simbro (9); 9. Bobby Mincer (6); 10. Ben Brown (8)
A main (started), 20 Laps, NT: 1. Brian Brown (3); 2. Matt Juhl (1); 3. Austin McCarl (17); 4. Justin Henderson (4); 5. Don Droud Jr. (10); 6. Carson McCarl (7); 7. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (15); 8. Davey Heskin (2); 9. Chris Martin (23); 10. Ayrton Gennetten (8); 11. Riley Goodno (11); 12. Brandon Wimmer (20); 13. Roger Crockett (9); 14. Josh Schneiderman (14); 15. Lynton Jeffrey (6); 16. Ryan Giles (18); 17. Tyler Drueke (21); 18. Nathan Mills (19); 19. Kaleb Johnson (22); 20. Jordan Goldesberry (24); 21. Josh Higday (16); 22. Sawyer Phillips (12); 23. Tasker Phillips (13); 24. AJ Moeller (5). Lap Leaders: Juhl 1-4, Brown 5-20. Hard-charger: A. McCarl.
360 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (8), 15.790; 2. 5, Brady Forbrook, Morgan, MN (2), 15.864; 3. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (13), 15.919; 4. 4W, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (10), 15.920; 5. 9, Chase Randall, Waco, TX (5), 15.964; 6. 70, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA (21), 15.968; 7. 22K, Kaleb Johnson, Sioux Falls, SD (24), 15.980; 8. 24W, Garet Williamson, Kingdom City, MO (6), 15.986; 9. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (15), 16.002; 10. 22, Ryan Leavitt, Knoxville, IA (7), 16.068; 11. 21, Gunner Ramey, Sedalia, MO (4), 16.087; 12. 99, Tony Rost, Omaha, NE (14), 16.124; 13. 5M, Collin Moyle, Knoxville, IA (19), 16.147; 14. 9M, Ricky Montgomery, Denver, CO (12), 16.204; 15. 22X, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (9), 16.264; 16. 4, Cam Martin, Ankeny, IA (22), 16.268; 17. 24N, Nathan Mills, Bondurant, IA (11), 16.354; 18. 5A, Alex Vande Voort, Knoxville, IA (1), 16.355; 19. 15, Christian Bowman, Altoona, IA (16), 16.374; 20. 7C, Devin Kline, Knoxville, IA (20), 16.415; 21. 33, Alan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (23), 16.507; 22. 22W, Aaron Werner, Colman, SD (17), 16.842; 23. 1A, John Anderson, Des Moines, IA (3), 16.877; 24. 03, Shayle Bade, Lincoln, NE (18), 17.304.
Heat one (started), 7 Laps, 1:57.7: 1. Cam Martin (1); 2. Clint Garner (6); 3. Kaleb Johnson (4); 4. Ryan Leavitt (3); 5. Christian Bowman (7); 6. Jamie Ball (5); 7. Collin Moyle (2); 8. Aaron Werner (8)
Heat two (started), 7 Laps, 1:58.1: 1. Nathan Mills (1); 2. Garet Williamson (4); 3. Ricky Montgomery (2); 4. Chase Randall (5); 5. Brady Forbrook (6); 6. Gunner Ramey (3); 7. Devin Kline (7); 8. John Anderson (8)
Heat three (started), 7 Laps, 1:57.3: 1. Terry McCarl (4); 2. Alex Vande Voort (1); 3. Riley Goodno (2); 4. Calvin Landis (5); 5. Tony Rost (3); 6. Joe Beaver (6); 7. Shayle Bade (8); 8. Alan Zoutte (7)
A main (started), 18 Laps, NT: 1. Terry McCarl (2); 2. Clint Garner (4); 3. Kaleb Johnson (6); 4. Chase Randall (1); 5. Garet Williamson (5); 6. Brady Forbrook (3); 7. Christian Bowman (19); 8. Jamie Ball (9); 9. Nathan Mills (12); 10. Riley Goodno (14); 11. Calvin Landis (8); 12. Cam Martin (11); 13. Gunner Ramey (17); 14. Collin Moyle (18); 15. Aaron Werner (23); 16. John Anderson (24); 17. Ricky Montgomery (13); 18. Joe Beaver (7); 19. Alex Vande Voort (15); 20. Tony Rost (16); 21. Devin Kline (20); 22. Ryan Leavitt (10); 23. Alan Zoutte (21); 24. Shayle Bade (22). Lap Leader: T. McCarl 1-18. Hard-charger: Bowman.
Pro Series Results
Time Trials (Group Qualifying): 1. 71, Brandon Worthington, Indianola, IA (16), 17.058; 2. 0, Mike Mayberry, Fremont, IA (14), 17.196; 3. 41, Jeff Wilke, Knoxville, IA (15), 17.203; 4. 26, Chase Young, Des Moines, IA (12), 17.327; 5. 44, Scotty Johnson, Dallas, IA (4), 17.355; 6. 81E, Eric Bridger, Winterset, IA (11), 17.378; 7. 17X, Tyler Groenendyk, Oskaloosa, IA (10), 17.441; 8. 17, Matt Allen, Adel, IA (8), 17.488; 9. 11, Tyler Barrick, Slater, IA (5), 17.501; 10. 3TJ, Joel Thorpe, Urbandale, IA (3), 17.549; 11. 24, Kade Higday, Pleasant Hill, IA (7), 17.560; 12. 99, Matthew Stelzer, Papillion, NE (2), 17.625; 13. 14J, Mike Johnston, Des Moines, IA (6), 17.711; 14. B29, JJ Beaver, Knoxville, IA (13), 18.093; 15. 12P, Ryan Navratil, Des Moines, IA (9), 19.006; 16. 02S, Josh Jones, Knoxville, IA (1), NT.
Heat one (started), 6 Laps, 1:43.9: 1. Kade Higday (1); 2. Tyler Barrick (2); 3. Tyler Groenendyk (3); 4. Jeff Wilke (5); 5. Scotty Johnson (4); 6. Brandon Worthington (6); 7. Mike Johnston (7); 8. Ryan Navratil (8)
Heat two (started), 6 Laps, 1:46.9: 1. Matthew Stelzer (1); 2. Eric Bridger (4); 3. Mike Mayberry (6); 4. Joel Thorpe (2); 5. Matt Allen (3); 6. Chase Young (5); 7. JJ Beaver (7); 8. Josh Jones (8)
A main (started), 15 Laps, NT: 1. Tyler Groenendyk (5); 2. Brandon Worthington (1); 3. Mike Mayberry (4); 4. Eric Bridger (2); 5. Matthew Stelzer (10); 6. Matt Allen (11); 7. Jeff Wilke (3); 8. Chase Young (9); 9. Mike Johnston (13); 10. JJ Beaver (14); 11. Scotty Johnson (7); 12. Joel Thorpe (12); 13. Ryan Navratil (15); 14. Kade Higday (8); 15. Tyler Barrick (6); 16. Josh Jones (16). Lap Leaders: Worthington 1-10, Groenendyk 11-15. Hard-charger: Stelzer.