Thomas Kennedy won Night #1 at the 360 Nationals Thursday (Paul Arch Photo)
by Bill Wright
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 2, 2018) – Thomas Kennedy held off a late and furious charge from veteran Sammy Swindell to become the first Canadian 360 feature winner at Knoxville Raceway Thursday night! The win came in Night #1 of the 28th Annual Knoxville 360 Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank. Thursday’s top five point getters for Saturday’s finale include Brian Brown (484), Greg Hodnett (482), Kennedy (473), Jamie Ball (467) and Mason Daniel (464).
Kennedy shot out from his starting spot outside row one to lead early in the 20-lap main event. Daniel settled into second, ahead of Ball, Scott Bogucki and Joe Beaver. Brown moved into the top five on lap two before sixth-running Tasker Phillips smacked the turn two wall. He was uninjured but done.
Kennedy led the field back to green in the only caution of the race. A furious battle for fifth ensued as Greg Hodnett began pressuring Brown and taking the spot on lap eight. Both were pressuring Bogucki for the fourth spot. Eleventh starting Sammy Swindell was waiting patiently behind the melee in front of him. He passed Brown, Hodnett and Bogucki for fourth in one fell swoop in turns three and four on lap eleven! He then put Ball behind him for third.
The lead pair had gotten away, but they were slowed by traffic. Daniel closed on the leader, but Swindell was coming faster. He reeled them in, and after taking the white flag, shot by Daniel for second. His run low through three and four looked fast enough to make a dramatic pass for the lead, but Kennedy came down the track to block and secured his $3,000 win!
Following Kennedy across the line were Swindell, Daniel, Brown and Ryan Giles (from 15th). Hodnett, hard-charger Dominic Scelzi (from 22nd), Ball, Shane Golobic and Cory Eliason rounded out the top ten. Tony Stewart set quick time over the 43-car field, while McKenna Haase, Giles, Seth Brahmer, Jonathan Cornell and Sam Hafertepe Jr. won heat races. Stewart claimed the B main.
“I was having a tough time in lapped traffic,” said Kennedy in Victory Lane. “Sam (Hafertepe) and everyone else seemed to be the same pace I was. I knew I was losing a lot of momentum. I looked at the board and saw the #3 car was there. That’s the veteran of the veterans on this track. When I saw him underneath coming for the checkered, I thought, ‘There’s no way your passing me!’ We’ve been the best here this year, then we’ve ever been in the past. To be up here means a lot!”
“I was right there,” said Swindell. “If he hadn’t of come down and I got off the gas, we had him off the corner. The guys were racing hard back there. They were sliding all over, and I kept getting frustrated. (Bogucki) kind of slid in there and locked everyone up. I was the only one on the bottom and that thing opened up. We passed three cars there on the bottom. That’s all we needed. I knew when we got by the #33, that we were making good time heading into three. This car has been good. The last couple of months, we’ve been first or second, but we’ve had too many seconds.”
“We were catching (Kennedy) in lapped traffic,” said Daniel. “I was able to close in and I tried to cut down in two. I was spinning my tires, and Sammy was able to catch us and the last lap got by us. It’s a really big show with the best drivers around the country. It’s really good to finish third.”
The 28th Annual Knoxville 360 Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank continues Friday night, August 3! For more information, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
Results for Night #1 of the 28th Annual Knoxville 360 Nationals Presented by Great Southern Bank
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 14, Tony Stewart, Columbus, IN (4), 16.316; 2. 27, Greg Hodnett, Spring Grove, PA (2), 16.380; 3. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (18), 16.489; 4. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (10), 16.507; 5. 18, Ryan Roberts, Aurora, NE (1), 16.587; 6. 7W, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (6), 16.598; 7. 83, Cory Eliason, Selma, CA (3), 16.610; 8. 70, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA (5), 16.623; 9. 5J, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (7), 16.629; 10. 28, Scott Bogucki, McLaren Vale, SA, Aust. (17), 16.644; 11. 23D, Devon Dobie, Wapakoneta, OH (12), 16.645; 12. 41S, Dominic Scelzi, Fresno, CA (26), 16.682; 13. 21K, Thomas Kennedy, Winnipeg, MB, Can. (43), 16.687; 14. 33M, Mason Daniel, Springville, CA (15), 16.707; 15. 7C, John Carney II, El Paso, TX (25), 16.718; 16. 17WX, Shane Golobic, Fremont, CA (30), 16.743; 17. 3S, Sammy Swindell, Germantown, TN (27), 16.753; 18. 99, Skylar Gee, Leduc, ALB, Can. (14), 16.757; 19. 7M, Chance Morton, Coweta, OK (11), 16.769; 20. 09, Matt Juhl, Tea, SD (9), 16.777; 21. 4J, Lee Grosz, Harwood, ND (42), 16.792; 22. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (24), 16.803; 23. 76, Brad Comegys, Bondurant, IA (8), 16.826; 24. 28C, Jonathan Cornell, Sedalia, MO (22), 16.859; 25. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (41), 16.871; 26. 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA (36), 16.888; 27. 4, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (38), 16.904; 28. 13V, Seth Brahmer, Wisner, NE (35), 16.905; 29. 24N, Nathan Mills, Bondurant, IA (29), 16.944; 30. 02, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (16), 16.968; 31. 22H, Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro, IN (21), 16.979; 32. 15, Christian Bowman, Altoona, IA (33), 16.998; 33. 29, Willie Croft, Roseville, CA (39), 17.006; 34. 35L, Cody Ledger, Omaha, NE (31), 17.049; 35. 75, Tyler Blank, California, MO (32), 17.093; 36. 2X, Tucker Doughty, Sunnyvale, TX (23), 17.234; 37. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (37), 17.316; 38. 98, Chris Masters, Napa, CA (34), 17.357; 39. 22M, Shawn Murray, Jacksonville, FL (19), 17.598; 40. 57, Billy Butler, Sacramento, CA (40), 17.679; 41. 2K, Kevin Ingle, Huron, SD (20), 17.738; 42. 57B, Bobby Butler, Sacramento, CA (28), 18.102; 43. DQ (Illegal Tire) - 17X, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX (13)
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:16.0: 1. McKenna Haase (1); 2. Shane Golobic (3); 3. Lee Grosz (2); 4. Tasker Phillips (5) / 5. Randy Hannagan (7); 6. Devon Dobie (4); 7. Tony Stewart (6); 8. Tucker Doughty (8); 9. Kevin Ingle (9)
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:17.9: 1. Ryan Giles (2); 2. Sammy Swindell (3); 3. Greg Hodnett (6); 4. Jon Agan (1) / 5. Dominic Scelzi (4); 6. Cory Eliason (5); 7. Sawyer Phillips (8); 8. Christian Bowman (7); 9. Bobby Butler (9)
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:17.0: 1. Seth Brahmer (1); 2. Thomas Kennedy (4); 3. Brian Brown (6); 4. Skylar Gee (3) / 5. Brad Comegys (2); 6. Calvin Landis (5); 7. Chris Masters (8); 8. Willie Croft (7); DNS - 9. Josh Baughman (9)
Heat four (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Jonathan Cornell (2); 2. Jamie Ball (5); 3. Mason Daniel (4); 4. Joe Beaver (6) / 5. Cody Ledger (7); 6. Shawn Murray (8); 7. Chance Morton (3); 8. Nathan Mills (1)
Heat five (started), 8 Laps, 2:19.3: 1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2); 2. John Carney II (4); 3. Scott Bogucki (5); 4. Matt Juhl (3); 5. Don Droud Jr. (1); 6. Ryan Roberts (6); 7. Tyler Blank (7); 8. Billy Butler (8)
B main (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. Tony Stewart (1); 2. Dominic Scelzi (6); 3. Cory Eliason (3); 4. Randy Hannagan (9) / 5. Sawyer Phillips (16); 6. Ryan Roberts (2); 7. Devon Dobie (5); 8. Don Droud Jr. (10); 9. Tyler Blank (14); 10. Brad Comegys (8); 11. Cody Ledger (11); 12. Christian Bowman (12); 13. Billy Butler (17); 14. Chris Masters (15); 15. Tucker Doughty (13); 16. Kevin Ingle (19); 17. Bobby Butler (21); 18. Shawn Murray (18); 19. Calvin Landis (4); 20. Nathan Mills (7); 21. Willie Croft (20); DNS - 22. Chance Morton; 23. Josh Baughman
A main (started), 20 Laps, NT: 1. Thomas Kennedy (2); 2. Sammy Swindell (11); 3. Mason Daniel (1); 4. Brian Brown (7); 5. Ryan Giles (15); 6. Greg Hodnett (8); 7. Dominic Scelzi (22); 8. Jamie Ball (4); 9. Shane Golobic (10); 10. Cory Eliason (23); 11. Scott Bogucki (3); 12. Matt Juhl (13); 13. John Carney II (9); 14. Joe Beaver (6); 15. Lee Grosz (14); 16. Skylar Gee (12); 17. McKenna Haase (18); 18. Randy Hannagan (24); 19. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (17); 20. Tony Stewart (21); 21. Seth Brahmer (20); 22. Jonathan Cornell (16); 23. Jon Agan (19); 24. Tasker Phillips (5). Lap Leader: Kennedy 1-20. Hard-charger: D. Scelzi.
Thursday Point Totals
1 21 Brian Brown 484
2 27 Greg Hodnett 482
3 21K Thomas Kennedy 473
4 5J Jamie Ball 467
5 33M Mason Daniel 464
6 3S Sammy Swindell 463
7 53 Joe Beaver 459
8 28 Scott Bogucki 456
9 83 Cory Eliason 455
10 41S Dominic Scelzi 454
11 17WX Shane Golobic 451
12 9 Ryan Giles 450
13 7C John Carney II 445
14 14 Tony Stewart 444
15 7W Tasker Phillips 435
16 09 Matt Juhl 431
17 99 Skylar Gee 427
18 4J Lee Grosz 426
19 55 McKenna Haase 418
20 18 Ryan Roberts 417
21 15H Sam Hafertepe Jr. 416
22 28C Jonathan Cornell 412
23 13V Seth Brahmer 406
Pos Car Driver Points
24 23D Devon Dobie 403
25 4 Jon Agan 395
26 22H Randy Hannagan 394
27 70 Calvin Landis 385
28 76 Brad Comegys 376
29 02 Don Droud Jr. 366
30 7M Chance Morton 354
31 3P Sawyer Phillips 352
32 35L Cody Ledger 352
33 75 Tyler Blank 348
34 15 Christian Bowman 345
35 24N Nathan Mills 335
36 98 Chris Masters 332
37 2X Tucker Doughty 331
38 57 Billy Butler 327
39 22M Shawn Murray 325
40 29 Willie Croft 325
41 2K Kevin Ingle 316
42 57B Bobby Butler 312
43 17X Josh Baughman 298