Carson, Anderson and Coons, Jr. are Knoxville Winners
By Bob Wilson

KNOXVILLE, Ia (June 2, 2006) - A big night of racing with four feature events saw Shane Carson, Johnny Anderson and Jerry Coons, Jr. take victories on this Marion County half-mile oval during the Masters Classic and King Doodlebug United States Auto Club (USAC) Midget Classic.

The 4th annual USAC King Doodlebug Midget Classic saw Jerry Coons, Jr. repeat his win of 2004 when he took the lead in the 20-lap feature event just after the half-way point. Bryan Clauson, Brady Bacon and Dave Darland had held the top spot to that point. Two distinct grooves developed during the night with a bottom line and a cushion line which was right against the tall Knoxville fences.

For Coons, the big break came after a lap nine restart. With Dave Darland leading and running the cushion in turns three and four, Coons sneaked to the bottom and roared out of turn four with the lead. By lap 15 he had developed a huge gap between himself and the battle for runner-up behind him. In the end, Coons could claim a full straight away lead when he took the checkered flag in his Stanton Mopar. The win paid the Arizona driver $1,650. Trailing to the finish were Bacon, Darland, Clauson and Mike Hess.

In the annual Masters Classic, Shane Carson led from the start to claim the 14th running of the event. Carson found a comfortable spot on the bottom of the weary track and by lap ten he had pulled away from his nearest competition by 25 car lengths. As Carson drove the Larry Weeks sprinter under the $1,000 checkered flag, second place Jimmy Sills was just exiting turn four. Completing the top five finishers were A.J. Weaver, Terry Alexander and Bob Thompson.

A change in format on this Masters Classic night saw Knoxville 360 drivers included in the events. The "Young Guns", as they were called, staged their own feature which placed those drivers in a final "showdown" with the top ten finishers from the Masters Classic.

In the "Young Guns" feature, Johnny Anderson surprised race leader John Kearney after a single file restart on lap eight when he drove to the bottom in turns one and two and took the lead as he shot down the back stretch. Kearney tried to keep pace but slowly fell back as he ran the cushion. Stacey Alexander also got by Kearney by running the bottom with only three laps left to go in the 15-lap event.

Anderson was just about to enter lap traffic when he took the checkered flag and the $1,000 payday. As Alexander flew past the finish line to take second his car went up in smoke. Third went to Kearney, Jeff Mitrisin claimed fourth and the fifth spot was taken by Jon Corbin.

The "Masters vs Young Guns Challenge" saw row one starter Johnny Anderson "out-gun" fellow row one starter Shane Carson in a hard-fought first lap. Carson stayed close but was eventually caught and passed by Josh Higday on lap four.

Drivers had to decide whether a bottom route would be faster than a trip around the Knoxville oval at the top on the cushion. It was difficult to tell by watching the position battles which was the best. Some drivers made headway at the top while others, including the winner, found the bottom to their liking. The big Knoxville track (a true half mile at the pole and a 5/8 at the fences) did not allow for mistakes on this night as most of her surface had become dry slick.

Anderson took the win for the "Young Guns" as he finished eight car lengths ahead of second place finisher John Kearney. The win paid the Jack Anderson-owned Eagle $1,000. Kearney, Higday, Carson and David Hall completed the top five finishers.

KNOXVILLE RACEWAY, Knoxville, IA
June 2, 2006


360 RESULTS

Masters Time Trials, 1. Jimmy Sills, Placerville CA, 17.02; 2. AJ Weaver, Houston TX, 17.2; 3. Jerry Potter, Pleasant Hill MO, 17.625; 4. Shane Carson, Yukon OK, 17.661; 5. Bobby Becker Jr., Denton NE, 17.676; 6. Terry Alexander, Knoxville IA, 17.691; 7. Bobby Thompson, Des Moines IA, 17.786; 8. Randy Droescher, Larchwood IA, 17.998; 9. Chuck McGillivray, Madison SD, 18.003; 10. Jerry Crabb, Chariton IA, 18.036; 11. Joe Kouba, Lino Lakes MN, 18.056; 12. Rick Weld, Kansas City MO, 18.194; 13. Chris Maurer, Colfax IA, 18.378; 14. Edd French, Justin TX, 18.408; 15. Earnest Jennings, Norman OK, 19.212; 16. Dale McCarty, Eldorado Springs MO, 19.257; 17. Ken Chapman, Windom MN, 19.587; 18. Bill Smith, Worthington MN, No Time;
Young Guns Time Trials, 1. Josh Schneiderman, (R) West Burlington IA, 17.126; 2. David Hall, Des Moines IA, 17.336; 3. Johnny Anderson, Indianola IA, 17.358; 4. Josh Higday, Des Moines IA, 17.391; 5. John Kearney, Valley Falls KS, 17.425; 6. Rick Ideus, (R) Silver City IA, 17.632; 7. Stacey Alexander, Lacona IA, 17.674; 8. Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa IA, 17.811; 9. Dustin Selvage, Indianola IA, 17.822; 10. Jon Corbin, (R) Carrollton MO, 17.902; 11. Frankie Heimbaugh, Des Moines IA, 17.956; 12. Mitchell Alexander, Knoxville IA, 18.003; 13. Joe Beaver, Knoxville IA, 18.01; 14. Nate Mosher, Prairie City IA, 18.09; 15. Alan Zoutte, Knoxville IA, 18.119; 16. Pete Crall, DeSoto KS, 18.204; 17. Brett Mather, Ames IA, 18.231; 18. Eric Mason, Knoxville IA, 18.282; 19. Mike Houseman Jr., Des Moines IA, 18.394; 20. Tim Newman, Cameron MO, 18.455;

Masters Feature , 15 laps, No Time: 1. Shane Carson, Yukon OK; 2. Jimmy Sills, Placerville CA; 3. AJ Weaver, Houston TX; 4. Terry Alexander, Knoxville IA; 5. Bobby Thompson, Des Moines IA; 6. Bobby Becker Jr., Denton NE; 7. Randy Droescher, Larchwood IA; 8. Jerry Crabb, Chariton IA; 9. Joe Kouba, Lino Lakes MN; 10. Chris Maurer, Colfax IA; 11. Earnest Jennings, Norman OK; 12. Jerry Potter, Pleasant Hill MO; 13. Edd French, Justin TX; 14. Dale McCarty, Eldorado Springs MO; 15. Ken Chapman, Windom MN; 16. Rick Weld, Kansas City MO; 17. Chuck McGillivray, Madison SD; 18. Bill Smith, Worthington MN;

Young Guns Feature, No Time: 1. Johnny Anderson, Indianola IA; 2. Stacey Alexander, Lacona IA; 3. John Kearney, Valley Falls KS; 4. Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa IA; 5. Jon Corbin, (R) Carrollton MO; 6. Rick Ideus, (R) Silver City IA; 7. Josh Schneiderman, (R) West Burlington IA; 8. Joe Beaver, Knoxville IA; 9. Josh Higday, Des Moines IA; 10. David Hall, Des Moines IA; 11. Frankie Heimbaugh, Des Moines IA; 12. Dustin Selvage, Indianola IA; 13. Eric Mason, Knoxville IA; 14. Mike Houseman Jr., Des Moines IA; 15. Brett Mather, Ames IA; 16. Pete Crall, DeSoto KS; 17. Nate Mosher, Prairie City IA; 18. Alan Zoutte, Knoxville IA; 19. Mitchell Alexander, Knoxville IA; 20. Tim Newman, Cameron MO;

Masters vs. Young Guns Feature, No Time: 1. Johnny Anderson, Indianola IA; 2. John Kearney, Valley Falls KS; 3. Josh Higday, Des Moines IA; 4. Shane Carson, Yukon OK; 5. David Hall, Des Moines IA; 6. Jon Corbin, (R) Carrollton MO; 7. Joe Beaver, Knoxville IA; 8. Jimmy Sills, Placerville CA; 9. Josh Schneiderman, (R) West Burlington IA; 10. Frankie Heimbaugh, Des Moines IA; 11. Terry Alexander, Knoxville IA; 12. Dustin Selvage, Indianola IA; 13. Jerry Crabb, Chariton IA; 14. Bobby Becker Jr., Denton NE; 15. Randy Droescher, Larchwood IA; 16. Joe Kouba, Lino Lakes MN; 17. AJ Weaver, Houston TX; 18. Rick Ideus, (R) Silver City IA; 19. Chris Maurer, Colfax IA; 20. Bobby Thompson, Des Moines IA;


Midgets RESULTS

Heat 1, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson AZ; 2. Davey Ray, Davenport IA; 3. Tom Hessert III, Cherry Hill NJ; 4. Andy Martin, Gordonville PA; 5. Kyle Nicholas, Naples FL; 6. Jack Potter, Pleasant Hill MO; 7. Leroy Holler, Independence MO; 8. Mike DiBart, Springfield IL; 9. Doug DeWitt, Sunnyvale CA;

Heat 2, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Brad Kuhn, Avon IN; 2. Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow OK; 3. Levi Jones, Olney IL; 4. Teddy Beach, Donnelsville OH; 5. Brad Mosen, Auckland NZ; 6. Russ Harper, Watkins CO; 7. Harley Slotten, Kimberly WI; 8. Joe Ligouri, Tampa FL; 9. Todd Street, Elkader IA;

Heat 3, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Ryan Durst, Lincoln NE; 2. Dave Darland, Lincoln IN; 3. Michael Lewis, Noblesville IN; 4. Mike Hess, Petersburg IL; 5. Johnny Rodriguez, Elk Grove CA; 6. Donnie Lehmann, Springfield IL; 7. Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills MO; 8. Mallory Armfield, St. Joseph MO; 9. Jimmy Light, West Springfield PA;

Heat 4, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Bud Kaeding, Campbell CA; 2. Tracy Hines, New Castle IN; 3. Chad McDaniel, Concordia KS; 4. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 5. (Car Number Not On File); 6. Garett Hood, Concordia KS; 7. Rik Forbes, Omaha NE; 8. Mike Riley, Bloomsdale MO; 9. Cody Brewer, Choctaw OK; 10. Ryan Kaplan, Chico CA;

Heat 5, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Bryan Clauson, Noblesville IN; 2. Cole Carter, Brownsburg IN; 3. Darren Hagen, Riverside CA; 4. Ryan Pace, Arroyo Grande CA; 5. Jay Drake, Val Verde CA; 6. Joe Boyles, Greenwood MO; 7. Josh Wise, Riverside CA; 8. Daniel Adler, East Carondelet IL;

B Feature 1, 10 laps, No Time: 1. Johnny Rodriguez, Elk Grove CA; 2. Jay Drake, Val Verde CA; 3. Kyle Nicholas, Naples FL; 4. Harley Slotten, Kimberly WI; 5. Donnie Lehmann, Springfield IL; 6. Mike Riley, Bloomsdale MO; 7. Garett Hood, Concordia KS; 8. Leroy Holler, Independence MO; 9. Mallory Armfield, St. Joseph MO; 10. Jack Potter, Pleasant Hill MO; 11. Doug DeWitt, Sunnyvale CA; 12. Todd Street, Elkader IA;
 

B Feature 2, 10 laps, No Time: 1. Ryan Kaplan, Chico CA; 2. Brad Mosen, Auckland NZ; 3. Ryan Pace, Arroyo Grande CA; 4. Andy Martin, Gordonville PA; 5. Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills MO; 6. Mike DiBart, Springfield IL; 7. Josh Wise, Riverside CA; 8. Russ Harper, Watkins CO; 9. Rik Forbes, Omaha NE; 10. Joe Boyles, Greenwood MO; 11. Daniel Adler, East Carondelet IL; 12. Jimmy Light, West Springfield PA; 13. Joe Ligouri, Tampa FL;

A Feature, 20 laps, No Time: 1. Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson AZ; 2. Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow OK; 3. Dave Darland, Lincoln IN; 4. Bryan Clauson, Noblesville IN; 5. Mike Hess, Petersburg IL; 6. Brad Kuhn, Avon IN; 7. Michael Lewis, Noblesville IN; 8. Darren Hagen, Riverside CA; 9. Ryan Durst, Lincoln NE; 10. Levi Jones, Olney IL; 11. Davey Ray, Davenport IA; 12. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 13. Jay Drake, Val Verde CA; 14. Donnie Lehmann, Springfield IL; 15. Johnny Rodriguez, Elk Grove CA; 16. Ryan Pace, Arroyo Grande CA; 17. Chad McDaniel, Concordia KS; 18. Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills MO; 19. Kyle Nicholas, Naples FL; 20. Bud Kaeding, Campbell CA; 21. Ryan Kaplan, Chico CA; 22. Teddy Beach, Donnelsville OH; 23. Tom Hessert III, Cherry Hill NJ; 24. Cole Carter, Brownsburg IN; 25. Tracy Hines, New Castle IN; 26. Brad Mosen, Auckland NZ; 27. Joe Boyles, Greenwood MO;