| Driver Profiles | Photos | Racing Links | |
| Discussion Board | Live Chat | News Archives | Advertising |
| Weather |
 |
Brown wins Friday main at 48th Annual Knoxville Nationals By Stacy Ervin KNOXVILLE, IA (August 8) - An engine fire put a scare into him on Thursday night, and another former Knoxville Raceway track champion scared Brian Brown on Friday. Brown, the defending Knoxville Championship Cup Series track champion from Higginsville, Missouri, won the non-qualifiers’ feature at the 48th Annual Super Clean Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Friday, August 8. The Friday night show was presented by myracelife.com. Brown started on the pole of the 20-lap main event and led every lap en route to the $5,000 payday. It looked to be an easy victory until the final laps, when Australia’s Kerry Madsen, who won a track championship here in 2005, put himself in position to steal the show. There was a yellow flag on the original start when Justin Zimmerman spun in turn one and was hit by Brian Ellenberger. After that wreckage was cleared, Brown took control of the race. Natalie Sather pulled off the track at lap three when her motor showed heavy smoke. Former track champion Skip Jackson exited the race at lap five. Brown began to come to lapped traffic at lap eight with second-place runner Mark Dobmeier closing. But the real closer was Madsen, who had come from a 17th starting spot in the B-Main to finish second there and transfer to the main. Starting 22nd in the A, Madsen moved to 12th on the sixth lap, was ninth by lap 12 and fourth by lap 18. Meanwhile, Brown was using a diamond move, skimming the tall white fences through the turns and hugging the bottom berm coming out of turns two and four. Brown looked to be running away from Dobmeier and third-running Seth Brahmer, but the caution flag came out on the white-flag lap when Cody Darrah exploded a left-rear tire. That set up a green, white, checkered restart that saw Madsen pass both Dobmeier and Brahmer. He ran out of laps in his quest for the win, however, and Brown got his 12th career 410 victory at the hallowed half mile. In victory lane, Brown noted it may not have been the A feature victory he really wants to win at the Nationals, but he planned to give his all in Saturday’s finale. The Friday win meant he would start in the middle of Saturday’s C-Main. “Tomorrow night is going to be real tough,” he said, but noted his plan to make a run. “This is where heroes are made. Anybody can start on the front and win.” Madsen also showed his determination to put on a show on Saturday night coming from his starting spot next to Brown in the middle of the C. “If I can get to the B, we’ll get ’er done,” he said, noting only the top two will transfer from his main. “The fans need to petition to take four out of the C.” Behind Brown and Madsen, Dobmeier was third, Brahmer fourth and Brian Paulus fifth. Heat races were won by Brian Brown, Blake Feese, Seth Brahmer, Mark Dobmeier and Rob Chaney. Tim Shaffer won the B-Main to transfer to the A along with Madsen, Ellenberger and Gregg Bakker. For the third night in a row, turn one was not a friendly corner as another wicked crash started off the night’s B-Main. Steve Dyer went careening into the fence while Tony Shilling and Spud Gustin were caught up in the carnage. All drivers were able to walk away. Following the non-qualifiers’ A-Main, Madsen went on to win the myracelife.com World Challenge, a special event for drivers who qualify through various international events. It was a 16-lap event that paid $10,000 for the win. Scrambles for the pole for the A, B and C mains for Saturday’s finale were also held Friday. Doug Esh won the C Scramble and Chad Kemenah won the B Scramble. Steve Kinser won the A Scramble, which saw Joey Saldana get sideways in turn four on the first lap and nearly tip over. Saldana ended up backed into the fence, was able to restart but finished in the 10th and final position. In victory lane, Kinser said he wants to keep working his way to the top and get his 13th Nationals championship. “Hopefully tomorrow night we’re back on this podium,” he said. “It would be nice to win another one.” The night also featured a marriage proposal in victory lane before the opening ceremonies and a five-minute fireworks display at the conclusion of the World Challenge race. KNOXVILLE RACEWAY, Knoxville, IA August 8, 2008 410 RESULTS Heat 1, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO; 2. Brian Paulus, Mechanicsburg PA; 3. Justin Zimmerman, Royce City TX; 4. Bob Weuve, Newton IA; 5. Scott Uttech, New Berlin WI; 6. John VanDenBerg, Albia IA; 7. Greg Nikitenko, Minot ND; 8. Marlon Jones, Harrisburg SD; 9. Scott Winters, Butterfield MN; 10. Troy Little, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; Heat 2, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Blake Feese, Saybrook IL; 2. Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL; 3. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA; 4. Lance Dewease, Fayetteville PA; 5. Brian Leppo, New Oxford PA; 6. Gregg Bakker, Sioux Falls SD; 7. Bill Balog, Eau Claire WI; 8. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 9. JJ Hickle, Quilcene WA; 10. Corey Haigh, Auckland, NI, NZ ; Heat 3, 8 laps, 2:09.5: 1. Seth Brahmer, Wisner NE; 2. Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, Can. ; 3. Brock Mayes, Bucyrus OH; 4. Cody Darrah, Red Lion PA; 5. Brian Ellenberger, Butler PA; 6. Caleb Griffith, Sandusky OH; 7. Robert Bell, Colfax IA; 8. Tony Shilling, Knoxville IA; Heat 4, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks ND; 2. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 3. Ricky Logan, Little Rock AR; 4. Dion Hindi, (R) Albuquerque NM; 5. Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa PA; 6. Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge OH; 7. Bill Rose, Plainfield IN; 8. Matt Wasmund, Jackson MN; 9. Spud Gustin, West Union OH; 10. Ty Bartz, Sheboygan Falls WI; Heat 5, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Rob Chaney, Millersburg OH; 2. Dean Jacobs, Wooster OH; 3. Natalie Sather, Fargo ND; 4. Josh Schneiderman, (R) West Burlington IA; 5. Chad Hillier, Burlington WA; 6. John Lambertz, Sioux Falls SD; 7. Steve Dyer, Vancouver, BC, Can. ; 8. Bruce White, Merrylands West NSW Aust ; B Feature, 12 laps, 3:27.4: 1. Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa PA; 2. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 3. Brian Ellenberger, Butler PA; 4. Gregg Bakker, Sioux Falls SD; 5. Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge OH; 6. Bill Balog, Eau Claire WI; 7. Chad Hillier, Burlington WA; 8. Brian Leppo, New Oxford PA; 9. Caleb Griffith, Sandusky OH; 10. John VanDenBerg, Albia IA; 11. Bill Rose, Plainfield IN; 12. JJ Hickle, Quilcene WA; 13. Scott Uttech, New Berlin WI; 14. John Lambertz, Sioux Falls SD; 15. Marlon Jones, Harrisburg SD; 16. Greg Nikitenko, Minot ND; 17. Matt Wasmund, Jackson MN; 18. Robert Bell, Colfax IA; 19. Corey Haigh, Auckland, NI, NZ ; 20. Ty Bartz, Sheboygan Falls WI; 21. Steve Dyer, Vancouver, BC, Can. ; 22. Tony Shilling, Knoxville IA; 23. Spud Gustin, West Union OH; 24. Scott Winters, Butterfield MN; A Feature, 20 laps, No Time: 1. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO; 2. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 3. Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks ND; 4. Seth Brahmer, Wisner NE; 5. Brian Paulus, Mechanicsburg PA; 6. Dean Jacobs, Wooster OH; 7. Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL; 8. Brock Mayes, Bucyrus OH; 9. Blake Feese, Saybrook IL; 10. Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa PA; 11. Rob Chaney, Millersburg OH; 12. Dion Hindi, (R) Albuquerque NM; 13. Lance Dewease, Fayetteville PA; 14. Josh Schneiderman, (R) West Burlington IA; 15. Ricky Logan, Little Rock AR; 16. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA; 17. Gregg Bakker, Sioux Falls SD; 18. Bob Weuve, Newton IA; 19. Brian Ellenberger, Butler PA; 20. Cody Darrah, Red Lion PA; 21. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 22. Natalie Sather, Fargo ND; 23. Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, Can. ; 24. Justin Zimmerman, Royce City TX. Lap Leaders: 1-20 C Scramble, 12 laps, No Time: 1. Doug Esh, Lancaster PA; 2. Danny Smith, Danville IN; 3. Jesse Hockett, Warsaw MO; 4. Rager Phillips, Pleasantville IA; 5. Lee Jacobs, Wooster OH; 6. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 7. Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City IA; 8. Brandon Wimmer, (R) Fairmount IN; 9. Lee Sowell, Nesbit MS; 10. Fred Rahmer, Salfordville PA; B Scramble, 12 laps, No Time: 1. Chad Kemenah, Findlay OH; 2. Greg Hodnett, Thomasville PA; 3. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 4. Gary Wright, Hooks TX; 5. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 6. Tim Kaeding, San Jose CA; 7. Terry McCarl, Altoona IA; 8. Jack Dover, Springfield NE; 9. Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale TX; 10. Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow OK; A Scramble, 12 laps, 3:32.1: 1. Steve Kinser, Bloomington IN; 2. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND; 3. Paul McMahan, Nashville TN; 4. Danny Lasoski, Dover MO; 5. Sammy Swindell, Germantown TN; 6. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN; 7. Jason Meyers, Clovis CA; 8. Dusty Zomer, Brandon SD; 9. Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls SD; 10. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; World Challenge, 16 laps, No Time: 1. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ;
2. Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks ND; 3. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN; 4. Jason
Johnson, Eunice LA; 5. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; 6. Greg Wilson, Benton
Ridge OH; 7. Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aust. ; 8. Troy Little,
Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 9. Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City IA; 10. Ricky Logan,
Little Rock AR; 11. Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, Can. ; 12. Corey Haigh,
Auckland, NI, NZ ; 13. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ;
|