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Shaffer survives the storm to win opening night of 49th
Annual Knoxville Nationals
By Stacy Ervin
KNOXVILLE, IA (August 12) - A racing surface plagued with rain shook things
up at the opening qualifying night of the 49th Annual Super Clean Knoxville
Nationals presented by Lucas Oil at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville,
Iowa. Pennsylvania’s Tim Shaffer was the winner on the race night courtesy
of Nos Energy Drink. His win was worth $12,000.
The race was scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, but was actually completed
at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday. Just before hot laps were set to begin, a heavy
rain shower popped up over the speedway and produced about 45 minutes worth
of rain. That set off a four-hour delay while track crews worked on the wet,
muddy surface. Time trials for the night’s 50 competitors began at 11:22
p.m.
Shaffer started fourth in the night’s 25-lap A-Main and followed polesitter
Jason Johnson for the majority of the race. The first attempt at a start had
contact being made in turn one and a yellow flag for a slowing Daron
Clayton. Shane Stewart also came to the work area at that time.
When the race went green again, Johnson got out to the lead, while Donny
Schatz, who started 21st, got a huge run down the high side of the
frontstretch and came up to 14th place.
Johnson entered lapped traffic at lap six, allowing Lucas Wolfe, Shaffer and
Craig Dollansky to close. On the 11th lap, Shaffer got second and closed on
Johnson in heavy traffic. The top pair nearly touched in turn four coming to
the 14th lap.
On lap 18, Shaffer pulled beside Johnson at the flagstand. He made the pass
stick after that and took the lead. However, the race changed dramatically
on the 20th lap, when John Lambertz and Greg Hall got together in turn four
right in front of the leaders. When Johnson checked up, third-place runner
Dollansky took drastic measures to avoid him but ended up hitting Hall and
flipping.
Another yellow was displayed on the restart when Austin McCarl slowed down
the backstretch with no brakes. That was a huge break for Dollansky, whose
crew and many others had worked feverishly to return him to the race. As
they had tried to push him off following his red flag, the left front wheel
collapsed and he was stuck in the work area for the restart. With McCarl
bringing out another caution before a lap was completed, Dollansky was able
to make it back out.
The race stayed green from there, with Shaffer leading the last five laps
and gaining the win for his happy car owner, Janet Holbrook. Johnson held on
for second over Sam Hafertepe Jr., Chad Kemenah, Wolfe and Danny Smith.
Schatz charged up to seventh.
Cody Darrah set the night’s fastest time trial at 14.547. Exactly half of
the field turned laps in the 14-second bracket. The first heat race pushed
off at 12:15 a.m. New this year the heat races featured an eight invert
rather than a complete 10. Heat-race winners were Garry Brazier, Calvin
Landis, Daron Clayton, Justin Henderson and Jack Dover. Erin Crocker won the
C-Main, setting a new track record for six laps, the first record held by a
female driver here. Donny Schatz won the B-Main.
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