Fike, Carmody, May, Cusack, and Zrostlik Score Knox County Fair Race Victories
by Brian Neal
Knoxville, IL (Thursday, July 17, 2014) – A Thursday night during the Knox County Fair, Illinois’ oldest running county fair, in Knoxville, Illinois only meant one thing, and that is the annual running of the stock car races. The Modifieds, Steel Block / Pro Crate Late Models, Mod Lites, Street Stocks / Stock Cars, and 4 Cylinders took to the 1/2 mile to put on some exciting racing action in front of a packed house. Ending up in victory lane at the end of the night was A.J. Fike (Modifieds), Jim Carmody (Steel Block / Pro Crate Late Models), Jim May (Mod Lites), Randy Cusack (Street Stocks / Stock Cars), and Joe Zrostlik (4 Cylinders).
The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 12 lap Mod Lites, with Jimmy Halcomb and Jim May drawing the front row for the event. Halcomb would use his front row start to his advantage, as he grabbed the lead on lap 1 over May and Mike Morrill, who started 6th. May tried to get on the outside of Halcomb over the next two lap, before finally making the pass for the top spot on lap 3. May then had to work to hold off Morrill and Justin Buchholz over the next 8 laps, when the red flag was waved on lap 11, to set up a one lap dash to the finish. John Belville would roll in turn 3 to bring out the red, he would climb from his car okay. On the restart May jumped back out front, with Morrill working to hold off Buchholz for the second spot. May would hold on to pick up the win and the $500 top prize to go with it. Morrill won the battle for 2nd, Buchholz was 3rd, Chase Flatt came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Halcomb coming home in 5th.
Despite only four Steel Block / Pro Crate Late Models showing up, the top two cars of Jim Carmody and Austin Simpson put on a great battle for the top spot throughout the 12 lap event. Scott Schoener was suppose to start on the pole, but after troubles in the heat that forced him to scratch from the feature, that would move Jim Carmody to the pole with Jim Hagedorn next to him. Carmody moved out front on the drop of the green flag over Simpson and Hagedorn. Simpson would try to get around Carmody using the top of the track over the next 11 laps. But Carmody was able to hold back all of his challenges to claim the win and the $750 top prize, in a caution free race. Simpson was 2nd, Hagedorn was 3rd, with Schoener 4th.
Mike Schomas and Chris Wibbell drew the front row for the 12 lap Street Stock / Stock Car feature, with Wibbell grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Randy Cusack and Chad Coyne. Wibbell, who was running the middle, Coyne, who was on the bottom, and Cusack, who worked the top, was putting on a great three car battle up front, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 3 to slow the action up front. Steve Brandt Jr., who was running 6th, dropped a driveshaft down the backstretch to bring out the yellow. While under caution Cusack had to go to the pits to change a right rear flat, that forced him to restart at the rear of the field. On the restart Wibbell jumped back out front, with Coyne and Robert Cottom, who started 7th, battling for the runner up spot. Coyne would use the bottom of the track to slip under Wibbell on lap 5 to grab the top spot away, while Cusack had worked his way back up to 4th. Coyne started to put some distance over the battle going on behind him, as Cusack over took Wibbell for the second spot coming to the white flag. Coming out of turn four for the checkered flag Cusack was able to get on the outside of Coyne and then edged him at the line by inches to pick up the win and the $500 top prize. Coyne settled for 2nd, Wibbell was 3rd, Cottom was 4th, with Kholby Martin rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 18 lap Modified feature, with Bruce Hanford and A.J. Fike leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Fike would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Hanford and Nick Hixson. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, as Dugan Thye spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Fike jumped back out front, with Hanford and Hixson battling for the runner up spot. Just as Fike started to pull away from the battle behind him, the second and final caution of the event appeared on lap 7. This time Jason Wagner, who was running 6th, got into the guardrail in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Fike once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hanford, Bob Dominacki, who started 6th, and Matt Werner, who started 8th, battling for the runner up spot. Fike would hold on over the final 11 laps to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize that went with it. Hanford was 2nd, Dominacki was 3rd, Werner was 4th, with Brandon Durbin coming home in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 10 lap 4 Cylinders, with Shane Kelley and Joe Zrostlik leading the field to the green. But just as the green flag was waved, the red light would come on. As Wayne Noble rolled in turn 2 to bring out the red. He would climb from his car okay. On the restart Zrostlik grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Kelley and Austen Becerra. While Zrostlik set a face pace out front, Kelley and Becerra had a side-by-side battle going for second. Becerra finally cleared Kelley for the runner up spot on lap 3 and then went to work on chasing down Zrostlik, who had built up a straightaway lead. But Zrostlik was able to lead all 10 laps to claim the win and the $300 top prize. Becerra settled for 2nd, Kelley was 3rd, Scott Wolfe was 4th, with Noble scored in 5th.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Knox County Fair Race, Knoxville, Illinois
Thursday, July 17, 2014
MODIFIEDS
Feature: 1. 10 – A.J. Fike, Galesburg, IL; 2. 61 – Bruce Hanford, Davenport, IA; 3. 5D – Bob Dominacki, Bettendorf, IA; 4. 93 – Matt Werner, Colona, IL; 5. Brandon Durbin, Colona, IL; 6. H7 – Dean McGee, Galesburg, IL; 7. 22 – Nick Hixson, Orion, IL; 8. M50 – Milo Veloz Jr., Colona, IL; 9. 9 – Charles Baker, LaBelle, MO; 10. J12 – Jason Wagner, Morton, IL; 11. 10w – Jacob Waterman, Milan, IL; 12. 5 – Rob Dominacki, Bettendorf, IA; 13. 11T – Dugan Thye, Burlington, IA; 14. 87 – Blake Woodruff, Galesburg, IL (DNS); 15. A1 – Rich Smith Taylor Ridge, IL (DNS)
Heat 1: 1. 5D – B. Dominacki; 2. 61 – Hanford; 3. 15D – Durbin; 4. J12 – Wagner; 5. 9 – Baker; 6. 10w – Waterman; 7. M50 – Veloz Jr.; 8. 5 – R. Dominacki
Heat 2: 1. 10 – Fike; 2. 93 – Werner; 3. 22 – Hixson; 4. H7 – McGee; 5. 11T – Thye; 6. 87 – Woodruff; 7. A1 -Smith
STEEL BLOCK / PRO CRATE LATE MODELS
Feature: 1. 83 – Jim Carmody, Dunlap, IL; 2. 35 – Austin Simpson, Bartonville, IL; 3. 1 – Jim Hagedorn, East Peoria, IL; 4. 73s – Scott Schoener, Flanagan, IL (DNS)
Heat: 1. 35 – Simpson, 2. 83 – Carmody; 3. 1 – Hagedorn; 4. 73s – Schoener
MOD LITES
Feature: 1. 5J – Jim May, DeSoto, IA; 2. 6 – Mike Morrill, Altoona, IA; 3. 69B – Justin Buchholz, Davenport, IA; 4. 08 – Chase Flatt, Monmouth, IL; 5. 8 – Jimmy Halcomb, Kirkwood, IL; 6. 1M – Bryan Brinker, Rock Island, IL; 7. 64 – Randy Bryan, Ames, IA; 8. 91 – Rob Guss, Moline, IL; 9. 46 – Kevin Grisham, Ogden, IA; 10. 8G – Dan Guss, Milan, IL; 11. 77 – Greg Rossell, Knoxville, IL; 12. 20J- John Belville, Coal Valley, IL; 13. 17M – Mike Morrow, Clinton, IA; 14. 11s – Gary Snyder, Monmouth, IL (DNS); 15. 89 – Travis Stensland, Nevada, IA (DNS)
Heat 1: 1. 8 – Halcomb; 2. 5J – May; 3. 6 – Morrill; 4. 08 – Flatt; 5. 91 – R. Guss; 6. 8G – D. Guss; 7. 20J – Belville; 8. 89 – Stensland
Heat 2: 1. 69B – Buchholz; 2. 77 – Rossell; 3. 1M – Brinker; 4. 46 – Grisham; 5. 64 – Bryan; 6. 17M – Morrow; 7. 11s – Snyder
STREET STOCKS / STOCK CARS
Feature: 1. 99x – Randy Cusack, Hanna City, IL; 2. 13 – Chad Coyne, Orion, IL; 3. 52 – Chris Wibbell, Dallas City, IL; 4. 1 – Robert Cottom, Galesburg, IL; 5. 17 – Kholby Martin, Galesburg, IL; 6. 4B – Steve Miller, Canton, IL; 7. F5 – Mike Schomas, Ottawa, IL; 8. 49 – Steve Brandt Jr., Bartonville, IL; 9. 42 – Kevin Dickey, East Moline, IL (DNS); 10. 1x – Alan Cottom, Galesburg, IL (DNS); 11. 5s – Skyler Meyer, Roanoke, IL (DNS); 12. 7 – Mike Cusack, Brimfield, IL (DNS)
Heat 1: 1. 49 – Brandt Jr.; 2. 52 – Wibbell; 3. 1 – R. Cottom; 4. 99x – R. Cusack; 5. 42 – Dickey; 6. 5s – Meyer
Heat 2: 1. 13 – Coyne; 2. 17 – Martin; 3. F5 – Schomas; 4. 4B – Miller; 5. 1x – A. Cottom; 6. 7 – M. Cusack
4 CYLINDERS
Feature: 1. z50 – Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove, IA; 2. 22 – Austen Becerra, Carthage, IL; 3. 34B – Shane Kelley, Hopedale, IL; 4. H4 – Scott Wolfe, Moline, IL; 5. 14 – Wayne Noble, Wapello, IA; 6. 13 – Derrick DeFord, Saint David, IL; 7. 18z – Zack Nimrick, Pekin, IL (DNS)
Heat: 1. 22 – Becerra; 2. 14 – Noble; 3. z50 – Zrostlik; 4. 34B – Kelley; 5. H4 – Wolfe; 6. 13 – DeFord; 7. 18z – Nimrick
Category: Illinois
