Clint Garner won his third consecutive 360 track championship this past year in the Boyd and Glenda Fluth owned number 40 sprint car. He assembled 4 wins, 9 top fives, 12 top tens, 5 quick times, in 14 starts. Garner is one of two men at Knoxville to win a 410, 360, and 305 feature (Rim Ridin’ Randy Smith is the other). Powered by his Al Parker engine Garner seems content to compete in the 360 class, but when you’ve won it all and have won two 410 features in the past, why not move back to the 410 class? Garner is clearly the best driver in the 360 class, you can’t take that away from him… until someone beats him.
Chad Humston looked like he was going to be there til the end and kept the points race close until the end of the season. Car owner Mark Burch brought in hired gun Danny Lasoski after the Knoxville season to win some ASCS National Tour races. It’s unclear what the future holds for this team, but Humston has impressed me the past two seasons as one of the best drivers at Knoxville, he has just had horrible luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If a break goes his way in lapped traffic, he probably wins the 2010 360 Nationals as he wrecked while leading. Humston had 12 top tens, the same as Garner, but only one win and 7 top fives, and 2 quick times. Hope this team sticks together as they are the best bet to beat Garner, but will Burch stay with Knoxville 360’s or move to something else?
The 2008 360 track champion Matt Moro battled back this year to third in points after finishing a disappointing eighth last season. He accumulated 1 win, 8 top fives, 11 top tens, and made 13 of the 14 features. Moro is now a veteran at the track and owns his own equipment. He has 7 career 360 wins and 2 career wins in a 410 at Knoxville. Underrated as a driver who doesn’t get much hype.
Russ Hall was fourth in points, up from eleventh a year ago. He also got his first two career wins this year with 6 top fives, and 9 top tens. Hall’s stock is on the rise, looking forward to see what he can do next season.
Jon Agan is a owner/driver and a hometown favorite who finished fifth in points is down one spot from last season. Agan won 2 features, but only managed 3 top fives, 11 top tens in 13 features. He also won 4 heat races which is tied with Larry Ball Jr., and Nate Van Haafton for the most this season. Winning heat races is a indicator of poor qualifying putting you on the front row of heat races and that is where Agan lost the most points, as poor qualifying adds up to starting behind the invert most nights in the feature, and the lack of top fives shows he didn’t quite have the car to make the passes but was strong out front. Part of me wonders how good Agan might be if he wasn’t a owner/driver having to protect his equipment.
Nate Van Haafton comes home sixth and also got his first career win. Known as a kid who tore up a lot of equipment in past years, Van Haafton grew up before our own eyes this year and showed tons of improvement. He had 11 top tens in 13 starts and raced his way to the front in features after poor qualifying times. We’ll see if he can back it up next season.
Dennis Moore Jr. brought the D12 Doc Sloan car home seventh in points. 1 win, 7 top fives, 11 top tens, 13 starts. DMJ is a veteran driver who has yet to win a track championship, but has two 360 Nationals titles. He was ninth in points last season.
My personal awards:
360 Driver of the Year: Clint Garner
360 Most Improved Driver: Russ Hall (11th to 4nd in points, 2 wins)
Goody’s Headache Powder Award: Alan Zoutte. He is a better driver than he can show on the track. Very limited funds and he has been racing for a long time. I don’t know if it’s just horsepower or set-up’s but I think he is a better driver than the results show.
305 Recap
Carson McCarl started the season on opening night with a win (also becoming the youngest driver to ever win at Knoxville) and finished it with him on top of a season long point battle with Jamie Ball, Tasker Phillips, and Mitchell Alexander came on late in the season. The 305 class grew again this year with 15 cars qualifying for points as only 12 did a year ago. I’m still not quite sure why this class is growing, it’s still expensive to race a 305 car and it only pays $400 to win a race. But it’s also (hopefully) becoming a spring board for the future racers in the 410 class. The talent that kids like Tasker, Jamie, and Carson bring to the track, gave us some of the best races all season and I wish their features were longer than 12 laps. I’m very impressed with Carson McCarl. Racing is their blood and I sure hope the resources are there down the road to see Terry, Austin, and Carson all competing in the 410 class at some point.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
Hawkeye Ovals
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
2011 Knoxville Raceway 410 Recap
Danny Lasoski owner/driver dominated the Lucas Oil KCCS (Knoxville Championship Cup Series) by winning three features and had an average finish of 3.5. In 13 regular races The Dude finished in the top ten in every feature, and was in the top five 11 times. Nine track championships is an astonishing number and surely will be a record tough to ever match.
Dusty Zomer in the Derek Ingalls owned 91 finished second in points to Lasoski but racked up four feature wins, more than anyone else. With four wins, 11 top tens, 8 top fives, that would be enough to win a championship some years. After finishing ninth in points a year ago it’s hard not to pick Zomer, Ingalls, and crew chief Jeff Woodruff as the most improved driver/team of the year.
Kevin Swindell in the Big Game Treestands 1s car was a surprise to have at Knoxville this season. After finishing 22nd on opening night and only making three of the first five nights of racing, he completed the rest of the season finishing in the top ten in 8 of his last 9 features including two wins, one of which was against the All-Stars. He didn’t have a strong showing at the Nationals but managed to find his way to win the Friday non-qualifying for a third victory. Although it had been a couple of years since Kevin raced a sprint car with a wing, he quickly reacquainted himself with the machine and showed he could hang with the best in the country as the two time Chili Bowl Midget Nationals winner earned Knoxville Rookie of the Year honors.
Terry McCarl drove the Vermeer 55 to 2 wins, 5 top fives, 10 top tens, and finished fifth in points. The six time track champion had a sub average season by his standards. T-Mac is the Joe Frazier of Knoxville, and Lasoski is Ali. These two men are two of the greatest to ever drive a car at Knoxville and their rivalry dates back to 1985.
Mark Dobmeier in the Lunstra 13 sprinter finished fifth in points, down one spot from a year ago. After two wins last season Mark managed two wins again this year, one of them on his prelim night during the Nationals. He had 11 top ten’s in 12 starts, but the one week he missed cost him valuable points. Definitely one of the fastest cars on the track all season.
Austin McCarl in the family owned 17a car climbed from tenth last year to sixth in points this season. He nearly pulled off the win on twin features night but was passed by his old man in the closing laps. 2 top fives, 8 top ten’s, and he made all 13 features. I’m continually impressed with this young man and he gets better, faster, smoother every week it seems. It’s a matter of time before he wins.
Don Droud Jr. in the Gil Sonner 47 has to be disappointed with his season after finishing second in points in 2010 and winning two races, his 2011 stats are seventh in points, no wins, only 2 top fives, 6 top ten’s, but made all 13 features. Droud is a very underrated driver but they seemed a bit slower this year compared to their competition. Hope they can rebound in 2012.
Davey Heskin in Grandpa Maxwell’s 56 has a rough start to his season. Davey was eleventh in points in 2010 and finishes eight this year, but oh how this season could have been better if the luck came their way. He started all ten features he was at the track for, but with no motor they missed twin features night and the week before to cost them valuable points and probably a top five in points. He finished with 4 top fives, 7 top ten’s, and nearly won his Nationals qualifying night feature but came up short to Sammy due to a late restart. Good season for Heskin and his team and if there is one driver at Knoxville I would buy stock in, it’s this kid.
Lynton Jeffrey owner/driver took his number 12 to victory lane once this year, and made 12 of the 13 features. After finishing sixth in points last season and seemed to have momentum going his way, Jeffrey was only able to come up with 5 top ten’s in 2011, and 3 finishes of 20th or worse. It was a disappointing season over all after a couple of successful seasons previously.
Dustin Selvage owner/driver made the jump from 360’s to 410’s this year and he was able to put together a top ten points finish in his rookie season. Normally this would be plenty to earn rookie of the year honors, but he has nothing to hang his head about. 6 top 10’s and made 12 of the 13 features. Good solid season to build off of.
Bronson Maeschen fell from fifth to 11th in points.
Josh Schneiderman fell from eight to 12th in points.
Rager Phillips 14th to 13th.
Mike Moore 12th to 14th.
Robby Wolfgang 13th to 15th.
My personal awards:
410 Driver of the Year: Dusty Zomer (more wins and more entertaining)
410 Most Improved Driver: Dusty Zomer (9th to 2nd in points, 4 wins)
Goody’s Headache Powder Award: Davey Heskin (no motor for twin features cost him a top five in points)
Race of the Year: Midseason Championship June 18th “Revenge Draw”. Zomer and Lasoski are given the 9th and 10th starting spots. Underdog Ryan Anderson gets the front row and is pulling away early, but a caution allows Wayne Johnson to catch him and as Johnson is pulling away his engine leaks a ton of oil and it had some huge flames. Anderson’s engine fails and he goes pit side as well. Zomer inherits the lead after a fierce battle with Lasoski as they climbed their way up to the front of the field, and Zomer held off Lasoski to the finish line.
I’ll put together my 360 and 305 season recap later…. Go Hawkeyes!
Dusty Zomer in the Derek Ingalls owned 91 finished second in points to Lasoski but racked up four feature wins, more than anyone else. With four wins, 11 top tens, 8 top fives, that would be enough to win a championship some years. After finishing ninth in points a year ago it’s hard not to pick Zomer, Ingalls, and crew chief Jeff Woodruff as the most improved driver/team of the year.
Kevin Swindell in the Big Game Treestands 1s car was a surprise to have at Knoxville this season. After finishing 22nd on opening night and only making three of the first five nights of racing, he completed the rest of the season finishing in the top ten in 8 of his last 9 features including two wins, one of which was against the All-Stars. He didn’t have a strong showing at the Nationals but managed to find his way to win the Friday non-qualifying for a third victory. Although it had been a couple of years since Kevin raced a sprint car with a wing, he quickly reacquainted himself with the machine and showed he could hang with the best in the country as the two time Chili Bowl Midget Nationals winner earned Knoxville Rookie of the Year honors.
Terry McCarl drove the Vermeer 55 to 2 wins, 5 top fives, 10 top tens, and finished fifth in points. The six time track champion had a sub average season by his standards. T-Mac is the Joe Frazier of Knoxville, and Lasoski is Ali. These two men are two of the greatest to ever drive a car at Knoxville and their rivalry dates back to 1985.
Mark Dobmeier in the Lunstra 13 sprinter finished fifth in points, down one spot from a year ago. After two wins last season Mark managed two wins again this year, one of them on his prelim night during the Nationals. He had 11 top ten’s in 12 starts, but the one week he missed cost him valuable points. Definitely one of the fastest cars on the track all season.
Austin McCarl in the family owned 17a car climbed from tenth last year to sixth in points this season. He nearly pulled off the win on twin features night but was passed by his old man in the closing laps. 2 top fives, 8 top ten’s, and he made all 13 features. I’m continually impressed with this young man and he gets better, faster, smoother every week it seems. It’s a matter of time before he wins.
Don Droud Jr. in the Gil Sonner 47 has to be disappointed with his season after finishing second in points in 2010 and winning two races, his 2011 stats are seventh in points, no wins, only 2 top fives, 6 top ten’s, but made all 13 features. Droud is a very underrated driver but they seemed a bit slower this year compared to their competition. Hope they can rebound in 2012.
Davey Heskin in Grandpa Maxwell’s 56 has a rough start to his season. Davey was eleventh in points in 2010 and finishes eight this year, but oh how this season could have been better if the luck came their way. He started all ten features he was at the track for, but with no motor they missed twin features night and the week before to cost them valuable points and probably a top five in points. He finished with 4 top fives, 7 top ten’s, and nearly won his Nationals qualifying night feature but came up short to Sammy due to a late restart. Good season for Heskin and his team and if there is one driver at Knoxville I would buy stock in, it’s this kid.
Lynton Jeffrey owner/driver took his number 12 to victory lane once this year, and made 12 of the 13 features. After finishing sixth in points last season and seemed to have momentum going his way, Jeffrey was only able to come up with 5 top ten’s in 2011, and 3 finishes of 20th or worse. It was a disappointing season over all after a couple of successful seasons previously.
Dustin Selvage owner/driver made the jump from 360’s to 410’s this year and he was able to put together a top ten points finish in his rookie season. Normally this would be plenty to earn rookie of the year honors, but he has nothing to hang his head about. 6 top 10’s and made 12 of the 13 features. Good solid season to build off of.
Bronson Maeschen fell from fifth to 11th in points.
Josh Schneiderman fell from eight to 12th in points.
Rager Phillips 14th to 13th.
Mike Moore 12th to 14th.
Robby Wolfgang 13th to 15th.
My personal awards:
410 Driver of the Year: Dusty Zomer (more wins and more entertaining)
410 Most Improved Driver: Dusty Zomer (9th to 2nd in points, 4 wins)
Goody’s Headache Powder Award: Davey Heskin (no motor for twin features cost him a top five in points)
Race of the Year: Midseason Championship June 18th “Revenge Draw”. Zomer and Lasoski are given the 9th and 10th starting spots. Underdog Ryan Anderson gets the front row and is pulling away early, but a caution allows Wayne Johnson to catch him and as Johnson is pulling away his engine leaks a ton of oil and it had some huge flames. Anderson’s engine fails and he goes pit side as well. Zomer inherits the lead after a fierce battle with Lasoski as they climbed their way up to the front of the field, and Zomer held off Lasoski to the finish line.
I’ll put together my 360 and 305 season recap later…. Go Hawkeyes!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)