The 2012 Knoxville Raceway 410 season is looking like another good one this year. 24 full-time teams at last count and we will probably have 5 or 6 part time teams we will see on a regular basis. Average car count in 2011 was 28 for weekly KCCS (Knoxville Championship Cup Series) shows. Gone is the nine time track champion of Danny Lasoski as he chases races in Pennsylvania this summer. That leaves the door open for someone else to win the track championship and the top three contenders have to be six time track champion Terry McCarl, 2011 runner-up Dusty Zomer, and Mark Dobmeier. After that I think it’s a scramble for fourth through tenth. And even below the top ten I think there are a couple of teams that could easily get in there. It is an unknown if Kevin Swindell will be back, but rumor has it Ian Madsen is coming back to run full time, but I do not have them factored into the power rankings. I asked the five member BHG power rankings panel to help me come up with a list for the 410 class. These are five well trained race fans with life-long knowledge of racing and communing in their pews at Knoxville for 30 years or more.
Here are the official BHG 2012 Knoxville 410 power rankings presented by Dingus.
1. Dusty Zomer, 2. Mark Dobmeier, 3. Terry McCarl, 4. Austin McCarl, 5. Davey Heskin, 6. Don Droud Jr., 7. Dustin Selvage, 8. Lynton Jeffrey, 9. Kaley Gharst, 10. Bronson Maeschen.
Dusty Zomer may have won the KCCS most seasons with 4 wins, and 11 top tens in 13 races, but it wasn’t meant to be with Lasoski finishing in the top ten 13 times in 13 races with 3 wins. Take out Lasoski and you have to feel like Zomer in the Ingalls #91 car has a strong chance to win the championship. DZ has 9 career 410 wins at Knoxville.
Mark Dobmeier finished fifth in points last year while missing one night. He has 8 career 410 wins at Knoxville and he did well at the end of last year, highlighted with monster showing at the Nationals where he won the feature on his preliminary night and finishing sixth in the big dance Saturday. Momentum will carry him into contending for the championship.
Terry McCarl finished fifth in points last year in the Vermeer 55 car but T-Mac is now back in his own #24 car and I look for him to contend for sure. You can definitely make a case for him to be the favorite, and for what he may lack in equipment or funds, he can make up a lot of that with talent and experience. No doubt about it, he will be the best driver on the track. But can he find the horsepower to stay up front?
Austin McCarl finished sixth in points last year and the Grand View University student is now in his fourth year in sprint cars and shown improvement each year. He qualified for the 12th starting spot in the A-Main of the Nationals last year which ended up with a crash on the first lap, and he was the only driver to pass Shane Stewart all week. Looking for good things out of this kid, and hopefully he will pick up his first 410 win this year, if not two or three wins.
Davey Heskin finished eighth in points last year but if he would have had an engine for twin features night it would have been higher. He has made the A-Main of the Nationals two years in a row and I think he has blossomed into a good driver. He has one career win at Knoxville in a 410, but I think he can win another this year. Good kid too. Very impressed with his demeanor last year as I followed him for a story the week of the Nationals.
Don Droud Jr. is a talented driver, lots of experience, doesn’t tear up equipment, but hopefully Gil Sonner can find a some more power under the hood to get up front and qualify better.
Dustin Selvage will be in his sophomore season in a 410. Good young talent here and is on the verge of a breakout season I think.
Lynton Jeffrey should rebound after a somewhat disappointing 2011, which still found him winning one feature at Knoxville, but 3 finishes of 20th or worse hurt.
Kaley Gharst is back as a Knoxville regular this season driving the Jeremy Scadden #6 sprinter. He has three career 410 wins at Knoxville. A little uncertain how they will perform and how well their equipment is, but he is a proven veteran and glad to have him back.
Bronson Maeschen left the Jordan #1 and is back in his own #96 car this year. Good driver, usually has decent equipment, always qualifies well.
I also look for good things from Josh Schneiderman, Randy Anderson in the Vander Ecken #10, and it sounds like Rage Phillips is back in his own #9 car. Hoping we see Robby Wolfgang to have that breakout season as well if they can find some power under the hood. Rookie of the year contenders are Austin Johnson, TJ Peterson, and Jarrod Schneiderman. Good strong field of cars and I can’t wait to see everyone on the track for opening night on April 21.
Look for Clint Garner to clean up in the 360 class once again. Hopefully contenders Matt Moro, Russ Hall, Jon Agan, Carson McCarl, Jamie Ball, Nate Van Haafton, Dennis Moore Jr., and others can make for an exciting show there. I’m really looking forward to seeing the growth and improvement of Carson and Jamie this year.
In the 305 class we will have Larry Ball Jr as the favorite there, but look for his toughest competition to be Tasker Phillips, Mitchell Alexander, Matt Stephenson, Matthew Stelzer, and a wide open field including nine rookies.
As of right now, the 305 class has the 360 class outnumbered 25 to 20 this season. If you’re going to race for fun, entry level, and at a lesser cost, 305 is the answer. You don’t race for much money ($400 to win) but I think the 305 is going to become what the Sport Mod division has become for IMCA racing (that is a good thing if you’re not familiar with IMCA). I think this is a sign that more people are realizing that 360 racing isn’t any cheaper than a 410, especially with the 435 LS engine option that has a longer life. I foresee the trend of 360 class dwindling to continue at Knoxville barring some sort of major rules changes.
I can’t wait to walk in on opening night on April 21. I need my fix of tenderloin and chicken bites! And don’t forget that on Sunday the 22nd Knoxville is having a Modified, Sport Mod, Stock Car, Hobby Stock special. See you in the stands!
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