Friday Hard Knox

Friday night of the Nationals worked out AWESOME!!! Being the mad scientist behind the general idea I would like to thank John McCoy for hearing out my thoughts. I told you it would work.

Dubbed Friday “Hard Knox” or “Mulligan Night”, the Friday format gave a second chance for anyone not in the top 16 in over-all points to come back and race on Friday for a shot to make it into the Nationals A-Main on Saturday. The top four would start in the Saturday finale in positions 17-20.

The A-Main was a fierce battle in the opening laps with Cody Darrah and David Gravel exchanging the lead while the crowd also kept an eye on Kerry Madsen and Steve Kinser in the middle of the field racing toward the front. Kinser started 15th and raced his way up to sixth or seventh at one time but faded to ninth in the end. After halfway Gravel built a solid lead but Justin Henderson’s car came to him the last half of the race. Henderson started sixth and on the 20th circuit he made the pass to get around Gravel and lead the remaining five laps to pick up the win.

A fierce battle for third sixth ensued most of the race as everyone was vying for one of the four transfer spots in the Saturday A-Main, after all fifth place would end up starting eleventh in the B-Main. It came down to Dale Blaney and Darrah beating a charging Madsen and Chad Kemenah the last few laps. Dale Blaney lost an engine on his qualifying night in hot laps and didn’t get it changed in time for his time trial spot, so his team elected to take the mulligan and park the car instead of starting at the back of a heat race or C-Main. That decision paid off.

Danny Lasoski gave up a guaranteed tenth starting position in the Saturday A-Main to requalify on Friday to have a better shot to win. That roll of the dice didn’t pay off as he timed 21st in qualifying which put him on the front row of his heat race, which he won. The Dude started tenth in the A-Main but had mechanical problems and finished 15th, putting him on the front row of the Saturday C-Main.

The heat races and B-Main’s were intense with only the top two finishers of all races earning spots in the A-Main. Heat two featured KKR teammates Brad Sweet and Cody Darrah, and Darrah cut off Sweet a couple of times to hold him off for a second place heat finish. Steve Kinser ended up in the toughest of the seven heats starting fourth with Blaney, Hafertepe, Gharst, and Hannagan. The King finished third to Blaney and Hafertepe.

Kinser won the first B-Main while Kevin Swindell drove from seventh to second to transfer. In the second B-Main Chad Kemenah led the distance but Cap Henry scrambled from seventh to second just like Kevin.

Friday heat winners: David Gravel, Wayne Johnson, Dale Blaney, Jac Haudenschild, Terry McCarl, Jeff Swindell, Danny Lasoski. Winning the three B-Main’s were Steve Kinser, Chad Kemenah, and Bronson Maeschen.

Friday A-Main results: 1. Justin Henderson, 2. David Gravel, 3. Dale Blaney, 4. Cody Darrah, 5. Kerry Madsen, 6. Chad Kemenah, 7. Terry McCarl, 8. Dusty Zomer, 9. Steve Kinser, 10. Danny Holtgraver, 11. Bronson Maeschen, 12. Kevin Swindell, 13. Wayne Johnson, 14. Scott Winters, 15. Danny Lasoski, 16. Jamie Veal, 17. Rager Phillips, 18. Jac Haudenschild, 19. Cap Henry, 20. James McFadden, 21. Greg Wilson, 22. Jeff Swindell, 23. Sam Hafertepe Jr., 24. Joey Moughan.