2013 Knoxville Raceway Season Preview

The 2013 Knoxville Championship Cup Series season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive I can remember, especially in the 410 class. Many teams are coming into the season with experience. Some are brand new teams. And most of them have won races and have excellent equipment. With teams changing from Goodyear to Hoosier tires and harder-narrower tires than they have used before, it will be interesting to see who adapts the quickest to the new tire rules. Twin Features night is always a pivotal night in the points season, and this year it will pay full winnings for both features. Kudos to Brian Stickel and the Fair Board for that decision! The Capitani Classic event is just as important as twin features night and a lot can be gained or lost by making the A main as we saw last season. 2012 saw eight different winners in thirteen weekly shows in the 410 class, and it is hard to believe the competition is tougher in 2013, but it is.

410 Class:
The Favorite:
Seven time track champion Terry McCarl is the man to beat. Although McCarl didn’t have a stellar 2012 season in qualifying, he was the only driver to have an average finish of five or better (4.9) in 2012. T-Mac is the clear favorite to win in my eyes and he already has one World of Outlaws feature win in 2013 in Florida.

The Contenders:
Davey Heskin was the point leader most of the season last year and showed maturity behind the wheel. He won two features and his equipment held up all season. Losing the point battle late in the season was tough to swallow as McCarl outperformed Heskin at the Capitani Classic. I look for Heskin, with one more of year experience under his belts, to be right there again in 2013.

Dusty Zomer was second in points in 2011 but is coming off of a disappointing fourth place finish in 2012 with no feature wins. I look for the Ingalls #91 team to come back strong this season, win some races, and challenge for the title.

Bronson Maeschen won two races in 2012, including the Capitani Classic, and finished third in points. Something seemed to click last year for Maeschen and he proved he has the ability to compete for feature wins, not just great qualifying times. It will be interesting to see if Maeschen can sustain that type of effort in 2013.

Mark Dobmeier is another driver to keep your eyes on. He also struggled in qualifying in 2012, and then raced his way up front consistently as he was third in average feature finishes with an average of 7.3. Dobmeier won a World of Outlaws feature in 2012 at Huset’s and has the ability to win at any time. The Lunstra 13 team races racing three nights a week, which helps in a lot of ways, but I also wonder if that hinders them at times with not having fresh equipment at the big Knoxville half-mile. Dobmeier is due for a great points season, and this might be his year.

Australian Brooke Tatnell announced he will be making a run at the Knoxville track championship in 2013 driving the #11AU Barry Lewis owned car. Although Tatnell is a veteran with eleven World of Outlaws career feature wins and four career wins at Knoxville, this is his first real attempt to race for a championship at Knoxville. His only other season competing full time at Knoxville was 1994. Tatnell will be a force in the 410 class as a Knoxville Regular.

Another Aussie, Ian Madsen is coming off of an impressive 2012 season where he showed a lot of improvement at Knoxville winning one feature and finishing sixth in points. He also won the Sydney Speedway $50,000 challenge this winter in Australia after starting at the back of the field. Ian will be driving for a new team this season, the #18 Bret Nehring owned sprint car.

Wild Cards:
Don Droud Jr. will be back in the familiar Gil Sonner 47. Droud has finished seventh in points the past two seasons after finishing second in 2010. They could rebound and be a contender to the championship if they can qualify better. Droud is one of the best drivers in the pit area with a lot of experience.

Lynton Jeffrey was eighth in points in 2012. He didn’t win a feature last season, but if he has the funding and the power under the hood, he can drive his #12 Vortex Wings car to the front.

David Hesmer is coming back after an eight year layoff in the new #1 Bryan Sundby team. This team is focused on winning some races and competing solely at Knoxville. They will have a fast car and I look for them to be tougher in the second half of the season as long as their equipment holds up.

Dustin Selvage is entering his third season in the 410 class. He has performed well at times the past two seasons, and is still looking for his first feature win. Consistency has been his downfall, but I see a lot of potential in this driver. He will change from his family owned team to drive the Williams 7K.

The Field: Josh Schneiderman, Ryan Bunton, Rob Kubli, AJ Moeller, Mike Moore, Dennis Moore Jr., Rager Phillips, Tasker Phillips, Glen Saville, Jarrod Schneiderman.

All of these drivers have experience and most have shown improvement. Ryan Bunton and AJ Moeller both had good qualifying efforts in 2012 but their lack of experience showed in features. Dennis Moore Jr. is moving back into the 410 class after racing in the 360 division the past few seasons. Rager Phillips has moved back into the #10 VaderEcken car and were fast at times two years ago when they combined their efforts, especially at the Nationals. Josh Schneiderman was tenth in points a year ago, but that was down from previous seasons. It will be interesting to see if he can rebound in 2013.

Sentimental Favorite: Robert Bell. Let’s hope we see the #71 back on the track in 2013.

Rookies: Dakota Hendrickson of Omaha, Nebraska, Jordan Goldesberry and Joey Moughan both of Springfield, IL.

Maybe: If Austin McCarl can pull some sponsorship dollars together we could see his #17a back on the track. He is a talented driver who could compete for some wins. I’ve also heard that the #19 of Bob Weuve from Newton might be coming back after taking last season off.

The Part-Timers: No doubt we will see heavyweights Brian Brown, Wayne Johnson, and Danny Lasoski at Knoxville a handful of times this year.

Invaders: It’s already been documented that some teams are planning to visit Knoxville Raceway more often this year to be more prepared for the Knoxville Nationals in August. Listening to recent Winged Nation broadcasts on MRN Radio, Dale Blaney said that he intends to show up on June 1 during the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction weekend as his father Lou Blaney will be enshrined. Greg Hodnett also alluded to making a couple of extra trips from Pennsylvania this year to make some laps after being disappointed with his Nationals results missing the Saturday A main the past two years. California driver Rico Abreu has also mentioned that he intends to race a few times in his bid to win Rookie of the Nationals. IRA champion Bill Balog has also mentioned that he will be at Knoxville more frequently this season.

360 Class:
The favorite is four time track champion Clint Garner, who absolutely dominated the points battle in 2012 with four wins. Ganrer will attempt to win his fifth consecutive championship in 2013, which would break the tie of him and David Hesmer with four track championships each. Garner alluded to trying the 410 division in 2013 at the end of last season but his team has since decided to stay with the same program this season.

The drivers hoping to end the rein of Garner are Nate Van Haaften who won two features last season, Jon Agan, Matt Moro, Josh Higday, and Joe Beaver. Agan and Moro both won one feature in 2012 and Beaver was consistently in the top ten. Higday and Moro are both experienced enough, and if they have the equipment and a little luck to stay up front they could do very well. I also think we will see Carson McCarl improve this year in his sophomore season in the 360 class and if he can get a feature win early in the season, that confidence boost might propel him to more wins and be someone to challenge for a top five point finish.

My Wild Cards are Russ Hall, Jamie Ball, RJ Johnson, and Casey Friedrichsen. All of these drivers have the capability to win features on any given night, but consistency is something they need to work on. Thankfully Jamie Ball is healthy and back racing after a serious crash a year ago. Alan Ambers will move up from the 305 class to 360 this year.

Part-Timers: While Randy Martin only runs a part-time schedule, when he is at Knoxville he is consistently in the top five. And with the field opened up to allow 410 competitors to race every week in both classes, I think we could see some teams trying their 360 equipment more frequently to gear up for the 360 Nationals. Brian Brown and Jason Johnson both entered the 360 class twice last season but might do it more often this year when they do show up since they are able to race both classes.

305 Class:
This class is hard to predict but Matthew Stelzer is the defending champion and is likely to be the driver to beat again. Mike Van Haaften and Mitchell Alexander were his top competition a year ago. Cody Ambers and J Kinder will likely show improvement. Matt Stephenson has always been competitive in his #55 and with some rookies coming in I think it will be a tough field of cars. This class is growing, and I have a hunch we will see car counts in this class continue to grow. The one rookie I have my eye on is Newton teenager Jake Strayer, who has had a successful career in SportMods in recent years at Marshalltown Speedway and he started the last race of the season at Knoxville in the 305’s in 2012.


The best part of a new season is that we really don’t know how it will all turn out. From week to week we see teams evolve. Some get better and some get worse as they struggle to keep up with the wear and tear throughout the season. It is the best reality show in my opinion. My favorite part of opening night though is walking through the ticket entrance tunnel and walking up the ramp to my seat, soaking in the environment with some chicken bites, and then watching the push trucks drop the hammer to help fire off the cars. The smell of the methanol is intoxicating as the cars idle by slowly. The anticipation of that first Doug Clark green flag builds. And then the track is packed down tight and the command is given to turn em’ loose! Ahhh it is heaven. As I have grown older a lot of things in life change, but the feeling I still get with that first green flag stays the same and it takes me back to sitting with my father in the stands as a child. Those are some of the best memories of my life, and I hope you make great memories as well this season with your friends at family at Knoxville Raceway in 2013. Good luck to all the competitors and I hope it’s a safe season for all involved.

2013 WoO Preview

It looks like we have a good field of cars this in the World of Outlaws with twelve full time teams traveling. I don’t see anyone competing with the clear favorite Donny Schatz, especially now that the series is back to Hoosier tires this season. The five time champion will likely make it six in 2013. But the race behind the #15 car should be an interesting one as I see no clear cut team who is above the others.

With Craig Dollansky putting together a solid 2012 campaign and leading the points after 2/3 of the season before Schatz went on a run the last 1/3 of the season, I think the Crowd Pleaser (Remember when he was the “Slingshot”) might be the one guy to give him a run for his money. The other contender is Daryn Pittman in the KKR #9 car this year. Pittman is in his prime, eager to be back on the full time WoO tour, and motivated for sure. But will he gel with Kale Kahne and KKR is the question. They were fast last week in Florida, but it’s a 90 race schedule.

I have this feeling 2013 is a pivotal season in the WoO. I think we will see Steve and Sammy start sliding down the point standings, and we will see Kraig Kinser, Jason Sides, and Kerry Madsen jump in the standings. Steve is in the twilight of his career. I sincerely hope the King can muster up one more championship, but I don’t see it happening. Sammy is still the most technically sound (mad scientist) in the pit area and his cars are fast, he will win races and set a lot of quick times, but consistency is his downfall. I really think Kraig and Sides will have breakout seasons. I look for Madsen to steadily improve as well.

I’m not sold on Cody Darrah. He drives hard, but his job is likely on the line this year. He has to win races and try to get into the top five in points or he will be replaced. KKR has too much invested to keep a driver who isn’t winning races. And there are plenty of other talented drivers out there to replace him (Tim Kaeding, Shane Stewart, Paul McMahan).

Joey Saldana is a wildcard this year in the rebirth of the Motter 71m team. Although Joey knows the cars and engines well, it’s hard to believe a new team can just come out and compete for a championship in its first year on the road. They will likely win a few races, but I think this is a 2-3 year building process.

I hope Schatz doesn’t run away and hide from the rest of the field, but that’s my gut feeling. It should be a good season, and I’m thankful for all the media coverage today on Twitter and the Race Monitor app.

My WoO pre-season power rankings: 1. Schatz, 2. Dollansky, 3. Pittman, 4. K. Kinser, 5. Sides, 6. Madsen, 7. Sammy, 8. Darrah, 9. S. Kinser, 10. Saldana, 11. Kemenah, 12. Rose

World of Outlaws 2012 Review

Looking back at the 2012 World of Outlaws season I have some thoughts.

Donny Schatz is good….really good. I never thought we would see another Steve Kinser in sprint car racing, but Schatz is becoming the next closest thing to the King, maybe a Duke? At age 35 he still has a lot of time to catch and surpass the King’s records. He may never get to 20 championships or 600 career wins, but as far as the rest of the records I think he can break a lot of them. Schatz, the 1997 WoO rookie of the year didn’t win his first championship until 2006. That had to be nine LONG years of getting beat. He now has five World of Outlaws championships and 124 career WoO wins which is fourth all-time in the WoO.

Me being a statistician geek, I went and looked back at Schatz’ WoO season win totals, 1997-0, 1998-1, 1999-0, 2000-1, 2001-6, 2002-2, 2003-7, 2004-8, 2005-8, 2006-17, 2007-19, 2008-18, 2009-12, 2010-5, 2011-8, 2012-11. Yeah, the “Duke” won 17 races in 2006 during the NST split, but then he backed it up with 19 and 18 wins the following two seasons. I think he would have beaten the King and Lasoski in 2006 anyway if those guys were in the same series.

Of the five crown jewel or major events in winged sprint car racing (Knoxville, Kings Royal, Williams Grove National Open, Chico Gold Cup, and the Historical Big One) Schatz has accumulated 14 victories. That includes six Knoxville Nationals, two at the Kings Royal, one at the Gold Cup and HBO, and four at the Grove. 14 ranks Schatz second to the King with 37 wins by that measuring stick. 37 is a tall order to catch I think. The rest of that list is completed with Doug Wolfgang at 11 victories, followed by Sammy Swindell, Mark Kinser, Jac Haudenschild, and Kenny Weld who all have 7 victories. I think it’s safe to say Schatz is the second best sprint car driver of the WoO era.

The season started with the shocking announcement that two time defending champion Jason Meyers was not going to race full time and go on a 14 race farewell/tribute tour. I’m still not sold that Jason Meyers wanted to quit racing with the way the teams’ ownership structure fell apart, and there was talk of adding a second team, and then all of a sudden it was over? Maybe being closer to home and family was the reasoning, and I respect that. Making sure you are a better father and husband than a race car driver is certainly more important in my eyes. But my gut tells me he won’t stay out of racing forever. He is only 33 years old, at the peak of his career, and he still has a lot to accomplish. Meyers has won the Gold Cup and Williams Grove National Open but there are two big gaping holes on that resume that he hasn’t won yet, the Knoxville Nationals and the Kings Royal.

Sammy Swindell looked like the guy to beat at the beginning of the season, but after about halfway he seemed to lose his mojo. There is one trait over Sammy’s career that continues to haunt him to this day, his strive for perfection. Sammy is usually the fastest car, shown by setting quick time more than anyone this season with 14, which is five more than anyone else. He won 13 races which is also tops in the series for this season. But Sammy can’t consistently finish races because he is pushing the envelope for perfection which ends up costing him the title with 48 top ten finishes compared to Schatz with 60, Dollansky with 51, and Joey Saldana with 52. I love the all-out approach Sammy has. When he is on, he dominates and no one can touch him. But maybe if he didn’t always push the envelope to have the maximum output and maybe dialed it back a tick, he could get more top ten finishes and win another championship.

Craig Dollansky came up 114 points short of winning the championship. I’m sure it was disappointing for his team to a degree with having the point lead late into the season until Schatz made his late season charge after winning the Nationals. But I think Dollanksy is close to pulling it off within the next few years. His team has been building up to this and we will see if he has anything for Schatz in 2013.

Joey Saldana had a disappointing season with five wins and fourth in the standings. Joey is a good driver but the KKR combination wasn’t working anymore and it was time for a change. I hope the rebirth of the 71M Motter team is a better match for him. But I have a feeling Daryn Pittman won’t do much better in the KKR 9 machine.

Steve Kinser didn’t set quick time once all season, finished fifth in the standings with four wins, yet his son Kraig set quick time seven times with the same engine package and he also won four features. I honestly feel that the King just needs to add resources at the engine shop, or subcontract out the engines, because you can’t have your traveling crew chief pulling double duty as the engine builder as well, not when Scott Gerkin is on the road. There is just no way to pull that off today with teams having the resources they do. To me it’s amazing that Gerkin has been able to pull this off as long as he has so successfully, but the landscape has changed and they need to change to survive. The King is 58 so soak in every lap you can of him while you can, because he is the best there ever was, and ever will be. But Sammy is 57 and is as good as he ever was. I think the King has a few good years left in him.

Cody Darrah is steadily improving, but I think his back against the wall and he needs a breakout season in 2013.

Kerry Madsen had a good season with five wins and was the biggest surprise of the season to most people by showing he can win at the highest level. Hope his team has something build on next year.

Good to see Lucas Wolfe get his first win, had one quick time on the season. He seemed to show some improvement running up front more frequently at the end of the season.

Chad Kemenah won two races and is still trying to hang with the best. Give the guy credit he is out there on the road and is dedicated.

I think you could argue that Tim Kaeding might be the most talented shoe who isn’t on the full time WoO tour, and he is probably one of the top ten (or five) in the country over all. Four WoO wins, 17 top ten finishes, and he ran a limited schedule.

Sounds like Jason Sides will be back full time in 2013 with the legal issues put away.

Good to see guys like Brian Brown and David Gravel race with the Outlaws more frequently this past year.

Bottom line…. Schatz is good. But I would have loved to see the Schatz/Meyers rivalry continue.

World Nationals at Marshalltown Speedway

I was hoping for an IMCA Modified Nationals event at Knoxville, but I will settle for Marshalltown instead! Toby Kruse announced a couple of weeks ago that Marshalltown Speedway will be hosting an event labeled the 7th Annual World Nationals (formerly known as the Havoc on the Highbanks) and putting up $10,000 to win! To compare how big that number is, the Knoxville Harris Clash pays $2,000 to win, the sports “super bowl”, the Boone Super Nationals has a base winning payout of $2,000, the catch is the contingency money ($100 per sanctioned event competed in capped at 50 events) with the potential to win up to $7,000. Richie Gustin won $5,700 in 2011 and Jeff Taylor won $2,700 in 2012. So for a guaranteed $10,000 to win race in the IMCA Modified ranks is a big deal, and Marshalltown is a perfect site for it that will offer close short track racing.

The one rule that sticks out for this event is that teams with a Crate motor are ineligible to compete. From Marshalltown Speedway Press Release:
The 2013 “World Nationals” will be a Hawkeye Dirt Tour event. It is with great pride that Marshalltown Speedway is able to partner with PBM Performance/Erson Cam/World Products to become the title sponsor of this high profile event. With this new sponsorship package in place, during the 2013 “World Nationals”, the IMCA Modifieds will be running built motors only, this in appreciation for the support of local machine shops and high performance engine builders.

This is a big step for IMCA Modified racing. As the costs of racing continue to increase, the purses have held steady. IMCA historically hasn’t wanted to have big payouts thinking that would control the cost of racing and help the competitive balance. But in recent years teams have been building more expensive engines in the Modified class, and the days of teams claiming an engine seem to be gone. So if the environment is such that teams can spend more money, it makes sense that we have an upper tier event that pays more money. The car count will be interesting to see how it pans out with probably half the teams in Iowa racing a crate, but I have a feeling some of those teams will go find an engine somewhere for this event. Just to clarify, the crate engines will be allowed in the other classes that compete that weekend.

With Carl Moyer (Karl Chevrolet) being such a large marketing partner and presence for local IMCA dirt track racing in Iowa and a proponent of the crate engine program, I’m a little surprised about the crate rule. But I’m guessing there is enough support from PBM Performance/Erson and Cam/World Products to make all this happen.

I’m excited for this event and think it’s a great idea by promoter Toby Kruse to put on something like this. Toby tells me there will be more details announced in the coming weeks about this event, including how much the Modified race will pay for second, third, and so forth.

Brian Stickel named Knoxville Raceway GM

Knoxville Raceway announced today that Brian Stickel has been promoted to the General Manager position, replacing Toby Kruse who resigned in September. John McCoy stays put as the Director of Competition. Gary Schumacher will now take on the role of the Office Manager along with his accounting duties (Director of Accounting and Human Resources). Stickel has been the Director of Marketing and Sales at Knoxville since 2006 and he will continue to oversee those areas as the GM. So not much is changing at the raceway, basically one management position has been eliminated compared to last year.

Stickel is a familiar face at the track with a proven track record. His background is quite extensive within racing and business and I think he is a good choice by the Marion County Fair Board to represent the Knoxville Raceway and help to continue its traditions while also trying to help it grow in the future. I have had a good experience working with Brian the past few years with press credentials, stories for the Nationals programs, planning a company outing, and Twitter. I approached Brian two years ago about why the track should use Twitter, how it could be used, and the benefits. So he agreed to let me post the results and news and it’s worked out well. It’s amazing how when you talk to people face to face, or over the phone, how much more receptive they are to any idea you may have, and you are taken more seriously.

Looking over the resume for 52 year old Stickle is quite impressive. He is a native of nearby Pleasantville and now resides south of Knoxville not too far away from the English Creek Speedway. Here is a summary of Brian’s past work experience in chronological order (thanks to Brian for sharing his resume with me).

Owned his own company that promoted mountain biking events in Vermont.
Director of Competition: National Off-Road Bicycle Association.
Deputy Competition Manger: Mountain Biking 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Executive Director: Greater Des Moines Sport Authority.
Pacific Division Director: NHRA.
Drag Strip Director: Mid-America Motorplex (Pacific Junction, Iowa).
Executive Director: Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development.

As you can see he has a background in a lot of other areas besides sprint car racing, and I think that is a good thing. But his heart is where his home is, and that is Knoxville Raceway. Brian has a passion for sprint car racing and he also understands the business side of things as well. I look forward to the 2013 season and what the new management team has in store for us race fans.

2012 Knoxville Raceway Season in Review (410)

This season at Knoxville was a good one. It was a season that saw the emergence of Davey Heskin as a serious contender, Terry McCarl proved he is the best driver there, Bronson Maeschen finally got his breakthrough win, it was a struggle for Dusty Zomer who was my pre-season pick to win it all, and it was heartbreaking for guys like Austin McCarl who didn’t have the resources to get onto the track until late in the season.

The upgrades to the restrooms were great. The concessions changed from fountain pop to bottles which made the lines move faster. The nachos were packaged a little different to make that line faster. The only thing that slows the lines down is the taco salad which is one of my favorites, but it takes 3-4 minutes sometimes to prepare. The only other complaint I have (for the fifth year in a row) is the sound system. Several high school football stadiums and other race tracks (Iowa Speedway) have a much clearer sound, music actually sounds good, and it's not as loud. Knoxville is loud, but it's so loud you can't understand the announcers at times. It's like a fast car that can't turn a corner.

Toby Kruse came and went, but he certainly injected a new energy and attitude with employees being more courteous and friendlier than in the past. And I think he handled the situation well with not trying to do too much and reinvent the wheel, but he made a difference at the same time. Sad to see him leave after one year.

There were eight different feature winners this year in thirteen features. Winning two races were Terry McCarl, Davey Heskin, Bronson Maeschen, Brian Brown, and Danny Lasoski. Winning one feature was Ian Madsen, Justin Henderson, and Wayne Johnson. Drivers with wins in previous seasons and not winning any features this year were Dusty Zomer, Mark Dobmeier, Don Droud Jr., and Lynton Jeffrey.

I keep track of stats of each driver throughout the season at Knoxville.

Top Ten in Qualifying Average: Maeschen 5.7, Heskin 8.4, Selvage 9.4. McCarl 9.5, Madsen 11.3, Bunton 12.2, Dobmeier 12.6, Wolfgang 12.9, Zomer 13.3, Rager Phillips 13.8.

Top Ten in Average Feature Finish: McCarl 4.9, Heskin 6.8, Maeschen 7.3, Dobmeier 7.8, Zomer 8.2, Madsen 9.9, Droud 11.9, Wolfgang 12.3, Jeffrey 12.9, Selvage 13.0.

One stat that is always interesting is the Qualifying Average to Feature Average finish ratio (Q/F as you will see below) where you can use that as an indicator who is passing the most cars in the features.

Looking at each driver in the top ten of points in finishing order:

1.) Terry McCarl
Stats: 2 wins, 9 top fives, 12 top tens, 4 heat wins, and 1 quick time. Qualifying average 9.5, Average Feature finish 4.9, Q/F +4.6, Nationals B-Main 14th, +3 improvement in points position.
T-Mac was the most consistent driver all season for sure, and one of only two drivers that started all 13 regular season shows. Despite being out qualified all season by Heskin, he stayed within striking distance in the points chase and at the Capitani Classic event T-Mac took the points lead after he made a daring pass around James McFadden in his heat race to get a feature transfer position. That pass was the defining moment in the championship and what put him over the top. He might not have had the fastest car every week, or the most funding, but he was up in the seat each night to drive and he proved he is the best driver in 2012. His Nationals effort of only making it up through the B-Main could be considered disappointing, but not terrible for trying to rebuild his own 24 team this year. He was fourth in points in 2011 in the Vermeer 55 so things are looking up for McCarl.

2.) Davey Heskin
Stats: 2 wins, 9 top fives, 11 top tens, 1 heat win, and 2 quick times. Qualifying average 8.4, Average Feature finish 6.8, Q/F +1.6, Nationals A-Main 10th, +6 improvement in points position.
Heskin had a chance to win the championship but fell just short. The team has to be proud of their season however after finishing fifth in 2011. They had a clear advantage in qualifying timing in the top five on eight nights. Only Bronson Maeschen had a better qualifying average. The Garrett Engines were killers this year. Heskin showed maturity by being patient at times, he found the rubber early on a couple of nights, and the nights he started further back with a ten or twelve invert draw he always made his way to the front. And his Nationals this year was a good one getting his third consecutive A-Main start and his second top ten finish. Heskin was eighth in points in 2011 so a big jump for him to second. He is young, popular with fans and kids as well. I look for Davey to only get better.

3.) Bronson Maeschen
Stats: 2 wins, 6 top fives, 11 top tens, 1 heat win, and 1 quick time. Qualifying average 5.7, Average Feature finish 7.3, Q/F -1.6, Nationals B-Main 11th, +8 improvement in points position.
Maeschen was a great underdog story this year. He left the Jordan 1 team at the end of 2011 after finishing eleventh in points last year and he restarted his own 96 team. That move paid off as he picked up his first two career feature wins, including the Capitani Classic over a stacked field of 67 cars. He had the best qualifying average this year and third in feature average finish. A really good season for Bronson and he answered the critics about not being able to race his way through the field as he was more aggressive this season. Hopefully Bronson can keep the momentum for 2013.

4.) Dusty Zomer
Stats: 0 wins, 6 top fives, 11 top tens, 5 heat wins, and 0 quick times. Qualifying average 13.3, Average Feature finish 8.2, Q/F +5.1, Nationals B-Main 24th, -2 spots in points position.
Zomer had a disappointing 2012 season. After winning four features and finishing second in points in 2011, most had Zomer picked to win the championship before the season started (including me). The Ingalls 91 car just didn’t have a good qualifying year and that never seemed to improve all season and it caused them to miss the feature invert a lot of nights. When you win five heat races that is an indicator that the car races well, but can’t qualify well. I wish I would have kept track of who the hard charger was each week because this guy won it several times I’m sure. And then they wrecked at the start of the Nationals B-Main to cap off the year. I hope they can turn it around in 2013.

5.) Mark Dobmeier
Stats: 0 wins, 7 top fives, 10 top tens, 2 heat wins, and 0 quick times. Qualifying average 12.6, Average Feature finish 7.8, Q/F +4.8, Nationals A-Main 12th, +0 improvement in points position.
The Lunstra/Dobmeier 13 team had a year that was good overall, winning a World of Outlaws feature at Huset’s, making the Nationals A-Main after winning the B-Main and advancing to twelfth, but their season at Knoxville other than the Nationals had no wins, poor qualifying, and they were much like Zomer always racing their way up from the back. They were fifth in points last year as well. It’s a head scratcher to make any sense out of, but this is a good team and a good driver. I look for them to improve in 2013 and be more consistent. But they do run a lot of races throughout the season and maybe they were running thin on engines or equipment compared to a lot of other teams.

6.) Ian Madsen
Stats: 1 win, 3 top fives, 8 top tens, 0 heat wins, and 2 quick times. Qualifying average 11.3, Average Feature finish 9.9, Q/F +1.4, +1 improvement in points position from 2010.
Madsen showed a lot of improvement this year compared to a couple of years ago when he was racing weekly at Knoxville. He is my vote for most improved driver although his points improvement doesn’t show as big of a number as Heskin or Maeschen. With a trained eye you can tell how much smoother he is on the track and he races in a much more controlled way. It’s difficult to explain, you had to be there. Hopefully the Vermeer/Barry Lewis 55 team can stay together for 2013. I’m excited to see how they can do with another year together.

7.) Don Droud Jr.
Stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top tens, 2 heat wins, and 0 quick times. Qualifying average 14.3, Average Feature finish 11.9. Q/F +2.4, Nationals C-Main 12th, +0 improvement in points position.
Seventh in points again this year. Droud is getting the most out of the Gil Sonner 47 and he brings the car back to the trailer in one piece. They were second in points in 2010 to Brian Brown and they didn’t rebound after a disappointing 2011. Good driver, down on horsepower for sure.

8.) Lynton Jeffrey
Stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 6 top tens, 3 heat wins, and 0 quick times. Qualifying average 16.6, Average Feature finish 12.9, Q/F +3.7, Nationals C-Main 17th, +1 improvement in points position.
Jeffrey is getting the most out of the equipment he has. Hope he can get the #12 back into victory lane in 2013.

9.) Dustin Selvage
Stats: 0 wins, 1 top fives, 7 top tens, 0 heat wins, and 1 quick time. Qualifying average 9.4, Average Feature finish 15.6, Q/F -6.2, Nationals B-Main 22nd, +1 improvement in points position.
Selvage’s sophomore season in the 410 class was up and down. He qualified well in the heat of the summer months and on the nights he had mechanical problems he was running in the top ten usually. I think this kid has a lot of talent and his team will figure out how to be more consistent in 2013 and probably win a feature. He has the most potential of anyone for improvement next season.

10.) Josh Schneiderman
Stats: 0 wins, 4 top fives, 2 top tens, 7 heat wins, and 0 quick times. Qualifying average 17.3, Average Feature finish 14.2, Q/F +3.1, Nationals C-Main 14th, +2 improvement in points position.
The Deuce Motorsports team expanded to two teams in 2012 with brother Jarrod moving up to the 410 class. Schneiderman was eighth in points in 2010, dropped to twelfth in 2011, so tenth in 2012 is a slight improvement but not where this team probably wants to be. After making the 2010 Nationals A-Main and finishing thirteenth I was expecting this team to jump up the standings similar to Heskin but it hasn’t happened. The potential is there, and with being able to afford two teams they should have good equipment, maybe they have the wrong combination right now. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I hope we see improvement from Josh in 2013.

Brian Brown won two features in his seven appearances at Knoxville weekly shows. So proud of this guy for starting his own team and building it up to what he has. He is a good driver and I think he has the right attitude and business model to continue his success. If you’re looking to start a race team, this guy has set the benchmark in my opinion.

Danny Lasoski was at Knoxville for three of the first five races and won twice. He ran ninth at the Capitani Classic and now has a streak at Nationals of missing the A-Main three years in a row. If he would have stayed to run at Knoxville all year he likely would have won another track championship. He has 98 career wins and although some people are already celebrating 100 wins, he isn’t there yet and I think it’s wrong to even talk about it until he gets there. If he wins 100 great, I hope he does. But what if he doesn’t get to 100 for some reason? It’s bad karma.

Robby Wolfgang had a decent season going, but stepped away from the 7K. That car just doesn’t have the funding to be competitive, and I think Robby has become a good driver, but he needs a sponsor and funding like a lot of other teams out there. I would like to see what Robby can do in better equipment.

Ryan Bunton found a good bullet for under the hood of the 6R and was able to qualify well all season with a average of 12.2, but his feature finish average was 15.7. Another year of experience and I think he could be a contender.

Austin Johnson tore up a lot of equipment this year in the Marty Johnson 81 car, including one car over the turn three fence. He made it to six weekly shows and half of those he didn’t finish. And he tore up another car at the Nationals. He had some bad luck for sure, but he never qualified worse than ninth so the car is fast. Fast car, young driver, we will see if the 81 can improve in 2013, but I’m cheering for them.

The Knoxville Knockouts: Did anyone see them this year? I barely noticed them. Not sure that ambassador program worked well or not, but my vote is no.

My personal awards:
410 Driver of the Year: Davey Heskin. His Nationals performance and 2 wins did it for me.
410 Most Improved Driver: Ian Madsen
Goody’s Headache Powder Award: Austin Johnson
Race of the Year: Friday Night of Nationals. Hope you were there!
Mr. Congeniality: Davey Heskin. My kid’s vote has more weight than mine here, but Davey always has fist bumps for the kids.

Francis Wins Late Model Knoxville Nationals

The 9th Annual Late Model Knoxville Nationals was once again a success at the Knoxville Raceway. 80 cars entered this year as the field was “open” for entries instead of limited to invites and whose postmark date was earliest.

*Format: The traditional Knoxville Nationals point system is used both nights, with the exception being that all teams entered are allowed to race both qualifying nights and you are able to use the better of your two nights. In the sprint car nationals the field is split into two separate nights. The heats use a 10 invert and with 80 cars we had 16 cars in each heat, and only the top four transfer to the A-Main where the invert is 8. After each night is run the points are totaled up and the feature lineups are set for Saturday.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*Thursday: Billy Moyer killed them in the Thursday night 25 lap feature after starting third and grabbing the lead on lap eight and pulled away. Moyer made a statement with this win and it looked like he was clearly the man to beat. However Moyer timed 19th, and that cost him valuable points. The heat races were awesome on this night with a lot of passing and optimum track conditions. Tim McCreadie put on a good show on this night after some bad luck sent him to the D-main where he finished third and transferred to the tail of the C-main where he raced up to 4th and tagged the tail of the B-Main where he climbed up to 9th.

Qualifying top ten: Scott Bloomquist (17.277), Rich Bell, Dennis Erb Jr., Kent Robinson, Mike Marlar, Jimmy Ownes, Brady Smith, Steve Francis, Chad Simpson, Terry Phillips.

Heat winners: Brian Birkhofer, Jesse Stoval, Jimmy Mars, Billy Moyer, Tyler Reddick.

A-Main top ten: Billy Moyer, Shannon Babb, Steve Francis, Brian Birkhofer, Jimmy Mars, Scott Bloomquist, Brady Smith, Brian Shirley, Denny Eckrich, Austin Hubbard.

Scott Bloomquist was the top point man over all setting quick time, finished third in his heat race, and sixth in the A-main to give him 484 points. That would end up being enough to give him the pole on Saturday night.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*Friday: Mike Marlar started third and grabbed the lead coming off of turn four on the opening lap and led from the green to the checkered. Steve Francis and Brady Smith were there knocking on Marlar’s bumper a couple of times but they couldn’t around him and Marlar eventually broke away to win handily. Steve Francis had a good run from fifth to second and was the only driver to end up on the podium both nights. This race didn’t see a lot of passing after the opening laps. The 25 lap A-Main went non-stop in 9:03 minutes setting a new 25 lap track record for late models. The race track was really wide and slick on this night compared to the night before where the track held up better. Earl Pearson Jr. drove from 18th to eighth for hard charger honors.

Billy Moyer qualified sixth, but after having to start ninth in his heat he couldn’t advance his way in the field and finished where he started in ninth, which put him in the C-Main. He won the C-Main, but then he was light at the scales after he lost a 40 pound piece of lead off his car somehow. Apparently in the Lucas Oil Late Model Series there is a one pound per lap allowance for weight, he was 12 pounds light at the scales and the race was 15 laps. I’ve never heard of such a rule, but because Moyer was within the allowance he was able to advance to the B-Main. But that lead he lost apparently went through the radiator because they were not able to make repairs in time for the B-Main and they scratched for the night.

Qualifying top ten: Brian Shirley (17.480), Billy Moyer Jr., Jimmy Owens, Denny Eckrich, Pat Moore, Billy Moyer, Dave Eckrich, Brady Smith, Steve Francis, Kent Robinson.

Heat Winners: Donnie Moran, Earl Pearson Jr., Will Vaught, Tim McCReadie, Shannon Babb.

A-Main top ten: Mike Marlar, Steve Francis, Brady Smith, Jimmy Owens, Jonathan Davenport, Brian Shirley, Scott Bloomquist, Earl Pearson Jr., Tyler Reddick, Jason Feger.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
**Saturday: This night was only for the D, C, B, and A mains. I like this format for the Nationals type of events. Especially with a 100 lap A-Main you get to see plenty of racing and it’s for all the marbles. No sense in having a support class to eat up the track and slow things down. I’m glad Knoxville decided to not run a support class this year.

Jimmy Owens grabbed the lead on lap 1 but soon faded to sixth after Scott Bloomquist passed him on lap 3. On lap ten the order was Bloomquist, Smith, Francis, Shirley, Birkhofer, Owens, Babb, and Moyer. Brady Smith passed Bloomquist on lap 12 to take the point and a lap later Brian Shirley stopped to bring out the yellow while he was in third. Shirley lost a cylinder and was done for the night. Brian Birkhofer led one lap on lap 26 but Smith shot back by him a lap later. At the halfway mark the order was Smith, Birkhofer, and Francis lurking. Smith had a 2.5 second lead going into traffic and Francis started making his move by getting around Birkhofer and then reeling in Smith and made the pass for the lead on lap 71 and pulled away. Francis ran a smart race saving his tires on restarts and the first 50 laps so he was there at the end. The 100 lap championship race took almost an hour to run taking the green flag at 9:26pm and the checkered fell at 10:23.Will Vaught was the hard charger coming from 21st to 11th.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Closing thoughts: The thing I enjoy the most about going to non sprint car events at Knoxville is how appreciative the fans and drivers are about having the opportunity to race on the historic half-mile. This goes for the Late Model Nationals, Harris Clash, all events that I have been to the past few years. Steve Francis said in victory lane, “No disrespect to the World 100, but this is the biggest win of my career.” That is a huge statement considering the man has won the granddaddy of all Late Model races, the World 100 in 1999. Kyle Strickler basically said the same thing this year when won the Modified Harris Clash event. And the past few years when the IMCA Late Models raced you heard it again from Ray Guss Jr. and Tommy Elston, those were the biggest wins of their career to win at Knoxville. I’m not knocking sprint car fans, but the weekly fans that like to complain about small things, go to any other dirt track in the state and see if you think it’s as nice as Knoxville. I don’t think you appreciate the gem in the facility and track that we have here in Iowa.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Late Model Nationals finish: 1. Steve Francis (5), 2. Brady Smith (4), 3. Brian Birkhofer (7), 4. Scott Bloomquist (1), 6. Mike Marlar (6), 8. Billy Moyer (9), 10. Jonathan Davenport (15), 11. Will Vaught (21), 14. John Anderson (19), 15. Kent Robinson (10), 16. Bub McCool (23), 18. Tyler Reddick (11), 21. Frank Heckenast Jr. (20), 23. Jason Feger (18), 24. Terry Phillips (14), 25. Morgan Bagley (12), 26. Shannon Babb (8), 28. Earl Pearson Jr. (22), 29. Jimmy Mars (16), 30. Denny Eckrich (13), 31. Terry Casey (24), 32. Mark Burgtorf (17), 33. Brian Shirley (3).