[b McCarl Captures Third ASCS Knoxville Nationals Crown!]
[i Lonnie Wheatley, KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 8, 2009)]
Terry McCarl of Altoona, IA, inked his name into the record books as the first three-time winner of the ASCS Knoxville Nationals by wiring the field in Saturday night's $10,000-to-win championship finale atop the fabled ½-mile Knoxville Raceway clay oval at the Marion County Fairgrounds.
After topping Friday night's preliminary feature event, McCarl started Saturday's finale outside the front row and paced the entire 25-lap distance to put the caps on the 19th Annual ASCS Knoxville Nationals with his eighth career Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters feature win.
Not even a red flag stoppage five laps from the end could deter McCarl's victory drive, as he took the checkered flag with a 3.202-second advantage over Oklahoma's Wayne Johnson, who outdueled Nebraska's Billy Alley for runner-up honors in the final circuits.
"You never what can happen after a red flag like that, so many things can change, I was really hoping they'd get busy racing each other," McCarl explained in victory lane. "I just tried to keep my car straight as possible and make good laps.
It worked, as McCarl was untouchable aboard the Big Game Tree Stands, adding to previous ASCS Knoxville Nationals triumphs in 1996 and 2001.
McCarl outgunned pole starter Alley for the lead at the outset, slipping away to leave Alley in a fight for second in the early stages with Shane Stewart and Sam Hafertepe, Jr. Wayne Johnson then entered the fray for second just as the first of the race's two incidents occurred when Dustin Daggett tagged the turn one retainer and collected "B" Main winner Matt Covington.
McCarl took off again on the restart, reaching lapped traffic by the eleventh round. Alley briefly closed in on a pair of occasions, only to have a nifty McCarl move through traffic erase Alley's progress as Wayne Johnson had taken command of third by the midway point.
McCarl's sizable advantage was erased after 20 rounds when fifth-running Stewart jumped the turn three cushion and flipped, bringing out the red flag.
It made little difference however, as McCarl again raced away from his rivals to secure the victory.
In his wake, Alley and Wayne Johnson battled it out for the runner-up slot, with Johnson finally establishing command of the position on the 22nd lap, just as Hafertepe surrendered the fourth position with an early escape to the pit area.
While Alley claimed the show position, current Lucas Oil Sprint Car point leader Jason Johnson of Eunice, LA, crossed the stripe in fourth, with Missouri's Brian Brown rounding out the top five.
Travis Rilat was sixth, while Jack Dover charged from 18th to seventh. Gregg Bakker was eighth, with 23rd-starter Kaley Gharst and Tony Bruce, Jr., completing the top ten.
Alan Zoutte kicked off the night by winning the 8-lap "E" Main, with Paul McMahan fending off Randy Martin to top the 10-lap "D" Main. Jonathan Cornell wired the field in the 12-lap "C" Main, with Covington bursting from the second row to lead all the way in the 12-lap "B" Main.
Gary Wright's streak of 200 consecutive Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series feature starts came to an end as he finished a handful of positions shy of a transfer by crossing the stripe ninth in the "B" Main.
A total of 111 different drivers competed in the 19th Annual ASCS Knoxville Nationals.
19th Annual ASCS Knoxville Nationals Saturday Championship Feature Results:
"E" Main - Top 11 Advance to "D" Main:
E Feature (8 Laps): 1. 33-Alan Zoutte (Knoxville, IA), 2. 27-Jody Rosenboom (Rock Rapids, IA), 3. k9-Justin Zimmerman (Royce City, TX), 4. 53-Joe Beaver (Knoxville, IA), 5. 2k-Kevin Ingle (Huron, SD), 6. 2J-Don Droud, Jr. (Lincoln, NE), 7. 34-Josh Padellford (Pleasantville, IA), 8. 17b-Ryan Bickett (Ramona, SD), 9. 5*-Ray Allen Kulhanek (Magnolia, TX), 10. 17c-Corey Moore (Wichita, KS), 11. 9-Brian Parker (Midlothian, TX), 12. 19s-Steven Cross (Appleton City, MO), 13. 4c-Tyler Godwin (Plant City, FL).
"D" Main - Top 6 Advance to "C" Main:
D Feature (10 Laps): 1. 3d-Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN), 2. 14-Randy Martin (California, MO), 3. 1s-Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK), 4. 1m-Chad Humston (Giltner, NE), 5. 20ks-Kyle Sager (Alto, NM), 6. 9n-Wade Nygaard (Fargo, ND), 7. 98-J.D. Johnson (Goddard, KS), 8. 53-Joe Beaver (Knoxville, IA), 9. 1a-Robby Wolfgang (Sioux Falls, SD), 10. 34b-Brad Barickman (Richfield, MN), 11. 5*-Ray Allen Kulhanek (Magnolia, TX), 12. 2J-Don Droud, Jr. (Lincoln, NE), 13. k9-Justin Zimmerman (Royce City, TX), 14. 33-Alan Zoutte (Knoxville, IA), 15. 17b-Ryan Bickett (Ramona, SD), 16. 76-Jay Russell (Elwood, KS), 17. 34-Josh Padellford (Pleasantville, IA), 18. 2k-Kevin Ingle (Huron, SD), 19. 17c-Corey Moore (Wichita, KS), 20. 9-Brian Parker (Midlothian, TX), 21. 13-Jesse Hockett (Warsaw, MO), 22. 27-Jody Rosenboom (Rock Rapids, IA).
"C" Main - Top 2 Advance to "B" Main:
C Feature (12 Laps): 1. 28-Jonathan Cornell (Sedalia, MO), 2. 99jr-Justin Henderson (Sioux Falls, SD), 3. 2m-Matt Moro (Des Moines, IA), 4. 99-Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK), 5. 3d-Paul McMahan (Hendersonville, TN), 6. 4J-Lee Grosz (Harwood, ND), 7. 1m-Chad Humston (Giltner, NE), 8. 44w-Austen Wheatley (Lake Stevens, WA), 9. 2w-Kenneth Walker (Sapulpa, OK), 10. 51-Dave Hall (Des Moines, IA), 11. 29T-Russ Hall (Des Moines, IA), 12. 23n-Henry Van Dam (Enumclaw, WA), 13. 20ks-Kyle Sager (Alto, NM), 14. 9n-Wade Nygaard (Fargo, ND), 15. 71-R.J. Johnson (Tampa, FL), 16. 26-Tayler Malsam (Monroe, WA), 17. 9k-Brent Kronfuss (Bozeman, MT), 18. 11-Chad Corken (Highlands Ranch, CO), 19. 14-Randy Martin (California, MO), 20. 4x-Jon Corbin (Carrollton, MO), 21. 18-Ryan Roberts (Aurora, NE), 22. 1s-Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK).
"B" Main - Top 4 Advance to "A" Main:
B Feature (15 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK), 2. 91e-Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA), 3. 7k-Kaley Gharst (Decatur, IL), 4. 45x-Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM), 5. 88-Tim Crawley (Benton, AR), 6. 33a-Austin Alumbaugh (Higginsville, MO), 7. 10a-Ricky Logan (Little Rock, AR), 8. 99jr-Justin Henderson (Sioux Falls, SD), 9. 9x-Gary Wright (Hooks, TX), 10. 71r-Ryan Anderson (Charter Oak, IA), 11. 6b-Dale Blaney (Hartford, OH), 12. 28-Jonathan Cornell (Sedalia, MO), 13. 4-Eric Baldaccini (Keller, TX), 14. 54-Jon Agan (Knoxville, IA), 15. 17g-Dusty Zomer (Brandon, SD), 16. 22n-Nate Mosher (Prairie City, IA), 17. 21k-Lou Kennedy, Jr. (Winnipeg, MB), 18. 6-Danny Heskin (St. Michael, MN), 19. 17-Austin McCarl (Altoona, IA), 20. 3-Nate Van Haaften (Otley, IA), 21. 9p-Rager Phillips (Pleasantville, IA), 22. 20-Dennis Moore, Jr. (Grinnell, IA).
19th Annual ASCS Knoxville Nationals "A" Main
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 24-Terry McCarl (Altoona, IA), 2. 14aj-Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK), 3. 22-Billy Alley (Lincoln, NE), 4. 41-Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA), 5. 21-Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO), 6. 29-Travis Rilat (Forney, TX), 7. 53d-Jack Dover (Springfield, NE), 8. 11x-Gregg Bakker (Sioux Falls, SD), 9. 7k-Kaley Gharst (Decatur, IL), 10. 18T-Tony Bruce, Jr. (Liberal, KS), 11. 2a-Johnny Anderson (Indianola, IA), 12. 7m-Kevin Ramey (Fort Worth, TX), 13. 45x-Johnny Herrera (Albuquerque, NM), 14. 91e-Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA), 15. 1x-Garry Lee Maier (Dodge City, KS), 16. X-Chuck Swenson (Watertown, SD), 17. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX), 18. 3c-Cale Conley (Vienna, WV), 19. 56-Davey Heskin (St. Michael, MN), 20. 57-Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK), 21. 94-Danny Wood (Norman, OK), 22. 1-Bronson Maeschen (Pleasantville, IA), 23. 2mx-Dustin Daggett (Portland, MI), 24. 95-Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK).
Lap Leaders: Terry McCarl 1-25.
Lucas Oil Sprint Car Presented by K&N Filters Points (Top Twenty): 1. Jason Johnson 1,864, 2. Shane Stewart 1,838, 3. Gary Wright 1,800, 4. Travis Rilat 1,725, 5. Tim Crawley 1,699, 6. Tony Bruce, Jr. 1,697, 7. Paul McMahan 1,678, 8. Danny Wood 1,618, 9. Jack Dover 1,617, 10. Jesse Hockett 1,561, 11. Sean McClelland 1,424, 12. Gary Taylor 1,321, 13. Kenneth Walker 1,280, 14. Chad Corken 1,205, 15. Darren Long 1,193, 16. Seth Bergman 1,172, 17. Gavin Punch 1,119, 18. Wayne Johnson 907, 19. Brady Bacon 882, 20. Nick Smith 870.
- Lonnie Wheatley on Aug 09, 2009
- Article Date: 8/9/2009