Another large throng of Knoxville Raceway fans went away excited here on Titan Machinery Night! Danny Lasoski won a non-stop 20-lap feature that included tight side-by-side racing throughout the field. The win was the Dover, Missouri driver’s 110th at Knoxville, and was worth $4,000. The 360 feature was no less entertaining, and featured five lead changes. Former track champ, Matt Moro won his ninth career feature and his first since 2014. Devin Kline’s ninth career 305 win puts him atop the all-time list at the historic half-mile.
In the main event, Davey Heskin led early over Lasoski and Craig Dollansky. The lead trio raced side-by-side, while Dustin Selvage was also within striking distance. While Heskin rode the cushion, Lasoski snuck by on the low side to complete lap six. Meanwhile, Josh Schneiderman was storming forward from his twelfth starting spot, and he entered the top five on lap seven.
Dollansky soon had his hands full with Ian Madsen in a back and forth battle for third. In the middle stages the two traded blows, while reeling in the second place car of Heskin. Schneiderman joined that trio, as all were within a half-second of each other. Schneiderman would use the low side to shoot by Dollansky for fourth on lap 14. On the next circuit, Madsen, had caught Heskin in heavy lapped traffic to take over second.
Schneiderman would also move by Heskin capturing third with two laps to go. Madsen reeled in Lasoski, who had a nose wing go down with five laps to go, but the “Dude” held him off by seven-tenths of a second at the checkers. Schneiderman was third, ahead of Dollansky and Heskin. Selvage, Billy Alley, Tasker Phillips, Bronson Maeschen and Dakota Hendrickson rounded out the top ten. Lasoski set quick time, while Matt Moro, AJ Moeller and Phillips won heat races.
“I’ll tell you what, when that nose wing fell down, this thing was all over everywhere,” said Lasoski. “I had a heck of a time hanging on. It goes to show that you give (crew chief) Guy Forbrook any opportunity at all to make this car go…I just get the lucky job of driving it.”
Matt Moro led Jon Agan and Joe Beaver early in the 18-lap 360 main event. Agan pressured the leader, and took the point on lap three. Nate Van Haaften roared under Beaver to take third in a good battle on lap five.
On the next go-around, the lapped car of John Anderson got sideways, collecting the leader. Agan would launch end over end in turn four. He was uninjured. Moro would assume the lead on the restart over Van Haaften, Beaver, Ryan Giles and Jamie Ball, but it was short-lived. Van Haaften shot to the point with Moro in tow.
Clint Garner, who started 12th, started making noise when he joined the top five on lap 11. A spin by JT Imperial brought a caution shortly thereafter. Moro returned the favor, passing Van Haaften back, when the green flew again. Garner moved up to fourth and then surged under Beaver for third on lap 15.
One final caution came with three laps to go. Mike Van Haaften spun in turn one. The final Dash saw Moro leading Van Haaften, Garner, Beaver and Giles. Moro would maintain his lead for his ninth career 360 feature win here. Garner took second from Van Haaften who was third, Beaver and Giles. Hard-charger Tony Shilling, who started the night with an engine change, Ball, Randy Martin, Calving Landis and Cody Ledger completed the top ten. Ball set quick time, while heats were won by Moro, Ledger and Garner. Landis won the B main.
“My Dad and Jaymie Moyle both told me to be aware of the bottom,” said Moro in Victory Lane. “I told them I hate the bottom. I was going to be patient on top. Nate gets around the bottom so good, but he just left a lane on the outside and I was able to get him. We did touch each other. I had my right rear against the fence, but that was my only chance. If I couldn’t have got it done there, I wouldn’t have. I felt bad for Jon Agan. He was on the move.”
Before the 15-lap 305 feature could get started, contact from Christopher Scank sent Joe Simbro into a frontstretch ground-pounder. The incident also involved Christian Bowman, Chase Wanner and Jeff Wilke. Only Wilke would make repairs and continue.
Rager Phillips made his first return to Knoxville in several years and led early in the going ahead of Mike Mayberry and Brad Comegys. Comegys would move into second on lap six. That was short-lived, however, as Devin Kline was aboard a rocket ship. In one move, he went from fourth to second on lap seven.
Phillips had built a good lead, but Kline steadily reeled him in. With just two laps to go, he would make the pass for the lead. On the white flag lap, that was put in jeopardy, however, when Wilke spun in turn four. On the restart, Chris Walraven used the cushion to finish second behind Kline. McKenna Haase followed in third, ahead of Phillips and Comegys. Mayberry, Scank, Wilke, Dan Henning and newcomer Travis Remerts rounded out the top ten. Bowman set quick time, while Haase and Kline won the heat races.
“We changed a shock, and I think it’s going to change our season around,” said Kline. “(Phillips) was out there a ways, but I tried to keep my line and stay consistent. Some lapped traffic helped me, and I couldn’t ask for a better car.”
Join us next Saturday night, July 16 for Hy-Vee Night at Knoxville! The 410 class will again be racing for $4,000 to win and $600 to start! All three sprint car divisions will be in action as will the DTRA Dirt Trucks! For more information, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
- administrator on Jul 11, 2016
- Article Date: 7/9/2016