This column also allows me to introduce to you the photographic efforts of Conrad Nelson, who is a regular shooter at both Knoxville and Oskaloosa. I will be sharing some of his work with you throughout the season and I appreciate his efforts very much. Last night at Knoxville I was armed with only a notebook and wandered around the pits for most of the night. Conrad handled the heavy lifting and shot victory lane. Thanks Conrad!
I went to last weekend’s midget weekend, but as you notice, didn’t write. The tragic circumstances of Friday night I felt were best covered by Jeff in his blog, and Saturday I sat in the stands to watch Kevin Swindell make his run, followed by a good battle between Johnny Herrera and Sammy Swindell. Still feeling the effects of Friday, I let the weekend go by and looked ahead.
305 winner - Milo, Iowa's, Rob Kubli showed the way in winning Saturday 305 sprint main at Knoxville. - Conrad Nelson photoLast night was a good way to get back on track, as there were plenty of cars (18 305s, 33 360s and 24 410s) to put on a good show. The track was well-watered, very fast, and did allow for some position changes, though the front row of all of the features seemed to have the deck stacked – more on that later. Although the afternoon looked to threaten rain at any moment, we stayed high and dry, and it turned into a beautiful night as the dust was at a minimum.
On the gas -Brett Mather is fielding his own car in 2009 and he put it in victory lane Saturday. - Conrad Nelson photo
Trophy winner - Brett Mather and crew celebrate his 360 feature win. - Conrad Nelson photo
- A side note, of the races I have attended in 2009, at every track I have been too, I think it would be safe to say that 85 percent of them would be considered dusty. Dry slick has become more of a trend over the past few years, and coupled with some very windy days so far this spring, this has led to plenty of dust flying. Maybe I notice it more trying to take pictures through it (and other photographers will back the trend I’m sure) but dust has been a key word this year. Remember when you went to the track and it was like driving through a bog when they started to roll it in? All of the cars went out to pack and huge, football-sized mud clods used to arc through the air and cover the cars? And at the end of the night, when you headed to the pits, the track was still tacky enough it could pull your shoes off? Those days are gone, but unfortunately well remembered by many of us. Today’s cars, tracks and tires seem to be set up for an entirely different style of racing and dust seems to be the bi-product, which sunny and windy days just seem to accelerate. Not a gripe on my part, just an observation.
Fortunately, last night, the viewing was clear and good.
I like the addition of the 305s to the program. I though t they put on a decent show, with several drivers in contention for the win. There was contact on the start of the race, with Earl Tice coming to a stop in turn two with terminal damage to his front end. Bob Lamb saw damage to his nose wing, which would lead to his early exit a few laps later.
Once the action began to flow, it was a good show between Rob Kubli, Marty Stephenson, Mitchell Alexander and Tasker Phillips. Kubli and Stephenson raced for position while Alexander and Phillips did the same. With seven laps complete, an incident in turn four (I was standing in turn two) eliminated Phillips from the mix.
The restart found Kubli out front, followed by Stevenson. Alexander would drop out before the end of the race. A seventh-starting Matt Stevenson was making a charge as the laps wound down. He would end up grabbing second, but didn’t have enough time to gain on Kubli.
Brett Mather, behind the wheel of his own car for 2009 started on the pole of the 360 main and took advantage of it as he motored off into the lead in a 15-lap feature that would see no cautions and finish only two seconds shy of the track record. Johnny Anderson would stay in tow in second for much of the feature. In the closing laps, Dennis Moore, Jr., made a charge and would pass Anderson. He set off after Mather through traffic, but ran out of laps to make a run at the lead. A tenth-starting Jon Agan looked to be moving quickly early on in the feature, but reached a point where he could catch nobody else and finished seventh. I kept an eye on him as he looked like he was going to be the race’s biggest mover, but the field leveled off and his charge wound down. It was a good win for Mather.
Fortunately, last night, the viewing was clear and good.
I like the addition of the 305s to the program. I though t they put on a decent show, with several drivers in contention for the win. There was contact on the start of the race, with Earl Tice coming to a stop in turn two with terminal damage to his front end. Bob Lamb saw damage to his nose wing, which would lead to his early exit a few laps later.
Once the action began to flow, it was a good show between Rob Kubli, Marty Stephenson, Mitchell Alexander and Tasker Phillips. Kubli and Stephenson raced for position while Alexander and Phillips did the same. With seven laps complete, an incident in turn four (I was standing in turn two) eliminated Phillips from the mix.
The restart found Kubli out front, followed by Stevenson. Alexander would drop out before the end of the race. A seventh-starting Matt Stevenson was making a charge as the laps wound down. He would end up grabbing second, but didn’t have enough time to gain on Kubli.
Brett Mather, behind the wheel of his own car for 2009 started on the pole of the 360 main and took advantage of it as he motored off into the lead in a 15-lap feature that would see no cautions and finish only two seconds shy of the track record. Johnny Anderson would stay in tow in second for much of the feature. In the closing laps, Dennis Moore, Jr., made a charge and would pass Anderson. He set off after Mather through traffic, but ran out of laps to make a run at the lead. A tenth-starting Jon Agan looked to be moving quickly early on in the feature, but reached a point where he could catch nobody else and finished seventh. I kept an eye on him as he looked like he was going to be the race’s biggest mover, but the field leveled off and his charge wound down. It was a good win for Mather.
From the pole - Brian Brown blasted the 410 field while winning at Knoxville - Conrad Nelson photoIn the 410 feature, the scenario looked the same as the 360s as the pole-sitter took off and hid. Brian Brown was the recipient of this good fortune as this feature ran without cautions and through traffic until the checkered flew at the same time as the red flag. More on that in a minute.
Brown was impressive, at times having a half-lap lead, a big improvement on his start last week that saw a front wheel fall off in hot laps. Fellow front-row starter Wayne Johnson kept his eye on Brown, but had his hands full with Kerry Madsen in the closing laps as Madsen would end up taking second.
Point leader Johnny Herrera was having a bad night, and started the feature 17th. If you have watched Herrera this season, you’ll know the car shows a fair amount of smoke over the evening, and last night was no exception, as it puffed out decent-sized clouds as it went into the corners. Still, the 2W was moving and Herrera had made it up to seventh on the white flag lap.
That all changed in turn two. As I stood there and watched, the 33R of Ricky Montgomery was off the power, in the very low groove, and trying to get off the track, headed toward the back pit entrance. Herrera rocketed out of turn two low and there was Montgomery. Herrera blasted into Montgomery’s right rear and went flipping toward the turn two fence. In my opinion, Montgomery was out of the way the best he could be and was truly a surprise to Herrera as he raced for the checkered. Fortunately Herrera climbed out OK.
As Herrera was flipping, Brown was taking the checkered flag, so the race ended strangely as the emergency crews hit the clay to come to the aid of the 2W in turn two.
In all, I thought it was good night at Knoxville, with the festivities coming to an end before 10:30 p.m.
Brown was impressive, at times having a half-lap lead, a big improvement on his start last week that saw a front wheel fall off in hot laps. Fellow front-row starter Wayne Johnson kept his eye on Brown, but had his hands full with Kerry Madsen in the closing laps as Madsen would end up taking second.
Point leader Johnny Herrera was having a bad night, and started the feature 17th. If you have watched Herrera this season, you’ll know the car shows a fair amount of smoke over the evening, and last night was no exception, as it puffed out decent-sized clouds as it went into the corners. Still, the 2W was moving and Herrera had made it up to seventh on the white flag lap.
That all changed in turn two. As I stood there and watched, the 33R of Ricky Montgomery was off the power, in the very low groove, and trying to get off the track, headed toward the back pit entrance. Herrera rocketed out of turn two low and there was Montgomery. Herrera blasted into Montgomery’s right rear and went flipping toward the turn two fence. In my opinion, Montgomery was out of the way the best he could be and was truly a surprise to Herrera as he raced for the checkered. Fortunately Herrera climbed out OK.
As Herrera was flipping, Brown was taking the checkered flag, so the race ended strangely as the emergency crews hit the clay to come to the aid of the 2W in turn two.
In all, I thought it was good night at Knoxville, with the festivities coming to an end before 10:30 p.m.
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