From Dewain Hulett
Canton, IL — (September 14, 2013) — For the first time since 1996 one driver swept the sprint car and midget features, at the Tom Knowles Memorial, Saturday, when Christopher Bell won at Spoon River Speedway.
The MOWA sprint car portion of the event went to Bell, after he won every race he was in during the night holding off Jerrod Hull.
Hull, who had won the last two Tom Knowles Memorials under the MOWA banner, ran the top of the track early in the event, and actually passed Bell on a re-start early in the race only to have a caution come out and take the pass away.
Bell did not let the same thing happen on the next re-start, as he made the bottom side of the racetrack work to perfection. In fact, Hull would eventually move to the bottom of the racetrack hoping Bell would make a mistake.
“He ran the bottom as good as you could run it,” Hull said of Bell on the front stretch after the feature.
Paul Nienhiser would finish in the third as he continues his hot streak of late. The youngster, from chapin, Ill., has moved to third in MOWA points with strong finishes over the last five nights of MOWA action. In fact, Nienhiser has not finished outside the top 10 during the that streak.
Kevin Doty, in 1996, was the last driver to win both the midget feature and sprint car feature at the Tom Knowles Memorial. The event was celebrating its 29th year, in 2013.
Jake Blackhurst, a midget regular from Farmington, Ill., made his first career 410 winged sprint car start, winning his heat. He slipped a bit as the track slicked off, but finished seventh in the dash and 10th in the feature event. His only prior winged sprint car experience was in a 360 sprint car two years ago.
Jim Moughan, who started 10th, finished fourth, while Joey Moughan, who started 16th, was fifth when the checker flag fell.
Action continues with the MOWA series, Oct. 4, when it again doubles up with POWRi during the Friday night festivities for the Gold Crown Nationals, at Tri-City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, Ill.
The season concludes with a two-day weekend Oct. 11 and Oct. 12. Friday, Oct. 11, Lincoln Speedway, Lincoln, Ill., hosts the MOWA series, before the season championship, Saturday, Oct. 12, at Jacksonville Speedway.
For more information on any of these events, please visity www.midwestopenwheel.com.
Results
Feature: 1. Christopher Bell, 2. Jerrod Hull, 3. Paul Nienhiser, 4. Jim Moughan, 5. Joey Moughan, 6. Jimmy Light, 7. A.J. Bruns, 8. Ben Wagoner, 9. Korey Weyant, 10. Jake Blackhurst, 11. Logan Faucon, 12. Bret Tripplett, 13. Chris Urish, 14. Parker Price-Miller, 15. Robbie Standridge, 16. Cory Bruns, 17.Matt Sutton, 18. Matt Harms, 19. John Dines, 20. Critter Malone, 21. Tiffany Wyzard, 22. Kody Kinser.
B-Main 1: 1. Cory Bruns, 2. Tiffany Wyzard, 3. Chris Urish, 4. Jimmy Davies, 5. Jeremy Standridge, 6. Kenny Haynes, 7. Manny Rockhold, 8. Ryan Kempin.
B-Main 2: 1. Parker Price-Miller, 2. A.J. Bruns, 3. Critter Malone, 4. Andy Baugh, 6. Levi Curry, 6. Tommy Rockwell, 7. Patrick Haynes, 8. Don Droud, Jr.
Dash: 1.Christopher Bell, 2. Bret Tripplett, 3. Jerrod Hull, 4. Paul Nienhiser, 5. Korey Weyant, 6. Jimmy Light, 7. Jake Blackhurst, 8. John Dines.
Heat 1: 1. Jake Blackhurst, 2. Ben Wagoner, 3. Robbie Standridge, 4. Kody Kinser, 5. Tiffany Wyzard, 6. Jimmy Davies, 7. Jeremy Standridge, 8. Chris Urish.
Heat 2: 1. Christopher Bell, 2. Matt Sutton, 3. Paul Nienhiser, 4. Jim Moughan, 5. Matt Harms, 6. Tommy Rockwell, 7. Levi Curry, 8. Ryan Kempin (DNS)
Heat 3: 1. Jerrod Hull, 2. Korey Weyant, 3. Joey Moughan, 4. Cory Bruns, 5. Logan Faucon, 6. Manny Rockhold, 7. Patrick Haynes, 8. Critter Malone.
Heat 4: 1. John Dines, 2. Bret Tripplett, 3. Jimmy Light, 4. A.J. Bruns, 5. Andy Baugh, 6. Parker Price-Miller, 7. Kenny Haynes, 8. Don Droud, Jr. (DNS)