Droud, Humston, and Phillips win at Knoxville

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6/19/10

Knoxville Raceway

Mid-Season Championship

21 410s

27 360s

21 305s

410s

Ian Madsen (5th car out to time) set quick time on an extremely dry surface at 16.532 seconds. Wayne Johnson (13th car out) was second quick, followed by Austin McCarl (6th), Bronson Maeschen (1st), Dusty Zomer (8th), Josh Schneiderman (19th), Brian Brown (15th), Don Droud Jr. (12th), Johnny Herrera (21st) and Lynton Jeffrey (16th). Robby Wolfgang looked to have dumped a motor in three and four during time trials, and scratched for the night. The track was watered after time trials due to severe dryness.

Heat one (started): 1. Davey Heskin 56 (2) 2. Jeffrey 12 (3) 3. Brown 21 (4) 4. Madsen 55 (6) 5. Maeschen 1 (5) 6. Ryan Bunton 6R (1) 7. Joey Moughan 2m (7)

Heskin led the distance in the 8-lapper. The top five finishers got their time spot back for the A. Maeschen ran sixth most of the way, but did a slide for life on Bunton on the last lap. Bunton slammed on the brakes to avoid disaster.

Heat two (started): 1. Erin Crocker 98 (2) 2. Droud Jr. 47 (4) 3. Kaley Gharst 44G (1) 4. Johnson 77x (6) 5. Zomer 91 (5) 6. Rager Phillips 10 (3) 7. Seth Brahmer 13v (7)

Crocker led flag to flag in a mostly single-file affair. Johnson was within striking distance of Gharst, but fell short at the line.

Heat three (started): 1. Mike Moore 69 (2) 2. Herrera 2w (4) 3. McCarl 17A (6) 4. Schneiderman 49 (5) 5. Skip Jackson 2 (3) 6. Mike Deavers 72 (1) DNS – Robby Wolfgang 7K

Moore led from start to finish. Most opted for the cushion on the dry track. Moves for position were decided early.

A main (started): 1. Droud Jr. (1) 2. Johnson (7) 3. Heskin (12) 4. Jackson (11) 5. Brown (2) 6. Madsen (8) 7. Bunton (17) 8. Moore (14) 9. Schneiderman (3) 10. Crocker (13) 11. Deavers (18) 12. Gharst (15) 13. Phillips (16) 14. Brahmer (20) 15. McCarl (6) 16. Jeffrey (10) 17. Moughan (19) 18. Herrera (9) 19. Zomer (4) 20. Maeschen (5) DNS – Wolfgang

Jeffrey got sideway in the slick in turn one, backed over the cushion, and flipped to start things. He was unhurt. Droud shot to the lead in the 20-lapper (shortened because of track conditions) in one and two. Brown slid in front of him in three and four, but Droud went back by to take the lead after lap one. Before two could be completed, Schneiderman started a slider on Brown for second that never got there. The car got sideways, and several were collected, including Zomer, who was done, Maeschen, who broke a front end and was done, McCarl, who replaced a top wing and returned. Schneiderman also returned. Droud led Brown, Johnson, Madsen and Herrera back to green flag racing. Rubber soon developed and Herrera was the first to find it. He picked off Madsen, then Brown, then Johnson. Finally he shot through the middle to pass a cushion riding Droud on lap eight. Droud came back on lap nine, and got below Herrera in one and two to lead it. On the frontstretch, Herrera’s driveline was shelled, and he was done. Heskin and Jackson both came from row six and were quickly in the top four. The last caution came on lap 13 for Moughan, who stopped in turn four. The restart saw Droud leading everyone around the bottom, ahead of Johnson, Heskin, Jackson and Brown. That is the way they would finish. Droud earned $3,500 for his 13th career feature win at Knoxville, moving him by Donny Schatz. Bunton was the hard-charger, with Heskin a close second.

360s

Clint Garner, who timed in the first group, set quick time at 16.260 seconds. The track went away quickly. Johnny Anderson was second quick, ahead of Chad Humston, RJ Johnson, Jon Agan, Tony Shilling, Bryan Dobesh, Tasker Phillips, John Hall and Jon Corbin.

Heat one (started): 1. Brett Mather 17G (2) 2. Matt Moro 2m (1) 3. Garner 40 (6) 4. Agan 4 (5) / 5. Nate Van Haaften 3 (3) 6. J. Hall 7H (4) 7. Alan Zoutte 33 (7)

Mather led the 7-lap distance. Garner made the most movement, grabbing third on the first two laps.

Heat two (started): 1. Jamie Ball 5J (2) 2. Josh Higday 10 (3) 3. Anderson 7a (6) 4. Corbin 9 (4) / 5. Ricky Montgomery 9m (1) 6. Ryan Bickett 17B (7) 7. Shilling 47T (5)

Ball led throughout and looked good. The best race was for third between Anderson and Corbin. Anderson was able to grab it in the final corner.

Heat three (started): 1. Dustin Selvage 7 (3) 2. Humston 1m (6) 3. Robby Wolfgang 7K (2) 4. Russ Hall 45c (4) / 5. Dobesh 54 (5) 6. Chad Heimbaugh 04 (1) 7. Jarrod Schneiderman 88 (7)

Selvage shot under Heimbaugh for an early lead he would carry flag to flag. Humston was up to the challenge and made a few moves on the point to no avail.

Heat four (started): 1. Tom Lenz 8L (2) 2. Ryan Roberts 18 (4) 3. Dennis Moore Jr. 2 (3) 4. RJ Johnson 71 (6) / 5. Danny Heskin 6 (1) 6. Phillips 7TAZ (5)

Lenz led throughout. Roberts and RJ Johnson made moves by Heskin for the final transfer spots.

B main (started): 1. Shilling (1) 2. Phillips (3) 3. Montgomery (6) 4. J. Hall (4) / 5. Heskin (8) 6. Van Haaften (5) 7. Bickett (10) 8. Heimbaugh (7) 9. Zoutte (9) 10. Schneiderman (11) 11. Dobesh (2)

Dobesh grabbed the early lead in the 10-lapper until a lap two caution for a spun Schneiderman. Smoke emanated from the Dobesh machine right before the caution, and he would surrender his lead and retire for the night. Shilling inherited the lead ahead of J. Hall, Montgomery, Phillips and Heskin. Montgomery and Phillips drove under J. Hall for position, and Phillips was able to slide in front of Montgomery for the second spot.

A main (started): 1. Humston (6) 2. Roberts (1) 3. R. Hall (2) 4. Agan (4) 5. Garner (8) 6. Higday (9) 7. Anderson (7) 8. Selvage (10) 9. Corbin (3) 10. Moore Jr. (11) 11. Wolfgang (14) 12. Moro (16) 13. Mather (12) 14. Montgomery (19) 15. Shilling (17) 16. Lenz (15) 17. Ball (13) 18. RJ Johnson (5) 19. Phillips (18) 20. J. Hall (20)

Roberts jumped out to an early lead, pulling away quickly in the 15-lapper (shortened from 20 because of track conditions). Agan settled into second, with Humston close behind. Humston made a successful pass for second at the midway point, but there was no catching Roberts, who took the white flag with more than a straightaway lead. That all changed on the white flag lap, when RJ Johnson slowed. That set up a green, white, checker, with Roberts leading ahead of Humston, Agan, R. Hall and Anderson. Humston slid in front of Roberts on the restart, and spoiled his bid for a win. The win was Humston’s first ever at Knoxville, and paid him $1,500.

305s

Heat one (started): 1. Matt Stephenson 55 (2) 2. Chad Huston 7c (4) 3. Dustin Clark 16 (1) 4. Mark Johnson 45 (6) 5. Ray Evernham 66 (7) 6. Casie Shilling 16c (5) 7. Andrew Turley 14 (3)

Heat two (started): 1. Tasker Phillips 7TAZ (1) 2. Matthew Stelzer 99 (4) 3. Mark Widmar 7w (6) 4. Chris Maurer 55x (3) 5. Chris Mallicoat 22 (2) 6. Mike Van Haaften 33 (5) 7. Lance Silvers 12 (7)

Heat three (started): 1. Steve Breazeale 57 (4) 2. Nick Ross R99 (2) 3. Mitchell Alexander 6 (5) 4. Marty Stephenson 36 (6) 5. Steve Palmer 2 (1) 6. Alan Ambers 93A (3) 7. Don Tice 2T (7)

A main (started): 1. Phillips (2) 2. Matt Stephenson (1) 3. Breazeale (3) 4. Huston (4) 5. Stelzer (5) 6. Alexander (9) 7. Clark (7) 8. Widmar (8) 9. Ross (6) 10. Mallicoat (14) 11. Maurer (11) 12. Johnson (10) 13. Ambers (18) 14. Marty Stephenson (12) 15. Shilling (16) 16. Palmer (15) 17. Evernham (13) 18. Turley (19) 19. Tice (20) 20. Van Haaften (17) DNS – Silvers

Phillips led the 12-lap distance for his second career 305 win at Knoxville. The race suffered two cautions. One was for Evernham, who spun in the slick on lap two, and Marty Stephenson, who spun out of tenth on lap nine.