From Bill W.
July 12, 2010 – Skip Jackson’s experience with Twin Features night on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway was a varied one. The Twin features did not resemble each other in any way. In the first, he struggled to a 17th place finish, before rebounding to lead much of the second and finish in the runner-up spot. The team will return this Saturday night, as the Sydney, New South Wales, Australia native continues to hold down the fourth position in the season 410 points’ race.
After qualifying 13th, Skip was set up outside of row one for the first heat. When the green fell, the J&S Auto Sports #2 jumped out of gear, and the veteran found himself running eighth. He would advance to sixth, one spot out of a transfer to the main event. “The night didn’t start too well,” he says. “We didn’t qualify that well, and then the car jumped out of gear right away in the heat race. That doesn’t happen very often, and unfortunately, we didn’t make the transfer.”
Skip dominated the B main, and would post outside row eight for the first of two 20-lap features. He struggled to a 17th place finish. “The car was good in the B,” he says. “It was not good in the first feature though. We were trying to move up, but we were kind of stuck back there behind guys in the dirty air. We just couldn’t go anywhere.”
The racing couldn’t have been better all night long on a well-prepared racing surface. Skip started third in the second feature, and quickly found himself in a battle for the lead with Rager Phillips. “We hit the setup well on the second one and we raced with Rager (Phillips) for the lead for several laps,” he says. “I was able to get the best of him after awhile, but the yellow came out with the white flag.”
Skip would take the lead on lap four, but Phillips came back to lead the next four. Finally, the Slideways Karting Center #2 was out front on lap nine. “He did a good job on the top, and I was on the bottom,” he says of Phillips. “It took us awhile to clear him, but once I did, we were pretty good.”
Victory was close at hand, but while taking the white flag, a caution came out, setting up a green, white, checker finish. Fellow New South Wales driver Ian Madsen restarted second, and was able to get by Skip on the final lap for his first career Knoxville win. “The motor may have stumbled a bit, but it was really not a big deal,” says Skip. “I had been running high before the caution, and that’s where I headed. Little Madsen just got a better run coming out of four, and good on him.”
The win is always the goal, but second was a solid finish for the team. “It is disappointing, but more so for Robbie, Paul and everyone else on the team who helps,” says Skip. “I appreciate all their help, and in the end, the finish was a good one. We’ll be ready for next week.”
To learn more about Skip Jackson and the J&S Auto Sports #2 team, visit www.SkipJackson.net!