By Lee Elder
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (Aug. 12, 2010) – Shane Stewart started sixth in the opening night feature and won, putting himself among the early favorites to win the 50th Goodyear Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway.
The race is the biggest event on the sprint car racing calendar every season and it celebrates its golden anniversary this year. It is the race every sprint car driver wants to win.
Goodyear is the exclusive tire provider for the rear wheel positions at Knoxville Raceway. To commemorate the 50th running of the Nationals, Goodyear put a special stencil on the sidewalls of the right rear tires built for the Nationals.
“I had a great car tonight and everything worked out,” Stewart said.
Stewart vaulted from the third row to third place in the first lap and finally got the lead from Brandon Wimmer in time to lead the final five laps.
Craig Dollansky finished second, followed by Chad Kemenah, Davey Keskin and Jason Sides.
“This is the exciting brand of racing we’ve seen at Knoxville all season long,” said Justin Fantozzi, Goodyear marketing manager. “We saw passing all through the field tonight and we expect the same for the remainder of the weekend.”
Dollansky finished second after starting 12th in the 24-car field. He said solid track preparation played a role in Wednesday’s exciting race and that Saturday’s 50-lap final could have more of the same kind of racing.
“I think track preparation is going to be a key part of (Saturday’s feature),” Dollansky said. “When you have a good track, like we did tonight, then it’s easier on the tires…We started 12th and we got to second tonight. There was a lot of passing. When you have a bottom and you have a top, then you can’t ask for anything more.”
Wednesday’s racing was the qualification work for one half of the entries. The second half of the field will go through the same procedures – qualifying, heat races and feature races – that Wednesday’s competitors used.
More information about Goodyear Racing is available at www.racegoodyear.com. More information about the 50th Goodyear Knoxville Nationals is available at www.knoxvilleraceway.com.