by Bill Wright
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (May 30, 2026) – Brady Bacon made history at the Knoxville Raceway Saturday night in the finale of the Avanti Windows & Doors Corn Belt Clash. The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native won his sixth USAC National Sprint Car win here, tops all time with the series. It was worth $15,000. In addition, it was USAC sprint car win #63 for Bacon, good enough to pass Dave Darland for second on the all-time win list with the series. An exciting night of racing also saw Ryan Timms pass Austin McCarl late in lapped traffic to pick up his second Leighton State Bank 410 feature of the year. Bacon followed up his 30-lap USAC win by charging from 11th to finish third in the 25-lap 410 feature.
Jake Swanson took command of the USAC Corn Belt Clash early on, ahead of Kyle Cummins, Justin Grant, Bacon and Kevin Thomas Jr. On the second lap, Grant, Bacon and Thomas passed Cummins to move into second, third and fourth.
Bacon was working the low side of turns one and two and shot under Grant to take second on lap seven. Swanson was extending his lead, building a 5.2 second margin by lap 10 when he entered lapped traffic. Thomas took third from Grant on lap twelve, while CJ Leary moved into the top five. By lap 16, Bacon had cut Swanson’s lead to eight-tenths of a second while Thomas and Grant flip-flopped third.
With ten to go, Bacon had caught Swanson and shot under him in turn two to take the lead. Behind him, Briggs Danner had entered the top five with eight to go and took fourth with seven to go. A pass for third was negated when Clinton Bruns brought a caution with four laps to go.
Danner surged from fourth to second, and gained on Bacon, but the veteran bested him by six-tenths of a second for the $15,000 score. Thomas was third, ahead of Swanson and Leary. Gavin Miller, Grant, Cummins, Logan Seavey and Cale Coons rounded out the top ten. Leary set quick time over the field, while Bacon, Danner and Steven Snyder Jr. won the heats.
“I was really not sure what to do there,” said Bacon of the late going, beside his winning Chris Dyson #20 entry. “In traffic, you just try to go where they’re not. The bottom for me was really faster in one and two, but I really hadn’t run it aginst the lapped cars. I saw (Danner) poking his nose on the outside of me there, and so I knew I had to pick up the pace (in three and four) and get back to the top and run my line. Luckily, I was able to not lose the lead there, and pick up my pace on the bottom of one and two, and get back to the top of three and four.”
“I made a lot of good speed on top, really all race long,” said Danner. “We dropped back pretty far there early. I had a tough time getting going, and when it cleared out, I was able to make a little bit of headway and pick those cars off. I was sitting fourth and knew where I had to go to make my moves. I was happy to see them go to the bottom. To finish second to Brady here is a pretty good feat. I kind of have déjà vu here, I just have to get one spot better.”
“We had a good racecar,” said Thomas Jr. “Starting on the top there with the rework on the bottom, I knew I was kind of screwed. I just had to get some momentum going and get in line and try to race with them. We had a car good enough to do that. We could maneuver when we needed to and that’s all we can ask for. Congrats to Brady and Briggs, and all the guys up there who race good and race clean. It was a fun race, and we always have fun coming to Knoxville.”
The 25-lap Leighton State Bank 410 feature began with Austin McCarl out in front of Chris Martin, Ryan Timms, Jusitn Henderson and Sam Hafertepe Jr. On lap 5, Timms toook second from Martin low in turn one. A lap later, Sawyer Phillips tipped over in turn three. He was o.k., but done. At the same time, a header fire burned the rear tires of a seventh running Kelby Watt. He replaced them as well as a shock in the work area.
McCarl led Timms, Martin, Henderson and Hafertepe back to green. Hafertepe used the opportunity to shoot into the top three. On lap eighth, JJ Hickle moved into the top five after starting in the fifth row.
McCarl was back in traffic on lap twelve. Hickle shot by Martin for fourth on lap 16. Timms gained slowly on McCarl, but the leader was maneuvering well through traffic. On lap 24, that changed, when he was slowed behind a lapper. Timms had the preferred low line and squeezed under the lapped car into a lead he would not relinquish. On the same lap, Brady Bacon completed a run from row six to go from fifth to third.
Hickle and Martin trailed the lead trio at the line. Hafertepe, Henderson, Carson McCarl, Riley Goodno and Lynton Jeffrey completed the top ten. Carson McCarl and Timms set quick time over their respective qualifying groups. Henderson, Austin McCarl, Timms and Martin won the heats. Ayrton Gennetten claimed the B main.
“It sucks,” said Timms of Austin’s plight. “I know what it’s like to be out front and have lapped cars in front of you in the preferred lane and not know where to go. I saw Austin struggling with lapped cars there. He got going on the top with the lapped cars and kind of stalled out. For whatever reason, I had a lane on the bottom a couple of times. I maybe could have made up ground on him, but for whatever reason, I decided to go through the middle. That was working for me getting through lapped cars, and I didn’t want to switch that up. Being the hunter, it’s less pressure knowing you can capitalize on what’s ahead of you. This is such a fast racecar. We had a tough weekend last week, so it’s good to get two wins here to start the week. It was a great job by Austin. He ran a good race and made very few mistakes. We were fortunate to get that one, but we had a great racecar.”
Join us Saturday, June 6 for Lakeside Hotel & Casino Knoxville Legends Night as we celebrate the careers of Randy Smith, David Hesmer and Jack Herwehe! Interviews with the three will be conducted at 5:30 p.m. behind the grandstands! The Leighton State Bank 410’s, Randall Roofing 360’s and Raceway Tire & Muffler Pro Sprints will all be in action! For more information on the Knoxville Raceway, visit us online at www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
Avanti Windows & Doors Corn Belt Clash
AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 Laps: 1. 53, CJ Leary, Greenfield, IN, 19.017 (7); 2. 4, Justin Grant, Ione, CA, 19.027 (5); 3. 21AZ, Gavin Miller, Allentown, PA, 19.062 (4); 4. 3P, Kyle Cummins, Princeton, IN, 19.079 (14); 5. 3R, Kevin Thomas Jr, Cullman, AL, 19.113 (3); 6. 5T, Jake Swanson, Anaheim, CA, 19.144 (1); 7. 63, Cale Coons, Greencastle, IN, 19.189 (18); 8. 57, Logan Seavey, Sutter, CA, 19.301 (11); 9. 19AZ, Mitchel Moles, Raisin City, CA, 19.321 (2); 10. 20, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK, 19.330 (22); 11. 39, Briggs Danner, Allentown, PA, 19.356 (25); 12. 17, Ryan Bernal, Hollister, CA, 19.433 (12); 13. 92, Chase Stockon, Fort Branch, IN, 19.501 (23); 14. 19, Hayden Reinbold, Gilbert, AZ, 19.535 (8); 15. 91, Riley Kreisel, Warsaw, MO, 19.572 (20); 16. 21K, Kobe Simpson, Bonham, TX, 19.686 (9); 17. 12, Robert Ballou, Rocklin, CA, 19.753 (28); 18. 87, Steven Snyder Jr, Rising Sun, MD, 19.807 (27); 19. 47, Charles Davis Jr, Buckeye, AZ, 19.835 (6); 20. 1, Justin Zimmerman, Athens, TX, 19.851 (16); 21. 1P, RJ Johnson, Laveen, AZ, 19.857 (21); 22. 45N, Troy Carey, Tullamore, NSW, Aust., 20.244 (24); 23. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust., 20.475 (10); 24. 6K, Jake Kouba, Farmington, MN, 20.769 (19); 25. 7, Clinton Bruns, Little Rock, IA, 20.890 (15); 26. 15E, Dakota Earls, Independence, MO, 21.089 (26); 27. 11B, Ben Woods, Newton, IA, 21.110 (13); 28. 7X, Lance Silvers, Ottumwa, IA, 23.641 (17)
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:45.2: 1. 20, Brady Bacon (3); 2. 92, Chase Stockon (2); 3. 63, Cale Coons (4); 4. 3P, Kyle Cummins (5); 5. 21K, Kobe Simpson (1); 6. 53, CJ Leary (6); 7. 47, Charles Davis Jr (7); 8. 45N, Troy Carey (8); 9. 7, Clinton Bruns (9); 10. 7X, Lance Silvers (10)
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:44.8: 1. 39, Briggs Danner (3); 2. 12, Robert Ballou (1); 3. 4, Justin Grant (6); 4. 57, Logan Seavey (4); 5. 3R, Kevin Thomas Jr (5); 6. 19, Hayden Reinbold (2); 7. 75, Glen Saville (7); DNS – 1, Justin Zimmerman; 15E, Dakota Earls
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:46.2: 1. 87, Steven Snyder Jr (1); 2. 17, Ryan Bernal (3); 3. 5T, Jake Swanson (5); 4. 21AZ, Gavin Miller (6); 5. 19AZ, Mitchel Moles (4); 6. 91, Riley Kreisel (2); 7. 1P, RJ Johnson (7); 8. 11B, Ben Woods (9); 9. 6K, Jake Kouba (8)
A main (started), 30 Laps, NT: 1. 20, Brady Bacon (7); 2. 39, Briggs Danner (8); 3. 3R, Kevin Thomas Jr (2); 4. 5T, Jake Swanson (1); 5. 53, CJ Leary (6); 6. 21AZ, Gavin Miller (4); 7. 4, Justin Grant (5); 8. 3P, Kyle Cummins (3); 9. 57, Logan Seavey (11); 10. 63, Cale Coons (10); 11. 1P, RJ Johnson (20); 12. 19AZ, Mitchel Moles (12); 13. 87, Steven Snyder Jr (9); 14. 17, Ryan Bernal (13); 15. 92, Chase Stockon (14); 16. 12, Robert Ballou (18); 17. 21K, Kobe Simpson (17); 18. 19, Hayden Reinbold (15); 19. 47, Charles Davis Jr (19); 20. 6K, Jake Kouba (24); 21. 45N, Troy Carey (22); 22. 11B, Ben Woods (23); 23. 7, Clinton Bruns (25); 24. 91, Riley Kreisel (16); 25. 75, Glen Saville (21); 26. 7X, Lance Silvers (26) DNS – 1, Justin Zimmerman, 15E, Dakota Earls. Lap Leaders: Swanson 1-19, Bacon 20-30. Hard-charger: RJ Johnson.
Leighton State Bank 410 Results
Time Trials Group 1 (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA, 15.033 (10); 2. 21H, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK, 15.044 (4); 3. 2M, JJ Hickle, Quilcene, WA, 15.245 (2); 4. 88, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA, 15.265 (17); 5. 11, Justin Henderson, Tea, SD, 15.275 (7); 6. 15J, Jack Potter, Lee’s Summit, MO, 15.288 (6); 7. 7B, Ben Brown, Marshall, MO, 15.468 (3); 8. 22, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA, 15.512 (15); 9. 1TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA, 15.516 (14); 10. 49, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA, 15.520 (11); 11. 2K, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust., 15.543 (16); 12. 4W, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA, 15.565 (5); 13. 45X, Rees Moran, Tulsa, OK, 15.627 (8); 14. 121, RJ Johnson, Tampa, FL, 15.720 (12); 15. 44X, Scotty Johnson, Melcher, Dallas, IA, 15.794 (13); 16. 9JR, Derek Hagar, Marion, AR, 15.861 (19); 17. 15JR, Cole Mincer, Burlington, IA, 15.870 (9); 18. 12X, Landon Crawley, Benton, AR, 15.914 (18); 19. 95, Tyler Drueke, Eagle, NE, 15.974 (1)
Time Trials Group 2 (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 10, Ryan Timms, Oklahoma City, OK, 15.322 (5); 2. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO, 15.432 (7); 3. 28, Jace Park, Overland Park, KS, 15.452 (4); 4. 1K, Kelby Watt, Adel, IA, 15.475 (15); 5. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA, 15.599 (1); 6. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA, 15.617 (18); 7. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Sunnyvale, TX, 15.726 (2); 8. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA, 15.769 (8); 9. 3G, Ayrton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, MO, 15.773 (6); 10. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD, 15.795 (9); 11. 19, Kaleb Johnson, Sioux Falls, SD, 15.834 (12); 12. 2KS, Jack Anderson, Newton, IA, 15.935 (16); 13. 95X, Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK, 16.008 (17); 14. 27B, Garrett Benson, Concordia, MO, 16.075 (11); 15. 3, Cole Schroeder, Bozeman, MT, 16.157 (3); 16. 98P, Miles Paulus, Marshall, MO, 16.224 (13); 17. 10V, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA, 16.488 (10); 18. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA, 16.669 (14)
Heat one (started), 8 Laps, 2:13.2: 1. 11, Justin Henderson (2); 2. 27, Carson McCarl (4); 3. 2M, JJ Hickle (1); 4. 45X, Rees Moran (5); 5. 2K, Lynton Jeffrey (6) / 6. 15JR, Cole Mincer (7); 7. 95, Tyler Drueke (9); 8. 44X, Scotty Johnson (8); 9. 1TAZ, Tasker Phillips (3); DNS – 7B, Ben Brown
Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:12.7: 1. 88, Austin McCarl (3); 2. 22, Riley Goodno (1); 3. 21H, Brady Bacon (4); 4. 4W, Jamie Ball (6); 5. 121, RJ Johnson (7) / 6. 12X, Landon Crawley (9); 7. 9JR, Derek Hagar (8); 8. 49, Josh Schneiderman (5); 9. 15J, Jack Potter (2)
Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:13.3: 1. 10, Ryan Timms (4); 2. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr (1); 3. 28, Jace Park (3); 4. 3P, Sawyer Phillips (2); 5. 19, Kaleb Johnson (6) / 6. 3G, Ayrton Gennetten (5); 7. 95X, Matt Covington (7); 8. 3, Cole Schroeder (8); 9. 10V, Joe Beaver (9)
Heat four (started), 8 Laps, 2:14.8: 1. 44, Chris Martin (1); 2. 24, Terry McCarl (2); 3. 21, Brian Brown (4); 4. 1K, Kelby Watt (3); 5. 2KS, Jack Anderson (6) / 6. 40, Clint Garner (5); 7. 98P, Miles Paulus (8); 8. 27B, Garrett Benson (7); 9. 56, Joe Simbro (9)
B main (started), 12 Laps, 3:35.7: 1. 3G, Ayrton Gennetten (2); 2. 12X, Landon Crawley (4); 3. 1TAZ, Tasker Phillips (12); 4. 9JR, Derek Hagar (8) / 5. 95, Tyler Drueke (6); 6. 40, Clint Garner (5); 7. 15J, Jack Potter (1); 8. 15JR, Cole Mincer (3); 9. 95X, Matt Covington (7); 10. 98P, Miles Paulus (9); 11. 44X, Scotty Johnson (10); 12. 10V, Joe Beaver (15); 13. 27B, Garrett Benson (13); 14. 3, Cole Schroeder (11); 15. 56, Joe Simbro (14); DNS – 49, Josh Schneiderman, 7B, Ben Brown
A main (started), 25 Laps, NT: 1. 10, Ryan Timms (3); 2. 88, Austin McCarl (2); 3. 21H, Brady Bacon (11); 4. 2M, JJ Hickle (9); 5. 44, Chris Martin (1); 6. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr (6); 7. 11, Justin Henderson (4); 8. 27, Carson McCarl (5); 9. 22, Riley Goodno (7); 10. 2K, Lynton Jeffrey (17); 11. 24, Terry McCarl (8); 12. 19, Kaleb Johnson (18); 13. 21, Brian Brown (12); 14. 9JR, Derek Hagar (24); 15. 1K, Kelby Watt (16); 16. 12X, Landon Crawley (22); 17. 1TAZ, Tasker Phillips (23); 18. 45X, Rees Moran (13); 19. 3G, Ayrton Gennetten (21); 20. 2KS, Jack Anderson (20); 21. 4W, Jamie Ball (15); 22. 121, RJ Johnson (19); 23. 3P, Sawyer Phillips (14); 24. 28, Jace Park (10). Lap Leaders: A. McCarl 1-23, Timms 24-25. Hard-charger: Hagar.