USAC Triple Crown & Knoxville Weekly

Another successful race weekend. It was an eclectic mix of racing this weekend, or as eclectic as I get in my racing tastes.

We started off at Iowa Speedway near Newton to watch the USAC Triple Crown show. Then it was off to Knoxville to catch the weekly show.

My take...

Iowa Speedway

-There was nearly 30 midgets that took the green flag for their 25 lap race. The sprints had 28 in their race, and the silver crowns 15.

-The midget race was very competitive. Bobby East in the Klatt/East 4 car led the way early, fighting with Tom Hessert and Billy Wease. Hessert and East swapped the lead, and Wease was finally able to wrestle away the top spot to go onto the win.

-It was a fun race to watch if you're a Ford fan. Wease's Western Speed car was an Esslinger Ford, as was East's car.

-Two drivers that had great runs in the midget race were Tyler Walker in the Kahne 99 and Mr. Excitement Brad Loyet. Both started near the tail of the field and ended up in the top 5.

-I think Bobby East turned in one of the best performances of the day. After finishing second in the midget race, he finished fifth in the sprints, and finally, won the 100 lap silver crown race driving for AJ Foyt. That was Bobby's first run in the new style SC car. Bobby doesn't run open wheel as much as he used to so it was nice getting to watch him run open wheel again.

-Front row qualifier Dave Darland wasn't able to take the green flag for the sprint race. The driver of the Pace Brothers blue 44 car had engine problems that forced Darland to retire. The racing is always better when great drivers like DD are involved.

-Brady Bacon wasn't able to run the event at the Iowa Speedway because he wasn't old enough. I'm not sure if that's a USAC rule but I think it should be changed. If Bacon can throw a sprinter around 4 corners at Eldora, than he's old enough for the Iowa Speedway.

-I remember Tyler Walker as always being a crowd favorite when he toured with the Outlaws. Walker was again at his best yesterday, with two great performances, a sprint car win, and completed things with his signature back flip in victory lane.

-When is Ford Racing going to get into sprints? I may be the only person that looks at this, but it seems strange that Bobby East drove a Ford Sponsored car that was Chevy powered. Come on Ford, give them a motor!

-Watching the action from the pit wall made us feel like real BTARS (Big Time Auto Racers). We sat right in the Klatt and East pits, so hopefully we didn't get in their way too much!

-I had a very nice time talking with Indiana racer Kevin Studley. I'm sure yesterday wasn't was he was looking for, but he's a great driver and there will be better days. We're also the proud owners of Studley's cool black t-shirt. There can't be too many of those around Lincoln.

-Mark Jessup is quietly becoming a force in USAC racing.

-I wonder why Dave Steele didn't have a silver crown ride.

-The Iowa Speedway is a beautiful facility, and I'm looking forward to returning there in June for the Indy Racing League show.

Knoxville Raceway

You'd think that after a full afternoon of walking around the pits we'd have our race fix? Nope, not us. We're way dumber than you might think. After a day of getting in the way at the USAC show, we topped off the evening of getting in the way in the pits at Knoxville for their Championship Cup Series weekly races.

-Two new winners, in the 410's it was Dustin Lindquist and in the 360's Bryan Dobesh.

-Oval Operator Jack Dover looked pretty frustrated with his 15th place finish in the 410 feature. However I think he was being too hard on himself. Dover timed in ninth quick and finished fourth in his heat. More importantly, he ran hard, kept his nose clean and finished the night in the A feature. Nice job, keep learning and good things will come.

-Kaley Gharst had a stellar run. Gharst had to run the B, which he won, and followed it up with a fourth place finish in the A.

-Another frustrating night for the defending 410 champ Billy Alley? He started I believe fourth in the feature and finished eighth. A top ten is usually a solid night, but I'm sure Alley would have wanted more.

-There were some violent crashes last night. The worst came in the 360 B main. Four cars were involved, with Danny Heskin getting the worst of it. After looking at the remains of his car it seemed that the full containment seat saved him. That's the third time this year I've seen those seats save drivers from worse injuries. Thankfully, in that wreck last night, none involved were seriously injured.

-The track was of course very tacky, and remained that way all night. Gorgeous!

-Two programs and the racing was done with by ten. Knoxville knows how to run a program. I'm looking forward to seeing a whole lot of shows there this season.

And Finally...

The Rain stayed away, races over with by ten, a cold beer at the Dingus by ten thirty, and in bed by midnight. The perfect end to a great day's worth of racing.

Photos to follow.

Next Up...

Knoxville Raceway, 360 & 410 Championship Cup Series, May 12.