COMMENTARY-Knoxville WoO Recap

by Chris Moses

Luckily all of nasty weather missed Knoxville, and we were treated to some great Outlaw racing on Friday and Saturday nights.

My take...

Friday

-There were 53 sprinters in the pits on Friday evening. Sadly, I think there were more people in the pits than in the stands, as there was a sparse crowd in attendance.

-Jason Meyers set quick time, running a 14.969 second lap.

-The heat races were mostly single file, with very little passing.

-Brook Tatnell looked impressive in winning the Outlaw Dash, and started on the front row of the A Feature. Unfortunately for Tatnell, he suffered engine problems in the A, and was forced to retire early, finishing 21st.

It’s been a tough season for Tatnell, and what started out as a promising evening ended in disappointment.

-After Tatnell brought out the yellow flag, Donny Schatz inherited the lead. It looked like Schatz was on his way to an easy victory, but was soon challenged by Shane Stewart.

Stewart was very strong in the Beef Packers 83 car, and had a great battle with Schatz for the top spot. Eventually, Stewart was able to pass Schatz, and went on to win his first Outlaw feature of the season.

Schatz finished second, Jason Meyers was third, Tony Bruce Jr. fourth, and Jac Haudenschild rounded out the top five.

-I have nothing against Schatz, but I like watching a new driver win every now and again.

-It was a difficult night for Nebraska drivers. Seth Brahmer’s night ended with a third in the C feature, one spot out of a transfer. In the B main, Jack Dover ran 11th, and Billy Alley, a week removed from his first feature victory of the season, finished eighth.

-Tony Bruce Jr. had a nice drive Friday, winning his heat, finishing second in the dash and eventually fourth in the A feature.

-I was shocked that the support program on Friday consisted of dirt trucks. I was told the track didn’t have to pay a dime to get them to run, but something isn’t right about a support show at Knoxville. I guess that’s the world we’re living in these days.

Saturday

-There was a much bigger crowd on Saturday, although it’s always difficult to tell at Knoxville. A crowd of four-thousand fans looks small when sitting in grandstands built for 10,000.

-Craig Dollansky set quick time with a lap of 15.525. Slower track than Friday, but it would ultimately be a lot racier.

-Unlike Friday, Saturday’s heat races featured plenty of wheel-to-wheel racing.

-Iowa native Terry McCarl won the dash. There was a rumor circulating around the Outlaw pits that T-Mac’s team was going to drop off the tour after the Knoxville date. No word yet if that’s true.

-Billy Alley’s weekend went from bad to worse. Saturday, he finished 12th in his head, and 11th in the C.

-Jack Dover bounced back and qualified for the A, and finished 24th. Dover has learned a lot about racing, but I’m sure it’s still an education to run with the Outlaws. He has learned how to qualify for an Outlaw A feature, stay out of trouble and finish the race.

-There were no caution periods in either the 360 or Outlaw features. First time I’ve seen that in a while.

-Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana raced each other extremely hard. Schatz eventually grabbed the lead from Saldana late in the race with an aggressive move on the bottom of turns one and two.

I like aggressive moves.

-Saldana held on for second, Terry McCarl third, Jason Meyers fourth and Craig Dollansky fifth.

-Saldana looked upset with his second place run. He and the Budweiser crew were nowhere to be found after the show’s conclusion. I don’t blame them for wanting to leave early, but that always leaves some fan disappointed. No race team of mine will ever leave a racetrack early. Ever.

-I wasn’t able to watch the entire 360 feature, but I did notice that Natalie Sather had a nice 3rd place run. She finished behind winner Wayne Johnson and runner-up Matt Moro. I’m telling you, I think it’s only a matter of time before Sather picks up a feature.

Sather does have the “Danica” look down. You hardly ever see her without some big sunglasses, and like Danica, always has her long black hair in a single ponytail.

-It was another frusterating night for Ryan Roberts. Mechanical problems forced him to drop out of the A, and he was credited with 20th.

-Overall it was a fine night of sprint car racing. The Outlaws showed why they are the premier series in the country. Schatz showed why he’s arguably the best winged sprint car driver in the country right now, and Knoxville showed why it’s one of the best places anywhere to watch a race.

And Finally…

-Bobby Becker won his first ever A feature at Eagle Raceway on Saturday night. Congratulations to Becker, his crew and family!

Defending track champion Mike Boston was second, and Larry Pinegar II finished third for the second week in a row.

-This Friday marks my first trip to Eagle since the first weekend in April. I’m looking forward to taking the weekend off from my NOS promotional duties, and just watch some racing.

Next Up…

6/13-Back Row Challenge, Eagle Raceway

6/14-World of Outlaws, Eagle Raceway