Kyle Larson celebrates with his son Owen after winning his second career Knoxville Nationals for sprint cars on Aug. 12 at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
Submitted photo
Kyle Larson reigned supreme on Aug. 12 when he captured his second NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals Presented by Casey’s in three years in Knoxville, Iowa.
The Elk Grove, California, native joined Donny Schatz (2015) as the only two drivers to lead wire to wire since the “Granddaddy of Them All” went to 50 laps in distance. Larson earned $185,000 for his win aboard the Paul Silva No. 57. It was his 10th career win at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World.”
Larson, who earned the pole on his Aug. 10 qualifying night, shot out to a big lead over Schatz, Rico Abreu, Carson Macedo and Kerry Madsen. Larson built a 3.7 second lead by the fifth lap, and was already in traffic on Lap 7. Abreu moved by Schatz for second on lap 14, as Logan Schuchart entered the top five.
Chase Randall had a top-10 run stopped with a flat right rear tire on Lap 15. At the same time, Abreu’s right rear was going flat, and he had to surrender the runner-up spot. Larson shot back out to a lead, as Madsen jumped from sixth to fourth on the restart, and he and Schuchart battled back and forth. Gio Scelzi and David Gravel waged their own duel for the sixth spot as Larson re-entered traffic on Lap 22, before a mandatory red flag at the halfway point. Larson led Schatz, Macedo, Schuchart and Madsen to begin the second half.
Schuchart quickly moved into third, while Scelzi entered the top five. Schuchart put a slider on Schatz in Turn 4 for second on Lap 27. That’s the point, Gravel continued his charge from row eleven, dueling and winning a battle with Macedo for the fourth spot. With ten laps to go, Schuchart’s runner-up bid ended in a puff of smoke, bringing out the last caution.
The 10-lap dash saw Larson ahead of Schatz, Gravel, Scelzi and Macedo. Gravel’s slider in Turn 4 on Schatz earned him second with eight to go, and Scelzi performed the same type of move on Schatz for
third. Schatz rebounded late in a three-wide battle for third, and Scelzi finished fourth. Macedo was fifth, followed by Brad Sweet, Abreu, Buddy Kofoid, Madsen, and Sheldon Haudenschild.
Pierce wins North-South
Bobby Pierce led the final 10 laps of a barn-burner of a race as he pulled away from Ricky Thornton Jr. to win his second career Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil on August 12 at the Florence Speedway. Pierce’s fifth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season was worth $75,000. Pierce also won the race in 2016.
Pierce, who started 13th in the field, was the fifth different leader of the race. He withstood a battle with Thornton, who had started 23rd . Thornton led Laps 88 and 89 after taking the lead from Pierce, who was out in front on Laps 81-87.
Hudson O’Neal, who led a race-high 59 circuits, finished in third, followed by Jonathan Davenport and Daulton Wilson.
Spencer Hughes led the opening lap before yielding the point to three-time North-South 100 winner Jimmy Owens. Owens led 21 laps until O’Neal got by him on Lap 23 to become the third different leader in the first quarter of the race. O’Neal held down the race lead until Lap 81 when Pierce took over the top spot for the first time.
A poor restart with 13 laps to go nearly cost Pierce the victory, but he recovered from a side-by-side duel with Thornton, and he went on to win by a little over 2 seconds at the finish.
“Oh man, I stepped on it good there on that restart. I thought the top would be great on exit, but I spun the wheels. I would have never had to dirty Ricky up if I hadn’t had done that. I’ve got to apologize to him. I wasn’t quite clear, but I didn’t really complete the slider. We just got side-by-side there and drag raced down the front stretch, and I had to work for that one. It was tough,” said the 26-year-old Oakwood, Illinois, driver, who also collected two preliminary night wins to add to his healthy win on Aug. 12, which put him at $85,000 in earnings for the weekend.
“Once (Thornton) got by me, I thought that was it,” he added. “I didn’t know if the top was still left over there in Turn 1. That’s what let me get that bite. The tires were perfect, my crew said, and to go 100 laps as hard as I was racing it. It is just an awesome car that I get to drive. We knew heading into it about the heat race invert. I think what they did earlier with the heat races made for a great racetrack for the feature. The racetrack was perfect for the feature. It made for a heck of a show. I didn’t think the top was going to be like that. I thought it was going to be on the bottom.”
Thornton’s stirring run almost got him his first North-South 100 win.
“We will move on and put that one in the memory bank,” Thornton said. “Congrats to him. He ran a good race. You could kind of tell he was riding in second behind Hud, and once I showed my nose, he made sure to get by him,” as the three top cars were within inches of each other. “Once I got by Hud, I tried to run (Pierce) as hard as I could without knocking the fence down. Seems like in a lot of races here lately, it gets a big curb against the wall. I think without that, we might have had a really good car.”
O’Neal, whose father Don won the crown jewel twice in his career, rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third.
“I just got a little too tight right there at the end and really in the middle of the race, and I was tight against the cushion as well,” Hudson O’Neal said. “All-in-all we had a good run. We made progress during the weekend. I am looking forward to going to Batesville next week. I am looking forward to going back to the race shop and re-grouping after a long couple of months on the road.”
Completing the top 10 were Chris Ferguson, Earl Pearson Jr., Devin Moran, Max Blair and Kyle Bronson.
This week in racing history
From 60 years ago in 1963 at Lawrenceburg, Tom Mattlin won the super modified feature over Mike Johnson and Wayne Wolf. Carl Kiser won the stock car feature over Whitey Freeman and Bruce Gould.
From 50 years ago this weekend at Brownstown, Don Hobbs won the late model feature over Chris Bradley and Jim Curry.
In 1973 at Lawrenceburg, Calvin Gilstrap won the sprint car feature over Butch Wilkerson, Larry Miller, Leon Thickstun and Bob Papoy.
Also in 1973 at Twin Cities, Johnny Robbins won the feature over Jim Raymer, Tommy Day, Bruce Steinert and Jack Booher.
From 50 years ago, the Columbus Kart Club winners were Kevin Rice, Kim Smith, Dan Londeree, Butch Jerrell, Mel Worrell and Bill Ault.
From 40 years ago in 1983 at Brownstown, Russ Petro won the Jackson 100 for late models over Charlie Swartz, Ray Godsey, Roger Absher and Don Hobbs. Carl Collins won the limited late model feature over
Ernie Barrow, Lee Fleetwood, Gary Harden, and Tim Engelau. Don Barnett won the street stock feature over Mike Bechelli, Rodney Bayes, Rodney Gaines and Karl Roethemeier.
Also in 1983 at Twin Cities, Scott McKeand won the limited late model feature race over Chuck Gilpin, Robert Brison, Mike Fowler and Daryl Herbert. Bill Franks won the street stock feature over Brad Tobias, Terry Eaglin, Willie Sallee and Larry Gingery.
In 1983 at Lawrenceburg, Leon Thickstun won the sprint car feature over Bernie Graybeal, Greg Staab, Danny Milburn and Gary Gray. Ross Smith won the late model feature over Charlie Sentman, Danny Eichler, Ed Hounshell and Bobby Carnes.
From 40 years ago in 1983, 12-year-old Tony Stewart won the 2-cycle rookie class National Go-Kart Title in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Also in 1983 at Bloomington, Sammy Swindell won the World of Outlaws Sprint Car feature over Steve Kinser, Bobby Allen, Shane Carson and Rickey Hood.
From 30 years ago in 1993 at Brownstown, Davey Johnson won the Jackson 100 for late models over Billy Moyer, Bob Pierce, Donnie Moran and Larry Moore. Earl Plessinger won the street stock feature over Jeff Wilson, Darin George, Scott Patman and Tim Clark. Don Kiger won the modified feature over Dale Dubois, Mark Barber, Mark Johnson and Tony Godsey. Murl Robinson won the bomber feature over Joe Johnson, Bob Schrader, Robbie Wilson and Mike Jones.
Also in 1993 at Salem, Jim Keeker won the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial Race over Kenny Irwin Jr., Robbie Stanley, Tony Stewart and Doug Kalitta.
From 1993 at Haubstadt, Tim Engler won the sprint car feature over Mark Cummins and Joey Nash. Kevin Claycomb won the late model feature over Steve Karnes and Ron Fisher.
Upcoming local racing schedule
Today: Columbus Speedway Go-Kart Racing, Tony Stewart Speedway, Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds – go-kart racing. Driver’s meeting is at 3 p.m.
Today: Brownstown Speedway – crate late models, modifieds, super stocks, hornets and crown vics. For more information, visit brownstownspeedway.com
Today: Lawrenceburg Speedway – sprints, modifieds, super stocks and hornets. For more information, visit lawrenceburgspeedway.com
Today: Circle City Raceway, Indianapolis – enduro, crown vics and figure 8’s. For more information, visit circlecityraceway.com
Friday: Circle City Raceway, Indianapolis – crate late models, modifieds, Kenyon Midgets, pure stocks and steel block sprints.
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]
