Larson Capitalizes On Night 1 of Goodyear Knoxville Nationals
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[/media-credit]KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Aug. 8, 2012 – He’s done it again.
Kyle Larson, the phenom who wins in anything and everything he races, claimed the opening night of the 52nd annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals on a stormy Wednesday at Knoxville Raceway in his first attempt in the prestigious event.
“Getting a win at Knoxville is so big, but it’s only a prelim night,” Larson said after winning the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event. “It’s going to be tough for sure, but tonight gave me a lot of confidence going into Saturday.”
Larson took the checkered flags for the first time at the famed half mile around 1 a.m. to complete the weather-delayed opener in the biggest weekend in sprint car racing. Night Two of qualifying is Thursday with Opening Ceremonies scheduled for 8 p.m.
On Wednesday, a vicious storm blanketed the area with rain, wind and lightning around 4:20 p.m. The facility was under a severe thunderstorm warning during the storm, which lasted more than an hour before tractors began to work the soggy grounds. Cars first touched the track around 9 p.m. – approximately two hours late.
The weather also set up for a fast track and conditions that made it tough to pass most of the night. Eight of the top 10 qualifiers failed to advance out of the heats and it didn’t get any easier in the 25-lap main event.
Polesitter Davey Heskin dominated the first half of the race before the first caution on lap 14 for Mike Reinke, who stopped in turn four. At the same time the caution waved, second-running Randy Hannagan went up in smoke on the frontstretch after a fitting broke. His car caught fire under caution and had to be extinguished in the work area to cap Hannagan’s night.
Jason Sides utilized a near-perfect slide job on Heskin for the lead in turn two on the restart and Larson slid Heskin for the runner-up position in turn four. The trio entered traffic in a tight battle with seven laps remaining and a lap later, Sides’ left rear tire exploded in turn two. He spun around and ended up tipping over, which gave Larson the lead.
Sides was able to continue, but stopped in turn four with four laps remaining to set up another late restart. This time Brian Paulus was on Larson’s tail after narrowly passing Heskin on the previous lap. However, Paulus slowed dramatically while running second as he was facing the white flag and eventually brought out the final caution, which set up a green-white-checkered finish.
Larson sailed to the lead on the restart and Heskin held off Donny Schatz for second place after the duo traded slide jobs in the closing laps.
“I was just lucky to get back by Schatz,” Heskin said.
Schatz, the defending Goodyear Knoxville Nationals champion and the winner in five of the last six events, joked about being the elder of the podium finishers and praised Larson for the big win.
“This kid’s got a lot of talent in everything he drives,” Schatz said. “It’s good to see the younger guys come up.”
Craig Dollansky charged from 22nd to finish fourth and Lucas Wolfe ended fifth. Brooke Tatnell was sixth, 23rd-starter Shane Stewart placed seventh, 21st-starter Joey Saldana finished eighth, Dustin Selvage was ninth and Jonathan Allard rounded out the top 10.
52nd annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals Night 1 Statistical Report; Knoxville Raceway; Knoxville, Iowa; Aug. 8, 2012
A Feature (25 laps) – 1. Kyle Larson (3); 2. Davey Heskin (1); 3. Donny Schatz (5); 4. Craig Dollansky (22); 5. Lucas Wolfe (7); 6. Brooke Tatnell (11); 7. Shane Stewart (23); 8. Joey Saldana (21); 9. Dustin Selvage (10); 10. Jonathan Allard (8); 11. Jeff Swindell (13); 12. Austin McCarl (14); 13. Don Droud Jr. (16); 14. Paul McMahan (24); 15. Ed Lynch Jr. (20); 16. Glen Saville (18); 17. AJ Moeller (12); 18. Brian Paulus (6); 19. Lee Sowell (15); 20. Jason Sides (4); 21. Casey Mack (17); 22. Randy Hannagan (2); 23. Kerry Madsen (9); 24. Mike Reinke (19).
Qualifying – 1. 9, Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN (28), 14.715; 2. 7, Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN (10), 14.768; 3. 0, Jonathan Allard, Chico, CA (22), 14.813; 4. 13x, Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN (2), 14.832; 5. 82, Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD (12), 14.847; 6. 89G, David Gravel, Watertown, CT (13), 14.851; 7. 57, Shane Stewart, Bixby, OK (3), 14.88; 8. 51, Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, PA (8), 14.891; 9. 5w, Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, PA (31), 14.901; 10. 63, Chad Kemenah, Findlay, OH (20), 14.905; 11. 28, Brian Paulus, Mooresville, IN (32), 14.94; 12. 15, Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND (11), 14.948; 13. 6R, Ryan Bunton, Morton, IL (4), 14.958; 14. 2x, Dustin Morgan, Tulsa, OK (15), 14.97; 15. 11, Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN (48), 14.97; 16. 26, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (27), 14.981; 17. 7s, Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN (19), 14.987; 18. 13v, Seth Brahmer, Wisner, NE (6), 15.002; 19. 1K, Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA (5), 15.005; 20. 1x, Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro, IN (16), 15.017; 21. 56, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (38), 15.023; 22. 12, Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City, IA (36), 15.024; 23. 29, Kerry Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, Aus (17), 15.027; 24. 59, Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (30), 15.067; 25. 7x, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (1), 15.093; 26. D4, Danny Holtgraver, Pittsburgh, PA (23), 15.106; 27. 99, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK (24), 15.124; 28. 81, Austin Johnson, Shakopee, MN (14), 15.132; 29. 49, Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, CA (25), 15.135; 30. 71, Kevin Swindell, Charlotte, NC (21), 15.157; 31. 98, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aus (43), 15.175; 32. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (26), 15.182; 33. 7K, Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, TN (46), 15.195; 34. 17A, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (9), 15.224; 35. 2s, Lee Sowell, Lake Cormorant, MS (35), 15.228; 36. 47, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (34), 15.23; 37. 8, Casey Mack, East Grand Forks, ND (45), 15.231; 38. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust (42), 15.273; 39. 2L, Ed Lynch Jr., Apollo, PA (39), 15.276; 41. 9P, Rager Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (47), 15.311; 42. 88, Jarrod Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (37), 15.49; 43. 47AU, Trevor Reynolds, Perth, WA, Aust. (33), 15.593; 44. 4D, Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (44), 15.635; 45. 7c, Critter Malone, Speedway, IN (7), 15.714; 46. 20PK, Ron Krysl, Atkinson, NE (29), 16.22; 47. 2K, Kevin Ingle, Huron, SD (41), 16.247; 48. 54, Cap Henry, Bellevue, OH (40), No Time.
Heat 1 (10 laps) – 1. Brooke Tatnell (2); 2. Don Droud Jr. (1); 3. Brian Paulus (6); 4. Davey Heskin (4); 5. Danny Holtgraver (3); 6. Joey Saldana (8); 7. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5); 8. David Gravel (7); 9. Rager Phillips (9); 10. Ron Krysl (10).
Heat 2 (10 laps) – 1. AJ Moeller (2); 2. Donny Schatz (6); 3. Jason Sides (5); 4. Casey Mack (1); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (4); 6. Craig Dollansky (8); 7. Shane Stewart (7); 8. Brady Bacon (3); 9. Jarrod Schneiderman (9); 10. Kevin Ingle (10).
Heat 3 (10 laps) – 1. Kerry Madsen (4); 2. Jonathan Allard (8); 3. Glen Saville (1); 4. Jeff Swindell (2); 5. Ryan Bunton (6); 6. Fred Rahmer (7); 7. Trevor Reynolds (9); 8. Seth Brahmer (5); 9. Austin Johnson (3); 10. Cap Henry (10).
Heat 4 (10 laps) – 1. Ed Lynch Jr. (1); 2. Austin McCarl (2); 3. Kyle Larson (5); 4. Lucas Wolfe (7); 5. Brad Sweet (3); 6. Paul McMahan (8); 7. Danny Smith (9); 8. Dustin Morgan (6); 9. Jac Haudenschild (4).
Heat 5 (10 laps) – 1. Lee Sowell (2); 2. Mike Reinke (1); 3. Dustin Selvage (4); 4. Randy Hannagan (5); 5. Steve Kinser (6); 6. Kevin Swindell (3); 7. Justin Henderson (8); 8. Chad Kemenah (7); 9. Critter Malone (9).
C Feature (8 laps) – 1. Rager Phillips (3); 2. Jarrod Schneiderman (4); 3. Kevin Ingle (7); 4. Ron Krysl (6); 5. Critter Malone (5); 6. Jac Haudenschild (1); 7. Austin Johnson (2); 8. Cap Henry (8).
B Feature (12 laps) – 1. Joey Saldana (1); 2. Craig Dollansky (2); 3. Shane Stewart (6); 4. Paul McMahan (3); 5. Justin Henderson (4); 6. David Gravel (5); 7. Chad Kemenah (8); 8. Steve Kinser (11); 9. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (12); 10. Fred Rahmer (7); 11. Brady Bacon (16); 12. Kevin Swindell (18); 13. Brad Sweet (17); 14. Ryan Bunton (9); 15. Danny Holtgraver (15); 16. Rager Phillips (21); 17. Jarrod Schneiderman (22); 18. Trevor Reynolds (19); 19. Lynton Jeffrey (14); 20. Dustin Morgan (10); 21. Kevin Ingle (23); 22. Seth Brahmer (13); 23. Ron Krysl (24); 24. Danny Smith (20).
52nd annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals Points Standings (After Night 1)
1. Craig Dollansky, 477; 2. Jonathan Allard, 475; 3. Donny Schatz, 471; 4. Joey Saldana, 471; 5. Lucas Wolfe, 467; 6. Kyle Larson, 458; 7. Shane Stewart, 458; 8. Paul McMahan, 453; 9. Davey Heskin, 449; 10. Brian Paulus, 440; 11. Brooke Tatnell, 430; 12. Dustin Selvage, 430; 13. Jason Sides, 424; 14. Justin Henderson, 416; 15. Kerry Madsen, 412; 16. Randy Hannagan, 411; 17. Austin McCarl, 409; 18. David Gravel, 409. 19. Jeff Swindell, 407; 20. A.J. Moeller, 406. 21. Don Droud Jr., 403; 22. Fred Rahmer, 403; 23. Chad Kemenah, 399; 24. Ed Lynch Jr., 396; 25. Lee Sowell, 396; 26. Steve Kinser, 396; 27, Glen Saville, 390; 28. Ryan Bunton, 388; 29. Sam Hafertepe Jr., 386; 30. Casey Mack, 379; 31. Mike Reinke, 373; 32. Dustin Morgan, 365; 33. Danny Holtgraver, 360; 34. Lynton Jeffrey, 360; 35. Brad Sweet, 358; 36. Brady Bacon, 357; 37. Kevin Swindell, 355; 38. Seth Brahmer, 355; 39. Jac Haudenschild, 320; 40. Rager Phillips, 316; 41. Trevor Reynolds, 314; 42. Jarrod Schneiderman, 312; 43. Austin Johnson, 310; 44. Danny Smith, 300; 45. Kevin Ingle, 291; 46. Ron Krysl, 289; 47. Critter Malone, 280; 48. Cap Henry, 265.
Surprising and Not Surprising: Pennsylvania 400
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[/media-credit]Under stormy skies that unfortunately ultimately proved fatal for one race fan, here is what was surprising and not so surprising from the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Surprising: It was surprising just how quickly the NASCAR family came together after several fans were struck by lightning at the track and one was killed. Pocono Raceway has established the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund to benefit the victims of the lightning strike.
Donations are being accepted at any PNC branch or by mailing checks or money order to the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund, Pocono Raceway, 1234 Long Pond Road, Long Pond, PA 18334.
Not Surprising: After a weekend of Heisman honors and birthday celebrations, the winner of the Pennsylvania 400 had just one thought on his mind.
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, was grateful to have his family with him to celebrate his first victory of the season.
“Today was an amazing victory experience, probably one of the best in my career because with the rain, the lightning, wind blowing sideways, everything going on, you know; I was just so excited to be able to have my family here,” Jeff Gordon said. “It’s the first time I’ve had all of them here for a victory.”
“I didn’t care if it was under the shed or in the garage,” Gordon continued. “Even my wife, she’s not been able to experience all those wins. I want her to feel what it’s like.”
“Ella is getting to the age where it’s exciting,” Gordon said. “Leo was able to hold up his finger, No. 1, so that was cool.”
“This is one that I’m not going to forget.”
Surprising: It was surprising how verbose and a bit resigned Kyle Busch was after having yet another tough day at the track. The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota finished a miserable 33rd and fell out of Chase contention, losing four spots to 15th place in the points.
“We just blew out the rear brake rotors – disintegrated it and then blew out the rear caliper after that,” Busch said. “Getting down into Turn One with a three-wheel brake is about the worst situation you can have as a race car driver.”
“I just hate it for all of these guys,” Busch continued. “We had a really fast race car today.”
“It’s just the way it seems to be, but the way our year has gone,” Busch said. “It’s just inevitable to have something every week happen.”
“We hoped we had shaken it but obviously it’s not to be.”
Not Surprising: Big brother Kurt Busch had absolutely nothing to say after his check in at the infield care center post hitting the wall hard at Pocono Raceway on Lap 86.
The driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet finished 30th. Kurt Busch is now 25th in the point standings.
Surprising: The driver who never seems to stop improving, just like his sponsor, had an uncharacteristic moment that changed the course of the race at Pocono.
Jimmie Johnson, behind the wheel of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, was leading the race when he tangled with competitor Matt Kenseth, taking out the leaders of the pack and allowing teammate Jeff Gordon to drive through for the win.
“I thought it was just junk on my tires,” Johnson said. “And when I got into Turn 1, I realized quickly that it was a flat and it wasn’t trash on my tires.”
“I don’t think he had a flat, did he?,” Kenseth said of Johnson. “We went off into Turn 1 and I could hear his pipes (roaring). I’m not sure he has lifted yet.”
“He just drove in really, really, really, really far and spun out underneath me and I got wrecked.”
Johnson came in 14th while Kenseth finished 23rd in his No. 17 Zest Ford.
Not Surprising: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing continued his quiet ascension up the Chase standings, up two positions to the fifth spot. Truex Jr., from nearby New Jersey, finished 3rd at Pocono.
“We had a pretty good car all weekend long,” Truex Jr. said. “We were really fast at the end.”
“I’m proud of the team for what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished,” Truex Jr. continued. “To be where we’re at; this is a big deal for us.”
Surprising: At a track he has so often mastered and one where he just announced his impending fatherhood, Denny Hamlin had a surprisingly terrible finish at Pocono.
The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry struggled all day and was caught up in the late race accident with Johnson and Kenseth to finish 29th.
Hamlin also spent some extended time in the infield care center receiving medical evaluation because of stomach pain. He was treated and eventually released.
“The leaders got in trouble and next thing you know, one of the cars slid right in front of me and that was about the end of it,” Hamlin said. “We weren’t going to win anyway and at this point, all we’re racing for is wins.”
“I had some pains in my stomach, but they’ve subsided.”
Not Surprising: The impending storm off the track was Kasey Kahne’s friend on the track as he finished second even with a flat tire and a stormy pit stop, where he ran over his air hose and lost precious time in his stall.
“I felt good about where we were,” Kahne said. “I am a little upset with myself and the way I ran the race, but we definitely had a great Farmers Insurance Chevrolet and ended up with a great result.”
Surprising: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who looked so strong at the start of the race, even taking the lead early, had surprising transmission problems that ended his consecutive laps run streak for the season.
Even with that 32nd place finish, however, Junior was surprisingly able to hang on to the points lead due to Kenseth’s wreck at the end of the race. He is now just 5 points ahead on the Chase leader board.
“We don’t ever break parts,” the driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet said. “It’s tough.”
“We had a good run going and I’m sorry for all the guys in the shop.”
Not Surprising: The Stewart Haas Racing duo of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman had a good day at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
“I’m really proud of Steve Addington (crew chief) and these guys,” the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot Back to School Chevrolet said. “We didn’t necessarily throw a Hail Mary at it, but we kind of went back to where we started and worked from that.”
“I’m really proud of Steve for finding the package that we ran.”
“A good solid day,” the driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation/Quicken Loans Chevrolet, said. “We needed that.”
“And another top-10.”
Surprising: Regan Smith, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet, who has had a rough 2012, had a surprisingly good run at Pocono, finishing ninth. This was his first top-10 finish in quite a while at the track.
“We had a good car this weekend and it got even better as the race went on,” Smith said. “It’s a great feeling in our Furniture Row camp to have the kind of performances we’ve had the last two weekends.”
“We’re moving along with plenty of enthusiasm right now and feel that we’re in the process of turning things around.”
Not Surprising: While Martin Truex Jr. had a great run at Pocono, so too did the rest of the Michael Waltrip Racing team.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry and star of the Pocono tweet-up, finished 8th, and teammate Mark Martin, in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, finished 12th.
“We’ll take it,” Bowyer said.
“We had a fast car,” Martin said. “A 12th place finish isn’t too bad.”
Watkins Glen International Concession Stands to Feature Local Favorites
Sahlen’s, Yancey’s Fancy and Dinosaur BBQ are on the menu!
WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 8, 2012) – At this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen, fans may taste a variety of regional food favorites such as Beef on Weck and Sahlen’s Hot Dogs.
Americrown Service Corporation, Watkins Glen International’s catering and concessions, will incorporate local flavor into new concession items to represent the region and satisfy the appetites of hungry race fans.
Beef on Weck, a Western New York staple, will be served with a side of horseradish and served up near the start/finish area as well as in Turn 1. Also from the Buffalo area, Sahlen’s Smoke House Hot Dogs will be available throughout the concession stand locations. There will be a Sahlen’s Dog House, located in the Budweiser Tiki Hut area that will highlight four varieties of Sahlen’s Hot Dogs.
Syracuse, NY will be represent by the world famous Dinosaur BBQ’s Sensuous Slathering Sauce in the BBQ Pork Sandwiches available at multiple locations.
Fans from Canada can visit the vendor row area and sample Canadian favorite – poutine – crispy french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds from Yancey’s Fancy New York’s Artisan Cheese.
Fans are sure to find something for any appetite at any one of Americrown’s 12 concession stands throughout the Watkins Glen International facility. A concessions map is available at http://www.theglen.com/Tickets-Events/Events/2012/Finger-Lakes-355/Maps.aspx
Tickets for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen on August 9-12 are available by calling 866.461.RACE (7223) or online at www.TheGlen.com. Keep up with The Glen on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/watkinsgleninternational>and Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/wgi> with the hashtags #FLX355, #Zippo200 and #ContiDunn200. Download the free mobile app for The Glen at both iTunes and Android market places. Be sure to catch the Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen live on Sunday, August 12 at Noon ET on ESPN.
