When flagman Doug Clark‘s huge green flag waved again, Haud jumped out front briefly before Sammy dove underneath him in turn two to take the point and begin to pull away, with Sammy running the bottom and Jac up top.
A spin by Tyler Walker in turn two with three laps complete brought out the yellow.
The field formed again, this time single-file with Sammy out front, Haud second, Lasoski third and Kinser fourth. They fired as they exited turn two (unable to improve position before passing the cone, which in those days was placed in the middle of the backstretch).
Visibility from the infield was limited. From the position where the leaders‘ pits were located, crew members unable to cram on top of a war wagon or mule were able to see turn four and down the frontstretch into turn one.
Then visibility of turn two was blocked until the cars exited onto the backstretch. Then visibility was blocked again as the cars entered turn three until they came into four.
Jac ran around Sammy in three and four and took the lead as his crew erupted, then all crews went silent as visibility was blocked. In turn two, Sammy powered through the bottom to take the lead. Sammy‘s crew erupted as the cars came into sight on the backstretch, with the Elden crew clearly disappointed.
But Jac was right there, challenging hard. And, as the cars disappeared into turn three, once again crews went silent. This would continue throughout the entirety of the race, as the emotions of every crew member were intense, changing as each moment of the race unfolded, and interrupted twice each lap as they lost sight of their cars.
On lap eight, Jeff Swindell spun in turn two, bringing out the caution again.
Unlike prior to the caution, when Sammy and Jac were alone out front, this restart Danny joined to form a trio out ahead of the pack. Sammy had moved up to the cushion, with Jac sliding across the middle to the cushion each corner, and Danny – of course – running his signature line on the very bottom against Knoxville‘s inside berm.
On lap 11, as the front pack exited turn two and became visible, Lasoski‘s crew erupted as they saw Danny had moved ahead of Jac in turn two to take over second.
One lap later, Lasoski was side-by-side with Swindell exiting turn four, and nosed him at the line to be credited with the lead.
Danny and Sammy ran side-by-side, lap after lap, taking turns sticking a nose out front, swapping the lead repeatedly as they circled the big oval.
Just as they caught traffic, on lap 16 the Selma Shell/Vivarin No. 11 driven by Tim Shaffer suffered mechanical problems, slowing to a stop with a puff of smoke in turn four.
Lasoski led the field to the single-file restart, with the lapped car of Tyler Walker sitting between he and Swindell, and then Haudenschild.
Sammy and Haud quickly got by Walker, both up top, and set their sights on Lasoski, putting some distance between themselves and Andy Hillenburg (who had charged to fourth from 19th), Kinser and a young Donny Schatz.
Two laps later, Sammy and Danny were once again side-by-side, Danny on the bottom and Sammy all the way up top, lap after lap, with Danny persistently clinging to the lead. The dogfight intensified as they caught lapped traffic.
Sammy jumped the cushion exiting turn four, nearly hitting the wall and causing him to break momentum but, just as Danny had the opportunity to capitalize, he found himself caught behind two lapped cars, also breaking momentum, and Sammy caught back up.
A few laps later, Danny was caught behind Gary Wright on the bottom as they entered turn one. Sammy took the lead on the top and moved to the bottom as Danny moved up top.
Lasoski moved back to the bottom as the white flag waved. Sammy led Danny into turn one, but slipped up off the bottom as the Dude dove underneath in turn two.
As Danny took the lead exiting turn two, I can most accurately describe the sound made by the massive Knoxville crowd as a woosh. It was one of the rare moments when a roar from a race crowd overpowered the roar of a full field of 410 sprint cars at speed.
Lasoski led down the backstretch and through the bottom of three and four, while Sammy suffered a fuel pickup problem down the backstretch and Haudenschild buzzed the cushion around Swindell in the final corner to claim second.
Steve Kinser finished fifth behind Schatz.
The Dude repeatedly pumped his fist as he took a security lap at speed before the field powered down, while a myriad of emotions played out just feet apart throughout the four race teams‘ pits. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, indeed.
As the cars pulled off the track, Lasoski made a U-turn in turn three and began a Polish victory lap (made famous by the late stock car driver Alan Kulwicki).
In victory lane, cradling his recently-born son Landon, an elated Lasoski credited the win to his crew — crew chief Jimmy Carr, Mark Ellis, and nephew Brian Brown — car owner Dennis Roth and his father George, and proclaimed it “the greatest day of my life.”
What followed was an all-night party on the fairgrounds, as well as in the legendary Dingus bar across the street.
I‘ve never asked Sammy, but I‘m willing to bet if he had the opportunity to replay one single corner of his incredible career, he would likely choose turn one of the final lap in the 1998 Knoxville Nationals.