KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Chad Simpson won Saturday night’s Malvern Bank late model feature during the Knoxville Late Model Nationals at Knoxville Raceway.
Simpson led early in the 22-lap event, ahead of Jason Hahne, Dylan Thornton, Tad Pospisil and Dallon Murty. Corey Zeitner got by Murty into the top five on lap two and then took fourth from Pospisil on lap four.
Hahne worked the low side of the track, and shot by Simpson to lead lap five. Meanwhile, Andrew Kosiski and Pospisil exchanged fifth three times over as many laps.
Simpson was regaining his momentum on the cushion and shot back by Hahne to lead lap nine. Pospisil and Kosiski worked by Zeitner into fourth and fifth. Simpson entered lapped traffic on lap 11, while Murty worked back into the top five.
In heavy lapped traffic, Thornton shot by Hahne for second on lap 13, and three laps later, Zeithner slowed to bring the only caution of the event. Simpson led Thornton, Hahne, Pospisil and Murty back to green. Murty hit the high side to jump up to third on the restart, with Hahne and Jacob Hobscheidt completing the top five.
Simpson maintained his lead for his second career win here. His last came in a Late Model Knoxville Nationals prelim in 2015. Thornton crossed second, ahead of Murty, the hard-charger Hobscheidt and Hahne.
“I knew when (Hahne) passed me I kept missing the top the way I needed to,” said Simpson. “I kept hitting the slick spots and sliding across the middle. I just had to get up in that moisture and keep the right front pinned. That way I could drive right around there. I knew I wouldn’t be as good on the bottom. I just kept charging there up top. We escaped through (lapped traffic) and pulled her off. In my opinion, for a late model driver, this is the biggest stage in Iowa. To race and win here in front of all our Iowa fans…it’s pretty bad-ass!”
The finish:
Feature (22 laps): 1. 25-Chad Simpson (2); 2. 38T-Dylan Thornton (3); 3. 99X-Dallon Murty (6); 4. 01-Jacob Hobscheidt (16); 5. 76H-Jason Hahne (1); 6. 53-Andrew Kosiski (7); 7. 52-Brian Kosiski (8); 8. 99-Jesse Sobbing (9); 9. 04-Tad Pospisil (4); 10. 56-Andy Eckrich (12); 11. 14-Kyle Berck (14); 12. 24-Bill Leighton (17); 13. 4-JC Wyman (13); 14. 42-Fred Remley (18); 15. 26JR-Corey Zeitner (5); 16. 15C-Curt Schroeder (15); 17. 01X-CJ Horn (21); 18. 58-Dave Eckrich (11); 19. 33-Nick Marolf (19); 20. 10T-Jeff Tharp (10); 21. 22-Charlie McKenna (22); 22. 99D-Darrel DeFrance (20); DNS – 35D-Dylan Sillman.
