KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Ryan Timms made his trip back from Eldora Speedway in Ohio worth it Saturday night (and Sunday morning) by sweeping the 360 Shootout and 410 features on 3M Night at the Knoxville Raceway.
The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma driver had his eye on this weekend, even though he competed all week in the Buckeye State. The 360 Shootout paid $20,000 plus contingencies, and winning his fourth 410 feature of the year paid him $6,000 aboard the Liebig Motorsports No. 10. Before the night could get started, a surprise rain shower delayed events for over two hours, pushing the finish into early Sunday morning.
The 25-lap 360 Shootout saw multi-time North American Sprint Car Poll 360 Driver of the Year Sam Hafertepe Jr. lead early from the pole, ahead of Scott Bogucki, J.J. Hickle, Timms and Matt Covington. Hickle moved under Bogucki into second on lap three, before Rees Moran performed a 360 spin, bringing caution four laps later.
On lap nine, Timms moved by Bogucki for third. On lap 12, Riley Goodno came to a stop on the frontstretch. Carson McCarl tipped over on the restart after getting over Dustin Selvage’s right rear, setting up a green to checker 13-lap finish.
Hickle ducked to the low side of turn three and passed Hafertepe for the lead after the green fell. On lap 15, Timms used a diamond move in one and two to duck under Hafertepe and take over the second spot. At the same time, Jace Park moved into the top five. Park worked by the fourth place Tasker Phillips for fourth on lap 17.
Timms slowly reeled in Hickle as they entered traffic. Using a similar diamond move, Timms expertly cut through a pair of lapped cars, shooting across the bottom of turn two. His momentum carried him by Hickle on lap 23. Hickle stayed close, but had to settle for second at the line. It was Timms second win of the season with the Randall Roofing 360s.
Park gained third on the last lap, ahead of Hafertepe and Chris Martin.
“When Sam and JJ were up there battling, they were running different lines,” said Timms. “It’s tricky with the 360. It seems like you aren’t in the track as much as the 410. It was just tricky behind guys. I didn’t know what to do. Once we got those cautions, they helped me out. They kind of switched up what they were doing in the first corner, and I was able to do the opposite, and make more momentum. I think they were trying to protect. It was tricky. I felt like I was running out of things to try, and then I found a diamond line that worked pretty well if I hit it right. I was able to get close enough to JJ, and in lapped traffic I think we had two guys on the bottom…and I think they got tight and moved off the bottom. I was coming down and it just worked perfect. I almost gave it away going into one. What an awesome racetrack. Thanks to the fans for sticking it out.”
The Leighton State Bank 25-lap 410 main event saw Justin Henderson pace the field early in front of Jy Corbet, Timms, Austin McCarl and JJ Hickle. Timms moved into second on lap five, using the high side to get around Corbet.
Hickle and McCarl exchanged the fourth spot, with the latter gaining control on lap six before Cole Mincer went up in smoke, bringing caution. Henderson led Timms, Corbet, McCarl and Hickle back to green.
Scott Bogucki entered the top five at that point. McCarl claimed third from Corbet on lap eight. The leaders entered traffic with elven to go, as Bogucki battled with Corbet for fourth.
Up front, Henderson was doing a masterful job, but Timms was tracking him. On lap 17, he used the high side of turn four to take the lead before Sawyer Phillips came to a stop, setting up a seven-lap dash to the finish.
Timms was able to get out and secure his fourth 410 win here this year, and the tenth in his career. Henderson held on for second, ahead of Austin McCarl, Corbet and Hickle.
“This is awesome,” said Timms. “Justin put up a heck of a fight there. He’s a great chess player when it comes to sprint car racing. He did such a good job of blocking my lines and just keeping his momentum up. There were a couple of times that I didn’t know if I would catch up to him. That’s what’s nice about running second. You can do things that he’s not doing, and see what works.”
