KNOXVILLE, Iowa — For the third time in his career, Brian Brown swept both the 360 and 410 classes at Knoxville Raceway Friday on Vermeer/“Salute the Troops” Night.
The Grain Valley, Mo., driver earned $4,000 for his 410 victory and $2,000 for his 360 triumph. Another 360 win Saturday night would give Brown a $2,000 bonus. It was the 51st 410 win in his career here and the 17th in a 360.
Chase Young won his first career feature at the famous half-mile in the Pro Sprints presented by Pace Performance.
An invert of “zero” gave Brown the pole for the 20-lap 410 main event. He darted out to an early lead over Terry McCarl and Lynton Jeffrey. Jeffrey tracked McCarl down and passed him on lap four.
Brown entered lapped traffic on the seventh circuit before fourth running Austin McCarl got over the turn one cushion and packed his right rear with mud, bringing the yellow flag. Despite efforts in the work area, the 2018 Knoxville track champ was not able to continue.
Matt Juhl passed Terry McCarl for third on the restart. Brown entered lapped traffic on lap 14 with Jeffrey in tow. Jeffrey reeled in the leader using a middle groove that was developing from clay being thrown from the low side of the track.
On lap 16, Jeffrey showed his nose to Brown coming down the backstretch. Brown came down the track to block the maneuver, before Ryan Giles had something break on his No. 9w and flipped on the front stretch with four to go.
Brown would pull away on the restart, with plenty of action behind him. Heskin took second from Jeffrey, but Terry McCarl was also on the move, taking third from Jeffrey at the white flag.
At the checkers, Brown led McCarl, who made a last lap pass for second, Heskin, Jeffrey and Juhl.
“First I want to thank all the activity and military that has served,” said Brown. “I was going to stay up top in three and four, and all of a sudden, there was Lynton. When I moved to the bottom, my car was pretty good. I’m just the type that would rather run (the top) than (the bottom). Running the bottom as much as we did tonight is good for my confidence and my rhythm. I didn’t know what to do on the restart. I heard Lynton hounding me the whole time. I knew I had to get going.”
The 20-lap 360 feature went similarly. Brown started on the pole and led Jamie Ball and Ricky Montgomery early on. Clint Garner moved into the top three on lap three, followed by Carson McCarl.
While Brown ran the cushion, Ball closed in on the low side. On lap six, Brown saw Ball and changed to the low side entering three. A good run came to a halt for Montgomery, when he spun and tipped over eight laps in. He was uninjured. While Brown led Ball and Garner, Davey Heskin had moved from 22nd to ninth.
Kaleb Johnson also had a career best run, and moved up to fourth on the restart, while Garner challenged Ball for second. The leaders were back in traffic on lap 14, and Brown pulled away for his 17th career win here and gave himself a chance at a $2,000 bonus if he can win again Saturday.
Ball was second, ahead of Garner, McCarl and Johnson.