KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Brian Brown tied Sammy Swindell on the all-time Knoxville Raceway win list Saturday with his 50th career win here, tying him for fifth all-time.
The Pella Motors/Kraig Ford Season Opener saw a welcome return to racing for Knoxville Raceway fans and competitors alike. Brown, who won the 2019 410 track title at Knoxville, earned $4,000 for his win aboard the Brian Brown Racing No. 21.
Carson McCarl also started his title defense with his third career win in the 360 class, while Russ Hall claimed his third career win with the Pro Sprints presented by Pace Performance.
Brown shot out to an early lead in the 20-lap 410 feature from his starting spot outside row one. Rico Abreu trailed him, ahead of Tyler Courtney, Shane Golobic and Lynton Jeffrey, who jumped up five spots from his starting spot outside of row five on the first lap.
Jeffrey gained another position when he got by Golobic on lap three. Austin McCarl followed him into fifth, but had contact with Golobic in turn four. Disaster was avoided and both kept going.
Brown was into lapped traffic by lap six and pulled away from the field. Davey Heskin, who started twelfth, found the low groove to his liking and climbed to fifth by lap 13. The track became abrasive, and seventh running Terry McCarl blew his right rear with four laps to go. Golobic, who was running ninth, also ducked into the work area to replace a flat left rear.
Meanwhile, Brown pulled away on the restart for the win, ahead of Abreu, Courtney, Heskin and Jeffrey. Anthony Macri, Austin McCarl, Brooke Tatnell, Matt Juhl and Trey Starks rounded out the top ten.
“This week has probably been the most down I’ve been as a race car driver,” said Brown. “The last two weeks have been pretty bad. One thing that’s never changed is the attitude of my guys. They don’t let me get down. I think that’s what this sport is about. You don’t get down, and you look forward to your next one. I never dreamed as a kid, sitting in section G, row 20 with my Grandma Barbara that I would ever win one race, let alone 50. It means a lot.”
Jon Agan, who has teamed with the Seidenkranz Brothers No. 64 team, dominated the 18-lap 360 feature early. Carson McCarl and Clint Garner trailed before Kelby Watt spun with three laps down.
McCarl slid in front of Agan to the point in laps one and two on the restart, but a Ricky Montgomery spin on the backstretch that collected Nate Mills and Brandon Halverson negated the pass. Agan led McCarl, Garner, Matt Moro and Jamie Ball back to green.
This time, Agan pulled away. Back in the pack, Joe Beaver was climbing from his 17th starting spot, and cracked the top six by lap eight. That circuit would prove disastrous for Agan, who got into the wall, avoiding the spinning car of Rob Kubli. Watt was also involved.
McCarl inherited the lead ahead of Garner, Moro, Ball and Beaver. Ball gained a spot after the restart, as did Beaver, as both moved by Moro. Meanwhile, up front, McCarl was in lapped traffic with three to go and pulling away.
Garner gained on the leader with two to go, but McCarl hit his marks to win ahead of Garner, Ball, Beaver and Moro. Kyle Offill was sixth in his Knoxville debut, ahead of Calvin Landis, Lee Grosz, Matt Howard and Chris Morgan.
Russ Hall paced the field in the Pro Sprints 15-lap feature from the pole. Defending track champ, Matt Stelzer, was hot on his heels, while Chase Young used the low side to gain third on lap two.
Six laps in, Tyler Barrick and Matt Johnson tangled, with Barrick getting upside down. He walked away. On the restart, Stelzer slid in front of Hall to lead lap seven, but Hall countered on the following go-around with a pass on the low side of turn two to take the point for good.
A final caution saw fifth running Evan Epperson stop with a flat tire with three to go. Hall pulled away from there, while Young grabbed second from Stelzer coming for the white flag. Brandon Worthington claimed fourth, with Jeff Wilke fifth.
The finish
Feature (20 laps): 1. Brian Brown (2); 2. Rico Abreu (1); 3. Tyler Courtney (3); 4. Davey Heskin (12); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (10); 6. Anthony Macri (6); 7. Austin McCarl (5); 8. Brooke Tatnell (11); 9. Matt Juhl (7); 10. Trey Starks (15); 11. Justin Henderson (17); 12. AJ Moeller (9); 13. Josh Schneiderman (13); 14. Jac Haudenschild (19); 15. Tasker Phillips (16); 16. Shane Golobic (4); 17. Hunter Schuerenberg (23); 18. Ryan Giles (14); 19. Terry McCarl (8); 20. Chad Boespflug (22); 21. Sawyer Phillips (21); 22. Chris Martin (20); 23. Ryan Roberts (24); 24. Ayrton Gennetten (18).