KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Knoxville Raceway fans had to wait a couple of weeks, but they packed the grandstand in one of the largest weekly crowds ever to watch Oklahoma’s Ryan Timms top a solid 40-car Leighton State Bank 410 field Saturday night.
The Pella Motors Kraig Ford 73rd Season Opener packed plenty of excitement into a night that saw free admission for the fans. Timms had to win an early race duel with Garet Williamson to record his seventh career victory here, and there was plenty of action behind him. In a repeat of the 2025 Season Championship Night, Kade Higday (360) and Luke Lane (Pro) were winners in their respective classes.
Sheldon Haudenschild started on the pole of the 25-lap Leighton State Bank 410 and led lap one in front of Timms, Garet Williamson, Austin McCarl and Brian Brown, before Timms slid by him in turn one on the second lap.
Williamson was fast as well, however, and took the lead form Timms on lap three, after getting by Haudenschild himself. JJ Hickle passed Brown to enter the top five on lap five.
McCarl shot by Timms to briefly take second on lap six, while Brown got back by Hickle into the top five. Timms recovered second from McCarl on lap seven, while Brown continued his advance past Haudenschild for fourth. For three laps, the top four were in close quarters.
Using the low side of the track, Timms shot by Williamson to take lead on lap nine. On the tenth circuit, Williamson briefly got back by in one and two, but Timms reestablished himself on the other side of the famous half-mile to reclaim the lead for good. Haudenschild and Brown battled back and forth for the fourth spot before Brown backed over the turn two cushion and turned over.
With 11 laps to go, Timms led Williamson, McCarl, Haudenschild and Hickle back to green. Haudenschild and Hickle both moved by McCarl and Williamson into second and third on the restart.
McCarl found a resurgence, taking fourth from Williamson on lap 16 and then getting by Haudenschild and Hickle for second on lap 17. Jace Park had his machine roaring in the latter stages, moving into the top five with four to go, and grabbing fourth from Hickle with three to go.
Timms entered traffic late, but no one would challenge him, as he won by 2.6 seconds over McCarl, Haudenschild, Park and Hickle.
“Garet and Austin, they put up a heck of a fight for me,” said Timms. “I got going there on the start, and I knew Garet was going to be there, but I thought I’d have an easier time getting my lead stretched out. Garet slid in there and he got to racing me for awhile. (Austin) McCarl got by me, and luckily I was able to get it turned down in three and four every time and get back by him. It was really tricky with a gnarly curb.
“I about wrecked big going into one, I think two times getting over the cushion. It was hard to keep your car happy up there. You could still make the bottom work. It was a heck of a race and a ton of fun. This is a big confidence booster going into next weekend.”
Carson McCarl led the 20-lap Randall Roofing 360 main event early over Kade Higday, Cam Martin, Clint Garner and Kaleb Johnson. While McCarl led, Johnson and Garner put on a great race for the fourth spot, before Johnson captured that on lap three. McCarl was in lapped traffic on the sixth circuit.
When McCarl slowed a bit in traffic on lap nine, Higday was there to pounce, taking the lead in turn two. Cam Martin reeled in McCarl and got by him with four laps to go, just before Ryan Leavitt flipped hard in turn two while running in the top 10.
Higday led Martin, McCarl, Johnson and JJ Hickle back to green. Johnson quickly took third, while defending track champion, Tasker Phillips entered the top five. With two to go, Tasker surged from fifth to third and briefly took second, before surrendering it back to Martin.
Higday’s comfortable win, the second of his career here, came ahead of Martin, Tasker Phillips, Johnson and McCarl.
Before a lap could be completed in the 15-lap Pro Sprints main, front row outside starter Chase Young spun, and had to restart at the tail. That opened the door for Luke Lane, who inherited his spot and took off ahead of J Kinder, Matt Allen, Tyler Thompson and Matthew Stelzer. A lap three tip-over for Tim Young (he was unhurt), slowed things, but not Lane.
On lap five, Thompson and Allen started a battle for third, that eventually went to the latter. Lane was back in lapped traffic, closely pursued by Kinder with four to go. Things seemed to be set at the finish, but Carter Hansen spun in turn one, creating a situation that saw a green, white, checker finish and an additional lap.
Kinder made it close late, coming within .041 of a second at the checkers, but he settled for second behind Lane, who picked up his second win here. Allen was third, ahead of Thompson and Stelzer.
The finish:
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 10, Ryan Timms (4); 2. 88, Austin McCarl (2); 3. 18, Sheldon Haudenschild (1); 4. 28, Jace Park (10); 5. 2M, JJ Hickle (6); 6. 1K, Kelby Watt (15); 7. 23, Garet Williamson (3); 8. 44, Chris Martin (7); 9. 24, Terry McCarl (9); 10. 1TAZ, Tasker Phillips (23); 11. 3P, Sawyer Phillips (8); 12. 27, Emerson Axsom (14); 13. 17A, Jack Anderson (13); 14. 19, Kaleb Johnson (16); 15. 11, Justin Henderson (11); 16. 2KS, Carson McCarl (17); 17. 4W, Jamie Ball (21); 18. 19H, Joel Myers Jr (19); 19. 3, Ayrton Gennetten (22); 20. 24T, Christopher Thram (12); 21. 85J, Logan Julien (24); 22. 21, Brian Brown (5); 23. 22, Riley Goodno (18); 24. 7B, Ben Brown (20).
