KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 20) – Chris Abelson made sure the race was for second Thursday night at Knoxville Raceway.
Abelson started on the pole and led all 25 laps of the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour main event.
A caution with six circuits to go in the IMCA Modified headliner put Todd Shute right behind Abelson for the restart, but Shute’s challenge ended with bobble on the final circuit. Abelson pulled away to the $1,500 Dynamic Drivelines Dirt Duel checkers to become the sixth different winner in as many tour events this season.
Shute ended in second. Richie Gustin was third and Jeff Aikey fourth. Hard charger Justin Kay started 15th and finished fifth.
Joel Rust and Kelly Shryock came into the night tied for the tour point lead. Rarely separated by more than a car or two, Rust finished eighth, one spot ahead of Shryock, and will take the top spot in the standings to the July 25 show at Dubuque Speedway.
Abelson, the defending Side Biter Chassis North Central Region and 2016 Hawkeye Dirt Tour champion, now owns four career HDT feature wins. He’d also won at Knoxville three years ago and was already vote eligible for the upcoming Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational.
Curtis Van Der Wal was the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod winner at Knoxville. He got the lead early in the 20-lapper and negotiated lapped traffic in outrunning Tim Plummer and Brayton Carter.
Results
Modified feature – 1. Chris Abelson, Sioux City; 2. Todd Shute, Des Moines; 3. Richie Gustin, Gilman; 4. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 5. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 6. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa; 7. Troy Cordes, Dunkerton; 8. Joel Rust, Grundy Center; 9. Kelly Shryock, Fertile; 10. Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.; 11. Eric Elliott, Boone; 12. Kyle Brown, Madrid; 13. Randy Havlik, Boone; 14. Cory Sauerman, Johnson; 15. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.; 16. Justin Gregg, Hastings, Neb.; 17. Brandon Banks, Washington; 18. Jacob Murray, Hartford; 19. Kurt Kile, Nichols; 20. Tim Ward, Harcourt; 21. Cody Bauman, Eureka, Ill.; 22. Chris Zogg, New Liberty; 23. Jason Murray, Hartford; 24. Shane DeMey, Denison.
1st heat (top three) – 1. Abelson; 2. Aikey; 3. Gregg; 4. Kile; 5. Elliott; 6. Kay; 7. Nick Roberts, Des Moines; 8. T.J. Smith, Menasha, Wis.; 9. Jordan Walker, Cedar Rapids.
2nd heat – 1. Gustin; 2. Jacob Murray; 3. Thornton; 4. Carter; 5. Rust; 6. Banks; 7. Tyler Madigan, Peosta; 8. Sauerman; 9. Doug Rivera, Yuma, Ariz.; 10. Jarrett Brown, Ainsworth.
3rd heat – 1. Ward; 2. Cordes; 3. Havlik; 4. DeMey; 5. Zogg; 6. Todd Inman, Altoona; 7. Bauman; 8. Griffin McGrath, Cedar Rapids; 9. Tyler Gross, Ankeny.
4th heat – 1. Shute; 2. Marriott; 3. Shryock; 4. Jason Murray; 5. Kyle Brown; 6. Cole Hall, Sheffield; 7. Clayton Christensen, Spencer; 8. Kent Rosevear, Yuma, Ariz.; 9. Garrett Wilson, Carlisle.
1st “B” feature (top five) – 1. Kile; 2. Kay; 3. Elliott; 4. Zogg; 5. Bauman; 6. Roberts; 7. Smith; 8. Walker; 9. Gross; 10. Todd Inman; 11. DeMey; 12. McGrath; 13. Jarrett Brown.
2nd “B” feature – 1. Carter; 2. Rust; 3. Jason Murray; 4. Kyle Brown; 5. Banks; 6. Madigan; 7. Wilson; 8. Rivera; 9. Hall; 10. Rosevear; 11. Sauerman; 12. Christensen.
Northern SportMod feature – 1. Curtis Van Der Wal, Oskaloosa; 2. Tim Plummer, Norway; 3. Brayton Carter, Oskaloosa; 4. Randy Roberts, Boone; 5. Carter VanDenBerg, Oskaloosa; 6. Cody Olsen, Omaha, Neb.; 7. Brett Lowry, Montezuma; 8. Sam Wieben, Dysart; 9. Dusty Masolini, Des Moines; 10. Ethan Braaksma, Newton; 11. Cory Van Zante, Sully; 12. Johnathon Logue, Boone; 13. Adam Shelman, Ames; 14. Colton Livezey, New Sharon; 15. Jake McBirnie, Boone; 16. Taylor Musselman, Norwalk; 17. John Watson, Des Moines; 18. Thomas Egenberger, Des Moines; 19. Trenton Brink, Bussey; 20. Bill Wears, Des Moines; 21. Shawn Cooney, Des Moines; 22. Brian Kauffman, Cedar Rapids; 23. Brian Efkamp, Ankeny; 24. Logan Anderson, Oskaloosa.
1st heat (top three) – 1. Plummer; 2. Roberts; 3. Olsen; 4. Livezey; 5. Logue; 6. A.J. Johnson, Oskaloosa; 7. Josh Sink, Stanton; 8. Wieben; 9. Taylor Inman, Altoona; 10. Brandon Bach, Des Moines.
2nd heat – 1. McBirnie; 2. Van Der Wal; 3. Cooney; 4. Efkamp; 5. Brian Luedtke, Norway; 6. Masolini; 7. Egenberger; 8. Musselman; 9. Tyler Inman, Altoona.
3rd heat – 1. Carter; 2. Shelman; 3. Wears; 4. Logan Anderson; 5. Watson; 6. Ed Hamilton, Atlantic; 7. Brink; 8. Preston Gigax, Omaha, Neb.; 9. Robert Moore, Maxwell.
4th heat – 1. VanDenBerg; 2. Van Zante; 3. Lowry; 4. Kauffman; 5. Braaksma; 6. Brandon Patava, Des Moines; 7. Tony Johnson, Oskaloosa; 8. Tom Lathrop, Ottumwa; 9. Blair Simmons, Des Moines.
First “B” feature (top six) – 1. Logan Anderson; 2. Livezey; 3. Logue; 4. Watson; 5. Wieben; 6. Brink; 7. Moore; 8. Sink; 9. Taylor Inman; 10. Bach; 11. A.J. Johnson; 12. Hamilton; 13. Gigax.
Second “B” feature – 1. Masolini; 2. Braaksma; 3. Musselman; 4. Efkamp; 5. Egenberger; 6. Kauffman; 7. Patava; 8. Lathrop; 9. Simmons; 10. Tyler Inman; 11. Tony Johnson; 12. Luedtke.