Shane Stewart Tops RacingJunk.com Qualifying Night at the FVP Knoxville Nationals!
(Rob Kocak Photo)
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
by Bryan Hulbert and Bill Wright
Knoxville, IA – When Shane Stewart rolled into Knoxville on Sunday for the Capitani Classic, he walked away with a $5,000 payday and the goal of beating Donny Schatz. Fast Forward to Wednesday’s RacingJunk.com Qualifying Night, and the Bixby, Okla. shoe put his Jeff Gordon throwback / Kick-It No. 16 in Victory Lane just ahead of Donny; collecting a cool $12,000 payday in his 14th career Knoxville Raceway victory.
“You don’t every let your guard down with him [Schatz]. I’ve been beat a lot this year by him and we’re going to have to be a little better to beat him on Saturday,” said Shane in Victory Lane. “Honestly, I told the guys when we drew No. 71 to just relax, it didn’t make a huge effect on Sunday with twice as many racecars, and I was actually shocked the track slowed down as much as it did but it is what it is. It put us on the front row and we were able to take advantage of it.”
Earning the pole for the evening’s 25 lap feature event, Shane was quick to hit the cushion through the first two turns to hold the lead.
Keeping ahead of Daryn Pittman as traffic came into play on Lap 8 by 1.908 seconds, Stewart nearly tagged the wall through the third and fourth turns trying to clear a group of slower cars.
Losing very little speed, Shane put four slower cars between himself and the race for second involving Daryn Pittman, Wayne Johnson, and Donny Schatz with the trio going three deep on Lap 11 with Johnson taking the runner-up spot.
The first caution of the night on Lap 15 for Ian Madsen, who retired to the Pits with damage to the rear suspension, Stewart lined up with Johnson, Schatz, Pittman, and Gravel in tow. Staying high on the restart, Wayne Johnson dove low, but would not have enough steam to complete the pass, allowing Donny Schatz the opportunity to take over second.
Giving chase into traffic in the closing laps, Shane banked off the cushion in turn one on the final circuit, but would not be denied, crossing the checkered flag 0.614 seconds ahead of the Bad Boy Buggies No. 15.
“This whole team’s phenomenal. Bad Boy Buggies and Chevrolet Performance, without those guys, we wouldn’t be doing this and Tony Stewart himself being here this year, we’re glad to have him here with us. We wanted to get him a win tonight, but we’ll try our damndest on Saturday night,” commented Schatz.
Taking advantage of the mid-race restart, David Gravel was able to shoot to the final podium step with a big run down the back straightaway on Lap 16, “It’s been a crazy year testing how much I love this sport and I love it a lot. We’ve been working really hard, just struggling on the balance of the racecar and two days ago, we got a good balance, got a good Al Parker engine now, and were able to qualify well. I’m looking forward to the feature. If we keeping doing this, we’ll be up here more often.”
Paul McMahan moved up one spot to finish fourth with Justin Henderson from tenth completing the top-five.
Wayne Johnson slipped back to sixth with Daryn Pittman also slipping from second to finish seventh. Advancing from the B-Feature, California’s Rico Abreu charged from 23rd to eighth with Greg Hodnett and Sheldon Haudenschild completing the top-ten.
With 55 drivers timing in, drivers were divided into five Heat Races with Jamie Veal, Willie Croft, Tyler Courtney, Tony Shilling, and Dakota Hendrickson earning wins.
C-Feature action went to Jac Haudenschild with Tasker Phillips topping the B-Feature.
A look at points after the first night of action, and Donny Schatz with quick time, third in his Heat, and runner-up in the feature leads the charge with 492 points. David Gravel is second with 485, followed by Paul McMahan (471), Sheldon Haudenschild (465), and Shane Stewart (460).
Join us tomorrow night, Thursday, August 13 for night #2 of the 55th FVP Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores! For more information on Knoxville Raceway, visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com!
410 Results
Time Trials (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 15, Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND (14), 14.953; 2. 7, David Gravel, Watertown, CT (10), 15.099; 3. 31C, Justyn Cox, Clarksburg, CA (1), 15.216; 4. 89, Cody Darrah, Red Lion, PA (16), 15.255; 5. 93H, Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (2), 15.263; 6. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (17), 15.279; 7. 95, Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK (4), 15.316; 8. 51, Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN (46), 15.317; 9. 19, Bob Weuve, Newton, IA (5), 15.352; 10. 24R, Rico Abreu, St. Helena, CA (41), 15.359; 11. 18, Ian Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, Aust (35), 15.378; 12. O, Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA (8), 15.390; 13. 7S, Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN (25), 15.393; 14. 12X, Wayne Johnson, Knoxville, IA (13), 15.410; 15. 9, Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK (54), 15.413; 16. 17W, Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN (40), 15.423; 17. 69, Mike Moore, Des Moines, IA (3), 15.439; 18. 16, Shane Stewart, Bixby, OK (51), 15.442; 19. 83, Aaron Reutzel, Clute, TX (39), 15.454; 20. 12, Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City, IA (27), 15.455; 21. 19P, Paige Polyak, Tiffin, OH (44), 15.502; 22. 27, Greg Hodnett, Spring Grove, PA (31), 15.531; 23. 1D, Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD (37), 15.542; 24. 56, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (26), 15.586; 25. 4R, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (9), 15.600; 26. 49J, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (43), 15.612; 27. 17, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX (45), 15.636; 28. 7D, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (21), 15.657; 29. 17A, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (22), 15.657; 30. 1A, Jacob Allen, Hanover, PA (29), 15.673; 31. 35AU, Jamie Veal, Warrnambool, VIC, Aust. (53), 15.677; 32. 29C, Willie Croft, Roseville, CA (24), 15.692; 33. 71X, Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, IN (49), 15.697; 34. 22, Tony Shilling, Knoxville, IA (18), 15.698; 35. 81X, Lee Jacobs, Dalton, OH (19), 15.715; 36. 84, Scott Bogucki, McLaren Vale, SA, Aust. (6), 15.718; 37. 11K, Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, IN (34), 15.731; 38. 5V, Colby Copeland, Roseville, CA (7), 15.739; 39. 21AU, Jordyn Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (15), 15.742; 40. 4, Dakota Hendrickson, Omaha, NE (47), 15.758; 41. 13X, Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (36), 15.767; 42. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust (20), 15.795; 43. 99, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK (50), 15.800; 44. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (23), 15.820; 45. 2KS, Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN (52), 15.835; 46. 55W, Logan Wagner, Harrisonville, PA (12), 15.849; 47. 81, Austin Johnson, Pleasant Hill, IA (32), 15.857; 48. 2L, Logan Forler, Boise, ID (28), 15.899; 49. 23, Jimmy Light, West Springfield, PA (11), 16.000; 50. 7X, Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL (33), 16.000; 51. 4S, Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (38), 16.093; 52. O5, Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills, MO (55), 16.424; 53. 96, Bronson Maeschen, Pleasantville, IA (48), 16.999; 54. 96AU, Bruce White, Merrylands West, NSW, Aust. (30), 17.363; 55. 17M, Todd Mickelson, Minot, ND (42), 18.095.
Heat one (started), 10 Laps, 2:38.1: 1. Jamie Veal (2); 2. Ian Madsen (6); 3. Donny Schatz (8); 4. Scott Bogucki (1) / 5. Josh Schneiderman (3); 6. Bryan Clauson (5); 7. Paige Polyak (4); 8. Tasker Phillips (7) / 9. Jac Haudenschild (9); 10. Logan Wagner (10)
Heat two (started), 10 Laps, 2:41.2: 1. Willie Croft (2); 2. Greg Hodnett (4); 3. Kraig Kinser (1); 4. David Gravel (8) / 5. Josh Baughman (3); 6. Bud Kaeding (6); 7. Matt Covington (7); 8. Mike Moore (5) / 9. Austin Johnson (10); 10. Glen Saville (9)
Heat three (started), 10 Laps, 2:40.2: 1. Tyler Courtney (2); 2. Justin Henderson (4); 3. Shane Stewart (5); 4. Paul McMahan (7) / 5. Dustin Selvage (3); 6. Jason Sides (6); 7. Colby Copeland (1); 8. Logan Forler (10) / 9. Justyn Cox (8); 10. Brady Bacon (9)
Heat four (started), 10 Laps, 2:39.9: 1. Tony Shilling (2); 2. Davey Heskin (4); 3. Jordyn Brazier (1); 4. Wayne Johnson (6) / 5. Aaron Reutzel (5); 6. Austin McCarl (3); 7. Cody Darrah (8); 8. Bob Weuve (7) / 9. Jimmy Light (10); 10. AJ Moeller (9)
Heat five (started), 10 Laps, 2:42.3: 1. Dakota Hendrickson (1); 2. Daryn Pittman (6); 3. Lee Jacobs (2); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (8) / 5. Rico Abreu (7); 6. Lynton Jeffrey (5); 7. Jon Agan (4); 8. Jacob Allen (3) / 9. Craig Dollansky (9); 10. Kaley Gharst (10)
C main (started), 10 Laps, 2:45.5: 1. Jac Haudenschild (2); 2. Justyn Cox (1); 3. Logan Wagner (5); 4. Craig Dollansky (6) / 5. Brady Bacon (4); 6. Jimmy Light (7); 7. Austin Johnson (8); 8. Danny Smith (9); 9. Glen Saville (3); 10. Bruce White (12); 11. Todd Mickelson (11); 12. Kaley Gharst (10); DNS - AJ Moeller, Brad Loyet, Bronson Maeschen
B main (started), 12 Laps, 3:22.2: 1. Tasker Phillips (2); 2. Cody Darrah (1); 3. Rico Abreu (5); 4. Bryan Clauson (8) / 5. Jason Sides (7); 6. Matt Covington (3); 7. Lynton Jeffrey (11); 8. Austin McCarl (17); 9. Jac Haudenschild (21); 10. Aaron Reutzel (10); 11. Bud Kaeding (6); 12. Paige Polyak (12); 13. Bob Weuve (4); 14. Josh Schneiderman (14); 15. Mike Moore (9); 16. Josh Baughman (15); 17. Logan Wagner (23); 18. Craig Dollansky (24); 19. Dustin Selvage (16); 20. Justyn Cox (22); 21. Jacob Allen (18); 22. Logan Forler (20); 23. Jon Agan (13); 24. Colby Copeland (19)
A main (started), 25 Laps, NT: 1. Shane Stewart (1); 2. Donny Schatz (8); 3. David Gravel (7); 4. Paul McMahan (5); 5. Justin Henderson (10); 6. Wayne Johnson (3); 7. Daryn Pittman (2); 8. Rico Abreu (23); 9. Greg Hodnett (9); 10. Sheldon Haudenschild (6); 11. Bryan Clauson (24); 12. Davey Heskin (11); 13. Tasker Phillips (21); 14. Cody Darrah (22); 15. Kraig Kinser (18); 16. Tony Shilling (15); 17. Jamie Veal (12); 18. Tyler Courtney (14); 19. Lee Jacobs (16); 20. Dakota Hendrickson (20); 21. Willie Croft (13); 22. Jordyn Brazier (19); 23. Scott Bogucki (17); 24. Ian Madsen (4). Lap Leader: Stewart 1-25. Hard-charger: Abreu.
Points Accumulated Wednesday…
1 15 Donny Schatz 492
2 7 David Gravel 485
3 51 Paul McMahan 471
4 93H Sheldon Haudenschild 465
5 16 Shane Stewart 460
6 9 Daryn Pittman 457
7 24R Rico Abreu 456
8 12X Wayne Johnson 455
9 89 Cody Darrah 450
10 1D Justin Henderson 445
11 7TAZ Tasker Phillips 445
12 27 Greg Hodnett 439
13 17W Bryan Clauson 435
14 18 Ian Madsen 431
15 56 Davey Heskin 429
16 95 Matt Covington 410
17 35AU Jamie Veal 408
18 22 Tony Shilling 404
19 7S Jason Sides 403
20 71X Tyler Courtney 402
21 29C Willie Croft 398
22 11K Kraig Kinser 394
23 O Bud Kaeding 393
24 81X Lee Jacobs 390
25 19 Bob Weuve 389
26 12 Lynton Jeffrey 385
27 4 Dakota Hendrickson 384
28 83 Aaron Reutzel 384
29 31C Justyn Cox 384
30 84 Scott Bogucki 377
31 21AU Jordyn Brazier 376
32 19P Paige Polyak 370
33 69 Mike Moore 369
34 17A Austin McCarl 365
35 49J Josh Schneiderman 362
36 17 Josh Baughman 356
37 7D Dustin Selvage 348
38 4R Jon Agan 340
39 1A Jacob Allen 331
40 13X Jac Haudenschild 330
41 5V Colby Copeland 312
42 2KS Craig Dollansky 304
43 55W Logan Wagner 301
44 2L Logan Forler 293
45 99 Brady Bacon 281
46 75 Glen Saville 275
47 81 Austin Johnson 272
48 23 Jimmy Light 270
49 20 AJ Moeller 263
50 7X Kaley Gharst 253
51 4S Danny Smith 236
52 O5 Brad Loyet 219
53 96AU Bruce White 217
54 96 Bronson Maeschen 212
55 17M Todd Mickelson 210
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