Brown Grabs Knoxville Season Finale; Alley Takes Championship
By Bob Wilson

KNOXVILLE, Iowa - (October 7) It took over a month to settle the issue, but Billy Alley of Lincoln, Nebraska was crowned the 2006 points champion at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night. The long wait was brought about by a rain postponement on September 2 of the 410 feature event of that night and was then run in conjunction with a World of Outlaws program which was also rained out and rescheduled on this same October night.

Nothing is simple on a night when the full moon is shining upon it. That being said, Alley came into the make-up race with only a 45 points advantage over Brian Brown. With a hefty check at the annual raceway banquet and the prestige of being Knoxville Raceway track champion, both men had a chance of winning it all.

Pole sitter Dusty Zomer took the early advantage and Brown settled in right behind him. With a track which had become hard and dry early, most of the front runners headed to the top for the fastest way around this big half mile oval. At lap five Zomer led Brown by five car lengths as Alley languished in the sixth spot.

One lap later the leaders hit lap traffic and it was really just a matter of when that would impede Zomer enough for Brown to challenge him. Heavy lap traffic on the eighth go around saw Brown with his chance but he did not make good on it till lap ten when he pulled a slider in turns one and two and took the lead as he shot down the backstretch.

Lap eleven saw the red flag fly for a violent crash on the backstretch as Dennis Moore, Jr. and Brent Antill tagged each other. The contact sent Antill flying through a series of wild flips as he finally came to a rest at the entrance of turn three. Both cars retired from the race placing Alley in the fifth spot for the restart.

When the race was flagged green, Alley made a bid on fourth running Lynton Jeffrey but came up empty handed as Jeffrey fended off his moves. Three laps later the red was displayed for second running Zomer who flipped hard at the entrance of turn two. Neither Zomer nor Antill required medical assistance.

The lap 14 restart saw Alley running in fourth, just one spot shy of where he needed to be in order to capture the points title. He jousted with Jeffrey but could make no headway for a pass.

It wasn't until lap 19 that the deciding factor in the race happened. That is when third running Jeffrey popped a right-rear tire and coasted to a halt in turn four. This incident allowed Alley to move to third, a spot which would give him the points he would need in order to capture the track title.

On the restart, Brown began to pull away from second running Calvin Landis. Lap after lap Brown did what he needed to do to insure himself of the best points finish possible. With Alley running third, there was nothing more he could do.

The moonlit night had created some surreal situations in this race and one more was about to happen. Lap 22 saw smoke beginning to flow from the Alley machine. Was this a sign of a terminal problem with the Alley power plant? There were only three laps to go and both Brown and Alley were on missions to the end.

Although the smoke did become greater, Alley managed to keep his sprinter together and to get it across the finish line in third place and a five points advantage in the season's points race. The big check for the night belonged to Brown in the Doogs Racing Maxim, as he became $4,000 richer but certainly found disappointment in the outcome. It had boiled down to the closest points finish in the history of Knoxville Raceway.

Though most eyes were on Brown and Alley, Landis had a great run and finished in the runner-up position. Fourth went to Randy Anderson and Kaley Gharst took fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Matt Moro, Bronson Maeschen, Chris Walraven, Mike More and Clint Garner.

A non-points slate of events was also held for the 360 sprint division. Capturing the feature was Jeff Mitrisin who led flag to flag in doing so. It was the second of the season for Mitrisin in the Steve Wares-owned sprinter. Randy Martin, Jon Corbin, Tony Bruce, Jr. and Rager Phillips completed the top five finishers.

KNOXVILLE RACEWAY, Knoxville, IA
October 7, 2006


410 RESULTS

Time Trials, 1 laps, 1. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK, 14.872; 2. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA, 14.944; 3. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN, 14.98; 4. Randy Anderson, Clarion IA, 15.026; 5. Dennis Moore Jr., Grinnell IA, 15.029; 6. Jeff Shepard, Upperco MD, 15.036; 7. Dusty Zomer, (R) Brandon SD, 15.038; 8. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND, 15.053; 9. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN, 15.063; 10. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO, 15.078; 11. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN, 15.101; 12. Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust./Prairie City IA, 15.112; 13. Brandon Wimmer, Fairmont IN, 15.12; 14. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster OH, 15.12; 15. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS, 15.16; 16. Terry McCarl, Altoona IA, 15.167; 17. Billy Alley, Lincoln NE, 15.18; 18. Jason Martin, Liberal KS, 15.18; 19. Chad Kemenah, Findlay OH, 15.184; 20. Bronson Maeschen, (R) Knoxville IA, 15.226; 21. Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls SD, 15.244; 22. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. , 15.356; 23. Chad Blonde, Litchfield MI, 15.359; 24. Tony Shilling, (R) Knoxville IA, 15.364; 25. Brian Carlson, Linden IN, 15.384; 26. Chris Walraven, Knoxville IA, 15.386; 27. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE, 15.401; 28. Becca Anderson, Houston DE, 15.431; 29. Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City OK, 15.441; 30. Bill Rose, Plainfield IN, 15.527; 31. Dion Hindi, Albuquerque NM, 15.535; 32. Jeremy Campbell, Monroe MI, 15.558; 33. Brent Antill, Ankeny IA, 15.601; 34. Matt Moro, Ankeny IA, 15.635; 35. Mike Moore, Des Moines IA, 15.737; 36. Scott Winters, Butterfield MN, 15.85; 37. Greg Jones, Earlham IA, 16.109; 38. Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL, 16.123; 39. Dave Saffell, (R) Pleasantville IA, 16.444; 40. Robert Bell, Colfax IA, 16.64; 41. Jake Peters, Sioux Falls SD, No Time; 42. Clint Garner, Sioux Falls SD, No Time; 43. Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks ND, No Time;


Heat 1, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Jason Martin, Liberal KS; 2. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 3. Terry McCarl, Altoona IA; 4. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND; 5. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 6. Greg Jones, Earlham IA; 7. Brian Carlson, Linden IN; 8. Brent Antill, Ankeny IA; 9. Tony Shilling, (R) Knoxville IA; 10. Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City OK;

Heat 2, 8 laps, 2:09.1: 1. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO; 2. Chad Blonde, Litchfield MI; 3. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 4. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA; 5. Billy Alley, Lincoln NE; 6. Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL; 7. Dusty Zomer, (R) Brandon SD; 8. Chris Walraven, Knoxville IA; 9. Bill Rose, Plainfield IN; 10. Matt Moro, Ankeny IA;

Heat 3, 8 laps, No Time: 1. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; 2. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN; 3. Chad Kemenah, Findlay OH; 4. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster OH; 5. Jeff Shepard, Upperco MD; 6. Mike Moore, Des Moines IA; 7. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 8. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 9. Dion Hindi, Albuquerque NM;

Heat 4, 8 laps, 2:12.6: 1. Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls SD; 2. Brandon Wimmer, Fairmont IN; 3. Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust./Prairie City IA; 4. Randy Anderson, Clarion IA; 5. Dennis Moore Jr., Grinnell IA; 6. Jeremy Campbell, Monroe MI; 7. Bronson Maeschen, (R) Knoxville IA; 8. Scott Winters, Butterfield MN; 9. Becca Anderson, Houston DE; 10. Robert Bell, Colfax IA;

Dash , 6 laps, No Time: 1. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 2. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN; 3. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND; 4. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 5. Jeff Shepard, Upperco MD; 6. Dennis Moore Jr., Grinnell IA; 7. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO; 8. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; 9. Randy Anderson, Clarion IA; 10. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA;

B Feature , 12 laps, No Time: 1. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 2. Brian Carlson, Linden IN; 3. Bronson Maeschen, (R) Knoxville IA; 4. Dion Hindi, Albuquerque NM; 5. Jeremy Campbell, Monroe MI; 6. Bill Rose, Plainfield IN; 7. Mike Moore, Des Moines IA; 8. Matt Moro, Ankeny IA; 9. Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL; 10. Becca Anderson, Houston DE; 11. Robert Bell, Colfax IA; 12. (Car Number Not On File); 13. Dave Saffell, (R) Pleasantville IA; 14. Greg Jones, Earlham IA; 15. Chris Walraven, Knoxville IA; 16. Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City OK;

A Feature , 25 laps, No Time: 1. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND; 2. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN; 3. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 4. Terry McCarl, Altoona IA; 5. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 6. Jeff Shepard, Upperco MD; 7. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO; 8. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; 9. Brandon Wimmer, Fairmont IN; 10. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 11. Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust./Prairie City IA; 12. Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls SD; 13. Dennis Moore Jr., Grinnell IA; 14. Jason Martin, Liberal KS; 15. Chad Kemenah, Findlay OH; 16. Billy Alley, Lincoln NE; 17. Dion Hindi, Albuquerque NM; 18. Randy Anderson, Clarion IA; 19. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 20. Bronson Maeschen, (R) Knoxville IA; 21. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster OH; 22. Chad Blonde, Litchfield MI; 23. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA; 24. Brian Carlson, Linden IN. Lap Leaders: Dollansky 1-15; Schatz 16-25


360 RESULTS

Heat 1, 7 laps, 1:57.2: 1. Stacey Alexander, Lacona IA; 2. Rager Phillips, Pleasantville IA; 3. Adam Mason, Indianapolis IN; 4. Rick Ideus, (R) Silver City IA; 5. Jay Jordan, Lincoln NE; 6. Danny Heskin, (R) St. Michael MN; 7. Jay Russell, Elwood KS; 8. Russ Hall, Des Moines IA;

Heat 2, 7 laps, No Time: 1. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 2. Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa IA; 3. Randy Martin, California MO; 4. Tyler Thompson, (R) Des Moines IA; 5. Nate Van Haaften, Otley IA; 6. Frankie Heimbaugh, Des Moines IA; 7. Mike Trent, Rocheport MO; 8. Mike Houseman Jr., Des Moines IA;

Heat 3, 7 laps, 2:00.1: 1. Jon Corbin, (R) Carrollton MO; 2. John Schulz, West Burlington IA; 3. Dustin Selvage, Indianola IA; 4. Joe Riedel, Harrisburg SD; 5. Brett Mather, Ames IA; 6. Mark Pace, Lincoln NE; 7. Mitch Runge, Sioux Falls SD; 8. Tyler Thompson, Cape Girardeau MO;

Heat 4, 7 laps, 1:59.5: 1. Josh Higday, Des Moines IA; 2. Alan Zoutte, Knoxville IA; 3. Josh Schneiderman, (R) West Burlington IA; 4. David Hall, Des Moines IA; 5. Joe Beaver, Knoxville IA; 6. Marty Stephenson, Des Moines IA; 7. Johnny Anderson, Indianola IA;

B Feature , 10 laps, 2:16.2: 1. Joe Beaver, Knoxville IA; 2. Joe Riedel, Harrisburg SD; 3. Mark Pace, Lincoln NE; 4. Mike Trent, Rocheport MO; 5. Frankie Heimbaugh, Des Moines IA; 6. Mike Houseman Jr., Des Moines IA; 7. Jay Jordan, Lincoln NE; 8. Mitch Runge, Sioux Falls SD; 9. Jay Russell, Elwood KS; 10. Danny Heskin, (R) St. Michael MN; 11. Tyler Thompson, Cape Girardeau MO; 12. Marty Stephenson, Des Moines IA; 13. Russ Hall, Des Moines IA; 14. Nate Van Haaften, Otley IA; 15. Johnny Anderson, Indianola IA;

A Feature , 15 laps, No Time: 1. Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa IA; 2. Randy Martin, California MO; 3. Jon Corbin, (R) Carrollton MO; 4. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 5. Rager Phillips, Pleasantville IA; 6. Josh Higday, Des Moines IA; 7. Stacey Alexander, Lacona IA; 8. John Schulz, West Burlington IA; 9. David Hall, Des Moines IA; 10. Tyler Thompson, (R) Des Moines IA; 11. Brett Mather, Ames IA; 12. Rick Ideus, (R) Silver City IA; 13. Joe Beaver, Knoxville IA; 14. Josh Schneiderman, (R) West Burlington IA; 15. Mark Pace, Lincoln NE; 16. Dustin Selvage, Indianola IA; 17. Joe Riedel, Harrisburg SD; 18. Adam Mason, Indianapolis IN; 19. Alan Zoutte, Knoxville IA; 20. Mike Trent, Rocheport MO. Lap Leaders: Mitrisin 1-15