WOO: Haudenschild Wins Featherlite Feature at Knoxville
27 April 1998
By Richard DayKNOXVILLE, IA - Defending Iowa Ethanol Classic champion Jac Haudenschild has a clear-cut advantage when he races at Knoxville Raceway. His crew chief, Guy Forbrook, is a six-time track champion at "The Home of the Nationals."
Haudenschild took full advantage of Forbrook's expertise - and a few timely caution flags - to win the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' preliminary feature in convincing fashion on Featherlite Night at Knoxville Raceway Friday.
"The Pennzoil car has been good all year," Haudenschild said, "but tonight was as fast as the car has ever been.
"I have to thank the guys who work on the car. Guy and Dave (Kinnard) do a great job. Without them, I wouldn't be here."
The $4,500 victory capped an almost perfect performance by Haudenschild. He earned his fourth Vivarin Fast-Time Award of the season by circling the legendary semi-banked, 1/2-mile oval in 15.168 seconds. He also won the First Racing Champions Heat Race from outside the third row and led all 20 laps in the feature. The Channellock Dash was the only race Haudenschild didn't win.
Defending World of Outlaws champion Sammy Swindell earned the right to start the preliminary feature on the pole by winning the Channellock Dash. Haudenschild finished second, and started the feature next to the 1983 Amoco Knoxville Nationals champion.
Haudenschild steered the #22 Pennzoil Maxim high into the fourth corner to pass Swindell for the lead as the green flag fell. Danny Lasoski, who combined with Forbrook to win five Knoxville track championships, challenged Swindell for second place throughout the opening lap.
Haudenschild was 10 car-lengths ahead of his closest pursuers by the end of the second lap. Mark Kinser, the 1996 Nationals champion, passed Lasoski for third place with a low move in the fourth corner late in lap two. "The Dude" steered the #83 Beef Packers Eagle low in turn three to regain the spot one lap later.
Haudenschild enjoyed a full straightaway advantage by the fourth lap and entered lapped traffic six laps into the race. Sammy narrowed the gap in dense traffic during the next two laps, and was even with Haudenschild in the fourth corner when the #75 Mopar Schnee jumped out of gear, forcing Craig Dollansky to slow in front of the leaders and prompting flagman Doug Clark to wave the yellow flag.
After challenging Swindell for the runner-up spot as the race resumed, Lasoski turned his attention to Kinser. Mark made a run at him in turns one and two, then steered the #5M Wirtgen Maxim deep into the fourth corner to claim third place seconds later.
Haudenschild was 20 car-lengths ahead of Swindell midway through the race, and caught the backmarkers again during lap 14. Swindell closed in quickly, only to have Dollansky bring out the caution flag with fourth-corner spin.
While Haudenschild and Sammy battled for the lead, "The Dude" and Andy Hillenburg exchanged fourth place. Rookie of the Year candidate Tyler Walker joined the battle as the green flag replaced the yellow, driving his family's #35 Air Sep Eagle under Andy between the third and fourth corners to take fifth. Kinser used a turn-four move on the restart to pass Sammy for second.
Haudenschild entered lapped traffic with a 15-car-length advantage with three laps remaining and was 10 car-lengths ahead of Mark when he took the checkered flag. Hillenburg made a late run at Walker, but came up inches short.
Swindell held off "The Dude" for third place. Walker finished fifth, ahead of Hillenburg, Johnny Herrera, 17th-starting Stevie Smith, Steve Kinser and Dale Blaney.
Kinser, winner of 11 Nationals titles, would have probably raced with the leaders in the feature had he not had problems in the First Racing Champions Heat Race. As the sixth-fastest qualifier, he would have started the Channellock Dash on the pole, but he finished fifth in his heat race. So, instead of racing for the pole in the dash, "The King of the Outlaws" was the "B" battling to qualify for the preliminary feature. WoO
1998 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, IA
Featherlite Night
Friday, April 24, Preliminary Program
Qualifications: 1. Jac Haudenschild, Elden 22, 15.168; 2. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 15.475; 3. Tyler Walker, Walker 35, 15.540; 4. Danny Lasoski, Roth 83, 15.548; 5. Sammy Swindell, Swindell 1, 15.676; 6. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 15.756; 7. Andy Hillenburg, OK, Hillenburg 2, 15.865; 8. Skip Jackson, Serace 55, 15.886; 9. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 15.899; 10. Joe Gaerte, Holbrook 8H, 15.921; 11. Dale Blaney, Hylton-Blaney 93, 15.945; 12. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners 104+, 15.956; 13. Greg Hodnett, Helm 11H, 15.971; 14. Larry Neighbors, Neighbors 29N, 15.997; 15. Brooke Tatnell, RE Technologies 7K, 16.020; 16. Bob Weuve, Weuve 19W, 16.030; 17. Larry Pinegar II, Cahill Racing 7, 16.036; 18. Don Droud Jr., DOCC Motorsports 1BK, 16.066; 19. Stevie Smith, Smith Racing 19, 16.066; 20. Terry McCarl, McCarl 24, 16.083; 21. Brent Antill, Jordan Brothers 1B, 16.085; 22. Randy Anderson, RCMP 12, 16.086; 23. Jeff Mitrisin, Sereg 5J, 16.098; 24. Lance Blevins, Blevins 21, 16.123; 25. Danny Smith, Brazier 21S, 16.159; 26. Chris Walraven, Beahlers 56, 16.204; 27. Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 16.222; 28. Shane Stewart, Stewart 9S, 16.229; 29. Dennis Moore Jr., Stroud 1S, 16.300; 30. Jaymie Moyle, Vanderecken 10, 16.313; 31. Dion Hindi, Hindi 18, 16.323; 32. John Kearney, Kearney 86, 16.329; 33. Marlon Jones, Jones 6, 16.330; 34. Chuck Swenson, Swenson X, 16.380; 35. Scott Young, Young 1Y, 16.390; 36. Matt Moro, Moro 2M, 16.392; 37. Craig Dollansky, Stanton 75, 16.454; 38. Scott Whitworth, Whitworth 96, 16.485; 39. Nick Bellino, Bellino 41B, 16.488; 40. Leonard Lee, Lee 16L, 16.497; 41. Tony Norem, Sibet 45, 16.516; 42. Lee Nelson, Arends 1A, 16.539; 43. Shane Liebig, Liebig 10L, 16.756; 44. Kevin Whitworth, Whitworth 5K, 16.819; 45. Ryan Jamison, Jamison 51J, 16.860; 46. Gerald Cressman, Cressman 56C, 17.078; 47. Lou Kennedy Jr., Kennedy 21K, 17.557; 48. Manny Rockhold, Rockhold 71, 17.615; 49. Billy Anderson, Kain 1K, 18.242; 50. Bob Hildreth, Hildreth 55KC, 18.243; 51. Bill McCroskey, Weuve 91KW, 18.429; 52. Troy Parsons, Parsons 57C, no time.
First Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Jac Haudenschild, 2. Chris Walraven, 3. Brent Antill, 4. Dale Blaney, 5. Steve Kinser, 6. Bob Weuve, 7. Matt Moro, 8. Dion Hindi, 9. Tony Norem, 10. Gerald Cressman, 11. Bill McCroskey. 2:15 (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
Second Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Donny Schatz, 2. Andy Hillenburg, 3. Jeff Swindell, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Craig Dollansky, 6. Randy Anderson, 7. Lee Nelson, 8. Larry Pinegar II, 9. Lou Kennedy Jr., 10. John Kearney. 2:16 (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
Third Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Don Droud, Jr., 2. Greg Hodnett, 3. Tyler Walker, 4. Skip Jackson, 5. Jeff Mitrisin, 6. Shane Stewart, 7. Marlon Jones, 8. Scott Whitworth, 9. Shane Liebig, 10. Manny Rockhold. 2:13.4 (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
Fourth Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Stevie Smith, 2. Danny Lasoski, 3. Johnny Herrera, 4. Larry Neighbors, 5. Dennis Moore Jr., 6. Chuck Swenson, 7. Lance Blevins, 8. Kevin Whitworth, 9. Nick Bellino, 10. Billy Anderson. 2:17.8 (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
Fifth Racing Champions Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Danny Smith, 2. Terry McCarl, 3. Jaymie Moyle, 4. Sammy Swindell, 5. Brooke Tatnell, 6. Joe Gaerte, 7. Leonard Lee, 8. Scott Young, 9. Ryan Jamison, 10. Bob Hildreth, 11. Troy Parsons. 2:22.3 (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
Channellock Dash (five laps): 1. Sammy Swindell, 2. Jac Haudenschild, 3. Andy Hillenburg, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Danny Lasoski, 6. Tyler Walker, 7. Johnny Herrera, 8. Skip Jackson. 1:25.8 (finish determined the first eight starting positions in the Preliminary Feature)
C Feature (10 laps): 1. Leonard Lee, 2. Ryan Jamison, 3. Manny Rockhold, 4. Kevin Whitworth, 5. Shane Liebig ($100); 6. Billy Anderson ($80); 7. Nick Bellino ($60); 8. Troy Parsons ($50); 9. Gerald Cressman ($40); 10. Tony Norem ($30); 11. Lou Kennedy Jr. ($25); 12. Lee Nelson ($25); 13. Bob Hildreth ($25); 14. Bill McCroskey ($25). 3:07.4 (first four qualified for the "B" Feature)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Brooke Tatnell, 2. Joe Gaerte, 3. Steve Kinser, 4. Craig Dollansky, 5. Lance Blevins ($150); 6. Jeff Mitrisin ($125); 7. Marlon Jones ($100); 8. Bob Weuve ($75); 9. Dion Hindi ($60); 10. Ryan Jamison ($70); 11. Manny Rockhold ($60); 12. Larry Pinegar II ($40); 13. Dennis Moore Jr. ($40); 14. Chuck Swenson ($40); 15. Matt Moro ($40); 16. Shane Stewart ($40); 17. Kevin Whitworth ($60); 18. Randy Anderson ($40); 19. Leonard Lee ($60); 20. Scott Young ($40). (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
A Feature (20 laps): 1. Jac Haudenschild ($4,500); 2. Mark Kinser ($2,500); 3. Sammy Swindell ($1,700); 4. Danny Lasoski ($1,500); 5. Tyler Walker ($1,350); 6. Andy Hillenburg ($1,250); 7. Johnny Herrera ($1,200); 8. Stevie Smith ($1,100); 9. Steve Kinser ($1,095); 10. Dale Blaney ($1,050); 11. Danny Smith ($1,000); 12. Brooke Tatnell ($820); 13. Greg Hodnett ($700); 14. Terry McCarl ($630); 15. Skip Jackson ($400); 16. Donny Schatz ($400); 17. Joe Gaerte ($320); 18. Larry Neighbors ($300); 19. Chris Walraven ($300); 20. Craig Dollansky ($320); 21. Jeff Swindell ($300); 22. Jaymie Moyle ($300); 23. Don Droud Jr. ($300); 24. Brent Antill ($300).
Lap leader: Jac Haudenschild 1-20
Vivarin Fast-Time Award winner: Jac Haudenschild
