Knill Wins Feature Race

Unlike a week earlier, Van Knill was able to overcome his bad luck with the inversion wheel and won the super late model feature race Saturday at Irwindale Speedway.

The inversion wheel determines the starting grid for the qualifying heat race. Knill posted the fastest qualifying time Saturday but spun a six on the wheel and finished sixth in the heat.

In the feature race, Knill moved into fourth on the opening lap, third on the third lap and second on the seventh lap. He passed pole-sitter Dan O’Donnell on the eighth lap to take the lead and held it for the remainder of the 50-lap race on the half-mile track.

The top four positions remained unchanged for the final 28 laps. Jim McGill was second. Mike Price, who won the last two races, finished fourth. O’Donnell finished sixth.

Knill, from Tucson, received $1,250 for the victory, his second in the season’s seven races. The victory moved Knill into first in the series standings, past Dan Moore, who finished 10th.

Ron Peterson won both super truck races, extending his winning streak to nine dating to last season and tying Todd Burns’ track record set during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Tom Smith won the figure-8 race.

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-- Steven Herbert