Eldora Speedway 1999-10-02

All Star Sprint Race Results - Eldora Speedway - Sat. 10/2/99 By Scott Hall

ROSSBURG, OH - A funny thing happened on the way to victory lane in the final 1999 All Star sprint 30-lap feature Saturday night at Eldora Speedway. Just as Kenny Jacobs appeared to have victory in his grasp, Joey Saldana motored by for his ninth win of the season. Jacobs clinched both the 1999 All Star owner's and driver's titles just by signing into the pit area tonight. Saldana also won $3,500 in the annual Commercial Truck and Trailer Shootout race to make it an $8,500 evening. Unfortunately, the evening was marred by the death of driver Bill Knisley in hot laps.

"That last yellow flag I turned the fuel back down to keep heat in the motor and I never turned the fuel back on," runner-up Jacobs said. "The car can't run with the fuel shut off. It was a stupid driver in the 6 car tonight."

"Kenny was fast, but they put some new dirt on this place and you can run the bottom pretty good in one and two and I don't think Kenny knew that. I just got lucky running second and could see what was a little faster," Saldana stated after his win in the Steve Mox No. 17. "I've got to thank Jerry Russell, he built this new car for Danny Lasoski and they were afraid to try it and we got to try it, and it's been awesome."

Paul McMahan started on the ButlerBuilt Motorsports Equipment Hot Seat pole position with Rodney Duncan alongside. Butch Schroeder and Frankie Kerr gridded in row two with Jacobs and Saldana in row three. McMahan took the lead at the drop of the green, with Duncan second and Kerr third as Saldana bobbled and fell back to seventh. Jacobs passed Schroeder for fourth on lap four, then got past Kerr for third two circuits later. Jacobs was really moving now and took Duncan the next time by for the runner-up spot and was closing fast on the leader McMahan.

In lapped traffic, Jacobs pulled alongside McMahan going into turn one and slid up in front of him to lead lap nine. Jacobs then motored away from the pack when a yellow came out on lap 17. Jonathan Stevens hit the turn two wall and came to rest on the track. Kent Wolters and runner-up McMahan both tried to squeeze between the wall and Stevens, with the pair colliding and McMahan getting a flat left rear and he was forced out of action.

This left Jacobs in the lead for the restart over Duncan and Saldana. Saldana disposed of Duncan within two laps and began catching Jacobs. By lap 23 Saldana was using the middle groove and dove under Jacobs, but the pass would not stick. Lapped traffic kept Saldana from making another challenge until lap 25, but again Jacobs kept the lead. With two laps to go, Saldana went low under Jacobs off turn two to take the lead, Jacobs got it back for a moment in the middle of the backstretch, but Saldana powered his Fisher-Chevrolet engine across the start-finish line to lead for the white flag and pull away from Jacobs on the final lap. Duncan held on for third with Dean Jacobs passing Schroeder for fourth on the last circuit.

"It was a great run for us," Duncan related, "We should be really happy. But with the things that happened earlier it's hard to feel real good. All I can say is that we pray for Bill Knisley and his family. I just want to say I have the greatest car owner in the whole business, Al Harrison. I'm grateful to him and now we have a great crew with the addition of Andy Potter.

Kerr was sixth and Jim Nier finished seventh, earning the "Team Simpson Racing Lucky Seven" award after starting last. Kyle Sauder, Ed Lynch Jr. and Danny Smith completed the top ten.

Commercial Truck & Trailer Shootout

In the $15,000 Commercial Truck & Trailer Shootout, Joey Saldana in the Steve Mox Eagle was on the pole with Kenny Jacobs in his own No. 6 alongside. Warren Johnson's U2 with Paul McMahan aboard was next, inside Dean Jacobs in Jr. Holbrook's Eagle. The Stan Shoff 23s of Frankie Kerr started fifth with Butch Schroeder next in the Daugherty 7. Danny Smith in Denny Ashworth's Schnee and Ed Lynch Jr. were in row four followed by Jerrod Hull and Jim Dunham in the Butch Schroeder 17. For the 10-lap contest, the cars were lined straight up in order of Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash points accumulated throughout the season.

Saldana jumped out to an immediate lead and ran away from the field to win by a full straightaway. K. Jacobs ran second the whole way ahead of his brother Dean. Schroeder held off Frankie Kerr for fourth, making McMahan sixth and Smith passed Lynch twice to retain seventh.

The United Expressline heat fell to fast qualifier Saldana, the Southwest Expressline heat to Kyle Sauder, the Southwest Glass heat was won by Greg Wilson and the United Specialties heat went to Dean Jacobs with Paul McMahan the United Expressline B Main winner. Bill Knisley hit the turn four wall in hot laps and was taken to Coldwater Hospital with fatal injuries. (See separate report.)

Time Trials: 1. Joey Saldana, Mox 17, 12.885; 2. Kenny Jacobs, Jacobs 6, 13.071; 3. Frankie Kerr, Shoff 23s, 13.229; 4. Butch Schroeder, Daugherty 7, 13.296; 5. Rodney Duncan, Harrison 22, 13.350; 6. Paul McMahan, Johnson U2, 13.369; 7. Ed Lynch, Jr., Lynch 2L, 13.393; 8. Dean Jacobs, Holbrook 8, 13.472; 9. Chad Kemenah, Harble 15, 13.484; 10. Kyle Sauder, Winner's Circle 2s, 13.497; 11. Jimmy Hawley, Crawford C3, 13.555; 12. Charlie Fisher, Courtad 9x, 13.664; 13. Danny Smith, Ashworth 92, 13.733; 14. Jonathan Stevens, Stevens 4J, 13.743; 15. Brian Ellenberger, Ellenberger 20, 13.759; 16. Rob Chaney, Chaney 42, 13.764; 17. Dwain Leiber, Leiber 62, 13.852; 18. Brian Carlson, SC Motorsports 18, 13.930; 19. Dave Freed, Freed 8F, 13.935; 20. Van Gurley, Jr., Brown 99, 13.944; 21. Kent Wolters, Wolters 12, 13.960; 22. Ed Neumeister, Neumeister 11n, 13.981; 23. Greg Wilson, Hampshire 63, 14.021; 24. Nick Naber, G&N 6, 14.072; 25. Jason Dukes, DHP 3, 14.083; 26. Eric Hysong, Andrews 72, 14.099; 27. Raymond Shank, Shank 7x, 14.302; 28. Craig McGuire, McGuire 4, 14.332; 29. Jerrod Hull, Webb 51, 14.370; 30. Andy McKisson, McKisson 0, 14.404; 31. Blake Feese, Feese 1, 14.457; 32. Jim Nier, Nier 00, 14.502; 33. Keith Baxter, Baxter 1, 14.502; 34. John Buchy, Buchy 28, 14.887; 35. Wayne Modjeski, Modjeski 77, 15.544; 36. Jimmy Stinson, Stinson 84, 19.077; 37. Steve Wilmot, Wilmot 73, 20.622; 38. Bill Knisley, Knisley 4x, NT; 39. Jim Dunham, Schroeder 17, NT.

United Expressline Heat (8 laps): 1. Saldana 2. Kemenah 3. Smith 4. Leiber 5. Duncan 6. Nier 7. Wolters 8. Dukes 9. Hull.

Southwest Expressline Heat (8 laps): 1. Sauder 2. K. Jacobs 3. Carlson 4. Stevens 5. Neumeister 6. McKisson 7. Hysong 8. Buchy 9. McMahan.

Southwest Glass Heat (8 laps): 1. Wilson 2. Freed 3. Hawley 4. Kerr 5. Lynch 6. Ellenberger 7. Feese 8. Shank 9. Modjeski.

United Specialties Heat (8 laps): 1. D. Jacobs 2. Chaney 3. Naber 4. Schroeder 5. Gurley 6. Fisher 7. Stinson 8. McGuire 9. Baxter.

United Expressline B Main (12 laps): 1. McMahan 2. Fisher 3. Nier 4. Wolters 5. Stinson 6. Ellenberger 7. McKisson 8. Hysong 9. Feese 10. Shank 11. McGuire 12. Baxter 13. Buchy 14. Modjeski 15. Dukes 16. Hull.

A Main (30 laps): 1. Joey Saldana 2. Kenny Jacobs 3. Rodney Duncan 4. Dean Jacobs 5. Butch Schroeder 6. Frankie Kerr 7. Jim Nier 8. Kyle Sauder 9. Ed Lynch Jr. 10. Danny Smith 11. Chad Kemenah 12. Jimmy Hawley 13. Rob Chaney 14. Dwain Leiber 15. Greg Wilson 16. Dave Freed 17. Ed Neumeister 18. Brian Ellenberger 19. Kent Wolters 20. Nick Naber 21. Charlie Fisher 22. Paul McMahan 23. Jonathan Stevens 24. Van Gurley Jr. 25. Brian Carlson.

Commercial Truck & Trailer Shootout (10 laps): 1. Saldana 2. K. Jacobs 3. D. Jacobs 4. Schroeder 5. Kerr 6. McMahan 7. Smith 8. Lynch 9. Dunham 10. Hull.