Lewistown, IL – Zeb Wise of Angola, Indiana picked up his first career POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Saturday night at Spoon River Speedway. Wise used a unique line on the high-banked 3/8 mile Spoon River Speedway to etch his name in the history books as the winner of the 32nd annual Tom Knowles Memorial.
Starting inside row three, Wise charged to the front battling through a field of heavy hitters including last night’s winner at Jacksonville Speedway in the Herb Barlow Memorial, Logan Seavey. Coming to green, Zach Daum and current POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League point leader Tucker Klaasmeyer shared the front row.
Leading the opening lap, Daum jumped into the lead over Tucker Klaasmeyer and Tanner Carrick. After Carrick overtook Klaasmeyer for second and Daum for the lead, Wise continued to move forward ripping the top side mirroring Carrick’s line, while Daum rolled the bottom. As Carrick caught lap traffic, Daum and Wise closed, and a blanket could be thrown over the top three. In a split second decision, Wise found some magic in the middle in turns one and two, allowing him to surge into the lead.
While Daum worked the bottom, a line he has used to win many races, including some Knowles Memorials of the past, Wise used his line to stay out front while bringing along Klaasmeyer to second. Coming to the line, Wise led Klaasmeyer, with Carrick in third. Klaasmeyer’s second was another good point night as the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midgets have a handful of races left for 2018. Pole sitter Zach Daum took fourth with Tyler Barron in fifth. Ryan Robinson finished sixth with Sam Johnson in seventh. Leading POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Rookie of the Year candidate Karter Sarff took eighth, with Logan Seavey and Blake Carrick completing the top ten.
“When I went and split Carrick there, I found the middle in one and two and had a lot of grip coming off, so I used that to help me into turn three,” said Zeb Wise. “I can’t thank Tim, my dad, and Kevin enough. It was just those three this weekend, so tough week for them, but we got one done for them. I was just waiting for someone to show their nose on the bottom before moving down there. I got the lead up top in three and four. I felt like I had a pretty good car up there so I stayed and got it done.”
“Zeb did a really good job,” commented Tucker Klaasmeyer. “He found the top there early. It was a really fun race. Everyone got to look around a little bit. It would have been more fun if it was a 50-lapper. It was just a good time and a good race. We had a good car. I felt like we could have gone anywhere if the track would have changed. It was a good point night and everything is rolling in the trailer. Jay and a lot of guys on this team have experience winning championships, so they can teach me a lot. Just being smooth and making sure to finish all the races is what counts.”
“When you lead that many laps, you’re kind of just a sitting duck out front,” stated Tanner Carrick. “I saw them on the bottom and moved to the bottom. Led a couple laps on the bottom and then decided to go back up top and drove it off the track, and fell back to fourth or fifth and then drove back up to third. Other than that, it felt pretty good. Just a sitting duck out front, I guess.”
Midgets
Speedway Motors Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: 39BC – ZEB WISE, Heat 2: 5D – ZACH DAUM, Heat 3: 71K – TANNER CARRICK
Mesilla Valley Transportation Feature Winner: 39BC - ZEB WISE
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Feature Results (30 laps): 1. 39BC - ZEB WISE 2. 27 - TUCKER KLAASMEYER 3. 71K - TANNER CARRICK 4. 5D - ZACH DAUM 5. 11 - TYLER BARRON 6. 71 - RYAN ROBINSON 7. 72 - SAM JOHNSON 8. 21KS - KARTER SARFF 9. 67 - LOGAN SEAVEY 10. 79 - BLAKE CARRICK 11. 14JR - HOLLEY HOLLAN 12. 5T - PRESLEY TRUEDSON 13. 7F - HARLEY HOLLAN 14. 75 - BRIAN STANFILL 15. 10C - DALTON CAMFIELD 16. 16C - DAVE CAMFIELD JR 17. 83B - JEFF BEASLEY 18. 51B - ADAM TAYLOR 19. 57 - MARIA COFER 20. 3N - JAKE NEUMAN 21. 86C - DEVIN CAMFIELD
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