KNOXVILLE, IOWA (July 6, 2019) – With Friday’s preliminary now in the rear view mirror at Knoxville Raceway, all attention turns to Saturday’s championship program where the inaugural BRANDT Corn Belt Nationals champion will take home a cool $20,000 payday. Heading into the second night of action, the points situation is absurd, with the top seven separated by 10 points and countless drivers still eligible to punch their ticket into the feature.
Utilizing a unique format that rewards racers in time trials, heat races, C-Main, B-Main and A-Main, points are at a premium with performance crucial at every on-track moment. Tonight, all 51 entries will come back and run another round of time trials along with four ten-lap qualifiers. At the conclusion of qualifiers, combined points from Friday and Saturday will be totaled and the top 18 will lock-in to the championship main event while 19-36 in points go to the B-Main and 37-51 head to the C-Main.
Following last night’s exciting debut, Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Okla. holds command of the points lead as he scored 492 points on the strength of going fifth-quick, winning his heat race from fifth, and winning the preliminary feature from sixth. The Hoffman Racing, Mean Green No. 69 did all that while facing the adversity of an engine change following time trials, but nothing could slow Bacon down on this night.
Justin Grant of Ione, Calif. has his TOPP Motorsports, NOS Energy Drink No. 4 solidly in second with 489 points after setting quicktime, running second in his heat, and finishing fifth in the feature.
A four-way tie for the third spot features a quartet of stout contenders locked at 484 points: Chris Windom of Canton, Ill. in the Goacher Racing, NOS Energy Drink No. 5G; Kevin Thomas Jr. of Cullman, Ala. in the Hayward-Thomas Motorsports, Grainger No. 19T; Chase Stockon of Fort Branch, Ind. in the TBI Racing, Superior Tank & Trailer No. 32; C.J. Leary of Greenfield, Ind. in the Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports, AME Electrical No. 19AZ.
Rounding out the top ten in points after night one is Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind. in seventh with 482 points for his Clauson-Marshall Racing No. 7BC; Jason McDougal of Broken Arrow, Okla. in eighth with 475 points for his Daigh-Phillips Motorsports No. 71P; Ryan Bernal of Hollister, Calif. in ninth with 470 points for his Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 17B; Matt Westfall of Pleasant Hill, Ohio in tenth with 467 points for his Ray Marshall Motorsports No. 33M.
If you can’t make it in person to witness history on Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway, tune into www.dirtvision.com for a LIVE broadcast of the BRANDT Corn Belt Nationals finale.
For more information on the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League, you can visit www.powri.com online, follow @WARSprints on Twitter and Instagram, or like POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprints on Facebook.
BRANDT Corn Belt Nationals Points (After Night One):
- 69-Brady Bacon (492)
- 4-Justin Grant (489)
- 5G-Chris Windom (484)
- 19T-Kevin Thomas Jr. (484)
- 32-Chase Stockon (484)
- 19AZ-C.J. Leary (484)
- 7BC-Tyler Courtney (482)
- 71P-Jason McDougal (475)
- 17B-Ryan Bernal (470)
- 33M-Matt Westfall (467)
- 11W-Wyatt Burks (463)
- 12S-Wesley Smith (462)
- 7-Tim Buckwalter (454)
- 21-Carson Short (453)
- 1M-Don Droud Jr. (452)
- 17-Nick Bilbee (452)
- 6-Mario Clouser (450)
- 74X-Josh Hodges (441)
- 90-Riley Kreisel (439)
- 98E-Chad Boespflug (437)
- 99-Korey Weyant (436)
- 42-Dave Darland (433)
- 16-Anthony Nicholson (426)
- 24-Landon Simon (423)
- 56-Mitchell Davis (404)
- 75X-Dustin Christie (401)
- 0S-Steve Irwin (399)
- 28-Kory Schudy (399)
- 9G-Cody Gardner (387)
- 57-TJ Artz (376)
- 44-Dickie Gaines (374)
- 78-Rob Caho Jr. (370)
- 0-Brandon Stevenson (369)
- 77K-Katlynn Leer (369)
- 75-Glen Saville (368)
- 65-Chris Parkinson (364)
- 52F-Logan Faucon (363)
- 18-Terry Richards (360)
- 52-Isaac Chapple (358)
- 71S-Doug Schenck (355)
- 7C-Chris Morgan (351)
- 7S-Craig Campton (349)
- 24V-Brian VanMeveren (335)
- 73-Lane Stone (333)
- 22S-Slater Helt (331)
- 20-Steve Thomas (320)
- 19-Jori Hughes (318)
- 12X-Doug Sylvester (318)
- 13MJ-Brandon Halverson (314)
- 6R-Frank Rodgers III (302)
- 4A-Braydon Cromwell (301)