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Mike Knight Racing
RIPLEY, N.Y. (April 29) - Up one day, down the next.
Rising young dirt Late Model star Mike Knight rode an emotional rollercoaster over the weekend, going from a season-high second-place finish on Saturday night (April 26) at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., to a disappointing DNF on Sunday night (April 27) at Challenger Raceway in Indiana, Pa.
The tough night in Challenger's United Force Race Championship (UFO) series inaugural certainly stung the 21-year-old from Ripley, N.Y., but it couldn't wipe away the good feelings he gained the previous evening with a runner-up outing in Stateline's 25-lap Super Late Model feature.
"We had a real good car at Stateline," said Knight, who drove his Craiger-powered Rocket No. 9K to a heat win and led laps 1-11 before being overtaken by Rick 'Boom' Briggs and eventual winner Dick Barton. "We just got passed on the high side and had to settle for second.
"A win would've been great, but the way our luck's been going we'll take second."
Knight's early-season misfortune returned in Sunday night's 'Area 51' special at Challenger. Driving the repaired car that he flipped the previous week at Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg, Ohio, he was cruising to an impressive heat win after starting eighth when his machine's left-rear tire rolled off the bead, forcing him to the pit area with the finish in sight.
A strong rally from the rear of a B-Main earned Knight a transfer spot to the 51-lap feature, but he again didn't have Lady Luck on his side. He slowed to avoid a wreck ahead of him and was clipped lightly by another car - contact that bent his mount's right-front tie-rod enough to knock him out of action and leave him with a 23rd-place finish.
"We have to get rid of this bad-luck," said the still-positive Knight. "It's just frustrating to know that we've been fast but don't have the finishes to show for it. That's racing, though, so we'll just keep plugging away at it."
Knight will go to the post this weekend on Friday night (May 2) in an Independent Racing Series (IRS) event at Elkins (W.Va.) Speedway and Saturday night (May 3) in a regular show at Stateline Speedway.
An up-and-coming dirt Late Model driver whose breakout 2007 season was highlighted by a points title at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., Knight has an ambitious schedule of 70-plus races across the region planned with his family-owned team in 2008. His operation carries sponsorship from Arrowhead Wine Cellars, Mobilia Fruit Farm, Ottawaya's Auto Body, Knight Farms, RJB Construction, Chessa' Pizza, NYPenn Surveying, TeCulver Contracting, Genesis Shocks, Lehman Motorsports, Slavic Custom Racing Shirts and American Racing Tires.
For more information on Mike Knight, visit www.mikeknight9k.com.
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