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Mike Knight Racing
RIPLEY, N.Y. (June 11) - Mike Knight came close to scoring his first feature win of 2008 last weekend - twice.
The rising 21-year-old from Ripley, N.Y., had his first near-miss on Saturday night at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., where he spun while bidding for the lead late in the 25-lap Super Late Model headliner. He came back the next evening at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., and finished third after battling David Scott and Dave Hess Jr. to the wire in the 25-lap Super Late Model main.
"We were good enough to win both nights, so that's a good sign," said Knight, who has begun to shed the bad luck that plagued him early in the season. "But we didn't win one, so we're a little disappointed about that."
Knight knows he might have let one slip through his fingers on Saturday at Stateline. After transferring to the feature through a heat despite having a power-steering pump go bad, the driver known as 'Hollywood' steered his Rocket No. 9K from the 12th starting spot to second in flawless fashion.
Then Knight saw his hopes dashed. While attempting to pass John Lobb for the lead on lap 19, the young standout spun in turn one to bring out a caution flag and was scored 13th in the final rundown.
"I pulled a no-brainer," Knight frankly stated. "I charged into the corner too hard and spun myself hard. It was slicker in the corners than it was on the straightaways, and I just got in there going too fast.
"I shouldn't have been so anxious, but I was going for the win. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
Knight made another strong charge forward on Sunday night at Eriez, blasting around the one-third-mile oval's cushion to reach third from the ninth starting slot by the halfway mark. He ran down leaders Scott and Hess and diced with them during the race's final laps, but he couldn't find the right lane to pull off a race-winning pass.
"We were really going at it," said Knight. "It was anybody's race."
Knight will return to the Independent Racing Series trail this Saturday night (June 14) at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park. He also tentatively plans to compete in an unsanctioned Friday-night event at Rocky Top Speedway, and he'll close out his weekend with a Sunday-night appearance at Eriez Speedway.
An up-and-coming dirt Late Model driver whose breakout 2007 season was highlighted by a points title at Eriez Speedway, 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, Slavic Custom Racing Shirts and American Racing Tires.
For more information on Mike Knight, visit www.mikeknight9k.com.
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