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Mike Knight Racing
RIPLEY, N.Y. (July 1) - Mike Knight closed out the month of June with a whirlwind of traveling.
And in the midst of it all, the rising young star registered his long-awaited first feature win of the 2008 season.
Knight, 21, of Ripley, N.Y., raced to a flag-to-flag 25-lap Super Late Model victory on June 22 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. - the same one-third-mile oval where last year he earned his first career track title in the headline full-fender division.
"It definitely felt good to finally get a win," said Knight, who has found the going anything but easy this season as he steps up his Super Late Model program by chasing the Independent Racing Series (IRS) schedule. "We've had some tough stretches this year, but I think this might be a sign that we're starting to get some luck on our side and we're ready to turn the corner."
Knight drove his familiar family-owned Rocket No. 9K to the $1,500 checkered flag. He used a Draime engine that was borrowed from fellow racer Robbie Blair.
"We've been having some engine problems and Robbie said, 'Here, use my motor for a couple weeks,'" said Knight, who started from the pole position at Eriez. "I have to thank him for letting us use it. I really like it - and actually, I think we might end up buying it from him."
Knight's triumph came after he spent the preceding days hopping all over the map in pursuit of races. His travels began on June 19 when he crossed the border to enter a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway, which is just over a three-hour drive from his home. Unfortunately, rain arrived after hot laps and postponed that evening's action to the following day, which meant Knight had to bypass the show because he was scheduled to run an IRS program on June 20 at Elkins (W.Va.) Motor Speedway.
Alas, Knight learned that Elkins was rained out as he was en route to the track on June 20, so he changed direction and entered a regular weekly show that evening at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. His impromptu visit to the four-tenths-mile oval resulted in solid fourth-place finish from the 20th starting spot.
Knight hit the highway again on June 21 for an IRS event at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va. But Mother Nature again had other plans, postponing the program to July 12 shortly after Knight had timed sixth-fastest in time trials.
Another midweek WoO LMS show close to Knight's shop lured him into action on June 24. He made a modest drive to Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway, but he didn't have a memorable outing. After timing 11th-fastest among 34 entrants he ended up failing to qualify, his evening done after an apparent oil-pump problem surfaced during his heat race.
Knight was back in WoO LMS competition last weekend, entering the big Firecracker 100 weekend at Lernerville Speedway. He timed 19th-fastest in the 62-car time-trial session on Friday night, but his sixth-place finish in the first 15-lap heat race left him three spots short of transferring to the $40,000-to-win A-Main.
Following Friday's program Knight and Co. discovered a carburetor issue that seemed to be sapping horsepower from his engine, so he was "really looking forward to the B-Main on Saturday," said Knight. "I felt like we were definitely going to be better."
But Knight's shot at making the feature field never came because waves of showers kept rolling across Lernerville on Saturday night and again on Sunday's raindate, forcing officials to postpone the final night of the Firecracker 100 weekend to Tues., July 29.
Knight, who sits sixth in the current IRS points standings and third in the tour's Rookie of the Year, battle, will be busy this week. He's scheduled to run IRS events on four consecutive nights - July 3 at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio; July 4 at Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg, Ohio; July 5 at Moler Raceway Park in Williamsburg, Ohio; and July 6 at Midway Speedway in Crooksville, Ohio.
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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