As I write this, we are three nights into Southern Iowa Sprint Week. The 360 Nationals once again proved some of the best racing ever seen. Everyone knows I love the 360 class and I fail to understand why race fans don't come out to watch them more often. Fortunately, there was an awesome crowd all three nights this year.
The big win by Shane Stewart was definitely fairy tale, as he led only the last lap on Friday night, which was undoubtedly the best race of the weekend. He then inherited the lead from early favorite Chad Humston in the finale and cruised to the win.
It was heartbreaking for Humston, the Knoxville regular who started on the pole. With eight laps in, there was a caution for a blown motor on Brian Brown's car and it was discovered Humston had no brakes. Shortly after, the front end broke on his car and he was hit by Johnny Herrera. It was a devastating end of the race for Herrera too, who simply had nowhere to go as the hapless Humston couldn't control his car sliding down the track. Herrera got the best air of the weekend, nearly crashing victory lane a dozen laps early.
The 410 division always puts on a good show on the Saturday before Nationals, largely due to the influx of visiting drivers. Dale Blaney had a heartbreak in his visit when the wheel slid right off and he backed hard into the fence.
But I was most bummed for Erin Crocker, whose 360 Nationals was short-lived when she took a hard series of flips in her heat race. We'll hope for much better for her and all the other competitors as the 50th Annual Knoxville Nationals gets underway Wednesday night.
Crocker will be a star of the panel for my Women in Sprint Car Racing forum at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum on Thursday at 3 p.m. Come over to the museum and have the chance to hear from female drivers like Crocker, Melinda Dumesny, Lisa French, Kaylene Verville, Trish Dover, Casie Shilling, Dakota Carroll, Haley Arnold, Miranda Arnold, Kendall Higday and Michaela Dumesny.
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