Northerner McKnight Wins East-West Shootout at Concord
By - Keith Shampine
Photos - Ed Shampine
After a two-hour long SK modified 50 lapper that featured two separate bone-shaking accidents, the super modifieds took to the track for their 50-lap East-West Shootout feature event at North Carolina’s Concord Motorsport Park. Thirteen cars started the second-to-last super modified race of the 2008 season – nine representing ISMA, three MSA and one SMRA West Coast super.
Brampton, Ontario’s Dave McKnight Jr. won the 50 lapper after Dave Shullick Jr., driving Clyde Booth’s No. 61, wrecked hard into the outside Turn 1 wall on Lap 16 while dominating the field. Shullick walked away uninjured; it’s assumed that a part in the front suspension broke on Booth’s No. 61 Silver Bullet.
McKnight and Shullick led the 13-car field to the green flag. Shullick jumped out to the early lead and quickly opened up a 10-car length advantage over second-place McKnight. Doug Didero ran third throughout the early going, while Charlie Shultz and Rob Summers rounded out the top five.
The first five stayed that way until Shullick’s accident. By that time, The Shoe II had begun lapping cars while enjoying nearly a full straightaway lead over McKnight. A lengthy red-flag delay was needed to clean up the carnage from the Shullick accident.
When racing resumed the veteran Canadian McKnight found himself pacing the small, yet strong, field of supers. McKnight continued to lead over Didero until the Xtreme No. 3 spun on exit to Turn 3 on Lap 32. Didero barely grazed the inside wall when he spun, and the 2008 International Classic winner was done for the night. Mark Sammut pitted his No. 78 under the caution with a flat left-rear tire. The Canadian ISMA regular got back to competition without losing a lap.
The top-five leader board on the Lap 32 restart read McKnight, Shultz, Rob Summers, Bobby Santos III and Mike Lichty.
Lichty quickly made an impressive outside pass on Santos to take over fourth. The young Canadian now looked to be the fastest car on the half-mile tri-oval. Lichty proceeded to go to work on a fairly strong running Summers. He was on the outside of the New Englander on the front straightaway when Summers’ Howie Lane-owned No. 97 lost a left-rear wheel, causing the car to spin down the front stretch. Summers kept the car off the wall, but was done for the night.
McKnight continued to lead Shultz on the Lap 34 restart. Lichty was now third, Scott Martel fourth and Larry Lehnert fifth. Santos gave up fourth when he pitted under the caution to adjust the rear stagger.
The top-five running order stayed the same until Tim Ice spun the Dave May owned No. 77. Lichty quickly went to work on the Lap 39 restart and passed Shultz with another daring outside move….
