Four Double at AKRA Labor Day Race

Story by Bruce C. Walls
Photos by:
Bruce C. Walls
Susan Taylor-Walls

    CARNESVILLE, GA-Racing action at the American Kart Racing Association’s American Speedway Championship Dirt Series National Sunday August 31st was as hot as the hot, humid 90 degrees in the air at the Georgia Karting Komplex in Carnesville, GA. Racers qualified by class for the first feature.  Then AKRA officials used moto-cross scoring based on qualifying and their first race finish to set the grid for the second feature.

Four entries were double winners.  Knopf, of Lancaster, S.C., kicked things off with the first of his two wins.  Matt Chavis put down a 15.034-seconds Stock Lite top-qualifying lap on the wide ¼-mile clay oval.  Knopf was second fastest qualifier at 15.051-seconds.  Behind them in row two were Corbin Dickson and Ashley Abernathy.  Chavis shot into the early lead with Knopf’s Tod Miller Racing Engines powered Phantom Icon kart in hot pursuit.

Knopf kept the pressure on Chavis for a lap before finding the opening he was looking for.  Once in the lead Knopf left his competition in the dust.  Except for Jason Scruggs who was taking a distant second, but coming on fast.  At mid-race Knopf commanded by ½-second.  Scruggs reached Knopf’s back bumper during the final laps.  With just three laps to go Scruggs pulled beside Knopf.  Scruggs kept a nose on Knopf most of the final lap.  Knopf prevailed for the narrow 0.073-seconds victory margin. Chavis crossed third, Robby Dunlop followed in fourth, Abernathy fifth.

“I couldn’t tell if there was anybody behind me or not,” Knopf said.  “Then I looked back and seen him (Jason Scruggs) back there so I was trying not to lift.  I didn’t want to drive it too hard and over drive it and have him get by me.  I was just trying to drive it as fast as I could without messing up.  I want to thank Phantom Racing Chassis for the Icon kart and Tod Miller for the motor, it was awesome.”

Abernathy clocked Stock Medium’s pole time in 15.076-seconds.  She shared front row with Scruggs.  On the first lap Abernathy hustled into the early lead while Brandon Owen shot by Scruggs for second.  Further back Knopf was working his way to the from a fifth place start.  After passing Scruggs and Owen, Knopf went after Abernathy.  He passed her several laps later, but she stayed glued to his tailpipe and was only 0.216-seconds late under the checkered flag.  Owen, Scruggs and Jeff Moss filled out the rest of the top five.

Mechanicsville, VA based, Avis Electric backed Scotty Bajer blasted around the track in 15.19-seconds for Stock Heavy’s pole.  Bajer took the early lead while Knopf worked his way through the field from fifth to second again. Then he worked by Bajer for the lead. It would be short lived.  Jerry Mullis grabbed a piece of it and showed them through the race’s only caution.  Mullis led the restart. Behind him 15-year-old Daniel Armstrong was closing in. 

“I wasn’t really wanting that caution,” said Armstrong an Eddie Mishue Racing Engines powered Galaxy kart pilot.  “It was iffy. I knew I had him (Knopf) on the long run, but I was worried on the short run cause I knew the

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