October 1, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Mike Knight Struggles During ULMS ‘Fall Classic’ Weekend
At McKean County Raceway

RIPLEY, NY. – Last weekend’s United Late Model Series ‘Fall Classic’ at McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa., won’t be a racing meet that Mike Knight fondly remembers.

The 21-year-old dirt Late Model standout from Ripley, N.Y., experienced a frustrating visit to the one-third-mile oval, failing to crack the top 10 in either of the features that comprised the weekend. He finished 18th in the 30-lap preliminary A-Main on Friday night (Sept. 26) and improved only to 11th place in the 50-lap finale on Saturday night (Sept. 27).

Knight appeared primed for a strong run in Saturday’s $12,000-to-win Priority Car RaceFan 50 after winning a heat race, but that ended up being the high point of his evening. He slipped to a fifth-place finish in one of the dashes and made no headway from the 10th starting spot in the feature; he lost one position to take the checkered flag in 11th place behind the wheel of his Rocket No. 9K.

“We just struggled all weekend,” said Knight. “We were running at one of the tracks where we haven’t really been good in the past and we didn’t improve much. We were missing something the whole weekend.”

Knight did feel good about his chances in Saturday night’s companion United E-Mod Series event, which he entered in the Jim Clinger-owned E-Mod that he drove for the first time on Sept. 16 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y. He finished second in a heat race and was scheduled to start fourth in the $2,000-to-win, 30-lap feature, but the race was postponed due to an apparent power failure at the track that resulted from a pickup truck in the parking lot damaging a wire to the facility’s main transformer.

The driver known as ‘Hollywood’ will keep his dirt Late Model parked this weekend, but he’ll take his helmet bag to Mercer (Pa.) Raceway Park on Saturday night (Oct. 4) and drive Clinger’s E-Mod in a $2,000-to-win special for the division. His next scheduled appearance with his dirt Late Model in the FallFest spectacular from Oct. 9-11 at Challenger Raceway in Indiana, Pa.

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, Ottaway’s Auto Parts, Ottaway’s Auto Body, Knight Farms, NYPenn Surveying, TeCulver Contracting, Ripley Machine & Tool, Genesis Shocks, Slavic Custom Racing Shirts, Farr MotorSports, MWB Web Designs and American Racing Tires. 

For more information on Mike Knight, visit www.mikeknight9k.com.

MKR PR.