By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

WaKEENEY -- Perhaps it was a bit of redemption.

Perhaps it finally was his time.

Whatever the case, Dylan Sherfick finally got his win during the 2008 KART National Championships at WaKeeney Mini Speedway on Saturday night.

Sherfick led Friday's Animal Medium class late in the race. But the WaKeeney racer and the second-place car tangled in turn two, and both spun out, paving the way for another driver to take the checkered flag.

On Saturday in the Animal Heavy feature, he made sure there wouldn't be a replay. Sherfick started on the pole and drove his way to the checkered flag in the final race of the three-day event.

"It was pretty nice," Sherfick said about finally getting a win. "The same thing happened last year, and I just wanted to get one back. I finally pulled it all together."

Sherfick pulled it together from the start and led all 20 laps.

"It was nerve-racking," he said about holding off the field. "I didn't want anything to happen."

Nothing happened because no other driver really threatened Sherfick. Chase Conaway and Cory McGann both battled for second place, with Conaway edging McGann.

That battle left Sherfick with enough of a cushion to take the national title.

"Getting it in front of family and friends, that's nice," Sherfick said.

Tyler Willms got his first championship in the Junior 2 Animal main.

"That's the best feeling in the world," Willms said. "It's just awesome, amazing."

Willms had some help during the day to get the kart set up, thanks to close friend Jordan Krug.

But he had some bad luck in his second heat race, breaking a throttle cable and not finishing the race.

He still thought he had a chance to win his first title, though.

"I think I did because in the last heat race, I finished dead last because my throttle cable broke," Willms said. "But I was only one tenth of a second off the leader's time on my last lap."

Trenton Kleweno and Kristi Pangburn finished second and third, respectively.

Jacob Krug didn't get his first national title. He's no stranger to the winner's circle.

But he did get his only one this year after finishing second in two races earlier at the national event.

Krug won the Junior 1 Heavy feature for the second year in a row.

"I tried to keep the thing low and try not to spin out," said Krug, who started on the pole and led throughout.

"I wanted this one pretty bad. Now I've won the Heavy class two times in a row."

Nolan Pope and Colin Heim finished second and third, respectively.

Eddie Brose rounded out the winners on the final day. He claimed the title in the Stock Heavy class.

Brose capped a dominating performance for FMR Motorsports and mastermind Jody Krug.

"It's my first year running with him," Brose said about Krug. "So far, we've been dominating everywhere we've been this year."

Brose beat Kyle Heitz and Mike Halliburton to claim the win.