Knoxville Raceway

Last updated
Knoxville Raceway
Sprint Car Capital of the World
Knoxvilleraceway-frontgrandstands.jpg
Location Knoxville, Iowa
Time zone UTC−06:00 / UTC−05:00 (DST)
Coordinates 41°19′38.97″N93°6′42.27″W / 41.3274917°N 93.1117417°W / 41.3274917; -93.1117417
Capacity21,135
OwnerMarion County Fair Association
OperatorMarion County Fair Association
Opened1878 as horse racing track
Major eventsCurrent:
Knoxville Nationals (1961–2019, 2021–present)
Former:
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Clean Harbors 150 (2021–2022)
Superstar Racing Experience (2021)
Website http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com/
Oval (1878–present)
SurfaceDirt
Length0.500 miles (0.805 km)
Banking
Race lap record14.351 (Brian Brown, Brian Brown Racing, May 22, 2021)

Knoxville Raceway is a semi-banked half-mile dirt oval raceway (zook clay) located at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa. Races at the "Sprint Car Capital of the World" are held on Saturday nights from April through September each year. Some special events such as the Knoxville Nationals, 360 Knoxville Nationals and Late Model Knoxville Nationals are multi-day events. Weekly racing events at the track features multiple classes of sprint cars including 410 cubic inch, 360 cubic inch and Pro Sprints (previously 305 cubic inch). Each August, the Raceway holds the paramount sprint car event in the United States, the Knoxville Nationals. [1] The track is governed by the 24-member fair board elected by Marion County residents.

Contents

History

The first weekly races were held at the Knoxville Raceway in 1954. After internal issues with the sanctioning body—the Southern Iowa Stock Car Racing Association—in 1956, Marion Robinson of Des Moines, Iowa was appointed as race promoter. During Robinson's tenure, the cars progressed from stock cars to modifieds to supermodifieds to sprint cars. Robinson created what would become the Knoxville Nationals in 1961. The event took place over two days and featured a $5,000 purse where today it is now nearly one million dollars. [2]

Timeline

Track records

One-lap track records

DateDriverLap TimeAverage Lap Speed
410 Wing Sprint Car [10]
May 22, 2021 Brian Brown 14.351125 mph
360 Wing Sprint Car [10]
June 15, 2013Joe Beaver15.520115.979 mph (186.650 km/h)
305/Pro Sprints Wing Sprint Car [10]
May 7, 2016Christian Bowman16.736107.552 mph (173.088 km/h)
Non-Wing Sprint Car [11]
June 3, 2017Kevin Thomas Jr.18.54997.040 mph (156.170 km/h)
Late Model [12]
September 25, 2008Earl Pearson, Jr.16.631108.231 mph (174.180 km/h)
Midget [6]
N/ABob Wente22.2281.008 mph (130.369 km/h)
IMCA Modified [6]
N/AJohn Moore22.93278.492 mph (126.320 km/h)

Sprint car track champions

Knoxville Championship Cup Series Driver Champions [13]
Year410 Class360 Class305/Pro Sprints Class
2022Brian BrownTerry MccarlMike Mayberry
2021Davey HeskinClint GarnerTyler Groenendyk
2020 Brian Brown Carson McCarlMatthew Stelzer   
2019Brian BrownCarson McCarlMatthew Stelzer
2018Austin McCarlClint GarnerEric Bridger
2017Ian MadsenMatt MoroEric Bridger
2016Danny LasoskiClint GarnerChristian Bowman
2015Danny LasoskiClint GarnerStacey Alexander
2014Ian MadsenJoe BeaverJ Kinder
2013Bronson MaeschenClint GarnerLarry Ball Jr.
2012Terry McCarlClint GarnerMatthew Stelzer
2011Danny LasoskiClint GarnerCarson McCarl
2010Brian BrownClint GarnerSteve Breazeale
2009Johnny HerreraClint GarnerMatthew Stelzer
2008Danny LasoskiMatt Moro
2007Brian BrownJosh Higday
2006Billy AlleyJake Peters
2005Kerry MadsenJake Peters
2004Terry McCarlJake Peters
2003Terry McCarlBilly Alley
2002Terry McCarlBrian Brown
2001Terry McCarlRandy Martin
2000Terry McCarlJohn Kearney
1999Terry McCarlDavid Hesmer
1998Skip JacksonDavid Hesmer
1997Skip JacksonDavid Hesmer
1996Danny LasoskiRandy Martin
1995Johnny HerreraLarry Pinegar II
1994Danny LasoskiLee Nelson
1993Danny LasoskiDanny Young
1992Danny LasoskiDwight Snodgrass
1991Randy SmithDwight Snodgrass
1990Danny LasoskiJordan Albaugh
1989Danny LasoskiMike Twedt
1988Randy SmithDavid Hesmer
1987Randy SmithMike Chadd
1986Danny LasoskiWayne Redmond
1985Randy SmithDean Chadd
1984Rocky HodgesStacey Redmond
1983Randy SmithMackie Heimbaugh
1982Tim Green
1981Tim Green
1980Ricky Hood
1979Richard Smith
1978Shane Carson
1977Doug Wolfgang
1976Doug Wolfgang
1975Roger Rager
1974Lonnie Jensen
1973Dick Sutcliffe
1972Lonnie Jensen
1971Ray Lee Goodwin
1970Joe Saldana
1969Bob Williams
1968Dick Sutcliffe
1967Bill Utz
1966Jerry Blundy
1965Jerry Blundy
1964Bill Utz
1963Greg Weld
1962Bud McCune
1961Earl Wagner
1960Jerry Hayes
1959Earl Wagner
1958Earl Wagner
1957Dean Sylvester
1956Jack Delano
1955Kenny Crook
1954Kenny Crook

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is located just outside Turn 2 of the Knoxville Raceway. It features rotating exhibits to highlight the history of both winged and non-wing sprint cars.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprint car racing</span> Auto racing with small, open-wheel, high-power vehicles

Sprint cars are open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Historically known simply as "big cars," distinguishing them from "midget cars," sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Raceway</span> Motorsport track in the United States

Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. Phoenix Raceway has also hosted the CART, IndyCar Series, USAC and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The raceway is currently owned and operated by NASCAR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateway Motorsports Park</span> Motorsport track in Madison, IL, US

Gateway Motorsports Park is a motorsport racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a 1.250 mi (2.012 km) oval that hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NTT IndyCar Series, a 2.000 mi (3.219 km) infield road course used by SpeedTour TransAm, SCCA, and Porsche Club of America, a quarter-mile NHRA-sanctioned drag strip that hosts the annual NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Midwest Nationals event, and the Kartplex, a state-of-the-art karting facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle Beach Speedway</span> Motorsport track in the United States

Myrtle Beach Speedway, was a short track located on U.S. Route 501 near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The track was built in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldora Speedway</span> Motorsport track in Ohio, United States

Eldora Speedway is a 0.500 mi (0.805 km) high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, its website claims capacity for 22,886 spectators in the permanent grandstand, and unlimited admittance for the grass hillside spectator area. The permanent grandstand and VIP suite seats make it the largest sports stadium in the Dayton, Ohio-region according to the Dayton Business Journal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Walker (racing driver)</span> American racing driver

Timothy Tyler Andrew Walker is an American professional stock car racing driver. Walker is one of many racers who have competed in many inter-disciplinary automotive ranks. His automotive career includes cycling competition, open-wheeled sprint cars, as well as being a stock car pilot, formerly competing in NASCAR. He is the first fourth-generation driver to compete in NASCAR since the late Adam Petty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle Raceway</span>

Eagle Raceway is a one-third mile dirt track located two miles (3 km) east of Eagle, Nebraska on U.S. Highway 34 in Cass County, Nebraska, often referred to by some as the "World's Fastest Third Mile" because of its speed. The track is located approximately fifteen miles east of Lincoln, Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langhorne Speedway</span> American auto racing venue

Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia.

The NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals is an annual sprint car event held at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. An Associated Press writer called winning the event "sprint car racing’s premiere title". It is nicknamed "The Granddaddy of Them All." The event is the biggest and most prestigious race of the year in sprint car racing. The Saturday finale is held on the second Saturday in August. The event is held for four days (Wednesday-Saturday) and is attended annually by approximately 25,000 fans. The event has the highest paying purse in sprint car racing at $1,000,000 which attracts roughly 100 race teams to compete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Geneva Raceway</span>

Lake Geneva Raceway was a motocross, demolition derby, off-road racing, stock car, and kart racing racetrack in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, US. It was billed as "Wisconsin's Busiest Racetrack." The track closed on December 31, 2006, and a nursing home named "Lake Geneva Golden Years" was built on the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Lasoski</span> American sprint car racing driver

Danny "The Dude" Lasoski is an American sprint car racing driver from Dover, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway</span> Racetrack

Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway is a 0.500 mi (0.805 km) oval speedway located on CA 43 just off Interstate 5 in Bakersfield, Kern County, California, United States. Opened in 2013, it was built as a replacement for Mesa Marin Raceway.

Selinsgrove Speedway is a 0.5 mi (0.80 km) high-banked clay dirt oval south of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

Website
Speedway History

There has been auto racing in Illinois for almost as long as there have been automobiles. Almost every type of motorsport found in the United States can be found in Illinois. Both modern and historic tracks exist in Illinois, including NASCAR's Chicagoland Speedway and Gateway International Speedway. Notable drivers from Illinois include Danica Patrick, Tony Bettenhausen, and Fred Lorenzen.

Heidelberg Raceway was an American auto racing track which was built near Heidelberg, Pennsylvania in Scott Township, Allegheny County, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It held weekly races and numerous special events between 1948 and 1973. It held four NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National Series and one NASCAR Convertible Division race between the 1940s and 1960s. In 1960, Heidelberg became the first track to fall off NASCAR's tour. The land is now occupied by a shopping center called Raceway Plaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagerstown Speedway</span> Auto-racing track in Maryland, US

Hagerstown Speedway is a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km) red clay oval auto-racing track, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Hagerstown, Maryland, situated on US Route 40. It hosts weekly local racing of Late Model Sportsman, Pure Stock, and Hobby Stock divisions, and throughout the season hosts regional and national touring series such as the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, International Motor Contest Association, and FASTRAK. Along with the car-racing schedule during the year, Monster Jam has used the track for events for several decades, along with various concerts and special events. The speedway has also hosted World of Outlaws, ARCA, and NASCAR races in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clean Harbors 150</span> NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Knoxville

The Clean Harbors 150 was a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing event at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. The inaugural running of the race was on July 9, 2021, the first NASCAR national touring event to be held at the historic facility. This is the third dirt track that the Truck Series has raced at, with the first being Eldora Speedway and the second being the dirt iteration of Bristol Motor Speedway.

Devon Rouse is an American professional dirt track and stock car racing driver who primarily competes in sprint cars at local tracks in Iowa. He also competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado for Reaume Brothers Racing.

Brian K. Brown is an American professional dirt track racing driver who primarily competes in sprint car racing such as the World of Outlaws for his team Brian Brown Racing. He is a five-time track champion at Knoxville Raceway with four in the 410 sprint car class and one in the 360 division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Clean Harbors 150</span> Thirteenth race of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

The 2022 Clean Harbors 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers was the thirteenth stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, June 18, 2022, in Knoxville, Iowa at Knoxville Raceway, a .5 miles (0.80 km) permanent oval dirt track. The race took its scheduled 150 laps to complete. Todd Gilliland, driving for his father's team, David Gilliland Racing, held off John Hunter Nemechek on the final restart, and earned his 3rd career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win, along with his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Zane Smith, driving for Front Row Motorsports, would finish in 3rd.

References

  1. "Schedule" . Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  2. "Knoxville Raceway News" . Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  3. "The History of Knoxville Raceway Book" . Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  4. "History" . Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  5. Tony MarkovichMay 24, 2015 (2013-05-24). "McKenna Haase Becomes First Woman to Win a Feature Sprint Car Race". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2015-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. 1 2 3 "Knoxville Raceway - Track Facts | Knoxville Raceway". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  7. Pryson, Mike (November 20, 2020). "NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule for 2021 Includes 2 Dirt Short Tracks". Autoweek . Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  8. "Career Feature Wins | Knoxville Raceway". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  9. "Career 360 Feature Winners | Knoxville Raceway". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  10. 1 2 3 "Knoxville "Wing" Track Records | Knoxville Raceway". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  11. "Knoxville "Non-wing" Track Records | Knoxville Raceway". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  12. "Knoxville Late Model Records | Knoxville Raceway". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  13. "Knoxville Season Point Champions and Owners | Knoxville Raceway". www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.