Knoxville Nationals

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.

History

The idea of the Knoxville Nationals was the brainchild of promoter Marion Robinson. The Knoxville Nationals began as a one-day event for Super Modifieds and was later expanded to two, three, and finally four days of racing for Sprint Cars. The first Knoxville Nationals was held in 1961 with Roy Robbins taking the win.

The prize money for the event has grown over the years. The 1961 winner received $1,000 to win and the total purse was $5,455. In 1971 it was $3,000 to win and a total of $22,000. 1982 was $10,000 to win and $100,500. 1991 the winner received $50,000 and the total was $300,120. 1995 it grew to $100,000 to win and $501,000 over all; by 2003 it had risen to $750,000. The purse continued to swell each year and in 2010 it paid $150,000 to win and the total for four days reached $1,000,255.

Some of the events highlights are its surprise upset winners, most notably being Kenny Gritz in 1969, Bobby Allen in 1990, Tim Shaffer in 2010, and Jason Johnson in 2016.

The 1990 Nationals is regarded as one of the best of all time as Doug Wolfgang advanced through the "alphabet soup" of the D-Main, C-Main, B-Main, and finished fifth in the A-Main. Meanwhile, Mark Kinser led the first 22 laps before his engine expired setting up an epic shootout between Sammy Swindell and Bobby Allen, with Allen winning with a pass with two laps remaining. The 1991 event featured 170 entrants and 75000 fans (in a city of 8200). There were drivers from 27 states, 6 from Australia, and one from Canada.

The 2010 Nationals in its 50th anniversary was also one of the most popular years with the first 50 lap championship feature in which Sammy Swindell led the first 46 laps before his left rear tire blew up. This handed the lead to Donny Schatz who had engine problems and Tim Shaffer was able to lead the final two circuits to get the win.

In 1969 Kenny Gritz won the Nationals, passing Jan Opperman with four laps remaining. Gritz was fairly new to super modified racing, only competing for four or five seasons. He had won only one feature at Knoxville a couple of months prior and was beginning to peak as a driver. Unfortunately Gritz lost his life two weeks later in a crash at the Nebraska State Fair where IMCA rules at the time did not allow roll cages. His accident sparked the rule change that roll cages were mandated after that.

Drivers

The most successful driver in Nationals history is Steve Kinser who has won the event a record 12 times. He leads virtually every major statistic, 17 top five finishes, 26 top ten finishes, won 14 preliminary night features, led 301 championship A-Main laps, set quick time in qualifying 9 times, qualified for the championship race 35 times in 37 entries, including a streak of 34 from 1978 through 2011. In 2005 Steve's son Kraig Kinser won this event, making Steve and Kraig the first father and son to win the Knoxville Nationals.

Donny Schatz has won the event ten times (2006-2009, 2011-2015, 2017). Other multiple event winners are Doug Wolfgang a five time champion, Kenny Weld and Danny Lasoski four time winners, Mark Kinser three time champ, and Eddie Leavitt has taken the checkers twice.

Statistics

The event record car count is 166 cars in 1991. Mark Kinser has set the quickest time in qualifying a record ten times. Cody Darrah holds the Nationals event one lap track record with a lap 14.547 in 2009.

Donny Schatz won the championship race in 2013 from the 21st starting position the furthest starting position of a winner. The furthest anyone had won from had been 14th by Steve Kinser in 1995 and Jerry Richert 1962.

Car owner Karl Kinser has graced victory lane a record 14 times with three different drivers (Dick Gaines, Steve Kinser and Mark Kinser).

Sanctioning body

From 1961 through 1977, the race was unsanctioned (with the exception of 1973) meaning that it was 'open competition'. The All Star Circuit of Champions sanctioned the 1973 event with winged cars. In 1978 Ted Johnson's World of Outlaws began to sanction the event, and did so through 2005. Because of the sanctioning body split between the WoO and National Sprint Tour in 2006, the Nationals became sanctioned under the Knoxville Raceway track rules. Since 2012 the WoO name has been associated with the race, but the event is still operated by Knoxville Raceway officials.

Women participants

13 women have participated in the Nationals. Erin Crocker is the only participant to qualify for the championship race and she has accomplished that feat twice in 2003 and 2010. The first female entrant was also the first African-American driver, Cheryl Glass in 1982. Other female entrants are Melinda Dumesny (part of an Australian sprint car family dynasty of Max Dumesny) 1991-1992, Lisa French 1992-1993, Shawna Wilsky 1994-1995, Judi Bates 1996-1997, IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher 1997-1998, Christi Passmore 2000-2001, Natalie Sather 2005-2006, Becca Anderson 2006, Jessica Zemken 2006 & 2011, Paige Polyak 2014-2018, Harli White 2017-2018, and Jenna Frazier 2018.

International competition

In 1979, multiple Australian Sprintcar Champion Garry Rush became the first Australian driver to qualify for the Nationals championship race and finished 7th. Kerry Madsen is the highest finishing Australian, finishing second in 2015. The event is annually attended by over 1,000 people from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and England. The World Challenge event is held on the Friday night of the Nationals each year and is a race featuring drivers from other countries who are entered, and any American driver who competed in a series of International qualifying races. Those races are the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic held at Premier Speedway in Warrnambool, Australia and one race at Western Springs Speedway in Auckland, New Zealand.

Drivers from Australia who have become or were regular competitors at Knoxville include Australian Championship winners Garry Rush, Max Dumesny who won the 1985 Race of States at the Nationals, becoming the first Australian to win a feature at Knoxville. Others have included Skip Jackson, Jaymie Moyle, Kerry Madsen, Ian Madsen, Garry Brazier, Trevor Green, Mitchell Dumesny, Jamie Veal, and current one lap track record holder Brooke Tatnell. In 2018, former World Champion BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Car driver Tom Harris became the first British driver to compete at the Nationals.

List of winners of the Knoxville Nationals

Year	Driver	Car #	Owner
1961	Roy Robbins	37	O. J. Huffman
1962	Jerry Richert, Sr.	69	Ted Ready
1963	Greg Weld	92	Taylor "Pappy" Weld
1964	Kenny Weld	94	Taylor "Pappy" Weld
1965	Kenny Weld	94	Taylor "Pappy" Weld
1966	Jay Woodside	9	Ted Hall
1967	Thad Dosher	74	Jack Cunningham
1968	Ray Lee Goodwin	24	Swenson/Williams
1969	Ken Gritz	12	Larry Snyder
1970	Joe Saldana	2	C&L Racing
1971	Jan Opperman	6	Cahill Racing
1972	Kenny Weld	29	Bob Weikert
1973	Kenny Weld	29	Bob Weikert
1974	Dick Gaines	71	Karl Kinser
1975	Eddie Leavitt	40	Ricke/Hill
1976	Eddie Leavitt	4J	Galden, Inc.
1977	Doug Wolfgang	20	Bob Trostle
1978	Doug Wolfgang	4x	Speedway Motors
1979	Ron Shuman	75A	Gary Stanton
1980	Steve Kinser	20	Bob Trostle/Karl Kinser
1981	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1982	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1983	Sammy Swindell	1	Raymond Beadle
1984	Doug Wolfgang	29	Bob Weikert
1985	Doug Wolfgang	29	Bob Weikert
1986	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1987	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1988	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1989	Doug Wolfgang	8D	Danny Peace
1990	Bobby Allen	1a	Allen Enterprises
1991	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1992	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1993	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1994	Steve Kinser	11	Karl Kinser
1995	Steve Kinser	11	Steve Kinser
1996	Mark Kinser	5M	Karl Kinser
1997	Dave Blaney	10	Blaney/Hylton
1998	Danny Lasoski	83	Dennis Roth
1999	Mark Kinser	5M	Karl Kinser
2000	Mark Kinser	5M	Karl Kinser
2001	Danny Lasoski	20L	Tony Stewart
2002	Steve Kinser	11	Steve Kinser
2003	Danny Lasoski	20	Tony Stewart
2004	Danny Lasoski	20	Tony Stewart
2005	Kraig Kinser	11K	Steve Kinser
2006	Donny Schatz	15	Schatz Motorsports
2007	Donny Schatz	15	Schatz Motorsports
2008	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2009	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2010	Tim Shaffer	83	Call/Holbrook Motorsports
2011	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2012	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2013	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2014	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2015	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2016	Jason Johnson	41	Jason Johnson Racing
2017	Donny Schatz	15	Tony Stewart
2018	Brad Sweet	49	Kasey Kahne Racing
2019	David Gravel	41	Jason Johnson Racing

360 Knoxville Nationals

In 1991 the Knoxville Raceway started a National event for the 360 cubic inch engine sprint cars. It has been held annually each year since and is held the week before the Knoxville Nationals. Shane Stewart and Terry McCarl hold the record with five victories each.

360 Knoxville Champions

• 2019 James McFadden
• 2018 Terry McCarl
• 2017 Clint Garner
• 2016 Sammy Swindell
• 2015 Terry McCarl
• 2014 Brian Brown
• 2013 Shane Stewart
• 2012 Shane Stewart
• 2011 Shane Stewart
• 2010 Shane Stewart
• 2009 Terry McCarl
• 2008 Wayne Johnson
• 2007 Shane Stewart
• 2006 Jesse Gianetto
• 2005 Billy Alley
• 2004 Billy Alley
• 2003 Dennis Moore Jr
• 2002 Jeff Swindell
• 2001 Terry McCarl
• 2000 Wayne Johnson
• 1999 Dennis Moore Jr
• 1998 Gary Wright
• 1997 David Hesmer
• 1996 Terry McCarl
• 1995 Danny Lasoski
• 1994 Lee Nelson
• 1993 Garry Lee Maier
• 1992 Garry Lee Maier
• 1991 David Hesmer

Late Model Knoxville Nationals

In 2004 the Late Model Knoxville Nationals was born and is held annually at the end of September. Scott Bloomquist, Brian Birkhofer, and Mike Marlar are the only repeat champions with two wins each.

Late Model Champions

• 2018 Jimmy Owens
• 2017 Mike Marlar
• 2016 Mike Marlar
• 2015 Jared Landers
• 2014 Brian Birkhofer
• 2013 Darrell Lanigan
• 2012 Steve Francis
• 2011 Don O'Neal
• 2010 Billy Moyer
• 2009 Scott Bloomquist
• 2008 Tim McCreadie
• 2007 Brady Smith
• 2006 Brian Shirley
• 2005 Scott Bloomquist
• 2004 Brian Birkhofer

External links

• Official track website