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. The track is governed by the 24-member fair board elected by Marion County residents.

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.

Timeline 1878 – Race track is built for horse racing. 1901 – First automobile race staged with 2 cars owned by Well's Manufacturing and Tone's Spices Co. 1914 – First race. 1917 – Old wooden grandstand was built (2,000 capacity). Until late 1930s: Infield is used for Knoxville high school football games. 1950–1954 – Stock car racing becomes popular after WWII and a few races per year are sanctioned by Newton Stock Car Association. 1954 – Weekly racing begins. Banking, fencing, and lights are added to the track. 1955 – Weekly racing sanctioned under the Oskaloosa's Southern Iowa Stock Car Racing Association. 1956 – Marion County Fair Board begins sanctioning its own racing and hires Marion Robinson as race promoter. 1959 – Wooden bleachers were added to the west of existing grandstand. (5,000) 1961 – First Knoxville Nationals held, and won by Roy Robbins. 1969 – Wood grandstand was razed. 1970 – New steel and aluminum grandstand. (8,139 seats) 1974 – Promoter Marion Robinson leaves May 1974. 1974 – P. Ray Grimes named promoter, later expands the Nationals to 4 days and creates Nationals scoring point system. 1978 – Remainder of wooden bleachers replaced with steel and aluminum. 1978 – Ralph Capitani named Race Director and Promoter. 1981 – New lighting. 1982 – Wings on sprint cars becomes mandated for safety. 1983 – 360 sprint cars begin competing. 1984 – Grandstands expanded to higher rows in sections A-J. 1987 – First year Nationals were on TNN television. 1987 – Grandstand expansion completed upper tier in sections K-N (11,584). 1990 – Temporary seating added to backstretch for Nationals. 1991 – NSCHoF&M built (400 additional seats). 1991 – Backstretch permanent grandstand added, Sections P-Z (17,224). 1991 – First year of 360 Nationals. 1994 – Backstretch grandstand expanded, sections P-ZZ (19,400). 1995 – Knoxville Nationals broadcast live for first time on TNN. 1996 – Main grandstand upper tier addition, VIP suites, new Musco Lighting. (23,200). 2002 – Concrete added to infield pit area. 2003 – Main grandstand sections AA & BB refitted, added handicap seating (24,192). 2004 – First year of Late Model Knoxville Nationals. 2010 – First points season for 305 sprint cars. 2011 – Ralph Capitani retires at the end of the 2011 season. 2012 – Toby Kruse named GM & Promoter, John McCoy named Race Director. 2013 – Brian Stickel named GM & Promoter. 2014 – New video boards added by Impact Signs. 2015 – McKenna Haase became the first woman to win a feature Sprint Car race at Knoxville Raceway. 2015 – GM Brian Stickel resigns. 2016 – John McCoy given the Promoter and Race Director title. Gary Schumacher named as Business Manager. Spire Sports + Entertainment's Kendra Jacobs, named as Marketing Director. 2017 – Additional fencing constructed in turns 1 and 2 2018 – Seats were widened during the off season, eliminating 3,320 seats from the main grandstand and lowering the overall seating capacity to 21,135. 2021 – The track hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on July 9, the Corn Belt 150. It was the first race at the track to ever be sanctioned by NASCAR. On September 29, 2021, NASCAR announced that the Truck Series would return for the 2022 season as the full schedule was released for the series.

Track records The driver with the most 410 feature wins at the Knoxville Raceway is Danny Lasoski of Dover, Missouri with 112 feature wins. The driver with the most 360 feature wins is David Hesmer of Marshalltown, Iowa with 65 feature wins. The driver with the most consecutive wins is Doug Wolfgang of Sioux Falls, SD with 10 wins to start the 1977 season. He won 13 of the 18 events that year including the Knoxville Nationals.

One-lap track records CategoryLap TimeDriverDateAverage Lap Speed410 Wing Sprint Car 0:14.351Brian Brown May 22, 2021125 mph360 Wing Sprint Car 0:15.520Joe BeaverJune 15, 2013115.979 mph (186.650 km/h)Late Model0:16.631Earl Pearson, Jr.September 25, 2008108.231 mph (174.180 km/h)305/Pro Sprints Wing Sprint Car 0:16.736Christian BowmanMay 7, 2016107.552 mph (173.088 km/h)Non-Wing Sprint Car0:18.549Kevin Thomas Jr.June 3, 201797.040 mph (156.170 km/h)Midget0:22.22Bob WenteN/A81.008 mph (130.369 km/h)IMCA Modified0:22.932John MooreN/A78.492 mph (126.320 km/h)

Sprint car track champions Knoxville Championship Cup Series Driver Champions Year 410 Class 360 Class 305/Pro Sprints Class2022Brian Brown Terry McCarlMike Mayberry2021Davey HeskinClint GarnerTyler Groenendyk2020Brian BrownCarson McCarlMatthew Stelzer   2019Brian BrownCarson McCarlMatthew Stelzer 2018 Austin McCarl Clint Garner Eric Bridger 2017 Ian Madsen Matt Moro Eric Bridger 2016 Danny Lasoski Clint Garner Christian Bowman 2015 Danny Lasoski Clint Garner Stacey Alexander 2014 Ian Madsen Joe Beaver J Kinder 2013 Bronson Maeschen Clint Garner Larry Ball Jr. 2012 Terry McCarl Clint Garner Matthew Stelzer 2011 Danny Lasoski Clint Garner Carson McCarl 2010 Brian Brown Clint Garner Steve Breazeale 2009 Johnny Herrera Clint Garner Matthew Stelzer 2008 Danny Lasoski Matt Moro 2007 Brian Brown Josh Higday 2006 Billy Alley Jake Peters 2005 Kerry Madsen Jake Peters 2004 Terry McCarl Jake Peters 2003 Terry McCarl Billy Alley 2002 Terry McCarl Brian Brown 2001 Terry McCarl Randy Martin 2000 Terry McCarl John Kearney 1999 Terry McCarl David Hesmer 1998 Skip Jackson David Hesmer 1997 Skip Jackson David Hesmer 1996 Danny Lasoski Randy Martin 1995 Johnny Herrera Larry Pinegar II 1994 Danny Lasoski Lee Nelson 1993 Danny Lasoski Danny Young 1992 Danny Lasoski Dwight Snodgrass 1991 Randy Smith Dwight Snodgrass 1990 Danny Lasoski Jordan Albaugh 1989 Danny Lasoski Mike Twedt 1988 Randy Smith David Hesmer 1987 Randy Smith Mike Chadd 1986 Danny Lasoski Wayne Redmond 1985 Randy Smith Dean Chadd 1984 Rocky Hodges Stacey Redmond 1983 Randy Smith Mackie Heimbaugh 1982 Tim Green 1981 Tim Green 1980 Ricky Hood 1979 Richard Smith 1978 Shane Carson 1977 Doug Wolfgang 1976 Doug Wolfgang 1975 Roger Rager 1974 Lonnie Jensen 1973 Dick Sutcliffe 1972 Lonnie Jensen 1971 Ray Lee Goodwin 1970 Joe Saldana 1969 Bob Williams 1968 Dick Sutcliffe 1967 Bill Utz 1966 Jerry Blundy 1965 Jerry Blundy 1964 Bill Utz 1963 Greg Weld 1962 Bud McCune 1961 Earl Wagner 1960 Jerry Hayes 1959 Earl Wagner 1958 Earl Wagner 1957 Dean Sylvester 1956 Jack Delano 1955 Kenny Crook 1954 Kenny 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.

References

External links Knoxville Raceway