Knoxville Raceway

History

Timeline

• Late 1800s - 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.
• 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.
• 1961 - First Knoxville Nationals held, and won by Roy Robbins.
• 1969 - Wood grandstand was razed.
• 1970 - New steel and aluminum grandstand.
• 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.
• 1990 - Temporary seating added to backstretch for Nationals.
• 1991 - NSCHoF&M built.
• 1991 - Backstretch permanent grandstand added, Sections P-Z.
• 1991 - First year of 360 Nationals.
• 1994 - Backstretch grandstand expanded, sections P-ZZ.
• 1995 - Knoxville Nationals broadcast live for first time on TNN.
• 1996 - Main grandstand upper tier addition, VIP suites, new Musco Lighting..
• 2002 - Concrete added to infield pit area.
• 2003 - Main grandstand sections AA & BB refitted, added handicap seating.
• 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 turn 1 and 2

  Records

• The current 410 one-lap track record of 14.407 seconds was set by multiple Australian champion on May 7, 2006.
• The current 360 one-lap track record of 15.520 is held by Joe Beaver on June 15, 2013.
• 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.

  List of Knoxville Raceway Sprint Car Track Champions

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum