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By Kendra Jacobs
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (June 28, 2016) — NASCAR’s greatest drivers — who all have ties to the sprint car community — are returning to Knoxville for the 56th running of the 5-hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores. The four drivers – Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson — will all be putting the hammer down to raise money for children’s cancer research.
The fourth-annual Weld Racing Go-Kart Spectacular will take place on Thursday (rather than the usual Wednesday date), August 11 at 1pm at Slideways Karting Center just one mile north of Knoxville Raceway.
Fans are invited to race go-karts against the stars all to raise money for Kick-It, a partner of Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation and national program that raises money for children with cancer. Registration for the event starts a 10am, ET., on Wednesday, June 29 at http://bit.ly/290h9Ty. Registration for the 2015 event was full within one hour.
“The karting event is one of my favorite events of the year,” said Gordon. “The sprint car community has embraced this cause, and I’m just amazed at how much bigger and better this event seems to get every year.”
With no NASCAR race scheduled during the Knoxville Nationals this year, the drivers will get to stay throughout the week, allowing Gordon and Stewart to participate in their first Tony Stewart Kick-It Cup kickball game. For the first time, the game is open to fans to play with the teams being coached by Gordon and Stewart. Twenty spots will be available for a $100 donation. Registration for the event opens at 10am, ET., on Wednesday, July 6 at http://bit.ly/296rn9q.
“We’ve had a great time racing against the fans and each other at Slideways over the past couple of years. It’s always a grudge match against Jeff, Kyle, Kasey and myself and we’re as competitive racing go-karts as we are racing Cup car,” said last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner Stewart. “I’m also looking forward to being able to participate in the kickball event this year. It’s going to be a great time for a great cause.”
Thursday’s kart race is open to the public for a $5 admission donation per person (12 and under are free). Friday’s kickball game is free to the public.
Live and silent auctions will take place throughout both events. The auctions will feature autographed racing items from sprint car racing and NASCAR, as well as once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for diehard race fans.
The charity organizations are also partnering with Dingus Lounge, across the street from Knoxville Raceway, to host a fun-filled, dunk tank event at Dingus at 8 p.m., local time on Tuesday, August 9.
The 56th annual 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores kicks-off on Wednesday, August 10 and concludes on Saturday, August 13. The event features more than 100 drivers from around the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Nearly 21,000 spectators converge upon Knoxville for the event.
Tickets for the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores are available for purchase at www.knoxvilleraceway.com or by calling 641-842-5431. Four-day ticket packages are also available.
More information about Knoxville Raceway and the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores can be found at the aforementioned website, on Knoxville Raceway’s Facebook page, @KnoxvilleRaces on Twitter and Knoxville Raceway on Instagram. The Knoxville Raceway app is also a free download for all Apple and Android phones and features live timing and scoring for every event.
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KICK-IT STATISTICS:
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EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH DIRT TRACK RACING SINCE 2012: 40
FUNDS RAISED AT DIRT TRACKS: $731,990
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DONATE TO JGCF:
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Cancer kills more children than any other disease. JGCF, with the help of volunteers and donations worldwide, is making a difference. Your donation will fund vital children’s cancer research. Learn more at www.jeffgordonchildrensfoundation.org.
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ABOUT JEFF GORDON CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION AND KICK-IT: The mission of the Jeff Gordon Foundation is to support children battling cancer by funding programs that improve patients’ qualify of life, treatment programs that increase survivorship and pediatric support to the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord, N.C., which serves children in the community by providing a high level of primary and specialty care.
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ABOUT KNOXVILLE RACEWAY: Located on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville Raceway is a 1/2-mile dirt track that hosts winged 305, 360 and 410 sprint car racing every Saturday night from April to September. The “Sprint Car Capital of the World” also hosts the Knoxville Nationals, sprint car racing’s most prestigious event, as well as the Late Model Nationals and 360 Nationals. Knoxville Raceway is the third-largest outdoor stadium in Iowa with 24,612 seats and 32 luxury suites.
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