By Bob Baker
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (July 29, 2016) – 2016 marks the fifteenth annual Cox Design & Metal Fabrication Southern Iowa SprintWeek, which will take place August 4-13 at the big half-mile dirt tracks in Knoxville and Oskaloosa. Terry McCarl of Altoona is the defending Jesse Hockett “Mr. Sprint Car” titlist, the honor that is annually bestowed upon the point champion of the ten points-paying sprint car features on nine nights of racing in just ten straight days.
The fifteenth annual Cox Design & Metal Fabrication Southern Iowa SprintWeek kicks off on Thursday-Friday-Saturday, August 4-5-6, at the half-mile Knoxville Raceway dirt track with the twenty-sixth annual Arnold Motor Supply ‘360’ Knoxville Nationals, presented by Great Southern Bank. The winged 305-cubic-inch sprint car feature on Saturday, August 6, will also be a points-paying round in the nine-night series. On Sunday, August 7, Knoxville Raceway will then host the fifth annual Kustom Concrete Pumping Capitani Classic presented by Great Southern Bank for the winged 410-cubic-inch sprint cars, in honor of long-time director of racing Ralph “Cappy” Capitani.
Action then turns to the Front Row Challenge Enterprises-promoted half-mile dirt oval in nearby Oskaloosa, known as the Southern Iowa Speedway, for the Monday, August 8, event. The twenty-first annual Price Chopper Front Row Challenge, is sanctioned by the ‘410’ National Sprint League (NSL) and presented by Searsboro Telephone Company, Musco Lighting and Hi-Land Dairy. Tuesday night, August 9, will be utilized as a rain date in Osky.
Knoxville Raceway takes center stage August 10-11-12-13 with the fifty-sixth annual 5-Hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals, presented by Casey’s General Stores, which is the national championship for winged 410-cubic-inch sprint car teams sanctioned by the World of Outlaws (WoO). The Southern Iowa SprintWeek points-paying rounds are the Brandt Agricultural Products-sponsored Wednesday, August 10, main event, the TOYOTA-sponsored Thursday, August 11, preliminary feature and the twenty-third annual SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge invitational race for the best drivers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States on FVP-sponsored Friday, August 12. The ‘Granddaddy of Them All’, the 56th annual 5-Hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals, presented by Casey’s General Stores, takes place on Saturday, August 13.
The 2016 Cox Design Southern Iowa SprintWeek, awarding the Jesse Hockett “Mr. Sprint Car” title, will be highlighted by ten points-paying features over nine nights of racing in ten days for three divisions of sprint cars at two different tracks just 26 miles apart in south central Iowa. The history of the Cox Design & Metal Fabrication Southern Iowa SprintWeek is as follows:
2015 – 1., Terry McCarl, 277 points ($2,500); 2., Danny Lasoski, 275 points ($1,000); 3., Brian Brown, 259 points ($500); 4., Sammy Swindell, 246 points; 5., Kerry Madsen, 234 points.
2014 – 1., Brian Brown, Missouri, 296 points ($2,500); 2., Mark Dobmeier, North Dakota, 271 points ($1,000); 3., Terry McCarl, Iowa, 257 points ($500); 4., Ian Madsen, New South Wales, Australia, 232 points; 5., Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Texas, 219 points.
2013 – 1., Kevin Swindell, Tennessee, 312 points ($2,500); 2., Brian Brown, Missouri, 288 points ($1,000); 3., Kyle Larson, California, 285 points ($500); 4., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 268 points; 5., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 250 points.
2012 – 1., Kyle Larson, California, 350 points ($2,500); 2., Brian Brown, Missouri, 276 points ($1,000); 3., Tim Kaeding, California, 268 points ($500); 4., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 253 points; 5., Tim Shaffer, Pennsylvania, 246 points.
2011 – 1., Sammy Swindell, Tennessee, 321 points ($2,500); 2., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 291 points ($1,000); 3., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 259 points ($500); 4., Daryn Pittman, Oklahoma, 237 points; 5., Tim Shaffer, Pennsylvania, 227 points.
2010 – 1., Sammy Swindell, Tennessee, 276 points ($2,500); 2., Brooke Tatnell, New South Wales, Australia, 229 ($1,000); 3., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 219 ($500); 4., Bronson Maeschen, Iowa, 215; 5., Brian Brown, Missouri, 207.
2009 – 1., Terry McCarl, Iowa, 276 points ($2,500); 2., Brian Brown, Missouri, 253 ($1,000); 3., Johnny Herrera, New Mexico, 239 ($500); 4., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 224; 5., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 213.
2008 – 1., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 314 points ($2,500); 2., Billy Alley, Nebraska, 274 ($1,000); 3., Brooke Tatnell ($500), New South Wales, Australia, 271; 4., Tyler Walker, California, 261; 5., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 233.
2007 – 1., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 266 points ($2,500); 2., Kaley Gharst, Illinois, 252 ($1,000); 3., Brian Brown, Missouri, 249 ($500); 4., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 192; 5., Jonathan Allard, California, 182.
2006 – 1., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 309 points ($2,500); 2., Billy Alley, Nebraska, 247 ($1,000); 3., Brian Brown, Missouri, 227 ($500); 4., Don Droud, Jr., Nebraska, 201; 5., Gary Wright, Texas, 187.
2005 – 1., Billy Alley, Nebraska, 303 points ($2,500); 2., Kerry Madsen, New South Wales, Australia, 258 ($1,000); 3., Daryn Pittman, Oklahoma, 235; 4., Jesse Hockett, Missouri, 227; 5., Jesse Giannetto, Iowa, 214.
2004 – 1., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 217 points ($3,000); 2., Kerry Madsen, New South Wales, Australia, 183; 3., Zach Chappell, Oklahoma, 182; 4., Tim Kaeding, California, 165; 5., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 160.
2003 – 1., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 238 points ($2,500); 2., Erin Crocker, Massachusetts, 186; 3., Travis Rilat, Texas, 183; 4., Kerry Madsen, New South Wales, Australia, 177; 5., Terry McCarl, Iowa, 175.
2002 – 1., Ricky Logan, Arkansas, 202 points ($1,500); 2., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 186; 3., Daryn Pittman, Oklahoma, 171; 4., Brad Furr, California, 170; 5., Kasey Kahne, Washington, 160.
Those seeking information on the two participating tracks are encouraged to visit their web sites at www.knoxvilleraceway.com andwww.oskychallenges.com, respectively. Those seeking more information on title sponsor Cox Design & Metal Fabrication may visit www.cox-design.com.