By Bob Baker
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (April 10, 2012) – The “Sprint Car Capital of the World” comes to life this weekend, April 13-15, as the National Sprint Car Museum hosts the fourteenth annual International Reel Wheel Film Festival, which celebrates the automobile and motorsports in film, and the Knoxville Raceway hosts its annual Practice Night on Saturday, April 14. Amongst the new documentaries and films being screened this weekend are Greg Brotherton’s “Smoke, Sand & Rubber,” Sean Buckley’s “Follow the Corn 2: The Next Level,” Faith Granger’s “Deuce of Spades,” Todd Huffman’s “Carlsbad USGP 1980: One Day of Magic,” and Justin Smith’s “Relentless: The Global Formula Racing Pursuit of Excellence.”
According to museum curator Tom Schmeh, “We are truly excited to be screening four new documentaries on different aspects of motorsports (sprint cars, midget cars, motorcycles, and Formula SAE cars) and one new film on American hot-rods. We will also be showing some favorites from past film festivals. In addition, festival-goers will want to stay around and watch Knoxville Raceway’s free Practice Night on Saturday from 7 until 10 p.m. If you are a gear head or an auto racing fan, you won’t want to miss this action-packed weekend on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa!”
The fourteenth annual International Reel Wheel Film Festival (IRWFF) tentative event schedule is as follows:
Friday, April 13
5 p.m. – “Open Road: Inside the National Sprint Tour (NST)” documentary (2007)
by Dennis Doornbos
– Take a first look inside the exciting world of winged sprint car racing. Watch as the
National Sprint Tour’s best dirt racers travel across the country. Get the insiders view of
the men and teams who build the engines, cars, and strap themselves into these rockets
(60 minutes).
6 p.m. – “Knoxville Nationals: Dirt, Sweat & Tears” documentary (2010)
by Brandon Bingham
– The history of the Knoxville Sprint Car National Championships, 1961-2010 (45
minutes).
6:45 p.m. – “Follow the Corn” documentary (2010)
by Sean Buckley
– Inside the world of Indiana sprint car racing (66 minutes).
8 p.m. – “Follow the Corn 2: Next Level” documentary (2011)
by Sean Buckley
– Inside the world of sprint car and midget car racing with drivers such as Hunter
Schuerenberg, Daron Clayton, Levi Jones, Bryan Clauson and Kyle Larson (117
minutes).
Saturday, April 14
11 a.m. – “Follow the Corn 2: Next Level” documentary (2011)
by Sean Buckley (encore presentation).
1 p.m. – “Relentless” documentary (2012)
by Justin Smith
– Chronicles the 2011 racing season of the Oregon State University (OSU) Formula
SAE team (35 minutes).
1:45 p.m. – “Smoke, Sand & Rubber” documentary (2011)
by Greg Brotherton
– With his son turning wrenches, 80-year-old Mel Anthony gets behind the wheel of a
midget for the first time in fifty-four years and takes the #12 out on an oval in the Pacfic Northwest (30 minutes).
2:15 p.m. – “Racing Dreams” documentary (2009)
by Marshall Curry and Bristol Baughan
– The lives of three young aspiring World Karting Association (WKA) racers (96 min.).
4 p.m. – “Carlsbad USGP: 1980 – One Day of Magic” documentary (2011)
by Todd Huffman
– In 1980 at the Carlsbad Raceway, California’s Marty Moates became the first
American to win the U.S. Grand Prix of Motocross in its 10-year history. Not only did
the victory by Moates end a string of European victories, it opened a floodgate of U.S.
champions in the sport (109 minutes).
Sunday, April 15
10:15 a.m. – “Relentless” documentary (2012)
by Justin Smith (encore presentation).
11 a.m. – “Smoke, Sand & Rubber” documentary (2011)
by Greg Brotherton (encore presentation).
11:30 a.m. – “Carlsbad USGP: 1980 – One Day of Magic” documentary (2011)
by Todd Huffman (encore presentation).
1:30 p.m. – “Red Dirt Rising” film (2010)
by James Suttles and Kathleen Bobak
– Based on a true story of three stock car racers in the 1940’s (90 minutes).
3 p.m. – “Deuce of Spades” film (2010)
by Faith Granger
– When a hot-rod girl finds a mysterious letter dating back to the 1950’s hidden in her
roadster, she is left with nothing but questions. She sets out to find the answers and
retrace her Deuce’s troubled past (120 minutes).
The cost for each day of the International Reel Wheel Film Festival is just the price of a museum admission (i.e. – four dollars per adult), while Practice Night at Knoxville Raceway features free admission in the grandstands. Those individuals interested in the fourteenth annual International Reel Wheel Film Festival are encouraged to visit the museum’s web site at www.sprintcarhof.com.