From Kendra Jacobs
KNOXVILLE, IA (June 2, 2021) – The highest paying purse in sprint car racing is $50,000 higher in 2021. With the addition of 50 lap sponsors, the winner of the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s could take home a potential $200,000 of a total, record-setting $1,066,055 total purse.
A $1,000 bonus will be paid to drivers per lap led in the 50-lap finale on Saturday, August 14. If the winning driver leads all 50 laps, he or she will take home a record-setting $200,000. If the second-place finisher leads all but the final lap, he or she will earn $124,000.
“We are so grateful to every lap sponsor who partnered with us to make this happen,” said Kendra Jacobs, Marketing Director at Knoxville Raceway. “When we started planning the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s, this was something we really wanted to do. Not only further reward the drivers, but also give so many more companies and individuals an opportunity to be a part of the greatest race of the year.”
The 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s will feature the world’s greatest sprint car drivers competing over a four-day period for the most coveted trophy in sprint car racing. The field is split over two qualifying nights with teams accruing points based on their finish in every event of the night. The 16 highest teams in points are locked-in to the top 16 positions of Saturday’s finale. Drivers not locked in have one more chance to do so during Friday’s FVP Preliminary Night, where the top-four finishers in the night’s feature event automatically transfer to Saturday’s finale. The remaining drivers will work their way through the “alphabet” of features on Saturday in an attempt to transfer into the finale.
“The Knoxville Nationals is the Super Bowl of sprint car racing,” said defending champion David Gravel. “The format is so unique and puts an emphasis on every lap. Every time you hit the track, you have to be perfect. The whole week puts a lot of pressure on you as a driver.
“This event is already the most prestigious in our sport. Paying more money is the cherry on top. If you think about it, leading 10 of the 50 laps is an extra $10,000 payday for someone. Anytime there’s that incentive or more money to earn, the drivers are all for it.”
The NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s also boasts a festival-like atmosphere off the track. With live music, charity events, live stage shows, a kids-only fun zone, fitness activities, a bar crawl and the annual parade, there are events at all times of the day for fans of all age groups.
For more information on the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals, visit www.knoxvilleraceway.com, follow @KnoxvilleRaces on Twitter and like the track on Facebook and Instagram. Tickets for the event are still available for purchase online or by calling the ticket office at 641-842-5431.
Full List of Lap Sponsors:
1. National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum
2. Gary Phillips, Real Estate Appraiser
3. Three Seasons Lawn Care
4. Chalk Stix Torsion Bars – Parker Price-Miller
5. Port Royal Speedway
6. KRCO
7. Dennison Racing Tee’s
8. Golf Cars of Iowa
9. Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel
10. DIRTCar Nationals
11. Winged Nation
12. K1 RaceGear
13. Marion County Fair Board
14. JD Welding & Machine
15. GO SHATZ! From Pella Motors
16. Carman Trucking
17. Nemesis Design Studio
18. I-80 Speedway
19. Smith Titanium
20. In Memory of Jay “J-Bird”
21. Marlowe’s Metal Fabricating
22. Capital Sign Co.
23. Buckeye Hone Company
24. Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation
25. Roose Family
26. Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Golf Carts
27. In Memory of Greg Hodnett
28. Premier Speedway, Warrnambool, Australia. Home of The Grand Annual Sprint Car Classic!
29. Jack Berry Racing Australia
30. Celebrating Bobby Allen’s 1999 Victory – Drydene Performance Products
31. In Memory of Francis Heid
32. Hauge Farms
33. Dave Heskin Sr./Curt Fast Memorial Lap
34. SPEED SPORT
35. Progressions Salon & Day Spa
36. Four C’s Construction
37. Bill “Dirt” and Steve Landers
38. In honor of Phil and Michelle Jordison Australia
39. Brownells
40. DIRTVision
41. Jonestown KOA
42. Marlowe’s Metal Fabricating
43. Schoenfeld Headers
44. In Memory of Don Swope
45. XYZ Machining
46. In honor of Valentino from Moto GP
47. NOS Energy Drink
48. In memory of Jerry Crabb
49. Sage Fruit Company
50. Casey’s
About Knoxville Raceway:
Located on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville Raceway is a 1/2-mile dirt track that hosts winged CT525, 360 and 410 sprint car racing nearly 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, every August, as well as the Late Model Knoxville Nationals, 360 Knoxville Nationals and Corn Belt Clash featuring non-wing sprint cars. In 2021, Knoxville Raceway also will host the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Knoxville Raceway is the third-largest outdoor stadium in Iowa with 20,322 seats and 33 luxury suites.