By Alex Nieten
KNOXVILLE, IA (June 11, 2024) – The time has come for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars to travel to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.”
Knoxville Raceway is ready to welcome The Greatest Show on Dirt for two nights of early summer action. The Premier Chevy Dealers Clash brings the country’s best Sprint Car drivers to the Marion County Fairgrounds this weekend (June 14-15).
The weekend will be the first chance for World of Outlaws teams to get some laps at the historic half mile this year. It’ll also be their only weekend to pad the notebook ahead of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store (August 7-10).
The stars of the World of Outlaws tour, a healthy contingent of locals, and a stout crop of invaders are all expected to make for a huge roster this weekend and put on two nights of can’t-miss Sprint Car racing.
BUY TWO-DAY KNOXVILLE TICKET PACKAGE HERE
BUY FRIDAY KNOXVILLE TICKETS HERE
BUY SATURDAY KNOXVILLE TICKETS HERE
WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision
Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
The time has come for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars to travel to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.”
Knoxville Raceway is ready to welcome The Greatest Show on Dirt for two nights of early summer action. The Premier Chevy Dealers Clash brings the country’s best Sprint Car drivers to the Marion County Fairgrounds this weekend (June 14-15).
The weekend will be the first chance for World of Outlaws teams to get some laps at the historic half mile this year. It’ll also be their only weekend to pad the notebook ahead of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store (August 7-10).
The stars of the World of Outlaws tour, a healthy contingent of locals, and a stout crop of invaders are all expected to make for a huge roster this weekend and put on two nights of can’t-miss Sprint Car racing.
BUY TWO-DAY KNOXVILLE TICKET PACKAGE HERE
BUY FRIDAY KNOXVILLE TICKETS HERE
BUY SATURDAY KNOXVILLE TICKETS HERE
WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision
Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
SCHATZVILLE: For as long as he’s racing Sprint Cars, Donny Schatz will headline any World of Outlaws trip to Knoxville.
The 10-time Series champion has assembled an astonishing résumé at the half mile over the course of his career. He’s collected 18 of his 313 career wins at Knoxville, and six of them have come during the month of June. The Fargo, ND driver is an 11-time NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals champion (second most), and he’s been on the podium in 20 of his 25 Feature starts in “The Granddaddy of ‘Em All.” The Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 is a threat anytime it rolls into the small town in Iowa.
Schatz heads to Knoxville third in the standings with David Gravel (+40 PTS) and Carson Macedo (+30 PTS) not too far ahead. He’s currently on a streak of 11 consecutive top 10 finishes with seven of those being within the top five.
ALMOST THERE: It took a while, but Carson Macedo has almost dug himself out of the hole created at DIRTcar Nationals.
After four consecutive finishes of 12th or worse to begin the year, the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 hasn’t missed the top 10 in the 23 races since. The last 17 races have all been top fives for Macedo leading to a 3.1 average finish over that span. During the incredible stretch of consistency, he’s also stood on the podium 11 times. The run has moved Macedo and the JJR crew within 10 markers of the points lead.
And how fitting it would be if they could claim the top spot this weekend. Last year, Macedo entered Knoxville’s Premier Chevy Dealers Clash as the point leader, but a frightening crash cost him the top spot that he never regained. The Lemoore, CA native owns four victories at Knoxville – a 2018 360 Nationals prelim, a two-night sweep with the World of Outlaws in June of 2021, and a Knoxville Nationals prelim last year.
HAUD’S HOT: The temperatures are rising with summer near, and Sheldon Haudenschild is heating up with them.
After winning three races during all of the 2023 campaign, Haudenschild has reeled off three victories in the last five races. The hot streak has bumped him up to seven wins in 2024 with the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing team, already marking the third most he’s produced in one year. He’s also been stringing together some consistency with 12 top 10s in the last 14 races.
A Knoxville victory has eluded Haudenschild to this point in his career. His best finish is third on four occasions – a trio of Knoxville Nationals prelims (2019, 2022, 2023) and a June World of Outlaws race in 2021.
HOME GAME: A trip to Knoxville means a weekend at home for Giovanni Scelzi and the KCP Racing team.
Scelzi is originally from Fresno, CA, but after being hired by the Des Moines, IA-based team in 2020, Scelzi made the move to the “Hawkeye State.” The Matt Barbara and Bret Nehring-owned team set up shop slightly more than an hour from Knoxville Raceway. KCP owns a pair of Knoxville track championships with Ian Madsen behind the wheel.
Scelzi is always stout at the iconic half mile. He and KCP topped the 2021 360 Nationals, and then a week later they sat on the pole of the 410 Nationals before finishing fourth. Last year, Scelzi matched that fourth place effort in the sport’s most prestigious race. Scelzi also picked up an All-Star Circuit of Champions win at Knoxville back in 2019.
It’s been a strong sophomore season for Scelzi to this point. He’ll head to Knoxville fourth in points with 16 top fives and 25 top 10s through 27 races.
KNOXVILLE NAMES: “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” always offers up plenty of talented regulars ready to challenge for a World of Outlaws win.
Brian Brown is always a driver to watch when the World of Outlaws invade Knoxville. He’s a five-time track champion, and his 65 wins rank second in track history. “Blackjack” has beaten the Outlaws at Knoxville on three occasions, each time during the month of June and most recently last year.
Rolling into the weekend as the most recent Knoxville winner is Altoona, IA’s Carson McCarl. The former 360 Knoxville track champion grabbed his first victory in the 410 class and joined his father (Terry) and brother (Austin) on the all-time win list.
The only two-time winner in the 410 division this year at Knoxville is Waco, TX’s Chase Randall. The 2023 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year took the TKS Motorsports No. 2KS to Victory Lane on May 25 and June 1.
This trio is expected to be joined by many more regular visitors to Knoxville including Garet Williamson (Columbia, MO), Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX), Tasker Phillips (Pleasantville, IA), Riley Goodno (Knoxville, IA), and more.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Friday-Saturday, June 14-15 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA
ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
X – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (27/76 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (3786 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-10 PTS)
3. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-40 PTS)
4. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-54 PTS)
5. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-96 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-128 PTS)
7. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-168 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports No. 17B (-370 PTS)
9. Brock Zearfoss – Brock Zearfoss Racing No. 3Z (-584 PTS)
10. Landon Crawley – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-688 PTS)