By Alex Nieten
KNOXVILLE, IA (June 10, 2025) – All eyes are on “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.”
Knoxville Raceway is the destination this weekend for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series stars and a whole lot more. The second leg of the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash is expected to attract a massive field of entries for two nights of racing, June 13-14.
For the full-time competitors with The Greatest Show on Dirt, it’s the last “official” opportunity to get laps at the historic 1/2-mile before the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s on Aug. 6-9. But some teams will likely opt to participate in the Capitani Classic that week on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Simply put, if you’re a Sprint Car fan, Knoxville is the place to be this weekend.
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Let’s look at the top storylines to watch at Knoxville:
DONNY’S DOMINANCE: It hasn’t been the season Donny Schatz and his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing team have wanted to this point, but Knoxville always serves him an opportunity to find speed.
The 10-time Series champion’s résumé boasts 30 Knoxville victories, most recently claiming last year’s Hard Knox Night Feature of the Knoxville Nationals. Five of those wins have come during World of Outlaws visits during the month of June. And most notably, Schatz is an 11-time Knoxville Nationals champion.
While this year hasn’t gone according to plan for the No. 15 team, recent results give reason for optimism. A pair of podiums in his home state of North Dakota on the final weekend of May kicked off a stretch of five consecutive top 10s that they’ll carry to Knoxville.
OUTLAW POWER: It takes plenty of skill, dedication, and craft to conquer Knoxville, so it should be no surprise that the 2025 World of Outlaws roster features many names on the track’s legendary win list, in addition to Schatz.
Defending Series champion David Gravel owns a dozen Knoxville victories, including one during last June’s Premier Chevy Dealers Clash. Half of those 12 triumphs are official World of Outlaws wins.
Fresno, CA native Giovanni Scelzi now calls Iowa home and drives for the Iowa-based KCP Racing, making Knoxville a de facto home game. “Hot Sauce” is an eight-time Knoxville victor highlighted by the 2021 360 Nationals title and a prelim win in last year’s Knoxville Nationals before finishing runner-up in the finale.
Fellow Californian Carson Macedo has visited Knoxville Victory Lane on five occasions, and they’ve all been aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. The first was an emotional night in 2018 when he took the Ragin’ Cajun’s team to a prelim win during the 360 Nationals less than two months after Johnson’s passing.
Logan Schuchart has a trio of Knoxville trophies in the collection. He won Hard Knox Night in 2018 before taking both the Capitani Classic and his Knoxville Nationals prelim in 2022 with the Shark Racing crew.
Garet Williamson was a regular at Knoxville prior to embarking on his rookie World of Outlaws campaign in 2025. The Columbia, MO driver topped a pair of 360 Features in 2023 before adding his name to the list of 410 winners with Fischer Motorsports last year.
Sheldon Haudenschild has a single Knoxville win to his credit. He drove the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 17 to a victory in the track’s season opener four years ago.
BUDDY’S TURN?: One name notably absent from the list of current Knoxville winners is Michael “Buddy” Kofoid. He’s the lone competitor among the top seven in points yet to capture victory on the famed black zook clay, a fact he’ll aim to change this weekend.
The Penngrove, CA native has 18 starts in a 410 Sprint Car at Knoxville with top 10s in eight of them. The closest he’s come to Victory Lane is a 2023 runner-up with the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC).
There’s no reason to think Kofoid couldn’t get the job done this weekend as he continues his second full campaign in the Roth Motorsports No. 83. They’ve already won four times this year and head to Knoxville on a stretch of 14 consecutive top 10s.
KNOXVILLE KNOWLEDGE: As always, when the World of Outlaws come to town, a healthy contingent of Knoxville regulars and locals awaits, ready for the sport’s biggest stage.
Brian Brown has headlined the track’s usual competitors for years, and 2025 is no different, as “Blackjack” has shown no signs of slowing down. He’s already won twice at the 1/2-mile dirt track in 2025, upping his career total to 68. Three of those victories have been against the World of Outlaws, and they’ve all been in the month of June.
Altoona, IA’s Austin McCarl is a three-time and defending Knoxville track champion. “The Big Unit” is yet to finish worse than eighth through eight tries and has podiums in half of them on the Marion County Fairground this year. He finished fourth with The Greatest Show on Dirt at Knoxville in June of 2023.
This duo will be joined by many additional regulars, including Chris Martin (Ankeny, IA), Sawyer Phillips (Pleasantville, IA), Riley Goodno (Knoxville), and more.
MAKE ROOM, IOWA: Just like when 64 cars filled the Knoxville pit area in April, another huge field is expected this weekend with plenty of talent joining the World of Outlaws stars and Knoxville regulars.
This year’s winningest driver at Knoxville, Ryan Timms, will aim for his first World of Outlaws victory aboard the Liebig Motorsports No. 10. The Oklahoma City, OK native already topped a trio of 410 Sprint Car races at the half mile and added one in a 360 on May 30.
St. Helena, CA’s Rico Abreu claimed April’s leg of the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash and followed that up with a local Knoxville checkered flag the following week. That ignited a hot stretch for him as he’s won half of his last 16 Sprint Car starts this season, including one this past weekend at Plymouth Dirt Track with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He plans to be in action.
The most recent June Series winner at Knoxville is Clovis, CA’s Corey Day, and he intends to make his 2025 World of Outlaws season debut this week with the Jason Meyers Racing team. He’s fresh off narrowly running second at Knoxville to Tyler Courtney, who will also be in attendance this weekend in the Clauson Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 7BC.
Kerry Madsen and the Vermeer-Madsen Racing team have found some speed recently, and they’ll test their strides this weekend. The “Madman” hasn’t finished worse than fourth in his last six races. That includes a World of Outlaws runner-up at Jackson and a pair of Knoxville podiums in their weekly program. The Australian is a 27-time Knoxville Feature winner.
Fans can expect more names such as Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX), Emerson Axsom (Franklin, IN), Tim Kaeding (San Jose, CA), Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA), and many more.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Friday-Saturday, June 13-14 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA
ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
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CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (30/81 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (4240 PTS)
2. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-152 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-184 PTS)
4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-218 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-230 PTS)
6. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-338 PTS)
7. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-376 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-528 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-552 PTS)
10. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-614 PTS)