The Knoxville Nationals is a lot of things to a lot of people. For the drivers and teams, it is the biggest and highest-paying sprint car race of the season and if you can add you name to the winners list you will go down in history as having won the most coveted sprint car race in the world.
I visited Knoxville, Iowa in August and all I got was this lousy T-shirt! (Disclaimer: I‘m just kidding, I got several great T-shirts)
The Knoxville Nationals is a lot of things to a lot of people. For the drivers and teams, it is the biggest and highest-paying sprint car race of the season and if you can add you name to the winners list you will go down in history as having won the most coveted sprint car race in the world.
From the chassis manufacturer to the engine builder, and any and all component and product companies whose equipment was utilized to get the win, they too take pride in knowing they were a part of the team who has made history.
For the Knoxville Raceway staff and officials who work together with the World of Outlaws staff and officials, they know the Nationals is THE race of the season, and everyone works a little harder to make sure it is a memorable experience for everyone who attends in person or is watching online around the world on Dirtvision.
Since last year‘s race was cancelled due to the pandemic, when it was confirmed that the 60th running of the Knoxville Nationals would happen this year with no restrictions, most people knew it was going to be a special event. And, boy was it ever!
After having to take a year off, people seemed to understand that we can‘t take for granted that we will all gather in the small town of Knoxville, Iowa every year, and people truly seemed to soak in as much of the festivities as their minds and bodies could take.
The 24,000-plus grandstand seats were sold out for the Saturday night finale of the four-day event and so it was announced that a limited number of pit passes would be sold where people could mingle with the teams and watch from the infield. Saturday morning, people started lining up hours before the pit pass sales windows opened, knowing that those few passes would go quickly.
The only downside was that the normally-large international crowd (with the majority being from Australia) was not able to attend due to their countries‘ rules on travel restrictions.
There were a few Australians who made the trip, even knowing that when they got back home they would have to quarantine in a hotel room for at least two weeks. And they do it out of their own pocket, so between the airline tickets, the motels, food and other expenses incurred while in the U.S., they know they will also have to pay for a long stay in a hotel, plus food delivery, once they arrive back home. Now, that takes commitment!
Did I mention T-shirts?
Between the drivers‘ T-shirts, manufacturers‘ T-shirts, and the multitude of event T-shirts available, if you couldn‘t find something to add to your collection then you weren‘t looking very hard. And the merchandise isn‘t limited to just shirts; the Nationals is always the place to find die cast cars, actual race car parts, and other unique items to add to your collection.
For me the Nationals is about getting to see fans and friends from all over the country, and hopefully next year from around the world, who we generally only see this one time of the year.
There are drivers, team members, and car owners from many other forms of motorsports, along with a few celebrities who show up to take in the event. And many of them walk around during the day like an average tourist to take in the sights and sounds. There are also some who partake in the after-race parties that generally go until the sun comes up, and it is a chance for fans to mingle and hang out with them, and even some of the drivers, in a whole different atmosphere.
Oh yeah, about the race! There is over ONE MILLION dollars paid out over the four days of racing, with a minimum of $150,000 going to the Nationals champion on Saturday night. This year there was an added bonus of $1,000 paid per lap to the leader of the race. So, after everything was calculated, 2021 Nationals winner Kyle Larson was paid a total of $176,000.
Ten-time Nationals winner Donny Schatz gave Larson a run for his money, especially in the last few laps, but had to settle for another second-place finish. I say another, because Schatz has finished first or second 18 times in the last 23 Nationals races! Just think about that for a minute…that‘s 10 wins and eight second-place finishes in 23 tries!
It‘s no secret that Schatz and the Tony Stewart-owned team have been struggling at times to find consistent speed, so I‘m sure it‘s bittersweet to finish second and to be so close to winning number 11 (that much closer to Steve Kinser‘s record of 12 Nationals wins), but Schatz‘s incredible run of top-two finishes may never be topped.
It has been very well documented what Kyle Larson has accomplished in 2020 and 2021 and the amount of wins he has piled up, including NASCAR Cup wins, which is the pinnacle of American motor racing when it comes to money earned and mainstream media coverage.
So, when we saw Kyle get genuinely emotional in victory lane, after all that he has accomplished in his career, it just proved what adding your name the Nationals winners list truly means to anyone talented enough, and lucky enough, to stand on the top step of the podium on Saturday night at the famed race track located on the Marion County fairgrounds!