THE CONTENDERS
CARSON MACEDO
Macedo is fast at Knoxville. This season he‘s back with the Jason Johnson Racing team that won the Nationals in 2016 with its namesake, the late Jason Johnson, behind the wheel, and again in the 2019 Nationals with driver David Gravel.
Following Jason‘s untimely death in a racing incident in June of 2018, Macedo was tabbed to pilot the JJR mount in that year‘s Nationals. The California racer kicked off with a runner-up finish in the Sunday night Capitani Classic preview to the week, then set fast time on his prelim night. A ninth-place finish in his prelim feature secured his spot in the A-Main, and he brought home a sixth-place finish in the finale.
In 2019, his rookie season running fulltime with the Outlaws for Kyle Larson Racing, Macedo dug himself a hole with a 27th-place qualifying run on his prelim night, but charged from 13th to third in the prelim. Carson started eighth in the B-Main and finished fifth, one position short of a transfer into the big show.
Carson finished fourth in the Capitani Classic in 2020.
This season, he‘s earned five WoO wins in the JJR No. 41, including sweeping both nights of the two-day Outlaws show at Knoxville in June, and picked up an All Stars win on the Volusia half-mile. In addition, he‘s quick-timed at two regular weekly shows at Knoxville.
KERRY MADSEN
After parting ways with Pennsylvania‘s Barshinger Racing in early May, “The Mad Man” has piloted Tony Stewart‘s personal Ford-powered No. 14 with longtime Donny Schatz crew chief Ricky Warner turning wrenches. The first event out, he earned a sixth-place finish against the Outlaws at Williams Grove in the Morgan Cup prelim, then earned a top-five finish in the finale. On June 5 he earned a quick time in a Knoxville Raceway weekly program. Kerry finished third on the first night and second in the finale in the two-day Outlaws show at Knoxville in June. He earned another quick time and the feature win at a weekly Knoxville show on June 19. Five days later, Madsen charged from 14th to top the World of Outlaws in the Jackson Nationals opener on the fast half-mile.
Madsen has made the Knoxville Nationals A-Main 13 times over his career and has finished on the podium three times (third in 2014, second in 2015, and third in 2017). He‘s made the feature the last seven consecutive years, although he struggled greatly at the 2020 Capitani Classic. Kerry seems to be feeling right at home in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 14 and, with 24 career wins at Knoxville under his belt, could be primed for an exciting 2021 Knoxville Nationals.
ARON REUTZEL
Aaron Reutzel has not only made the show each of the last three years, but also finished in the top-10 in each running. The Clute, Texas driver and 2015 ASCS National champion came from 19th to seventh in 2017 and finished fourth in 2018. In 2019 he was high point man, taking the green flag from the pole before fading to fifth. In the 2020 Capitani Classic, he finished on the podium on night one, posted a top-10 finish on night two, and was running up front in the finale before a rear end gear issue ended his night early.
After claiming the last three consecutive All Star Circuit of Champions titles, for 2021 Reutzel climbed behind the wheel of the Roth Motorsports No. 83 to launch a rookie season with the World of Outlaws. So far in 2021 he‘s claimed three WoO wins — at East Bay Raceway in March, at the half-mile Williams Grove Speedway in May, and at Huset‘s Speedway in June.
DONNY SCHATZ
There‘s little doubt that Donny Schatz has the ability to drive a sprint car to a Knoxville Nationals victory. He‘s a 10-time winner, who dominated the Nationals for well over a decade, finishing no worse than second between 2004 and 2018. The 10-time World of Outlaws champion finished ninth in 2019.
However, being the guinea pig for the development of the Ford FPS 410 sprint car engine has proven to be a frustrating experience for Schatz, a man who has spent most of his career arriving at the race track prepared to settle for nothing less than the big trophy. The driver who regularly topped 20 WoO wins per season has just one victory with the series in 2021, at 34 Raceway, and two All Stars victory, at Screven Motor Speedway and East Bay Raceway — none of the three are motor tracks like Knoxville, where he finished 12th in the Capitani Classic in 2020. Schatz finished fourth on the prelim night and 12th in the finale when the Outlaws ran Knoxville in June.
In time, the Ford sprint car powerplant and Donny Schatz may gel, but unless something develops before August 11th or 12th, it may be a struggle for Donny to claim his 11th Nationals victory.
TOP 10 CANDIDATES
BRIAN BROWN
In 2021, Brian Brown has quick-timed twice at weekly Knoxville Raceway shows, with one (May 22) resulting in the new track record of 14.351 seconds. “Brownie” went on to win the feature that night as well. In addition, the four-time Knoxville Raceway champion has held the track title the last two consecutive years.
He‘s got 53 career feature wins at Knoxville Raceway and, during the heyday of the Donny Schatz era, seemed to be the man with the most potential to break Schatz‘s stranglehold on the big trophy, in particular when he put himself on the pole for the race‘s 50th running in 2010.
He‘s brought it home in second-place three times, finishing behind Schatz in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He ran sixth in both 2015 and 2017. He made the show in 2018, but ended the night scored 25th.
In 2019 he timed fourth on his qualifying night, but failed to transfer through his heat race and blew a tire in the B-Main. On Friday night, he encountered driveline issues at the start of the night‘s feature and ended his Saturday night 12th in the B-Main after transferring from the C.
Brown ran a disappointing 16th in the Capitani Classic in 2020, however, he did run in the top-10 both nights against the Outlaws at Knoxville in June.
TYLER COURTNEY
“Sunshine” cut his teeth in the non-winged USAC divisions, but has come into his own in winged sprint cars. He‘s currently leading the All Star Circuit of Champions points, leads the series win list for the season after parking it in victory lane five times, and earned the 2021 Ohio Sprint Week title.
Courtney has more USAC National Sprint Car Series career wins than A.J. Foyt and was the series champion in 2018. He was the USAC National Midget Series champion in 2019. And, in both 2018 and 2019 Courtney was the USAC National Drivers champion. Tyler won both of his USAC championships for his current winged sprint car team owners, Clauson Marshall Racing. He knows how to win races and has the perfect temperament to master the tough Nationals format.
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