KNOX, Pa. — On a sunny but cool Memorial Day weekend Sunday night Knox Raceway returned to auto racing for the first time in 2025 with a big crowd on hand to watch Brandon Spithaler win the 20 car FASTonDIRT sprint car feature.
Defending FASTonDIRT 410 sprint car champion Brandon Spithaler came from the sixth starting position to take the win. It was not easy however as Rocky Peterson Jr. and Tim Shaffer would lead the field to the green, both cars would begin to set a furious pace in the 20-car field.
Peterson will lead the first four laps until the veteran Shaffer would take over on lap five. Shaffer, who has been running at Knox since the late 80s would think to have been racing to take the win however on lap eight Spithaler would get around Shaffer and take command of the race.
Peterson would begin to fade as Tyler Gunn would move into third and with set his eyes on the top two. Spithaler would set a blistering pace, lapping cars until a caution came out with two laps to go which would bunch up the field. On the restart he would take off and not to be denied the win, taking the checkered flag by .745 seconds over Shaffer.
Gunn, Peterson and Matt Farnham completed the top five.
“I was smart enough to push the wing for a little bit so I didn’t miss the bottom and wanted to try to protect it and see if I could get straight off the corner and it worked out,” Spithaler said. “I knew we were good in clean air and in traffic and felt really good under that long green flag run…late race cautions can really cause some problems so I can’t thank everybody enough that that helps on his car. I’m glad we were able to park in victory Lane so hopefully we can pack the place and get a lot more people and it’ll be great. everybody that helps on this thing it’s a group effort and I’m just glad that it came out right.”
Gale Ruth Jr. topped the RUSH sprint feature and William Kephart claimed the $2,000 to win 49 car SCDRA mini stock feature.
The finish:
Brandon Spithaler, Tim Shaffer, Tyler Gunn, Ricky Peterson, Matt Farnham, Michael Bauer, A.J. Flick, Jacob Begenwald, Chase Metheney, Jordan Ryan, Bob Felmlee, Brandon Matus, Lance Heinberger, Michael Lutz, Jack Sodeman, Brent Matus, Anthony Gaskins, Bodey McClintock, Jeremy Weaver, Davey Jones.
