KNOXVILLE, Iowa — The 60th annual NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals is scheduled to pay a purse of $1,064,855 over four days of racing at the legendary Knoxville Raceway.
The inaugural Knoxville Nationals, known as the Super-Modified National Championship, in 1961 paid race winner Roy Robbins $1,280.
Saturday night’s 50-lap winner could take home as much as $200,000. The winner’s purse is $150,000 but for the first time the race will offer $1,000 per lap led, making being out in front on the half-mile, black-dirt oval even more important.
The runner-up on Saturday takes home $75,000 with the third-place finisher earning $37,500. Every driver starting the 24-car main event is guaranteed to earn at least $10,000.
Even the drivers participating in the B, C, D and E mains earn healthy pay checks. The fifth-place finisher in the B main (the first car not qualifying for the feature), earns $8,000. Every driver competing in the B main receives a minimum of $1,100.
Purse money is also paid to competitors during the three nights of preliminary action.
The Wednesday and Thursday night qualifying programs each offer $12,000 to the winner of the 25-lap main event with all starters earning a minimum of $1,000.
Friday’s Hard Knox main event pays $4,000 to win in addition to a guaranteed $10,000 for transferring into Saturday’s feature.
Additional bonus money available includes $500 for the best appearing crew, $500 for the best appearing car, $2,000 for the Horsepower Inc. Throwback Award, $2,000 for the Mr. Sprintcar Award, $2,000 for the Pole Award and $1,000 for Rookie of the Year.