KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Saturday night’s 60th NOS Energy Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway run before a sellout crowd paid a record purse of $1,064,855.
Race winner Kyle Larson banked a record $176,000 in what was the largest winner’s take in winged sprint car racing history, beating Eldora Speedway’s Kings Royal by $1,000. Larson’s pay included $26,000 ($1,000 per lap led) in lap money.
Ten-time Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz earned $89,000 for what was his eighth second-place finish in the Nationals. That figure included $14,000 in lap money.
Brad Sweet, the 2018 Nationals winner, finished third and earned $37,500.
Gio Scelzi earned $2,000 for earning the pole and $10,000 in lap money. He also picked up a check for $6,000 for winning the Beaver Drill & Tool Jesse Hockett Mr. Sprint Car award. That coupled with the $26,000 payoff for fourth-place brought his winnings to $44,000.
Logan Schuchart picked up $21,000 for finishing fifth.
Every A-main started earned at least $10,000.
• Ten Knoxville Nationals winners were recognized on Saturday afternoon prior to the 60th running of the event to look back at the history of sprint car racing’s biggest event.
During a luncheon held inside Dyer-Hudson Hall behind the main grandstand at the famed half-mile dirt track, the Marion County Fair board and members of the media were in attendance as
Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, David Gravel, Brad Sweet, Bobbi Johnson representing her late husband Jason, Tim Shaffer, Kraig Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Bobby Allen and Ron Shuman shared their memories of winning the Knoxville Nationals.
• The full house had one last chance to say goodbye to Jac Haudenschild, who competed in his final Knoxville Nationals. The 63-year-old Sprint Car Hall of Famer is retiring at the end of the season.
After the end of the B main, which ended his Nationals, he was called to the frontstretch where he was greeted with chants of “Wild Child,” “Wild Child.”
• Gio Scelzi earned the Jesse Hockett Mr. Sprint Car award after finishing fourth on Saturday night. He was satisfied with his result in the biggest race of the season.
“I felt I built the best race I was mentally and physically able to run,” Scelzi said. “I feel like I got beat by the best three drivers in the world.”
• David Gravel is finding an unusual way — at least for a sprint car driver — to reach his fans. Gravel has embraced the YouTube audience. “It’s a new thing in sprint car racing,” Gravel said. “I don’t have a name like Kinser, Schatz or Swindell, but Gravel goes with dirt pretty good.”
• Tim Shaffer, the 2010 Nationals winner, acknowledged his racing situation with the Grove Racing No. 28 team is not ideal. He said he put together a makeshift crew just to compete in the Nationals.
“I probably shouldn’t even be here,” Shaffer said, “but it is hard to miss this race. I really need a crew chief. I’m trying to do too many things myself, but I’m never going to quit.”
• Ron Shuman, who won the Knoxville Nationals in 1979, made a rare return to Knoxville Raceway and made a unique discovery.
“I was walking behind the grandstand waiting for Casey (Shuman, his son) to get here, and I guy said to me, ‘Hey Ron Shuman, what’s it like to see your face out here,’ and I looked up and there was my face on a pole. I didn’t realize I had a pole out there.”
All Knoxville Nationals winners have banners with their faces on them wrapped around poles supporting the grandstand structure.
• Paul McMahan, who was still feeling the effects of a fiery crash on Thursday night, elected to sit out Saturday night’s program. Zeb Wise took his spot in the CJB Motorsports No. 5 and started from the rear of the B main. Wise moved over from the second CJB entry, as he was slated to start much further back in the field.
• Ayrton Gennetten was named Rookie of the Year for the 60th Knoxville Nationals.
• The fans were on their feet for a four-wide finish to the B main, which saw Cory Eliason finish third, with Sheldon Haudenschild edging Spencer Bayston for the final transfer spot in to the feature by .008 seconds.
• Of the 20 drivers locked into the A-main prior to Saturday night’s program, Kasey Kahne and Shane Stewart were the only ones without a feature victory this season.
• Special awards are part of the Knoxville Nationals tradition. Rudeen Racing with driver Cory Eliason won the best appearing car award, while the best throwback paint scheme went to Bobby Mincer, with a vintage Mark Kinser appearance. The best appearing helmet went to Australian driver James McFadden and Jason Johnson Racing won the best appearing crew for the fourth consecutive year.
• Preliminary feature winners on Saturday night were Jason Sides (E Main), Jack Dover (D Main), Hunter Schuerenberg (C Main) and Carson Macedo (B Main).