Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Knoxville Raceway

  • Todd Gilliland cruises to a Truck Series win at Knoxville

    Todd Gilliland cruises to a Truck Series win at Knoxville

    Todd Gilliland made the most of his final off-weekend period from the NASCAR Cup Series and his one-race return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series by winning the second annual Clean Harbors 150 at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday, June 18.

    The 22-year-old Gilliland from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, who competes as a full-time rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series, led 58 of 150-scheduled laps, including the final 11, as he muscled away from John Hunter Nemechek and the field during a four-lap shootout to claim his first NASCAR national touring series victory on dirt and his first series win in more than a season.

    The starting lineup for the main event was determined through a formula that evaluated the results and number of positions each competitor gained through four heat events that occurred two hours prior to the main event. When the dust settled and the four heat events concluded, Derek Kraus, who finished second behind John Hunter Nemechek in the first heat event but earned 15 qualifying points, claimed the pole position for a second consecutive season at Knoxville. Joining him on the front row was Carson Hocevar, who won the second heat event and earned a total of 14 qualifying points. Braden Mitchell and Norm Benning were the two competitors who did not qualify for the main event.

    Prior to the event, rookie Jack Wood and Spencer Boyd started at the rear of the field due to both missing driver’s introductions.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Hocevar battled with Kraus through the first two turns until he pulled ahead on the outside lane and went on to lead the first lap. Stewart Friesen challenged Kraus for the runner-up spot ahead of Ben Rhodes, Buddy Kofoid and John Hunter Nemechek as the field scrambled for early positions.

    Four laps into the event, the first caution flew when Christian Eckes made contact and turned Dean Thompson in Turn 1 as Thompson limped back to pit road with a flat left-rear tire.

    Another four laps later, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Hocevar retained the lead following a strong start on the outside lane while Rhodes muscled his way into the runner-up spot over Friesen.

    At the Lap 10 mark, Hocevar was leading by nearly four-tenths of a second over Rhodes followed by Friesen, Nemechek and Ty Majeski while Todd Gilliland, Chandler Smith, Kraus, Buddy Kofoid and Grant Enfinger were in the top 10.

    Ten laps later, Hocevar continued to lead by more than two seconds over both Rhodes and Stewart Friesen while John Hunter Nemechek and Gilliland were scored in the top five. Majeski slipped back to sixth ahead of Chandler Smith, Kraus, Enfinger and Kofoid while Tanner Gray, Brett Moffitt, Zane Smith, Matt DiBenedetto, Matt Crafton, Eckes, Hailie Deegan, Tyler Ankrum, Jessica Friesen and Kaz Grala were scored in the top 20.

    Another 10 laps later, Hocevar remained as the leader by more than a second over Friesen while Nemechek, Gilliland and Kraus were in the top five. Meanwhile, Rhodes had fallen back to seventh behind teammate Majeski while Chandler Smith, Enfinger and Moffitt were in the top 10. 

    Shortly after, the caution flew when Tanner Gray made contact with Kofoid’s No. 51 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro on the inside lane and spun as he was hit by a sliding Spencer Boyd in Turn 3. During the caution period, Rhodes pitted from seventh place to have the front nose of his No. 99 Tenda Toyota Tundra TRD Pro repaired along with having an overheating issue addressed.

    With one lap remaining in the first stage and as the field fanned out when the race restarted under green, Hocevar pulled ahead once again and went on to claim the first stage victory on Lap 40, which marked his second stage victory of the season. Todd Gilliland settled in second followed by Nemechek, Kraus, Ty Majeski, Enfinger, Chandler Smith, Moffitt, Matt DiBenedetto and Zane Smith. Meanwhile, Friesen, who was running in the top five, lost momentum entering Turn 3 after his No. 52 Halmar Toyota Tundra TRD Pro suffered a flat right-rear tire, though he remained on the lead lap.

    Following a three-minute break period to allow the pit crew members to service their respective trucks, the second stage started under green on Lap 41 as Hocevar and Gilliland occupied the front row. At the start, Hocevar retained the lead while Kraus moved his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST into the runner-up spot ahead of Gilliland while Enfinger and Moffitt were in the top five.

    Through the first 50 laps of the event, Hocevar was leading by nearly four-tenths of a second over Kraus followed by Gilliland, Moffitt and Enfinger while Nemechek, Majeski, Zane Smith, Matt Crafton and Hailie Deegan were in the top 10. Chandler Smith and Eckes battled for 11th ahead of Stewart Friesen and DiBenedetto while Kofoid was in 15th ahead of Colby Howard, Kaz Grala, Tyler Ankrum, Tyler Carpenter and Jessica Friesen.

    Seven laps later, the caution flew when Jessica Friesen flipped and got her No. 62 Halmar Toyota Tundra TRD Pro stuck on the inside burn curb in Turn 3. 

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 65, Gilliland pulled a bold slid job on Hocevar to assume the lead. During the following lap, however, disaster struck for Hocevar, whose No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado RST fell off the pace entering the fronstretch before he came to a stop towards the outside wall in Turn 1 and retired due to an engine failure as the caution returned. By then, his teammate Tyler Carpenter, a 30-year-old racer from Parkersburg, West Virginia, who earned a one-race ride with Niece Motorsports for Knoxville after winning the Gateway Dirt Nationals in December 2021, also retired due to a driveshaft issue.

    “[The truck] done blown up,” Hocevar said. “That’s it. I thought Sonoma [Raceway] was gonna be the hardest one to watch and now, this one’s gonna be harder to watch. I’ll probably just sit and think about it for a while…Just sucks. It is what it is. We can’t control. We can’t do anything. It’s fitting this would be our luck.”

    With the race restarting under green on Lap 72, Gilliland retained the lead followed by Kraus as Nemechek issued his challenge for the spot ahead of Moffitt and Zane Smith. As the race reached its halfway mark on Lap 75, Gilliland was leading by more than a second over Nemechek while Zane Smith, Kraus, Moffitt, Stewart Friesen, Enfinger, Grala, Eckes and Deegan were in the top 10.

    By Laps 85, Gilliland continued to lead by more than four seconds over Zane Smith while Nemechek, Moffitt and Stewart Friesen were battling in the top five.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Todd Gilliland captured his first stage victory in his first Truck start of the season. Zane Smith settled in second followed by Nemechek, Moffitt, Kraus, Enfinger, Grala, Stewart Friesen, Crafton and Tyler Ankrum.

    Following a second three-minute break period to allow the pit crew members to service their respective trucks, the final stage started under green with 59 laps remaining. At the start, Moffitt, who was one of four competitors who remained on the track without pitting, rocketed with the lead in his No. 22 Concrete SupplyDestiny Homes Chevrolet Silverado RST on the outside lane while Enfinger and Kofoid battled for the runner-up spot ahead of Zane Smith and Gilliland. Soon after, Moffitt was black-flagged by NASCAR for a restart violation after NASCAR deemed that he jumped the initial restart. With Moffit serving his penalty by driving through pit road under green, Enfinger assumed the lead with 54 laps remaining followed by Gilliland, Zane Smith, Kofoid and Kraus.

    With 50 laps remaining, Enfinger was leading by three-tenths of a second over Gilliland followed by Zane Smith, Nemechek and Kraus while Stewart Friesen, Kofoid, Eckes, Majeski and Crafton were in the top 10. Not long after, Gilliland reassumed the lead over Enfinger.

    Ten laps later, Gilliland was leading by nearly a second over Nemechek while Enfinger settled back in third ahead of Zane Smith and Stewart Friesen. Another three laps later, the caution flew due to Bryson Mitchell falling off the pace and becoming slow on the track.

    Down to the final 28 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Nemechek moved his No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to the front ahead of Gilliland and the field. Three laps later, however, the caution returned for an incident involving Moffitt and Tanner Gray, both of whom made contact with one another in Turn 4, where Moffitt nearly flipped before both collided again in Turn 1, and sustained damage to their respective machines. At the same time, Grala and Colby Howard slid and collided against one another with Moffitt retiring in the garage.

    With 18 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Nemechek retained the lead while Stewart Friesen and Gilliland battled for the runner-up spot, with the former pulling ahead. Behind, Zane Smith and Kraus were in the top five ahead of Enfinger and the field.

    A few laps later, Gilliland muscled his way back into the runner-up spot and Friesen was left battling with Kraus for third place while Nemechek continued to lead by a narrow margin.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Gilliland slid his No. 17 Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150 back into the lead while remaining in a tight battle with Nemechek for the lead while Kraus, Scored in the top 10 were Zane Smith and Friesen occupied the top five. Majeski, Enfinger, Kofoid, Crafton and Eckes.

    Then with eight laps remaining, the caution flew when rookie Jack Wood spun in Turn 1. The caution stacked up the field for a late shootout to the finish.

    With four laps remaining, the race proceeded under green and Gilliland managed to retain the lead while Nemechek and Zane Smith battled for the runner-up spot as the former retained the spot.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gilliland was ahead by more than a second over Nemechek as the field jostled for late positions. Having a clear racetrack in front of him, Gilliland was able to slip, slide and cycle his way back to the frontstretch and claim the checkered flag by nearly a second over Nemechek for his first NASCAR victory of the 2022 season.

    By winning the second annual Truck event at Knoxville, Gilliland claimed his third career victory in the Truck Series, his first while driving for David Gilliland Racing and his first since winning at Circuit of the Americas in May 2021. The victory was also the first for David Gilliland Racing since Ryan Preece won at Nashville Superspeedway a year ago.

    “Just so amazing, man,” Gilliland said on FS1. “The Cup Series is tough. Just racing every single week, I’ve had like a million people ask me, ‘Is this really what you wanna do on your off weekend?’ Absolutely, man. Nothing beats racing. I tell everyone I’m young. I wish I could do this every single weekend of the year. Just so happy for [crew chief] Seth Smith, my whole team, David Gilliland Racing, Ford, especially…Really, really cool. Just so thankful. I love the Truck Series. I ran here forever, it felt like, so to be able to come back and to get one, man, it’s so special.” 

    “I just had an amazing truck,” Gilliland added. “These [David Gilliland Racing] guys prepared me a really good one. We got fitted in the seat on Tuesday afternoon. Just an amazing truck. These guys work so hard. The No. 17 truck’s been really fast a lot this year, so finally to get it a win. I think they’re close to the owners’ Playoff deal, so hopefully, [the win] helped them a little bit and I’ll be anxiously watching the rest of the year now. I feel like a little part of me’s gonna stay on this truck.”

    Nemechek settled in the runner-up spot for the second time of the season and for his fifth top-five result while Zane Smith, Ty Majeski and Stewart Friesen finished in the top five. Kraus, Crafton, Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum and Ben Rhodes completed the top 10.

    There were six lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 45 laps.

    With three races remaining of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular-season stretch, John Hunter Nemechek leads the regular-season standings by five points over Zane Smith, 10 over Ben Rhodes, 14 over Chandler Smith, 43 over Ty Majeski and 49 over Stewart Friesen. 

    Zane Smith, Ben Rhodes, John Hunter Nemechek, Chandler Smith and Stewart Friesen are tentatively locked into the 2022 Truck Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the season while Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, Carson Hocevar, Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton are above the top-10 cutline based on points. Derek Kraus trails the top-10 cutline by 27 points, Matt DiBenedetto trails by 43, Tanner Gray trails by 50, Tyler Ankrum trails by 53 and Chase Purdy trails by 106.

    Results.

    1. Todd Gilliland, 58 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. John Hunter Nemechek, 17 laps led

    3. Zane Smith

    4. Ty Majeski

    5. Stewart Friesen

    6. Derek Kraus

    7. Matt Crafton

    8. Grant Enfinger, 10 laps led

    9. Tyler Ankrum

    10. Ben Rhodes 

    11. Buddy Kofoid

    12. Christian Eckes

    13. Chandler Smith

    14. Matt DiBenedetto

    15. Hailie Deegan

    16. Colby Howard

    17. Dylan Westbrook

    18. Lawless Alan

    19. Timmy Hill

    20. Chase Purdy

    21. Jack Wood, one lap down

    22. Tanner Gray, one lap down

    23. Dean Thompson, two laps down

    24. Joey Gase, two laps down

    25. Blaine Perkins, two laps down

    26. Kaz Grala, two laps down

    27. Brayton Laster, three laps down

    28. Kris Wright, five laps down

    29. Spencer Boyd, eight laps down

    30. Devon Rouse, 10 laps down

    31. Thad Moffitt, 11 laps down

    32. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Accident

    33. Bryson Mitchell – OUT, Throttle

    34. Jessica Friesen – OUT, Brakes

    35. Carson Hocevar – OUT, Engine, 65 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    36. Tyler Carpenter – OUT, Driveshaft

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule is Nashville Superspeedway for the second of three Triple Truck Challenge events, which will occur on Friday, June 24, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Knoxville Raceway

    Weekend schedule for Knoxville Raceway

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series travels to Knoxville Raceway this weekend while the Cup Series and Xfinity Series enjoy some time off from competition.

    Up next for the Cup Series (June 26) and the Xfinity Series (June 25) is Nashville Superspeedway.

    This will be the second time that the Truck Series has competed on the half-mile dirt track at Knoxville Raceway. Last year’s winner, Austin Hill, is not on the entry list for this weekend so we will see a new winner in victory lane.

    There will be special rules in effect for this race. The running order of the race will be frozen after each stage. During the stage break, teams will pit for timed non-competitive pit stops. They can add fuel, change tires and make adjustments to their trucks in the allotted time designated by NASCAR.

    Teams will not be required to pit during the stage breaks. If they choose to stay on the track, they will begin the next stage ahead of the teams that pitted.

    Tires and fuel can only be added during the stage breaks. If a vehicle has a flat or damaged tire, the team must get approval from NASCAR to change the tire.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, June 17

    7:05 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – All Entries – No TV
    9:02 p.m.: Truck Series Second Practice – All Entries – No TV

    Saturday, June 18

    7 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – Four Heat Races – 15 Laps Each – FS1
    9 p.m.: Truck Series Corn Belt 150 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    75 Miles (150 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends Lap 40, Stage 2 ends Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 150
    The Purse: $629,075

    Click here for the Entry List

  • Austin Hill wins inaugural Truck Series race at Knoxville

    Austin Hill wins inaugural Truck Series race at Knoxville

    Two hours, three minutes and four overtime restarts after the race began, Austin Hill fended off Chandler Smith to win the first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Knoxville Raceway.

    “I kind of thought we were out of it (winning the race) there for a little bit,” Austin Hill said to Fox Sports 1.

    “I had that restart on the outside of the 38 (Todd Gilliland) and I fell all the way back to 20th (in the running order). I didn’t think we were going to make it back up, track position was huge. It was really hard to get around people. I just kept my head down.

    “This team at HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) never quit. That’s the thing I like about this group. We never stop, we never quit. Even when we think we’re down and down, we just keep coming back. If you would have told me we would win a dirt race this year, I would have told you, you’re lying.”

    The Georgia driver didn’t become a contender for the win until the final stage when Hill restarted in the top three. Yellow after yellow, Hill stayed in contention and did not let the 18 of Chandler Smith pull away. Eventually, right before the final yellow on Lap 172, Hill pulled slightly ahead of Smith at the previous timing/scoring loop, putting him in the lead. Despite Smith having the most dominant truck during the final 10 laps, he came up short, finishing second to Hill, and will have to wait another week for a chance at his first career victory.

    “First of all, just have to thank Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 18 JBL Toyota Tundra team. They worked their tails off on this thing and we got it really good in practice. We fell back there in the race, and I couldn’t run the top, but we were able to make it work on the bottom. We needed track position, but we were able to lead a bunch of laps. I don’t think the call was right (at the end with regard to line-up) that they (NASCAR) made to be honest, but it is what it is and that’s part of it.”

    Prior to the main event feature, there were four 15-lap qualifying heat races to set the field. The driver who gained the most points in the heats would start on the pole. Josh Berry, Kyle Strickler, Tyler Ankrum, and Carson Hocevar all won their heat races. However, the pole position went to Derek Kraus who gained the most points of 17.

    Throughout the first stage, there three cautions that slowed the event. The yellow flag was brought out when Johnny Sauter was spun by Chase Briscoe in Turn 4 and again when dirt regular, Brian Brown, was spun by Chase Purdy in Turn 3. The final caution of the stage occurred when Jessica Friesen spun on Lap 37.

    NASCAR ended Stage 1 under yellow and Kraus took home the stage victory. Todd Gilliland, Josh Berry, Carson Hocevar, Tyler Ankrum, Sheldon Creed, Stewart Friesen, Brett Moffitt, Chandler Smith and Austin Hill rounded out the top 10 finishers.

    There were only a couple of incidents in Stage 2. Jessica Friesen brought out the yellow for the second time on Lap 66 after getting spun by Kraus and collected by Morgan Alexander in Turn 3. Another caution resulted when the No. 51 of Brown spun in Turn 4.

    Prior to the yellow, Gilliland had led the majority of the stage before being passed by Kraus for the Stage 2 victory.

    The action really heated up in the third and final stage of the night. There were nine cautions and a 14-minute red flag during the stage. The major incident included a big pileup on Lap 155 when most of the field wrecked in Turn 1. The drivers involved included Rohrbaugh, Gray, Deegan, Benning, Berry, Ankrum, Zane Smith, Purdy, Erickson, Briscoe, Jake Griffin, Schatz, Creed and Windom, creating the red flag situation.

    There were two more overtime restarts as more yellows flags were flown for incidents in Turn 1.

    After the multiple cautions, the final restart came at Lap 177 with Austin Hill and Chandler Smith battling it out for the win. However, on Lap 179 (29 laps over the scheduled race distance), Austin Hill scored his first victory of the 2021 Truck Series season.

    Chandler Smith, Grant Enfinger, Gilliland, Kraus, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Brian Brown, Tate Fogleman and Danny Bohn completed the Top 10.

    There were 14 cautions for 80 laps and seven leaders among 20 lead changes. Hill led twice for 11 laps en route to his seventh career Truck Series victory.

    Playoff Points Standings with one race to go until the Playoffs begin:

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, five wins, 34 playoff points
    2. Ben Rhodes, two wins, 11 playoff points
    3. Todd Gilliland, one win, 7 playoff points
    4. Sheldon Creed, one win, 6 playoff points
    5. Austin Hill, one win, 5 playoff points
    6. Zane Smith (clinched playoff spot), +140
    7. Matt Crafton (clinched playoff spot), +119
    8. Stewart Friesen, +61
    9. Carson Hocevar, +53
    10. Chandler Smith, +40

      Below the cut line
    11. Johnny Sauter, -40
    12. Austin Wayne Self, -44
    13. Tyler Ankrum, -51
    14. Derek Kraus, -71

    Official Results following the Corn Belt 150 at Knoxville Raceway:

    1. Austin Hill, led 11 laps
    2. Chandler Smith, led 71 laps
    3. Grant Enfinger
    4. Todd Gilliland, led 61 laps
    5. Derek Kraus, won both stages, led 10 laps
    6. Matt Crafton, led one lap
    7. Ben Rhodes
    8. Brian Brown
    9. Tate Fogleman
    10. Danny Bohn
    11. John Hunter Nemechek
    12. Jake Griffin
    13. Ryan Truex
    14. Zane Smith
    15. Chris Windom
    16. Carson Hocevar, led 17 laps
    17. Tyler Ankrum
    18. Devon Rouse
    19. Norm Benning
    20. Johnny Sauter, led eight laps
    21. Hailie Deegan
    22. Cody Erickson, 2 laps down
    23. Kyle Strickler, 2 laps down
    24. Andrew Gordon, 2 laps down
    25. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 3 laps down
    26. Jessica Friesen, 4 laps down
    27. Stewart Friesen 9 laps down
    28. Josh Berry, OUT, Accident
    29. Parker Price-Miller, 19 laps down
    30. Austin Wayne Self, OUT, Accident
    31. Tanner Gray, OUT, Accident
    32. Donny Schatz, OUT, Accident
    33. Chase Purdy, OUT, Accident
    34. Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Accident
    35. Sheldon Creed, OUT, Accident
    36. Chase Briscoe, OUT, Accident
    37. Jett Noland, OUT, Accident
    38. Brett Moffitt, OUT, Accident
    39. Jack Wood, OUT, Accident
    40. Morgan Alexander, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take nearly a month off before heading to Watkins Glen International Raceway on Saturday, August 7, live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 12:30 p.m./ET.

  • Weekend schedule for Atlanta and Knoxville

    Weekend schedule for Atlanta and Knoxville

    The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for the second time this season while the Camping World Truck Series travels to Knoxville Raceway for the series debut at the half-mile dirt oval.

    Six active Cup Series drivers have won previously at the 1.5-mile track. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead the series with three wins each. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have two previous wins. Ryan Blaney, the most recent winner, and Denny Hamlin have each been to victory lane once.

    Only three active Xfinity Series drivers have won at Atlanta. Kyle Busch has two victories while Justin Allgaier and AJ Allmendinger have one win each. Busch (13) and Jeremy Clements (12) have the most starts among the active drivers in the Series.

    The Truck Series lineup at Knoxville Raceway will be set by four qualifying heat races prior to the main event. A random draw (in order of current owner points) will be used to determine the heat race and starting position for each driver. Only green-flag laps will count with no overtime rule.

    Drivers will earn points for their finish in the qualifying race and can also gain passing points (the difference between their starting position and finishing position). The points will determine their starting position for the feature event.

    The starting lineups for the Cup and Xfinity Series were determined by the following metrics formula:

    • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
    • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, July 8

    7:05 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Knoxville – FS1

    Friday, July 9

    7 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 1 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
    7:15 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 2 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 3 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
    7:45 p.m.: Truck Series at Knoxville Qualifying Race 4 (15 Laps) FS1/MRN
    9 p.m.: Truck Series Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers at Knoxville (Stages 40/90/150 laps = 75 miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, July 10

    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Credit Karma Money 250 at Atlanta
    Stages 40/80/163 laps = 251.02 miles
    NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN)
    Pole: Kyle Busch

    Sunday, July 11

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta
    Stages 80/160/260 laps = 400.4 miles
    NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN)
    Pole: Chase Elliott

    Atlanta Motor Speedway Data:
    Season Race #: 21 of 36 (07-11-21)
    Track Size: 1.54-miles
    Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
    Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
    Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
    Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
    Frontstretch Length:  2,332 feet
    Backstretch Length:  1,800 feet
    Race Length: 260 laps / 400.4 miles
    Stage 1 & 2: 80 Laps (each)
    Final Stage: 100 Laps

    Atlanta Qualifying and Race Data:

    Track qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine, Ford (197.478 mph, 28.074 secs.) on 11-15-97
    2020 pole winner: None – Starting Lineup set by Metric Qualifying; Chase Elliott started in first.

    • Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in NCS starts with 31 starts, followed by Kurt Busch with 30 and Ryan Newman with 29.
    • Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NCS in average starting position of 8.138 in 29 starts followed by Kyle Larson at 8.286 in 12 starts.
    • Nine of the Atlanta NCS pole winners are active this weekend.  Ryan Newman (7), Kevin Harvick (2), Aric Almirola (1), Denny Hamlin (1), Joey Logano (1), Kurt Busch (1), Kyle Busch (1), Martin Truex Jr. (1), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1)
    • Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman are tied for the ZNCS most poles at Atlanta with seven each and Newman holds the record for most consecutive poles with six (spring of 2003 through 2005).

    Track race record: Bobby Labonte, Pontiac (159.904 mph, 03:07:48) on 11-16-97.
    2020 race winner: Kevin Harvick, Ford (142.966 mph, 03:30:03) on 06-07-20.

    • Six former Atlanta winners are active this weekend.  Kevin Harvick (3), Kurt Busch (3), Brad Keselowski (2), Kyle Busch (2), Denny Hamlin (1), and Ryan Blaney (1).
    • Kevin Harvick (2001, 2018, 2020) and Kurt Busch (2002, 2009, 2010) lead all active series winners at Atlanta with three each.
    • The youngest NCS Atlanta winner is Kyle Busch (03/09/2008 – 22 years, 10 months, 7 days).
    • The most proficient starting position in the field at Atlanta is the fifth starting position with 16 wins, more than any other starting position.
    • The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Atlanta is 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in 2015.
    • Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Atlanta in the NCS with 14.
    • Nine different manufacturers have won in the NCS at Atlanta.  Chevrolet leads with 40, followed by Ford (34), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).
    • Kevin Harvick leads all active NCS drivers in laps led at Atlanta with 1,197 in 31 starts.

    Top 12 Driver Ratings at Atlanta
    Kevin Harvick……………………… 101.4
    Kyle Larson………………………….. 98.0
    Martin Truex Jr……………………… 96.7
    Denny Hamlin……………………….. 95.6
    Kurt Busch…………………………… 95.4
    Kyle Busch…………………………… 94.6
    Brad Keselowski……………………. 94.4
    Ryan Blaney…………………………. 91.0
    Chase Elliott…………………………. 89.9
    Joey Logano………………………… 83.3
    Ryan Newman………………………. 78.0
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr………………… 77.5

    Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2021 races (23 total) among active drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

  • Tony Stewart claims first-ever SRX win at Knoxville

    Tony Stewart claims first-ever SRX win at Knoxville

    For the first time in his driving career, Tony Stewart brought home the checkered flag Saturday night at Knoxville Speedway after drawing pole position. The Indiana native had to fend off battles from Hailie Deegan, Michael Waltrip, and Ernie Francis Jr. to earn his first win at Knoxville.

    “It’s the first time I’ve ever been in victory lane at Knoxville as a driver, are you kidding me?” Stewart said to CBS Sports. “This is where I watched Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser, the greatest of the greats in Sprint Car racing. I’ve never seen one coming backwards like this, but this is a place I always wanted to be for sure. So this is pretty cool.”

    After making some rule changes earlier in the week, SRX Racing Series officials reduced the main feature from 75 laps to 50 laps and cut the heat races from 15 minutes to 12 minutes.

    Stewart grabbed the checkers early on winning the first heat race but the field was inverted for the second heat race. In the second heat race, dirt late model racer stand out, Scott Bloomquist, scored the victory with Eddie Francis Jr., Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Hailie Deegan rounding out the top five.

    After the two heat races were completed, next up was the 50-lap main feature. Stewart was on the pole based on a random draw.

    Four cautions occurred early in the main event due to multiple incidents. The first yellow was for debris with 46 to go and then the next two yellows were brought out by the “Local All-Star” Brian Brown. Brown caused two yellows as his machine spun around twice. During the first incident, he spun by himself while the second spin was caused by contact with Willy T. Ribbs.

    The final yellow of the night flew with Ribbs spinning on the backstretch and bouncing off of Helio Castroneves.

    Following the yellow, Scott Bloomquist was poised to pull away from the field with his dirt experience. Unfortunately, he slid up the track and lost several positions, ultimately falling back to eighth. It was during that moment that Stewart took the lead.

    Shortly thereafter, Waltrip led with 39 laps to go and held on to the lead for 10 laps before Stewart resumed the top position with 29 to go. As Stewart was setting the pace, the field was slowed once again for a caution with 18 to go as Bloomquist was spun in Turn 4 by Castroneves.

    Despite the late-race yellow and multiple challenges from Waltrip and Deegan, Stewart held on to win his first-ever Knoxville dirt race and his first SRX victory. Hailie Deegan, Ernie Francis Jr., Helio Castroneves and Michael Waltrip rounded out the top five.

    Deegan, who competed in her first SRX race, came home second to Stewart as she replaced Tony Kanaan in what was called “The Replacement” car.

    “My goal coming into this race was to prove to everyone that I deserved to be here. I feel like we did that tonight, running second to Tony Stewart, that’s a huge accomplishment for me,” said Deegan, a three-time winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West – one of which came on dirt Feb. 28, 2019 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. “I feel like we just ran a clean race, we just wrapped the bottom, stayed consistent, ran my line and finished second.”

    Meanwhile, Ernie Francis Jr, a winner in the Trans-Am Series rounded out the podium finish with a third.

    “Not too bad for my second-ever dirt race,” Francis said. “We were just kind of riding around there trying to save the tires as much as I could. The car wasn’t as good in the feature as it was in the heat races, so I was just trying to keep the back end underneath me and just try to save it as much as I could, try to keep my position and I really had an awesome battle with Hailie out there. I was trying to get to the back of Tony’s bumper to try and get by him, but you can’t be happier than this. It was an awesome race. The car’s a little beat up, but I can’t wait to get to the next one.”

    Next week, five-time USAC Silver Crown Series Champion Kody Swanson and former NASCAR driver Scott Speed will join the field.

    Official Results following the Camping World SRX Series at Knoxville Raceway.

    1. Tony Stewart
    2. Hailie Deegan
    3. Ernie Francis Jr
    4. Helio Castroneves
    5. Michael Waltrip
    6. Bobby Labonte
    7. Marco Andretti
    8. Brian Brown
    9. Scott Bloomquist
    10. Willy T. Ribbs
    11. Bill Elliott, 11 laps down
    12. Paul Tracy, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The Camping World SRX Racing Series continues its summer stretch by heading to Eldora Speedway next Saturday night. It will be broadcast live on CBS.

  • SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge

    SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge

    First 2013 SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge Qualifier is this Saturday at Western Springs with 3 Americans, 1 Australian & Many New Zealanders

    KNOXVILLE, IOWA  (November 21, 2012)  –  The Western Springs Speedway in Auckland, New Zealand, will host the first 2013 SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge international qualifier this Saturday, November 24, with the World Sprint Car Classic.  Amongst the early entrants are Americans Donny Schatz of North Dakota, Ricky Logan of Arkansas, and Jonathan Allard of California; Australian Peter Murphy of Queensland; and a whole host of talented New Zealanders.  The thirty-lap feature will pay $5,000 to win, with all competitors qualifying for the $10,000-to-win SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge on Friday, August 9, during the 53rd annual Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway.

    Amongst the New Zealanders that are expected to be present for the inaugural round of Western Springs’ two-race International Sprint Car Series are Ryan O’Connor, Dean Brindle, Jamie Duff, Jamie McDonald, Allan Woods, Daniel Rogers, Greg Pickerill, Dion Kendall, Rob Corscadden, Scott Fountain and Rob Allen.

    Said Knoxville general manager Brian Stickel this week, “We are very excited about hosting the twentieth annual World Challenge, sponsored by NATIONAL SPEED SPORT NEWS, on Friday, August 9, during the Knoxville Nationals.  And there is no better way than to kick-off the international qualifiers than with defending SPEED SPORT World Challenge champion Donny Schatz becoming eligible for our August event by competing at Western Springs Speedway in New Zealand this weekend.”

    For more information on the Knoxville Raceway and its twentieth annual SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge, fans are urged to visit www.knoxvilleraceway.com.