knoxville highlights

[klemmabyna]

a marlar win. huge ovation. yes, partly because he beat bloomquist. but I also believe the current fans in attendance are well aware of and appreciate guys like the marlar team.

crowd reaction when bloomer went to the lead on the backstretch (what a launch off the bottom out of two!), followed by the crowd reaction when marlar went back by (played that cushion lap after lap and won...sidebar: remembering Darren Miller flirting with a win and disaster. disaster won.).

ditto with crowd when Richards reclaimed 2nd before running out of fuel.

not an attendance guesser, nor do I care, but that Saturday night crowd seemed to be the largest of any in the 13 years. and even without birkhofer, they were into the racing.

a moyer win on Thursday.

Joel Callahan (and those charging down the front stretch) escaping what looked like inevitable disaster.

adult big wheel races at the iowa beer bus.

Chase Junghans heat win on Friday. maybe the biggest cheers of the preliminaries.

John and Justin Duty making the 37 hour trip.

A hometown racer, now a USMTS threat, Jesse Sobbing, dominating a heat until it all went up in smoke.

watching a guy coming up the stairs encountering a very well endowed woman, then reading his lips after he passed her: "(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)". may have only been funny to me because I said the same thing on Thursday when I saw her.

Knoxville Raceway. yes, the track and facilities are terrific. but the people working there make everyone feel like they are at home. if you had a problem with any of them, my guess is you are the problem.

track prep: this crew is priceless.

13th year, never missed a night, with my now 78 year old race buddy father. He doesn't get around very well these days, so we do a lot of people watching. and even though we don't know their names, we have made some great friends that have been coming nearly as long as we have.

and that is my 2016 chapter to the Knoxville Late Model Nationals...

[fireplug]

Just curious, do you camp or motel? If you camp, whereabouts? We caught one night of the Knoxville Natls Sprints a few years ago. Think it was the first night and the only night they raced due to storms. We stayed at a Corps of Engineers campground nearby. Would like to go back out for either the sprints or LM's. Thanks.

[klemmabyna]

fireplug: because of my father's age, we have always stayed at a pella motel. personally, would love to experience the campgrounds and dingus. but as long as I have dad (still trying to make up for my teenage years. he should have disowned me!) will have to pass on that. and i'm not getting any younger either!

being a late model fan, I highly recommend those. make it for the entire race weekend. because of the format and the racetrack allowing the fast racers to get to the front regardless of where they start, Thursday and Friday with the heat race inverts are great racing.

and don't let anyone tell you the format penalizes the racers. final field is set by making racers race every time on the track Thursday and Friday. take a look at the starting grid for Saturday's a-main and tell me who got left out due to the format.

obviously I highly recommend this race. and i'm sure the same applies to the sprint cars. i'm biased. I grew up in iowa. but this is a town that embraces racing at a track that is located in a commercial/residential area. a rare occurrence these days.

[Bubstr]

You can reserve a spot to camp for the LM by contacting the Race track. The Sprint Nationals could get tough to get a spot.

It just could be I am one of those people you see. A lot of us old farts sit and tell tales before the race, behind the grand stand. There are some interesting discussions going on back there. LOL I see a few of the older race chasers at every good race in the country.

[Drpepsi]

a marlar win. huge ovation. yes, partly because he beat bloomquist. but I also believe the current fans in attendance are well aware of and appreciate guys like the marlar team.

crowd reaction when bloomer went to the lead on the backstretch (what a launch off the bottom out of two!), followed by the crowd reaction when marlar went back by (played that cushion lap after lap and won...sidebar: remembering Darren Miller flirting with a win and disaster. disaster won.).

ditto with crowd when Richards reclaimed 2nd before running out of fuel.

not an attendance guesser, nor do I care, but that Saturday night crowd seemed to be the largest of any in the 13 years. and even without birkhofer, they were into the racing.

a moyer win on Thursday.

Joel Callahan (and those charging down the front stretch) escaping what looked like inevitable disaster.

adult big wheel races at the iowa beer bus.

Chase Junghans heat win on Friday. maybe the biggest cheers of the preliminaries.

John and Justin Duty making the 37 hour trip.

A hometown racer, now a USMTS threat, Jesse Sobbing, dominating a heat until it all went up in smoke.

watching a guy coming up the stairs encountering a very well endowed woman, then reading his lips after he passed her: "(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)". may have only been funny to me because I said the same thing on Thursday when I saw her.

Knoxville Raceway. yes, the track and facilities are terrific. but the people working there make everyone feel like they are at home. if you had a problem with any of them, my guess is you are the problem.

track prep: this crew is priceless.

13th year, never missed a night, with my now 78 year old race buddy father. He doesn't get around very well these days, so we do a lot of people watching. and even though we don't know their names, we have made some great friends that have been coming nearly as long as we have.

and that is my 2016 chapter to the Knoxville Late Model Nationals...

Great observations ... thanks for sharing. You are very lucky to have your racing buddy with you. Great story.

[Highside Hustler25]

nice read.

[klemmabyna]

started this hoping others would share their experience. reviewing results and dirt on dirt, I realized I left a bunch out.

any other 4m members attend?

[ptown]

I would have liked to hear the Marlar post race interview but couldn't because of the fireworks, maybe next year they can hold off on them for a few minutes. Other than that I have no complaints, all three nights the racing was excellent and complete around 10pm.

[cjsracing]

Klem I am disappointed your annual cjsracing spotting didn't make your highlights, lol. It was good seeing you as usual.

[klemmabyna]

Curt: saw several of my favorites drivers over the weekend, but you were all on the wrong side of the fence just watching. didn't mention it cause I know how badly you guys want to be racing.

[cjsracing]

I know klem I was just giving you some crap. And yes I mentioned to my wife how hard it was to be sitting in the stands watching. Even though I have never been competitive at knoxville it is still fun just to be out there racing with the stars.

[BerckFan]

Good stuff Klemmabyna, thanks for the read.

[cmmg42]

Agree with BerckFan, great post. We had a good time at Knoxville. Never really seen any bad races there; sprint cars or latemodels. Dingus is awesome as usual. We went out to observation tower over looking the Des Moines river; the tower is 106' high and the view is awesome. I was very glad to see Mike Marlar win the feature.

[wuss]

I look forward to this race every year. Already looking forward to next year. I had a ball as always, but my biggest observation this year........... $10.00 for parking this year, c,mom man. Emails an extra 30 bucks for all 3 nights. As if $85.00 is t enuff? It's rediculas.

[vande077]

I look forward to this race every year. Already looking forward to next year. I had a ball as always, but my biggest observation this year........... $10.00 for parking this year, c,mom man. Emails an extra 30 bucks for all 3 nights. As if $85.00 is t enuff? It's rediculas.

Park at HyVee to support the local Boy Scouts. Only $5 per night and will not increase in 2017 I don't think (unless the # of parking spaces decreases on them). They sold out all 3 days by 6:00 PM (4:20 on Saturday).

Unfortunately, parking close to the track or at the track is a premium (the town was basically built around the track, there just isn't any empty land to have a parking lot anymore) and at the track it's another revenue stream to keep ticket prices from increasing yearly (they charge $5 to park on the grounds for weekly racing and $10 during World of Outlaws, Lucas LM and 360 Nationals) - they don't even have parking during the 410 Sprint Nationals.

My observations of the weekend were that the weather guys were all wrong -- weather was great all 3 days.

Program started on time (green flag for 1st flight of hotlaps was at 6:44, 6:45 and 6:45 for the 3 nights (not sure how many tracks or events start at advertised time 3 times a year, let alone 3 nights in a row)

Racetrack surface was great as always, unfortunately I think the 10-12 cars that left after Friday deprived us fans of a rapidly changing track surface over the last 45 laps of the 100 lapper on Saturday (that 19 car 10 lap D-main would have made a difference as would have their hotlaps). Think that might have also made the track a little slicker and there wouldn't have been as much attrition during the 100 lapper.

Show was efficient, time trials for 78 cars, 6 heats, a D,C,B and A main the first 2 nights and checked flags at 10:04 and 10:14. Final night checker at 10:09.

Fans - seemed like more and more fans are coming every year for Saturday night (no one has let them in on the secret that Thursday and Friday are usually the better racing nights with big inverts and cars coming through the field).

Dingus - haven't been in the place in years, but as always looked busy. Too bad 90% of the fanbase for this event is male and in their 40's and 50's. That place could be a meat-market if the fanbase had 50% women in their 30's


Those willing to walk a little ways don't have to pay a penny (you could park on a city street for free and not walk much farther than some of the pay lots).

One of my observations is that some people (not lumping you in this) have no regard for businesses. Saw a couple cars just pull in an park in front of a business that was open and walk to the track. It's those people that make the parking that is available more expensive (those businesses end up brining in employees to "manage" the parking beginning at 8 am even though the races aren't until 6:45 because of a few bad apples.

[Big Daddy 37]

We were in the suites coming out of turn two & may have missed the announcement.. But, did they announce a dates for next year??

We renewed our Super 8 rooms, but even the hotel was not 100% sure of the dates for 2017.

Thanks for the info, if you have it...

[vande077]

We were in the suites coming out of turn two & may have missed the announcement.. But, did they announce a dates for next year??

We renewed our Super 8 rooms, but even the hotel was not 100% sure of the dates for 2017.

Thanks for the info, if you have it...

I was told it was announced early on Saturday night. Same weekend (Sept 14-16).

[PennDirt]

As always, another Klemm post worth reading. We came pretty close to crossing off this event on our bucket list this year but it didn't happen. Next year I'm going even if I have to go by myself. I really need this race on my resume'.

I can completely relate to your streak and doing so with your father. Almost a complete mirror of our record at Fall Fest @ Challenger Raceway here in Pa. We lost our father, the greatest race fan I ever met, last year and it left a huge hole in our racing travels and the now-forever empty lawn chair..

I don't type this for sadness or sympathy, I only mention it because your story makes me smile remembering his passion for the sport, his infectious racing genetics that coursed though me at an early age and has stayed with me to today.

Is there a better thing in our world than transitioning from fathers dragging us to tracks before we can walk and talk to us being the good stewards of delivering our fathers safely to a night at the races? I get chills thinking about how our common denominator was dirt track racing for over a half-a century. I don't have enough imagination to wonder what life would have been like without dirt track racing - and I owe it all to him.

[Big Daddy 37]

I was told it was announced early on Saturday night. Same weekend (Sept 14-16).

Great, thank you !!

[drich24]

[QUOTE=vande077;2047529]Show was efficient, time trials for 78 cars, 6 heats, a D,C,B and A main the first 2 nights and checked flags at 10:04 and 10:14. Final night checker at 10:09.




78? On Thursday there were only 69 cars. Lost three after Thursday (Humphrey not competitive, Sobbing lost his only engine and Schatz for the obvious reason). After Friday, lost Gustin as he lost both his motors, Hill I think had an engine problem, O'Neill engine issues and not sure why a couple of others didn't run.

Just not enough cars to run a D main for legit reasons. Maybe they should only lock in the top 18 or 20 in points instead of top 24? Make more cars run the lower mains. Actually, I would like to see them run 3 b-mains and take the top 2-3 out of those instead of a crappy c-main.

Regardless it was great racing all three nights an none of us should complain. The Saturday feature was action packed and very entertaining.