Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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Knoxville Nationals…

Hemby Bridge, NC – Every year Pete and the United Sprint Car Series schedule a Friday and Saturday night show, usually in mid-April, in towns South of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Every year heading that way, I have to hear dad tell me of the time him and his dad rode all over Knoxville trying to find the dirt track where the sprint car nationals were held on their way home from a modified midget championship in Cali.

Make fun of the ignorance of that last sentence all you want, but remember this… They were sprint car fans living in a world of stock car racing begging for a weekly Speed Sport paper to inform them of a Williams Grove victory four weeks prior. 

PLUS, they just beat Rich Volger and Andy Hillenburg in a hundred lap modified midget race in Southern California.  So cut them some slack!

Back on point… 

Pulling into a Sweetwater, TN track known as I75 Speedway, your heart will skip a beat when you see this massive fencing system reminding you of Eldora or Bristol.  Two years ago, it was a lightning fast 5/8 mile high banked oval with late models averaging 145mph.   Unfortunately, the racing was minimal so a frustrated owner built a tiny ass fifth mile in the infield.  Cars have tripled and fans have quad since the downsizing. 

A thirty lap sprint car feature later had drivers yelling at Pete and Andi for payout money, but apparently they were too busy scheduling more races at the facility.  Once we found out their positive situation, we let them off the hook.

I could write an additional seven and a half paragraphs of my racing experience at I75 including showing up late cause I had to close on a home, dad had nine loads of sand and stone to deliver, getting a title on the trailer we were hauling, begging mom for a few more dollars, forgetting my helmet at the house and hoping I had enough tear-offs for the other helmet, eating very questionable burritos at a Flying J praying for a decent track bathroom, and hoping when the trailer door hits the ground your car is still strapped down!

Car was horrible from the get-go.  The car tried flipping over the right front every time I entered.  Only raced one lap in the heat and gave up.  Hauled ass into the pits and my crew chief said something was wrong with the front end.  We didn’t have time to pin-point it, so we changed everything. 

Started 19^th…. Made it to 9^th… Fourth hard charger in five races!

I’d like to think I’m having just as much fun as the leader…

Sorry dad… It wasn’t the Knoxville Nationals, but at least you got to see both your sons beat the shit out of each other for position and still bring them both to the trailer.

We were close to a Knoxville though….

Brandon McLain
United Sprint Car Series Driver
2014 Season
National Rookie of the Year!
National Points - 8th
Southern Points - 3rd
Asphalt Points - 3rd
18 Races, 3 Top 5's, 14 Top 10's

Dude, your dad and his dad must have been in Knoxville, Tennessee if they rode all over Knoxville trying to find Knoxville Raceway.  If they were in Knoxville, Iowa I don't see how they could miss it!  

I have been asked several times if I've made my annual trip to Tennessee. Some I've told them its Iowa. Others, I've just either said, yes or no, it's not until August. One of the best t-shirts I've seen said, "Real race fans know Knoxville is not in Tennessee." It had a map of the United States with a big star over Iowa. Not knocking your dad and grandpa. Actually defending them. It's a common mistake. Sounds like they were much more than fans.  

More than one Australian has flown to Knoxville, TN instead of Iowa in the past, true story....

You're absolutely correct, Mike.  Happened just a couple years ago.  Even at the post office we would get mail all the time addressed to Knoxville, Tennesee.  Heaven only knows where our mail ended up sometimes.  When I was in the freight business I had a truck full of freight going from Miami, Florida, to Hollywood, Florida, maybe 20 minutes away.  It was in Phoenix waiting for routing to Los Angeles (Hollywood, California).  Just common when you have so many similar cities.  Actually,  it is hard to envision a big race track along the main drag in a little city of 7500 in Midwest Iowa, but here we are.    

My wife told me if I went to one more Sprint Car race 
she would leave me.................I'm sure gonna miss 
that ol' gal. 

Dude, they were in Tennessee, re-read the post.  

Yep, right there in the first sentence.   Missed that one...