Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Any predictions on what we can expect for cars for the Non-Wing show in about 3 weeks? Sure would be nice to see at least 32 cars show up.  I always hoped they would incorporate a 2-day Non-wing Nationals into the 10 day Knoxville Sprint car extravaganza in August.

I think 32 might be a little bit optimistic... but hope I'm wrong!  The fact that they're racing the night before in Greenwood, NE doesn't hurt.  

I did see that RJ Johnson (from Tampa, FL and racing weekly at Knoxville in the 71A) is letting RJ Johnson... the OTHER one (from the Phoenix area, and one helluva nonwing shoe) ... strip the wing off his car for the race at Knoxville.  If he does well (and I really hope he does), the confusion for the uninformed will be classic!  I'm guessing the announcers will be all over this... but my hope is that they wait to say something until at least after hotlaps!    

beezer2002,  Congrats on your first visit to Knoxville.  Are you aware that on the day of the USAC race starting at noon is the 28th annual inductions into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.  It's a luncheon buffet banquet followed by the actual induction of the eight new HoF'ers.  If you're interested call the NSCHoF&M at 800-874-4488.  Always a great time.

Thanks badger boy. I wasn't aware of the induction affair at the museum. I am leaving from PA on June 1st,  I'll have to schedule my driving so I can make there in time for luncheon. I will call the speedway, thanks again.

 This is kind of a big tour for me, the kind I haven't done in a while. On the way back east, I will be hitting all of Indiana Midget Week.  

beezr2002,  Pleased I was able to help you.  Don't call the speedway, instead call the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame at 800-874-4488.  Hope you have a great time.  Travel safely.

OK, will call the HOF, any other tips for a Knoxville newbie will be appreciated. Can I camp at the speedway?

beezr2002,  Sorry I don't know anything about camping, suggest you call the Raceway office at 641-842-5431.

Yeah 32 would be awsome. They had 32 back in 2011 but many of those guys are out of USAC by now. I did notice that Hunter Schurenburg doesn't have it listed on his schedule...I think some guys who don't think they can compete won't make the haul out there. Hope that's not the case though and that guys are excited to be back at Knoxville and there's a good turnout.

This is going to be my first trip to Knoxville and I figured since i'm driving 5 hours and staying for the weekend I will probably do it right and buy a pit pass. What i'm curious about is where is going to be the a good spot to sit with easy access between the grandstands and the pits (everyone will be in the infield at this race right?)? My assumption would be by the track entrance at the exit of 4? I've heard sitting on the back stretch is neat and that there really aren't too many bad seats in the house overall, but just curious.

Can't speak to the pit access as I only have gone after the show is over, but I would very much doubt the backstretch would be open for the USAC Show. They typically seem to only be open for the Nationals. Plus, I imagine you'd be close to blind on wingless cars - from memory sitting back there you barely see the top of the cage and top wings on the winged cars.

The backstretch won't be open. You may be able to pitch a tent at the track but if not the raceway owns some campgrounds just a couple blocks north of the racetrack. On contact Van Donsler's, they have a campground nearby as well. 

Ahhh ok, I didn't even think about certain sections of the seats not being open. Thanks for the heads up though.

There is no access to the pits during the race event from the grandstands. 

Only people allowed in the pits prior or during the race event are those with a paid pit pass (which is on top of grandstand admission if you're sitting in the stands).  Personally, I think this has been done to keep those that don't belong (Gawkers, those that don't respect pit areas and the dangers that go with it) in the pits out.

Pits are open (free) to all following the checkered flag of the last feature (which should be the USAC feature that night.

Car count?  Who knows, hoping for a full feature field, but it's a long tow for some of those guys and with what USAC purses are, can't blame them for not driving that far.

Dude i'm not an idiot. I'm well aware how the pits work and that you need a pit pass that costs more than general admission. Have done it more times than I can count and i'm very familiar with pit etiquette. I'm just not familiar with Knoxville and generally infield pits.

I have been to infield pits at some of the mile racetracks and there are times when (assuming you have your pit pass) you're allowed to access the infield or conversely, exit the pits to the grandstands...yes all during the race. Even if the pits aren't in the infield a pit pass is still supposed to grant you access to the infield; at least everywhere i've been to. Is this not the case at Knoxville?

?

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've seen groups of people enter/leaving the pits on the turn 4 gate in between races while an event is going on.

Didn't mean to make any implication that you were, sorry you took it that way.

At Knoxville, there is no pit access from the grandstands directly during the races (pits are all in the infield).  You'd have to walk from your grandstand seat (Section N is near turn 4, Sec AA is near turn 1) to roughly Section C (underneath the grandstand) where the Pass-out Gate is located and then walk back down to turn #4 (where the pit access is) to get across the track to the pits.  Odds are you will miss at least one or more heat races during this walk.

From what I've seen and witnessed.  A pit pass is only good for the pits and a grandstand ticket is only good for the grandstand (allthough it's worth asking at the ticket office so you don't spend more than you have to). 

They only time I've seen any people with only a pitpass come into the stands is during Nationals where it's typically a driver and crew that are done for the night that they allow to come watch the feature in the stands. 

Pit Passes are $40 and grandstand tickets are $20 for the USAC race according to the track's website.

Knoxville really takes no breaks during the race program and doesn't allow anyone to cross the track when cars are fired and on the racing surface (pit pass or not).  IMO, you won't see much on-track action in the infield (they don't allow anyone on top of trailers and the grandstands they do have in the infield are about 4 rows and maybe 5 feet off the ground at the top row). 

I've heard that infield specators (ie:  anyone not with a car as they use different arm bands to identify crew members) do not have access to the "hot pit" area and must stay in a fenced off area in turns 1 & 2, so again, probably worth your time to call the track and get details on what you can and can't do with a spectator pit pass.

Only real break is during the Invocation and National Anthem unless there is a crash during the program that takes a long time to clean up.

Sometimes (allthough not this season thus far), they will take a break following the last heat race for roughly 6 minutes.

This is the typical schedule of events, I would imagine the only difference would be USAC taking the place of the 410 Class. 

Hotlaps start at 6:45

360 Hot Laps followed by 410 Hotlaps, 305 Hotlaps (they time trial during their hotlaps, roughly 6 cars at a time), 360 time trials (3 cars at a time), 410 time trials (2 cars at a time)

Invocation and National Anthem

8:00 PM (roughly)

305 Heats (3)

360 Heats (3 or 4 depending on car count)

410 Heats (3 or 4 depending on car count)

305 B (if needed)

360 B (if needed)

410 B (if needed)

305 Feature

winner interview immediately following while 360 Class pushes off for feature)

360 Feature

winner interview immediately following while 410 Class pushes off for feature)

410 feature

winner interview and photos for all class winners (pits opened to fans once last car is off track with engine shut off)

Car counts have been 25-27 305's,  24-33 360's and 22-24 410's so far this year.

Last checkered flag flew at 10:17 PM 2 weeks ago and 10:35 last week (after 2 nasty multi car wrecks that took extended period of time to clean up).

Hope you enjoy your trip.

Parking on the Fairgrounds is $5 per car and parking across the street (HyVee, Dingus, Celebrate Church) is also $5.  Free parking is available on city streets where parking is allowed (if you haven't already, do a GoogleMaps seach and look at the sattelite view.  Highway 14 runs just outside of turns 1 &2.

Not this season thus far.  That typically only happens during Nationals.

Haha I was just meaning what you previously replied, to me, seemed pretty standard self explanatory stuff. What you just replied was exactly the info I was looking for though!

From what i've witnessed from at least the tracks i've been to, the pit pass is your admission to basically anywhere on the track. But like I said, that's the tracks i've been to (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and pennsylvania). I mean at Williams Grove there are breaks in the action when people go across the track for example. Never been to Knoxville and I know they take their program pretty seriously up there so that's why I asked.

Good info on the different pit braclets though! Never heard of that before. Doesn't sound like it's going to be worth my time to try and do the pit pass though if it's so restricted. Maybe i'll just have to bring my camera and then i'll be able to go anywhere I please ;P

Thanks for the well wishes, really looking forward to the trip. We may just walk to the track (staying at Cobblestone) but still undecided on that. If we do drive we'll definitely be walking back lol...think it'd be ok to leave the car at the track overnight?

Thanks for the heads up and the very thorough response though. I think you about covered it all for me!

"Even if the pits aren't in the infield a pit pass is still supposed to grant you access to the infield; at least everywhere i've been to."

Not at Eagle Raceway. The infield is limited to the officials, tow crew, safety crew and authorized media. Of course, the scales are in the infield as is the post-race tech area; so race cars and drivers are there for that also.

I am lucky enough to work at one of the best tracks 
anywhere.

The pit pass thing was new last year from my understanding, but with only 3 events so far this year and no big events until June (USAC and WoO), it's hard to guage as most weekly patrons in the pits are with cars.   Probably worth calling the ticket office and talking to Kim DeLong to find out if a pit pass gets you access to the stands without the need for a ticket.

The push trucks, 4-wheelers, officials and teams all work together to make it a well oiled machine on regular race nights and reduce the down-time (makes it great for families or those traveling from long distances).  We are definitely spoiled in that aspect of the racing program.

Been a while since I've been to a USAC show, but hoping they have made their nightly processes faster than the last time I saw them race at Osky about 10 years ago.

Cobblestone is probably about 1.5-2 mile walk and you'll have to cross the highway a couple times to go on sidewalk the entire way (thinking from the Hospital to the Middle School you'd have to be on the East side of the highway to be on a sidewalk, but there is sidewalk on the west side of the highway the rest of the way).  You can walk through yards on the west side so you don't have to cross but there is a spot where a guy still plants corn that is kinda steep to walk on across from the VFW.

People have left cars at the track overnight in the past without issue from what I've seen (always better safe than sorry when it comes drinking and driving).

Sounds like it's your first time coming so I'd encourage you to visit the Hall of Fame & Museum (I think the Sammy exhibit opens up around that time) as well as Slideways ( www.slidewayskartingcenter.com ) and even hit up Pella for dutch pastries on Saturday.