Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: hosehead

Ok, I'm gonna TRY and get to the Nationals this year. What would I have to look forward to? I wanna hear your most memorable Knoxville Nationals. Whether it be a great race you saw, new friends you made, or a party you attended? Whatever it may be, Let's hear it.

Doug Wolfgang running the Alphabet!!! That was an awesome nationals!!!

Damn I think the best races I saw was 1990 I mean Wolfie had ran the alphabet three different years but a qualifying night crash on the first lap of his feature when he was in the Williams #8 car put him in the non-qualifying event where he raced through and earned a spot on Saturday night in the E-main, transferred to the D-main made it to the C-main, the B-main and amazingly started at the back of the A and was able to take his car to an amazing 5th place finish with him getting oiled in the process and the motor just about to come apart, I tell you there wasnt a fan anywhere that wasnt going crazy with Wolf mania that night I seriously think of how wild people would of gone had the motor stayed strong and if he could of won that damn thing I was happy to see Bobby Allen win it with one of those cars of his that looked like it was sand blasted, it wasnt pretty but it always ran damn good. Wolfie had a few different come from behind Nationals in the Weikert car, and the Keppler machine which was pretty impressive as well years earlier. Trust me you missed out on that kinda racing it just seems the equipment wont allow for racing like that anymore, the track isnt as compettitive and the cars are to evenly matched and the fastest guys are always in the first 4 rows so its not a come from behind event. When drivers earn there points for the Nationals it seems part luck, part driving and of course damn good equipment. In years past ill say Haud and Lasoski have put on some pretty impressive shows as well as Kinser's night where he crashed in the backstretch bending the axle in the process and still able to win his qualifying feature. The camping is always fun, between the front row challenge at Osky and the nationals theres plenty of partying to keep a person up till the sun comes up, Turn 3 is always a popular place to catch your favorite drivers sipping on a cold beverage and partying through the night, and of course you gotta visit the famous "Dingus" lounge where you feel like your crowd surfing on a pile of beer cans during the Nationals its perhaps one of the funnest bars around. Damn im drawing a blank to which Nationals is my favorite hell probably my last 21 nationals Ive attended Good luck and hope you get to experiance it for yourself.

Bobby Allen's win in 1990. There have been some memorable races over the years, but I can still remember Sammy and Bobby going at it just like it happened last weekend. The Kinser cars blowing motors. The fans could clearly be heard over the cars in the infield that year. Bobby running his low line, a smoking, oily Sammy banging off the fence coming out of turn two damn near every lap trying to catch Bobby. I'll never forget Sammy sitting on the front straight after the race totally spent on the race he had run. He was one oil soaked mess. I'll never forget him showing us his helmet. Looking through the visor was like looking through the bottom of a plastic milk jug. On a personal basis, it would have to be the year I was wrenching on the 5T of Mark Toews from Spirit lake, IA. He cleared the fence in a turn 3 crash. Thank God he was O.K. because it looked pretty damn scary watching that thing climb and clear the fence.

My most memorbaly moment:

helping the KNIA/KRLS crew in 2001 and roaming the pits before the races

1996 for my first nationals

or 2004 when i took my then 8 year old son to his first Nationals, and having him look at me on sunday morning and going....Dad, this is the best week ever, I wish it would never end....

next greatest memory this year....when I take my 9 year old daughter for the first time...she has been counting down the days since april 1....and well....i cant blame her

1995

Was my honeymoon.

Got married at 10:00 on the 13th and was in a van by noon driving 31 hours straight from WA to the hotel in Newton with our 5 year old (at the time), and two friends. Then followed the Outlaws back home through Montana and out to WA.

We were fortunate(as were many on this MB) to have attended ALL of the aforementioned events but I guess the MOST memorable would have to be the first one in 1961.In searching for a location,I believe that other venues were considered but Knoxville turned out to be the winner(in more ways than one).Marion Robinson scored big when he chose Knoxville !

HOWEVER,they had not grown into their greatness yet.Because of the difficulties in acquiring a place to stay,as well as eat this tiny little burg swelled to it's bursting point when they were inundated with the crowd that showed up.A 2 lane hiway at the time,the traffic was wall to wall for miles.

Then to top it all off we experienced competition equipped with wings ! Roy Robbins "flew" right by the local competition and thrilled us all.

Yep,that has to be the winner of the all time most memorable Knoxville Nationals.(But don't you just kinda think that could be true for many of us ? Isn't the first time ALWAYS the best ?)

Bud's Bride

Last year, Donny got his first one, but the Lasoski fued made it all that much better.

We can't match '90, but our first one was something else......'93.....THE FLOOD!!!!!! still have the pics!! we tent camped in the north lot, with a big ol' canvass tent. that sucker held up thru it all & NEVER leaked!!! had a ball, even though Stevie Smith had it won & then they had an open red, during the rain...no stoppin Karl & Steve after that... still despise open reds!!!!! had a nice Hamilton #77 front wing on my truck, that Fuggo had loaned me.....i told the Mrs. that he wasn't gonna get it back, ..."somebody "stole it" "....well, she can't lie, so i brought it back home, gave it back, & he gave it to his sister, who after a while, promptly threw it in the trash.........would love to have that one back, but still have the fond memories of our first ntls!!!!

2003, Sat. night of the Nationals. It was my 50th Birthday and I won the 50/50 drawing in the infield, it doesn't get much better than that.

My first in 1975; watching Ron Rea backing in the King O'Lawn sprinter of Leonard Faas without lifting is a memory I'll always have and cherish. The Nationals were awesome then - and Eddie Leavitt won the first two nationals I attended......

Chuck.....

1970...when Joe Saldana set a qualifying record that stood for many years. Then he went on to win the whole shebang.

Then there was the year that Jan Opperman led the A-Main going into turn 3 on the white flag lap. I looked down to write his name as the winner in my program and missed the pass for the win by Dick Gaines.

Fenders ? We don't need no stinking fenders !!!

My favorite is always the next one. It's always been a big holiday for me close to home...

www.hoseheads.com/billw.html

Any year Lasoski wins is a good year. The rest suck.

Think it was 95. Steve Kinser from the 7th row to win. To much action to watch. Mark Kinser up front,Steve from 14th,Haud, Jeff Swindell,and I think also Hodnett from the last 2 rows. To much to keep track of all at once!!

Like Stubb,93 was my first Nationals.Thought we'd all get flooded out.

The qualifying nights used to be great,but have been rather lackluster the last few years. My Knoxville room mates and I have been talking about giving the Nationals away,and doing something else instead.

Best Race: Without question the year Lasoski won his first (think 1998) - not because I'm a Lasoski fan but because I LOVE a great race AND am NOT a Sammy fan. I can't remember being happier after a race and would have given them all up to be there that night (which I was and the atmosphere was absolutely electric).

Best Party: 1996 at Ruthy's with just about everybody including winner Mark Kinser and queen Kendra Jacobs :-)!

Carmen Manzardo came to the Nationals with a beat up Modified and a one eyed dog as a pit crew.

I came out of the grandstand to lend him a hand.

Steve Kinser followed Carmen for a few laps till a red flag allowed Steve to rebild his car and for Carmen to adjust a tire pressure.

The standing ovation from the crowd was exciting.

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Whatever happened to Kendra Jacobs? Whatever happened to Mark Kinser for that matter?

It was 1995 when steve kinser won from deep in the field after he won the Historial Big One in Eldora a week before and in his own first year team !!!

I'm alive! I can't speak for Mark Kinser, but I am still at the racetrack...although a different type.

Calendar Guy how nice of you to remember that night at Ruthie's 11 years later! That was a GREAT party. I remember teaching an Australain how to say teeter-totter instead of teeta-totta and a rather handsome fellow streaking through the crowd.

Remember back in the good days--the bus rides under the grandstands. The grocery cart races at Hy-Vee. Back before there was Wal-Mart and Taco Bell and Sonic. And you ran into everyone you knew at Pamida, or Pizza Hut or at the laundromat?

Hands down the 1996 Nationals were my favorite. I suggest that every girl who truly loves sprint car racing run for Nationals Queen. The events throughout the week are much more special, and the race fans you meet will be friends for years.

I still try to get to sprint car races when I can. Unfortunately, it's not too often anymore. I live in Charlotte and the only racing down here is NASCAR and late models. No Nationals for me this year. So everyone have fun and drink an extra UV Blue and Lemonade at Dingus for me!