Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

Those from Oklahoma that made the trip to Knoxville, IA for the midget nationals did pretty good. Donnie Ray Crawford, Brady Bacon, Matt Sherrell, Dustin Morgan, and Kevin Battles were the five Sooners in attendance. They ran friday and sat. show all on Saturday night...which I imagine was 1 hell of a night of racin. They also ran 410's so in the end they had close to 60 midgets and about 30 410's. And ran 2 seperate midget features. with Darren Hagen taking the 1st and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. winning the midget nationals. I think Stenhouse is "subbing" for the injured Tracy Hines for Tony Stewart Motorsports. Could someone ---maybe David Smith-------confirm that one for me?

Also david have you ever been to Knoxville?

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

Yeah he is, but I'm sure he'll have no problem finding a ride with all of the races he's been winning.

Stenhouse has won in all three USAC national divisions as well as USAC/CRA this season. This kid is fast and good. I first noticed him with the Sprint Bandits at Memphis a few years back and then was blown away by his performance at Manzy in February. Stenhouse had his own sprinter out there and drove for R&L Technologies in the Silver Crown race. After Hines hurt himself, Stenhouse stepped into the Stewart rides and has won twice in midgets and once in the sprint car.

We had planned on doing the Knoxville/IRL Iowa weekend this week but circumstances kept us from doing so.

Can't remember if Dave's been to the Marion County Fairgrounds, but I've been there numerous times. Dingus' is over-rated, the Hy-Vee grocery store across the street is great for snacks, the pork tenderloins are awesome, Kinfolks Bar b que in Attica is good, Strawtown Inn in Pella is a great place to stay, Pella Bologna from Ulrich's Meat Market in Pella will make you hurt yourself, the doughnuts at Pella's Jaarsma Bakery are the best in the world (that's where I first met Laverne Nance), Court Avenue Brewery in Des Moines is one of the best brewpubs in the world and the Iowa State Fairgrounds half-mile is a great old track. Anything else you need to know?

lol. thanks for the info Bill. Although we have been to the 360 Nationals every year since 2000. I love it up there, but have never been to Dingus. Really we are always too busy throughout the day runnin around up there to have to deal with hangovers.lol. We stay at Pella every year and it's one of the prettiest small towns I've ever seen outside of Ouray, Colorado. That bakery in Pella is awfully delicious and famous as well......as my step-mom tells my dad to bring a bunch of stuff back from there every year.....and some other place that has pastries....well maybe its the same place. We spend a lot of time at the bowlin alley there in Knoxville and play a lot of darts there as well....met Johnny Anderson bout 8 hours before the races last year. And we always meet a whole bunch of drivers and fans at the sonic down by the car wash. One really cool dude was Roger Crockett. We sat and talked with him for bout half an hour w/o ever knowin who he was. We had a time raggin on the manager of that sonic as he's about 45 but thinks he's 16. The guy tried turnin his jeep into one of those gay ass fast and furious drifting creatures. We probably would not have made so much fun of him.....but he was treatin all of his employess like dirt. But overall it's one of the coolest things meetin all sorts of different people from all over the place....and conversin with the locals as well. There are a lot of nice people up there. It's kinda like that everywhere I go...........well........except Texas.lol.

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

Great post. Knoxville is one of my favorite places ever. It's been a few years since I've been up there but I'm ready to go back. Like I said, we had plans for this year. Lots of nice folks up there.

If you ever make it up there for the Nationals, you gotta go to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Both are always held during the same period. That's a state fair!! Cheap and tasty food, beautiful fairgrounds and a sense that the fair means something to those who participate. Not to mention the butter cow....

If you go up this year, take the time to have lunch at the Strawtown Inn.

Do you they still have the bar across the street form the track?  I went back in the mid 80's. My dad is from western Iowa about an hour north of Council Bluffs, You cant do this anymore at Knoxville, my family was up there visitng in Aug one weekend and it just happened to be the weekend of the Nats. Well my dad called the track to see if they still had tickets and they did. So we all packed the car up and drove to the the tack and got into the race. They never got the A feature done that night because the track had on Aug Iowa thunderstorm move in just about the time the A feature started. I had a picture taken of my sitting in one of Shanes car he drove for Trostle.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

There is nothing like the atmosphere that is at the track during the Nats. It is so jazzed  during the time

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

the bar across the street that you're referring to cat I think is Dingus.....if so then yeah it's still there.

nonwing I think we're just gonna do the 4 nights of 360 racin again this year...we will never see the 410's without seein the 360's. But we've talked for the last year about seeing all 10 nights......but thats one of them things that you have to start plannin a year ahead. I'll tell you what I'm more pumped up for than Knoxville or the Chili Bowl.....and that is the Short Track Nationals.

I'm also lookin forward to Devil's Bowl Winter Nationals considering it's 2 full shows and the big WESMAR race.....and you gotta figure if all those guys from the different regions come they will run fri. and sat. night shows. If Kenny Adams makes it he will probably bring teammate Bryn Gohn as well. CCC (my alter ego) should have a very very good October......weather permitting of course.

Right now looks like the only race I may see for the next week is Cowtown .... both SFS shows look in large jeopardy.

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would