KNOXVILLE, IOWA (February 17, 2010) - On Friday, June 4, a new era will begin for the eighteenth annual Knoxville Masters Classic winged 360-cubic-inch sprint car race at the famed Knoxville Raceway in south central Iowa. 2010 will mark the first time that the one-of-a-kind race, open only to drivers age fifty and older, will be partnered with a World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series event on the same card.
According to Knoxville director of racing Ralph ‘Cappy’ Capitani, “For years, Randy Hannagan has expressed an interest in us pairing the Knoxville Masters Classic with a World of Outlaws show, as I think he just wanted to see some of his heroes in action and he was usually on the road racing elsewhere that night. Well, thanks to Brian Carter, Tom Deery and Roger Slack at the World Racing Group and the 24-member Marion County Fairboard, it is going to be a reality on Friday, June 4. The Masters will share the spotlight on that night with the Outlaws, with some of the greatest sprint car drivers of all-time watching from the suites and the grandstands, as it is happening on the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame’s twenty-first induction weekend. Nobody will want to miss this one!”
Interestingly enough, Rick Ferkel, one of the late Ted Johnson’s original Outlaws, won the first three Masters Classic sprint car races in 1993, ’94, and ’95. In fact, in at least one of those years, Ferkel drove for current Outlaw Danny Lasoski, who is old enough to compete in the Masters Classic himself now. Of course, Lasoski isn’t the only Outlaw eligible to compete in the Masters Classic, as so are National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees Jac Haudenschild, Steve Kinser and defending Masters Classic winner Sammy Swindell. Kinser’s father, Hall of Famer Bob Kinser, competed in the 1996 Knoxville Masters Classic.
Other Hall of Famers, besides Ferkel and Swindell, who have participated in the seventeen-year history of the Knoxville Masters Classic are Jim McElreath, Bill Utz, Larry Dickson, the late Lloyd Beckman, LeRoy Van Conett, the late Earl Wagner, the late Frank Riddle, Ray Lee Goodwin, Larry “Smokey” Snellbaker, Bobby Allen, Roger Rager, Clarence “Hooker” Hood, the late Chuck Amati, Jimmy Sills, Keith Kauffman, Chuck Gurney, Shane Carson, Kenny Jacobs, and Kramer Williamson. Of those, Ferkel (1993, ’94, ’95), Rager (1999, 2001, ’05), Sills (2003, ’04), Carson (2006), and Swindell (2009) have all won the Knoxville Masters Classic. Other winners include National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Famer Billy Engelhart (1996, ’97), Jerry Crabb (1998), Terry Pletch (2000), Mike Peters (2002), A.J. Weaver (2007), and Randy Smith (2008).
In fact, Randy Smith is the current event track record-holder with a one-lap time of 16.004 seconds set in 2008. And Rick Ferkel holds the 22-lap event record with a time of 7:54.8 minutes set in 1995. Ferkel has also led the most laps in the seventeen-year history of the event, having led 71 times around the big half-mile. Sills and Rager follow him at 45 and 35 laps led, respectively. The event has always been run as a 22-lapper, except in 2006 when Shane Carson won it as a 15-lapper. That year, the top Masters Classic racers then qualified for a special “Masters vs. Young Guns Challenge” main event, pitting them against the top Knoxville Raceway ‘360’ regulars, which was won by ‘young gun’ Johnny Anderson.
A total of 161 different participants from 25 states & 3 foreign states/provinces, all age fifty and over, have competed in the Knoxville Masters Classic since its inception in 1993. Besides Smith (2008), other fast qualifiers have been Larry Dickson (1993), the late Lloyd Beckman (1995), the late Clifton “Woody” Woodward (1996, ’97, 2001), the late John Bankston (1998, ’99, 2000), Terry Pletch (2002), Jimmy Sills (2003, ’05, ’06), Jerry Potter (2004), and Gary Wright (2009). Time trials were rained out and not held in 1994 and 2007.
Besides Ferkel in the inaugural Knoxville Masters Classic in 1993, other Rookies of the Race were Bob Anderson (1994), Mike Brooks (1995), the late Jerry Nemire (1996), Clay Bontrager (1997), Bobby Allen (1998), Roger Rager (1999), Terry Pletch (2000), Dan Oswalt (2001), Jim Payne (2002), Jimmy Sills (2003), Keith Kauffman (2004), Shane Carson (2005), Bobby Becker, Jr. (2006), Kenny Jacobs (2007), Randy Smith (2008), and Sammy Swindell (2009). Ferkel, Rager, Pletch, Sills, Smith and Swindell all won the Classic in their rookie years, respectively.
Amongst the ‘Iron Men’ of the Knoxville Masters Classic are Bill Smith (16 years), Jerry Crabb (14 years), the late Dave Heskin (13 years), Earnest Jennings (13 years), Chris Maurer (12 years), the late Lue Holland (10 years) and Shelby Steenson (10 years). Archie Ergenbright, Rick Ferkel and Roger Rager have won the most Masters heat races wins over the years, with three each. Australia has been represented by “Mad Harry” Delamont and the late George Tatnell, while Canada has seen former WoO regular Tim Gee and Dick Mahoney compete. Judi Bates finished as the 2008 runner-up, representing female sprint car racers very well.
The Knoxville Masters Classic is known for its eclectic mix of veteran participants from across the nation, including Darl Harrison, Ken Townsand, Ray Bugg, “Big Al” Murie, Benny Rapp, Allen Barr, Johnny Suggs, Edd French, Bill Mellenberndt, Hank Lower, Lloyd Armey, Harold McGilton, Clay Bontrager, C.J. Holley, Wayne Reutimann (Sr.), William “Red” Stauffer, Michael Kostic, Dwain Leiber, Gary Lynch, Ken Lange, Carl “Midge” Miller, Johnny Parsons (Jr.), John Naida, Mike Lauterborn, Tommy Scott, Fran Hogue, George Prosser, Larry Weeks, the late Keith Hutton, Roger Fickett, Gerry Robison, French Grimes, Ken Chapman, the late Ricky Weld, Greg Rilat, Tony Moro, Joe McCarthy, T.J. Giddings, Chuck Swenson, Ed Neumeister, Roland Johnson (Jr.), and Rick Montgomery amongst others.
For more information on the 18th Knoxville Masters Classic and the entire June 3-4-5 “Hall of Fame Classic” WoO weekend at Knoxville, fans are encouraged to visit www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Entry forms are also available on-line for the Masters Classic on the Knoxville Raceway web site.
- Knoxville Raceway on Feb 18, 2010
- Article Date: 2/18/2010