6/28/2010
Written By: Brian Stickel, Knoxville Raceway
Category: CASEY'S Pit Pass  

KNOXVILLE  -  McTwo Promotions, Knoxville Raceway and Bruce and Debi Cox of title sponsor Cox Design & Metal Fabrication have agreed that the ninth annual Cox Design Iowa SpeedWeek, August 5-14, will now award the Jesse Hockett “Mr. Sprint Car” title in honor of the fallen racer from Warsaw, Missouri.  According to Bruce Cox, “We couldn’t think of a better way to honor Jesse than by permanently renaming the title that is bestowed upon the most talented versatile driver of the ten straight nights of sprint car racing between Oskaloosa and Knoxville in mid-August”.
 
The ninth annual Cox Design & Metal Fabrication Iowa SpeedWeek kicks off on August 5-7 at the Knoxville Raceway with the twentieth annual Arnold Motor Supply ‘360’ Knoxville Nationals presented by Iowa Telecom.  The winged 410-cubic-inch sprint car feature on Saturday, August 7, will also be a points-paying round in the ten-night series.  On Sunday, August 8, Knoxville Raceway will then host the inaugural Non-Winged Knoxville Nationals for the traditional sprint cars of the United States Auto Club (USAC).  The winged 305-cubic-inch sprint car feature that night will also be a points-paying round in 2010, which marks the first time that a ‘305’ event has awarded points toward the overall title.
 
Action then turns to the McTwo Promotions-promoted half-mile dirt oval in nearby Oskaloosa, known as the Southern Iowa Speedway, for the August 9-10 events.  The Monday night fifteenth annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge presented by Casey’s General Stores is sanctioned by the ‘410’ All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC).  The Tuesday night ninth annual Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge presented by the Searsboro Telephone Company for traditional non-winged sprinters is sanctioned by USAC.
 
Knoxville Raceway takes center stage August 11-14 with the fiftieth annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, which is the open-competition national championship for winged 410-cubic-inch sprint car teams.  The qualifying nights are Wednesday, August 11, and Thursday, August 12, with the seventeenth annual Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge invitational race for the best drivers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States on Friday, August 13.  The ‘Granddaddy of Them All’, the 50th annual Knoxville Nationals, takes place on Saturday, August 14.
 

The 2010 Cox Design Iowa SpeedWeek, awarding the Jesse Hockett “Mr. Sprint Car” title, will be highlighted by twelve points-paying features over ten nights for four divisions of sprint cars at two different tracks just 26 miles apart in south central Iowa.  It will again pay $2,500, $1,000 and $500 to the top three drivers in points, respectively.  The history of the Cox Design & Metal Fabrication Iowa SpeedWeek is as follows:
2009 - 1., Terry McCarl, Iowa, 276 points ($2,500); 2., Brian Brown, Missouri, 253 ($1,000); 3., Johnny Herrera, New Mexico, 239 ($500); 4., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 224; 5., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 213.
 
2008 - 1., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 314 points ($2,500); 2., Billy Alley, Nebraska, 274  ($1,000); 3., Brooke Tatnell ($500), New South Wales, Australia, 271; 4., Tyler Walker, California, 261; 5., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 233.
 
2007 – 1., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 266 points ($2,500); 2., Kaley Gharst, Illinois, 252 ($1,000); 3., Brian Brown, Missouri, 249 ($500); 4., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 192; 5., Jonathan Allard, California, 182.
 
2006 – 1., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 309 points ($2,500); 2., Billy Alley, Nebraska, 247 ($1,000); 3., Brian Brown, Missouri, 227 ($500); 4., Don Droud, Jr., Nebraska, 201; 5., Gary Wright, Texas, 187.

 2005 – 1., Billy Alley, Nebraska, 303 points ($2,500); 2., Kerry Madsen, New South Wales, Australia, 258 ($1,000); 3., Daryn Pittman, Oklahoma, 235; 4., Jesse Hockett, Missouri, 227; 5., Jesse Giannetto, Iowa, 214.

 2004 - 1., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 217 points ($3,000); 2., Kerry Madsen, New South Wales, Australia, 183; 3., Zach Chappell, Oklahoma, 182; 4., Tim Kaeding, California, 165; 5., Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 160.

 2003 – 1., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, 238 points ($2,500); 2., Erin Crocker, Massachusetts, 186; 3., Travis Rilat, Texas, 183; 4., Kerry Madsen, New South Wales, Australia, 177; 5., Terry McCarl, Iowa, 175.
 
2002 – 1., Ricky Logan, Arkansas, 202 points ($1,500); 2., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, 186; 3., Daryn Pittman, Oklahoma, 171; 4., Brad Furr, California, 170; 5., Kasey Kahne, Washington, 160.
 
            Those seeking information on the two participating tracks are encouraged to visit their web sites at www.knoxvilleraceway.com and www.oskychallenges.com, respectively.  Those seeking more information on title sponsor Cox Design & Metal Fabrication may visit www.cox-design.com.