7/8/2010
Written By: Brian Stickel, Knoxville Raceway
Category: CASEY'S Pit Pass  

KNOXVILLE  -  One year ago, a record 20 sprint car drivers started the $10,000-to-win Knoxville World Challenge on the Friday night of the Knoxville Nationals.  This week, the Knoxville Raceway received the twenty-fourth entry for this year’s Friday, August 13, Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge, which is a major part of the 50th annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, August 11-14.  Interestingly, eleven of the official entries for the 20-lap invitational are from Americans, while the other thirteen are from drivers from Australia, Canada and New Zealand.  Americans have won the title nine times, while Australians have won seven World Challenge titles since its inception in 1994.
 
            According to Knoxville Raceway director of racing Ralph Capitani, “There is no doubt that this year’s Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge will be our biggest ever.  The interest that we are seeing from Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders this year in our 50th annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals is just incredible.  I have never seen anything like it in my time here.  And we still haven’t seen entries from American drivers like Craig Dollansky and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Sammy Swindell, who are both eligible after racing in qualifying events Down Under last winter.  And I know that 1996 Knoxville World Challenge titlist Danny Smith won’t be competing after suffering season-ending injuries a couple of weeks ago in Ohio, but I am pretty sure that he will still be on hand for the 50th Nationals.  He has been a great ambassador for sprint car racing during the course of his career, and I know that Aussies consider him an honorary citizen for all his success in their country.”
 
            Those entered in the seventeenth annual Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge are (years as World Challenge titlists are in parentheses):
 
Team Australia:
 
2, A.J. “Skip” Jackson, Sydney, NSW, AUS (1995, ’97, ’98)
3, Kerry Madsen, St Marys, NSW, AUS (2008)
V5, Max Dumesny, Warrnambool, VIC, AUS (1994)
12, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, AUS (2009)
12AU, Paul Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, AUS
AUS20, Domain Ramsey, Newtown, VIC, AUS
55, Ian Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, AUS
59, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, AUS (2006)
AUS77, Mitchell Dumesny, Nelson, NSW, AUS
 
Team Canada:
 
4X, Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, CAN
57C, Chris Schmelzle, Victoria, BC, CAN
 
Team New Zealand:
 
2T, Colin Entwisle, Baypark, NI, NZ
11P, Ian Easton, Foxton, NI, NZ
 
Team United States:
 
0, Jonathan Allard, Chico, CA, USA
4, Danny Smith, Danville, IN, USA (1996)  -  entered, but not expected to compete due to back injuries
5W, Lucas Wolfe, Souderton, PA, USA
7S, Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN, USA
9, Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN, USA
10A, Ricky Logan, Little Rock, AR, USA
24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA, USA
41, Jason Johnson, Eunice, LA, USA
57, Shane Stewart, Bixby, OK, USA
77X, Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
91, Paul McMahan, Elk Grove, CA, USA
 
            Fourteen Americans are eligible to compete this year in the Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge after having qualified at select races in Australia and New Zealand.  The eligible Yanks are Jonathan Allard, Jason Johnson, Ricky Logan, Paul McMahan, Joey Saldana, Jason Sides, Danny Smith, Sammy Swindell, Craig Dollansky, Wayne Johnson, Terry McCarl, Jerry Richert (Jr.), Shane Stewart, and Lucas Wolfe.  International sprint car drivers from Australia, Canada and New Zealand will continue to be eligible for the Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge simply by competing in the 50th annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals at the world-famous Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.  The starting line-up for the 2010 World Challenge will remain a sixteen-car inversion based upon a driver’s qualifying night points.  For more information on the Knoxville Raceway and its seventeenth annual Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge, fans are urged to visit www.knoxvilleraceway.com.