When grandstand seating sold out to 21,000 spectators for Saturday night of the Knoxville Nationals, fans turned toward the pits. The pits then sold out, too, at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
“We allowed 1,500 in the pits,” said John McCoy, Knoxville Raceway Race Director. “After that, it would be getting too dangerous. We did not advertise pit passes for sale to the fans. Those who couldn’t get in to watch the race tried to get passes.
“The average person doesn’t realize how dangerous the pits are. Since we didn’t offer to sell pit passes to the fans, we were hoping the available passes left after the crews bought four-day bands were going to be sold to insiders, those who know racing and know how things work in the pits. We had a big cold pit area, and it was not overly crowded. I was impressed that people asked where they could watch and not be in the way of the crews.”
The 21,000 mark on the grandstand side is not a record. Years ago, 24,000 watched the races. However, a change in grandstand seating reduced capacity.
“We had to go from 17″-wide seats to 22″-wide seats because so many fans were complaining,” McCoy said. “The average office chair is 18″ wide, mind you. We are at capacity now at 21,000.”
The Knoxville Nationals has obviously become one of the hottest tickets in motorsport.
“Fans are drawn to see the race because drivers are drawn by the race’s prestige,” said McCoy. “Its history, tradition, the gathering of the sprint car clan — and it is the greatest show on dirt.”
Money is a draw, too. The winner, Kyle Larson, collected $190,000. The last-place finisher, Justin Henderson, won $15,000. The B-main paid, too, with $10,000 to win and $1,500 to start. The C-main offered $2,500 to win, $900 to start, plus $1,000 transfer money. Owners and drivers receive free admission all week. Every car, all 108 this year, gets $200 in tow money. The total purse for four days exceeds $1 million.
“It is great to have a race like this,” McCoy said. “It is our premier event. [General manager] Jason [Reed] and his staff are constantly thinking of new and better ways to do things. We take care of racing while Jason is focused on entertainment. We have a winning team — that’s why we sold every seat and why the sign went up that pit passes were sold out.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
