Kendra Jacobs

Night two in the books and the starting line-up for the 51st running of the Knoxville Nationals is set. Fifty laps of the greatest racing in the country will break out in just over 24 hours. I get chills thinking of what this race means to these guys. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s back up.
On Thursday, I attended the yearly media luncheon in Dyer Hudson Hall. This is the same building where I was crowned the 1996 Knoxville Nationals queen, so every time I walk in there, I get flashbacks of where my parents were sitting, the answers I gave, the moment I was crowned. That was so much fun. But, I digress.
In this year’s media lunch, they had two sets of drivers come in to answer questions and talk to the media about what the race means to them. Some of the highlights were Steve Kinser admitting that he cannot hear anything after years and years in a sprint car, so every question had to be repeated to him, sometimes by his teammate Donny Schatz. Kinser commented on his first Nationals experience in the 1960s when he came with his famous father, Bob, and slept in a tent right on the railroad tracks.
Local racing star Danny Lasoski said that the drivers who race here every week do get an advantage over the others because they get to experience the track in every form – dry, slick, sticky. He also commented on how well Kevin Swindell has done out here and how he would be the local driver to really watch on Saturday night.
Jason Meyers, reigning World of Outlaws champion, attended as well, even though he had spent numerous hours in the local hospital getting fluids due to either the flu or food poisoning. Although his season didn’t start out with a bang, he feels that his No. 14 team is far more consistent this year than last. His average finish has improved and the team has reached the point where they really feel they have a strong grasp on the car now. Meyers left the luncheon early and immediately returned to the hospital.
Ralph Capitani attended his last luncheon as Race Director of Knoxville Raceway. After 45 years at the helm, Cappy announced that John McCoy would take over as Race Director, while the track continues to look for a General Manager. If you remember right, Cappy said that while he never has a favorite in the race, he does, sentimentally, hope that Sammy Swindell wins it this year. Hmmm…Cappy may be psychic.
Brian Carter with the World of Outlaws made some promising comments about the series’ outlook in 2012. Carter is adamant that the series is working on a television package that will include more coverage in 2012, including national coverage every other week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The series is also expanding its DirtVision online live coverage next season. Carter also stated that they plan on adding at least 10 more races to the 2012 WoO schedule, likely at tracks the sanctioning body has never been at before.
I see the 410 world of sprint car racing heading in the right direction. According to the powers that be that is. The drivers sound confident as well. And the amount of feedback I’ve gotten from both sprint car fans and NASCAR fans on my Twitter feeds this week is just incredible. There’s a new level of interest in this sport and I’m hoping that leads to bigger and better things.
However, the small car count as well as the small crowd thus far in the week, has me concerned. Like everything else in this country, the sport has been hurt by the economy. Sponsors are pulling out. Teams are disappearing. Fans are unable to pay the gas prices to get here anymore. It’s sad…but, to me, it’s better than just a general loss of interest. This is something we can bounce back from. We’ve just got to keep the momentum the sport has going. Keep the racing great and keep the fans entertained and they’ll keep coming back.
My father’s return to racing last night made me excited and nauseous both at the same time. That’s going to have to be another blog. I have at least tonight to watch him race again and I just can’t risk getting emotional before that.
Last night’s racing just didn’t seem as exciting as Wednesdays. There weren’t the big names, but there were a lot of good guys. I think that was evidenced in the B-Main, which may be the most stacked race I’ve seen out here so far this week. Just look at the guys who didn’t make the A-Main last night: Greg Hodnett, Kevin Swindell, Jac Haudenschild, Danny Lasoski.
Last night, Meyers appeared to be the car to beat. He looked the best throughout the heat races and then in the A-Main too. I’m still shocked that he didn’t win that race. Mark Dobmeier, another Knoxville regular, stunned the crowd and took the win. I couldn’t hear the crowd outside, but I know the fans inside the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame were going crazy. There’s nothing like seeing an underdog take a win away from the reigning World of Outlaws champ.
So the field is set with Sammy Swindell and Brad Sweet on the front row. I’m going to pick my winner right now…Jason Meyers. He just looked so smooth last night and I know his team has said they’ve found what they were missing in the closing laps of last night’s feature event. If that’s the case, he’ll be even better tomorrow night. Others in the top-three…Slammin’ Sammy and Brian Brown. That’s my podium choices.
Alright…time to get ready for Night 3. After taking it easy and resting up on Thursday night, this one better be packed with Dingus, Turn 3 and more fun after the checkers fly.

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