Newton, Knoxville and Oskaloosa Partner to Form 2009 Cox Design & Metal Fabrication Iowa Speedweek!
Monday, June 15, 2009
NEWTON, KNOXVILLE & OSKALOOSA PARTNER TO FORM 2009 COX DESIGN & METAL FABRICATION IOWA SPEEDWEEKS
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (June 13, 2009) - "Collaboration" is a popular
strategy in corporate America these days and it is no different in the sport
of sprint car racing. For the past seven years, the dirt tracks in
Knoxville and Oskaloosa in south central Iowa have partnered to present ten
consecutive nights of sprint car racing each summer. In 2009, those two
tracks, with title sponsor Cox Design & Metal Fabrication and trophy sponsor
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, will join forces with the paved
Iowa Speedway in nearby Newton to present the eighth annual Iowa SpeedWeeks
of sprint car racing, July 31 through August 15. The "Mr. Sprint Car" title
will be determined by points earned over twelve races in eleven nights of
non-winged and winged, 360- and 410-cubic-inch sprint car racing at the Iowa
Speedway in Newton, the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa and the
Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville.
The 12-race series will kick-off on Friday, July 31, with the
running of the Casey's General Stores-sponsored United States Auto Club
(USAC) non-winged sprint car race on the Iowa Speedway paved track in
Newton. This race is being held in conjunction with the inaugural NASCAR
Nationwide Series race at the 7/8-mile speedway on Saturday, August 1.
Interestingly, former NASCAR racers Tyler Walker and Erin Crocker, and
current NASCAR superstar Kasey Kahne, have all finished in the 'top five' of
the Iowa SpeedWeek points in the past. Ironically, Erin Crocker came the
closest of that trio to capturing the "Mr. Sprint Car" title in 2003 with
her runner-up finish in the points.
The Cox Design-sponsored Iowa SpeedWeeks will resume less than
one week later on Thursday, August 6, with the first $3,000-to-win
preliminary night of the 19th annual Arnold Motor Supply-sponsored 360
Knoxville Nationals presented by Vermeer Manufacturing. The second
$3,000-to-win preliminary night of the winged 360 c.i. Knoxville Nationals
will take place on Friday, August 7, at the half-mile Knoxville Raceway on
the Marion County Fairgrounds. Saturday, August 8, will feature two Iowa
SpeedWeeks points-paying races, the finale of the American Sprint Car Series
(ASCS) $10,000-to-win 360 Knoxville Nationals and the $3,000-to-win winged
410 c.i. sprint car feature. The Knoxville Raceway will host the inaugural
$5,000-to-win Casey's General Stores Non-Winged Knoxville Nationals on
Sunday, August 9, featuring many of the same stars that competed on July 31
at Newton.
The focus of the "Mr. Sprint Car" title hunt will then head 26
miles east to the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds in Oskaloosa for the Monday,
August 10, 14th annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge for the winged 410
c.i. sprint cars of the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC). The wildly
successful event is promoted by Terry McCarl and Bill McCroskey of McTwo
Promotions and will pay $10,000 to the winner. However, it will pay
$50,000-to-win if one of the front row drivers accepts the challenge to
start at the back of the pack. On Tuesday, August 11, the same Osky track
hosts the USAC-sanctioned non-winged 410's for the $15,000-to-win eighth
annual Searsboro Telephone Ultimate Challenge. Combined with the USAC
rounds at Newton and Knoxville, this event will give the traditional sprint
car racers a real chance at the "Mr. Sprint Car" title and money.
The twelve-night series of sprint car racing is concluded back
on the Marion County Fairgrounds with the 49th annual SuperClean Knoxville
Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, on August 12-15. The prestigious event
will pay $150,000 to the winner of the finale on Saturday, which will again
be seen live on the Speed Channel. The Wednesday and Thursday preliminary
night features pay $12,000 to win each, while the Friday night Knoxville
World Challenge invitational for the best drivers from Australia, Canada,
New Zealand and the United States, pays $10,000 to win.
Cox Design & Metal Fabrication, Inc. is an Iowa corporation formed in January of 1988 specializing in the design and fabrication of a variety of metals, and whose web-site address is www.cox-design.com. For information on the July 31 event in Newton, fans are urged to visit www.iowaspeedway.com or call 641-791-8000. For ticket information about the August 10-11 events in Oskaloosa, fans are urged to
call 515-957-0020 or visit the new web site www.oskychallenges.com. For information regarding the August 6-9 and August 12-15 events at Knoxville, fans can call 641-842-5431 or visit the track's web site at www.knoxvilleraceway.com.
The schedule for the twelve-round 2009 Cox Design & Metal
Fabrication Iowa SpeedWeeks is as follows:
Round One, Friday, July 31, Newton, USAC Non-Winged 410 Sprint Cars
Round Two, Thursday, August 6, Knoxville, ASCS Winged 360 Sprint Cars
(Prelim.)
Round Three, Friday, August 7, Knoxville, ASCS Winged 360 Sprint Cars
(Prelim.)
Round Four, Saturday, August 8, Knoxville, Winged 410 Sprint Cars
Round Five, Saturday, August 8, Knoxville, ASCS Winged 360 Sprint Cars
(Finale)
Round Six, Sunday, August 9, Knoxville, USAC Non-Winged 410 Sprint Cars
Round Seven, Monday, August 10, Oskaloosa, ASCoC Winged 410 Sprint Cars
Round Eight, Tuesday, August 11, Oskaloosa, USAC Non-Winged 410 Sprint Cars
Round Nine, Wednesday, August 12, Knoxville, Winged 410 Sprint Cars
(Prelim.)
Round Ten, Thursday, August 13, Knoxville, Winged 410 Sprint Cars (Prelim.)
Round Eleven, Friday, August 14, Knoxville, Winged 410 Sprint Cars
(Invitational)
Round Twelve, Saturday, August 15, Knoxville, Winged 410 Sprint Cars
(Finale)
The history of the Cox Design & Metal Fabrication Iowa
SpeedWeeks, crowning "Mr. Sprint Car", is as follows:
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.
(Pictured): Two-time and defending "Mr. Sprint Car", Wayne Johnson
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