Knoxville Nationals JETCO Rookie of the Year Contenders Rundown!
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
by Joanne Cram
1C Brenham Crouch from Lubbock, Texas is the current IRA 410 points leader. He has had success in the POWRi series as well and was the 2022 National Midget Champion for Keith Kunz. Goals for the Nationals are to be competitive and learn as much as he can. Getting a top ten finish in the A Main and earning Rookie of the Year honors would also be high on his list of goals.
1K Kelby Watt from Adel, Iowa is a Knoxville Raceway 360 weekly series competitor making his first 410 Nationals appearance. He set the 2022 360 Nationals Quick Time, is a two time 360 Nationals A Main starter, and a four-time 305 winner at Knoxville Raceway. Goals for the Nationals is to make the A Main on his preliminary night as well as the big night, and to earn Rookie of the Nationals honors.
2KS Chase Randall has been a weekly competitor at Knoxville Raceway in a 360 and a 410 this year. Chase is from Waco, Texas. He is also running the High Limit Series as well as Huset’s Speedway weekly. Chase is the 2022 360 Rookie title holder and was 3rd in 360 points last year at Knoxville Raceway. His goal for the Nationals this year is to make the A Main of Saturday’s big show.
G5 Gage Pulkrabek is out of East Grand Forks, Minnesota joining the rookie field for the Knoxville Nationals. Gage typically races three nights a week, mostly at Knoxville, River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks and has about 60 races on his 2023 season. Race career highlights so far include getting a top five finish at Mandan’s Dakotah Speedway. Gage’s dad also jokes that another major accomplishment is not destroying a car Gage’s first year out. Goals for his rookie appearance include making the C Main or higher.
5T Ryan Timms out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is running the High Limit series full time and picking and choosing other 410 races around the Midwest. Ryan’s goals for this year are to make the A Main Saturday night and learn as much as possible.
9H Landon Hansen from Newton, Iowa, is a Knoxville Raceway weekly competitor in the 410 class. He drove 600 micro sprints from 2012 through 2018, then after finishing college Landon moved into 410 competition. He says that every time he’s on the track he is learning and getting better and that’s important for his future success. His goal for this year’s Nationals is to enjoy the environment as a racer and not a fan.
15JR Cole Mincer out of Burlington, Iowa, is a second-generation driver competing in his first 410Nationals. He has been racing Knoxville Raceway weekly, MOWA, some All Stars and Outlaw shows as well. Highlights so far are making his first main at Knoxville Raceway in a 410. Cole’s goals for the 410 Nationals are to do the best he can and get his name out there.
18T Tanner Holmes out of Jacksonville, Oregon is contending for rookie honors at this year’s 62nd Knoxville Nationals. His typical race series is KWS Narc 410’s. Tanner is the 2022 Western Sprint Tour Champion and the 2019 ISCS Sprint Car Champion, and previously an Outlaw Kart champion. Goals for his first Knoxville Nationals are to make the A Main both in prelim night and Saturday night’s big show.
W19 Trent Pigdon has the win on longest distance traveled for our Rookie group this year, coming from Byford, Perth, Western Australia. He competes in the Maddington Toyota Sprint Car Series down under. His biggest career highlight is coming to the US and racing, he says it’s been mind blowing. Other achievements are capturing wins at The Christmas Cup, Gold Cup, Sprintcar Musters, three-time Northern Territory Title, Chariots of Thunder two-time title, and has a “heap” of 410 and 360 race wins. Goals for the Nationals are to race hard and learn as much as he can. He says he knows racing at Knoxville takes a lot of time to be successful at.
22K Kaleb Johnson out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a regular at Knoxville in a 360. He has run just shy of 60 races this season with Knoxville and Huset’s being his home tracks. He was the 2020 Knoxville 360 Rookie of the Year and the 2022 Huset’s Speedway 410 Rookie of the Year. Kaleb’s goal after coming off a strong 360 Nationals showing is to make the A Main of his preliminary night and gain more exposure as a strong 410 driver.
24 Kade Higday is another weekly competitor at Knoxville Raceway, where he has competed this season in both the 305 and 360 classes. Kade is the current Pro Sprint points leader and has seven career wins at Knoxville. Making his 410-rookie debut for the Nationals, the Pleasant Hill native hopes to achieve the Rookie of the Nationals honors.
24T Christopher Thram is another weekly competitor at Knoxville Raceway this season. He is from Sanborn, Minnesota. Christopher also races Huset’s Speedway weekly. His biggest accomplishment to date is earning his first 410 win at Huset’s. Thram’s goal for the Nationals is to get some solid laps and learn so he has something to improve on in years to come.
24W Garet Williamson is from Columbia, Missouri. He has been a weekly feature at Knoxville Raceway and Husets Speedway this season in both the 360 and 410 classes, with wins in the 360 class.
33 Henry Edward out of Helsinki, Finland is a four-time Olympian in underwater basket weaving. He likes long walks under the moon at midnight and puppy kisses. His goal for the Nationals is to “go real fast in a race car”.
is listed as a mystery entry, and as of now, no further information is known about this mysterious driver.
35B Austin Bishop is at Knoxville Raceway from Elverson, Pennsylvania where he races weekly at Port Royal and Williams Grove. He is the 2020 360 National Sprint Car Hall of. Fame Rookie of the Year, and the 2022 Williams Grove 410 Rookie of the Year. He has wins in both the 360 and 305 classes and has had a couple of runner-up finishes in the 410. In his second year in a 410, his Nationals goals are to gain experience running against the best drivers in the country and to have a competitive showing.
37 Ayden Gatewood from Caruthersville, Missouri and is appearing in his first Knoxville Nationals. His home track is West Memphis in Arkansas, and this is his first full year in a 410 sprint. Ayden is a standout in the micro division and stepped into a 305-sprint car when he was just 13 years old. At 14 he transitioned to a 360 sprint. Ayden typically follows the USCS sprint car series and the ASCS, and this season has run All Star and World of Outlaw shows as well. His goals for the Nationals are to get comfortable at Knoxville’s half mile track at high speeds since he has typically raced on short tracks in the past.
78 Bill Wagner will be down from Reeder, North Dakota will be competing for Rookie of the Nationals title as well.
105 Cody Ihlen comes from Edgerton, Minnesota and is a weekly competitor at Husets and Jackson, as well as the MSTS 360. The team fills in races as they come up and when their schedule allows. Cody started in a 305 last year then moved into a 360. Career highlights are that he made the A Main with World of Outlaws at Ogilvie. Goals for the Nationals are to make the A Main on his preliminary night as well as the Saturday night big show.
101Kalib Henry is a winged 360 and 410 driver out of Sacramento, California. He has one start at Knoxville earlier this year in the 410 class. He is an Aussie Allstar winner, the Mark Forni Classic winner, and the Fall Nationals Champion. Kalib’s goals are to have consistency on the track and move forward each time he’s on the track.
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