National Sprint Car Museum Stays Busy With Facility Rentals, Travel and Special Programs!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (October 23, 2007) - The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville continues to keep busy year-round with facility rentals, travel to sprint car races, and special mission-driven programs. This past Sunday, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware became the fourth presidential candidate this year to rent the museum facilities for a rally, while past board president Larry Smith left today with the museum’s JEI/Shaver raffle sprint car for this weekend’s ASCS-sanctioned Short Track Nationals at the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock. Other events at the non-profit museum in the upcoming eight days are a special Des Moines Speedway presentation by historian Larry Ball, Jr., on Thursday night, the English Creek Speedway awards banquet on Saturday night, and the “Salute to Earl Wagner” next Tuesday night.
Biden followed Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, respectively, in renting the facility for a rally of his presidential campaign supporters in advance of the Iowa Caucuses. The English Creek Speedway, the outlaw dirt kart track just south of Knoxville, has also rented the museum’s second floor for this Saturday at 6 p.m. as it honors champions Nick DeMoss, Nate Mills, Collin Moyle, Brooke Mitrisin and Austin McCarl.
The museum is also participating in the statewide “Lights On For Museums!” program on Thursday, October 25, by staying open until 9 p.m. and hosting a special 7:30 p.m. presentation by sprint-car-racer-turned-attorney Larry Ball, Jr., of Altoona about the famed Des Moines Speedway board track. The goal of the Iowa Museum Association (IMA) “Lights On For Museums!” program is to expose the state’s historical treasures to those who may not be able to attend Iowa’s museums during regular business hours.
Museum volunteer Larry Smith of Des Moines will have the museum’s seventh raffle car, a state-of-the-art 410-cubic-inch Shaver-powered JEI chassis winged sprint car, on-hand this Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) O’Reilly Short Track Nationals event, presented by Hoosier Tires, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The raffle car will be part of the third annual Short Track Nationals Trade Show & Midway, which is coordinated by Darin Short and the 2002 and ’04 North American 360 Sprint Car Poll ‘Promoter of the Year’ Tracey Clay.
The “Salute to Earl Wagner” will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30, on the museum’s second floor and will be hosted by veteran journalist Tom Savage of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 1997-98 Knoxville Raceway champion A.J. “Skip” Jackson of Australia is the latest driver to indicate that he will be in attendance to honor Earl Wagner, the 1958, ’59 and ’61 champion at Knoxville, at the free-to-the-public event. National Sprint Car Hall of Famers Ralph Capitani and Bob Trostle will also be in attendance.
The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, located on turn number two of Knoxville Raceway, opened in late 1991 and is closed on just four holidays each year (New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day). Admission is only three dollar per adult, two dollars per student and senior citizen, with free admission for pre-school children and annual supporting museum foundation members. Those seeking more information on the museum are urged to visit the web site at www.sprintcarhof.com or call the museum staff at 1-800-874-4488. The on-line museum store can be viewed at www.sprintcarstuff.com.
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