NOTES &

To

Comes To Knoxville This Summer

THE NATIONAL SPRINT CAR Hall of Fame & Museum hopes to see you this summer for our “Track Tribute to Ascot Park” exhibit! The exhibit, is currently on display through October 1, and features the cars, memorabilia, and much more from one of the most revered tracks in sprint car and motor racing history, Ascot Park in Gardena, California (1957-1990). Seven sprint cars, a midget, a quarter midget, a motorcycle, and several items of memorabilia are exhibited in honor of the famous southern California facility.

The cars on display this summer include the famous Alex Morales

Tamale Wagon driven by Bob Hogle, Allen Heath and others, the Bromme

“Andy Gump” sprinter campaigned by Paul Jones and others, Jimmy Oskie’s Ol’ Paint #91, Parnelli Jones famous #98 midget, the Elton Forsyth/Steve Kennick #7 entry that broke Ascot’s track record twice, the late ‘50’s roadster constructed by Indy fabricator Bill Finley, the 1973 Cowan & Riggs #14 piloted to the CRA championship by Don Hamilton and the last Bruce Bromme Sr. and Jr. built car campaigned by all-time CRA and Ascot victor Dean Thompson. In addition, a speedway bike like the ones campaigned at Ascot, and a quarter midget built by Bruce Bromme Sr. are also on hand.

“We feel this is a tremendous tribute to Ascot,” says Museum Coordinator Bill Wright. “We’ve tried to take a good cross section of cars and memorabilia from the period 1957 to 1990. We’d be remiss if we didn’t thank the Agajanian family, Dick Woodland from the Woodland Auto Display in Paso Robles, California, Bob Mays and the Smith Family at the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska, Jimmy Oskie, John Manard, Shawn Thomas and Mike Sweeney. California cars have always had a certain look to them, and we think our visitors will be awestruck at the way these cars have been preserved. We’re really excited!”

BROWN, MARKS COMBINE TO SHUTOUT OUTLAWS AT KNOXVILLE

THE WORLD OF OUTLAWS are not used to being shut out in two day shows – it just doesn’t happen very often when you have the world’s best sprint car racers traveling together. It happens even less frequently at Knoxville Raceway, where series champions like Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet have been dominant over the last two decades.

In June, two guys who run true outlaw schedules for the time being swept to victory in the two-day World of Outlaws weekend as Brent Marks, unofficially repping the Pennsylvania Posse, and Brian Brown, unofficially representing the Knoxville regulars, combined to shut out the traveling troupe. Track reporter Eric Arnold noted that the only other time this has happened at Knoxville was when Kyle Larson swept the weekend during his unbelievably productive 2020 season and when Doug Wolfgang was a true independent during the 1989 USA/ WoO split season.

Gappens Named New Eldora General Manager

ELDORA SPEEDWAY has named veteran motorsports executive Jerry Gappens as its new general manager, succeeding Roger Slack, who has decided to call time on his 12-year career at Eldora. Gappens comes to Eldora from Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway where he has been the promotor of the quarter-mile, dirt oval since 2018. Prior to his tenure at Gas City, Gappens spent 23 years with Speedway Motorsports, specifically serving as executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon for eight years (2008-2015) and senior vice president of events and marketing of Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for 15 years (1993-2007).

Slack, the outgoing general manager of Eldora who has spent more than three decades in motorsports, is taking a sabbatical from the industry.

“Jerry Gappens brings a ton of experience to Eldora Speedway that will allow us to deliver the best fan experience possible, as well as the best experience for all the racers who compete at our track,” said Eldora owner Tony Stewart, who purchased the track from the legendary Earl Baltes in 2004. “Jerry knows grassroots racing from being at Gas City and he also knows how to put on big events from his time at New Hampshire and Charlotte.

“I know from my own experience racing at New Hampshire and Charlotte that Jerry genuinely cared about the amenities and overall environment the fans had in the grandstands and the drivers and teams had in the infield. He was visible, out and about, accessible, and no job was too small. The details mattered. It’s exactly what we need at Eldora.”

“When Tony called and asked if I was interested in becoming the general manager of Eldora, I recognized immediately that this is a great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Gappens said. “Dirt racing is in my blood and Eldora is the most legendary short-track racing venue in the country. I’m thrilled to join the team at Eldora and work together to further its already outstanding legacy. I also want to thank Jack Himelick, owner of Gas City I-69 Speedway, for trusting me with the stewardship of his track for the past four years. I’m very proud of all that we accomplished together during that time, and I want to give a special and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the fans, staff and competitors for their support.”