Strong Knoxville 410 Field

The 410 Knoxville Championship Cup Series is shaping up to be a LEGEN…. wait for it…. DARY season with more talent and quality cars than ever before.  This isn’t my season preview, but here is what I know at this point, 59 days before the season opener.

Last year’s track champion Bronson Maeschen is back in his own #96 and already started his season in Florida with the WoO. Had a decent showing, and looked like he had a top five car on the last night there but crashed, thankfully not too much was torn up.

Ian Madsen will be very tough in the Nehring #18.  The second season for this team together should produce some wins.

7 time track champion Terry McCarl is always a contender. He did real well in Florida with two top ten’s against the WoO.    

Justin Henderson will be at Knoxville full-time in the Sundby sprinter.

Davey Heskin, Dusty Zomer, Mark Dobmeier, Don Droud Jr., Lynton Jeffrey, Dustin Selvage, Josh Schneiderman all return.  Clint Garner is moving up from the 360 to 410 and should be fast.

Brooke Tatnell is back in the Vermeer/Lewis #55.  Sounds like they have improved their engine situation and should be a contender for the track championship.

Brian Brown will be at Knoxville enough this year to qualify for points it sounds like.  Look for him to miss June 7 (WoO at Lakeside) and July 12 (King’s Royal).  Last year Brownie missed 4 weeks and had enough points to finish eighth, so I think a top five Knoxville points finish is possible, maybe better if we get rain on one or both of those two nights.

Danny Lasoski will likely run a similar schedule as last year, about half the shows, maybe more.

Craig Dollansky should be at Knoxville quite a bit in the Big Game #7.  They are running a regional schedule this year as well, but if they are leading the points by chance in mid June, I think it makes it hard for them to race elsewhere.

Shane Stewart should show up a handful of times in the Larson-Marks #2 car.

I’m also hearing that Rico Abreu will be at Knoxville from July through Nationals similar to last year.

Kevin Swindell in the Indy Race Parts 71 could pop in a few times as well.

The BWW 82 will likely show up quite a few nights.  I'm hearing Bryan Clauson, Scott Winters, and other drivers could show up in that car. 

Jason Meyers…. I’m hearing this guy is trying to find a way to get into a car at Knoxville 5 or 6 nights before the Nationals.  He has talked to a few people trying to team up with someone that could have a car here while he flies back and forth from Nor-Cal to race.  He missed the Nationals last year and it ate him up missing out.  I could see him working out a deal with KKR, Big Game, Tarlton, Abreu, Larson-Marks, heck maybe a second Brian Brown team car.  It sounds like his work back home is too unpredictable for him to commit to anything at this point, but something is brewing there.

The draw of MavTV is big, and the prestige of winning the Nationals is always a draw for teams to come and get laps to try to be more prepared for August.  Brian Brown and Justin Henderson raced here a lot last year and that helped them finish second and third at the Nationals.  The proof is there that laps help.  All of this should make for a great 2014 season.