Knoxville Nights

Chase Dietz won the 64th National Open at Williams Grove Speedway, and in this episode Blake Walker and Dawson Elliott break down the weekend. They debate whether the National Open still deserves crown jewel status, whether it needs a new format, and why more High Limit drivers weren't in the field.

Jack Anderson is back, and he breaks down his first trip to Eldora and a tough sophomore year at Knoxville. Josh and Dawson talk with him about a tumultuous 2026 and what 2027 looks like for his team.

Garet Williamson spent the 2025 season earning World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year honors, then opened 2026 chasing his first series win through a string of close calls. He finally got there at River Cities Speedway on August 28th, breaking through weeks after nearly winning on his Knoxville Nationals prelim night.

J Kinder ended the 2026 season as the all-time Pro Sprint feature win leader at Knoxville Raceway, with 20 career wins and track championships in 2014, 2025, and 2026. He sits down with Josh and Kade to walk through his first Knoxville win in 2012, the run at Lake Ozark Speedway that pulled him away from weekly racing, and what brought him back in 2023. He also settles whether he's actually retiring, or just the yellow 88.

Ryan Timms capped his Leighton State Bank 410 championship at Knoxville Raceway with his seventh feature win of the year on Season Championship Night. Tasker Phillips erased a 79-point deficit to edge Kade Higday for a second straight Randall Roofing 360 title, and J Kinder locked up his third Pro Sprints championship.

Kade Higday heads into Knoxville Raceway's season finale with the 360 track championship still up for grabs against Tasker Phillips. Josh, Blake, and Kade share their last Knoxville Nationals thoughts, then go through what Saturday night has to look like for it to go Kade's way.

Stay connected with Knoxville Nights!

📺 Watch more:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@knoxville-nights

DIRTVision: https://www.dirtvision.com

🎧 Listen on:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/team-netcode/id1805495534

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2GVSYzi3CEQHbTty9tQxwQ

📱 Socials:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/knoxvillenights

Instagram: https://instagram.com/knoxvillenights

X: https://twitter.com/knxvillenights

Threads: https://threads.com/@knoxvillenights

Follow the guys:

Josh Gerlach → https://x.com/Josh_Gerlach

Kade Higday → https://www.facebook.com/kadehigdayracing

Blake Walker → https://x.com/Blake_Walker8

Dawson Elliott → https://x.com/D_Elliott123

#KnoxvilleRaceway #SprintCarRacing #KnoxvilleNights

Kyle Larson finished a NASCAR Cup race at Richmond, caught a jet to Iowa, and led all 50 laps of the 65th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's. Almost nobody thought he would make it to the green flag.

The win was Larson's fourth Knoxville Nationals title in six years and his sixteenth career victory at Knoxville Raceway.

Ryan Timms won the 2025 Knoxville Nationals at 18 and added the 360 Knoxville Nationals this August. Chase Dietz comes into the 65th Knoxville Nationals as the winningest 410 sprint car driver in the country. Both sat down with us inside the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum with very different paths to Saturday night ahead of them.

Kyle Larson ran down Garet Williamson in the closing laps of Toyota Qualifying Night to win his third straight Thursday preliminary at the Knoxville Nationals. Williamson led 18 of the 25 laps and joins us to break down the run that locked him into Saturday's A-main.

Larson leaves Thursday as the high point driver, but a NASCAR Cup Series commitment at Richmond most likely keeps him out of Saturday's feature.

Sheldon Haudenschild drove from third to first in the final corner to win Wednesday's opening night of the 65th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals by 0.006 sec. The World of Outlaws veteran breaks down that last lap with us at the track.