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Editor’s Note: As the 2025 calendar slips away, we are looking back at some of the biggest races of the year that was. Today, it’s the Knoxville Nationals.
KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Ryan Timms put a stamp on a dominant week at the 64th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s by winning $195,000 in the finale Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway.
Timms became the second youngest to win the Nationals, and the second to win in the first Knoxville Nationals finale for which he qualified. The first on both occasions was Kenny Weld in 1964, who was just two months younger than Timms’ 18 years and 11 months.
The Nationals win was the first for Rapid City, S.D., owner Shane Liebig. Timms led all 50 laps and was the sixth of the season for him in the 410 here at Knoxville. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native was also the first Knoxville regular (in the point standings) to win the Knoxville Nationals since 1978 (Doug Wolfgang finished fourth in points that year), and the first Oklahoman to win the “Granddaddy of them All.”
Thanks to his win on Wednesday, and his highest point total, Timms earned the pole for Saturday’s championship event. He led from the outset ahead of Carson Macedo, Corey Day, Brad Sweet and Logan Schuchart. He was in lapped traffic by the eighth circuit. Schuchart showed early speed nabbing fourth from Sweet on lap 10.
Sheldon Haudenschild entered the top five on lap 15, but it was a brief stay as a five-way battle for positions two through six ensued. Gio Scelzi spent time in the top five, as did Sweet, but Rico Abreu had solidified himself in the position on lap 20.
Schuchart and Abreu found speed and passed Day, but those moves were negated as the mandatory midway break was called after lap 26.
At that point, Timms had built a 4.3 second lead. He was in a class by himself after the break as well, over Macedo, Day, Schuchart and Abreu.
Schuchart got over the turn four cushion, losing ground and surrendering fourth and fifth to Abreu and Sweet. Rico shot by Day into third on lap 30, before Buddy Kofoid and Spencer Bayston came together to bring the caution with 18 laps to go. That erased a 3.8 second lead for Timms.
The youngster was back in traffic with eight laps to go and had built his lead to more than three seconds at that point. David Gravel was on the move as well, and up to sixth with six laps to go.
Sweet bowed out of the race while running fifth before an eighth place Kyle Larson blew his right-rear tire, bringing out the caution with four to go.
It was no sweat for Timms, who cruised to the checkers, pulling away to a win almost three seconds ahead of Abreu, who grabbed second from Macedo.
Gravel passed Macedo late for hard-charger honors and Schuchart was fifth.
Day, Scelzi, Garet Williamson, Austin McCarl and Haudenschild rounded out the top 10.
Timms was also the Beaver Drill & Tool/MPV Express Jesse Hockett “Mr. Sprint Car” for Southern Iowa Sprintweek, netting a bonus of $10,000.
“This is awesome,” said Timms. “I never thought I’d be standing here for the Knoxville Nationals! I don’t even know what to say. To be given this opportunity is amazing. Shane Liebig is my crew chief and car owner and has coached me through this whole thing.
“I have so many people to thank. It’s been a journey, and to click at the biggest sprint car race in the world so soon…I really can’t believe I’m standing here. I had no idea how big of a lead I had. I kept looking at the big screen. I kept imagining cars to my inside.
“This car is so fast. Knoxville is its track. I knew the bottom was going to be good in three and four, but I didn’t feel very comfortable down there, so I moved to the top. We were able to run the bottom of one and two and drift to the middle. The last caution was good; I think I had two tear-offs left. This is the best race in the world across all forms of motorsports. To stand here in front of you fans is just a pleasure.”
“Hats off to the Liebig guys, Ryan Timms and Randy Timms,” said Abreu. “I know how focused Ryan has been this year, and to make his first Knoxville Nationals and start on the front row of the race, and lead all 50 laps is pretty damn impressive. My team made incredible changes at the break. It allows us to smell a little blood in the water when we have a strong car at the end of the race like that. It was a roaring pace with the 41, the 49, the 14BC and the 57 was there, too.”
“We had a really good car,” said Gravel of his hard charge from 21st to third. “The second half of those runs, the car was unbelievable. I just have to say this race is not easy to win, and to put together a prelim night and lead all 50 laps with the best in the business behind you is impressive.
“I’m super proud of our team not giving up. I wish we could have started a couple rows further up, I felt like we were so good at the end. I felt like we had one of the fastest cars. The last restart with four to go, I think we all swapped second through fifth a few times. I’m just proud of our effort.”
