KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Competitors in the pit area Friday and Saturday at Knoxville Raceway received copies of new wing rules, which will be enforced across the board in 410 winged sprint-car racing next season.
The change, which is being mandated by the World of Outlaws, also will be used by all other major 410 sanctioning bodies and will go into effect in 2008. It includes the nine-inch center belly on the wing being reduced to six inches, while the corners of the wings will be made more square in shape. According to DIRT MotorSports Vice President Ben Geisler, “All cars will run a very similar wing with a flat top and a one-inch wicker bill.”
The change was announced three weeks after the second annual 410 Sprint Car Summit, which is becoming an annual gathering of 410 promoters.

• Jason Johnson was transported to the Knoxville hospital on a stretcher following hot laps for Saturday’s C Scramble. His car broke a driveline, and debris struck Johnson. Johnson broke a couple of toes and returned to compete in Saturday’s C main.

• Sam Hafertepe, Jr. was named the rookie of the year at the Nationals.

• Jeff Shepard has changed a lot during recent years. He’s no longer the hard-driving, hard-partying kid he had gained a reputation for being. Now, Shepard owns his own construction business and racing is more of a hobby than an obsession.
“Difficult for me to have that mindset to work 60 hours a week and then get out there and do this,” he said. “We’ve actually raced a lot more this year than I had planned.”
Shepard rejoined John Zemaitis’s No. 1 team this year and explained how things are different. “I grew up a lot, and they grew up a lot,” he said. “I used to party a lot, and I’m going to party a lot tonight. I’ve earned that, but it is all about growing up and learning the value of the dollar and being more mature.”
Shepard and the Zemco team held a 200-point lead over Fred Rahmer in the standings at Williams Grove (Pa.) Speedway but still came to the Nationals instead of staying home in search of a track championship.
“I’ve never been a points racer,” Shepard explained. “We had no thoughts of going back.”
Shepard’s victory set him up for his 12th-consecutive Knoxville Nationals main event start.

• DIRT MotorSports is putting a tremendous amount of effort into the 37th annual DIRTcar Nationals, to be held at Volusia (Fla.) Speedway Park Feb. 5-16. The sprint-car portion of the event will include six nights of racing Feb. 5-11, with the first three nights featuring the All Star Circuit of Champions and the second three nights sanctioned by the World of Outlaws.