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Brian Brown Ready to Turn "Runner-Up" Into "Champion"

Sprint car racing's grandest event is just 41 days away and teams from around the world are gearing up for the $150,000 prize. Official entry forms are arriving at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway every day, confirming another great lineup for the 56th annual 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores.

One of the first entries received was that of fan-favorite Brian Brown, driver of the Casey's General Store/FVP No. 21. Brown, of Higginsville, Mo., won the hearts of Knoxville Nationals fans when he finished second in the event for three consecutive years (2012-2014), all to nine-time champion Donny Schatz.

"It's tough. To be that close to winning the Knoxville Nationals is frustrating," Brown said following his runner-up finish in 2014. "We are going to work twice as hard and get it one of these years."

The 56th running of the race may be Brown's year to get it done. The 37-year-old has been honing his skills at Knoxville Raceway every weekend, posting two wins there already this season. His 32 career Knoxville wins place him ninth on the track's all-time win list.

Brown's Knoxville Nationals results are just as good. After failing to make the finale his first five attempts (2001, 2003-2006), Brown has been tearing up Saturday night's feature event. He earned the hard charger in 2007, coming from 23rd to 13th. Including his three runner-up finishes, he hasn't finished outside of the top-10 since 2010.

Even more impressive may be that in just those eight starts, he's led 41 Knoxville Nationals' finale laps, placing him 13th on the all-time lap leaders list and above famed names like inaugural winner Roy Robbins, Stevie Smith who's had 14 top-10 finishes and 1990's winner Bobby Allen.

Other entries received thus far for the 5-hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores include:
Chad Trout of Dover, Penn., who is our first Rookie of the Year candidate to enter the event.
Matt Covington of Glenpool, Okla., is looking to improve on his 2015 performance where he finished 15th in the C-Main.
Brad Loyet of Sunset Hills, Mo., has entered in the No. 05 Loyet Motorsports car. Loyet has earned four victories - two 410 and two 360 - thus far in the 2016 racing season.
Austin McCarl, of Altoona, Iowa, is the son of sprint car veteran Terry McCarl. He qualified for his first Knoxville Nationals finale in 2011 at just 18 years of age.
Josh Schneiderman, of West Burlington, Iowa, qualified for his first Knoxville Nationals finale in 2010, racing his way through the B-Main to finish 13th in Saturday's finale.
More confirmed drivers will be announced each week as we close in on the 56th running of sprint car racing's most prestigious event. An updated list can be found at www.knoxvilleraceway.com/Event/Knoxville-Nationals. The deadline for pre-entry is July 15.

The 56th annual 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores kicks-off on Wednesday, August 10 and concludes on Saturday, August 13. The event features more than 100 drivers from around the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Nearly 21,000 spectators converge upon Knoxville for the event.

Tickets for the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores are available for purchase at www.knoxvilleraceway.com or by calling 641-842-5431. Four-day ticket packages are also available.

More information about Knoxville Raceway and the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores can be found at the aforementioned website, on Knoxville Raceway's Facebook page, @KnoxvilleRaces on Twitter and Knoxville Raceway on Instagram. The Knoxville Raceway app is also a free download for all Apple and Android phones and features live timing and scoring for every event.

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