2022 Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame Inductions July 2!
Monday, June 27, 2022
The 2022 Knoxville Raceway will enshrine four new inductees into the track Hall of Fame this Saturday! Four individuals will be recognized for the contributions and accomplishments to Knoxville Raceway. Those being inducted this year will be Craig Dollansky, Butch Maxwell, Al Parker and Bob Vielhauer (posthumously).
This year marks the 44th class of inductees. The Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame was established in 1979 and there are currently 216 inductees. The annual induction banquet will be held on Saturday, July 2 in Dyer-Hudson Hall. The banquet is open to the public with a meal served at noon with induction ceremonies to follow shortly after.
Craig Dollansky (Driver) Elk River, MN:
Growing up watching his father Bill race, Craig had the racing fever at an early age and first came to Knoxville as a driver in 1983. Known as an Outlaw for most of his career, his roots are in Knoxville. He racked up 16 wins here, his first coming in 1995 and last in 2016. As a weekly competitor Craig finished in the top five of the point standings three separate times in 1994, 1995 and 2016. Competing on the road he found a lot of success. In 2000 with the World of Outlaws Gumout Series he won nine times on his way to winning the Championship. He has tallied 11 wins with All Star Circuit of Champions. 66 wins with the World of Outlaws and finished runner-up in series points twice, in 2006 and 2012. His Knoxville Nationals resume includes two preliminary feature wins, eight top five finishes, 14 top ten’s and 19 starts in the Championship A-Main, finishing third, three different times in 1996, 2002 and 2008. He is currently the promoter of Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas.
Conrad “Butch” Maxwell (Owner/Mechanic) Minneapolis, MN:
Butch started coming to Knoxville as a fan in 1968 and later as a mechanic in 1978 for the Butch Bethke owned #31 with driver John Stevenson. Butch turned car owner in 1978 with his first driver Bill Dollansky and they raced at Knoxville and across the upper Midwest. In 1996 he turned his focus to Knoxville with DJ Heskin as his driver. In 2004 he put grandson Davey in the car and would then operate two cars from 2006-2012, the other for his grandson Danny Heskin. The Maxwell #56N with Davey behind the wheel has racked up four 410 feature wins, 13 top ten point finishes, a second place points finish in 2012 and winning the 410 track championship in 2021. They have also finished in the top ten of the Knoxville Nationals twice, in 2010 and 2012.
Al Parker (Engine Builder/Mechanic) Newton, IA:
Al started out as a modest mechanic at a local Chevy dealership before opening his own business, Parker Machine and Performance. Growing up in Monroe he opened a shop there in 1970 and started drag racing at Eddyville. He would move the business to Newton in 1980 where it has remained since. His shop has built engines for sprint cars, drag racing, tractor pulling and mud bogging. Parker’s business has a great reputation, known for quality. His engines have been winning races at Knoxville for over 30 years with drivers Sammy Swindell, David Hesmer and Clint Garner to name a few.
Robert “Beaver” Vielhauer (Owner) Shawnee, KS:
Owner of Beaver Drill & Tool, Bob’s 12x “Beaver Special” started out racing locally around Kansas City, but Bob knew to be the best he needed to compete at Knoxville. He first brought the car to Knoxville in 1981, then started racing here weekly for points in 1986 with Shane Carson and were successful, winning two features and runner-up in points that season. In 1987 the car was driven by Terry McCarl and Randy Smith and in 1988 Bob would put his son Billy Vielhauer in the seat. The Beaver 12x would travel throughout the Midwest through 2004, but always with a focus on Knoxville and at times entering two cars at the Nationals. The team collected four feature wins here with three different drivers, Carson, Wayne Johnson, who would win the Knoxville Raceway 50th season special event in 2003 that paid $12,000 to win, and Blake Feese in 2004. Bob passed in 2016 at the age of 71.
|