The 2021 Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers was the 14th stock car race of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season and the inaugural running of the event, after Eldora Speedway's dirt race was moved to Knoxville Raceway. The race was held on Friday, July 9, 2021 in Knoxville, Iowa at Knoxville Raceway. The race was extended to 179 laps from the scheduled 150 laps due to numerous green-white-checker attempts. Austin Hill driving for Hattori Racing Enterprises would survive and win the event after dodging numerous wrecks and a wild ending to the event.[1] Chandler Smith of Kyle Busch Motorsports and Grant Enfinger of ThorSport Racing would be able to come in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Norm Benning would get his first Top 20 of the year, in a damaged truck finishing 19th.

2021 Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers
Race details
Race 14 of 22 of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Date July 9, 2021
Official name Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers
Location Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa
Course Permanent racing facility
0.5 mi (0.8 km)
Distance 179 laps, 89.5 mi (144.095 km)
Scheduled Distance 150 laps, 75 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 36.802 miles per hour (59.227 km/h)
Pole position
Driver McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Grid positions set by heat results
Most laps led
Driver Chandler Smith Kyle Busch Motorsports
Laps 71
Winner
No. 16 Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network Fox Sports 1
Announcers Vince Welch, Michael Waltrip, Kevin Swindell

The race was highly criticized by NASCAR fans and drivers. Drivers would report that other drivers had no respect for others on the track, contributing to the amount of wrecks during the race. Fans would criticize the way NASCAR handled the race, saying that NASCAR should not had raced on dirt due to the amount of wrecks that happened, and that the race was similar to a demolition derby.

The race was the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debuts for Morgan Alexander,[2] Jessica Friesen,[3] Parker Price-Miller,[4] Devon Rouse[5] and Donny Schatz.[6]

Background

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Knoxville Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

Entry list

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# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Hailie Deegan David Gilliland Racing Ford Toter "Built For Extremes"
2 Sheldon Creed GMS Racing Chevrolet Lift Kits 4 Less
02 Michael Annett* Young's Motorsports Chevrolet TMC Transportation
3 Parker Price-Miller Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet Townline Variety
4 John Hunter Nemechek Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Mobil 1
04 Chase Briscoe Roper Racing Ford Circle B Diecast
6 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet MDS A Sign Co., garagedoorsupplyhouse.com
9 Codie Rohrbaugh CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet Grant County Mulch, In Loving Memory of Mark Huff
10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing Chevrolet Fastener Supply
12 Tate Fogleman Young's Motorsports Chevrolet Basin Pump Bown Services
13 Johnny Sauter ThorSport Racing Toyota FarmPaint.com
15 Tanner Gray David Gilliland Racing Ford Ford Performance
16 Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota United Rentals, Tochigi Toyota, Fukushima Toyota
17 Donny Schatz David Gilliland Racing Ford Little Giant
18 Chandler Smith Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota JBL
19 Derek Kraus McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota NAPA Power Premium Plus
20 Kyle Strickler Young's Motorsports Chevrolet Crowe Equipment
21 Zane Smith GMS Racing Chevrolet TenderBison "Roam Freely"
22 Austin Wayne Self AM Racing Chevrolet AM Technical Solutions, GO TEXAN.
23 Chase Purdy GMS Racing Chevrolet Bama Buggies
24 Jack Wood GMS Racing Chevrolet Chevrolet Accessories
25 Josh Berry Rackley WAR Chevrolet Rackley Roofing
26 Tyler Ankrum GMS Racing Chevrolet LiUNA!
30 Danny Bohn On Point Motorsports Toyota North American Motor Car
33 Devon Rouse Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet Camping World
34 Jake Griffin Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet Great Escapes RV Center
37 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Chevrolet Concrete Supply, Destiny Homes
38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford Frontline Enterprises, Inc.
40 Ryan Truex Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Niece Motorsports
41 Cody Erickson Cram Racing Enterprises Chevrolet Magnum Contracting, Inc., Thunder Seed
42 Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Niece Motorsports
44 Morgan Alexander Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Geneva Farms, Peach State Classic, Sugar Creek Raceway
45 Jett Noland Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Hype Motorsports, Noland's Roofing Inc.
49 Andrew Gordon CMI Motorsports Toyota Staar Trucking
51 Brian Brown Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Casey's, Rowdy Energy
52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Halmar
62 Jessica Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Halmar, Parks Companies, Inc., Tammy Media 10
88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Toyota Menards, Ideal Door Garage Doors
98 Grant Enfinger ThorSport Racing Toyota Champion Power Equipment, Curb Records
99 Ben Rhodes ThorSport Racing Toyota Bombardier Learjet 75
Official entry list

*Driver would change to Chris Windom, due to a leg injury Michael Annett had suffered.[7]

Practice

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Qualifying

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Qualifying was set by heats, and a points system. There were 4 heats of 10 cars. As only 40 trucks entered the race, no drivers would not qualify. The way drivers would get their positions worked like this: Drivers would get 10 points for 1st, 9 points for 2nd, etc. Additionally, for every car passed, drivers would get an additional point for every car passed. No negative points were given. If a driver ended behind where they started, they would just get no passing points. The points would not be good for the regular season.[8]

Derek Kraus of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing would get the most points and therefore take the pole position.[9]

Heat #1

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Pts
1 1 25 Josh Berry Rackley WAR Chevrolet 10
2 4 3 Parker Price-Miller Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 11
3 8 1 Hailie Deegan David Gilliland Racing Ford 13
4 7 18 Chandler Smith Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 10
5 2 22 Austin Wayne Self AM Racing Chevrolet 6
6 6 15 Tanner Gray David Gilliland Racing Ford 5
7 9 41 Cody Erickson Cram Racing Enterprises Chevrolet 6
8 10 12 Tate Fogleman Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 5
9 5 45 Jett Noland Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 2
10 3 33 Devon Rouse Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet 1

Heat #2

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Pts
1 2 20 Kyle Strickler Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 11
2 1 21 Zane Smith GMS Racing Chevrolet 9
3 5 88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Toyota 10
4 10 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 13
5 3 99 Ben Rhodes ThorSport Racing Toyota 6
6 7 17 Donny Schatz David Gilliland Racing Ford 6
7 4 23 Chase Purdy GMS Racing Chevrolet 4
8 6 40 Ryan Truex Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 9 34 Jake Griffin Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet 2
10 8 9 Codie Rohrbaugh CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet 1

Heat #3

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Pts
1 5 26 Tyler Ankrum GMS Racing Chevrolet 14
2 10 19 Derek Kraus McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota 17
3 3 51 Brian Brown Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 8
4 8 13 Johnny Sauter ThorSport Racing Toyota 11
5 2 24 Jack Wood GMS Racing Chevrolet 6
6 7 62 Jessica Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota 6
7 9 30 Danny Bohn On Point Motorsports Toyota 6
8 1 02 Chris Windom Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 6 44 Morgan Alexander Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 2
10 4 4 John Hunter Nemechek Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 1

Heat #4

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Pts
1 2 42 Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 11
2 3 04 Chase Briscoe Roper Racing Ford 10
3 1 37 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Chevrolet 8
4 6 16 Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota 10
5 7 2 Sheldon Creed GMS Racing Chevrolet 8
6 5 98 Grant Enfinger ThorSport Racing Toyota 5
7 9 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota 6
8 10 49 Andrew Gordon CMI Motorsports Toyota 5
9 4 6 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet 2
10 8 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing Chevrolet 1

Starting lineup

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Pos. # Driver Team Make
1 19 Derek Kraus McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota
2 26 Tyler Ankrum GMS Racing Chevrolet
3 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
4 1 Hailie Deegan David Gilliland Racing Ford
5 42 Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
6 13 Johnny Sauter ThorSport Racing Toyota
7 3 Parker Price-Miller Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet
8 20 Kyle Strickler Young's Motorsports Chevrolet
9 88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Toyota
10 18 Chandler Smith Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota
11 25 Josh Berry Rackley WAR Chevrolet
12 04 Chase Briscoe Roper Racing Ford
13 16 Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota
14 21 Zane Smith GMS Racing Chevrolet
15 51 Brian Brown Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota
16 2 Sheldon Creed GMS Racing Chevrolet
17 37 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Chevrolet
18 99 Ben Rhodes ThorSport Racing Toyota
19 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota
20 24 Jack Wood GMS Racing Chevrolet
21 22 Austin Wayne Self AM Racing Chevrolet
22 17 Donny Schatz David Gilliland Racing Ford
23 30 Danny Bohn On Point Motorsports Toyota
24 41 Cody Erickson Cram Racing Enterprises Chevrolet
25 62 Jessica Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota
26 98 Grant Enfinger ThorSport Racing Toyota
27 15 Tanner Gray David Gilliland Racing Ford
28 12 Tate Fogleman Young's Motorsports Chevrolet
29 49 Andrew Gordon CMI Motorsports Toyota
30 23 Chase Purdy GMS Racing Chevrolet
31 40 Ryan Truex Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
32 02 Chris Windom Young's Motorsports Chevrolet
33 45 Jett Noland Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
34 34 Jake Griffin Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet
35 44 Morgan Alexander Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
36 6 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet
37 4 John Hunter Nemechek Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota
38 9 Codie Rohrbaugh CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet
39 33 Devon Rouse Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet
40 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race

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Pre-race ceremonies

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For pre-race ceremonies, Jason Reed, president of the Marin County Fair Association would give the command to fire engines.

Race

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Post-race driver comments

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Many drivers and teams seemed displeased and angry post-race. Sheldon Creed, involved in the big one advocated for the removal of Trucks at Knoxville said "We don't belong here. We should be down at Iowa Speedway where these trucks are made for."[10] Carson Hocevar commented that "I think everyone from the dirt community is just going to sit there, point at us, and laugh," criticizing the amount of chaos that happened.[11] Kyle Strickler would comment on the seeming lack of respect on track: "The total lack of respect for other drivers and other drivers' equipment last night absolutely blew my mind. I think all the spoiled ass rich punk kids should be in the shop first thing on Monday morning so they can fix all this shit they tore up. Maybe then they'll think twice about blasting people out of the way when they realize how much it takes to make it to the race track every weekend." This was a comment that many drivers agreed with, including Hocevar and Nemechek.[11]

Some drivers were angry at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver Derek Kraus, with both Grant Enfinger and Tyler Ankrum spinning Kraus after the race after wrecking people for position.[12] Austin Wayne Self said "In my opinion, I knew the race was aggressive but there was a couple of guys out there and [Derek Kraus] was definitely one that was very disrespectful to people and wasn't really racing. I mean, he was just pushing people out of the way and wrecking people and tearing stuff up."[13]

Chandler Smith, who had led a race-high 71 laps, had said "I can’t catch a break, it feels like. I get so close to these wins — and something happens. Or we have a really good day and something happens. (Friday), we had a really solid day. … I really thought that was going to be ours there, but it is what it is I guess.”[14]

Grant Enfinger would seem to forgive the rough driving and wrecks, as drivers were desperate for a win and will do anything to win, stating "There's no penalty for rough driving when we're putting all this on 60-70 mph short track to be honest."[15]

Donny Schatz, making his debut in NASCAR, seemed flabbergasted at the amount of wrecks and torn-up cars, saying that "A lot of stuff got tore up and I don’t know if that’s normal or not around here, but it sure seems like it based on what I heard in the infield care center."[11]

Austin Hill seemed the only one coming back home happy, with him taking the victory. Hill had this to say: "Winning at a place like Knoxville definitely puts your name on the map. I’m not a dirt guy — so I don’t know a ton about dirt racing — but I know about Knoxville and the history here. It’s a cool place to win at, for sure. This builds our confidence, for sure, and there’s no telling how many races we can win going forward.”[14]

Race results

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Stage 1 Laps: 40

Fin. # Driver Team Make Pts
1 19 Derek Kraus McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota 10
2 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 9
3 25 Josh Berry Rackley WAR Chevrolet 0
4 42 Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 26 Tyler Ankrum GMS Racing Chevrolet 6
6 2 Sheldon Creed GMS Racing Chevrolet 5
7 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota 4
8 37 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Chevrolet 0
9 18 Chandler Smith Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 2
10 1 Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota 1

Stage 2 Laps: 40

Fin. # Driver Team Make Pts
1 19 Derek Kraus McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota 10
2 42 Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 8
4 88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Toyota 7
5 98 Grant Enfinger ThorSport Racing Toyota 6
6 37 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Chevrolet 0
7 4 John Hunter Nemechek Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 4
8 25 Josh Berry Rackley WAR Chevrolet 0
9 17 Donny Schatz David Gilliland Racing Ford 2
10 99 Ben Rhodes ThorSport Racing Toyota 1

Stage 3 Laps: 99

Fin[16] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts
1 13 16 Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota 179 11 running 41
2 10 18 Chandler Smith Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 179 71 running 37
3 26 98 Grant Enfinger ThorSport Racing Toyota 179 0 running 40
4 3 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 179 61 running 50
5 1 19 Derek Kraus McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota 179 10 running 52
6 9 88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Toyota 179 1 running 38
7 18 99 Ben Rhodes ThorSport Racing Toyota 179 0 running 31
8 15 51 Brian Brown Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 179 0 running 29
9 28 12 Tate Fogleman Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 179 0 running 28
10 23 30 Danny Bohn On Point Motorsports Toyota 179 0 running 27
11 37 4 John Hunter Nemechek Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 179 0 running 30
12 34 34 Jake Griffin Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet 179 0 running 25
13 31 40 Ryan Truex Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 179 0 running 24
14 14 21 Zane Smith GMS Racing Chevrolet 179 0 running 23
15 32 02 Chris Windom Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 179 0 running 0
16 5 42 Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 179 17 running 37
17 2 26 Tyler Ankrum GMS Racing Chevrolet 179 0 running 26
18 39 33 Devon Rouse Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet 179 0 running 19
19 36 6 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet 179 0 running 18
20 6 13 Johnny Sauter ThorSport Racing Toyota 179 8 running 17
21 4 1 Hailie Deegan David Gilliland Racing Ford 179 0 running 16
22 24 41 Cody Erickson Cram Racing Enterprises Chevrolet 177 0 running 15
23 8 20 Kyle Strickler Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 177 0 running 14
24 29 49 Andrew Gordon CMI Motorsports Toyota 177 0 running 13
25 40 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing Chevrolet 176 0 running 12
26 25 62 Jessica Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota 175 0 running 0
27 19 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota 170 0 running 14
28 11 25 Josh Berry Rackley WAR Chevrolet 163 0 accident 0
29 7 3 Parker Price-Miller Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 160 0 running 8
30 21 22 Austin Wayne Self AM Racing Chevrolet 159 0 accident 7
31 27 15 Tanner Gray David Gilliland Racing Ford 153 0 accident 6
32 22 17 Donny Schatz David Gilliland Racing Ford 153 0 accident 5
33 30 23 Chase Purdy GMS Racing Chevrolet 153 0 accident 4
34 38 9 Codie Rohrbaugh CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet 153 0 accident 3
35 16 2 Sheldon Creed GMS Racing Chevrolet 153 0 accident 7
36 12 04 Chase Briscoe Roper Racing Ford 153 0 accident 0
37 33 45 Jett Noland Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 151 0 accident 1
38 17 37 Brett Moffitt AM Racing Chevrolet 139 0 accident 0
39 20 24 Jack Wood GMS Racing Chevrolet 91 0 accident 1
40 35 44 Morgan Alexander Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 63 0 accident 1
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Courier, MATT BELINSON Ottumwa (9 July 2021). "Austin Hill pulls out a win at caution-filled Knoxville in its Truck Series' debut". Oskaloosa Herald. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  2. ^ Christie, Toby (2021-07-03). "Morgan Alexander to Make NASCAR Truck Series Debut at Knoxville With Niece Motorsports". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  3. ^ Glover, Luken (2021-03-29). "Jessica Friesen Attempting Knoxville Truck Race". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  4. ^ Kristl, Mark (2021-07-02). "Parker Price-Miller Debuting For Jordan Anderson At Knoxville". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  5. ^ Eggert, Seth (2021-06-30). "Devon Rouse to Make Truck Debut at Knoxville with Reaume". Kickin' the Tires. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  6. ^ Weaver, Matt (2021-06-03). "Donny Schatz to Check NASCAR Off the List in July". Autoweek. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  7. ^ "Chris Windom Replacing Michael Annett in Friday's Truck Series Race at Knoxville". TobyChristie.com. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  8. ^ "Qualifying, race format explained for Trucks' debut at Knoxville | NASCAR". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  9. ^ Tomlinson, Joy (2021-07-09). "Derek Kraus Wins Truck Pole At Knoxville". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  10. ^ "Sheldon Creed interview". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-07-10.
  11. ^ a b c Weaver, Matt (2021-07-10). "It's all so Dumb: Knoxville Truck Race Erupts into Chaos". Autoweek. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  12. ^ "Derek Kraus Gets Spun after the Finish - 2021 Truck Series at Knoxville". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  13. ^ Austin Wayne Self Calls Out Derek Kraus and Sheldon Creed for Aggressive Driving at Knoxville, retrieved 2021-09-10
  14. ^ a b Southard, Dargan. "NASCAR Truck Series: Austin Hill wins caution-plagued Corn Belt 150 at Knoxville Raceway". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  15. ^ Intern, MATT BELINSON Courier (9 July 2021). "Austin Hill pulls out a win at caution-filled Knoxville in its Truck Series' debut". Ottumwa Courier. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  16. ^ "2021 Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.


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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
2021 season
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