May 20, 2026 | By NSCHoF

Pink Lady and Other Cars in National Sprint Car HOF "Track Tribute to Knoxville Raceway"

KNOXVILLE, Ia.—The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville, Iowa, hopes to see you this summer for our “Track Tribute to Knoxville Raceway” exhibit!  The exhibit, is currently on display through October 1, and features the cars, memorabilia, and much more from the “Sprint Car Capital of the World,” Knoxville Raceway!

Some famous rides of some of the best that ever ran at Knoxville and several items of memorabilia are exhibited in honor of the famous Knoxville, Iowa half-mile.  In addition, videos showcasing the track, and memorabilia are also part of the exhibit.

One such car is the “Pink Lady.”

The “Pink Lady” was driven by National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Earl Wagner, most famously to Knoxville Raceway championships in 1958 and 1959. The car was built by Pleasantville Iowa’s Slim Gutknecht and Wagner. It housed a Buick engine, and set three track records at Knoxville in 1959 alone, culminating in a mark of 24.57 seconds on June 27, an average of over 73 miles per hour. He also held records at 5, 6, 10 and 15 laps.

Earl was a three-time Knoxville Raceway champion, and registered 43 wins, still seventh on the all-time list. He picked up many wins in his career at tracks in Chariton, Des Moines, Waterloo, Rockwell City, Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Spencer and Boone in Iowa, as well as Kirksville, Sedalia and Marshall in Missouri, Sioux Falls in South Dakota, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Topeka, Kansas, and the 1973 Western World at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix.

A plumber by trade, Earl followed up his racing career as Mayor of Pleasantville, a County Supervisor, among other things, and from 1975 through 1999 was the Knoxville Raceway chief pit steward. The car is currently on loan its caretakers in Pleasantville, Iowa.

“Track Tribute to Knoxville Raceway” t-shirts and posters are available as well.  You can purchase them at the museum, by visiting www.SprintCarStuff.com, or by calling 641 842-6176.

For more information on the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum and the special events happening here, visit www.SprintCarHoF.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!