Knowland Earns Three Podiums In AACS Opener

Taegan Knowland in action with the All-American Clash Series in Tulsa, Okla.

TULSA, Okla. – Three podium finishes across three classes headlined the opening weekend of the All-American Clash Series for Taegan Knowland with the Tulsa Quarter Midget Association.

Competing in Senior Honda, Senior Animal, and Light 160, Knowland was rarely out of the top five in any of the six races he ran during the weekend, finishing third in three of the features he ran in.

Senior Honda action saw Knowland race his way into the A-main from the B-main on day one, which he won to earn the seventh spot on the grid. Racing his way forward from there, Knowland advanced four places to finish third.

Day two in the division put Knowland fourth on the grid for the feature, where he crossed the finish line fourth on-track but was elevated to third behind Blake Fredrickson and Ashlyn Mattox, after a car ahead of him was disqualified for being too light across the scales.

The Senior Animal class was a bit more of a challenge for Knowland, who battled handling issues during the weekend. He finished fifth in the feature on day one and fifth again on day two, after visiting the pits for adjustments early on in the second main event.

In Light 160, Knowland battled for the lead in an entertaining race on Saturday, grabbing the lead briefly with three laps to go before getting hung on the outside late and fading back to third.

Sunday, however, saw his weekend fortunes finally run dry, after a four-car crash coming out of turn four led to a broken axle that ended Knowland’s race and left him with a DNF in eighth place.

All in all, Knowland was content with his results and pleased to see his friend Fredrickson find success if he himself was unable to.

“Tulsa is a very challenging track; the saying in quarter midgets is ‘If you can pass at Tulsa, you can pass anywhere,’” said Knowland. “We made a lot of passes all weekend long and showed strength in two of our three classes. Getting three podium finishes out of six races is a good start to the All-American Clash Series and puts us in a position to battle it out in the upcoming rounds for the overall series championship.

“Blake Fredirickson, my friend from Lakeville, Minn., took home five checkered flags out of the six races this weekend and I want to congratulate my buddy on such a dominating performance,” Knowland added. “Blake and I became pretty good friends this weekend and I look forward to racing against him more this summer. It’s always nice to be challenged, and I know that battling with Blake will make me a better driver because we enjoyed competing against one another.”

Knowland would like to thank ATP Restoration, the Friends of Jacklyn Foundation, Qdoba of Topeka, Manhattan and Junction City, Royal Signs, Thrivent Financial, and DC Lawn Care for their partnership and support of his racing efforts.

Knowland’s next quarter midget race is Sunday, June 2, back with the Tulsa Quarter Midget Association.

About Taegan Knowland

Taegan Knowland is a 10-year-old Kansan whose dreams of racing were strong from his earliest years. A first-generation racer, Knowland began racing quarter midgets in 2021 and has since compiled a record of more than 30 victories, including a highlight win in 2022 at historic Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway.

Knowland currently races quarter midgets nationally in the NASCAR Youth Series (formerly the USAC.25 Series) and has also branched out into Bandolero car racing, with plans to compete for Race Driven Performance in the prestigious Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and other major INEX-sanctioned events.

For more information on Taegan Knowland, visit his website at https://taeganknowlandracing.com/.

Fans can also follow Knowland on Facebook and Instagram at Taegan Knowland Racing.