Knowland Battles For Win Before Crash In Shootout Finale

Taegan Knowland in action at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Meghan Prowell photo)

CONCORD, N.C. – Taegan Knowland’s quest for a season-ending Cook Out Summer Shootout victory in the Bandolero Bandits class ended short of the checkered flag during Tuesday night’s finale.

However, the 11-year-old young gun’s pride in his progression wasn’t dampened, considering he fought for the race win with division champion Brexton Busch during the first half of the 20-lap feature.

After qualifying second – his highest start all summer and just half a tenth off Busch’s pole time – Knowland maintained the runner-up position through the first nine laps and hounded the bumper of the leader during the early part of the run.

A lap-10 restart appeared to be an opportunity for the Topeka, Kan., driver to pounce on Busch via the outside groove, but instead things went awry when Knowland’s Race Driven Performance-prepared No. 17 was turned on the backstretch by third-running Cale Weavil.

The contact sent Knowland nose-first into the outside wall and sparked a multi-car crash that eliminated five cars when all was said and done.

While the 11th-place result and accompanying DNF wasn’t how Knowland wanted to cap off his Shootout season, he did still hold on to a top-10 points finish and recognized that his consistent speed – from start to finish – was something to be celebrated.

“It’s a bummer that we had to finish behind the wall, but I’m so proud of everyone at Race Driven Performance for never backing down and bringing fast race cars to the track all summer long,” Knowland said. “I feel like we were in contention and had top-five speed every race; it was just bad luck and things that were mostly out of our control that kept us from getting all the finishes we deserved.

“The biggest thing for me is that I know I grew a lot as a driver from the beginning of the summer to the end, both in how I drove Charlotte and how I drove the Bandolero in general,” he added. “That’s something I wanted to see in myself and I’m proud that we were able to achieve that as a team.”

Knowland wrapped up his second Summer Shootout campaign 10th in the Bandits division standings, with three top-five and four top-10 finishes across his 10 starts.

Knowland would like to thank marketing partners ATP Restoration; Thrivent Financial; Race Face Brand Development; the Friends of Jacklyn Foundation; Qdoba of Topeka, Manhattan, and Junction City; Jeremiah Bullfrogs Bar & Grille; Daredevil Coffee; Royal Signs; DC Lawn Care; and TruHeight Vitamins for their continued support of his racing efforts.

The rising star now looks ahead to his first Pro Truck test session with Kaden Honeycutt Racing in August, when he’ll step into a full-bodied vehicle for the first time in preparation for a move into the highly-competitive class for 2026.

Knowland will return to the CMS quarter mile Sept. 12-13 for the INEX Bandolero Nationals, marking his first time competing in the premier national event for the division.

About Taegan Knowland

Taegan Knowland is an 11-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 over the past year, competing for Race Driven Performance in the prestigious Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and other major INEX-sanctioned events.

Away from the racetrack, Knowland is a supporter of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation’s mission to better the lives of children affected by pediatric cancer and their families, and is also a member of his school choir.

For more information on Taegan Knowland, visit his website at www.taeganknowlandracing.com.