Knowland Claims Kansas Bandits Title During INEX Banquet

Taegan Knowland with his Kansas state championship plaque at the Speedway Club in Concord, N.C. (Tanner Knowland photo)

CONCORD, N.C. – Race Face Brand Development driver Taegan Knowland was honored Friday night during the U.S. Legend Cars and INEX championship banquet with the 2024 Kansas state title for the Bandolero Bandits division.

The Topeka, Kan., native earned the accolade as the highest finishing driver from the Sunflower State in the final Bandolero Bandits national point standings.

Knowland, 11, raced in the full Cook Out Summer Shootout Series last season at Charlotte Motor Speedway, earning seven top-10 finishes in 10 races. His efforts not only placed him 84th of nearly 200 drivers in the national standings, but in the top 10 in Summer Shootout points last year also.

It led to a spotlight moment for Knowland, who received a commemorative plaque for his state championship and was recognized on-stage during the banquet, which was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Speedway Club ballroom ahead of a Winter Heat Series racing doubleheader.

“It feels nice, definitely a big deal and something I didn’t expect when the year started,” said Knowland. “In my first full year in a Bandolero to win a state championship for the Bandits [division] … it was definitely an interesting journey and one that I wouldn’t trade for myself or my team.

“I learned a lot from racing the full [Summer] Shootout and felt like we really built on Spring Nationals from early in the year and the two or three Shootout races the year before that [in 2022]. Hopefully, I can improve more this year and work to take the next step of winning races.”

Among the qualities that Knowland felt he improved upon last year en route to the Kansas Bandits crown was his restarts, something that he admitted he struggled with when he first transitioned from quarter midgets into the full-fendered Bandolero cars.

“Handling the car better and learning how to drive it helped that a lot, too,” Knowland noted. “It’s a balance to be aggressive and not put yourself in a bad position, but [restarts] are the best way to gain track position and I thought that by the end of the year, I was able to make gains and fight for better and better finishes because of that.”

Following Friday’s awards ceremony, Knowland raced in Saturday and Sunday Winter Heat Series doubleheaders on the CMS road course, earning four podium finishes in four starts with his Race Driven Performance-prepared No. 17. His best finish on the weekend was a second-place result.

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

Knowland will kick his 2025 Bandolero season into high gear during the INEX Winter Nationals, with five races in five days at Florida’s Auburndale Speedway from Feb. 10-14.

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.