KNOXVILLE, IA (April 23, 2026) – A trip home always helps.
Home gives comfort. Home feels familiar. For drivers and teams facing the grind of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, trips home can be few and far between. The roughly 90-race, coast-to-coast campaign rarely offers a reprieve from the road.
Emerson Axsom took full advantage of one of his opportunities to not only be home but race close to home last Sunday at Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway. And the Franklin, IN native made his fans proud.
Axsom had speed all night aboard the Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports (KPM) No. 27. The rookie clocked the second fastest lap in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying, won the second Heat Race, and finalized the evening with a second-place finish after late trouble for Michael “Buddy” Kofoid moved him up a spot on the podium. The result marked his best outing of the year through 14 races.
“I feel like we had a really good race car, just not quite good enough,” Axsom said. “The 7BC (Tyler Courtney) and 83 (Kofoid) were just a little bit better. I couldn’t get down the straightaways quite as good as I wanted to, but I felt like I got through the corner better than I ever have here in a wing car.”
The runner-up was the latest effort in a stretch of positive runs for Axsom and the KPM crew. After a bit of a bumpy start that saw no top 10s through the first six races, the combination has broken into the top 10 in half of the last eight events. The recent results pushed him atop the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year presented by Five Star Bodies battle by 28 markers over Ashton Torgerson.
“I feel like when our race car unloads right, and we have the right balance, we can be as good as anyone,” Axsom said of their recent success. “It’s just putting all the pieces together and unloading right and not getting behind the eight ball.”
The famed Knoxville Raceway is the next stop for Axsom as he navigates his maiden voyage with The Greatest Show on Dirt. It’s not home for Axsom, but the 21-year-old is plenty familiar with the historic 1/2 mile. He’s made 27 starts in a 410 Sprint Car at Knoxville, highlighted by a 2024 triumph. He was also the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s Rookie of the Year that season.
“Ever since I got into wing racing, everyone I’ve ever ran for made a conscious effort to be really good there,” Axsom said. “And I feel like every other 1/2 mile I’ve ever ran I’ve only ran three or four times maybe. Eldora, I’ve probably ran a little bit more than that. Knoxville is the only one where we’ve really specifically put emphasis on and really tried to run more than any other racetrack in the country. I think that’s the biggest thing to do with it, just getting laps there.”
Axsom continues his rookie World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car campaign this weekend at Knoxville Raceway’s Premier Chevy Dealers Clash on April 24-25. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.
Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Axsom Enjoys Tri-State Speed Ahead of Knoxville Weekend
KNOXVILLE, IA (April 23, 2026) – A trip home always helps.
Home gives comfort. Home feels familiar. For drivers and teams facing the grind of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, trips home can be few and far between. The roughly 90-race, coast-to-coast campaign rarely offers a reprieve from the road.
Emerson Axsom took full advantage of one of his opportunities to not only be home but race close to home last Sunday at Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway. And the Franklin, IN native made his fans proud.
Axsom had speed all night aboard the Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports (KPM) No. 27. The rookie clocked the second fastest lap in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying, won the second Heat Race, and finalized the evening with a second-place finish after late trouble for Michael “Buddy” Kofoid moved him up a spot on the podium. The result marked his best outing of the year through 14 races.
“I feel like we had a really good race car, just not quite good enough,” Axsom said. “The 7BC (Tyler Courtney) and 83 (Kofoid) were just a little bit better. I couldn’t get down the straightaways quite as good as I wanted to, but I felt like I got through the corner better than I ever have here in a wing car.”
The runner-up was the latest effort in a stretch of positive runs for Axsom and the KPM crew. After a bit of a bumpy start that saw no top 10s through the first six races, the combination has broken into the top 10 in half of the last eight events. The recent results pushed him atop the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year presented by Five Star Bodies battle by 28 markers over Ashton Torgerson.
“I feel like when our race car unloads right, and we have the right balance, we can be as good as anyone,” Axsom said of their recent success. “It’s just putting all the pieces together and unloading right and not getting behind the eight ball.”
The famed Knoxville Raceway is the next stop for Axsom as he navigates his maiden voyage with The Greatest Show on Dirt. It’s not home for Axsom, but the 21-year-old is plenty familiar with the historic 1/2 mile. He’s made 27 starts in a 410 Sprint Car at Knoxville, highlighted by a 2024 triumph. He was also the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s Rookie of the Year that season.
“Ever since I got into wing racing, everyone I’ve ever ran for made a conscious effort to be really good there,” Axsom said. “And I feel like every other 1/2 mile I’ve ever ran I’ve only ran three or four times maybe. Eldora, I’ve probably ran a little bit more than that. Knoxville is the only one where we’ve really specifically put emphasis on and really tried to run more than any other racetrack in the country. I think that’s the biggest thing to do with it, just getting laps there.”
Axsom continues his rookie World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car campaign this weekend at Knoxville Raceway’s Premier Chevy Dealers Clash on April 24-25. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.
Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.