EVAN KNOLL ENTERS TOP FUEL FIELD AT TORCO RACE FUELS NORTHERN NATIONALS
DECATUR, MI. – Evan Knoll intends to put his game face on this weekend when the IHRA Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals kicks off at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. However, this time the intensity won’t be as a drag racing fan or a major sponsor. Knoll is suiting up as a Top Fuel driver.
Knoll has unfinished business when it comes to Top Fuel and Knoll Gas Motorsports Park. It was three years ago when Knoll began and completed his licensing process and came within .02 of qualifying on the strength of one run.
IHRA rules stipulate that a licensing driver must make two short runs before a full quarter-mile pass. This weekend, he plans to make three full pulls and earn a position in his first-ever qualified field.
“It has been a tough road for the last few years,” Knoll said. “It’s nice supporting the sport and watching everyone else race but there comes a time when you like to play the game. I got into this sport because I love it. I just love to play the game and that’s what I plan to do.”
Knoll was an accomplished NHRA Division 3 Top Alcohol Dragster driver before making the jump to Top Fuel in a car tuned by Jimmy Walsh. His career was put on hold after pair of non-racing accidents sidelined him.
Knoll had all but made an incredible recovery from a separated shoulder from a motocross accident when an automobile accident left him with a concussion.
In the midst of a miraculous recovery period, Knoll’s General Sales & Service propane and refinery business encountered remarkable gains as well as every one of his related businesses.
“You have to put your priorities in line,” Knoll said. “I love racing but you have to feed what makes it all possible. In the industry I’m in, it demands your time and focus. If you lose that – you can lose a lot. I don’t take losing lightly.
“I have a great staff of people that surround me but when it comes down to it, I have to make the final decisions on some things. That means I have to be there.”
Knoll’s Top Fueler will be a clone to the one Scotty Cannon drove to the winner’s circle in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada. Cannon’s tuner Jimbo Ermolovich will hold the same position on Knoll’s dragster. The team held several successful test sessions recently.
“It felt real good,” Knoll said. “Just getting that sensation of speed was something I needed to experience again. I feel pretty positive about coming out there. We have some tough competition coming to town this weekend. That’s fine. Just let them know the bossman is ready to mix it up.”
