KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Ryan Bernal has partnered with Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports to take part in the inaugural Corn Belt Nationals this weekend at Knoxville Raceway.
Bernal will pilot the Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 17 sprint car with an eye on of the $20,000 winner’s share of the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series event.
The inaugural edition of the event takes place on Friday and Saturday atop the storied Marion County Fairgrounds half-mile clay oval.
“Aaron (Reutzel) called me and then I talked to Josh (Baughman), they got back to me and said I’m their guy,” Bernal said. “I couldn’t say yes fast enough for a chance to race for $20,000. And I know they’ll give me a good car with a really good chance to win.”
Bernal has raced at Knoxville Raceway twice in the past in winged Sprint Car competition. Despite no wingless laps at Knoxville, Bernal is confident that he will be on equal footing with the best in the non-wing business.
“The USAC National guys haven’t raced there that much, so they’re not really locked in at Knoxville in the way that they are at a lot of their other tracks,” Bernal explains. “It puts us on a pretty level playing field and gives me a lot better shot at winning this one.”
Bernal has spent recent times focusing on the winged Sprint Car ranks, moving the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 team to the top of the King of the West/NARC 410 Series point charts in California after last weekend’s event at Placerville Speedway.
With an idle weekend for the KWC/NARC series, it’s back to non-winged sprint car fun with the BRM No. 17 team this weekend.
A winner of numerous USAC/CRA, USAC West Coast and USAC Southwest features in recent years and the all-time win leader in USAC West Coast Sprint Car competition, Bernal looks to collect his first USAC National Sprint Car win in a big way this weekend.