Pillager's Knebel on BIR team in Kansas

Pillager High School graduate Andy Knebel is one of 37 drag racers who will represent Brainerd International Raceway this weekend at the NHRA West Central Division Summit Racing ET Finals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan.

Knebel will be a member of the BIR high school team. Winner of the high school class receives a $1,000 scholarship.

BIR's team will compete against teams from 20 other tracks in the NHRA's West Central Division, which includes Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado and Canada.

At stake are individual and team honors, $100,000 in purse and contingency awards as well as a chance to compete against the top racers from the NHRA's other six divisions for a national championship during the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Finals Nov. 12-15 at Pomona, Calif.

BIR's team includes some of the top racers in the track's Bracket Drag Racing Series, a seven-race series in which drivers compete for series points, prize money and a track championship at the end of the season.

BIR's roster includes four racers who will compete in the Race of Champions, which features the top racer from each track in each class (excluding high school). They compete head-to-head to decide who advances to the race in California. Last year, BIR's Andy Schmall and Tim Lewandowski won their classes in the Race of Champions.

BIR team members

SUPER PRO

Mike Campbell, Brooklyn Park (Race of Champions representative); Ryan Scheleck, St. Cloud; *John Bastyr, Savage; Myron Streit, St. Cloud; Larry Wiebusch Jr., Zimmerman; Larry Wiebusch Sr., Coon Rapids; Greg Collins, Wyoming; Kayla Lundberg, Isanti; Rick Beaulieu, Forest Lake; Greg Grundman, St. Cloud; Ronnie Luberda, Foley; * Andy Schmall, Lino Lakes; Amy Jo Luberda, Sauk Rapids; Mark Ryberg, Foley

PRO

Dennis Remer, Wyoming (Race of Champions representative); *John Bastyr, Savage; Scott Dugdale, Circle Pines; Charlie Giddings, Ramsey; Aaron Milton, Maple Grove; Travis Hjelle, Strandquist; Dave Engler, Ramsey; Nick Engler, Isanti; Joe Schmall, Lino Lakes; *Andy Schmall, Lino Lakes; Stacey Nelson, Wyoming; Bob Ingman, Andover; Jeff Anderson, Elk River

SPORTSMAN

Jaime Turcotte, Coon Rapids (Race of Champions representative); John Helmin, Rice; Kevin Rolph, Minneapolis; Rory Emmans, Dayton; Brad Mickle, Lino Lakes

MOTORCYCLE

Toby Giese, Kandiyohi (Race of Champions representative); Brian Johnson, Nowthen; Mark Gode, Bloomington; Jeff Lanoue, Zimmerman

HIGH SCHOOL

Brandon Schmall, Lino Lakes; Andy Knebel, Pillager; Katlyn Milton, Maple Grove

*Competing in two different classes