My fastest time at Knoxville is 15.7 seconds, and at a half mile in that amount of time. It’s on average 120 miles per hour; I’m probably topping at about 130 to 140 and probably lowing in the corner at about 100,” said Cole Garner, senior at LHS.
From racing go-karts at eight years old, to competing in his first sprint car race two days after his 16th birthday, Garner has big shoes to fill as the son of now nine-time Knocksville Raceway track champion Clint Garner. Despite this, Garner’s hard work and dedication have helped him exceed expectations early on in his career.
“While racing go-karts, I was the national champion in 2019 in the box stock class,” said Garner. “In a sprint car, I’ve won some heat races; I’ve started up front, but I have never actually won anything yet.”
For Garner, though, success is not just based on his stat sheet at the end of the year. He sees the beauty of racing as something that brings people together.

Competing with drivers with decades of experience and bottomless resources, Garner recognizes the work he has to put in to be successful and is thankful for everyone who has helped him succeed.
“I don’t get to practice; instead of practicing, I get to spend three or four hours a night every day in the summer just working, maintenancing, cleaning,” said Garner. It’s impossible to do by yourself. I’d say it’s one of the most hard-working sports there is.”
Knoxville Raceway, located about five hours away from Sioux Falls, is where Garner loves to compete. This is mainly due to the racetrack’s history and the longer half-mile course compared with the local Huset’s speedway. On a typical race weekend, Garner leaves school early on Friday to prepare for the race on Saturday.
“I do have some superstitions; I think green is bad luck. I refuse to put any color green on my racecar, any sponsor or anything if it’s green. I have had to turn away money because I won’t put green on,” said Garner.
While keeping green off of his car has kept him from any serious accidents, it has not kept him completely safe from the danger of the track.
“In my two years, I’ve only been involved in two incidents. One of them was a car that flipped in front of me, and I had nowhere to go, so I slammed on my brakes and power slid into him,” said Garner. “The other crash I got in was in Nebraska… she couldn’t see me coming around; she hit me, and it ended up breaking her front axle.”
Garner’s car, which is currently lying in bits and pieces around his shop, will be back in action at Knoxville in April 2025. After graduation, Garner plans to become a high school PE teacher while continuing to race cars. Before he retires, he has a few goals, which include a Knoxville win, getting to race the 410 nationals and watching his dad become a Hall of Famer.