8/6/2025
Knoxville Raceway
Guy Forbrook - Hall of Famer will be back in 2026
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 6, 2025) – Guy Forbrook has been racing at Knoxville Raceway since 1988, and has had incredible success at the half mile. Unfortunately he won't be participating with his number 5 sprint car this week at the Knoxville Nationals, and he will be missed by many. But once he gets through a speed bump and feeling 100%, he will be back next year.
He’s had an impressive resume of drivers working beside him, including Danny Lasoski, Jac Haudenschild, Johnny Herrera, Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Jeff Shepherd, Greg Hodnett, Bobby Davis, Stevie Smith, Kerry Madsen, Ronnie Schumann, Tim Kaeding, Tyler Walker, Ryan Timms, Keith Kaufman, Craig Dollansky, Jerry Richert Jr, Brook Tatnell, Brady Forbrook, Shane Stewart, Wayne Johnson, Parker Price Miller, just to name a few! Throughout his four decades competing at Knoxville Raceway Forbrook has 92 wins and 11 track championships. He is just shy of reaching 100 total wins at Knoxville, a goal he plans to achieve before he is ready to give up sprint car racing. He’s not done yet, just taking some time off to get his health back in order, after a very medically frustrating winter.
With a noticeable absence from Knoxville Raceway this year, Joanne Cram sits down to chat and ask Guy Forbrook some questions.
Joanne: When was the last time you raced at Knoxville?
Guy: We raced the last race of 2024 with Ryan Timms and having him drive the car came about after talking with his dad. I decided to do some things that weekend with Ryan. We did Knoxville and Husets, then the World of Outlaws the weekend after. Randy had wanted to give a Ryan a different car to try and see what it was like without running his own family car. Ryan is a good kid and has a lot of talent.
Joanne: What does our offseason look like for 2025-2026?
Guy: I had surgery on November 25th to replace the rods in my spine that were placed back in 2018. They did the surgery, and unbeknownst to them, they had cracked a vertebra. I told him there was something not right. Four weeks after surgery, the vertebra shattered and went into my spinal cord, and then I lost the feeling in my legs. It’s still not back between my knees and feet and I have a lot of tingling. I had to go back in for another 12 hour surgery, making this 18 hours total of surgery at this point. They had to put the vertebra back together to get off my spinal cord, then they took the rods and extended them to my pelvis. My mobility is half of what it was. We will have to wait and see what all goes on and how I progress. After my original injury when I was 21 I had feeling in my legs and taught myself to stand and could lift into my trucks to drive. I have no mobility now in my legs, so this has been extremely challenging. If I lay flat with my arms out, I’m sore after these two surgeries with the rods. I’d like to do more racing, but not until I’m healthy. Racing and working on my cars is really good for me to keep me going. I’m working on some really good things for the race car, but like I said, I’m not coming back till all my ducks are in a row. I was at my worst at 21 when my accident happened, and I can tell you now, that after these surgeries my lowest was worse. But I’m slowly getting back to where I need to be.
Joanne: You tested at Knoxville a few weeks back. How did that go?
Guy: Yeah, it was the first time down to Knoxville for me since 2024. Donny (Schatz) and I decided to do a test. Donny and I go way back, he was on the road with us back in 1997 when I was with the Pennzoil car racing with Jac. Being from back home in the same neck of the woods, Donny and his dad decided that he should just kind of follow us on the World of Outlaws Tour so we could help him out if he ever needed it. We talked about a half a year ago about doing a couple things and have some fun with the cars and about having his nieces come down to Knoxville to get some laps here too. So, we did a track rental, and he brought a car down for the girls and then I brought my car down for him to just shake my new motor down and work on some new things I was trying with the car. He was testing some new stuff out for me, and after that I came home and stripped the car down after what I learned; and I’m still putting it all back together. Donny was able to watch his nieces while on the track with them, and followed them around the track several laps to give them feedback as well. It wasn’t one of those testing sessions where we had high stress stops between track sessions, I came with a plan to try some things and learn some things and we just kind of have some fun and get some laps. I did learn a lot with my car, and when I’m ready to come back and thrown down, I’ll be ready.
Joanne: Do you plan to run the Nationals?
Guy: No, I tore my rotator cuff in my right arm last month. Last year I tore the left and had to have surgery. With this injury not being as bad as last year’s I can actually heal it by just taking it easy and not having another surgery, so that’s what I need to do. I would like to try to run Jackson and Huset's with some of the upcoming Outlaw shows and the higher profile shows coming up just to get to know what’s going on with my motors. I had planned on running the Nationals, and actually had had Cory Eliason planning to run my car, but with my newest injury I had to step back. I’d like to take some time off this winter to get some warmth in my body, then come back fully ready to go. We may still team up at the end of the season, but I have to listen to what my body needs for right now before I can make any hard-core plans.
Joanne: What are your race plans for the near future and long term?
Guy: I have some goals for Knoxville for sure. Those same goals that I have include the people who started out with me when I was first going down here back in the 80’s when we started the team: Al Cole, Dan Holland, Jim Morrison, Danny Gardner- all of us had goals back at the start. Then we went out on our own ways and everyone has gotten older and gone different ways. When I achieve these goals, I want those guys who were behind me back then to be a part of it. I want to get to 100 wins, and we aren’t that far away. We have 92 wins with like 12 different guys. I want to get healthy so I can get back down there and back to racing. If I get one more championship I think that will be 12. Obviously, the Nationals is a goal, but I don’t talk about that.
Joanne: Who do you see partnering with you to drive your car?
Guy: Next year, I don’ have any idea. We have a lot of things to work out. I don’t even know who I’d put in it if I run Huset's and Jackson at the end of the year. I’ve talked to a couple guys and have some ideas, but I have to get all the pieces together. It’s hard to know who will be available and be switching rides at this time of the season looking into next year. And with my health on the mend, it’s just too early to make those plans.
Article Credit: Joanne Cram
Submitted By: Eric Arnold
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