Driving through the Marion County residential area, every home is decorated in checkered flags and paraphernalia representing their favorite drivers.

The dream season continues.

There were nights in recent years when Kyle Larson slept through the scene that became his reality Saturday night — taking the checkered flag, making the right turn into victory lane and climbing atop his #57 car as the Knoxville Nationals champion.

No community in Iowa goes through an annual August metamorphosis quite like Knoxville. Sprint car haulers roll in, racing enthusiasts follow and this community of 7,200 residents quadruples for a week.

It’s not quite Kyle Larson versus The World at the 60th Knoxville Nationals but why would you pick against the Paul Silva No. 57 right now?

Anthony Macri stopped mid-sentence and pushed his glasses up toward his forehead as he gathered his thoughts and tried to stop the moisture from escaping his eyes and streaming down his face.

Two years ago this week, David Gravel was standing in victory lane at the Knoxville Nationals with Jeff Gordon and Mark Webber, $150,000 richer.

It’s time to find out who will "make the A the Hard Knox Way" in the Knoxville Nationals.

When the literal and figurative smoke cleared early Friday morning after Day 2 of the Knoxville Nationals spilled into Day 3, Brian Brown and Kyle Larson sat down beside each other, kicked back and exhaled.

"Can we just go this once without talking about Kyle Larson?"

David Gravel’s evening began Wednesday with the unveiling of his image on one of the hallowed pillars inside Knoxville Raceway’s Avenue of Champions.