Lily Knute Keeps Family Legacy of Racing Alive at Bemidji Speedway

Sometimes, we can’t explain why we’re drawn to the things we love, like there’s some invisible force nudging us towards our destiny. But for one of Bemidji Speedway’s newest racers, the answer very literally runs through her veins.

16-year-old Lily Knute had an itch for racing, a need for speed. And it’s in her blood.

“I love the adrenaline,” she said excitedly. “Feeling the horsepower, just being able to be out there [on the track].”

On her father’s side, her grandpa Dwight Knute is a Bemidji Speedway Hall of Famer, and her dad Sky raced as well. Or so she’s heard.

“I was not alive yet,” she admitted. “So I didn’t see any recordings or anything.”

Her uncle Quinton, who worked in the pits for both Dwight and Sky, now helps with Lily’s car and isn’t surprised she took to racing.

“It’s kind of funny how that all comes out in the end,” said Quinton. “No recollection of it at all, but still has it in her blood that she wants to race and go fast. So that’s what she’s doing.”

On her mother’s side, Grandpa Tweed raced snowmobiles, and Lily cut her teeth powder puff racing at the Garfield Lake ice races. But it was the dirt track she yearned for.

“I was not ready for that, but my dad got involved and it was off to the races,” said Lily’s mother Brittany. “Literally!”

“I give all the credit to [Grandpa Tweed],” added Lily. “He built the car. He made it start. He put in the money and the time and the effort to do it.”

“As a grandfather, you know you’re just gonna do it for the kids. And I love it, too,” Rod Tweed said with a smile. “So it’s both of us. We’ve got it in our blood, I guess.”

On May 31st, Lily lost some her family blood with the death of Grandpa Dwight.

“He passed away a week before I started racing, actually,” said Lily. “So that was kind of sucky.”

Adding to the adversity, her Dad Sky has to cheer her on from prison.

“He wants me to do this so bad,” she continued. “He’s so happy for me, even though he can’t be here for me.”

Lily still has plenty of support in the stands from her aunts, uncles, and mother Brittany, despite the risks involved.

“Every single time that she gets in her car, I worry,” admitted Brittany.

In just her second race, Lily hit the concrete barrier wall and flipped her car, turning Brittany’s world upside down.

“I got down to the track as fast as I could, and I was on my knees and I was praying that my little girl was okay,” she said.

Relief came in the form of two thumbs up. Mom could breath again—until Lily’s racing blood kicked in.

“I literally wanted to be out there the next second and wanted to get back on the track,” said Lily.

Grandpa Tweed would need to fix the car first, but two weeks later on Sunday race day, literal hours after Grandpa Dwight’s memorial service, Lily was back on the dirt—because it’s in her blood.

“If he could see me, I think he’d be proud, even though I’m not, obviously I’m not up to his level,” Lily joked. “I’m hoping I can be.”

“He would be so proud of her,” added Brittany. “We know that he’s up there cheering for her right now, even though he can’t be here with us.”

And now, because of Lily’s passion for racing, a Knute will continue to take the track at Bemidji Speedway.

“I definitely want to pursue this as far as I can,” said Lily. “A lot of the women I know are way older, in their forties, and I want to do that, too. I want to be as brave as them. Stick through it, even though it’s not always a good year.”

She added with a smile, “Just like how I rolled my car last weekend.”

She’s hoping to keep the rolling to a minimum in the future, but in her immediate future, she’s getting a head start on college and taking all her senior classes at Bemidji State University next year as part of the PSEO program, allowing her to get high school and college credit at the same time. As of now, Lily wants to get a degree in accounting at BSU.