KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Kaleb Johnson led flag to flag on night one of the 34th annual Xtream Powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals Presented by Great Southern Bank at Knoxville Raceway.
The Sioux Falls, S.D., native earned his first win aboard the DGRD No. 6, giving that team its maiden victory at Knoxville. The win was worth $3,000 and Johnson is the 13th different first-time feature winner at Knoxville in 2024.
Johnson led from the pole position in the 18-lapper early, trailed by Kade Higday, Matt Covington, Austi McCarl and Emerson Axsom.
Johnson used his preferred low line to pull away from the pack and enter lapped traffic on the ninth circuit. McCarl got by Covington for third at the halfway point.
Chase Randall was on the move after starting outside row six, and on lap 12, advanced from sixth to fourth. His charge continued with a pass of McCarl with four to go for third. He reeled in Higday and passed him on the high side for second with two to go, but ran out of laps to catch Johnson.
Johnson’s win came ahead of Randall, Higday, Austin McCarl and Axsom.
Aaron Reutzel set quick time over the 54-car field.
Axsom leads the pack in points with 488 heading into Saturday’s final. Austin McCarl, Jamie Ball, Johnson and Terry McCarl make up the top five in points pending Friday’s qualifying night.
“I think it definitely helped to start on the pole,” said Johnson. “I saw the moisture coming up on the bottom with the humidity. I’m a little tired, but I was going to make sure I wasn’t going to lose that one. I feel like I’ve had so many chances, not only here, but other places, and I just wasn’t able to do it. It was good to finally put a full night together.”
“I feel a lot better after that run,” said Randall of his hard-charger effort. “We were kind of chasing some issues all night. We just weren’t comfortable in the racecar. I think it ran a lot better there, passing a lot of good cars and getting up to second in that feature. I wish we had a yellow. I was really maneuverable in traffic and I wish I had a chance at Kaleb, but he did a good job and was way out there.”
Higday was third.
“We’re really fast,” said Higday. “We just need to get better at the end of that race. We need to capitalize when we get to lapped traffic, and we were pretty bad there in that dirty air. That allowed Chase to get by us, and luckily we didn’t run fourth or fifth. I hope this sets us up decently.”
The finish:
Feature (20 Laps): 1. Kaleb Johnson (1); 2. Chase Randall (12); 3. Kade Higday (2); 4. Austin McCarl (6); 5. Emerson Axsom (8); 6. Justin Peck (3); 7. Terry McCarl (5); 8. Jamie Ball (7); 9. Matt Covington (4); 10. Riley Goodno (9); 11. Matt Juhl (15); 12. Hunter Schuerenberg (13); 13. Cole Macedo (22); 14. Garet Williamson (16); 15. Aaron Reutzel (21); 16. Tanner Holmes (19); 17. Chase Johnson (20); 18. Brandon Anderson (11); 19. Jacob Hughes (14); 20. Jason Martin (18); 21. Seth Bergman (24); 22. Calvin Landis (10); 23. Cole Garner (23); 24. Blake Hahn (17).