KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Drivers ranked 27th through 100 in points after two qualifying nights will take part in Friday night’s Hard Knox qualifying program during the 64th annual NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway.
Stacked with heavyweights the field will be competing for four guaranteed starting spots — positions 21 through 24 in Saturday night’s 50-lap, $195,000-to-win main event.
Four Knoxville Nationals winners headline the star-studded field that will compete in qualifying, heat races, mains and a 25-lap feature event.
That group is headlined by reigning World of Outlaws champion David Gravel, who crashed his Big Game Motorsports No. 2 in a heat race on Wednesday night. Gravel won the 2019 Knoxville Nationals.
Eleven-time Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz, who won last year’s Hard Knox feature, will also be in Friday night’s field hoping to put a season’s worth of struggles for the Tony Stewart Racing team behind him.
Schatz has started 24 consecutive Saturday night features and that streak is in serious jeopardy heading into Friday’s program.
Sammy Swindell (1983) and Tim Shaffer (2010) are the other former winners participating in the Hard Knox qualifying program.
Buddy Kofoid, the biggest money winner of the season in winged sprint car racing, suffered through a miserable qualifying night on Thursday aboard Dennis Roth’s No. 83.
He’ll hope to erase that sour note with a winning effort on Friday night.
Kings Royal winner Anthony Macri will be among the other contenders chasing one of the four coveted starting spots.
National tour regulars Sye Lynch, Daison Pursley, Conner Morrell, Danny Sams III, Cole Macedo, Brenham Crouch, Hunter Schuerenberg, Skylar Gee, Zach Hampton, Chase Randall and Tanner Thorson are also back for another try on Friday night.
Veteran racers Kerry Madsen, Daryn Pittman, Brady Bacon, Lucas Wolfe, Cap Henry, Justin Sanders and Terry McCarl are among the others to watch.
Friday Hard Knox Field
Tanner Holmes
Lucas Wolfe
Sye Lynch
Daison Pursley
Kerry Madsen
Carson McCarl
Daryn Pittman
Brady Bacon
Tasker Phillips
Blake Hahn
Jake Bubak
Sammy Swindell
David Gravel
Conner Morrell
Kelby Watt
Brandon Wimmer
Ashton Torgerson
Landon Crawley
Cap Henry
Danny Sams
Gage Pulkrabek
Jack Dover
Jimmy Light
Ayrton Gennetten
Kaleb Johnson
Justin Sanders
Chris Martin
Josh Schneiderman
Cole Macedo
Anthony Macri
Christopher Thram
Brenham Crouch
Roger Crockett
Brandon Spithaler
Riley Goodno
Michael Kofoid
Jason Martin
Hunter Schuerenberg
Chase Dietz
Skylar Gee
Donny Schatz
Sawyer Phillips
Logan Julien
Tim Shaffer
Kevin Thomas
Brian Brown
J.J. Hickle
Matt Juhl
Scott Winters
Clint Garner
Zach Hampton
Xavier Doney
Cole Mincer
Brooke Tatnell
Justin Henderson
Tim Kaeding
Jacob Hughes
Chase Randall
Austyn Gossel
Hank Davis
Justin Whittall
Jack Potter
Matt VanderVere
Matt Wasmund
Scotty Johnson
R.J. Johnson
Terry McCarl
Tyler Drueke
Ben Brown
Brandon Worthington
Tanner Thorson
Jamie Ball
Kasey Jedrzejek
Jordan Goldesberry
