KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Gio Scelzi will lead the 60th NOS Energy Knoxville Nationals from the pole on Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway.
Scelzi, driver of the KCP Racing No. 18 sprint car amassed the most points during the two nights of qualifying at the famed half-mile black-dirt track after qualifying second and finishing second on Wednesday night.
Scelzi’s 487 points were enough to outdistance Thursday’s top point earner Brad Sweet, who ended up with 481 markers. Sweet, who won the Nationals in 2018, will start outside the front row. Scelzi won last weekend’s 360 Knoxville Nationals at The Sprint Car Capital of the World.
Kyle Larson will start third in Paul Silva’s No. 57 after amassing the second highest-point total (480) on Thursday night. He will share the second row with Brent Marks, who earned 379 points on Thursday night.
Row three features 10-time Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz and David Gravel, who won the Nationals in 2019 and also won Wednesday’s preliminary night feature.
Kasey Kahne was Thursday’s fast qualifier in the Roth Motorsports No. 83 and he’ll start seventh on Saturday night for his second career A-main start. He shares row four with Logan Schuchart.
Brown and Ian Madsen share row five.
The final six drivers locked into Saturday night’s 50-lap feature are Brooke Tatnell, Tyler Courtney, James McFadden, Justin Henderson, Justin Peck and Danny Dietrich.
Courtney, Peck and Dietrich will all make their first A-main starts.
The 10 drivers locked into Saturday night’s B main are Josh Baughman, Carson Macedo, Sye Lynch, Spencer Bayston, Cory Eliason, Kraig Kinser, Paul McMahan, Kerry Madsen, Sheldon Haudenschild and Sam Hafertepe Jr.
The rest of the field will return to run in Friday’s Hard Knox qualifying program.
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