KNOXVILLE, Iowa — For the second consecutive year, Kyle Larson will start the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals from the pole.
Larson raced through the field to win Thursday night’s preliminary night feature for the 63rd annual event and ended the night tied in points with fast qualifier Daryn Pittman, each with 490 markers.
By virtue of his victory, Larson earns the pole aboard Paul Silva’s familiar No. 57, while Pittman will start second driving Don Kreitz Jr.’s No. 69k machine.
The second row will also be made up of Thursday night qualifiers with Tyler Courtney (483) earning the third spot in the Clauson Marshall Racing No. 7bc and Carson Macedo (480) starting fourth for Jason Johnson Racing.
Giovanni Scelzi, who won Wednesday night’s feature driving the KPC Racing No. 18, will start fifth in Saturday’s $190,000-to-win main event.
He shares the third row with Thursday night runner-up Rico Abreu.
Knoxville Raceway regular Brian Brown and Pennsylvania traveler Anthony Macri will start from row four, while four-time USAC sprint car champion Brady Bacon and Australian Scott Bogucki, who races weekly at Knoxville, share row five.
Other drivers locked into Saturday’s main event are Corey Day, Brent Marks, Bill Balog, Sheldon Haudenschild, Chase Randall and Jacob Allen.
Ten more drivers are locked into the B main, while the remainder of the Wednesday and Thursday night qualifiers will return Friday to run the Hard Knox program, which will lock the top four finishers into starting spots 21-24 in Saturday night’s 50-lap main event.
There will be some heavy hitters in action Friday night, including 11-time Nationals winner Donny Schatz and Logan Schuchart.
Locked In For Saturday
A Main Qualifiers
1 57 Kyle Larson 490
2 69K Daryn Pittman 490
3 7BC Tyler Courtney 483
4 41 Carson Macedo 480
5 18 Giovanni Scelzi 471
6 24R Rico Abreu 470
7 21 Brian Brown 467
8 39M Anthony Macri 465
9 21H Brady Bacon 463
10 10 Scott Bogucki 460
11 14 Corey Day 459
12 19 Brent Marks 458
13 17B Bill Balog 458
14 17 Sheldon Haudenschild 457
15 2KS Chase Randall 456
16 1A Jacob Allen 453
B Main Qualifiers
17 49 Brad Sweet 452
18 13 Justin Peck 450
19 83SR James McFadden 444
20 8 Cory Eliason 444
21 09 Matt Juhl 444
22 2 David Gravel 443
23 23 Garet Williamson 443
24 3J Dusty Zomer 436
25 3Z Brock Zearfoss 435
26 33W Cap Henry 433
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