KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Thursday’s Toyota Qualifying Night at the 65th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals will be all about Kyle Larson and who might be able to beat him.
Larson, who started Nationals week by driving Paul Silva’s No. 57 sprint car to victory in the Capitani Classic, is the only former Nationals winner in the field for Friday night. Larson previously won the Nationals in 2021, 2024 and 2024.
The Elk Grove, Calif., native has won seven winged 410 sprint car features this season.
One of the biggest threats to Larson will be Aaron Reutzel aboard the No. 87 Ridge & Sons machine. Reutzel, who is second in the High Limit Racing standings, has won 12 features this season, including two at Knoxville Raceway.
Brent Marks, driver of the Chase Briscoe Racing No. 19, won a World of Outlaws race at Knoxville earlier this season and is another of the High Limit regulars in action on Thursday.
Tyler Courtney, the 2024 360 Nationals winner, will drive the Clauson Marshall Racing No. 7bc in pursuit of his first Knoxville Nationals triumph.
Other High Limit regulars scheduled to race on Thursday are Brenham Crouch, Daison Pursley, Chase Randall, Kerry Madsen and Tanner Thorson.
Logan Schuchart, who won Saturday’s Ironman 55 for the World of Outlaws, will be looking to make his eighth Nationals feature aboard the Shark Racing No. 1s. Schuchart’s best Knoxville finish was second in 2019.
Buddy Kofoid, a 10-time World of Outlaws winner this season with Roth Motorsports, will be looking for his best Knoxville Nationals result aboard the familiar No. 83
Other World of Outlaws drivers in action on Thursday will be Cason Macedo, Skylar Gee, Bill Balog, Spencer Bayston, Garet Williamson and Connor Morrell.
Perennial Nationals contenders Brian Brown, Daryn Pittman and Parker Price-Miller will also be in the field. Brown has finished second three times and Pittman started on the pole last year. Looking to make his 19th Nationals A-main, Pittman’s best finish was third in 2019.
Headling the local contingent will be multi-time Knoxville Raceway champion Terry McCarl and his sons Austin and Carson, who have also won track titles at the half-mile race track.
The Wednesday and Thursday night winners will each receive $12,000, while the winner of Saturday night’s main event gets a $200,000 pay day from a four-day purse of $1,187,605.
Thursday – Toyota Qualifying Night 2
1M – Sean McClelland, Tulsa, OK (R)
1s – Logan Schuchart, Hanover, PA
1TZ – Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA
1X – Scott Bogucki, Mclaren Vale, SA
2M – J.J. Hickle, Quilcene, WA
3 – Ayrton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, MO
4C – Cameron Martin, Ankeny, IA
5 – Brenham Crouch, Lubbock, TX
G5 – Gage Pulkrabek, East Grand Forks, MN
6DC – Will Armitage, Athens, IL (R)
7BC – Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, IN
8 – John Carney, El Paso, TX
09 – Matt Juhl, Tea, SD
9 – Daison Pursley, Locust Grove, OK
9R – Chase Randall, Waco, TX
12X – Landon Crawley, Benton, AR
14T – Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, Aust.
15JR – Cole Mincer, Burlington, IA
15K – Creed Kemenah, Alvada, OH (R)
16C – Skylar Gee, Leduc, ALB, Can
16G – Austyn Gossel, Fort Collins, CO
17 – Spencer Bayston, Lebanon, IN
17A – Jack Anderson, Newton, IA
17B – Bill Balog, North Pole, AK
19 – Brent Marks, Myerstown, PA
19HM- Kaleb Johnson, Brandon, SD
21 – Brian Brown, Higginsville, MO
23 – Garet Williamson, Columbia, MO
23L- Jimmy Light, Pittsboro, IN
24 – Terry McCarl, Altoona,IA
26R – Levi Hillier, Burlington, WA (R)
27 – Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA
27B – Garrett Benson, Concordia, MO (R)
28M – Connor Morrell, Bradenton, FL
31 – Cale Thomas, Greenfield, IN
33W – Cap Henry, Republic, OH
40 – Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD
41 – Carson Macedo, Lemoore, CA
44 – Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA
45D – Derek Hagar, Marion, AR
49 – Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA
55 – Kerry Madsen, Knoxville, IA
56 – Joe Simbro, Swan, IA
57 – Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA
69K – Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK
71 – Parker Price Miller, Kokomo, IN
74 – Xavier Doney, Odessa, MO
83 – Michael Kofoid, Penngrove, CA
87 – Aaron Reutzel, Clute, TX
87x – Ashton Torgerson, Glendale, AZ
88T – Tanner Thorson, Broken Arrow, OK
88W – Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA
