KNOXVILLE, Iowa — With 26 drivers locked into Saturday night’s racing program for the 60th annual NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals, 71 more have another opportunity to race their way into the big event through Friday night’s FVP Hard Knox event at Knoxville Raceway.
Friday’s event will consist of split field qualifying, six heats, a C main, two B mains and the Hard Knox 25-lap feature with the top four finishers in the main event locked into starting positions 21-24 in Saturday’s A-main. Points from the first two nights do not impact Friday’s program.
It shapes up to be a competitive evening of racing at the historic half-mile with a strong mix of up-and-coming drivers, grizzled veterans and proven winners taking to the track.
The field is led by Rico Abreu, who came up a single-point short of locking into Saturday’s program. Abreu will be chasing his sixth Nationals A-main start.
Two former Knoxville Nationals winners will be in Friday night’s field. Sammy Swindell, who won the Nationals in 1983, will drive Pete Grove’s No. 70, which he put in the feature on Thursday night. Tim Shaffer, who won the 2010 50th running of the Nationals, will also be competing.
Former Knoxville Raceway track champions Terry and Austin McCarl, five-time 360 Nationals winner Shane Stewart, World of Outlaws regulars Jason Sides, Wayne Johnson, Jacob Allen and Brock Zearfoss will also be in the field.
Jac Haudenschild, in his final Nationals appearance, will have to qualify through the Hard Knox night as will Tim Kaeding, McKenna Haase, Daryn Pittman, Anthony Macri, Bill Balog, Zeb Wise and a host of others.