KNOXVILLE, Iowa — No driver from Iowa has ever won the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals.
But Iowa driver Austin McCarl starts on the pole for Saturday night’s 61st annual event at the legendary Knoxville Raceway located on the Marion County Fairgrounds.
McCarl, the son of seven-time Knoxville Raceway champion Terry McCarl, is the 2018 track champion. He amassed the most points during the two qualifying nights and will start his No. 88 from the front row for the first time. His dad led the field to the green flag in 2004. It’s Austin McCarl’s third Nationals A-main.
McCarl shares the front row with Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing driver Tyler Courtney. Courtney earned the second-most points during qualifying and will make his second start in the Knoxville main event. Courtney is the reigning All Star Circuit of Champions title winner and the series point leader. He also won last year’s Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway.
Most would agree that the five favorites to cash the big check after 50 laps will start in positions three through five.
Ten-time Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz starts his Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 third. Schatz finished second on Wednesday night and in Sunday’s Capitani Classic. Schatz has shown speed in recent weeks and his ability to set up a car for the black-dirt half-mile is unmatched.
David Gravel won the Nationals in 2019 while driving for Jason Johnson Racing. Gravel starts fourth aboard the Big Game Motorsports No. 2. It will be Gravel’s 10th Nationals feature and he has six top-10 finishes in his previous nine starts.
Carson Macedo starts the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 from fifth. Led by crew chief Phillip Dietz, JJR has won the Nationals twice — with its namesake Jason Johnson in 2016 and with Gravel in 2019. It will be Macedo’s third A-main start. His previous best finish is eight.
Rolling off sixth will be defending Knoxville Nationals and NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. Larson will wheel the familiar Paul Silva-prepared No. 57 sprint car after commuting back to Iowa from Cup Series qualifying at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
Larson not only won the Nationals last year, but topped the One & Only during the 2020 pandemic season. However, Larson struggled on big tracks this season before showing tremendous speed in a run from 22nd to fifth on Thursday.
It will be Larson’s seventh feature start.
Pennsylvania traveler Brent Marks starts seventh. Marks’ successful season aboard the No. 19 M & M sprint car has been well documented. He’s won 13 features, including the Kings Royal and Historical Big One at Eldora Speedway. He also won a World of Outlaws main event at Knoxville in June.
Marks’ best Nationals effort in his previous three starts was a sixth-place run last year.
Having reunited with Pennsylvania car owner Mike Heffner a month ago, Daryn Pittman makes his 18thKnoxville Nationals feature start from eighth position. However, Pittman’s last appearance in the A main came in 2019 when he finished third for Roth Motorsports. It was his best Nationals finish.
The 2018 Nationals winner, Brad Sweet makes his 10th Nationals feature start aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49. Sweet won last week’s Ironman 55 and has shown great speed in recent weeks. He has six top-10 finishes in his previous nine Nationals.
Journeyman Washington racer J.J. Hickle, who has raced full-time in the Midwest this season, will start 10th in his first Nationals A-main.Â
Jacob Allen won Thursday’s preliminary feature for his fourth World of Outlaws victory of the season. Allen starts 11th in his second Nationals A-main aboard his grandfather Bobby Allen’s familiar Shark Racing No. 1a.
Parker Price-Miller makes his third Nationals feature appearance from 12th starting spot aboard the Sam McGhee Motorsports No. 11p.
A pair of rookies share row seven with Justin Sanders driving Kevin Swindell’s No. 39 sprint car and USAC midget champion Buddy Kofoid aboard the Neumeister Racing No. 11x.
Iowa farmer Tasker Phillips makes his Nationals debut in his 11th attempt to qualify for the main event, starting 15th. He starts alongside Knoxville Raceway point leader Aaron Reutzel, who won last week’s 360 Knoxville Nationals. Reutzel has three top-10 finishes in his previous three Nationals features.
Positions 17-10 will be filled through tonight’s B mains.
The transfers from Friday’s Hard Knox program lineup in the final four spots, led by race winner Rico Abreu. Abreu makes his seventh Nationals feature start.
Veteran Kerry Madsen will start 22nd in his 15th main event. His best finish was second in 2015.
Sheldon Haudenschild and Brian Brown share row 12. Haudenschild makes his fourth feature start, while Brown will be in the main event for the 12th time. He was the runner-up in 2012, ’13 and ’14.
Heavy hitters dot the B main field with Gio Scelzi and Logan Schuchart, who won Wednesday’s preliminary feature, sharing the front row. Lynton Jeffrey and Zeb Wise start in row two.
James McFadden, Justin Peck, Cole Macedo, Ian Madsen, Kasey Kahne and Tim Kaeding round out the top 10 starters.
The night starts with the E main, followed by the D, C and B mains leading up to the Nationals grand finale.
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