Schatz & Gravel Head Wednesday Nationals Field

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Defending and 11-time Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz will headline the field on the opening night of qualifying Wednesday for the 62nd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s at Knoxville Raceway.

Co-headlining the night’s card will be David Gravel, who won the Nationals in 2019 while driving for Jason Johnson Racing. Tim Shaffer, the 2010 Nationals winner, will also compete on opening night.

Aboard the Tony Stewart Racing No. 15, Schatz will be looking to tie Steve Kinser as the leading winner in race history with a 12th victory. Gravel, who has won 10 World of Outlaws races driving the Big Game Motorsports No. 2 this season, will chase his second Nationals title at the historic half-mile track.

Schatz and Gravel lead a full field of competitors into the first of two nights of qualifying where point totals matter, with the top 16 points earners after two nights locked into Saturday’s main event, which will pay $185,000 to win.

Leading the challengers on Wednesday night will be Knoxville Raceway regular Aaron Reutzel, who has been a frequent winner at Knoxville in recent seasons and has been a front runner in every big event this season aboard the Ridge & Sons No. 8.

Pennsylvania traveler Brent Marks, who finished seventh and sixth in the past two Nationals, has shown the speed to contend aboard the No. 19 Murray Marks Motorsports machine.

Joining Schatz and Gravel as part of the World of Outlaws contingent in action on the opening night will be Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing pilot Sheldon Haudenschild, KCP Racing’s Gio Scelzi and Roth Motorsports driver James McFadden, who has won four Outlaw features this season.

Kerry Madsen, a former Nationals runner-up and Knoxville track champion, will pilot the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55, while Zeb Wise will be aboard the Rudeen Racing entry and Shane Stewart returns to the wheel of Bernie Stuebjen’s Indy Race Parts entry looking to make his 21st Nationals main event.

Kraig Kinser was recently hired to drive Pete Grove’s familiar No. 70 machine. Kinser won the Nationals in 2006.

Recent High Limit Racing feature winner Justin Peck leads the next group of contenders that includes Justin Sanders, Hunter Schuerenberg, Parker Price-Miller, Kasey Kahne, Mark Dobmeier, Jacob Allen, rookie Corey Day, Chase Randall and four-time USAC champion Brady Bacon.

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