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Knoxville Nationals
Knoxville Raceway | Knoxville, Iowa
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Race Recap  

TWICE AS NICE: Kyle Larson Leads All 50 Laps for Second Knoxville Nationals Title

Kyle Larson continues to amaze.

With the lights their brightest. With the stage its biggest. With all eyes on him starting on the pole of the 62nd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals. Larson put together a flawless 50 laps.

The Elk Grove, CA native led flag to flag in The Granddaddy of ‘Em All. The man who doesn’t even race a Sprint Car full-time looked as if he never takes a day off from driving one on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway. Lining up against the absolute best drivers the sport has to offer, Larson went effectively unchallenged on his way to Knoxville Nationals glory and $185,000. The win was his 32nd with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in only his 136th career start.

The triumph was a special one for Larson who was racing with a heavy heart. A close friend of Larson’s – Lowell Moural – passed away two days before the finale. Moural, who owned Cycleland Speedway and worked at Silver Dollar Speedway, helped the Californian not only in racing, but in life.

“Lowell meant so much to my life not only my career but my life,” an emotional Larson said. “I’ve always compared Cycleland to a mini-Knoxville. I had years and years of experience there racing in the outlaw karts. Lowell and Becky (wife) have done so much for me as well as everybody in this pit area. I’m sure there’s a lot of kids in the stands and adults in the stands that have grown up racing at Cycleland. Lowell meant so much to us.”

The victory put Larson in an elite group. “Yung Money” became only the eighth driver to claim multiple Knoxville Nationals titles after also topping the 60th running in 2021. He also joined Donny Schatz from 2015 as the only drivers to lead every lap since the Feature’s total was upped to 50. An especially meaningful pair of accomplishments for a competitor who puts the event at the top of his list.

“I’m so excited to win another Crown Jewel, another Knoxville Nationals feels amazing,” Larson said. “This is my favorite week of the year. I look forward to this event all year long. It’s all I think about all week.”

When the green flag flew, Larson took advantage of his pole position and quickly jumped out to an early lead. In his pursuit of a record-tying 12th Knoxville Nationals win, Donny Schatz moved into second after starting third on the first lap.

The early laps clicked away, and Larson extended his advantage aboard the Silva Motorsports #57 each time around the track. With 36 laps remaining, Abreu regained control of the second spot from Schatz right before the race’s first yellow flew as Chase Randall lost a left rear tire. Then, under caution, heartbreak hit Abreu as his right rear went down, sending him to the Federated Car Care Work Zone.

The restart saw Larson promptly pull away again and maintain control before the yellow flew for the mandatory stop at the halfway mark. Teams were allowed to tinker with the cars, allowing Larson’s renowned car owner and crew chief – Paul Silva – to work his magic before the final half of the race. Silva has played an integral part of Larson’s Sprint Car career – a fact he made sure to acknowledge after the race.

Kyle Larson racing at Knoxville
Kyle Larson was on a mission in the 50-lap Knoxville Nationals Feature, leading every lap (Trent Gower Photo)

“I’m glad we could get this black and blue #57 in Victory Lane for him (Paul),” Larson said. “He’s worked so hard. It’s amazing to see his hard work pay off. From 20 years old owning a Sprint Car to the success he’s had throughout the years. I love him. He’s the greatest at what he does.”

In the second half of the race, the battles raged on behind Larson. Logan Schuchart surged into second and appeared as if he may present a challenge. But mechanical issues brought his run to a stop late in the going.

The biggest story outside of Larson came in the form of David Gravel. After racing his way into the main event through Friday’s Hard Knox night, Gravel lined up 22nd for the finale in the Big Game Motorsports #2. Inside the last 20 laps, he surged into the top five and kept pecking away.

On the race’s final restart with 10 laps to go, Gravel battled with Schatz for multiple laps before finally securing the runner-up spot and setting his sights on Larson. But it was too little, too late as Larson was too far ahead. The checkered flag flew for Larson as he claimed the 62nd running of Sprint Car racing’s biggest race.

“He (Gravel) had me really nervous coming from 22nd there,” Larson admitted. “You can never count any of those guys out no matter where they start. 50 long laps here is a lot of time. I’m just glad I was able to do my homework this week and execute a flawless 50 laps.”

Gravel’s valiant charge led him to back-to-back Knoxville Nationals runner-ups and three top twos in the last four factoring in his 2019 victory. The second place effort was worth $85,000. The Watertown, CT native was undoubtedly proud of he and his team’s effort to rebound after an unfortunate prelim, but coming so close two years straight left Gravel feeling hungry.

“Did you guys like that show from the back?” Gravel asked an energetic crowd. “Man, I want to be a two-time winner of the Knoxville Nationals so bad. Two seconds in a row now. I gave one away last year, and tonight I needed a couple more laps. I had a really good car. The track has been really consistent this Nationals. They till the top and it’s really fast around the top. I was able to get going early and kind of had a couple bad laps about 10 laps in but then got to the top and knew that’s where I needed to be the rest of the race.”

Rounding out the top three was Donny Schatz to bank $45,000. The Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing pilot fell slightly short of tying Steve Kinser’s record total of 12 Knoxville Nationals, but he did still manage to reach an impressive mark. The third place run was Schatz’s 20th podium in the Knoxville Nationals finale, all coming in his last 24 attempts. Simply put, Schatz felt they were missing just a little something to compete for the win.

“We were kind of hanging there before when the race started,” Schatz said. “We could get to the bottom pretty good. I thought we had a chance when we had one of those restarts and went to the top and could kind of keep pace with him. I was running it for everything it was worth. It just wasn’t enough. The racetrack was definitely different than the other night. I guess we just didn’t have enough changes with it.”

Completing the top five was Giovanni Scelzi and Carson Macedo.

Gravel’s run to the front gave him the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

The Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown was claimed by Justin Peck.

After an early flat tire, Chase Randall rebounded to run 13th and claim the Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year Award.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are bound for Minnesota where Jackson Motorplex will host the 45th Annual AGCO Jackson Nationals on August 17-19 with $25,000 going to the winner of the finale. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS:

A Main (50 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson[1]; 2. 2-David Gravel[22]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz[3]; 4. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[9]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo[5]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet[16]; 7. 24-Rico Abreu[2]; 8. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[8]; 9. 55-Kerry Madsen[7]; 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[20]; 11. 5-Spencer Bayston[13]; 12. 14-Corey Day[10]; 13. 2KS-Chase Randall[14]; 14. 21-Brian Brown[19]; 15. 4-Ian Madsen[11]; 16. 8-Aaron Reutzel[21]; 17. 3J-Dusty Zomer[12]; 18. 9P-Parker Price Miller[18]; 19. 13-Justin Peck[17]; 20. 7BC-Anthony Macri[15]; 21. 2M-Davey Heskin[24]; 22. 10-Scott Bogucki[23]; 23. 1S-Logan Schuchart[4]; 24. 39-Hunter Schuerenberg[6]

[Read More]
Results  
Feature Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
11057Kyle Larson 500.00050Running90$185,000
222+202David Gravel 50-0.713Running90$85,000
33015Donny Schatz 50-5.450Running90$45,000
49+518Giovanni Scelzi 50-6.277Running90$30,000
55041Carson Macedo 50-7.559Running90$25,000
616+1049Brad Sweet 50-10.241Running90$24,000
72-524Rico Abreu 50-11.123Running90$23,000
88083JRMichael Kofoid 50-11.834Running90$22,000
97-255Kerry Madsen 50-11.953Running90$21,000
1020+1017Sheldon Haudenschild 50-12.849Running90$22,000
1113+25Spencer Bayston 50-13.282Running90$19,500
1210-214Corey Day 50-13.782Running90$19,250
1314+12KSChase Randall 50-14.423Running90$19,000
1419+521Brian Brown 50-15.333Running90$18,750
1511-44Ian Madsen 50-16.732Running90$18,500
1621+58Aaron Reutzel 49-1 LapsRunning90$18,250
1712-53JDusty Zomer 49-1 LapsRunning90$18,000
181809PParker Price-Miller 49-1 LapsRunning90$17,500
1917-213Justin Peck 48-2 LapsRunning90$17,000
2015-57BCAnthony Macri 48-2 LapsRunning90$16,500
2124+32MDavey Heskin 46-4 LapsRunning90$16,000
2223+110Scott Bogucki 46-4 LapsRunning90$15,500
234-191SLogan Schuchart 39-11 LapsDNF90$15,250
246-1839Hunter Schuerenberg 28-22 LapsDNF90$15,000
KSE Hard Charger: David Gravel
Last Chance Showdown Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
11013Justin Peck 220.0004Running0$1,000
211+99PParker Price-Miller 22-1.159Running0$1,000
35+221Brian Brown 22-1.5729Running0$1,000
410+617Sheldon Haudenschild 22-2.681Running0$1,000
512+719Brent Marks 22-3.885Running90$10,000
67+16GGaret Williamson 22-6.329Running90$8,000
73-49Kasey Kahne 22-8.144Running90$7,000
86-271Shane Stewart 22-8.430Running90$6,000
917+826Zeb Wise 22-8.767Running90$5,000
109-17WDustin Selvage 22-10.137Running90$3,750
1114+35TRyan Timms 22-10.196Running90$3,250
1216+411Cory Eliason 22-10.861Running90$2,750
1323+103Tim Kaeding 22-12.386Running90$2,500
1424+1017BBill Balog 22-12.730Running90$2,225
1519+421HBrady Bacon 22-13.249Running90$1,950
164-1288Austin McCarl 22-13.916Running90$1,900
1722+539MJustin Sanders 22-14.636Running90$1,850
1821+32KLynton Jeffrey 22-15.213Running90$1,800
1918-122KKaleb Johnson 22-16.027Running90$1,750
202004WJamie Ball 21-1 LapsRunning90$1,700
2113-87TWBrandon Wimmer 21-1 LapsRunning90$1,650
228-147TAZTasker Phillips 12-10 LapsDNF90$1,600
232-2183James McFadden 10-12 Laps10DNF90$1,550
2415-91Justin Henderson 0-22 LapsDNF90$1,500
C Main Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
13+22KLynton Jeffrey 150.00010Running0$1,000
22039MJustin Sanders 15-1.5915Running0$1,000
31-23Tim Kaeding 15-2.598Running0$1,000
48+417BBill Balog 15-3.641Running0$1,000
57+217WShane Golobic 15-4.701Running90$2,500
6607SRobbie Price 15-5.569Running90$2,250
711+418TTanner Holmes 15-7.735Running90$2,000
84-44CWChris Windom 15-9.466Running90$1,900
915+61KKelby Watt 15-10.067Running90$1,800
1012+252Blake Hahn 15-10.758Running90$1,700
1117+61XJake Bubak 15-11.385Running90$1,600
1210-212XAyrton Gennetten 15-12.217Running90$1,500
135-85CDylan Cisney 15-12.917Running90$1,400
1419+53ZBrock Zearfoss 15-13.302Running90$1,300
150-1525Lachlan McHugh 15-13.467Running90$1,200
1613-36BClint Garner 15-14.964Running90$1,150
1718+13PSawyer Phillips 15-16.324Running90$1,125
180-1835Zach Hampton 15-16.888Running90$1,000
190-1924HKade Higday 14-1 LapsRunning90$975
200-2070Kraig Kinser 14-1 LapsRunning90$950
2116-51CBrenham Crouch 8-7 LapsDNF90$925
229-1342Sye Lynch 7-8 LapsDNF90$900
2314-924TChristopher Thram 5-10 LapsDNF90$900
240-2413JTMark Dobmeier 1-14 LapsDNF90$900
D Main Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
12+125Lachlan McHugh 130.00013Running0$800
27+535Zach Hampton 13-0.515Running0$800
34+124HKade Higday 13-0.841Running0$800
46+213JTMark Dobmeier 13-1.717Running0$800
59+470Kraig Kinser 13-1.995Running90$1,500
68+210VCap Henry 13-2.454Running90$1,400
711+421TCole Macedo 13-2.843Running90$1,300
810+2101Kalib Henry 13-3.891Running90$1,200
916+716Brooke Tatnell 13-4.359Running90$1,150
1012+21MDon Droud Jr13-4.580Running90$1,100
1120+945Rusty Hickman 13-5.100Running90$1,075
1215+317XTerry McCarl 13-5.715Running90$1,050
1318+54JKevin Thomas Jr13-6.571Running90$1,025
1417+344PSkylar Prochaska 13-6.940Running90$1,000
1513-255TMcKenna Haase 13-7.193Running90$975
1623+72KKKevin Ingle 13-7.522Running90$950
1722+51AChase Dietz 13-8.830Running90$925
181-1711NHarli White 11-2 LapsRunning90$900
1919035BAustin Bishop 11-2 LapsRunning90$875
2014-695Matt Covington 11-2 LapsRunning90$850
2121020A.J. Moeller 11-2 LapsRunning90$825
225-1750YRJ.J. Hickle 6-7 LapsDNF90$800
2324+165Jordan Goldesberry 5-8 LapsDNF90$800
243-2120GNoah Gass 11-2 LapsDQ90$800
E Main Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
11016Brooke Tatnell 100.00010Running0$600
23+144PSkylar Prochaska 10-1.693Running0$600
38+54JKevin Thomas Jr10-2.360Running0$600
42-235BAustin Bishop 10-3.513Running0$600
59+445Rusty Hickman 10-4.075Running0$1,000
66020A.J. Moeller 10-5.282Running0$950
75-21AChase Dietz 10-6.277Running0$900
87-12KKKevin Ingle 10-7.186Running0$850
915+665Jordan Goldesberry 10-8.188Running90$800
1012+215JRCole Mincer 10-8.605Running90$750
1110-1121R.J. Johnson 10-10.103Running90$700
1211-19HLandon Hansen 10-12.614Running90$675
1314+14K2WMatt Wasmund 10-12.802Running90$650
1416+26Bill Rose 10-12.892Running90$625
1518+378Bill Wagner 9-1 LapsRunning90$600
1613-36XFrank Rodgers 5-5 LapsDNF90$575
17170G5Gage Pulkrabek 1-9 LapsDNF90$550
184-14105Cody Ihlen 0-10 LapsDNF90$525
Hot Laps Results
POSStartCarDriverHometownTimeDifference
12535Zach Hampton Mooresville, IN15.5720.000
22770Kraig Kinser Bloomington, IN15.606-0.034
33155TMcKenna Haase Des Moines, IA15.613-0.041
42120GNoah Gass Mounds, OK15.678-0.106
52610VCap Henry Bellevue, OH15.693-0.121
628101Kalib Henry Sacramento, CA15.702-0.130
72025Lachlan McHugh Gold Coast, QLD15.737-0.165
8301MDon Droud JrLincoln, NE15.749-0.177
9116Brooke Tatnell San Souci, NSW15.798-0.226
102921TCole Macedo Lemoore, CA15.799-0.227
113295Matt Covington Glenpool, OK15.812-0.240
1284JKevin Thomas JrCullman, AL15.833-0.261
132413JTMark Dobmeier Grand Forks, ND15.846-0.274
141911NHarli White Lindsay, OK15.865-0.293
153317XTerry McCarl Altoona, IA15.868-0.296
162224HKade Higday Pleasant Hill, IA15.977-0.405
172350YRJ.J. Hickle Quilcene, WA16.041-0.469
18620A.J. Moeller Rockwell City, IA16.190-0.618
19235BAustin Bishop Elverson, PA16.373-0.801
20945Rusty Hickman Tullamarine, VIC16.443-0.871
211565Jordan Goldesberry Springfield, IL16.550-0.978
2251AChase Dietz York, PA16.721-1.149
23344PSkylar Prochaska Lakefield, MN16.744-1.172
2410121R.J. Johnson Tampa, FL16.932-1.360
254105Cody Ihlen Pipestone, MN16.935-1.363
26166Bill Rose Plainfield, IN16.972-1.400
27144K2WMatt Wasmund Jackson, MN17.157-1.585
2872KKKevin Ingle Huron, SD17.222-1.650
2917G5Gage Pulkrabek East Grand Forks, MN17.324-1.752
30136XFrank Rodgers Lucas, IA17.514-1.942
31119HLandon Hansen Newton, IA17.989-2.417
321878Bill Wagner , 18.297-2.725
331215JRCole Mincer Burlington, IA18.749-3.177
Lock-In Hot Laps Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
1103Tim Kaeding 00.000Running0$0
22039MJustin Sanders 0-0.002Running0$0
38+517BBill Balog 0-0.094Running0$0
412+852Blake Hahn 0-0.138Running0$0
514+924TChristopher Thram 0-0.139Running0$0
69+342Sye Lynch 0-0.179Running0$0
710+312XAyrton Gennetten 0-0.188Running0$0
86-27SRobbie Price 0-0.203Running0$0
93-62KLynton Jeffrey 0-0.284Running0$0
104-64CWChris Windom 0-0.304Running0$0
1117+61XJake Bubak 0-0.332Running0$0
1213+16BClint Garner 0-0.357Running0$0
1316+31CBrenham Crouch 0-0.360Running0$0
1418+43PSawyer Phillips 0-0.455Running0$0
157-817WShane Golobic 0-0.467Running0$0
1611-518TTanner Holmes 0-0.539Running0$0
1715-21KKelby Watt 0-0.576Running0$0
185-135CDylan Cisney 0-0.686Running0$0
191903ZBrock Zearfoss 0-0.768Running0$0
B Main Hot Laps Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
111+109PParker Price-Miller 00.000Running0$0
212+1019Brent Marks 0-0.069Running0$0
35+221Brian Brown 0-0.131Running0$0
42-283James McFadden 0-0.232Running0$0
54-188Austin McCarl 0-0.236Running0$0
610+417Sheldon Haudenschild 0-0.300Running0$0
717+1026Zeb Wise 0-0.406Running0$0
81-713Justin Peck 0-0.414Running0$0
916+711Cory Eliason 0-0.415Running0$0
1014+45TRyan Timms 0-0.423Running0$0
1118+722KKaleb Johnson 0-0.559Running0$0
128-47TAZTasker Phillips 0-0.660Running0$0
136-771Shane Stewart 0-0.662Running0$0
1419+521HBrady Bacon 0-0.875Running0$0
1513-27TWBrandon Wimmer 0-0.900Running0$0
1620+44WJamie Ball 0-0.994Running0$0
173-149Kasey Kahne 0-1.006Running0$0
187-116GGaret Williamson 0-1.099Running0$0
199-107WDustin Selvage 0-1.314Running0$0
2015-51Justin Henderson 0-0.903Running0$0
A Main Hot Laps Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
14+31SLogan Schuchart 00.000Running0$0
21-157Kyle Larson 0-0.302Running0$0
316+1349Brad Sweet 0-0.538Running0$0
43-115Donny Schatz 0-0.699Running0$0
59+418Giovanni Scelzi 0-0.719Running0$0
618+122David Gravel 0-0.786Running0$0
715+87BCAnthony Macri 0-0.814Running0$0
814+62KSChase Randall 0-0.867Running0$0
95-441Carson Macedo 0-0.883Running0$0
1012+23JDusty Zomer 0-0.943Running0$0
118-383JRMichael Kofoid 0-0.956Running0$0
1210-214Corey Day 0-0.956Running0$0
132-1124Rico Abreu 0-1.078Running0$0
1420+62MDavey Heskin 0-1.150Running0$0
1517+28Aaron Reutzel 0-1.176Running0$0
1611-54Ian Madsen 0-1.390Running0$0
176-1139Hunter Schuerenberg 0-1.448Running0$0
1813-55Spencer Bayston 0-1.475Running0$0
1919010Scott Bogucki 0-1.572Running0$0
207-1355Kerry Madsen 0-1.644Running0$0
DIRTVision Highlights  
Event Info  

Knoxville Nationals
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Knoxville Raceway
1000 North Lincoln Street
Knoxville, Iowa 50138 

Event Description
It's The Granddaddy of 'Em All! The 62nd Knoxville Nationals brings the best of the best to Iowa for this four-day Crown Jewel with a million-dollar purse and Sprint Car immortality available.

Series Racing
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series

To Win Amount
$175,000.00

Event Schedule
8 a.m. Knoxville Raceway Ticket Office opens
10 a.m. Vendors Open in Fan Zone
10 a.m., 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m. Fan Forums at National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. Autograph Sessions at National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
Noon Food Vendors Open
2 p.m. Pit Gate Opens
5:00 p.m. Grandstands Open
7:15 p.m. Hot Laps

*All times Central

Ticket Options  
Options And Prices
$41-$198
Single Day tickets and 2-, 3-, and 4-day Packages available.

Grandstand Type
Bleachers/ Chairbacks

Reserved Seating
All seating

Family Section Location
Sections I & J

Handicapped Seating Location
Located in the front stretch grandstands. Wheelchairs and scooters seating is available in row 39 (AA & BB) Also is section D, row 1

Pit Age Requirement
Aged 17 and under require parent waivers - Aged 12 and under must remain in vehicle or the fenced in area between turns 1 and 2. All pit fees apply. All ages same price

Parking Cost
$10.00

Handicapped Parking Location
Behind the front stretch grandstands and behind Dyer-Hudson Hall.

Camping Availability
electric hookup, non-electric, onsite, sanitary facility, showers, waste services

Camping Cost
camping at the North Campground for $160 for 4 days. Water and electric hookups are available.

Frequently Asked Questions  
To Win Amount
$175,000.00

Reserved Seating
All seating

Type of Grandstand
Bleachers/ Chairbacks

Stadium Seating
Foam or other seat cushions are permitted as long as they are not more than 20" wide. Stadiums seats are NOT ALLOWED

Handicapped Seating
Located in the front stretch grandstands. Wheelchairs and scooters seating is available in row 39 (AA & BB) Also is section D, row 1

Handicapped Parking
Behind the front stretch grandstands and behind Dyer-Hudson Hall.

Pit Age Limit
Aged 17 and under require parent waivers - Aged 12 and under must remain in vehicle or the fenced in area between turns 1 and 2. All pit fees apply. All ages same price

Personal Coolers
Soft side, collapsible coolers not bigger than 6-pack size and empty are allowed

ATMs
1

Credit Card Use
Concessions, Pit Gate, Ticket Window

Alcohol Sales
Alcohol is available at the track

Smoking Policy
All grandstands are non-smoking. Smoking areas are available underneath stands.

Family Section
Sections I & J

Parking Cost
$10.00

Camping Availability
electric hookup, non-electric, onsite, sanitary facility, showers, waste services

Camping Cost
camping at the North Campground for $160 for 4 days. Water and electric hookups are available.

Track Info  

Knoxville Raceway
1000 North Lincoln Street
Knoxville, Iowa 50138 

Track Phone
(641) 842-5431

Track Size
0.5

Track Type
Semi-banked clay oval

Sprint Car Track Record
14.351 seconds by Brian Brown on 5/22/21

Closest Airport
Des Moines International Airport

Track Map
Competitor Info  

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