After two preliminaries and a Hard Knox night, 20 drivers are locked to battle for the prestigious NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s championship title, while four more spots await to be filled.
Sixteen drivers locked in on points after Wednesday and Thursday’s qualifying races, and four more secured the final four spots on the starting grid during Friday’s Hard Knox night.
Positions 17th through 20th will be filled by the top four finishers in today’s B-Main, which sees drivers like 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion David Gravel, 2018 Knoxville Nationals champion Brad Sweet, Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden and more then 70 other drivers still looking to make the $190,000-to-win, 50-lap, main event.
Most will have to race their way through the alphabet of mains, which includes a 10-lap E-Main, 12-lap D-Main, 15-lap C-Main and 22-lap B-Main.
Two-time and reigning Knoxville Nationals champion Kyle Larson and 2013 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Daryn Pittman tied as high-points earners for the week, but with Larson winning Thursday’s Toyota Qualifying Night he earned the SprintCarUnlimited.com Pole Award for the second straight year.
Of the top-16 starters, Larson is the only driver with a Knoxville Nationals title. Pittman, who’s piloting the famed Kreitz Racing No. 69K this weekend, has made the Knoxville Nationals main event 18 times and earned a career-best finish of third in 2019.
Brady Bacon, Bill Balog and Emerson Axsom are making their first appearance in the Knoxville Nationals Feature. For Balog – the 10-time IRA Sprint Car Series champion and World of Outlaws rookie contender – it’s his first A-Main start in 14 Knoxville Nationals appearances and for Bacon – the four-time USAC Sprint Car National champion – it’s his first start in 12 appearances. Axsom has made the prestigious race in his first attempt.
Ten-time World of Outlaws champion and 11-time Knoxville Nationals champion Donny Schatz is in the same spot he found himself when he won the Knoxville Nationals in 2013 – starting 21st after having to race his way into the event through a “last chance” event. That year, he did it by racing in through the B-Main. This year, he did it by winning on Friday’s Hard Knox night. If he’s able to accomplish the same feat of going 21st to first this year, he’ll tie Steve Kinser for the most Knoxville Nationals titles (12). Also, today is exactly 11 years since he made that historic charge, and it’s his birthday.
Like Schatz, Logan Schuchart is also in a situation he’s found himself in before. In 2019, Schuchart raced his way into Saturday’s Feature through the Hard Knox night and then rocketed his way to second from 22nd – where he’ll again start today. That wasn’t his only time charging through the field for a podium finish too. In 2022, Schuchart drove his Shark Racing No. 1S from 17th to third.
While grandstand tickets are sold out for Saturday’s 63rd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s, you can still watch every lap of “The Granddaddy of Them All” live on DIRTVision.
Knoxville Nationals starting lineup:
- Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA) / Silva Motorsports No. 57
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 8
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 1st (2021, 2023) - Daryn Pittman (Owasso, OK) / Kreitz Racing No. 69K
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 18
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 3rd (2019) - Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, IN) / Clauson Marshall Racing No. 7BC
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 2
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 4th (2022) - Carson Macedo (Lemoore, CA) / Jason Johnson Racing No. 41
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 4
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 5th (2023) - Giovanni Scelzi (Fresno, CA) / KCP Racing No. 18
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 5
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 4th (2021, 2023) - Rico Abreu (St. Helena, CA) / Rico Abreu Racing No. 24
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 7
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 7th (2023) - Brian Brown (Higginsville, MO) / Brian Brown Racing No. 21
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 13
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 2nd (2012, 2013, 2014) - Anthony Macri (Dillsburg, PA) / Macri Motorsports No. 39
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 2
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 17th (2021) - Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK) / TKH Motorsports No. 21
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 0
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: — - Scott Bogucki (Mclaren Vale, SA, AU) / Liebig Motorsports No. 10
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 1
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 22nd (2023) - Corey Day (Clovis, CA) Jason Meyers Racing/CMR No. 14
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 1
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 12th (2023) - Brent Marks (Myerstown, PA) / Murray-Marks Motorsports No. 19
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 4
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 6th (2021) - Bill Balog (North Pole, AK) / B Squared Motorsports No. 17B
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 0
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: — - Sheldon Haudenschild (Wooster, OH) / Stenhouse-Marshall Racing No. 17
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 5
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 7th (2019) - Chase Randall (Waco, TX) / TKS Motorsports No. 2KS
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 1
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 13th (2023) - Jacob Allen (Hanover, PA) / Shark Racing No. 1A
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 2
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 5th (2022) - B-Main Transfer
- B-Main Transfer
- B-Main Transfer
- B-Main Transfer
- Donny Schatz (Fargo, ND) / Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 15
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 25
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 1st (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022) - Logan Schuchart (Hanover, PA) / Shark Racing No. 1S
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 7
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 2nd (2019) - Justin Henderson (Tea, SD) / Forbrook Motorsports No. 5X
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 5
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: 3rd (2013) - Emerson Axsom (Franklin, IN) / Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports No. 27
Knoxville Nationals Starts: 0
Knoxville Nationals Best Finish: —
