For many years the Friday events at the Knoxville Nationals were known as the "Non Qualifiers Night" where the drivers who failed to crack the top fifty in points from Wednesday and Thursday would gather to race for the chance to win the night's feature for the grand prize of earning the eleventh starting position in Saturday night's C-Main. In order to spice up the event and give the fans a chance to see more of their favorites an additional race was always on the card. First it was the Race of States, then the "Mystery Feature" and more recently the World Challenge, but a few years ago a very welcome change of format was made and last night completed the evolution of the Friday night program.
Now only the top twenty-six in points from Wednesday and Thursday lock in and on this night they would all take the night off, allowed to prepare for Saturday's rand finale rather than having some of them involved in the World Challenge that is no longer on the card. And with just a slight change from the recent past, the top four from Friday night's main event would still transfer to the Championship feature but instead of filling rows nine and ten they would now complete the lineup in rows eleven and twelve, a change that the feature winner was yet aware of.
On this Saturday morning though I am sure that he is just fine with it as he is locked in for the 59th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores.
Seventy-eight drivers signed in and were split into two groups for one lap of qualifying where only the top twelve in each group would make the four car invert in the six heat races with the top three finishers to advance to Friday's A-Main. Sye Lynch would back up his impressive heat race win on Thursday by leading Group One while Kerry Madsen was no surprise in setting quick time for Group Two.
Brian Brown would win the first heat race starting from the pole knowing that he would have to start deep in the feature field due to his tenth best time in Group One. Justin Henderson charged from fifth to second heading down the back stretch for the first time and he would be the first of just two to transfer to the feature from outside of the invert. Thursday's quick qualifier who then crashed on the opening lap of his heat race, Shane Stewart finished in third.
The second heat race saw the cars in front race in the same position that they ran on the first lap with Travis Rilat, Sammy Swindell and Dominic Scelzi making the show. Danny Dietrich gave it all that he had running in fourth only to blow a tire going into turn three on the final lap where he then hit the wall and wrapped himself up in an FVP banner stripped off the wall as he rolled a couple of times.
Hunter Schuerenberg was impressive coming from fourth to win the third heat race. Austin McCarl finished second while fifth starting Spencer Bayston slipped past Anthony Macri on the final lap to be the second driver from outside of the invert to make the show.
You just kind of knew that this was going to be Kerry Madsen's night when he went from fourth to first on the opening lap of the fourth heat to then run away with the win. Clint Garner appeared to lose a motor while running second early as Logan Schuchart and Tyler Courtney finished well behind.
Thomas Kennedy would go the distance from the pole position to take the fifth heat ahead of Bill Balog and Josh Baughman passed Skylar Prochaska coming to the white flag to finish in third.
The sixth heat had issues. On the opening lap Shane Golobic got sideways coming out of turn two causing the field to scramble behind him with Paige Polyak going for a spin. Later in the race when Derek Hagar and Jac Haudenshild tangled in turn three, Polyak was again in the wrong place at the wrong time as she would go for a tumble. Once back to racing Kraig Kinser and Lynton Jeffrey would lead the way as Tasker Phillips appeared to have the third spot wrapped up after starting from fifth. But when the young driver bobbled on the berm with just two to go, Cale Thomas reeled him in and made the pass to take the transfer.
Three drivers from each of the two B-Mains would complete the twenty-four car feature field and the first one continued the issues that plagued the final heat race. Skylar Gee would be penalized for jumping on the original start and then on the second try a jumble up on the back stretch left Kevin Thomas Jr. on the hook. The red flag period stretched out as Jason Sides' crew changed a front axle and he pushed off just in time for another try at a start. This time another multi-car scramble in turn one resulted in Sides' car tipped over onto its side and as the crew again scrambled to make repairs in the work area Jason was out of the car telling announcer Wade Aunger that essentially they can work all they want on it, he was ready for a beer.
Finally the race would go green with Terry McCarl and Sam Hafertepe Jr. way out front. Josh Schneiderman was digging the bottom to move up from seventh to third, but when he slipped off the bottom twice in the final laps it allowed Chad Kemenah to chase him down and make the pass for the final transfer. Kemenah had come from the eighth starting position.
The second B-Main would go green for eight laps before Harli White got into the guardrail while running fifth. Once back to green Carson McCarl would take the win ahead of Skylar Prochaska and Tasker Phillips would redeem himself by holding off a hard charging Brady Bacon at the checkers.
Twenty-five laps of racing would complete the night with the top four making the big show. With crowd favorite Brian Brown starting from eleventh he would be one to watch, but that would end abruptly when Brown suddenly slowed exiting turn two on the opening lap. That would send the field scrambling to avoid him and unfortunately Justin Henderson would get upside down ending his night. With that story line no longer in play this one would go pretty much as expected with Kerry Madsen in complete control being chased by Shane Stewart. A caution on lap seven saw Logan Schuchart join the mix after starting from eighth and the top four, Madsen, Schuchart, Stewart and Dominic Scelzi would remain the same through three more cautions over the final nine laps. The battle for fifth was entertaining though as defending track champion Austin McCarl worked his way into that spot and on the final restart it looked like McCarl might have a run around the rim, but Scelzi would hold him off for that final transfer. Spencer Bayston had started the race from seventeenth and then went to the back after having to go to the work area from that first scramble, but he would be the first to solve the bottom in the feature to get all the way up to sixth at the checkers. Josh Baughman was seventh, Sammy Swindell dropped to eighth after challenging Scelzi earlier for fourth, ninth went to Kraig Kinser and Bill Balog wrapped up the top ten.
That sets the field for tonight's finale with three of my four pre-event picks in a prime position to take their first Knoxville Nationals Championship. Fifty laps for $150,000 to win, it should be a good one!
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