Reutzel, Gravel, Bogucki and Heskin Lock In Through "Hard Knox" Friday

It was not that many years ago when the Friday night show at Knoxville saw the drivers ranked fifty-first on back in points in competition with the night's feature winner earning the sweet prize of the eleventh starting position in Saturday night's C-Main. Sure, they threw in events like the Race of States, the World Challenge and even the Mystery Feature to try to spice things up a bit, but looking back now it's a wonder that they were able sell any Friday night tickets if they weren't part of the four night set.

Then along came the "Hard Knox" Friday night concept, something that I will still attribute to current track publicist Eric Arnold until somebody proves me wrong. All of the drivers ranked seventeenth on back in points after the two nights of qualifying, and on this night there would be seventy-eight of them, would have the equal opportunity to race their way directly into Saturday's Championship event by finishing in the top four of the Friday night feature, with fifth place set to lineup eleventh in Saturday's B-Main and so on back.

Brilliant!

The format continues the increase of the crowd size from Wednesday to Thursday to Friday and then to another Saturday night sell out, and it gives drivers like Aaron Reutzel and David Gravel a reprieve. Both were caught up in first lap incidents during their respective heat races on Wednesday night and under the old method of qualifying their week would have been all but over. But now, after racing their way to a one-two finish on Friday night their dream of winning the 62nd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's is very much alive!

Reutzel has been one of the top competitors during weekly action at the Knoxville Raceway the past two seasons and, after having the 360 Nationals title snatched away from him last Saturday night, you know that he has to be one driver to watch in Saturday's fifty lapper after his dominating performance on Friday. Aaron was quick time in Group 1, then finished third to Gravel and the Mayor of Port Royal Dylan Cisney (notice that I didn't use quote marks there, he actually is the mayor of Port Royal, Pennsylvania) in the first heat race. Reutzel then led all twenty-laps to take the win and, more importantly the twenty-first starting spot for the title race. 

Aaron Reutzel - Barry Johnson photo

Gravel had to work a little harder as he was the 30th car out to qualify in Group 1 and needed to post a lap in the top twelve just to make the four car heat race invert where three cars advanced. Recall that he went out 34th on Wednesday and set quick time, but as Section I dirt track prep expert Ethan Nachbor pointed out, "this track is different". David would post the fourth best time starting him side-by-side with Reutzel in row two of the first heat, a race that he would then run away with. Starting seventh in the twenty-five lap feature, Gravel wasted little time getting to the front as he sailed by Scott Bogucki on lap ten to take second. As the laps were winding down Gravel had closed in on the leader, but he could never mount a challenge as Reutzel won by a couple of car lengths.

Speaking of Bogucki, what a crazy nine days it has been for the likeable Australian! Last Thursday night he runs third on his qualifying night of the 360 Nationals only to have his engine torn down after a protest. He was then disqualified from the event when it was determined that the ASCS stamped heads had been modified. On Monday he climbs aboard the Liebig #10 car and crashes hard at the Front Row Challenge in Oskaloosa. The team makes repairs and on Wednesday, after qualifying seventh quick he could not make the transfer out his heat race or the B-Main. But that is what "Hard Knox" Friday is all about, a reprieve as Bogucki starts from the outside of the first row and runs a solid third to make the big show on Saturday.

This is the only feature race all season where you will watch the race for fourth more than any battle that might develop for the lead and, since Reutzel was in control anyway it was easy to give your full attention to the final transfer position. Brandon Wimmer would hold the spot until lap fifteen when Parker Price-Miller charged by him. PPM had started ninth and appeared to have the speed to run down Bogucki for third, but as the laps ticked away there would be a new challenger making the scene. Running the absolute bottom on both ends, and even putting the left front up on the berm in turns one and two, former track champion Davey Heskin was on the fly. The Minnesotan had started the race next to Price-Miller in row five and he was now closing ground quickly with the Knoxville regulars, and especially the trio from Herman sitting next to me, urging him on. Heskin would drive by "The Law Firm" with three laps remaining and while Parker tried to battle back he would come up short as Heskin sealed the deal locking in a minimum payout of $15,000 on Saturday night. 

Yes, that is what it pays to finish last in the Knoxville Nationals Championship feature!

The winner will take home $185,000 and while that is a lot of cash, the title of being a "Knoxville Nationals Champion" eventually becomes the most important thing to these drivers. Will Donny Schatz tie Steve Kinser's record of twelve championships? Will Kyle Larson, David Gravel or Brad Sweet get his second? Or will one of the twenty other competitors ad their name to the list of winners of the greatest Sprint Car race on earth?

If you don't already have a ticket for tonight, you'll either have to scalp one or dial up DirtVision to find out!

Lineups courtesy of Knoxville Raceway's website

A MAIN

Row 1. 57 Kyle Larson (482)

24 Rico Abreu (480)

2. 15 Donny Schatz (479)

1S Logan Schuchart (479)

3. 41 Carson Macedo (474)

39 Hunter Schuerenberg (462)

4. 55 Kerry Madsen (459)

83JR Buddy Kofoid (459)

5. 18 Gio Scelzi (458)

14 Corey Day (458)

6. 4 Ian Madsen (455)

3J Dusty Zomer (453)

7. 5 Spencer Bayston (451)

2KS Chase Randall (449)

8. 7BC Anthony Macri (449)

49 Brad Sweet (449)

9. B Main Transfer #1

B Main Transfer #2

10. B Main Transfer #3

B Main Transfer #4

11. 8 Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX)

2 David Gravel (Watertown, CT)

12. 10 Scott Bogucki (McLaren Vale, SA, AU)

2M Davey Heskin (St. Michael, MN)

B MAIN

Row 1. 13 Justin Peck (449)

83 James McFadden (447)

2. 9 Kasey Kahne (446)

88 Austin McCarl (443)

3. 21 Brian Brown (439)

71 Shane Stewart (439)

4. 6G Garet Williamson (438)

7TAZ Tasker Phillips (437)

5. 7W Dustin Selvage (435)

17 Sheldon Haudenschild (434)

6. 9P Parker Price-Miller (Kokomo, IN)

19 Brent Marks (Myerstown, PA)

7. 7TW Brandon Wimmer (Fairmount, IN)

5T Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, OK)

8. 1 Justin Henderson (Tea, SD)

11 Cory Eliason (Visalia, CA)

9. 26 Zeb Wise (Angola, IN)

22K Kaleb Johnson (Sioux Falls, SD)

10. 21H Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK)

4W Jamie Ball (Knoxville, IA)

C MAIN

Row 1. 3 Tim Kaeding (San Jose, CA)

39M Justin Sanders (Aromas, CA)

2. 49X Tim Shaffer (Aliquippa, PA)

2K Lynton Jeffrey (Sydney, NSW, AU)

3. 4CW Chris Windom (Canton, IL)

5C Dylan Cisney (Port Royal, PA)

4. 7S Robbie Price (Cobble Hill, BC, CA)

17W Shane Golobic (Fremont, CA)

5. 17B Bill Balog (Hartland, WI)

42 Sye Lynch (Apollo, PA)

6. 12X Ayrton Gennetten (Gravois Mills, MO)

18T Tanner Holmes (Jacksonville, OR)

7. 52 Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK)

6B Clint Garner (Sioux Falls, SD)

8. 24T Christopher Thram (Sanborn, MN)

1K Kelby Watt (Adel, IA)

9. 1C Brenham Crouch (Lubbock, TX)

1X Jake Bubak (Arvada, CO)

10. 3P Sawyer Phillips (Pleasantville, IA)

3Z Brock Zearfoss (Jonestown, PA)

D MAIN

Row 1. 11N Harli White (Lindsay, OK)

25 Lachlan McHugh (Gold Coast, QLD, AU)

2. 20G Noah Gass (Mounds, OK)

24H Kade Higday (Pleasant Hill, IA)

3. 50YR JJ Hickle (Quilcene, WA)

22 Riley Goodno (Knoxville, IA)

4. 13JT Mark Dobmeier (Grand Forks, ND)

91 Kyle Reinhardt (Neptune City, NJ)

5. 35 Zach Hampton (Plainfield, IN)

10V Cap Henry (Bellevue, OH)

6. 70 Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, IN)

101 Kalib Henry (Sacramento, CA)

7. 44 Chris Martin (Ankeny, IA)

21T Cole Macedo (Lemoore, CA)

8. 1M Don Droud Jr. (Lincoln, NE)

83T Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, CA)

9. 16A Colby Copeland (Roseville, CA)

55T McKenna Haase (Des Moines, IA)

10. 95 Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)

17X Terry McCarl (Altoona, IA)

E MAIN

Row 1. 16 Brooke Tatnell (Sans Souci, NSW, AU)

35B Austin Bishop (Elverson, PA)

2. 44P Skylar Prochaska (Lakefield, MN)

105 Cody Ihlen (Pipestone, MN)

3. 1A Chase Dietz (York, PA)

W19 Trent Pigdon (Cardup, WA, AU)

4. 20 AJ Moeller (Rockwell City, IA)

2KK Kevin Ingle (Huron, SD)

5. 4J Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, AL)

27 Carson McCarl (Altoona, IA)

6. 17AU Jamie Veal (Warrnambool, VIC, AU)

45 Rusty Hickman (Bendigo, VIC, AU)

7. 121 RJ Johnson (Tampa, FL)

9H Landon Hansen (Newton, IA)

8. 15JR Cole Mincer (Burlington, IA)

6X Frank Rodgers III (Lucas, IA)

9. 4K2W Matt Wasmund (Jackson, MN)

65 Jordan Goldesberry (Springfield, IL)

10. 6 Bill Rose (Plainfield, IN)

37 Ayden Gatewood (Caruthersville, MO)

11. G5 Gage Pulkrabek (East Grand Forks, MN)

56 Joe Simbro (Pleasantville, IA)

12. 78 Bill Wagner (Reeder, ND)

15H Sam Hafertepe Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX)