Kyle Larson Secures 13th Victory at Knoxville Raceway
KNOXVILLE, Iowa — On Toyota Qualifying Night No. 2 of the 64th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s, Kyle Larson celebrated his 13th win at Knoxville Raceway.
The driver from Elk Grove, California, took home a prize of $12,000 and secured a spot in the fifth row for Saturday’s championship finale, aiming for his third consecutive victory.
Carson Macedo emerged as the top point scorer of the night, earning a place alongside Ryan Timms, who broke the record as the youngest polesitter in the event’s history.
Derek Hagar led the fast-paced 25-lap main event at the outset, followed closely by Spencer Bayston, Giovanni Scelzi, Larson, and Bill Balog. Logan Schuchart climbed into the top five by lap two, while Bayston took the lead from Hagar on lap three, with Larson moving past Scelzi to claim third.
Continuing his strong performance, Larson overtook Hagar for second by lap five, with Scelzi following suit shortly thereafter. By lap seven, Schuchart had reached fourth. As Bayston encountered lapped traffic on lap eight, Larson closed in and executed a slide job on lap 13 to secure the lead permanently.
In the final laps, Schuchart advanced, taking third from Scelzi on lap 16 and second from Bayston just six laps from the finish. This finish granted him a second-row start for Saturday’s race, while Bayston settled for third, ahead of Scelzi and Macedo.
“Honestly, I’m out of breath,” Larson remarked after the race. “It was a rapid pace for 25 laps. The track was slick, but the cushion had good grip, making it quite technical. I got hung up behind (Cam Martin) for a while, but I managed to pass him with a few laps to go, helping me relax a bit.”
