Kyle Larson led from start to finish Saturday night at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway to earn his second consecutive Knoxville Nationals victory and his third in four years.
Larson started from the pole and led all 50 laps of the main race, fending off challenges from Daryn Pittman, Carson Macedo and Giovanni Scelzi in the 50-lap showdown.
“It doesn’t get bigger than the Knoxville Nationals,” Larson said in a press release“It’s a great feeling to lead two 50-lap races in a row from start to finish with the best sprint car drivers in the world behind me.
“They don’t make it easy for you. It was a tricky race. I know it might not look like it sometimes, but the lappers were just fast enough at the bottom. I felt like I was just slowing myself down. I was able to pass a couple of them and get rolling again at the bottom, and it actually came in the middle, so I felt like I put in some good laps there at the end.”
The team struggled early in the year, but when its luck turned, it was all over. The qualifying and main race wins at the Knoxville Nationals were the last of five consecutive Sprint Car victories.
The Nationals showed a much easier path to victory than the Ironman 55 last week when Larson overcame his 12th starting position and led 12 of 55 laps in the main race. At the beginning of the weekend He started 21st in a qualifying race and drove to victory. at Federated Auto Parts Raceway off I-55 in Pevely, Missouri.
On Monday, Larson drove from 13th place to Victory Lane at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Larson’s first challenge at the Nationals came from Pittman, who pressured Larson from his second place starting position.
Macedo passed Pittman on lap 16 for second and got within half a second of Larson before a scheduled yellow flag was shown for refueling.
After the restart, Scelzi shot, but Larson did not give up the lead.
“Hats off to (the team),” Larson said. “Everyone knows we’ve been really bad this year except for the last couple of weeks. They’ve worked extremely hard. It’s been a very disappointing year by our standards. It’s hard for them and me to never give up. Like I said, they work so hard.”
“All of this is due to them because they keep going and going and trying to get better and better. All of these teams do 90 races a year. We only do 25 to 30 races, so we have to work extra hard. That’s why these wins feel extra good.”
Scelzi held Corey Day at bay and secured second place.
“I know I look upset, but I couldn’t be prouder of my guys,” Scelzi said. “Adam (Clark), from driving a beer truck to being a sprint car crew chief. I really wish Tim Mallicoat was here to see us in second place. I want to win this race more than anything in my life. Man, thanks to Danny Lasoski, my mom and dad, everyone on this race team. Damn, I want to win this race so bad. You have to lose ’em before you can win ’em.”
Day completed the podium.
Results
NOS Energy Drink Feature (50 laps): 1st 57-Kyle Larson(1); 2. 18-Giovanni Scelzi(5); 3. 14-Corey Day(11); 4. 41-Carson Macedo(4); 5. 39M-Anthony Macri(8); 6. 21-Brian Brown(7); 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney(3); 8. 10-Scott Bogucki(10); 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild(14); 10. 1A-Jacob Allen(16); 11. 69K-Daryn Pittman(2); 12. 2-David Gravel(19); 13. 15-Donny Schatz(21); 14. 1S-Logan Schuchart(22); 15. 21H-Brady Bacon(9); 16. 13-Justin Peck(18); 17. 83SR-James McFadden(20); 18. 17B-Bill Balog(13); 19. 49-Brad Sweet(17); 20. 27A-Emerson Axsom(24); 21. 19-Brent Marks(12); 22. 2KS-Chase Randall(15); 23. 24R-Rico Abreu(6); 24. 5X-Justin Henderson(23)
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