Kyle Larson Caps Capitani Classic with $50,000 Victory

Kyle Larson (Serena Dalhamer photo)

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 15, 2020) — Kyle Larson dominated the Brownells Capitani Classic as part of “the One and Only” Saturday at Knoxville Raceway. Larson from Elk Grove, California led all 30 laps in route to the $50,000 victory, pulling away from David Gravel during a green/white/checkered finish lapping up to 11th position in the process.

After struggling during the 2019 Knoxville Nationals, Larson turned around his Knoxville fortunes in 2020 along with team owned by Paul Silva.

The car was so good. Its been a lot of fun to come here. We struggled here last year and Paul worked really hard to get us better here and I’d say he’s done a good job of that.”

With his large lead Larson was uncomfortable with the field having the opportunity to close in on him at the end.

“I didn’t want to see the red come out with a couple to go but was thankful it was a single file restart,” said Larson. “I wasn’t quite sure what to do in one and two. I seen Gravel must have pealed off there and taken off. I didn’t get off four right and decided to protect going into one. That is always nerve racking because I didn’t know if he went to the top and would have a run on me in three and four.”

Gravel hoped to make the most of his one shot at Larson, but just fell short.

“If he ran the top there I was going to send it in on him, but it just didn’t happen,” said Gravel. “We wouldn’t have had a shot if that red didn’t come out. (Larson) was gone. Starting fifth and didn’t get going early in the race and having to battle Logan (Schuchart) quite a bit to get by him. I think we probably had the second best car, just track position. If I could have started on the front row I could maybe hold with him a little longer and see what lapped traffic did. Just never did, but was lucky to have that shot at the end and if I could do it over again I’d do something different in one and two.”

Larson and Aaron Reutzel started on the front row for the 30-lap finale Reutzel led the field into turn one, but Larson quickly swept around Reutzel on the outside through turns one and two to take the lead. Reutzel’s feature ended quickly though bringing out the caution flag on lap three with an issue with the rear end gears on the car that forced him to retire the car from the main event.

Larson pulled away during the restart while Logan Schuchart found himself under pressure from David Gravel for the second spot. Gravel tried to dive under Schuchart on lap eight in turns one and two but could not make the pass. Behind them Carson Macedo and Brad Sweet were busy swapping the fourth position back and forth.

Gravel closed in on Schuchart again on lap 13 with another slide job in turns one and two, this time making the pass stick. Schuchart kept pace though and took advantage of Gravel missing the bottom line of the racetrack through turns three and four to take the second position back on 14.

Larson encountered slower traffic on lap 20, but it did not impact his progress maintaining a sizeable lead on Schuchart.

Gravel picked up the pace again and was able to drive by Schuchart on the front stretch on lap 25.

Larson had checked out from the field until the red flag appeared working lap 29 when James McFadden flipped in turn four. McFadden’s car was able to be pushed to the work area, but repairs were not made in time for him to rejoin the field.

This setup a two-lap shootout for the win during the restart. Larson was up to the challenge pulling away from Gravel to lead the final circuits for the victory. Gravel held on for second while Schuchart, Macedo, and Spencer Bayston rounded out the top five.

With the Knoxville victory behind him Larson hopes to continue his winning ways in various open wheel divisions.

“We still have a lot of racing left, so I hope we can continue to win these races.”

the One and Only / Brownells Capitani Classic
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Knoxville Raceway
Knoxville, Iowa
Saturday August 15, 2020

Qualifying #1:
1. 49-Brad Sweet
2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild
3. 9-James McFadden
4. 17W-Shane Golobic
5. 48-Danny Dietrich
6. 49X-Tim Shaffer
7. 17X-Josh Baughman
8. 33M-Mason Daniel
9. 5C-Colby Copeland
10. 42-Sye Lynch
11. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer
12. 44-Chris Martin
13. 21-Brian Brown
14. 15-Donny Schatz
15. 56-Joe Simbro

Qualifier #2:
1. 24-Rico Abreu
2. 12N-Joey Saldana
3. 26-Cory Eliason
4. 4-Terry McCarl
5. 7S-Jason Sides
6. 7BC-Tyler Courtney
7. O9-Matt Juhl
8. 3-Ayrton Gennetten
9. 49J-Josh Schneiderman
10. 83J-Lynton Jeffrey
11. 56N-Davey Heskin
12. 9W-Ryan Giles
13. 3P-Sawyer Phillips
14. 6-Bill Rose

Qualifier #3:
1. 2-Carson Macedo
2. 1A-Jacob Allen
3. 19-Shane Stewart
4. 17A-Austin McCarl
5. 2M-Kerry Madsen
6. 13-Paul McMahan
7. 39-Sammy Swindell
8. 44S-Trey Starks
9. 2KS-Brooke Tatnell
10. 5-Ian Madsen
11. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips
12. 70-Cale Thomas
13. 41S-Dominic Scelzi
14. 14K-Tori Knutson

Qualifier #4:
1. 71-Spencer Bayston
2. 83-Daryn Pittman
3. 18-Gio Scelzi
4. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss
5. 14-Parker Price-Miller
6. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
7. 7-Tim Kaeding
8. 11K-Kraig Kinser
9. 2C-Wayne Johnson
10. 99-Skylar Gee
11. 88-Kyle Offill
12. 39M-Anthony Macri
13. 2K-Kevin Ingle
14. 35-Zach Hampton

C-Main (10 Laps)
1. 15-Donny Schatz
2. 83J-Lynton Jeffrey
3. 5-Ian Madsen St. Marys
4. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips
5. 2KS-Brooke Tatnell
6. 49J-Josh Schneiderman
7. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer
8. 42-Sye Lynch
9. 88-Kyle Offill
10. 14K-Tori Knutson
11. 56N-Davey Heskin
12. 2C-Wayne Johnson
13. 5C-Colby Copeland
14. 3P-Sawyer Phillips
15. 44-Chris Martin
16. 99-Skylar Gee
17. 70-Cale Thomas
18. 39M-Anthony Macri
19. 56-Joe Simbro
20. 2K-Kevin Ingle
21. 6-Bill Rose

Dash (6 Laps)
1. 57-Kyle Larson
2. 87-Aaron Reutzel
3. 1S-Logan Schuchart
4. 49-Brad Sweet
5. 41-David Gravel
6. 2-Carson Macedo
7. 24-Rico Abreu
8. 71-Spencer Bayston

B-Main (12 Laps)
1. 21-Brian Brown
2. 48-Danny Dietrich
3. O9-Matt Juhl
4. 15-Donny Schatz
5. 2M-Kerry Madsen
6. 7BC-Tyler Courtney
7. 7-Tim Kaeding
8. 7S-Jason Sides
9. 13-Paul McMahan
10. 14-Parker Price-Miller
11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
12. 11K-Kraig Kinser
13. 3-Ayrton Gennetten
14. 49X-Tim Shaffer
15. 5-Ian Madsen
16. 44S-Trey Starks
17. 33M-Mason Daniel
18. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips
19. 83J-Lynton Jeffrey
20. 17X-Josh Baughman
21. 39-Sammy Swindell

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 57-Kyle Larson
2. 41-David Gravel
3. 1S-Logan Schuchart
4. 2-Carson Macedo
5. 71-Spencer Bayston
6. 49-Brad Sweet
7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild
8. 17A-Austin McCarl
9. 24-Rico Abreu
10. 83-Daryn Pittman
11. 26-Cory Eliason
12. 18-Gio Scelzi
13. 12N-Joey Saldana
14. 19-Shane Stewart
15. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss
16. 1A-Jacob Allen
17. 9-James McFadden
18. 17W-Shane Golobic
19. 4-Terry McCarl
20. 87-Aaron Reutzel