By T.J. Buffenbarger
KNOXVILLE, Iowa – (August 12, 2016) – “We Parked it for BC”.
Those were the first words out of Rico Abreu’s mouth following his first career victory at Knoxville Raceway during the 5-hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals FVP Qualifying night Friday at Knoxville Raceway. Abreu blasted to the lead from third starting spot at the start held off Greg Hodnett through heavy traffic for the victory. The win secured a starting spot for Rico Abreu in the Knoxville Nationals A-Main on Saturday night.
Abreu won despite having mechanical issues during the feature.
“My wing valve broke, so my wing just kept going back down the straightaways and then I’d get in the corner and it would go back forward,” said Abreu. “Paul Silva built a great car tonight. Eagle, Ring Long with their Speedway Engines. It takes track position, it takes good decisions and it just gets put together in one night and that’s how you win these races.”
Hodnett, Danny Lasoski, and Lucas Wolfe also locked into Saturday night’s Nationals A-Main.
Wolfe took the lead down the front stretch until Abreu dove to the bottom and led the field off of turn two. Lasoski, Hodnett, and Wolfe diced for second with Lasoski coming away with the position on lap two. Hodnett slipped off the fourth corner through the middle of the track and allowed Wolfe to drive by for third.
Early on Brian Brown made a big move in the feature driving by multiple cars in turns three and four to move up to third. Then on lap seven Hodnett started to roll well on the bottom of the race track and took third away from Brown in turns three and four.
By lap seven Lasoski found himself under pressure from Hodnett and Brown making a three car race for second. Hodnett continued his march through the field getting by Lasoski for second on lap 10 and started to track down Abreu for the lead, racing four wide through slower traffic to do so.
With five laps to go Brian Brown running in the fourth and final transfer spot began to feel pressure from Logan Schuchart. Brown and Schuchart exchanged the position back and forth. Then on lap 21 the complexion of Brown’s Nationals changed when Trey Starks spun in turn four. Brown did not see Starks’ car in time and ended up getting into the wall and Starks’ car, ending his his run.
Abreu pulled away after the restart as the race for four heated up with Wolfe and Schuchart swapping the position back and forth with Stevie Smith right behind them to make a three car race for the final transfer spot. With three laps to go Wolfe got by Schuchart and opened up some distance as Tim Shaffer moved by Smith and started putting pressure on Schuchart for fifth.
Up front it was all Abreu locking himself into Saturday’s A-Main with Lasoski, Hodnett, and Wolfe. Shaffer rounded out the top five.
56th Annual 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores
FVP Preliminary Night
Knoxville Raceway
Knoxville, IA
Friday August 12, 2016
Qualifying Group A: 1. 1Z – Lucas Wolfe, 15.096; 2. 24 – Rico Abreu, 15.198; 3. 7D – Dustin Selvage, 15.229; 4. 19P – Paige Polyak, 15.237; 5. 51S – Stevie Smith, 15.260; 6. 83 – Joey Saldana, 15.275; 7. 71M – Dave Blaney, 15.288; 8. 11K – Kraig Kinser, 15.334; 9. 99 – Brady Bacon, 15.435; 10. 93 – Sheldon Haudenschild, 15.438; 11. 17B – Bill Balog, 15.465; 12. 7W – Tasker Phillips, 15.470; 13. 55L – Aaron Reutzel, 15.505; 14. 11N – Randy Hannagan, 15.523; 15. 23S – Trey Starks, 15.526; 16. 7S – Jason Sides, 15.561; 17. 55W – Logan Wagner, 15.684; 18. 18W – Colby Copeland, 15.711; 19. 7M – Kaley Gharst, 15.730; 20. 3G – Brandon Wimmer, 15.752; 21. 40 – Clint Garner, 15.763; 22. 18JS – Jason Solwold, 15.787; 23. 97 – Dean Jacobs, 15.790; 24. 20 – A.J. Moeller, 15.802; 25. 17 – Josh Baughman, 15.837; 26. 75 – Glen Saville, 15.851; 27. 68 – Chase Johnson, 15.873; 28. 23 – Jimmy Light, 15.910; 29. 1X – Chad Trout, 15.932; 30. 4S – Danny Smith, 15.991; 31. 77X – Parker Price-Miller, 16.013; 32. 4K – Kody Kinser, 16.100; 33. 31B – Shane Golobic, 16.193; 34. 13 – Clyde Knipp, 16.280; 35. 28AM – Brian Paulus, 16.362; 36. 15B – Bobby Mincer, 16.540; 37. 83C – Adam Creua, 17.002; 38. 71B – Robert Bell, 17.469; 39. OO – Dane Lorenc, 16.410 *.
* Lorenc did not cross the scales following qualifications.
Qualifying Group B: 1. 1A – Jacob Allen, 15.294; 2. 27 – Greg Hodnett, 15.316; 3. 21 – Brian Brown, 15.340; 4. 2 – Danny Lasoski, 15.364; 5. 1S – Logan Schuchart, 15.445; 6. 21H – Cap Henry, 15.455; 7. 10 – Dakota Hendrickson, 15.466; 8. 5H – Cory Eliason, 15.506; 9. O9 – Matt Juhl, 15.573; 10. 20V – Rager Phillips, 15.629; 11. 26 – Willie Croft, 15.653; 12. 49X – Tim Shaffer, 15.686; 13. 70 – Danny Holtgraver, 15.738; 14. 56N – Davey Heskin, 15.746; 15. 17A – Austin McCarl, 15.785; 16. 2M – Matt Moro, 15.788; 17. 15H – Sam Hafertepe Jr. , 15.795; 18. W20 – Greg Wilson, 15.803; 19. 3 – Billy Alley, 15.820; 20. 49J – Josh Schneiderman, 15.831; 21. 88N – D.J. Netto, 15.839; 22. 12H – Daniel Harding, 15.859; 23. 7 – Paul McMahan, 15.873; 24. 23C – Tyler Courtney, 15.927; 25. 20N – Hunter Schuerenberg, 15.965; 26. 4 – Jon Agan, 15.993; 27. 71A – R.J. Johnson, 16.001; 28. 1XX – Don Droud Jr. , 16.025; 29. 45X – Johnny Herrera, 16.140; 30. 21T – Ray Allen Kulhanek, 16.169; 31. 44 – Chris Martin, 16.171; 32. 22 – Jac Haudenschild, 16.194; 33. 84 – Scott Bogucki, 16.227; 34. 5R – Byron Reed, 16.229; 35. 7J – Joe Swanson, 16.386; 36. O2 – Mike Reinke, 16.422; 37. 19 – Bob Weuve, 16.467; 38. 28 – Jonathan Cornell, NT;
Group A Heat Race #1 (8 Laps): 1. 93 – Sheldon Haudenschild, 2. 1Z – Lucas Wolfe, 3. 71M – Dave Blaney, 4. 18JS – Jason Solwold, 5. 55L – Aaron Reutzel, 6. 7S – Jason Sides, 7. 17 – Josh Baughman, 8. 77X – Parker Price-Miller, 9. 19P – Paige Polyak, 10. 7M – Kaley Gharst, 11. 23 – Jimmy Light, 12. 13 – Kyle Knipp. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Group A Heat Race #2 (8 Laps): 1. 17B – Bill Balog, 2. 24 – Rico Abreu, 3. 51S – Stevie Smith, 4. 11K – Kraig Kinser, 5. 11N – Randy Hannagan, 6. 3G – Brandon Wimmer, 7. 97 – Dean Jacobs, 8. 55W – Logan Wagner, 9. 75 – Glenn Saville, 10. 4K – Kody Kinser, 11. 1X – Chad Trous, 12. 28AM – Brian Paulus. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Group A Heat Race #3 (8 Laps): 1. 99 – Brady Bacon, 2. 7W – Tasker Phillips, 3. 83 – Joey Saldana, 4. 7D – Dustin Selvage, 5. 23S – Trey Starks, 6. 40 – Clint Garner, 7. 68 – Chase Johnson, 8. 18W – Colby Copeland, 9. 20 – A.J. Moeller, 10. 4S – Danny Smith, 11. 31B – Shane Golobic, 12. 15B – Bobby Mincer. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Group B Heat Race #1 (8 Laps): 1. 10 – Dakota Hendrickson, 2. 2 – Danny Lasoski, 3. 2M – Matt Moro, 4. 10V – Rager Phillips. 5. 12H – Daniel Harding, 6. 20N – Hunter Schuerenberg, 7. 1XX – Don Droud Jr., 8. 44 – Chris Martin, 9. 3 – Billy Alley, 10. 5R – Byron Reed, 11. 70 – Danny Hotgraver, 12. 1A – Jacob Allen. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Group B Heat Race #2 (8 Laps): 1. 26 – Willie Croft, 2. 27 – Greg Hodnett, 3. 1S – Logan Schuchart, 4. 5H – Cory Eliason, 5. 56N – Davey Heskin, 6. 7 – Paul McMahan, 7. 49J – Josh Schneiderman, 8. 45X – Johnny Herrera, 9. 4 – Jon Agan, 10. 22 – Jac Haudenschild, 11. 7J – Joe Swanson, 12. 15H – Sam Hafertepe Jr. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Group B Heat Race #3 (8 Laps): 1. 1. 21 – Brian Brown, 2. 49X – Tim Shaffer, 3. O9 – Matt Juhl, 4. 21H – Cap Henry, 5. 17A – Austin McCarl, 6. 88N – D.J. Netto, 7. 71A – R.J. Johnson, 8. W20 – Greg Wilson, 9. 21T – Ray Allen Kulhanek, 10. 84 – Scott Bogucki, 11. 02 – Mike Reinke. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
C-Main (10 Laps): 1. 77X – Parker Price-Miller, 2. 44 – Chris Martin, 3. 21T – Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 4S – Danny Smith, 5. 5R – Byron Reed, 6. 28AM – Brian Paulus, 7. 7J – Joey Swanson, 8. 4K – Kody Kinser, 9. 13 – Clyde Knipp, 10. 02 – Mike Reinke, 11. 15B – Bobby Miincer, 12. 19 – Bob Weuve, 13. 22 – Jac Haudenschild, 14. 71B – Robert Bell, 15. 84 – Scott Bogucki, 16. 83C – Adam Cruea, 17. 31B – Shane Golobic, 18. 28 – Jonathan Cornell, 19. 00 – Dane Lorenc. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Group A B-Main (12 Laps): 1. 7D – Dustin Selvage, 2. 11K – Kraig Kinser, 3. 23S – Trey Starks, 4. 11N – Randy Hannagan, 5. 7S – Jason Sides, 6. 18W – Colby Copeland, 7. 55L – Aaron Reutzel, 8. 3G – Brandon Wimmer, 9. 40 – Clint Garner, 10. 19P – Paige Polyak, 11. 55W – Logan Wagner, 12. 97 – Dean Jacobs, 13. 7M – Kaley Gharst, 14. 18JS – Jason Solwold, 15. 17 – Josh Baughman, 16. 77X – Parker Price-Miller, 17. 20 – A.J. Moeller, 18. 68 – Chase Johnson, 19. 21T – Ray Allen Kulhanek, 20. 23 – Jimmy Light, 21. 75 – Glen Saville, 22. 1X – Chad Trout. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Group B B-Main (12 Laps): 1. 1A – Jacob Allen, 2. 21H – Cap Henry, 3. 56N – Davey Heskin, 4. 5H – Cory Eliason, 5. 3 – Billy Alley, 6. 10V – Rager Phillips, 7. 88N – D.J. Netto, 8. 7 – Paul McMahan, 9. 70 – Danny Holtgraver, 10. 17A – Austin McCarl, 11. 45X – Johnny Herrera, 12. W20 – Greg Wilson, 13. 49J – Josh Schneiderman, 14. 12H – Daniel Harding, 15. 1XX – Don Droud Jr, 16. 44 – Chris Martin, 17. 20N – Hunter Schuerenberg, 18. 71A – R.J. Johnson, 19. 23C – Tyler Courtney, 20. 4 – Jon Agan, 21. 4S – Danny Smith, 22. 15H – Sam Haferetepe Jr. (First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 24 – Rico Abreu, 2. 27 – Greg Hodnett, 3. 2 – Danny Lasoski, 4. 1Z – Lucas Wolfe, 5. 49X – Tim Shaffer, 6. 1S – Logan Schuchart, 7. 83 – Joey Saldana, 8. 51S – Stevie Smith, 9. 93 – Sheldon Haudenschild, 10. 99 – Brady Bacon, 11. 7W – Tasker Phillips, 12. 7D – Dustin Selvage, 13. 17B – Bill Balog, 14. 21H – Cap Henry, 15. 56N – Davey Heskin, 16. 2M – Matt Moro, 17. 11K – Kraig Kinser, 18. 09 – Matt Juhl, 20. 10 – Dakota Hendrickson, 21. 1A – Jacob Allen, 22. 21 – Brian Brown, 23. 26 – Willie Croft, 24. 23S – Trey Starks.