By T.J. Buffenbarger
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 11, 2022) – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 11, 2022) –Jacob Allen capped off a landmark week for the Shark Racing team after winning the Thursday night preliminary feature at the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s.
Allen was driving a paint scheme likened to his father’s, Bobby Allen, when he won the Knoxville Nationals in 1991. It also completed a sweep for the two car Shark Racing team of the Knoxville Nationals preliminary features backing up Logan Schuchart’s feature win on Wednesday. The victory was Allen’s first of his career at Knoxville Raceway.
Afterwards Allen commented to the media that the possibility of a Shark Racing sweep combined with finding victory lane for himself provided plenty of motivation.
“Winning Knoxville during the Nationals is a pretty awesome accomplishment,” said Allen. “With Logan winning yesterday it was and then me starting second tonight, I really wanted to win the race that way we could say that we swept the prelim nights. That means a lot to me and then to also have my dad’s 1A back in victory lane here in Knoxville is pretty special to me as well.”
Allen was able to wrestle the lead away from fellow front row starter Zeb Wise at the start of the 25-lap main event. Behind them Lynton Jeffrey, Austin McCarl, and J.J. Hickle diced for fourth on back with Carson Macedo and Tyler Courtney quickly closing on them. McCarl worked his way into fourth on lap four while Macedo raced around Hickle for sixth.
On lap seven Sweet drove around Wise and started his pursuit of Allen for the lead. Macedo also entered the top five around the outside of the track that same lap.
Kyle Larson, who started 22nd, made his presence felt taking over seventh position on lap nine. As Larson moved forward Allen began overtaking slower traffic.
As the traffic began to get heavier on lap 13 Sweet reeled in Allen to challenge for the lead. Allen was able to make some moves in slower traffic though and get away from Sweet. Behind them Macedo continued his march forward getting by McCarl and Wise, using slower cars in a pick to take the third position on lap 15.
On lap 17 Sweet started to put pressure on Allen again for the lead but got loose in turn two and allowed Allen to pull away again. This also allowed Macedo to join the battle to setup a three-car race for the lead with five laps to go.
Sweet was able to get a look under Allen with three laps to go, but Allen was able to shut the door and thwart that challenge. With two laps to go Macedo showed his nose under Sweet, but could not get enough momentum to make the pass.
Coming to the white flag Allen had Sweet and Macedo on his back bumper but was up for the challenge taking the feature. Sweet, Macedo, McCarl, and Kyle Larson completed his run from the back of the field for a top five finish.
61st NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s
Knoxville Raceway
Knoxville, Iowa
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Qualifying:
1. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips, 15.407[3]
2. 11X-Michael Kofoid, 15.419[21]
3. 27H-Daryn Pittman, 15.427[17]
4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 15.443[14]
5. 88-Austin McCarl, 15.452[4]
6. 5-Spencer Bayston, 15.485[18]
7. 57-Kyle Larson, 15.506[35]
8. 16-Brooke Tatnell, 15.529[5]
9. 39M-Anthony Macri, 15.550[13]
10. 42-Sye Lynch, 15.552[12]
11. 41-Carson Macedo, 15.623[19]
12. 09-Matt Juhl, 15.646[10]
13. 25-JJ Hickle, 15.650[27]
14. 17S-Sammy Swindell, 15.656[29]
15. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, 15.711[6]
16. 27-Carson McCarl, 15.732[30]
17. 2K-Lynton Jeffrey, 15.736[8]
18. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.753[32]
19. 11N-Harli White, 15.756[2]
20. 24R-Rico Abreu, 15.769[31]
21. 1A-Jacob Allen, 15.785[28]
22. 26-Zeb Wise, 15.815[20]
23. 19W-Chris Windom, 15.822[25]
24. 3TK-Tim Kaeding, 15.830[42]
25. 18R-Ryan Roberts, 15.837[22]
26. 49X-Cale Thomas, 15.840[43]
27. 9-Kasey Kahne, 15.841[40]
28. 11T-TJ Stutts, 15.845[11]
29. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 15.855[7]
30. 17B-Bill Balog, 15.868[37]
31. 5C-Dylan Cisney, 15.886[26]
32. 15M-Bobby Mincer, 15.905[1]
33. 1-Logan Wagner, 15.911[24]
34. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 15.919[46]
35. 20G-Noah Gass, 15.928[16]
36. 83T-Tanner Carrick, 15.929[23]
37. 35-Zach Hampton, 16.009[44]
38. 44-Chris Martin, 16.048[33]
39. 21-Brian Brown, 16.048[39]
40. 53-Jack Dover, 16.091[41]
41. 99-Skylar Gee, 16.120[15]
42. 83JR-Kerry Madsen, 16.158[48]
43. 14H-Josh Higday, 16.202[45]
44. 6-Bill Rose, 16.226[36]
45. 97-Greg Wilson, 16.299[38]
46. 12-Tyler Drueke, 16.337[34]
47. 35K-Chad Kemenah, 16.404[49]
48. 4W-Matt Wasmund, 16.537[50]
49. 97G-Alan Gilbertson, 16.677[47]
50. 6A-Adam Cruea, NT[9]
Heat Race #1 (10 Laps)
1. 5C-Dylan Cisney[2]
2. 1A-Jacob Allen[4]
3. 49X-Cale Thomas[3]
4. 41-Carson Macedo[6]
5. 83T-Tanner Carrick[1]
6. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips[8]
7. 27-Carson McCarl[5]
8. 5-Spencer Bayston[7]
9. 99-Skylar Gee[9]
10. 12-Tyler Drueke[10]
Heat Race #2 (10 Laps)
1. 35-Zach Hampton[1]
2. 9-Kasey Kahne[3]
3. 26-Zeb Wise[4]
4. 2K-Lynton Jeffrey[5]
5. 09-Matt Juhl[6]
6. 11X-Michael Kofoid[8]
7. 57-Kyle Larson[7]
8. 15M-Bobby Mincer[2]
9. 35K-Chad Kemenah[10]
DNS: 83JR-Kerry Madsen
Heat Race #3 (10 Laps)
1. 25-JJ Hickle[6]
2. 1-Logan Wagner[2]
3. 49-Brad Sweet[5]
4. 19W-Chris Windom[4]
5. 16-Brooke Tatnell[7]
6. 27H-Daryn Pittman[8]
7. 11T-TJ Stutts[3]
8. 44-Chris Martin[1]
9. 14H-Josh Higday[9]
10. 4W-Matt Wasmund[10]
Heat Race #4 (10 Laps)
1. 21-Brian Brown[1]
2. 3TK-Tim Kaeding[4]
3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]
4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[8]
5. 39M-Anthony Macri[7]
6. 11K-Kraig Kinser[3]
7. 11N-Harli White[5]
8. 17S-Sammy Swindell[6]
9. 6-Bill Rose[9]
10. 97G-Alan Gilbertson[10]
Heat Race #5 (10 Laps)
1. 53-Jack Dover[1]
2. 20G-Noah Gass[2]
3. 17B-Bill Balog[3]
4. 88-Austin McCarl[8]
5. 24R-Rico Abreu[5]
6. 18R-Ryan Roberts[4]
7. 42-Sye Lynch[7]
8. 21K-Thomas Kennedy[6]
9. 97-Greg Wilson[9]
C-Main (10 Laps)
1. 99-Skylar Gee[1]
2. 14H-Josh Higday[3]
3. 97-Greg Wilson[5]
4. 35K-Chad Kemenah[7]
5. 6-Bill Rose[4]
6. 12-Tyler Drueke[6]
7. 4W-Matt Wasmund[8]
8. 97G-Alan Gilbertson[9]
DNS: 83JR-Kerry Madsen
DNS: 6A-Adam Cruea
B-Main (12 Laps)
1. 27H-Daryn Pittman[3]
2. 57-Kyle Larson[5]
3. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips[1]
4. 11X-Michael Kofoid[2]
5. 39M-Anthony Macri[7]
6. 42-Sye Lynch[8]
7. 24R-Rico Abreu[14]
8. 17S-Sammy Swindell[10]
9. 11N-Harli White[13]
10. 09-Matt Juhl[9]
11. 27-Carson McCarl[12]
12. 44-Chris Martin[20]
13. 21K-Thomas Kennedy[11]
14. 35K-Chad Kemenah[24]
15. 99-Skylar Gee[21]
16. 14H-Josh Higday[22]
17. 83T-Tanner Carrick[19]
18. 18R-Ryan Roberts[15]
19. 97-Greg Wilson[23]
20. 11K-Kraig Kinser[17]
21. 5-Spencer Bayston[4]
22. 11T-TJ Stutts[16]
23. 15M-Bobby Mincer[18]
24. 16-Brooke Tatnell[6]
A-Main (25 Laps)
1. 1A-Jacob Allen[2]
2. 49-Brad Sweet[3]
3. 41-Carson Macedo[6]
4. 88-Austin McCarl[7]
5. 57-Kyle Larson[22]
6. 26-Zeb Wise[1]
7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[8]
8. 9-Kasey Kahne[12]
9. 2K-Lynton Jeffrey[4]
10. 25-JJ Hickle[5]
11. 3TK-Tim Kaeding[10]
12. 27H-Daryn Pittman[21]
13. 19W-Chris Windom[9]
14. 5C-Dylan Cisney[14]
15. 21-Brian Brown[19]
16. 11X-Michael Kofoid[24]
17. 20G-Noah Gass[17]
18. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips[23]
19. 17B-Bill Balog[13]
20. 49X-Cale Thomas[11]
21. 35-Zach Hampton[18]
22. 1-Logan Wagner[15]
23. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[16]
DNS: 53-Jack Dover