By T.J. Buffenbarger
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 12, 2023) – Aaron Reutzel held off a late charge by David Gavel to win the FVP “Hard Knox” night at the 62nd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s. Reutzel had a commanding lead until encountering lapped traffic at the end of the feature, allowing David Gravel to close. Reutzel was up for the challenge holding the lead at the finish.
Gravel, Scott Bogucki, and Davey Heskin joined Reutzel locking into Saturday’s A-Main for the Knoxville Nationals.
Reutzel took the lead with Bogucki in tow as drivers raced three wide for third position with Jamie Ball coming out with the spot, only to have David Gravel quickly drive through the field from seventh starting spot and drive by Ball for third on lap two.
Ball then found himself under fire from Brandon Wimmer for the final transfer spot. Wimmer drove all four wheels over the cushion in turn four to drive around Ball for the position on lap three.
On lap four the caution appeared for Bill Balog slowing on the track. Balog remained under power though and blended back into the field losing several positions.
After the restart Bogucki had a run under Reutzel through turns one and two, but Reutzel was able to hold the top position. Gravel started pressuring Bogucki for second while Ball was putting heat on Wimmer for the fourth and final transfer spot when the caution came out on lap seven for Balog slowing on the track and collecting Sye Lynch, who stopped on the track with damage. Shane Golobic also went to the work area with damage from the incident.
Reutzel had a great restart and pulled away up front while Gravel drove by Bogucki off turn two for second.
While the top three pulled away the battle for the final transfer spot intensified with Ryan Timms and Justin Henderson pressuring Ball and Wimmer for fourth on back. Soon Parker Price-Miller came rocketing up through the field to pass both Ball and Wimmer off turn four on lap 14. One lap later Price-Miller passed Wimmer for the final transfer spot.
Price-Miller appeared to have the final transfer spot under control until Davey Heskin found a spot on the racetrack that was helping him rocket around the bottom of the track. Heskin drove by Ryan Timms for sixth on lap 17, then backed that up two laps later passing Wimmer for fifth.
It did not take Heskin long to catch Price-Miller and take the spot with just three laps to go.
In the closing stages of the feature Gravel was able to make up ground on Reutzel and made a last ditch effort for the win on the final lap, but Reutzel was able to hold on for the victory. Gravel, Bogucki, and Heskin locked themselves into Saturday’s A-Main of the Knoxville Nationals.
Reutzel and Bogucki were the fastest qualifiers in Flight A and B qualifying with Reutzel setting the fastest time overall with a lap of 15.424 seconds.
Three cars ended up flipping in hot laps, the most violent of the crashes took place when Gage Pulkrabek had the left side panel come off his top wing. Pulkrabek slammed into the wall with the back of the car with such force the entire rear end was ripped from the car intact. After a moment to collect his thoughts Pulkrabek was able to walk to the ambulance.
Later in practice Justin Sanders got tangled up with Bill Wagner going into turn three, sending Sanders upside down and Wagner into the wall. Sanders team was able to make repairs in time for qualifying while Wagner was finished for the evening.
The third incident took place when Sam Hafertepe Jr. hit the wall between turns one and two and got upside down. That crash ended Hafertepe’s evening.
David Gravel, Parker Price-Miller, Cory Eliason, Chris Windom, Tim Kaeding, and Justin Sanders won heat races. Skylar Prochaska won the C-Main, Brent Marks and Sye Lynch won the B-Main events.
62nd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s
FVP Hard Knox Preliminary Night
Knoxville Raceway
Knoxville, Iowa
Friday, August 11, 2023
Qualifying Flight A
1. 8-Aaron Reutzel, 15.425[3]
2. 7TW-Brandon Wimmer, 15.442[17]
3. 5T-Ryan Timms, 15.479[21]
4. 2-David Gravel, 15.510[30]
5. 21H-Brady Bacon, 15.574[31]
6. 19-Brent Marks, 15.589[34]
7. 52-Blake Hahn, 15.591[12]
8. 9P-Parker Price Miller, 15.594[2]
9. 49X-Tim Shaffer, 15.600[19]
10. 5C-Dylan Cisney, 15.652[29]
11. 22K-Kaleb Johnson, 15.690[8]
12. 11-Cory Eliason, 15.721[13]
13. 17W-Shane Golobic, 15.722[28]
14. 1C-Brenham Crouch, 15.734[26]
15. 12X-Ayrton Gennetten, 15.738[5]
16. 24T-Christopher Thram, 15.754[7]
17. 17AU-Jamie Veal, 15.756[25]
18. 4J-Kevin Thomas Jr, 15.756[11]
19. 1M-Don Droud Jr, 15.769[18]
20. 11N-Harli White, 15.775[10]
21. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier, 15.795[14]
22. 3P-Sawyer Phillips, 15.866[24]
23. 20G-Noah Gass, 15.870[37]
24. 16-Brooke Tatnell, 15.881[39]
25. 20-AJ Moeller, 15.890[20]
26. 1A-Chase Dietz, 15.891[36]
27. 70-Kraig Kinser, 15.896[32]
28. 16A-Colby Copeland, 15.906[15]
29. 50YR-JJ Hickle, 15.925[9]
30. 44P-Skylar Prochaska, 15.928[38]
31. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 15.963[22]
32. 17X-Terry McCarl, 16.039[6]
33. 6-Bill Rose, 16.050[16]
34. 35-Zach Hampton, 16.132[35]
35. 44-Chris Martin, 16.169[27]
36. 35B-Austin Bishop, 16.322[4]
37. 121-RJ Johnson, 16.462[23]
38. 65-Jordan Goldesberry, 16.537[1]
39. 4K2W-Matt Wasmund, 16.657[33]
Qualifying Flight B
1. 10-Scott Bogucki, 15.508[2]
2. 4W-Jamie Ball, 15.736[21]
3. 42-Sye Lynch, 15.799[25]
4. 17B-Bill Balog, 15.841[28]
5. 1-Justin Henderson, 15.849[14]
6. 2M-Davey Heskin, 15.966[12]
7. 6B-Clint Garner, 15.976[8]
8. 7S-Robbie Price, 15.978[7]
9. 24H-Kade Higday, 15.995[5]
10. 4CW-Chris Windom, 16.003[4]
11. 3-Tim Kaeding, 16.019[15]
12. 39M-Justin Sanders, 16.031[13]
13. 27-Carson McCarl, 16.043[9]
14. 18T-Tanner Holmes, 16.047[22]
15. 22-Riley Goodno, 16.110[6]
16. 26-Zeb Wise, 16.119[20]
17. 45-Rusty Hickman, 16.137[26]
18. 2K-Lynton Jeffrey, 16.151[39]
19. 101-Kalib Henry, 16.152[11]
20. 1K-Kelby Watt, 16.200[31]
21. 10V-Cap Henry, 16.203[24]
22. 25-Lachlan McHugh, 16.205[27]
23. 83T-Tanner Carrick, 16.271[3]
24. 21T-Cole Macedo, 16.338[38]
25. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 16.353[32]
26. 1X-Jake Bubak, 16.366[17]
27. 2KK-Kevin Ingle, 16.380[29]
28. 105-Cody Ihlen, 16.431[16]
29. W19-Trent Pigdon, 16.477[35]
30. 95-Matt Covington, 16.603[36]
31. 15JR-Cole Mincer, 16.612[34]
32. 37-Ayden Gatewood, 16.670[33]
33. 6X-Frank Rodgers, 17.345[30]
34. 9H-Landon Hansen, 17.464[19]
35. G5-Gage Pulkrabek, 17.464[1]
36. 56-Joe Simbro, 17.464[10]
37. 78-Bill Wagner, 17.464[18]
38. 55T-McKenna Haase, 17.464[23]
39. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 17.464[37]
Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 2-David Gravel[3]
2. 5C-Dylan Cisney[1]
3. 8-Aaron Reutzel[4]
4. 17W-Shane Golobic[5]
5. 52-Blake Hahn[2]
6. 24T-Christopher Thram[6]
7. 16A-Colby Copeland[10]
8. 3P-Sawyer Phillips[8]
9. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[11]
10. 20-AJ Moeller[9]
11. 1M-Don Droud Jr[7]
12. 121-RJ Johnson[13]
13. 35-Zach Hampton[12]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 9P-Parker Price Miller[2]
2. 7TW-Brandon Wimmer[4]
3. 22K-Kaleb Johnson[1]
4. 17AU-Jamie Veal[6]
5. 21H-Brady Bacon[3]
6. 20G-Noah Gass[8]
7. 50YR-JJ Hickle[10]
8. 1C-Brenham Crouch[5]
9. 1A-Chase Dietz[9]
10. 11N-Harli White[7]
11. 44-Chris Martin[12]
12. 17X-Terry McCarl[11]
13. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[13]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 11-Cory Eliason[1]
2. 5T-Ryan Timms[4]
3. 49X-Tim Shaffer[2]
4. 19-Brent Marks[3]
5. 12X-Ayrton Gennetten[5]
6. 16-Brooke Tatnell[8]
7. 70-Kraig Kinser[9]
8. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier[7]
9. 4J-Kevin Thomas Jr[6]
10. 44P-Skylar Prochaska[10]
11. 35B-Austin Bishop[12]
12. 6-Bill Rose[11]
13. 4K2W-Matt Wasmund[13]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 4CW-Chris Windom[1]
2. 17B-Bill Balog[3]
3. 10-Scott Bogucki[4]
4. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[9]
5. 25-Lachlan McHugh[8]
6. 6B-Clint Garner[2]
7. 26-Zeb Wise[6]
8. 101-Kalib Henry[7]
9. 105-Cody Ihlen[10]
10. 15JR-Cole Mincer[11]
11. 9H-Landon Hansen[12]
12. 27-Carson McCarl[5]
13. 78-Bill Wagner[13]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Heat Race #5 (8 Laps)
1. 3-Tim Kaeding[1]
2. 4W-Jamie Ball[4]
3. 1-Justin Henderson[3]
4. 7S-Robbie Price[2]
5. 18T-Tanner Holmes[5]
6. 83T-Tanner Carrick[8]
7. 55T-McKenna Haase[13]
8. 1X-Jake Bubak[9]
9. 1K-Kelby Watt[7]
10. 37-Ayden Gatewood[11]
11. W19-Trent Pigdon[10]
12. 45-Rusty Hickman[6]
13. G5-Gage Pulkrabek[12]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
Heat Race #6 (8 Laps)
1. 39M-Justin Sanders[1]
2. 2K-Lynton Jeffrey[6]
3. 2M-Davey Heskin[3]
4. 42-Sye Lynch[4]
5. 24H-Kade Higday[2]
6. 10V-Cap Henry[7]
7. 95-Matt Covington[10]
8. 22-Riley Goodno[5]
9. 2KK-Kevin Ingle[9]
10. 6X-Frank Rodgers[11]
11. 21T-Cole Macedo[8]
12. 56-Joe Simbro[12]
13. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[13]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
C-Main (10 Laps)
1. 44P-Skylar Prochaska[1]
2. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[3]
3. 95-Matt Covington[2]
4. 17X-Terry McCarl[5]
5. 35-Zach Hampton[9]
6. 35B-Austin Bishop[13]
7. 44-Chris Martin[11]
8. 55T-McKenna Haase[18]
9. 121-RJ Johnson[15]
10. 9H-Landon Hansen[10]
11. 15JR-Cole Mincer[4]
12. 6X-Frank Rodgers[8]
13. 4K2W-Matt Wasmund[19]
14. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[17]
15. 6-Bill Rose[7]
16. 37-Ayden Gatewood[6]
17. G5-Gage Pulkrabek[12]
18. 56-Joe Simbro[14]
19. 78-Bill Wagner[16]
20. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[20]
(First eight finishers transferred to the pair of B-Mains)
B-Main #1 (12 Laps)
1. 19-Brent Marks[2]
2. 21H-Brady Bacon[1]
3. 17W-Shane Golobic[4]
4. 12X-Ayrton Gennetten[6]
5. 52-Blake Hahn[3]
6. 24T-Christopher Thram[7]
7. 1C-Brenham Crouch[5]
8. 3P-Sawyer Phillips[13]
9. 11N-Harli White[11]
10. 20G-Noah Gass[14]
11. 50YR-JJ Hickle[20]
12. 13JT-Mark Dobmeier[12]
13. 35-Zach Hampton[23]
14. 70-Kraig Kinser[18]
15. 44-Chris Martin[24]
16. 1M-Don Droud Jr[10]
17. 16A-Colby Copeland[19]
18. 95-Matt Covington[22]
19. 16-Brooke Tatnell[15]
20. 44P-Skylar Prochaska[21]
21. 1A-Chase Dietz[17]
22. 20-AJ Moeller[16]
23. 4J-Kevin Thomas Jr[9]
24. 17AU-Jamie Veal[8]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
B-Main #2 (12 Laps)
1. 42-Sye Lynch[1]
2. 26-Zeb Wise[8]
3. 7S-Robbie Price[3]
4. 18T-Tanner Holmes[6]
5. 6B-Clint Garner[2]
6. 1K-Kelby Watt[11]
7. 1X-Jake Bubak[17]
8. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[21]
9. 25-Lachlan McHugh[13]
10. 24H-Kade Higday[4]
11. 22-Riley Goodno[7]
12. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[16]
13. 10V-Cap Henry[12]
14. 101-Kalib Henry[10]
15. 21T-Cole Macedo[15]
16. 83T-Tanner Carrick[14]
17. 55T-McKenna Haase[24]
18. 17X-Terry McCarl[22]
19. 35B-Austin Bishop[23]
20. 105-Cody Ihlen[19]
21. W19-Trent Pigdon[20]
22. 2KK-Kevin Ingle[18]
23. 27-Carson McCarl[5]
24. 45-Rusty Hickman[9]
(First three finishers transferred to the A-Main)
A-Main (25 Laps)
1. 8-Aaron Reutzel[1]
2. 2-David Gravel[7]
3. 10-Scott Bogucki[2]
4. 2M-Davey Heskin[10]
5. 9P-Parker Price Miller[9]
6. 19-Brent Marks[19]
7. 7TW-Brandon Wimmer[3]
8. 5T-Ryan Timms[5]
9. 1-Justin Henderson[8]
10. 11-Cory Eliason[17]
11. 26-Zeb Wise[22]
12. 22K-Kaleb Johnson[15]
13. 21H-Brady Bacon[21]
14. 4W-Jamie Ball[4]
15. 3-Tim Kaeding[14]
16. 39M-Justin Sanders[16]
17. 49X-Tim Shaffer[11]
18. 2K-Lynton Jeffrey[18]
19. 4CW-Chris Windom[12]
20. 5C-Dylan Cisney[13]
21. 7S-Robbie Price[24]
22. 17W-Shane Golobic[23]
23. 17B-Bill Balog[6]