For the third time in his career, Rico Abreu qualified for the Knoxville Nationals through Hard Knox Night, winning the final feature of the preliminary nights and locking into a P21 starting spot for Saturday’s main event.
Along with him came Australia’s Kerry Madsen, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild, and former Knoxville track champion Brian Brown.
“This race is tough,” Abreu said. “A lot of it comes down to qualifying and just track position. I think I’ve noticed the last two years just how tough the competition is getting just across series and tracks.”
Abreu doesn’t qualify through Friday night by design. He’d prefer it if he didn’t have to.
But nonetheless, it’s the way the 24 gets into the $10,000-to-start Knoxville Nationals.
“Everything’s timing at this place,” Abreu said. “It takes a lot of timing and speed. You’re footwork is so important.”
As everyone knows, once that race starts, anything can happen.
Kerry Madsen knows it better than anyone.
“I feel like we have a good runnable package in it for 50 laps,” Madsen said. “That race was like pressure personified. Tomorrow night will be more like send it and go.”
Knoxville Nationals Hard Knox Night Results
1. Rico Abreu
2. Kerry Madsen
3. Sheldon Haudenschild
4. Brian Brown
5. Anthony Macri
6. Spencer Bayston
7. Corey Day
8. Justin Henderson
9. Brady Bacon
10. Dylan Cisney
11. Brooke Tatnell
12. Sawyer Phillips
13. Terry McCarl
14. Brock Zearfoss
15. Kyle Reinhardt
16. McKenna Hasse
17. Sye Lynch
18. Logan Wagner
19. Cale Thomas
20. Cory Eliason
21. Marcus Dumesny
22. Hunter Schuerenberg
23. Brandon Wimmer
24. Ayrton Gennetten
