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65th Knoxville Nationals racing events

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2026-08-17 17:29 UTC → 2026-08-18 02:26 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The 65th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway began with competitive preliminary events. Sheldon Haudenschild secured a victory in a photo finish on the first qualifying night, narrowly defeating James McFadden by .006 seconds. On the second qualifying night, Kyle Larson won the Toyota Qualifying Night race, marking his 15th win at the venue. While Larson initially expected to miss the Saturday main event due to scheduling conflicts with the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway, heavy rain in Iowa caused significant delays at Knoxville Raceway. This weather delay created a window for Larson to travel from Virginia to Iowa. After finishing sixth in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond, Larson traveled over 1,100 miles via private jet ~~and arrived~~ to participate in ~~Knoxville~~ the prestigious dirt track event. His flight became a global sensation, noted as the most-tracked flight in the world during that period, with over 7,000 people monitoring its progress. Upon landing in Pella, Iowa, Larson arrived at the track under a police escort. Driving the No. 57 sprint ~~car,~~ car for Hendrick Motorsports, Larson led all 50 laps of the A-Main feature to claim his fourth Knoxville Nationals title and the $200,000 prize. Following the win, Larson addressed critics who had questioned his decision to enter the event given his NASCAR obligations, expressing satisfaction with the outcome. The logistics for the trip were coordinated by Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Cliff Daniels during the NASCAR race.

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