For the second year in a row, Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif., captured Friday's FVP Hard Knox qualifying night at the Knoxville Nationals and is set to start 21st in Saturday's 50-lap grand finale.

Fourth-starting Kerry Madsen of St. Mary's, Australia, eighth-starting Sheldon Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio, and 12th-starting Brian Brown of Grain Valley, Mo., rounded out Friday's Hard Knox transfers. 

Interview: Brian Brown drove from 12th to fourth Friday to squeeze into Saturday's Knoxville Nationals.

Polesitter Corey Day of Clovis, Calif., rallied to finish seventh from 22nd after he flipped off the berm battling for the transfer spot on lap two.

From the pole to fighting for the final transfer, to flipping and rallying through the field to finish seventh.@corey_day’s disappointed the night didn’t end with a Nat’ls starting spot but his no-quit attitude still starts him 13th in tomorrow’s B. pic.twitter.com/mW4X8bYyDq

— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) August 13, 2022

America's winningest Sprint Car driver, Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, Pa., finished fifth from the 14th-starting spot and will start 11th in Saturday's B-main. 

.@AnthonyMacri7 fell one spot short of a transfer for the third time this week on Hard Knox night.

Fifth from 14th is no small feat though. He’ll start 11th in the B tomorrow.

Lost the would-be final transfer to on the last restart, says experience worked against him. pic.twitter.com/ziazEs2n3Q

— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) August 13, 2022

Spencer Bayston of Lebanon, Ind., finished sixth after running in a transfer position for most the race. A slip off the cushion in turns one and two with six laps to go cost Bayston an immediate chance to make his first Knoxville Nationals.

Feature finish

1. Rico Abreu (2)
2. Kerry Madsen (4)
3. Sheldon Haudenschild (8)
4. Brian Brown (12)
5. Anthony Macri (14)
6. Spencer Bayston (6)
7. Corey Day (1)
8. Justin Henderson (24)
9. Brady Bacon (18)
10. Dylan Cisney (13)
11. Brook Tatnell (16)
12. Sawyer Phillips (11)
13. Terry McCarl (7)
14. Brock Zearfoss (10)
15. Kyle Reinhardt (20)
16. McKenna Haase (16)
17. Sye Lynch (22)
18. Logan Wagner (15)
19. Cale Thomas (17)
20. Cory Eliason (19)'
21. Macus Dumesy (5)
22. Brandon Wimmer (21)
23. Hunter Schuerenberg (9)
24. Ayrton Gennetten (3)

Format

Remember, the #HardKnox format is a bit different! pic.twitter.com/PKVh6gjJCd

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 12, 2022

Feature lineup

? ??????? ?????? ?

The #HardKnox field is set! The top-4 finishers will lock-in to tomorrow’s $175,000/Win, $10,000/Start #NOSvilleNationals.

Drop your predictions!
? 1st ______________
? 2nd _____________
? 3rd ______________
? 4th ______________ pic.twitter.com/twE9CvTusp

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 13, 2022

The Cali kid’s on point, literally.

Teenaged racer @corey_day_ is set to lead the Hard Knox main event to green, 25 laps away from putting it into Knoxville’s big dance.

I’d love to know how many 16-year-olds have previously qualified for Nats A-main. pic.twitter.com/6xyzyhuYxB

— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) August 13, 2022

Consolation results

Transferring from the first B-Main into the #HardKnox Feature is:

1st @Cory_Eliason
2nd @BrandonWimmer
3rd @McKennaHaase

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 13, 2022

Transferring from the second B-Main into the #HardKnox Feature is:

1st @KyleReinhardt21
2nd @Sye_Lynch
3rd @Henderson_Racin

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 13, 2022

Transferring from the #HardKnox C-Main is:

1st @JakeBubak
2nd Rusty Hickman
3rd @The_Rocket_11
4th @TylerDrueke
5th @DerekHagarRacin
6th @DustinSelvage7
7th @JGMotorsports65
8th Matt Wasmund

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 13, 2022

Heat results

(eight laps, top-three transfer)

Heat one (started): Dylan Cisney (1), Terry McCarl (2), Marcus Dumesny (3), Brandon Wimmer (4), Robbie Price (5), Carson Short (9), McKenna Haase (6), Zach Hampton (8), Thomas Kennedy (7), Ryan Robertd (10), Greg Wilson (12), Tyler Drueke (11)

Heat two (started): Logan Wagner (1), Hunter Schuerenberg (2), Corey Day (4), Sammy Swindell (6), Scotty Thiel (3), Colby Copeland (7), Lachlan McHugh (8), Roger Crockett (11), Bill Balog (5), Bobby Mincer (10), TJ Stutts (9), Kevin Ingle (12)

Heat three (started): Ayrton Gennetten (4), Cale Thomas (1), Sawyer Phillips (2), Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6), Clint Garner (8), Carson McCarl (9), Matt Juhl (5), Jake Bubak (10), Mark Dobmeier (7), Bill Rose (11). DNS: Josh Higday. DQ: Cory Eliason (3)

Heat four (started): Anthony Macri (1), Brock Zearfoss (2), Spencer Bayston (3), Justin Henderson (4), Kyle Reinhardt (5), Blake Hahn (8), Dylan Westbrook (7), Skylar Gee (10), Chad Kemenah (9), Derek Hagar (11), Kraig Kinser (6), Matt Wasmund (12)

Heat five (started): Brian Brown (2), Rico Abreu (4), Brady Bacon (6), Noah Gass (1), Sye Lynch (3), Josh Schneiderman (8), Mike Wagner (5), Shane Golobic (7), Jordan Goldesberry (11),  Dustin Selvage (12), Harli white (10), Tanner Carrick (9)

Heat six (started): Sheldon Haudenschild (3), Brooke Tatnell (5), Kerry Madsen (4), Chris Martin (1), Riley Goodno (2), Chris Windom (8), Don Droud Jr. (6), Rusty Hickman (10), Scott Bogucki (9), Skylar Prochaska (11), Alan Gilbertson (12), Davey Heskin (7)

Heat lineups

? Friday’s #HardKnox Heat Race Lineups: pic.twitter.com/EigbipSyDl

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 13, 2022

Qualifying results

⏱ Friday’s #HardKnox Qualifying times… pic.twitter.com/odYQ8P8JU1

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 13, 2022

Brandon Wimmer of Fairmont, Ind., went overall quick time on Friday with his lap of 15.832 seconds, while Knoxville regular Justin Henderson topped the second group with a time of 16.286 seconds.

Rookie Corey Day of Clovis, Calif., who was nine points away from avoiding tonight's Hard Knox, continues his steady Knoxville debut with a second-quick lap in Group A of 15.856 seconds.

Reigning Hard Knox winner Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif., clocked the second-quickest lap of 16.297 seconds.

Hard Knox time trial groups

The Hard Knox split groups.

Corey Day, Eliason, Swindell top half of Group A. Terry McCarl & Logan Wagner among the bottom half.

Group B’s deep: Bayston, Kerry Madsen, Kinser, Zearfoss, Henderson, Rico, Brown, Bacon, Macri, Sheldon, Windom. pic.twitter.com/9E5W8TvGlY

— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) August 13, 2022

Austin McCarl, Tyler Courtney, 10-time Nationals champion Donny Schatz, 2019 Nationals champion David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Brent Marks, reigning Nationals winner Kyle Larson, Daryn Pittman, 2018 Nationals champion Brad Sweet, JJ Hickle, Jacob Allen, Parker Price-Miller, Nationals rookie Justin Sanders, Nationals rookie Buddy Kofoid, Tasker Phillips and Aaron Reutzel are the top 16 drivers locked in — in that order.

The top 10 starters in Saturday's go as follows: Giovanni Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, Lynton Jeffrey, Zeb Wise, James McFadden, Justin Peck, Cole Macedo, Ian Madsen, Kasey Kahne and Tim Kaeding. The top-four finishers from Saturday's Last Chance Showdown will therefore earn the 17th through 20th starting spots in the 50-lap grand finale.

Allen kept Shark Racing a perfect three-for-three on the week at Knoxville with Thursday's preliminary victory, while his teammate in Schuchart has the remaining two wins in Sunday's Capitani Classic and Wednesday's prelim.

A night after abnormal and narrow racing conditions shook up Wednesday's prelims, Thursday's preliminary action again churned out more headlines, as track regulars Austin McCarl, Tasker Phillips and Hickle realized dreams by gutting out spots in Saturday's big dance.

Larson, riding momentum from Monday's win at Southern Iowa Fairgrounds, earned Thursday's hard-charger with a 22nd-to-fifth drive.

Friday’s schedule

(All times local)

2 p.m. - Pit gate opens
5:30 p.m. - Grandstands open
6:15 p.m. - Drivers' meeting
7:15 - On-track activity begins
Hot laps
Split-field time trials
Six heats
C-main
Two B-mains
25-lap Hard Knox feature