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Bill W's Notes for 9/18

Night #1 of the 21st Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals is upon us! Hot laps are scheduled for 6 p.m.

Drivers are earning points under the "Nationals Point" system tonight and tomorrow. They will take the best of their two nights for Saturday's lineup. Saturday's main event will pay $75,000 to win and features an event record for payout!

You can find stories as the night goes along here. You can find lineups and results on the track's website in the "Events" section, or with the MyRacePass app.

If you're interested in the PPV Broadcast, that's available on FloRacing.com.

39 cars will be divided into two groups for qualifying. Group 1 will make up heats one and two, and Group 2 will comprise heats three and four...

Group 1 will be up first. The name of the game is points. Quick time will earn the driver 200 pts, 2nd quick will be 198 pts, 3rd quick is 196 pts and so on...

Qualifying Group 1

Track record is 16.631 (Earl Pearson Jr. in 2008)

Brian Shirley just misses the track record at 16.688 seconds! Carson Ferguson is second quick, followed by Ryan Gustin, Tyler Bruening and Dallon Murty....

Qualifying Group 2

Ricky Thornton Jr. breaks the track record with a 16.566! Aaron Marrant is second quick at 16.676, followed by Daulton Wilson, Garrett Alberson and Tyler Erb...

Heat are up next...12 laps, top 5 to the feature...100 points for the win, 97 points for 2nd, 94 points for 3rd and so on...

Heat 1

Heckenast will not start...Hilsabeck leads early over Joiner, Gustin, Shirley and Chr Simpson...Chris Simpson works inside Shirley to take foruth on lap 3...Humphrey retires....Murty trying to reel in Shirley for the final transfer...D Thornton is off...Murty tries to work inside Shirely but can't find the room on a very fast track...Chris Simpson now works by Gustin for 3rd and has an eye on second....Murty is up in smoke...Hilsabeck wins it...3:30.7 is a new 12-lap record...

Heat 2

McIntosh out front over Moran, O'Neal, Sheppard and Bruening...Ferguson knocking on Bruening's door for the final transfer...track is super-fast and unchracteristically one-lane right now....Sobbing comes to a stop on the top of turn two with 3 to go....McIntosh leads the single-file restart over Moran, O'Neal, Sheppard, Bruening, Ferguson, Stuckey, B Carpenter, Coover...McIntosh will win it....Sheppard grabs third on the last lap...

Heat 3

Caution to start as Junghans and D Carpenter get together at the outset...complete restart...Junghans will restart...Davenport leads Pierce, ERb, RTJ and Wilson...RTJ dives under Erb for 3rd with 2 to go...Erb back by...Davenport takes it...

Heat 4

Neal leads Nothdurft, Alberson, Overton and Marrnt...Adam is off...Bell is off...Harris trying to reel in Marrant for the final transfer....Neal wins it...

B mains are up next, 10 laps is the distance, top 2 to the A...

B main 1, 8 laps for this one...

Murty and Heckenast will not start...Chad Simpson leads Ferguson, B Carpenter and Stuckey...Coover is off....Humphrey is off...Stuckey gers by B Carpenter for third....Sobbing to 4th...Ferguson on Chad's tail for the point....Chad Simpson and Ferguson will move on...new 8-lap track record of 2:19.3 breaking the 2004 mark of Eddie Carrier Jr.

B main 2, 6 laps for this one...

Junghans, Adam and D Carpenter are scratches...Ebert leads Harris, Lawler, Furman and Bell...Ebert and Harris move on...

A main, 25 laps, $10,000 to win...200 pts to the winner, 198 pts for 2nd, 196 pts for 3rd and so on...

Cars were inverted four rows by time in each group, putting the fastest car from each group who transferred in row four...

8:08 p.m. we are pacing the track, and it's time to race...chasing the weather a bit here...

Alberson leads Sheppard, Bruening, Wilson and Gustin...extremely fast right now and tough to pass...sixth place Shirley gets into the wall in turn three...caution, 17 to go, Alberson leasd Sheppard, Bruening, Wilson, Gustin, Joiner, ERb, RTJ, Marrant, Moran, Overton, Davenport, Pierce, O'Neal, Nothdurftt, Chris Simpson, Hilsabeck, Ebert, McIntosh, Ferguson, Chad Simpson, Neal, Harris...Delaware restart, Sheppard chooses inside grove in 2nd...Gustin to 4th on the restart....13 down, third running Bruening gets into the turn three wall hard...Tyler is out of the car...12 to go, Alberson leads Shepaprd, Gustin, Wilson, Joineer, Erb, Davenport, RTJ, Moran, O'Neal, Overton, Marrant, Pierce, McIntosh, Ebert, Chrsi Simpson, Nothdurft, Hilsabeck, Chad Simpson, Ferguson, Harris...Sheppard taking the inside line in 2nd...Erb advances to 4th ont he restart....15 down, Chad Simpson slows to bring caution, Alberson leads Sheappard, Gustin, Erb, Wilson, RTJ, O'Neal, Davenport, Marrant...O'Neal is contacted by another car and flips hard into the turn 2 wall...he is ok...10 to go, Alberson leads Sheppard, Gustinj Erb, Wilson, RTJ, Davenport, Marrant, Joiner, Moran, McIntosh, Overton, Chris Simpson, Ebert, Pierce, Hilsabeck, Ferguson, Northdurft, Harris, Chad Simpson...single-file restart...Erb from 4th to 2nd on the restart...16 down, Sheppard slows with a flat...9 to go, Alberson leads Erb, Gustin, Wilson, RTJ, Davenport, Marrant, Joiner, Moran, McIntosh, Overton, Ebert, Chris Simpson, Pierce, Hilsabeck, Ferguson, Nothdurft, Harris...19 down, Gustin slows and pulls in...6 to og, Alberson leads Erb, Wilson, RTJ, Davenport, Marrant, Joiner, Moran, McIntosh, Ebert, Overton, Ferguson, Chris Simpson, Pierce, Hilsabeck, Nothdurft...Ferguson is upside down in turn two on the restart...He is out of the car...A persistent rain has set in, and the race has been called complete....This is Alberson's first career win at Knoxville!

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