KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Tyler Erb knew Jonathan Davenport and Kyle Larson were stalking him on late restarts Thursday at Knoxville Raceway. But focusing on the task at hand, the 24-year-old New Waverly, Texas, driver fought off the superstar drivers at the half-mile oval for a $7,000 preliminary victory in the 17th annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by Brandt.

During caution periods, "I was looking at (crew members) down there on the fence, hoping I could get some insight," Erb said, "but just went with our gut and gave it all we had."

That was plenty enough to complete his fifth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season as he led all but the first lap on the first of three nights of action at Knoxville, which returned to the series after cancelling last season's event amid the pandemic.

Erb, who went around polesitter Ricky Weiss in turn two on the second lap, notched his fifth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season and 14th of his career in the 25-lap event.

Davenport took his best shot at Tyler Erb on a lap-20 restart, sliding past him briefly in turn two before Erb's crossover move took him back out front to regain command. Elk Grove, Calif.'s Larson, the NASCAR standout and Knoxville sprint car winner, improved five positions to finish third with polesitter and first-lap leader Weiss of Headingley, Manitoba, in fourth. The night's fast qualifier Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, N.C., rounded out the top five.

Erb, who took the checkers 0.712 of a second ahead of Davenport, notched his second career victory at the Sprint Car Capital of the World that's hosting its lone Late Model action of the season.

"Three years ago I won my first national race here, and it was like the greatest thing that had ever happened to me, it felt like. Then two years ago we ran second on a Thursday night. To win tonight, it's awesome," Erb said in victory lane. "Racing's so up and down. You think you've got it figured out, and last week was one from hell for us. I can't think Eric Brock at Best Performance (enough). We had a big talk this week just trying to make everything go better, and I think he'll probably think that's why we ran good ... This is one of my favorite racetracks. It's so much fun and I'm happy to be standing here."

Erb survived three restarts over the final eight laps to secure his victory.

"The first one, I was a little nervous about, and I felt like I got a good run. Definitely the one with two (laps) to go worried me the most," Erb said. "Because J.D. had already slid (past) me once, and I was able to cross back underneath him. On that very last one, I didn't want to commit to the cushion or the bottom and hopefully keep him guessing. It's so tricky (exiting turn four) on a restart because you can get a really good run off the top, or you might spin the tires and then get going."

Davenport threw everything he had to Erb, but knows his Double L Motorsports team has some work to do to improve his Longhorn Chassis.

"We just weren't that good, really," he said. "It's pretty hard to pass here. They've got the track so narrow, it's really hard to get your angles just right. These cars are so aerodependent, we knock such a big hole through the air, it's really hard to pass somebody when they're in clean air. But we've just gotta be a little bit better.

"We was a whole lot better than what we normally are here. Everybody knows this probably ain't one of my favorite places, but we're learning, we're going to keep our heads up and keep trying. My crew gave me the best car they possibly could. I didn't have a lot of information to give them because I really just ain't comfortable here yet. I don't know exactly what to tell 'em to do."

Larson, competing in his lone night of the weekend because his NASCAR duties conflict with Friday and Saturday's action, came forward from his eighth starting spot but fell shy of making a serious bid for the lead.

"I was really good in the mid-portions of that and started catching some lapped traffic, and then the cautions came out," Larson said. "I think I needed it to stay green, maybe, and we'd have had a better shot. But I just struggle on restarts in these (Late Models) and it takes me a couple of laps to get either my momentum built up or just grip in the tires or whatever, but I seem to struggle for a couple of laps and then I can get going OK. But I just made too many mistakes against the cushion and it cost me some time."

Three late cautions slowed the action, the most serious on the 23rd lap when the nose of Hudson O'Neal's car folded under, sending him into the turn-four fence where he collected Logan Martin. O'Neal's car had significant left-front damage and the rear of Martin's car took a beating.

The other yellow flags appeared when home-state driver Chris Simpson slowed on the frontstretch (lap 17) and again when seventh-running Mike Marlar got into the fence (lap 20).

Another $7,000-to-win preliminary program is scheduled for Friday at Knoxville with drivers using their better points performance from either of preliminary night to set up Saturday's feature and consolation race lineups.

Notes: When Tyler Erb won a Knoxville prelim in 2018, he ended up eighth in the weekend's 100-lapper won by Jimmy Owens. ... That 2018 victory was Erb's first on a national tour. ... Hudson O'Neal said he expects to go to a backup car for Friday's competition. ... Twenty drivers were running at the finish, all on the lead lap. ... The highest driver in Lucas Oil who didn't make Thursday's main event was Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., winner of the previous two events. The prelims are non-points but Owens will have to perform well Friday to find a good starting position Saturday.

Feature lineup

Row 1: Ricky Weiss, Tyler Erb
Row 2: Tyler Bruening, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Tim McCreadie, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 4: Kyle Strickler, Kyle Larson
Row 5: Mike Marlar, Spencer Hughes
Row 6: Chad Simpson, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 7: Brandon Sheppard, Tony Jackson Jr.
Row 8: Chase Junghans, Josh Richards
Row 9: Garrett Alberson, Hudson O’Neal
Row 10: Ricky Thornton Jr., Shane Clanton
Row 11: Kyle Bronson, Logan Martin
Row 12: Tad Pospisil, Chris Simpson

Consolation results

(15 laps; top 3 transfer)

First consolation finish: Ricky Thornton Jr., Kyle Bronson, Tad Pospisil, Jimmy Owens, Ryan Gustin, Luke Merfeld, Jason Feger, Aaron Marrant, Spencer Diercks, Rich Bell, Al Humphrey, Daniel Hilsabeck, Junior Coover, Todd Cooney, Nick Marolf.

Second consolation finish: Shane Clanton, Logan Martin, Chris Simpson, Jeremiah Hurst, Kyle Hammer, Mason Oberkramer, Jason Rauen, Allan Hopp, Charlie McKenna, Shane Kirin, Reid Millard, Matt Furman, TIm Lance. Scratched: Shannon Babb, Andrew Kosiski.

Heat race results

(12 laps; top 3 transfer)

First heat finish: Chase Junghans, Garrett Alberson, Kyle Strickler, Ryan Gustin, Jimmy Owens, Tad Pospisil, Spencer Diercks, Jason Feger.

Second heat finish: Tim McCreadie, Tyler Bruening, Mike Marlar, Kyle Bronson, Luke Merfeld, Todd Cooney, Al Humphrey, Junior Coover.

Third heat finish: Ricky Weiss, Chad Simpson, Brandon Sheppard, Ricky Thornton Jr., Aaron Marrant, Rich Bell, Nick Marolf, Daniel Hilsabeck.

Fourth heat finish: Tyler Erb, Kyle Larson, Tony Jackson Jr., Jeremiah Hurst, Chris Simpson, Mason Oberkramer, Matt Furman, Reid Millard.

Fifth heat finish: Hudson O’Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., Spencer Hughes, Jason Rauen, Logan Martin, Allan Hopp, Shawn Kirwin, Shannon Babb.

Sixth heat finish: Josh Richards, Frank Heckenast Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Shane Clanton, Kyle Hammer, Tim Lance, Charlie McKenna. Scratched: Andrew Kosiski.

Time trials

First group   

1. Kyle Strickler (8), Mooresville, N.C., 17.878
2. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 18.057
3. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 18.144
4. Tad Pospisil (04), Norfolk, Neb., 18.222
5. Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 18.223
6. Ricky Weiss (7W), Headingley, Manitoba, 18.269
7. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 18.347
8. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 18.348
9. Chad Simpson (1C), Mt. Vernon, Iowa, 18.486
10. Spencer Diercks (29D), Davenport, Iowa, 18.523
11. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 18.567
12. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 18.578
13. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 18.692
14. Luke Merfeld (21M), Dubuque, Iowa, 18.756
15. Aaron Marrant (1x), Richmond, Mo., 18.915
16. Garrett Alberson (59), Las Cruces, N.M., 18.942
17. Todd Cooney (30), Des Moines, Iowa, 19.097
18. Nick Marolf (33), Moscow, Iowa, 19.097
19. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 19.389
20. Junior Coover (10C), Norfolk, Neb., 19.443
21. Rich Bell (21), Sheffield, Ill., 19.570
22. Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 19.604
23. Al Humphrey (6), Giltner, Neb., 19.833
24. Daniel Hilsabeck (22H), Adel, Iowa, no time

Second group   

1. Kyle Larson (6), Elk Grove, Calif., 18.041
2. Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla., 18.053
3. Kyle Hammer (45), Clinton, Ill., 18.302
4. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, 18.325
5. Logan Martin (36), West Plains, Mo., 18.381
6. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 18.501
7. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 18.615
8. Spencer Hughes (11H), Meridian, Miss., 18.656
9. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 18.682
10. Jeremiah Hurst (41), Dubuque, Iowa, 18.708
11. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 18.832
12. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 18.864
13. Tony Jackson Jr. (56), Lebanon, Mo., 18.893
14. Jason Rauen (98), Farley, Iowa, 18.910
15. Josh Richards (14), Shinnston, W.Va., 19.123
16. Mason Oberkramer (93), Brosley, Mo., 19.130
17. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 19.214
18. Tim Lance (48), Brimfield, Ill., 19.530
19. Matt Furman (51), Iowa City, Iowa, 19.590
20. Allan Hopp (80), Harlan, Iowa, 19.832
21. Charlie McKenna (22M), Ames, Iowa, 19.919
22. Reid Millard (14R), Jefferson City, Mo., 20.274
23. Shawn Kirwin (10K), Morris, Minn., 20.421
24. Andrew Kosiski (53), Omaha, Neb., no time

Thursday's schedule

8 a.m.: Ticket office opens
2:30 p.m.: Infield opens
5:30 p.m.: Suites and grandstands open
6 p.m.: Drivers' meeting
6: 45 p.m.: Hot laps
7:15 p.m.: Competition begins
- Time trials
- Heats (12 laps)
- B-mains (15 laps)
- Feature (25 laps)