Dirt on Dirt - Alberson endures, wins at rain-halted Knoxville

September 18

Knoxville Raceway,

Knoxville, IA

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals first prelim night) - $10,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, series and track reports (last updated September 18, 11:21 pm)

Alberson endures, wins at rain-halted Knoxville

Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals first prelim night

Garrett Alberson
Tyler Erb
Daulton Wilson
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Jonathan Davenport
Aaron Marrant
Joseph Joiner
Devin Moran
Donald McIntosh
Dan Ebert
Brandon Overton
Chris Simpson
Bobby Pierce
Daniel Hilsabeck
Blair Nothdurft
Brandon Sheppard
Clay Harris
Carson Ferguson
Ryan Gustin
Hudson O'Neal
Chad Simpson
Tyler Bruening
Brian Shirley
Jake Neal

presented by

Live video Photo slideshow Related story Race history

Heath Lawson/heathlawsonphotos.com

Hudson O'Neal goes for a wild ride in Knoxville's opener.

What won the race: Overcoming multiple mid-race restarts for a flag-to-flag victory, second-starting Garrett Alberson of Las Cruces, N.M., led all 19 laps of Thursday's rain-shortened Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals opener at Knoxville Raceway. Alberson endured lengthy red flags for Hudson O'Neal and Carson Ferguson's rollover crashes and was declared the winner over Tyler Erb once it started raining following Ferguson's lap-20 restart flip, notching his fourth career full-field Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and his seventh overall feature win of the 2025 season.

Quotable: “It’s huge, especially for (car owners) Ken and Beth (Roberts), they’ve been coming here for so long and it’s an Iowa deal. It means a ton to get this red (throwback scheme) in victory lane here at Knoxville,” Alberson said. “First off, I just hope everybody in them wrecks are okay. Tyler (Bruening), Hud(son O’Neal) and all those guys, it looked like they had some hard hits, I hope everyone is alright. Yeah, weird race.”

Key notes: Alberson added to full-field Lucas Oil triumphs on July 10 at Iowa's 34 Raceway and Aug. 29's Hillbilly Hundred prelim at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. ... He also topped an Aug. 7 North-South 100 split-field prelim at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., worth $6,000. ... Tenth-starting Tyler Erb took second from Brandon Sheppard on a lap-16 restart and trailed Alberson the final few laps, but never truly challenged for the lead. ... Sheppard, who pursued Alberson the opening 15 laps, slowed from third with a flat right-front tire on lap 17 and was credited with 16th. ... Daulton Wilson finished third after his contact on a lap-16 restart attempt sent Hudson O'Neal flipping wildly in turn one, necessitating a 15-minute red flag for cleanup. ... Carson Ferguson went for a similar rollover after hopping the turn-one cushion on a lap-20 restart attempt, essentially ending the race as rain intensified during the third red flag of the night; O'Neal and Ferguson were OK. ... The opening red flag flew on lap 14 when third-running Tyler Bruening pounded the turn-three wall in what he deemed "the hardest hit ever." Bruening had the wind knocked out of him and complained of back soreness, but was not seriously injured. ... Fourth-finishing Ricky Thornton Jr. started eighth following Knoxville's eight-car invert; he lowered the track record earlier in time trials. ... Sixth-running Brian Shirley lost a right-front tire and slammed the turn-three guardrail for the opening stoppage on lap nine; he was OK but did not continue. ... Chad Simpson drew the third slowdown on lap 16. ... Ryan Gustin was credited with 19th after slowing from third with apparent engine failure on the 20th lap. ... Originally scheduled for 25 circuit, Thursday's rain-shortened Knoxville Nationals prelim lasted 49 minutes with 17 starters completing 19 laps.

On the move: Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., started 18th and finished fifth.

Winner's sponsors: Alberson's Roberts Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Mesilla Valley Transportation, Low Voltage Solutions, Done Right TV, Bill's Sport Shop, Roemer Machine & Welding, Sims Family Racing, Capitol Screen Company, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Mitchell Ranch, J. Craig's Tile, Arbor Autoworks, McGinley Construction, Browning Auto Parts, American Document Services, Sunoco Race Fuels, Fastshafts, Swift Springs, Bilstein Shocks and Midwest Sheet Metal.

Points chase: Before Knoxville: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (7,735); 2. Jonathan Davenport (7,695); 3. Devin Moran (7,270); 4. Hudson O’Neal (7,185); 5. Brandon Sheppard (6,965); 6. Garrett Alberson (6,910); 7. Brandon Overton (6,645); 8. Daulton Wilson (5,980); 9. Carson Ferguson (5,825); 10. Donald McIntosh (5,705); 11. Daniel Hilsabeck (5,485); 12. Dan Ebert (5,240).

Current weather: Overcast, 68°F

Car count: 39

Fast qualifier: Ricky Thornton Jr.

Time: 16.566 seconds

Polesitter: Brandon Sheppard

Heat race winners: Daniel Hilsabeck, Donald McIntosh, Jonathan Davenport, Jake Neal

Consolation race winners: Chad Simpson, Dan Ebert

Next series race: September 19, Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $10,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Live updates from Thursday’s 21st annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals first preliminary night, highlighted by a 25-lap, $10,000-to-win qualifying feature for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Overcoming multiple mid-race restarts for a flag-to-flag victory, second-starting Garrett Alberson of Las Cruces, N.M., led all 19 laps of Thursday's rain-shortened Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals opener at Knoxville Raceway. Alberson endured lengthy red flags for Hudson O'Neal and Carson Ferguson's turn-one rollover crashes and was declared the winner over Tyler Erb once it started raining following Ferguson's lap-20 restart flip, notching his fourth career full-field Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and his seventh overall feature win of the 2025 season.

Feature lineup

(25 laps)

Row 1: Brandon Sheppard, Garrett Alberson
Row 2: Tyler Bruening, Daulton Wilson
Row 3: Ryan Gustin, Aaron Marrant
Row 4: Brian Shirley, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 5: Joseph Joiner, Tyler Erb
Row 6: Devin Moran, Brandon Overton
Row 7: Chris Simpson, Bobby Pierce
Row 8: Hudson O'Neal, Blair Nothdurft
Row 9: Daniel Hilsabeck, Jonathan Davenport
Row 10: Donald McIntosh, Jake Neal
Row 11: Chad Simpson, Dan Ebert
Row 12: Carson Ferguson, Clay Harris

Consolation race results

(varying distance based on car count; top two transfer)

First consolation: Chad Simpson, Carson Ferguson, Clay Stuckey, Jesse Sobbing, Brandon Carpenter, Dylan Thornton, Junior Coover, Al Humphrey. Scratched: Dallon Murty, Frank Heckenast Jr.

Second consolation: Dan Ebert, Clay Harris, Matt Furman, Rich Bell, Cory Lawler, Dan Battaglia. Scratched: Chase Junghans, Daniel Adam, Dean Carpenter.

Heat race recap

Daniel Hilsabeck led all 12 laps from the pole to win the night’s first heat race by 1.894 seconds over Joseph Joiner. Joiner overcame early contact with Ryan Gustin and fought off a late-race surge by Chris Simpson to finish second, with Gustin settling for fourth. First group fast qualifier Brian Shirley held on for the fifth and final transfer spot into Thursday’s 25-lap preliminary feature. Sixth-running Dallon Murty appeared to lose an engine as he took the white flag. … Donald McIntosh also earned a flag-to-flag victory in the second heat, winning by 0.536 of a second over third-starting Devin Moran, who slipped by Hudson O’Neal for second on the opening lap after O’Neal appeared to nearly hit the turn-two guardrail. Fourth-starting Brandon Sheppard passed O’Neal for third on the final lap, relegating O’Neal to fourth, with Tyler Bruening claiming the fifth and final transfer position. The night’s opening yellow flag flew on the 10th lap when Jesse Sobbing slowed from seventh; he did not continue and was credited with 10th. … Jonathan Davenport nearly jumped the turn-one cushion with a few laps left, but held on to win heat three by 1.438 seconds over Bobby Pierce, who trailed J.D. the entire way. Fourth-starting Tyler Erb held off Ricky Thornton Jr. to finish third, with Daulton Wilson starting and finishing fifth. Second-starting Cory Lawler slipped to seventh. The race’s lone stoppage came on the opening lap when Dan Ebert and Chase Junghans made contact entering turn one, sending Junghans spinning and collecting Dean Carpenter; Junghans pulled off a few laps later and was credited with ninth while Carpenter was unable to continue. … Jake Neal cruised to win the fourth and final heat race, leading all 12 laps and taking the checkers 0.668 of a second over Blair Nothdurft, who trailed him all the way. Fifth-starting Garrett Alberson jumped to third on the opening lap, with Brandon Overton overcoming a turn-one bobble to finish fourth and Aaron Marrant rounding out the top-five finishers. Daniel Adam slowed from third on the opening lap and pulled off under green. … The four prelims combine to last just shy of 20 minutes.

Heat race results

(12 laps; top five transfer)

First heat: Daniel Hilsabeck, Joseph Joiner, Chris Simpson, Ryan Gustin, Brian Shirley, Chad Simpson, Dallon Murty, Dylan Thornton, Al Humphrey. Scratched: Frank Heckenast Jr.

Second heat: Donald McIntosh, Devin Moran, Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O'Neal, Tyler Bruening, Clay Stuckey, Carson Ferguson, Brandon Carpenter, Junior Coover, Jesse Sobbing.

Third heat: Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton Jr., Daulton Wilson, Dan Ebert, Cory Lawler, Dan Battaglia, Chase Junghans, Dean Carpenter.

Fourth heat: Jake Neal, Blair Nothdurft, Garrett Alberson, Brandon Overton, Aaron Marrant, Clay Harris, Matt Furman, Rich Bell, Daniel Adam.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 16.688
2. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 16.768
3. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 16.784
4. Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 16.827
5. Dallon Murty (99x), Chelsea, Iowa, 16.837
6. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 16.869
7. Joseph Joiner (19m), Milton, Fla., 16.990
8. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 17.000
9. Chris Simpson (32s), Oxford, Iowa, 17.001
10. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 17.019
11. Daniel Hilsabeck (22), Earlham, Iowa, 17.090
12. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., 17.094
13. Chad Simpson (25), Mount Vernon, Iowa, 17.221
14. Jesse Sobbing (99s), Malvern, Iowa, 17.241
15. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 17.371
16. Brandon Carpenter (51B), Coldwater, Miss., 17.623
17. Dylan Thornton (38T), Orcutt, Calif., 17.666
18. Clay Stuckey (15), Shreveport, La., 17.795
19. Al Humphrey (6H), Giltner, Neb., 18.332
20. Junior Coover (10), Norfolk, Neb., 18.972
Group B
1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 16.566
2. Aaron Marrant (1xm), Richmond, Mo., 16.676
3. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 16.694
4. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 16.706
5. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 16.838
6. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 16.887
7. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 16.889
8. Daniel Adam (75), Peru, Ill., 17.020
9. Cory Lawler (93L), Hanover, Pa., 17.055
10. Blair Nothdurft (76n), Renner, S.D., 17.141
11. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 17.202
12. Jake Neal (6J), Omaha, Neb., 17.401
13. Chase Junghans (18c), Manhattan, Kan., 17.406
14. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., 17.493
15. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 17.554
16. Matt Furman (51), Iowa City, Iowa, 17.837
17. Dean Carpenter (51c), Coldwater, Miss., 17.924
18. Rich Bell (21B), Sheffield, Ill., 18.230
19. Dan Battaglia (45D), Gretna, Neb., 19.896

Thursday’s schedule

(All times local; updates with times a half-hour earlier than originally scheduled)
10 a.m. - Hauler parking begins
2:30 p.m. - Pits open
2:45 p.m. - Tech and registration opens
4:30 p.m. - Suites open
5 p.m. - Grandstands open
5:30 p.m. - Drivers' meeting
5:15 p.m. - Tech and registration closes
6 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (12 laps)
Intermission
- Late Model consolations (15 laps)
- Late Model feature (25 laps)