An intense battle between Trey Starks and Brian Brown was joined by fifth-starting Greg Hodnett on lap four and resolved in Hodnett's favor four laps later in the Knoxville 360 Nationals at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on Friday night.

Once Hodnett took the lead, he never looked back to become the second driver in as many nights to score his first career win on this famed track. On Thursday, Tim Shaffer won the first night of the Nationals. Both drivers are part of the famed Pennsylvania Posse.

"Mr. Aliquippa himself, the 'Steel City Outlaw' got 'er done last night," Hodnett said in Victory Lane. "We were fortunate enough to take advantage of a pretty decent starting spot. We had a good race car and we came out on top in this one. It's been a long time since we've been up here. I didn't even know how to get here.

"I'm just very fortunate and very blessed to have this car, car owner, and the guys who work on it. I'm very thankful. This is really important. We come out here one time a year and get minimal laps here. We don't get as many as we used to with the Outlaws. This is hard to do. These guys are tough, and it's hard to do. We're going to keep working as a team to get better."



A final caution with 10 laps remaining allowed the field to close the distance. However, Hodnett would not be denied, and the battle shifted to who would run second.

Starks led the opening lap from the pole, but he was quickly challenged by Brown. Despite prevailing in their head-to-head battle, Brown knew that was a factor in why he was unable to catch Hodnett.

"I'm just a little disappointed in the driver," Brown said. "You get guys like Greg and Trey Starks, and you give them opportunities... they're going to make it count. For Greg to come back from Pennsylvania and put it on us says something about how strong his team is. Greg is a true ambassador to our sport. To run second to him isn't the end of the world. I just feel I didn't run 20 good laps. I need to make better laps and better decisions as a driver. We'll come back tomorrow and hopefully, I can do my job."

Night one of the Knoxville Nationals was marked by a single groove that made passing difficult.

A cushion developed Friday night, but the key to success was being able to search for the best groove. With limited experience around this track, Starks was unable to build adjustability in his car.

"I wish I had more laps around here and knew how to run the bottom," Starks said. "The bottom was hooked up and good and fast. I just tried to run the top as hard as I possibly could. That was a fun one with Greg and Brian there. I can't really complain very much. Hopefully, we're set up good for tomorrow."

Clint Garner and Jeff Swindell rounded out the top five.

Nights one and two of the Knoxville Nationals set the complete lineup for Saturday's $10,000-to-win show.

Garner earned the most points through a combination of his activity in the preliminaries and feature to lead the field to green alongside outside pole sitter Wayne Johnson.

Hodnett's win contributed to a fifth-place start in the big show, which is precisely where he started on Friday. Thursday's winner Tim Shaffer will start fourth.

A total of 91 drivers are entered for the week, and that will necessitate the running of an E-Main.

Top 10 Finishers
1. Greg Hodnett
2. Brian Brown
3. Trey Starks
4. Clint Garner
5. Jeff Swindell
6. Dusty Zomer
7. Nate VanHaaften
8. Wayne Johnson
9. Sam Hafertepe Jr.
10. Christopher Bell
Complete Results, with heat finishes

Knoxville Nationals Coverage

Knoxville 360 Nationals Finale Lineup
Knoxville 360 Nationals Results, Night 2
Knoxville 360 Nationals Live Updates, Night 2
Carnage Gives Way To Finesse In The Knoxville 360 Nationals Night 1
Knoxville 360 Nationals Results, Night 1
Knoxville 360 Nationals Live Updates, Night 1
Josh Baughman Knows Knoxville Wins Equal Immediate Prestige
Seat Time Is Critical To Scelzi's 360 Success
Fearless Harli White Tackles Both The 360 And 410 Knoxville Nationals
Danny Lasoski Aims For A Knoxville Victory When It Matters Most
Seth Bergman Tunes Up For Knoxville Nationals By Passing 18 Cars In 2 Races
Tony Stewart And Christopher Bell Highlight Knoxville 360 Nationals Entry List