Brent Marks charges from eighth to win at Knoxville, his first 2026 World of Outlaws victory
NXTbets Pro | Published On: June 14, 2026
Brent Marks charges to victory
Brent Marks won the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash, the 25-lap World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars feature at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, on Friday. Marks started eighth and drove to the lead in the closing laps, holding off a late charge to claim his first victory of the 2026 season. He took the lead on Lap 22 after Rico Abreu slowed with engine trouble and then repelled a final-lap bid from Logan Schuchart to secure the win. The race was tight throughout, with several lead changes early and a tense finish. Marks’ victory will be listed as his 16th career World of Outlaws triumph and his second career win at Knoxville, the first coming in 2022.
Race dynamics and key incidents
Aaron Reutzel began the feature from the front row and led briefly at the start before Rico Abreu worked past him to take control. The order shuffled under traffic and strategy as the 25 laps unfolded. Kerry Madsen suffered a heavy crash on Lap 8 that spun and flipped his car. Madsen climbed out of the vehicle after the wreck. Abreu paced much of the middle portion of the race, but engine trouble near the end forced him to slow and yield the top spot, creating the opening Marks needed. In the final laps Marks and Schuchart traded the lead in a tense exchange. Marks closed the door on the last lap and crossed first, with Sheldon Haudenschild finishing second and Schuchart third. David Gravel took fourth and Reutzel settled for fifth.
Marks career milestones and context
The win gives Marks his first checkered flag of the 2026 season and adds to an established World of Outlaws resume. It counts as his 16th career series victory and his second triumph at Knoxville Raceway. Marks’ prior Knoxville victory came in 2022, and his drive from eighth to the front on Friday underscored his ability to move through the field. The result reshuffles the weekend storylines at Knoxville, where mechanical trouble and one major crash altered the running order and handed Marks the opening when Abreu’s engine faltered.
