KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Tyler Erb on Friday put himself within one victory of a historic weekend at Knoxville Raceway.

The 24-year-old driver from New Waverly, Texas, dominated Friday's 25-lap prelim in the 17th annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by Brandt, repeating his $7,000 victory from Thursday's prelim as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series heads toward Saturday's $50,000 main event.

Erb will try to become just the second driver in the history of the event at the half-mile oval as he attempts to match Iowa native Billy Moyer's 2010 three-race sweep.

"A hundred laps here is a long time," Erb said in victory lane Friday, considering the possibility of a third straight victory. "Our car's good enough to be able to run around that bottom like that. If you can do that for most of the race and just set your own pace, I don't see no reason why we can't do it. If it goes our way, it will."

Erb's Friday victory marked his sixth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season and 15th of his career.

Polesitter Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., who led the first two laps, settled for second after regaining that spot from home-state driver Tyler Bruening of Decorah who was was third in seeking his first career national touring victory.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., improved four positions to finished fourth while Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., rounded out the top five.

Like in Thursday's race when he outran former series champion Jonathan Davenport, Erb had to deal with three late-race restarts, but there were no dramatics as he kept the front-row starters in check on a night when he purposely avoided running the high groove.

"You never want to see a caution at the end of the race like that, but we ran good enough last night that I didn't want to commit myself to running the cushion, and just tried to practice in the heat and (feature) running the bottom," Erb said. "I could tell somebody was getting a good run around the outside, and I figured it was Shepp, but as long as I stayed to the inside getting into (turn) three, I didn't think anyone could ever pass me the way I would drive in and go across."

Adding that he's "pumped to win here" for the third time in his career, another victory added to his confidence.

"I have a great car, I've got a great car owner, I've got a great crew. It's fun. Racing's really fun when your car's good and you can kind of maneuver," said Erb, who pilots the Eric Brock-owned Best Performance Motorsports car based in St. Marys, Ohio. "I would've never guessed I would've passed Sheppy and Bruening on the bottom there like I did, but it was a good race them first couple of laps. Once I got out front, I could set my pace, and I felt like the longer it went green, the better I would get. The cautions definitely kept us honest, but that's part of it."

Sheppard and Bruening simply couldn't keep up with Erb with the exception of a lap or two after cautions.

"I was good for a lap or two off them restarts, then he'd run away from me there," Sheppard said. "He did a really good job. He's been really fast all weekend here. He's going to be tough to beat tomorrow for sure. Congratulations to Tyler and his whole team, they deserve it for sure. They've been doing a heckuva job this year."

Bruening added that he believed "Tyler was just a little bit better than everybody tonight and he deserved to win," he said, hoping his Skyline Motorsports entry can be in contention. "The car's been good all weekend. I think we've got something for 'em for these 100 laps. Hopefully we're up front."

Three second-half cautions slowed the action. The first flew on the 18th lap for a slowing Logan Martin, the winner of the second consolation race, with the second coming two laps later when sixth-running Kyle Strickler, Thursday's fifth-place finisher, slid into the turn-three wall and came to a rest.

The third and final yellow flag appeared just before the white flag flew for a slowing Shannon Babb, who started fourth but had faded to the 13th position.

Knoxville moves to the weekend's main event Saturday with drivers using their better points performance from Thursday and Friday programs to set the feature and consolation lineups.

Notes: Erb goes into the finale with a chance to become just the second driver to sweep three Knoxville events (Billy Moyer did it in 2010). ... Logan Martin retired after apparently nosepiece damage forced him out after 17 laps. ... Kyle Strickler's car was towed away in turn four after he suffered damaged by getting into the fence; with his top-five finish Thursday he should be safely locked into Saturday's main event lineup.

Feature lineup

Row 1: Brandon Sheppard, Tyler Bruening
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Shannon Babb
Row 3: Mike Marlar, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 4: Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie
Row 5: Jimmy Owens, Kyle Strickler
Row 6: Josh Richards, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 7: Tony Jackson Jr., Kyle Bronson
Row 8: Rich Bell, Shane Clanton
Row 9: Jason Feger, Chad Simpson
Row 10: Hudson O’Neal, Logan Martin
Row 11: Chase Junghans, Chris Simpson
Row 12: Jeremiah Hurst, Earl Pearson Jr.

Pre-feature notes

Brandon Sheppard went from thinking his race was over to winning the second heat in a furious turn of events. After third-place Jeremiah Hurst slowed off turn two on lap six and Sheppard ran into the Iowa driver’s rearend, Sheppard limped his Rocket Chassis house car to the pit area with a thoroughly damaged hood. His crew plus friends from several other teams quickly assessed the damage and, helped by a lengthy caution period as the safety crew took care of moisture on the track, put Kyle Bronson’s hood on Sheppard’s No. 1 and got him back on the track. He went on to pass Mike Marlar for the lead on lap 10 to win the prelim — a comeback that landed him the pole position for the 25-lap feature… Tim McCreadie said he had “a lot of fun” driving to an emphatic victory from the sixth starting spot in Heat 6. Noting he felt “very comfortable” with the changes his Paylor Motorsports team made for Friday’s action, he starts the feature from eighth, sharing the fourth row with Heat 1 winner Jonathan Davenport.  … Ricky Weiss slowed off turn four with mechanical trouble on lap two of the third heat and spun to a stop on the inside of the homestretch. He was pushed to the pit area and scratched from further competition. … Hudson O’Neal got into the rearend of the slowing Weiss and had to pit for his crew to work on the car’s damaged hood. He returned to the track as the heat restarted and went on to finish fourth after surviving a last-lap spin between turns three and four as he chased third-place Tony Jackson Jr.

Consolation results

(15 laps; top 3 transfer)

First consolation finish: Hudson O’Neal, Chase Junghans, Jeremiah Hurst, Matt Furman, Charlie McKenna, Nick Marolf, Todd Cooney, Shawn Kirwin, Tim Lance, Allan Hopp, Reid Millard (DNS) Junior Coover, Ricky Weiss, Daniel Hilsabeck, Andrew Kosiski.

Second consolation finish: Logan Martin, Chris Simpson, Earl Pearson Jr., Tad Pospisil, Kyle Hammer, Jason Rauen, Ryan Gustin, Spencer Hughes, Aaron Marrant, Spencer Diercks, Mason Oberkramer, Garrett Alberson, Luke Merfeld, Al Humphrey.

Heat race results

(12 laps; top 3 transfer)

First heat finish: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Rich Bell, Chase Junghans, Matt Furman, Shawn Kirwin, Todd Cooney (DNS) Tim Lance.

Second heat finish: Brandon Sheppard, Mike Marlar, Josh Richards, Nick Marolf, Allan Hopp, Jeremiah Hurst, Junior Coover. Scratched: Daniel Hilsabeck.

Third heat finish: Jimmy Owens, Jason Feger, Tony Jackson Jr., Hudson O’Neal, Charlie McKenna, Reid Millard, Ricky Weiss. Scratched: Andrew Kosiski.

Fourth heat finish: Frank Heckenast Jr., Ricky Thornton Jr., Kyle Bronson, Spencer Hughes, Chris Simpson, Tad Pospisil, Luke Merfeld, Al Humphrey.

Fifth heat finish: Shane Clanton, Kyle Strickler, Shannon Babb, Kyle Hammer, Logan Martin, Garrett Alberson, Aaron Marrant, Mason Oberkramer.

Sixth heat finish: Tim McCreadie, Chad Simpson, Tyler Bruening, Earl Pearson Jr., Ryan Gustin, Jason Rauen, Spencer Diercks.

Pre-race notes

Weather conditions for Friday’s second night of Late Model Knoxville Nationals action are absolutely gorgeous with mostly sunny skies and an afternoon high temperature in the upper 70s. … Kyle Larson of Elk Grove, Calif., accumulated the most points in Thursday’s opener, but he’s departed Knoxville and won’t return due to his NASCAR Cup Series commitments this weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) International Speedway. … Kyle Strickler’s fifth-place finish in Thursday’s 25-lap feature came in his first-ever Dirt Late Model start at Knoxville. The Mooresville, N.C., driver has previous experience at the track, however, from his back-to-back victories in the open-wheel modified division’s Harris Clash in 2011-12 and his participation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event held at the half-mile oval earlier this year. ... Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., is back for Friday’s program driving the same Double Down Motorsports XR1 Rocket that took a hard hit to its left-front corner from Logan Martin of West Plains, Mo., after O’Neal caught the cushion and folded the car’s nose under with two laps remaining in Thursday’s 25-lap feature. “Everybody was texting me, ‘That car is history,’” said Roger Sellers, O’Neal’s team owner. “I texted ‘em a picture: ‘This car is ready to go.’” Sellers said his “Dream Team” crew worked until 4 a.m. repairing the nose, suspension and other parts of the car, which avoided frame damage. … Martin’s car, meanwhile, sustained significant damage to its right side when he couldn’t avoid O’Neal’s vehicle, but his crew has made repairs for this evening’s show. Thursday marked his first-ever start at Knoxville. … Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., retired from Thursday’s feature on the 19th lap after slapping the turn-two wall when Kyle Strickler’s slider caused him to aero-push. His Longhorn car’s right-front damage was limited largely to the fender flare and lower control arm. … Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., pulled off the track during his Thursday heat and scratched from the B-main because his Team Zero car “felt like I had two flat tires” due to an apparent problem with its steering rack. He said he replaced a host of left-front suspension pieces that were wiped out when a chain-reaction pileup at the start of a heat race for last Saturday’s 50th World 100 at Eldora Speedway sent him into the Rossburg, Ohio, track’s turn-four pit opening but he didn’t change the rack; once he realized that was the likely reason for his handling problems on Thursday, though, he said he didn’t have enough time between events to install a new rack so he bypassed the consolation. … Kyle Hammer of Clinton, Ill., turned heads with his third-fastest qualifying lap on Thursday, but the 21-year-old was unable to move forward from his sixth starting spot in his heat after the inversion and missed transferring in a B-main by two positions after damaging his car’s nose when he clipped the track’s inside berm.

Time trials

First group   

1. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 17.486
2. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 17.806
3. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 17.834
4. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 17.949
5. Jeremiah Hurst (41), Dubuque, Iowa, 17.959
6. Ricky Weiss (7W), Headingley, Manitoba, 17.960
7. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 17.966
8. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 18.049
9. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 18.196
10. Todd Cooney (30), Des Moines, Iowa, 18.218
11. Tony Jackson Jr. (56), Lebanon, Mo., 18.465
12. Rich Bell (21), Sheffield, Ill., 18.525
13. Nick Marolf (33), Moscow, Iowa, 18.536
14. Charlie McKenna (22M), Ames, Iowa, 18.706
15. Matt Furman (51), Iowa City, Iowa, 18.778
16. Allan Hopp (80), Harlan, Iowa, 18.811
17. Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 19.134
18. Shawn Kirwin (10K), Morris, Minn., 19.145
19. Josh Richards (14), Shinnston, W.Va., 19.381
20. Junior Coover (10C), Norfolk, Neb., 19.688
21. Reid Millard (14R), Jefferson City, Mo., 20.019
22. Tim Lance (248), Brimfield, Ill., 21.465
23. Andrew Kosiski (53), Omaha, Neb., no time
24. Daniel Hilsabeck (22H), Adel, Iowa, no time

Second group   

1. Tad Pospisil (04), Norfolk, Neb., 17.791
2. Logan Martin (36), West Plains, Mo., 17.937
3. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 18.007
4. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 18.190
5. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 18.208
6. Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 18.251
7. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, 18.295
8. Kyle Hammer (45), Clinton, Ill., 18.325
9. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., 18.367
10. Kyle Strickler (8), Mooresville, N.C., 18.398
11. Jason Rauen (98), Farley, Iowa, 18.405
12. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 18.458
13. Garrett Alberson (59), Las Cruces, N.M., 18.479
14. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 18.551
15. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 18.556
16. Spencer Hughes (11H), Meridian, Miss., 18.667
17. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 18.703
18. Aaron Marrant (1x), Richmond, Mo., 18.737
19. Chad Simpson (1C), Mount Vernon, Iowa, 18.753
20. Luke Merfeld (21M), Dubuque, Iowa, 19.044
21. Mason Oberkramer (93), Brosley, Mo., 19.219
22. Spencer Diercks (29D), Davenport, Iowa, 19.654
23. Al Humphrey (6), Giltner, Neb., 20.032

Knoxville Nationals points (Thursday)

Point totals from Thursday's program; drivers will compete again Friday with a driver's better of two totals used to set up the starting lineup for Saturday's $50,000-to-win finale and consolation races:

1. Kyle Larson - 493
2. Tyler Erb - 488
3. Tim McCreadie - 488
4. Kyle Strickler - 486
5. Ricky Weiss - 484
6. Earl Pearson Jr. - 483
7. Jonathan Davenport - 482
8. Tyler Bruening - 475
9. Chad Simpson - 465
10. Frank Heckenast Jr. - 461
11. Ricky Thornton Jr. - 455
12. Brandon Sheppard - 454
13. Chase Junghans - 450
14. Spencer Hughes - 450
15. Kyle Bronson - 449
16. Josh Richards - 448
17. Tad Pospisil - 443
18. Shane Clanton - 441
19. Logan Martin - 438
20. Tony Jackson Jr. - 436
21. Mike Marlar - 436
22. Chris Simpson - 436
23. Garrett Alberson - 429
24. Hudson O’Neal - 428
25. Kyle Hammer - 426
26. Ryan Gustin - 421
27. Jeremiah Hurst - 417
28. Jason Rauen - 403
29. Luke Merfeld - 402
30. Spencer Diercks - 398
31. Jimmy Owens - 396
32. Aaron Marrant - 396
33. Mason Oberkramer - 395
34. Allan Hopp - 383
35. Shannon Babb - 383
36. Rich Bell - 377
37. Tim Lance - 377
38. Todd Cooney - 377
39. Charlie McKenna - 376
40. Jason Feger - 375
41. Matt Furman - 374
42. Shawn Kirwin - 370
43. Nick Marolf - 370
44. Al Humphrey - 368
45. Reid Millard - 367
46. Junior Coover - 367
47. Daniel Hilsabeck - 361
48. Andrew Kosiski - 355

Friday'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)