What won the race: Dylan Knowles of Lanett, Ala., scored a flag-to-flag victory in Friday's first 25-lap Alabama Gang semifeature at Talladega Short Track. The 27-year-old driver beat Brandon Overton to the checkered flag by 0.710 of a second to earn $4,000 and lock himself into Saturday's 75-lap, $35,000-to-win finale.

Quotable: “I’m pretty confident in the car,” Knowles said. “I really gotta shout out to (fellow racer) Dalton Cook for this. He called me about an hour before we practiced and told me to change the whole car and it panned out. I’m tickled to death with it. I never thought I’d be here in victory lane with (the World of Outlaws).”

Key notes: While the victory does not count as an official WoO feature win for Knowles because it's a split-field race, he assured himself a starting spot in the second WoO A-main of his career. He finished 10th on Oct. 2, 2021, at Senoia (Ga.) Raceway in his only previous feature appearance on the tour. ... The third-starting Overton, who won last year's Alabama Gang 100, trailed Knowles for the entire distance while second-starting Trey Mills held third for all 25 laps, locking both drivers into Saturday's headliner. ... The top three finishers from each semifeature will redraw for the first six starting spots in the 75-lap finale. ... Drake Troutman ran as high as fourth before giving way to Chris Madden in the closing laps; the 18-year-old completed the top-five finishers, putting two teenagers in the top five (Mills is 15 years old). ... Dale McDowell improved three positions and finished sixth. ... Series points leader Brandon Sheppard gained four spots and placed seventh. ... Mike Marlar (right-rear) and Tanner English (left-rear) both slowed from inside the top-10 on lap eight with flat tires; they completed the entire distance, finishing 16th and 17th, respectively. ... Brian Shirley overcame an early-race flat and a lap-three restart spin to finish 11th. ... The race was slowed by seven separate incidents, the largest being a multi-car melee on a lap-three restart attempt when Sheppard and David Breazeale appeared to make contact while battling for seventh, sending Breazeale spinning near the front of the field. The incident collected Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr., Brent Larson and Tyler Millwood and left Breazeale and Millwood unable to continue. ... The 25-lap prelim lasted 30 minutes, with 17 competitors running at the finish.

On the move: Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., started 12th and finished fourth.

Winner's sponsors: Knowles’s SK Motorsports Rocket Chassis carries sponsorship from Extreme Auto and Truck Repair, Fowler’s Alignment & Brake Service, Dixie Belle’s Cleaning Service, CP Diesel Performance, Sweet Victory Apparel and WrapTech.

Points chase: Before Talladega: 1. Brandon Sheppard (1,142); 2. Chris Madden (1,118); 3. Nick Hoffman (1,108); 4. Cade Dillard (1,106); 5. Tyler Bruening (1,060); 6. Dennis Erb Jr. (1,050); 7. Kyle Bronson (1,044); 8. Bobby Pierce (1,020); 9. Brian Shirley (1,008); 10. Ryan Gustin (1,000); 11. Cody Overton (990); 12. Dustin Sorensen (972).

Current weather: Overcast, 72°F

Car count: 48

Fast qualifier: Dylan Knowles

Time: 13.353 seconds

Polesitter: Dylan Knowles

Next series race: April 20, Talladega Short Track (Eastaboga, AL) $35,000