The Modified National Tour continued Season 3 at Knoxville Raceway, and Tanner Riedel kept his early-season run perfect with another victory. After winning the opener at Volusia Speedway Park, Riedel backed it up at Knoxville with a dominant performance that immediately separates him from the field through the first two races of the 21-race season.
Riedel started third and quickly made himself the driver to beat. He led 24 of the 25 laps, controlled the race once he got to the front, and finished the night with 12 more points. Through two races, Riedel now has two wins and 24 total points, giving him a four-point lead in the Modified National Tour standings. With 19 races still remaining, nothing is close to decided, but winning the first two races is the strongest possible start to a long championship run.
The runner-up spot went to Dion Kovar, who started sixth and climbed to second. Kovar led one lap and finished just 0.315 seconds behind Riedel, giving him a strong first points night of the season. Darren Diggs continued his impressive start to the year by finishing third, backing up his podium from the Volusia opener. Diggs now sits tied for second in the standings with Aidan Strawberry, both at 20 points.
Aidan Strawberry finished fourth at Knoxville after starting eighth, giving him another solid points night and keeping him within striking distance early in the season. Doug Welch rounded out the top five and also made a strong move in the standings, climbing to fourth overall with 15 points. Welch has now opened the season with back-to-back top-10 finishes, which is exactly the kind of consistency that can keep a driver in the championship fight across a long National Tour schedule.
The fastest lap of the race belonged to Tanner Riedel with an 18.312, giving him another marker of pace on top of the win. The hard charger of the race was also Riedel, who gained two spots from his starting position on the way to victory, with several other drivers also moving forward two positions. Jensen Pray2 had a notable night as well, earning the qualifying fast time bonus point after starting on the pole, but he finished sixth after leading early in the event.
The Knoxville results tightened the battle behind Riedel. Diggs moved up one spot into a tie for second, Welch moved up two spots to fourth, and Kovar entered the top five after his runner-up finish. Mikey Wilson, Kenny Douglas, Jensen Pray2, Tyler C Chase, and Karter Knaack complete the current top 10. With 19 races remaining, the story is already clear: Riedel has the early advantage, but the drivers behind him are close enough that one strong night can change the shape of the standings quickly.
What’s Next
The Modified National Tour is scheduled to continue with Race 3 at Lernerville Speedway. No race date or time was provided.
Full Race Results
1. Tanner Riedel
2. Dion Kovar
3. Darren Diggs
4. Aidan Strawberry
5. Doug Welch
6. Jensen Pray2
7. Tyler C Chase
8. Jayden Ladd
9. Clayton C Turner
Top 10 in Standings
1. Tanner Riedel — 24
2. Darren Diggs — 20
3. Aidan Strawberry — 20
4. Doug Welch — 15
5. Dion Kovar — 11
6. Mikey Wilson — 9
7. Kenny Douglas — 8
8. Jensen Pray2 — 8
9. Tyler C Chase — 6
10. Karter Knaack — 6
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