DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 11, 2016) – The championship battle between Todd Gilliland and Ryan Partridge will come to a close this weekend at California’s All American Speedway.
Gilliland, 16, from Sherrills Ford, N.C., holds a 25-point lead over Partridge, 28, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., headed into the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by TriCo Welding Supplies.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner and the veteran have been dueling for the top spot all season long, swapping the lead three times. Gilliland, a member of the 2016 NASAR Next class, held the lead up until a misfortune at Sonoma opened the door for Partridge to take first in the standings. The veteran held the spot for two events before Gilliland took it back with the first of three straight wins.
The NASCAR Next driver only needs to finish 22nd in order to win his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship and become the first Sunoco Rookie of the Year to win the title in the same year since Scott Lynch in 2003.
Gilliland (16 years and five months) would also surpass Cayden Lapcevich as the youngest champion in any NASCAR national or touring series (16 years, 10 months and 16 days). Before this season, the record was held by 2015 Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano (17 years, 3 months and 28 days) when he won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in 2007.
RACE: Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 150 presented by TriCo Welding Supplies
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 15
TIME: 8:35 p.m. PT
TV SCHEDULE: Thursday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
2015 WINNER: Gracin Raz
2015 POLE WINNER: Gracin Raz
EVENT SCHEDULE: Garage opens: 9:30 a.m.; Practice: 12:45-1:15 p.m.; Final Practice: 2:30-3:15 p.m.; Qualifying: 5:30 p.m.; Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150: 8:35 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT: Kevin Green, (707) 301-2053, kgreen@billmcanallyracing.com
TWITTER: @AASpeedway
EVENT HASHTAG: #ToyotaNAPA150
NASCAR IMC CONTACT: Brooke Franceschini, (386) 631-6142, bfranceschini@nascar.com
FAST FACTS:
The Race: The Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by TriCo Welding Supplies is the final race of the 2016 season. It’s also the 11th oval event on the overall schedule. This will be the series’ 18th visit to the Roseville, California, track.
The Procedure: The starting field is 24 cars, including provisionals. The first 20 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials with the remaining four spots being awarded through the provisional process. The race is schedule for 150 laps covering 50 miles.
The Track: All American Speedway is a .333-mile paved oval with eight degrees banking in Turns 1 & 2. Turns 3 & 4 have progressive banking, beginning at 10 degrees and graduating to 14 degrees. The track hosted five NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events between 1977 and 1982, when it was a quarter-mile oval and 12 races since it was renovated prior to the 2008 season.
Records: Qualifying: Jason Bowles, Ford, 13.589 seconds (88.218 mph), April 4, 2009. 150-lap Race Record: Eric Holmes, Toyota, 44 minutes and 21 seconds (67.576 mph), April 4, 2009.
ALL AMERICAN SPEEDWAY RACE NOTES:
One For The Records: Gracin Raz is the only former winner slated to compete in Saturday’s Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150. Should Raz have the same success he had at Roseville last season, he’d join Eric Holmes and Paulie Harraka as the only repeat winners at the track. Holmes and Harraka earned four and two wins, respectively, at the California oval.
Toyota Domination: Toyota’s have dominated the field in the 17 events at All American. Toyota’s have made it to Victory Lane a total of seven times, including in 2014 with race winner Christian PaHud. Ford has won four events, their most recent coming last year with a win from Gracin Raz. Chevrolet and Oldsmobile have each earned two victories, while Pontiac and Buick bring up the rear, with one win a piece.
Female Competition: For the third time this season there will be more than two female drivers competing for the victory. The season finale at Roseville is scheduled to have three female drivers trying to become the first female winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Nicole Behar, Julia Landauer and Vanessa Robinson. Landauer and Behar made history the last time out at Idaho’s Meridian Speedway when they finished second and third, respectively.
NASCAR Next Update: NASCAR Next drivers Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson and Julia Landauer have been making a name for themselves in the series this year. Gilliland may become the youngest champion in NASCAR history, while Gragson and Landauer are third and fifth in the series standings, respectively. Gragson and Kyle Busch Motorsports announced this weekend that Gragson will contend for the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with KBM.
An Action Packed Day of Racing: Race promoter, Bill McAnally Racing Promotions, has put together another great lineup of competition for the Roseville event. In addition to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season finale, the PCS Late Models, Mini Cups and Legend divisions will also be in action.
