Wednesday, August 9, 2017

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Statistical Advance: Evergreen



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule heads to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, for the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Toyota on Saturday, August 12. Below is a look at the race itself and some of the selected participants.

NAPA Auto Parts 150 Race Setup:
• Todd Gilliland has won five times this season as he looks to defend his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship title.
• He holds an 18-point lead over his teammate and closest pursuer in the standings, Chris Eggleston.
• Eggleston has three wins of his own this season as the 2015 series champion tries to close the gap this weekend at Evergreen — where Gilliland is the defending race winner.

At Evergreen Speedway:
History
• With the exception of four seasons, Evergreen has hosted the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at least once every year since 1967 for a total of 53 races to make it the longest-tenured track on the schedule this season.
• Evergreen Speedway is located on the fairgrounds facility in Monroe, Washington. The track features a .646-mile oval, a .375-mile oval and a .200-mile oval.
• Evergreen Speedway was once called the “Super Speedway of the West” by NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson.

Notebook
• Jack McCoy and Ray Elder have the most career wins at the track with five apiece. McCoy won the first three races at the track, beginning with the inaugural event in 1967. Elder won in 1971, twice in 1972 and twice in 1975.
• Other multiple winners include: Ron Easton (1979, 1980, 1982), Chad Little (1986, 1988 and 1989), Bill Amick (1964 and 1965), Dick Bown (1974 and 1970), Brendan Gaughan (2000 and 2001), Butch Gilliland (1996 and 1998), Harry Jefferson (1974 and 1977), David Mayhew (2014 and 2015), Jack McCoy (1968, 1968, 1969, 1973), Neil Newberry (1976 and 1979), Jim Robinson (1983 and 1984) and Bill Sedgwick (1990 and 1992).
• Bill Elliott has the most poles at Evergreen, with four (1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990).
• The late Roy Smith leads the lists for most top-five finishes (nine) and top-10 finishes (14) in competition at the track since 1971.
• Eleven of the 46 races in the modern era of the K&N Pro Series West at Evergreen Speedway were won from the pole position. Geoff Bodine came from deepest in the field to win, starting 21st in 1991.

Evergreen Data:
Race:#10 of 14 overall
Race Date: Saturday, August 12, 6:30 p.m. PT
Track Layout: .646-mile semi-banked asphalt oval
Race Length: 150 laps (96.9 miles)

Qualifying/Race Data:
2016 Winner: Todd Gilliland
2016 Pole Sitter: Todd Gilliland
1-lap Qualifying Record: Greg Pursley, 101.862 mph (22.831 seconds, July 2011)
150-lap Race Record: David Mayhew, 75.572 mph (August 2015)

Evergreen Leaders:
Wins
Ray Elder … 5
Jack McCoy … 5
Ron Eaton … 3
Chad Little … 3
Several others tied at … 2

Poles:
Bill Elliott … 4
Ron Eaton … 3
Jack McCoy … 3
Several others tied at … 2

Laps Completed:
Bill Schmitt … 6148
Jack Sellers … 5418
Hershel McGriff … 5018
Roy Smith … 4088
Chad Little … 3597
Ron Eaton … 3306

Laps Led:
Chad Little … 1153
Bill Elliott … 703
Bill Schmitt … 683
Ray Elder … 653
Derrike Cope … 505
Ron Eaton … 484

Selected Driver Highlights:
Chris Eggleston (No. 99 NAPA Filters Toyota)
• Sits second in the overall West standings, just 18 points behind leader Todd Gilliland, with three wins, eight top fives and nine top 10s in nine races.
• One of only two drivers to finish in the top 10 in every race this season and has wins at Tucson (Ariz.) Speedway, California’s Orange Show Speedway and Colorado National Speedway.
• Has eight career K&N West wins with 27 top fives and 31 top 10s in 40 career starts.
• Was the 2015 series champion in his first full season of competition with Bill McAnally Racing.
• Has finished inside the top five twice at Evergreen with a best finish of second.

Todd Gilliland (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
• Has five wins, seven top fives and nine top 10s in nine West races this season to lead the series standings by 18 points over Chris Eggleston.
• Won the most recent series race, at Iowa Speedway.
• Took home the first five pole awards of the season and four straight victories — California’s Kern County Raceway Park, Irwindale (twice) and Washington’s Spokane County Raceway.
• Won the pole and the race last season in his only career start at Evergreen, leading every lap of the event en route to the victory.

Takuma Koga (No. 11 UBC/CKB/JKR Chevrolet)
• Sits 13th in the standings with one top five and one top 10 in nine races this season.
• Posted his first and only career top five at Orange Show in May.
• Has made three career starts at Evergreen with a best finish of 14th in his debut there in 2002.

Derek Kraus (No. 19 Carlyle Tools Toyota)
• Sits third in the current West standings with six top fives and seven top 10s through nine races.
• Won his first career pole in his most recent start at Iowa, and enters Evergreen with three straight top-five finishes.
• Finished a career-best second at Kern County in March and equaled the effort at Spokane and Colorado.
• Made his K&N Pro Series debut with the East at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway this season and finished third.
• Has never competed with the K&N Pro Series West at Evergreen.

Julia Landauer (No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Braille Ford)
• Sits seventh in the overall standings with five top 10s in nine starts this season.
• Posted season-high finishes of sixth at Irwindale and Colorado this season.
• Finished fourth in the K&N Pro Series West standings in 2016, the highest finish for a woman in the series’ history.
• Finished eighth last season in her only career start at Evergreen.

Michael Self (No. 9 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Sinclair Ford)
• Despite missing the season opener, is fifth in the standings with three top fives and eight top 10s in eight starts.
• Has six career K&N West wins, including two at both Brainerd and Iowa.
• In three career starts at Evergreen, has finished inside the top 10 only once — when he finished second there in 2012.
• Is making his first start at the track since 2013.

Will Rodgers (No. 7 Solvang Brewing Company Ford)
• Ranks fourth in the West standings with six top fives and seven top 10s in nine races this year.
• Posted a career best finish of second at Sonoma in June, where he also won his first career pole.
• Competed in six races last season and is running for K&N West Rookie of the Year this season.
• Is coming off his first career NASCAR victory at New York’s Watkins Glen International in the K&N Pro Series East.
• Finished 14th last season in his only career start at Evergreen.

Up To Speed:
• The 2017 season is the 64th for the K&N Pro Series West.
• The 2017 schedule features 14 races at 12 different tracks.
• Point leader Todd Gilliland, who won the first five poles of the season, swept the Twin 100s at Irwindale in March as part of a stretch of four straight wins.
• Gilliland won the most recent race at Iowa Speedway.
• Chris Eggleston won the season opener at Tucson and then two straight events at Orange Show and Colorado National.
• Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick is the only driver other than Gilliland and Eggleston to win a race this season, winning on the road course at Sonoma in June.