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.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Madera Speedway Attracts Strong PCS Field For Saturday

Photo Courtesy Don Thompson

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (August 8, 2017) - Another talented field of Pacific Challenge Series Super Late Models will be in action on Saturday night, as drivers take to the one-third mile Madera Speedway for the seventh round of the 2017 series. The PenneyLawyers.com sponsored action will be a 75 lap contest with drivers from several different disciplines coming together for the big race.

The PCS has not had a repeat winner in 2017 and has seen five of the six races go to first time winners. The trend began with the season opener in March at Madera. Carlos Vieira's win was not only in his first PCS start but made for his first touring stock car victory of his popular career. His win was followed by first-time wins for Derek Copeland, Jeff Bischofberger, and Cole Moore, before Cole's father John won at Stockton on July 1st. Randy Hedrick was yet another first time winner when he scored a late race win at Ukiah two weeks ago.

2015 champion John Moore leads 2014 champion Mike Beeler of Modesto by 10 points entering Madera. 2015 Rookie of the Year Cole Moore trails John by 30 points in a close three-way duel for the lead.

A host of drivers will try to knock the points contenders off of their pedestal in search of the race win on Saturday. Not only will Vieira defend his March win, he will have to contend with the likes of 2016 Madera PCS winner Jacob Gomes as well.

A pair of 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model standouts - Eric Nascimento, Jr. and Austin Herzog - will make their series debuts. Herzog, 15, is the winningest Jr. Late Model driver with five career wins while Nascimento, 16, won the most recent Jr. Late Model race on July 29th.

Watsonville's Alexander Mead has adopted Madera as his home track and claimed a top-ten in his series debut in March. He was the track's Late Model Rookie of the Year in 2015. Ross Strmiska has competed with touring series many times at Madera recording a trio of runner-up finishes. Local favorite Justin Westmoreland goes to bat for the Ford fans whenever he brings out his red #9 entry and has a career-best third in touring action at the track.

2016 Rookie of the Year Matt Wendt of Galt nearly claimed victory at Ukiah and is eager to chase his first series win from fourth in the points ahead of 2017's leading rookie Jack Wood of Loomis. Jason Romero, Travis Milburn, Tracy Bolin, Chris Scribner, and Jeremy Doss make up the rest of the top-ten in the points.

11th in points Mike Hite of Elk Grove and 14th in points Matt Scott are also expected to compete on Saturday. For Scott, it will mark his first stock car start at Madera after racing Legends cars at the track several years ago. The four-time Late Model champion has a best PCS finish of third this year at Roseville and has yet to score a PCS victory on his strong resume.

This weekend's racing will also include the Super Hobby Stocks, CSS 360 Super Modifieds, USAC HPD Midgets, Modified Super Toyotas, and F4's.

An open practice kicks off the weekend on Friday with pit gates open at 2 p.m. and practice from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday's Pit Gates open at 1 p.m. with first practices at 3:15 p.m. and racing by 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices for this great night of racing have been slashed, with Adults $15, Seniors and Military $13, youth 6-12 $7, and kids five and under are free! For more information on the Pacific Challenge Series, visit www.PacificChallengeSeries.com or follow them on Facebook or YouTube

The Pacific Challenge Series is presented by: Penney Racing Supply, Penney & Associates, American Racer Tires, Radio Law Talk, Compact-It, Northwest Compactors, Naake Suspension, Sunoco Fuels, Five Star Bodies, BrakeOMeter, Lefthander Chassis, ARP Bodies, Joes Racing Products, Bassett Wheels, Frank's Radio, WrapStar Pro, and Blakesley Sports Media. All PCS Super Late Models race ABC Bodies or Muscle Car bodies on American Racer Tires with Sunoco Racing Fuel.

2017 Pacific Challenge Series Schedule

March 18th - Madera Speedway (Madera, CA) Winner: Carlos Vieira

April 15th - All American Speedway (Roseville, CA) *CANCELLED*

May 6th - Shasta Speedway (Anderson, CA) Winner: Derek Copeland

May 20th - Stockton 99 Speedway (Stockton, CA) Winner: Jeff Bischofberger

June 17th - All American Speedway (Roseville, CA) Winner: Cole Moore

July 1st - Stockton 99 Speedway (Stockton, CA) Ron Strmiska Memorial Winner: John Moore

July 29th - Ukiah Speedway (Ukiah, CA) Winner: Randy Hedrick

August 12th - Madera Speedway (Madera, CA)

September 2nd - Stockton 99 Speedway (Stockton, CA)

October 14th - All American Speedway (Roseville, CA) *2017 Championship Finale* w/ North State Modified Series & NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West)

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West News & Notes: Evergreen


Via NASCAR PR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The two most dominant drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West this season are on a championship collision course which continues with the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Toyota on Saturday, August 12, at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington.

Winning eight of the nine races between them thus far this season, current point leader and reigning champion Todd Gilliland and 2015 series champion Chris Eggleston head into Evergreen separated by just 18 points. The Bill McAnally Racing teammates rank first and second in the series in top-five finishes in 2017 and, not surprisingly, are the only two drivers to finish in the top 10 in every race.

Eggleston won the season opener at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway and followed with back-to-back victories at California’s Orange Show Speedway and Colorado National Speedway in the spring. He has seven top fives with five races remaining on the schedule. Gilliland, meanwhile, has five wins including the most recent event at Iowa Speedway and a four-race winning streak that followed a runner-up finish in the season opener. The NASCAR Next driver has eight top fives this year and is the defending winner at Evergreen.

Given the tight nature of the championship battle entering the final third of the season, neither driver will want to give an inch at Evergreen this weekend.

RACE: NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Toyota

PLACE: Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, Washington

DATE: Saturday, August 12

TIME: 6:30 p.m. PT

AIRDATE: NBCSN, Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET

TRACK LAYOUT: .646-mile semi-banked oval

2016 WINNER: Todd Gilliland

2016 POLE WINNER: Todd Gilliland

EVENT SCHEDULE: Saturday, August 12 — Garage opens: 10:30 a.m.; Practice: 1:15-2 p.m.; Final practice: 2:15-3 p.m.; Qualifying: 4 p.m.; Driver autograph session: 5 p.m.; NAPA Auto Parts 150: 6:30 p.m.

TRACK CONTACT: Doug Hobbs, (369) 805-6100, doug@evergreenspeedway.com

TWITTER: @WAStateNascar

EVENT HASHTAG: #NAPAAutoParts150

NASCAR IMC CONTACT: Brooke Franceschini, (386) 631-6142, bfranceschini@nascar.com

FAST FACTS:
The Race: The NAPA Auto Parts 150 will be the 10th of 14 races on the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule.

The Procedure: The starting field is 24 cars, including provisionals. The first 20 cars will qualify through the group qualifying process with the remaining four spots being awarded through the provisional process. The race is schedule for 150 laps covering 93.75 miles. The race will be run in two segments, with a five-minute break at or near the conclusion of Lap 75.

The Track: Evergreen Speedway is a semi-banked .646-mile oval with turns banked eight degrees and four degrees banking in the straights. It is the only NASCAR-sanctioned track in the state of Washington.

Race Winners: There have been 35 different winners in the 53 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races held all-time at Evergreen Speedway. Jack McCoy, who won the inaugural race at the track in 1967, is tied with Ray Elder with five career victories at Evergreen.

Track records: The one-lap series qualifying record at Evergreen was established by Greg Pursley at 101.862 mph (22.831 seconds) in July of 2011. The 150-lap race record was set by David Mayhew at 75.572 mph (1 hour, 16 minutes, 56 seconds) in August of 2015.

NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 PRESENTED BY TOYOTA NOTES:
Lots of History: As the only NASCAR Whelen All-American Series sanctioned track in Washington state, Evergreen Speedway has enjoyed plenty of history on the site of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds — which has held NASCAR racing dating back 50 years to its inaugural NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in 1967.

A number of drivers based in the west helped launch their NASCAR national series careers with wins at the .646-mile oval. Former Daytona 500 champions Bill Elliott and Derrike Cope have K&N Pro Series West wins at Evergreen. Former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Chad Little has three career victories at the speedway. Brendan Gaughan, Bill Sedgwick and Rick Carelli are also among the list of drivers who have wins at Evergreen on their resumes prior to moving up to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series ranks.

Rookie Battle: Behind the battle for the series championship, Derek Kraus and Will Rodgers are enjoying impressive rookie seasons in the K&N Pro Series West. Kraus sits third in the overall standings with five top fives and six top 10s, while Rodgers is fourth with five top fives and seven top 10s through nine races.

Kraus has three top-two finishes this season and heads to Evergreen after winning his first career series pole the last time out at Iowa. Rodgers has three podium finishes this year, including his first career pole at California’s Sonoma Raceway in what turned into a runner-up finish to 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick.

Series Debut: Tayler Riddle of Naches, Washington, will make his series debut this weekend in the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Toyota.

The Super Late Model driver, who lives 160 miles south of Evergreen Speedway, has enjoyed success at the track in the past. He won the prestigious Summer Showdown at the Washington state short track in 2016 and also has a Tucson Speedway Chilly Willy 100 win under his belt, which he earned in 2015.

Riddle will drive the No. 27 Don Riddle Excavating Ford for Jefferson Pitts Racing on Saturday.

Owner/Driver: Jesse Iwuji will continue pulling double duty this weekend at Evergreen.

The driver of the No. 36 The Red List Group/Lights Out Chevrolet, owned by former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman, will also own the No. 14 Patriot Motorsports Group Ford piloted by 17-year-old Andrew Engberson of Lewisville, Texas. Engberson has competed twice for Iwuji in the K&N Pro Series West this season, with a best finish of 13th at Washington’s Spokane County Raceway.

NASCAR HOME TRACKS: EVERGREEN SPEEDWAY
Evergreen Speedway is Washington state’s only NASCAR-sanctioned track and hosts NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing in Super Late Model, Street Stock and Mini Stock divisions among its season-long racing program.