Sunday, August 12, 2018

Derek Thorn Capitalizes, Wins at Evergreen



Via NASCAR Media

Monroe, WA - Fortune shined on Derek Thorn Sunday night at Evergreen Speedway. The veteran driver didn't lead the NAPA Auto Parts 175 until lap 116 when Derek Kraus ran out of fuel while leading. Kraus had led every lap of the race up until that point.

“We were second best to the No. 16 (Kraus) most of the night,” Thorn said following the win. “He had one of those cars that he would put a straightaway on us in maybe 10 laps. He had a car that was a dominant one. But as often happens, the dominant car just runs into bad luck and tonight just wasn’t his night and we were there to capitalize on it.”

“I’ve been snake-bit here for the last six or seven years in the last dozen starts, and it was nice to finally be on the right side of the good luck this weekend.”

Cole Rouse came home in the second position in spite of a crash in qualifying that forced him into a backup ride and a starting position at the rear of the field.

“It was definitely a tough day,” Rouse said following his best finish of the season. “We wrecked our primary car in qualifying, but we got the back-up out and the guys did a really good job. I didn’t expect to be that fast at all. We probably has the fastest car at the end, we were catching Thorn there just a little bit. It was a good day for a back-up car. We’re getting better each and every week. Coming from the back to finish second, that’s not too bad of a day.”

Ryan Partridge, Thorn's teammate placed third but was disappointed in the speed of his car.

“It’s one thing to finish third and be mixing it up and feel like you had a shot at the win,” Partridge said. “That’s not quite as disappointing as finishing third and … we didn’t even have a shot. We weren’t even close. Derek Kraus had the fastest car by a long shot. It is what it is, We’re going to take our car over to Gateway next and try to improve our program, make our stuff a little better.”

Of course, nobody was as heartbroke as Kraus was. His fuel issues knocked him three laps behind the leaders in ninth place at the finish.

“We had ’em covered, but we ran out of fuel,” Kraus said post-race. “We can’t take any momentum out of here because the finish was not what we wanted or what we for sure deserved. We’ll have to go get ’em at Gateway.”

The top five finishing positions were completed by Kody Vanderal and Tyler Tanner. Hailie Deegan, Matt Levin, Kraus and Trevor Huddleston finished sixth through 10th.

With the victory, Thorn was able extend his lead in the championship standings by six points giving him an advantage over Partridge. Rouse is third, 34 points back followed by Kraus who is 36 back.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West has a week break before team make the trek east to Gateway Motorsports Park for the Monaco Cocktails Gateway Classic presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame on Friday, August 24. The race is the second and final of the two combination races between the K&N East and West Series, the previous having been at Iowa Speedway on July 27.

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST-NAPA Auto Parts 175 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame Results
Saturday
At Evergreen Speedway
Monroe, WA
Lap length: 0.646 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Derek Thorn, Lakeport, CA, Ford, 175 laps, 61.016 mph.
2. (4) Cole Rouse, Fort Smith, Ark., Toyota, 175.
3. (3) Ryan Partridge, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Ford, 175.
4. (8) Kody Vanderwal, LaSalle, Colo, Ford, 175.
5. (6) Tyler Tanner, Auburn, Wash., Ford, 175.
6. (13) Cole Keatts, Lewiston, ID, Ford, 175.
7. (7) Hailie Deegan, Temecula, CA, Toyota, 175.
8. (10) Matt Levin, Tucson, Ariz., Chevrolet, 174.
9. (1) Derek Kraus, Stratford, Wis., Toyota, 172.
10. (9) Trevor Huddleston, Agoura Hills, Calif., Ford, 172.
11. (11) Nick Joanides, Woodland Hills, CA, Toyota, 121, accident.
12. (5) Todd Souza, Aromas, Calif., Toyota, 120, accident.
13. (12) Will Rodgers, Solvang, Calif., Ford, 120, accident.
14. (14) Takuma Koga, Nagoya, Japan, Chevrolet, 118, accident.
15. (15) Armani Williams, Detroit, Michigan, Ford, 64, overheating.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 51 minutes 10 seconds
Margin of Victory: 1.629 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: D.Kraus (99.820 mph, 23.298 seconds)
Caution Flags: 3 for 21 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D. Kraus 1-115; D. Thorn 116-175.
Standings: 1. D. Thorn, 382; 2. R. Partridge, 364; 3. C. Rouse, 348; 4. D. Kraus, 346; 5. H. Deegan, 327; 6. K. Vanderwal, 325; 7. T. Huddleston, 318; 8. M. Levin, 282; 9. T. Koga, 251; 10. W. Rodgers, 212.