DAYTONA BEACH, FL :: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will make its inaugural visit to Lebanon (Mo.) I-44 Speedway for the Toyota/G-Oil 150 on Sunday, June 9.
The event will mark the second race in three days for the series, following the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa on Friday, June 7. Overall, the Missouri race will be the third consecutive series event in the nation’s heartland, which began with a visit to Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota on May 25.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West drivers and teams will get their first look at the .375-mile track in Lebanon, Mo., during a special practice session held by the track on Saturday evening.
For Derek Thorn, who leads the championship standings, his team intends to run the same car in both events.
“We’re going to try to take the same car that we take to Iowa,” said Thorn, the driver of the No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Lucas Oil/Eibach Ford for car owner Bob Bruncati. “We’ll take it one step at a time and get through Iowa as good as we possibly can. I think Lebanon will be the easier of the two races, as far as the East-West at Iowa and Lebanon are concerned.
“Lebanon will be fun,” Thorn said. “I talked to a buddy of mine that lives in Missouri, not far from there. It sounds like it is very close to The Bullring at Las Vegas. I think a lot of guys will feel at home. We’ll find out.”
As a driver, Thorn looks forward to both events and is confident his team is ready for both.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m glad they did something like that. We’ll be really prepared for it. We have two really good cars in the trailer. So, if something happens in Iowa, we’ll still show up in Lebanon with a really good package. I’m hoping that’s not the case. The guys on the Sunrise Ford team worked really hard to make sure we are prepared to run a double weekend.”
| Race: | Toyota / G-Oil 150 |
|---|---|
| Place: | Lebanon I-44 Speedway |
| Date: | Sunday, June 9 |
| Time: | 8 p.m. CT |
| TV Schedule: | SPEED, June 20, 3 p.m. ET |
| Track Layout: | .375-mile paved oval |
| 2012 Winner: | Inaugural event |
| 2012 Polesitter: | Inaugural event |
| Event Schedule: | Sunday: Practice 12:30-2 p.m., Qualifying 5 p.m. |
| Track PR Contact: | Kevin Greven (417) 532-2060 [email protected] Twitter: @i44speedway |
| Twitter: | @i44speedway |
| Event Hashtag: | #ToyotaGOil150 |
| NASCAR IMC Contact: | Jason Cunningham (704) 201-6658 [email protected] Twitter: @NASCAR_NE |
FAST FACTS
The Race: This event is the fifth of 15 events on the 2013 schedule for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
The Procedure: The starting field is 24 cars, including provisionals. The first 20 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (56.25 miles).
The Track: Lebanon I-44 Speedway is a .375-mile paved oval with turns 1 and 2 banked 11 degrees, turns 3 and 4 banked 12 degrees and six degrees banking in the front stretch and back stretch.
Records: To be established.
LEBANON RACE NOTES
First Missouri Visit: This will mark the first series race in the state of Missouri. The series raced in the neighboring state of Kansas in 1998 and again in 2001 and 2002.
Back-To-Back Events: This will not be the first time for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West to race in two races in one weekend in the Midwest. In 2007, the series competed in back-to-back NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination races – visiting Elko (Minn.) Speedway on a Friday night and then traveling to Iowa Speedway for an event on Sunday.
NEXT TIME OUT: Sonoma
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West next heads to the wine country of Northern California for its annual visit to Sonoma Raceway on June 22. The event is the second of three road course events on this year’s schedule. Last year’s race was won by David Gilliland.
Story by Kevin W. Green for NASCAR Home Tracks.
