DAYTONA BEACH, FL :: Michael Self is focused on taking the next step this week when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR K&N Pro Series West head to Iowa Speedway for the Casey’s General Stores 150 on Friday, June 7.
The first of two combination races this season at Iowa between the K&N Pro Series East and West, Self is looking at the Casey’s General Stores 150 as an opportunity for a breakthrough on behalf of his peers from the West Coast. In seven previous combo races at Iowa, a K&N Pro Series West driver has yet to come away with the event’s overall victory.
The K&N Pro Series East and West teams compete alongside each other for the overall checkered flag and race finish in the combination race format, but they are scored respective to their series when it comes to championship points. The highest-finishing East and West driver each receives a win for their own series, but only the overall race winner gets to celebrate in Iowa Victory Lane, and that driver has represented the East each and every time since the inaugural event in 2007.
Self, from Park City, Utah, was the highest-finishing K&N Pro Series West driver the last time the two series converged in Newton last August for one of his four career West victories. This time around, he wants to be the first to the checkered flag.
“That’s exactly what our goal is (overall race win),” Self said. The [West] win last year was pretty big for us. We were quick. We weren’t in the top-five level or top-three level with the East guys, but we’ve worked on our program quite a bit.”
Although the overall wins haven’t come for the West representatives at Iowa to-date, Self is encouraged by how they perform when the East teams go to Phoenix International Raceway for the West points races. The performance of the West teams in the inaugural non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway this past February also gives Self confidence. West driver Cameron Hayley captured the victory and five of the top-10 finishers were West cars.
“We run so strong with the East guys at Phoenix, and we ran so strong at Daytona,” Self said. “It’s really time to go back to Iowa and prove that we’re all together now.”
Self isn’t satisfied to just rise with the West tide. The winner last time out in stand-alone K&N Pro Series West action on the road course at Brainerd International Raceway, Self feels his No. 21 Golden Gate Racing team is making the necessary strides to rise to the next level.
“We’ve stepped up our big track program quite a bit I feel, and I’m very, very confident going into this race,” Self said. “We’re taking the cars out that we won with Phoenix and Iowa at [last year]. We’re going to go in there and focus on that overall win.”
| Race: | Casey’s General Stores 150 |
|---|---|
| Place: | Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa |
| Date: | Friday, June 7 |
| Time: | 8 p.m. CT |
| TV Schedule: | SPEED, June 13, 3 p.m. ET |
| Track Layout: | .875-mile banked asphalt oval |
| 2012 Polesitter: | Brett Moffitt (East and overall) / David Mayhew (West) |
| 2012 Winner: | Chase Elliott (East and overall) / Dylan Kwasniewski (West) |
| Event Schedule: | Practice 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Final Practice 1:30-2:30 p.m., Driver Autograph Session 3:15-4 p.m., Qualifying 5 p.m. |
| Track Contact: | Craig Armstrong, 641-791-8041, [email protected] |
| Track Twitter: | @iowaspeedway |
| Event Twitter Hashtag: | #Caseys150 |
| NASCAR Contact: | Jason Cunningham, 704-201-6658, [email protected], @NASCAR_NE |
FAST FACTS:
The Race: The Casey’s General Stores 150 will be the eighth all-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway, and the first of two at the track in 2013.
The Procedure: The starting field is 36 cars, including provisionals. The first 28 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining eight spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (131.25 miles) and will be run in two segments with a midway break at or near the conclusion of Lap 75.
The Track: Iowa Speedway is a .875-mile paved oval with the turns banked 12-14 degrees, four degrees of banking in the backstretch and 10 degrees in the frontstretch.
Race Winners: The seven previous editions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race have each produced a different overall winner. Chase Elliott won this event last year as a representative of the East while the highest finisher from the West was Dylan Kwasniewski, eighth overall.
Pole Winners: As with race winners, each of the first seven Iowa combo races has also produced different overall pole winners. Iowa native Brett Moffitt earned the pole for this race last year as an East representative while the best qualifier from the West was David Mayhew, ninth overall.
Records: Qualifying: Kyle Busch, May 17, 2009, 135.484 mph, 23.250 sec.; 150-Lap Race: Corey LaJoie, Aug. 3, 2012, 88.883 mph, 1 hour 28 minutes 36 seconds.
IOWA RACE NOTES:
NASCAR Next to be Unveiled at Iowa: The NASCAR Next 2013 driver roster will be unveiled on Friday, June 7 at Iowa Speedway. NASCAR Next is an industry initiative that is the evolution of the Next9 program which has helped to spotlight NASCAR’s up-and-coming talent since 2011 like current national series competitors Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and Darrell Wallace Jr. Fans with access to the speedway’s Fan Walk are welcome to attend the announcement, which will take place in Victory Lane starting at 2:45 p.m. CT. Those not in attendance are encouraged join in the Twitter conversation with hashtag #NASCARNext.
Moffitt Brings East Lead Home to Iowa: Iowa’s own Brett Moffitt will bring the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season points lead to his home track for the second year in a row. After a slight slip-up last week at Bowman Gray Stadium with a 13th-place finish, Moffitt’s lead is down to four points after five races, but he’ll be returning home to a track where he’s registered top-five finishes in five of his six career K&N Pro Series starts. Moffitt was victorious in this event in 2011.
Three Different Winners in Three West Races: The first three races this season for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West have featured three different winners – Greg Pursley at Phoenix, Derek Thorn at Stockton, Calif., and Michael Self at Brainerd, Minn.
Kennedy the First Multi-Time East Winner: Much like the West, the K&N Pro Series East opened the season with four-different winners in four races before Ben Kennedy captured his second win of the season last time out at Bowman Gray Stadium.
No Sophomore Slump for West Leaders: The top two drivers in the K&N Pro Series West championship standings – Derek Thorn and Cameron Hayley – show no signs of a sophomore slump as they roll into their second full season of series competition. Hayley, who trails Thorn by eight points, has notched five consecutive top-five finishes, going back to last season. Thorn, meanwhile, has scored top-five finishes in six of the past seven races.
Run of West Track Records: Track records have been set in qualifying at all three K&N Pro Series West events so far this season.
Busy Schedule for West Teams: The K&N Pro Series West is rolling through a busy part of its schedule, with four races in 30 days. After visiting Brainerd, Minn., on May 25 – the circuit travels to Newton, Iowa on June 7; Lebanon, Mo., on June 9; and Sonoma, Calif., on June 22.
Night and Day Transition for East Teams: The K&N Pro Series East will race on the expansive .875-mile high banks of Iowa Speedway just six days after beating and banging on the tight confines of Bowman Gray’s flat quarter-mile. Bowman Gray is the smallest oval the series will race on this year while Iowa ranks as the fourth-largest behind New Hampshire (1.058-mile), Dover and Rockingham (one-mile).
HOME TRACKS: O’Brien Out Front in Hawkeye State
Jason O’Brien is out to the early lead in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standings for the state of Iowa. Competing weekly in the Coors Light Late Model division at the dirt half-mile Adams County Speedway in Corning, O’Brien had earned 108 points through the latest national standings update on May 29. Paul Glendenning ranked second in the Iowa standings with 86 tallies.
LAST TIME OUT – EAST: Bowman Gray
Kennedy Nabs Second Win: Ben Kennedy captured his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East checkered flag of the season with a victory in the NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 on June 1 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Ruston, Bell Make More History: Kenzie Ruston rallied from a deep staring position and two incidents to finish fourth while Mackena Bell crossed the line sixth. It marked the first time in series history that two female drivers finished together in the top 10.
Bad Luck for Polesitter Moffitt: Brett Moffitt moved up to a tie for ninth on the series’ all-time poles list with the 10th of his career Coors Light Pole Award prior to the event. He then went out and led the first 123 laps of the race in dominating fashion before experiencing an electrical failure that relegated him to 13th place.
LAST TIME OUT – WEST: Brainerd
Repeat at Brainerd for Self: Michael Self is two-for-two in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West action at Brainerd International Raceway, with a win in the NAPA Know-How 125 on May 25 to go with his win on the Minnesota road course a year ago. It was the fourth career series victory for the driver of the No. 21 Golden Gate Meat/Bay Bio Diesel Chevrolet.
Ranger Garners Pole Award: Andrew Ranger nabbed the Coors Light Pole Award at Brainerd, setting a track record with a lap of 93.429 seconds (96.330 mph) around the 2.5-mile course. For Ranger, a two-time champion in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, it marked his second career pole in the K&N Pro Series West.
First Top Five: Dylan Lupton came home fourth in the No. 9 Vadio/Lupton Excavating/Sunrise Ford Ford at Brainerd to notch his first career series top-five finish. His previous best finish in five starts was ninth at Stockton, Calif.
NEXT TIME OUT – EAST: Langley
Following the Casey’s General Stores 150 at Iowa Speedway, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will head to Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va., for the third edition of the Visit Hampton VA 175 on Saturday, June 22. Corey LaJoie was last year’s Langley victor.
NEXT TIME OUT– WEST: Lebanon
The combination race at Iowa is the first of two races in three days for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West as it makes a swing through the nation’s heartland. The series heads to Missouri for its inaugural visit to Lebanon (Mo.) I-44 Speedway on Sunday, June 9.
Story by Jason Cunningham & Kevin Green for NASCAR Home Tracks.
