DAYTONA BEACH, FL :: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will open the 2013 season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway with the DRIVE4COPD 125 on Saturday, March 16. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the series and selected drivers:
Bristol Race Setup
• This NASCAR K&N Pro Series East made its first appearance at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2012. The race was won from the pole by Nelson Piquet Jr.
• Ryan Gifford – third place – is the highest returning finisher from this event a year ago while Brett Moffitt – also third place – is the highest returning competitor from last year’s championship standings.
• The entry list includes 15 drivers that will attempt to make their official series debut. Among the 43 total entries for 36 starting positions, 26 drivers will have Sunoco Rookie of the Year status.
• The DRIVE4COPD 125 will be the first of six companion events with NASCAR’s national series in 2013.
At Bristol Motor Speedway:
• Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.
• First NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 30, 1961; Jack Smith won the event (with relief from Johnny Allen).
• In the fall of 1969, the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-miles.
• The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
• The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
• The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
• The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.
• The track was resurfaced between races in 2007, and the turns were ground down last season to eliminate part of the progressive banking.
• There have been a total of 104 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 61 NASCAR Nationwide Series and 15 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events at BMS entering this week.
• The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East made its debut at the track during the 2012 spring race weekend. Nelson Piquet Jr. won from the pole.
Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Race: #1 of 15 (3-16-13)
Track Layout: .533-mile concrete oval
• Race Length: 125 laps (66.625 miles)
• Banking/Straights: 4-8 degrees
• Banking/Turns: 24-28 degrees
Active Series Career Leaders
Wins
1. Brett Moffitt … 9
2. Eddie MacDonald … 6
3. Dale Quarterley … 6
Poles
1. Brett Moffitt … 8
2. Dale Quarterley … 4
3. Cale Conley … 2
Eddie MacDonald … 2
Top Fives
1. Dale Quarterley … 31
2. Eddie MacDonald … 28
3. Brett Moffitt … 28
Top 10s
1. Eddie MacDonald … 75
2. Dale Quarterley … 67
3. Brett Moffitt … 34
Laps Completed
1. Eddie MacDonald … 20,341
2. Dale Quarterley … 18,816
3. John Salemi … 8,182
Laps Led
1. Brett Moffitt … 1,532
2. Dale Quarterley … 706
3. Eddie MacDonald … 668
Select Driver Highlights:
Cale Conley (No. 47 Tait Towers Toyota)
• Has a win, two poles and three top fives in 19 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career races. Those top fives all came in 2012, including his first victory at Columbus Motor Speedway, as did his first pole at Gresham Motorsports Park.
• Did not participate in the NKNPS East race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2012.
Austin Dyne (No. 99 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet)
• This will be his NKNPS East debut.
• Had eight top 10s in 14 NKNPS West starts last year to capture Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.
Brandon Gdovic (No. 46 Aquis Communications/WindStax.com Toyota)
• Has 13 top 10s in 25 career NKNPS East starts with a best finish of third at Greenville Pickens Speedway in 2012.
• Had more than twice as many top 10s last year (nine) as he had during his 2011 rookie season (four).
• Finished 21st at Bristol in 2012.
Ben Kennedy (No. 96 EMCO Gears/Mac Tools/Mechanix Wear Chevrolet)
• Has 10 top 10s in 27 career NKNPS East starts with a best finish of third on two occasions.
• Nine of those top 10s came last year during his second full season.
• Finished sixth at Bristol in 2012.
Dylan Kwasniewski (No. 98 Royal Purple/Rockstar Energy Drink Chevrolet)
• Has a pair of top 10s in three NKNPS East appearances, all in 2012. His best finish in those events was fourth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• The 2011 NKNPS West Sunoco Rookie of the Year and 2012 series champion.
• Had five wins, seven poles, 20 top fives and 24 top 10s in 28 career NKNPS West starts.
Jesse Little (No. 97 NASCAR Technical Institute Chevrolet)
• Made seven NKNPS East starts last year. Best results came in the last two races of the season when he finished third at Greenville and fifth with laps led at Rockingham Speedway.
• Did not participate at Bristol last year as he was a month shy of turning 15 years old.
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 75 top 10s in 158 career starts.
• Became the 16th driver in series history to reach 150 career starts last year at Gresham.
• Tied with series champion Kyle Larson for the most top-10 finishes last year with 12.
• Finished 28th at Bristol in 2012, one of only two finishes outside the top 10 for him during the season.
Brandon McReynolds (No. 28 McReynolds Incorporated Chevrolet)
• Has four top 10s in eight career NKNPS East starts. His best series finish – third – came at Dover International Speedway in his lone appearance last year.
• Has one career appearance each in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. His West start was earlier this year at Phoenix International Raceway, a ninth-place result.
Brett Moffitt (No. 11 Don Valley North Toyota Scion Toyota)
• Has nine wins, eight poles, 21 podiums and 35 total top-10 finishes in 47 career starts. Is tied for 12th in NKNPS East history in wins and ranks 12th in poles.
• Has finished in the top three in the final standings in each of his four seasons in the series, and has earned multiple wins each year.
• Finished 32nd at Bristol in 2012 after being prematurely sidelined with an oil leak.
Bryan Ortiz (No. 4 Nike Toyota)
• Has nine top 10s in 14 NKNPS East races with a best result of third at Bowman Gray Stadium. Also finished third in the non-points event at Daytona International Speedway’s short track in February.
• Ranked fifth overall and second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings to teammate Kyle Larson in 2012.
• Finished 14th in his series debut at Bristol in 2012.
Tyler Reddick (No. 52 Broken Bow Records Dodge)
• Won at Rockingham last year, his first and only other NKNPS East appearance in a points race.
• Finished 14th in the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona in February.
Daniel Suárez (No. 6 Rev Racing Toyota)
• Has six top 10s in 16 career NKNPS East races with a best result of fifth, twice. Both top-fives occurred at Columbus.
• Has two wins, six poles and 22 top 10s in 47 career NASCAR Toyota Mexico Series races.
• Finished 15th at Bristol in 2012.
Up to Speed:
• The 2013 season is the 27th for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
• The 2013 schedule features 15 races at 13 different tracks across 11 states.
• The competition season opened with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on Feb. 19 on the short track at Daytona International Speedway. Cameron Hayley won the K&N Pro Series feature.
