DAYTONA BEACH, FL :: Whatever questions there may have been about whether Dylan Kwasniewski would be able to maintain his high level of success in transitioning from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West across country to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, they’ve long been answered.
The 2012 titlist in the K&N Pro Series West, Kwasniewski decided to trade coasts and compete in the K&N Pro Series East this season rather than defend his crown. With the 2013 schedule at the midpoint, the Las Vegas native has now positioned himself for an opportunity to make history.
With his third victory of the season last time out at Langley Speedway on June 22, Kwasniewski and the No. 98 Royal Purple/Rockstar Energy Drink Chevrolet team took over the K&N Pro Series East points lead after seven of 15 events. Should he be able to maintain the advantage, the 18-year-old would become the first driver in history to earn the championship in both the K&N East and K&N West.
The first test for the new points leader will come this week at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway as the K&N Pro Series East returns to the track for the NAPA 150 following three idle weeks. This will be Kwasniewski’s first appearance at the .333-mile oval, but he’s had plenty of success at similar short tracks through his first two-and-a-half seasons K&N Pro Series action. Five of his eight combined East and West wins have been earned at tracks ranging from .25 to .4 miles in length.
The NASCAR Next standout Kwasniewski and his No. 98 Turner Scott Motorsports team have caught fire of late as well. After winning the season-opener at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Kwasniewski finished outside the top 10 in two of the next three events, but has since posted finishes of second, first and first to vault to the top of the standings.
| Race: | NAPA 150 |
|---|---|
| Place: | Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway |
| Date: | Saturday, July 13 |
| Time: | 8:45 p.m. ET |
| TV Schedule: | SPEED, July 25, 3 p.m. ET |
| Track Layout: | .333-mile slightly-banked asphalt oval |
| 2012 Polesitter: | Ben Kennedy |
| 2012 Winner: | Cale Conley |
| Event Schedule: | Practice 1-1:45 p.m., Final Practice 2:15-3 p.m., Qualifying 6 p.m., Driver Autograph Session 8 p.m. |
| Track Contact: | Jeff Nuckles, 614-491-1047, [email protected] |
| Track Twitter: | @COLUMBUSPEEDWAY |
| Event Twitter Hashtag: | #CMSNAPA150 |
| NASCAR Contact: | Shon Sbarra, 704-309-5493, [email protected], @ShonSbarra |
FAST FACTS:
The Race: The NAPA 150 will be the eighth of 15 races on the 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. It will mark the third year in a row the series has visited Columbus Motor Speedway and the lone trip to the state of Ohio.
The Procedure: The starting field is 28 cars, including provisionals. The first 24 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 (50 miles).
The Track: A charter member of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, Columbus is a .333-mile asphalt oval that began as a motorcycle racing track in 1946 and first played host to stock cars in 1950.
Race Winners: Darrell Wallace Jr. was victorious in the K&N Pro Series East’s first trip to Columbus in 2011 and Cale Conley found Victory Lane there a year ago.
Pole Winners: Max Gresham was the inaugural pole winner at Columbus and established the qualifying record at 14.176 seconds (84.565 mph). Ben Kennedy captured his first career pole last year at Columbus.
COLUMBUS RACE NOTES:
Suárez Heads to Best Track: A winner in two of the last four NASCAR Toyota Series races in his native Mexico, Daniel Suárez is still searching for his first checkered flag in the United States. Perhaps Columbus will provide the perfect venue for a breakthrough. Heading into the 2013 season, Suárez’s best career finishes were fifth-place efforts at Columbus in both 2011 and 2012. Combine the previous success at Columbus with his performance in the latest K&N Pro Series East event at Langley Speedway in which he established a new career-best finish of second place, and there’s a recipe for success for Suárez in this week’s NAPA 150.
2012 Columbus Winner Conley Looks to Get Back on Track: The defending winner of the NAPA 150, Cale Conley has had a rough go of it since that high point in his K&N Pro Series East career a year ago. Since he turned in that dominant performance in which he led all 150 laps, Conley has registered an average finish of 18th in 12 events. Conley’s results have picked up of late, however, as his last two outings have been finishes of fifth and fourth.
Holmes Comes Back East: A three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, Eric Holmes is set to race for the first time at Columbus this week. The NAPA 150 will also mark the first K&N Pro Series East appearance for Holmes since the 2007 season when he ran the first seven events on the schedule and recorded a best finish of eighth at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. Holmes’ trip to Columbus with the No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota and Bill McAnally Racing is a result of the NAPA sponsorship shared by the team and the event.
NASCAR Next Karting Event: Following the NAPA 150 at Columbus, seven K&N Pro Series East drivers will compete in the inaugural NASCAR Next vs. Media Karting Challenge on July 17 at GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, N.C. The fun event will be the first of many outings for the group as part of the 2013-14 NASCAR Next driver lineup. NASCAR Next is an industry initiative to help spotlight NASCAR’s rising stars. All seven of the K&N Pro Series East representatives in the group – Gray Gaulding, Ryan Gifford, Ben Kennedy, Dylan Kwasniewski, Brett Moffitt, Kenzie Ruston and Suárez will compete in the Columbus NAPA 150.
HOME TRACKS: Justus Paces Buckeye State
Bobby Justus has emerged as the leader in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standings for the state of Ohio, thanks in part to his performance at Columbus Motor Speedway. Splitting time between Columbus and Kil-Kare Raceway in Xenia, Justus led Chad Pendleton – also competing at Columbus – by a margin of 395-305 in the latest national standings posted on July 2. In the points race at Columbus, Pendleton has the upper had with a 93-point lead on Donnie Hill. Although Justus leads the state standings and ranks 22nd nationally, he sits third in Late Model points at Columbus.
LAST TIME OUT: Langley
The seventh event of the 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season took place at Langley Speedway on June 22 in Hampton, Va. Here are some highlights of the Visit Hampton VA 175:
• Dylan Kwasniewski earned his third victory of the season in convincing fashion as he led the final 132 laps of the event.
• Daniel Suárez crossed the line in second place for his best finish in 23 career starts.
• Jesse Little also matched his career-best finish with a third-place effort.
• Qualifying was rained out and Brett Moffitt started on the pole as the points leader heading into the event. He led the first 45 circuits.
NEXT TIME OUT: Iowa
Following the NAPA 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return to action on Friday, Aug. 2 with the Pork Be Inspired 150 combination race with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Iowa Speedway. This will be the second of two such events at the .875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa this season. West driver Michael Self won the first Iowa combo race this year while Corey LaJoie won this August race a year ago.
