Hard Charge By BMR Drivers Comes Up Short At Iowa
• K&N Pro Series East-West Combination Race
NEWTON, Iowa (July 27, 2018) – Bill McAnally Racing’s trio of drivers stormed through the field in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway on Friday, with all three making it into the top 10 by the halfway point of the race after starting from the back.
Unfortunately, all three encountered issues in the second half of the race that derailed their effort to continue BMR’s string of wins in the Casey’s General Stores 150.
BMR had taken home the hardware in past four combination races at the 7/8-mile Iowa track.
Series rookie Hailie Deegan started 23rd on the grid and charged to the front in the No. 19 Mobil 1/NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry. The 17-year-old from Temecula, California was up to third by Lap 107 and appeared poised to contend for the win, but ended up 21st after being sidelined with damage by contact from another car on Lap 130.
Cole Rouse put on a similar charge through the field in BMR’s No. 99 NAPA Filters Toyota Camry. Starting 22nd, he was up to seventh by the halfway mark. Although he later lost a lap for jumping a restart, Rouse rebounded to get back on the lead lap and come away with an eighth-place finish.
Deegan and Rouse were relegated to start at the back of the field after their cars failed post-qualifying tech inspection.
Derek Kraus joined them at the back of the field for the start after his team had to swap engines in the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry prior to the race. Kraus kept pace with his teammates in making his way to the front after the drop of the green flag. He was up to eighth before encountering trouble at the halfway point of the race. After losing 15 laps in the pits, he returned to action and finished 20th.
Despite his trouble, Kraus was able to remain third in the championship standings. The 16-year-old from Stratford, Wisconsin has two wins, five top-five, and six top-10 finishes in eight series starts this season.
Rouse – a 21-year-old from Fort Smith, Arkansas – is fourth in the standings, just behind his teammate. He has three top-five, and seven top-10 finishes this year.
Deegan continues to lead the rookie points in the series and is fifth in the overall standings. She has three top-five and seven top-10 finishes.
NAPA guests who turned out for a special VIP pit tour on Friday also met the BMR team and posed for pictures.
The combo event, won by Tyler Ankrum, is slated to be televised on NBCSN on Aug. 2 at 3 p.m. PT.
The next event on the K&N Pro Series West schedule will be the NAPA AUTO PARTS 175 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington on Aug. 11.