Kraus Thunders To K&N East Victory At South Boston

• 17-Year-Old BMR Driver Takes Lead In Series Standings

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (May 5, 2019) – Derek Kraus and his Bill McAnally Racing team waited out the weather to take the win on Sunday in Race #2 of a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East doubleheader at South Boston Speedway.

The event was slated for Saturday night, but the second race was postponed after 20 laps due to heavy rain that moved through the region and drenched the historic .4-mile Virginia track.

Once the race was restarted, the 17-year-old from Stratford, Wisconsin quickly charged to the front in his No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry. He took the lead at the midway point of the 100-lap race and never looked back. The win vaulted him into the lead of the K&N East championship standings.

“We really didn’t do much, just some fine-tuned adjustments for day and night,” Kraus said of preparing for a race during the day. “This track really changes from day and night. My BMR NAPA crew made the right moves and gave me a really good Toyota for this day race, and we ended up in Victory Lane.”

Kraus had struggled with brake issues in the first race on Saturday night, which left him to finish ninth.

“We ran out of brakes that first race,” he said. “That was in the back of my mind, because we really didn’t diagnose anything that caused it to happen. It was on my mind while leading those last 50 laps. It was definitely interesting and nerve-wracking.”

His BMR teammate, Hailie Deegan, drove her No. 19 Monster Energy/ NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry to a 10th-place finish in the first race on Saturday night. Deegan, who also experienced brake issues, was not able to return to the track on Sunday due to prior commitments.

The victory on Sunday, which marked the second win by Kraus in four K&N East races this season, concluded a busy weekend for him. He travelled to South Boston after matching his career-best performance in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series with an eighth-place finish at Dover International Speedway on Friday.

The BMR drivers are running the full schedule this year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, while also racing in select events in the K&N East. The South Boston doubleheader was not originally on BMR’s schedule. It was added, however, because Kraus came into the weekend in contention for both championships – in the K&N East and K&N West. The move was successful, with Kraus taking over the lead in the K&N East standings, with a four-point advantage.

BMR also leads the standings in the K&N West, where Deegan is ahead by a two-point margin.

The twin races from South Boston are each slated to be televised on NBCSN – with the first race airing on May 8 at 6 p.m.ET and the second on May 9 at 6 p.m. ET.

The next event on the K&N Pro Series East schedule will be at Memphis International Raceway on June 1.