BMR Drivers Take Title Battle To Roseburg
• Kraus, Deegan 1-2 In Quest For K&N West Championship
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (June 25, 2019) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West hits the midway point of the season with a visit to Roseburg, Oregon this week for the Clint Newell Auto Group/Toyota 150 presented by ENEOS and NAPA AUTO PARTS at Douglas County Speedway on Saturday.
The tight 3/8-mile fairgrounds track has been the site of some thrilling short-track racing with the K&N West and based on action in the series during the first half of this season, fans are anticipating more drama on Saturday.
Hailie Deegan, who drives Bill McAnally Racing’s No. 19 Monster Energy / NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry, has attracted plenty of attention in her young career. The 17-year-old NASCAR Next driver from Temecula, California has three career series wins – all on short tracks and all featuring a last-lap pass. In her most recent win earlier this month, she spun out her BMR teammate – Derek Kraus – to take the victory and chip away at his lead in the championship standings.
The two BMR drivers are 1-2 in the championship standings, as Kraus leads by the smallest of margins – with just a one-point advantage over Deegan – as they head to Roseburg.
A win in the season opener put Deegan first in points at the start of the year, making her the first woman to lead the championship standings of a series at the regional or national levels of NASCAR. She has continued to be in the spotlight, winning the pole last weekend at Sonoma Raceway in a K&N West race that included drivers from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series.
Kraus – a 17-year-old NASCAR Next driver from Stratford, Wisconsin who wheels the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry – moved atop the standings after the third race of the year. His lead was all but erased, however, with mechanical trouble at Sonoma.
A repeat win at Roseburg would be beneficial to him in regaining a substantial lead. He took the win in last year’s K&N West race there, while Deegan had to settle for second.
Joining Kraus and Deegan in the BMR lineup this year is Brittney Zamora in the No. 99 ENEOS / NAPA Filters Toyota Camry. The 20-year-old from Kennewick, Washington also encountered a mechanical issue at Sonoma and is looking to rebound strong as she makes her first appearance at Roseburg in K&N West action. Zamora is second in rookie points and sixth in the overall standings. She has one pole, three top-five and four top-10 finishes in six starts this season.
Deegan has two victories, two poles, four top-five, and five top-10 finishes in six starts. Kraus, meanwhile, has two wins, three top-five, and five top-10 finishes in six starts. In addition to leading the title chase in the K&N West, he also leads the championship standings in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
All three drivers want to add to BMR’s dominance at Roseburg. The team has won seven of the past eight K&N West races there. In his rookie year of 2017, Kraus was part of a 1-2-3 finish for BMR – trailing his teammates, Todd Gilliland and Chris Eggleston, who put on a thrilling side-by-side battle that had the Roseburg fans on their feet for much of the race.
Three consecutive BMR wins there were scored by three-time series champion Eric Holmes – who now serves as Deegan’s driving coach and spotter.
In addition to the excitement on the race track on Saturday, Roseburg fans will also be treated to high-flying stunts, tricks, and jumps with Cowboy Kenny’s Steel Rodeo Tour. The force behind the traveling freestyle exhibition is Kenny Bartram, who was part of the inaugural Nitro Circus and is a 10-time medalist of the Gravity Games and X Games, and multi-time champion of the International Freestyle Motocross Association. Fans will have the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the thrilling action with a warmup session for the squad of riders at the speedway on Friday evening.
A variety of special activities are planned by BMR leading up to Saturday’s race. The No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry is to be displayed at the Clint Newell Auto Group dealership in Roseburg. An appearance is also slated at the NAPA AUTO PARTS Store in nearby Winston. In addition, sponsor guests will get the opportunity to take a ride around the track in BMR’s 2-seater No. 16 NAPA Toyota.
As is a popular part of the annual NASCAR race at Roseburg, a big VIP Hospitality will host special guests at the track on Saturday.
The Roseburg event, the seventh of a 14-race schedule, will air live on FansChoice.TV – the streaming digital platform that’s airing the entire NASCAR regional series schedule live this year. In addition, it will be broadcast to a national audience on NBCSN on July 4 at 3 p.m. PT.