Drake Battles Back From Spin At Columbus

• Recovers To Finish 11th In K&N Pro Series East Event

COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 4, 2015) – Nick Drake battled back from a mid-race spin to finish just outside of the top-10 in the NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

The 19-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina managed to get his Bill McAnally Racing No. 15 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota up to 11th at the finish after losing a lap in the spin.

After qualifying 10th earlier in the day, Drake was on the move early in the race. He was in ninth by Lap 40 and was part of an intense four-car battle for eighth just before the midway point of the race. About a dozen laps later he and another car spun, bringing out the sixth of seven cautions in the event.

Drake restarted 15th, one lap down to the leader. He received the free pass to get back on the lead lap during a subsequent caution on Lap 109 and began working his way forward from there. He was up to 13th by Lap 130 and made it to 11th as the checkered flag waved.

The Columbus event was the seventh on a 14-race schedule, marking the halfway point in 2015.

Drake remains seventh in the championship standings, with four top-10 finishes in the first seven races. Despite his 11th-place finish, he gained a bit of ground in points – finishing higher than four of the six drivers ahead of him in the standings.

The NAPA AUTO PARTS 150, which was won by Rico Abreu, will be televised on NBCSN on July 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET. It is the fifth series race hosted by the track.

The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule will be the Granite State 70 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire on July 17.