Early Charge Does Not Pay Off For Drake At Motordrome

• Inaugural K&N Pro Series East Event At Pennsylvania Track

SMITHTON, Penn. (Aug. 15, 2015) – An early charge didn’t pay off for Nick Drake, as he faded to finish outside the top 10 in the UPMC Health Plan 150 at Motordrome Speedway on Saturday night.

The event marked the inaugural event for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East on the half-mile paved oval in Smithton, Pennsylvania.

From 13th on the grid, Drake quickly headed toward the front of the field in the Bill McAnally Racing No. 15 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota. He advanced as far as fifth by Lap 40. The 19-year-old driver from Mooresville, North Carolina seemed to settle in at that point.

As the race went on, however, he began to slip back with handling issues. Drake debated coming in during a late caution, but opted instead to ride it out and ended up finishing 14th.

He remains ninth in the championship standings, with one top-five and five top-10 finishes in 11 starts. Three races remain on the series schedule.

The UPMC Health Plan 150, won by Dillon Bassett, will be televised on NBCSN on Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. ET.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East heads next to Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia for the Biscuitville 125 on Aug. 29. It’s the second of two road course events on this year’s series schedule.

The series then travels to Richmond (Virginia) International Raceway on Sept. 10 and closes out the season at Dover (Delaware) International Speedway on Oct. 2.