K&N East Makes Annual Visit To Columbus
• Gilliland Set To Make His 4th Series Start
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (June 28, 2016) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East makes its annual visit to Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway this week for the NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 on Saturday.
Todd Gilliland is set to make his fourth series start in his rookie year as the circuit competes on the third-mile oval.
The NAPA AUTO PARTS 150, which will be televised on NBCSN on July 8 at 3 p.m. ET, is the eighth event on a 14-race series schedule. It marks the sixth visit by the K&N East to the Ohio speedway since 2011.
Gilliland is driving the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry on the full schedule in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West this season, while also competing in select K&N East races. The 16-year-old rookie from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights NASCAR’s rising stars.
He has one win, two top-five, and three top-10 finishes in his three previous K&N East starts. In addition to his win in the season opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in February, he finished fifth at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in June, and ninth at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway in April.
Gilliland is second in the championship standings of the K&N West, and leads the rookie points on that circuit – with two wins and five top-five finishes in the first six races.
On-track action for the K&N East at Columbus Motor Speedway on Saturday includes practice sessions from 2:15 to 3 p.m. and from 3:15 to 4 p.m. Qualifying is slated for 6:30 p.m., with the race set to go green at 9 p.m.
Activities for the holiday weekend in Columbus get underway on Friday. Gilliland and BMR’s NAPA team hauler will participate in festivities and a parade in downtown Columbus that evening as part of the big Red, White & Boom celebration.
The K&N East race at Columbus marks the fourth of six consecutive weekends of competition for Gilliland. His schedule includes three K&N East races: Stafford Motor Speedway on June 17, Columbus on July 2, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16; and three K&N West races: Colorado National Speedway on June 11; Sonoma (California) Raceway on June 25; and Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho on July 9.