NASCAR K&N West Thrills Packed Crowd At Tucson
• BMR Drivers Notch Top-10s As Series Returns To Arizona Short Track
TUCSON, Ariz. (May 2, 2015) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West thrilled fans that packed the grandstands Saturday night as the series made its return to Tucson (Arizona) Speedway for the NAPA AUTO PARTS / Wildcat 150.
The event – which marked a return to the .375-mile track that last hosted a series race in 2001 – featured 10 lead changes among six different drivers, as well as three- and four-wide racing throughout the pack and a first-time winner with Noah Gragson.
Bill McAnally Racing drivers Brandon McReynolds and Chris Eggleston were among those who were out front early. Despite slipping back later in the race, each came away with a top-10 finish in their first series start at Tucson. McReynolds finished eighth in the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota, while Eggleston took ninth in the No. 99 NAPA Filters/H2O Fire Protection Toyota.
With his finish, Eggleston remained second in the championship standings. The Erie, Colorado driver – with one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes in the first three races this season – is just two points out of first.
McReynolds also saw a positive gain in the standings. After encountering mechanical troubles in the first two races, his solid finish on Saturday moved the 23-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina driver up four spots in points to 12th.
Both BMR drivers started the event strong, with McReynolds second quickest in qualifying and Eggleston third – matching their qualifying spots of the season opener in March.
McReynolds dashed to the front at the drop of the green flag and led six laps early – from 4 to 9. Eggleston worked his way to the front and led 13 laps – from 34 to 46. Both drivers remained in the top five for most of the race, but faded in the late stages.
The race weekend at Tucson kicked off on Friday, with NAPA VIPs getting a lap around the track in BMR’s NAPA two-seater race car. On Saturday, BMR hosted a special NAPA hospitality event for a large group of VIPs at the track.
The NAPA AUTO PARTS / Wildcat 150, which will be televised on NBCSN on May 7 at a yet-to-be announced time, was the third event on this year’s 13-race schedule.
Next on the series schedule will be the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa on May 16.