Analyzing The NAPA Auto Parts 150 At Kern County Raceway Park
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will return to California’s Kern Country Raceway Park on Saturday for the NAPA Auto Parts 150. Below is a look at the performance of the series and selected drivers at Kern, as well as some other statistical trends.
NAPA Auto Parts 150 Race Setup:
• Todd Gilliland enters the weekend on a three-race win streak, two of those wins have been in K&N West events – the 2015 finale at Arizona’s Phoenix International Raceway and the 2016 opener at California’s Irwindale Speedway.
• Only 11 drivers have prior K&N West experience at the half-mile Bakersfield oval.
• The series’ three previous winners at Kern – Greg Pursley, Dylan Lupton and Dalton Sargeant – are not scheduled to compete Saturday.
• 2014 champion Greg Pursley, now retired, owns the track record for most wins with two victories.
At Kern County Raceway Park:
History
• Kern sits on 120 acres and opened on May 18, 2013, with a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race.
• It’s a half-mile oval with progressive banking of 12 and 14 degrees in the turns and eight degrees of banking on the front and back stretches.
• The facility has seating for 5,000 spectators and is expandable to more than 15,000.
Notebook
• This will be the series fifth visit to Kern and the second race of the 2016 season.
• The NAPA Auto Parts 150 will air on NBCSN on Friday, April 8 at 11 p.m. EST
• Gray Gaulding won the inaugural pole at the Southern California oval.
• Last season’s March opener had seven cautions for 43 laps and two lead changes between David Mayhew and race winner, Dalton Sargeant.
Kern Data
Race: #2 of 14 overall
Track Layout: Half-mile oval
Race Length: 150 laps (75 miles)
Banking/Turns: Progressive, 12-14 degrees
Banking/Straights: Eight degrees
Qualifying/Race Data:
2015 Winner: Dalton Sargeant
2015 Pole Sitter: Dalton Sargeant
1-Lap Qualifying Record: Gray Gaulding, 17.908 seconds, 100.514 mph, Oct. 26, 2013
150-Lap Race Record: Greg Pursley, 1 hour 10 minutes 46 seconds, 63.589 mph, Oct. 26, 2013
Leaders at Kern:
Wins
Greg Pursley … 2
Dylan Lupton … 1
Dalton Sargeant … 1
Poles:
Greg Pursley … 2
Gray Gaulding … 1
Dalton Sargeant … 1
Laps Completed:
David Mayhew … 614
John Wood … 494
James Bickford … 465
Dylan Lupton … 455
Greg Pursley … 455
Thomas Martin … 451
Laps Led:
Greg Pursley … 338
David Mayhew … 115
Dalton Sargeant … 75
Gray Gaulding … 59
Jesse Little … 26
Dylan Lupton … 1
Derek Thorn … 1
Selected Driver Highlights:
Johnny Borneman (No. 61 Rich Thompson Trucking Ford)
• Is ranked fifth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings headed into Kern after finishing fifth in the Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway opener.
• His best start at Kern was 12th in 2013.
• In his two starts at the Bakersfield track, he has an average start of 14.0 and an average finish of 18.5.
• In 113 series starts, he was collected three wins, 28 top fives and 57 top 10s.
Chris Eggleston (No. 50 NAPA Filters Toyota)
• Is ranked third headed into Kern after a third place-finish in the season opener at Irwindale.
• In his first start at Kern last season, he finished fifth after starting third.
• He is the defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion.
Todd Gilliland (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
• Sits atop the series standings after winning the season opener at Irwindale.
• Heads into Kern with three consecutive wins – the K&N West finale at Arizona’s Phoenix International Raceway, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East opener at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and Irwindale.
• Became the youngest winner in K&N West history at 15 years, 5 months and 28 days.
• Earned his first career 21 Means 21 Pole Award at New Smyrna and his first series pole at Irwindale.
Noah Gragson (No. 7 AlertID/Speed Vegas/Colliers International Ford)
• Heads into Kern ranked fourth in the standings after his fourth place finish in the season opener.
• Finished third at the half-mile oval last season after starting eighth.
• Was the series’ runner-up last season with two wins, seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.
• He was the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
Riley Herbst (No. 19 NOS Energy Drink Toyota)
• Is sixth in the series standings headed into Kern after finishing sixth in his K&N West debut at Irwindale.
• This will be his series debut at Kern County Raceway Park.
• He competed in his first K&N East race at New Smyrna in February and finished ninth.
Julia Landauer (No. 54 Toyota Racing Toyota)
• Is ranked eighth in the standings after finishing eighth in her K&N West debut.
• She will be making her Kern debut on Saturday.
• Won the Limited Late Model division at Virginia’s Motor Mile Speedway last year.
• Became the first woman to win a NASCAR track championship in the Limited Model division at Motor Mile.
David Mayhew (No. 17 MMI Racing Chevrolet)
• Will be making his season debut this Saturday in the NAPA Auto Parts 150.
• In his four K&N West starts at Kern, he has three top fives and four top 10s.
• He has an average start of 3.5 and an average finish of 4.8 at the track.
• Won the 2013 track championship at Kern in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
• This will be his 100th start. In 99 races, he’s recorded 10 wins, 49 top fives, 71 top 10s and 13 poles.
Ryan Partridge (No. 9 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Lucas Oil Ford)
• Heads into Kern runner-up in the standings after finishing second in the season opener.
• Finished 13th at the California oval last season after starting seventh.
• Finished third in last year’s K&N West final standings with one win, six top fives and 10 top 10s.
Gracin Raz (No. 27 Montana Tech Ford)
• Is 13th in the K&N West standings after the Irwindale opener.
• He led a total of 82 laps in the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Irwindale.
• In his Kern debut last season, he finished sixth after starting sixth.
• Finished fourth in the series last season with one win, six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.
Cole Rouse (No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Lucas Oil Ford)
• Is ranked ninth in the standings after a ninth place finish at Irwindale in his K&N West debut.
• This will be his first series start at the Bakersfield oval.
Other Driver Notes:
• Colton Nelson and NTS Motorsports driver, Parker Stephens look to build upon their strong starts at Irwindale. They finished 11th and 12th, respectively, in the opener.
• Buddy Shepherd, will be making his season debut with Jefferson Pitts Racing. He competed in two K&N West races last year. This will be his first series start at his home track.
Up To Speed:
• The 2016 season is the 63rd for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
• The 2016 schedule features 14 races at 13 different tracks across eight states.
• Third-generation driver Todd Gilliland won the season opener at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway on March 19 after leading a total of 33 laps.
