Gilliland, Partridge Nearly Identical Season Starts
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Three races into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series season, and very little seperates Ryan Partridge and Todd Gilliland.
Gilliland has two wins and a runner-up finish. Partridge has two runner-up finishes and a win. The pair lead the way as the series makes its long awaited return to California’s Orange Show Speedway Saturday night.
Gilliland, the 15-year-old from Sherrils Ford, North Carolina, holds a slim four-point lead on Partridge in the championship standings heading into the Sunrise Ford 150.
The 28-year-old Partridge dominated the last time out at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway, leading 127 of 150 laps on the .375-mile oval. The arena gets smaller: Orange Show is a quarter-mile that has been in operation since 1947.
Defending K&N Pro Series West champion Chris Eggleston sits third in the standings, and just 13 points seperate third through seventh. That group includes teammates Gracin Raz, who had a win and three top fives in four starts last year on tracks .333-mile and smaller.
| RACE: | Sunrise Ford 150 |
|---|---|
| DATE: | Saturday, May 21 |
| TIME: | 8:30 p.m. PT |
| TV SCHEDULE: | NBCSN, Wednesday, May 25 at 6pm ET / 3pm PT |
| TRACK LAYOUT: | 1/4-mile asphalt oval |
| 2015 WINNER: | Did not race |
| 2015 POLE SITTER: | Did not race |
| EVENT SCHEDULE: | First Practice: 1-1:45 p.m.; Final Practice: 2-2:55 p.m.; Qualifying: 5:30 p.m.; Autograph Session: 6:00 p.m.; Driver Introductions: 8:15 p.m.; Sunrise Ford 150: 8:30 p.m. |
| TRACK CONTACT: | Rod Proctor, (909) 201-1918, rproctorxbox@hotmail.com |
| TRACK TWITTER: | @OrangeShowSpeed |
| EVENT HASHTAG: | #SunriseFord150 |
| NASCAR IMC CONTACT: | Brooke Franceschini, (386) 631-6142, bfranceschini@nascar.com, @BrookeFran1104 |
RACE CENTRAL LIVE: EVENT SCHEDULE & ENTRY LIST
FAST FACTS:
The Race: The Sunrise Ford 150 is the fourth race of the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season. It is the fourth of 11 oval track events and 14 races overall on the schedule. This is the series’ first visit to the track since September 23, 1978.
The Procedure: The starting field is 22 cars, including provisionals. The first 18 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials will the remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race is scheduled for 150 laps covering 37.50 miles.
The Track: Orange Show Speedway is a quarter-mile oval in San Bernardino, California. It has been one of the longest continually ran track in the nation, since 1947, and hosted its first NASCAR on August 8, 1968 with a Pacific Coast Late Model Division race.
SUNRISE FORD 150 RACE NOTES:
Bill McAnally Racing Excelling: Bill McAnally Racing is off to a strong start this season. Three of their four drivers are in the top five of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship standings, with Todd Gilliland sitting at the top. Chris Eggleston trails in third and rookie Riley Herbst follows in fifth. Julia Landauer, also a rookie, heads into Orange Show ranked seventh.
Jefferson Pitts Racing Looking to Bounce Back: Jefferson Pitts Racing will be looking to capitalize this weekend at the Sunrise Ford 150 after a rough showing at Tucson Speedway. Noah Gragson, who won at Tucson last year, finished in ninth after experiencing engine problems. While Gracin Raz, who finished runner-up in 2015, was forced out of the race after 72 laps due to engine woes as well. Gragson and Raz are sixth and ninth in the standings, respectively.
O’Donnell and Smith Return: Dan O’Donnell will attempt his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West debut at Orange Show. O’Donnell failed to qualify at California’s All American Speedway last season. Stafford Smith will look to make his second series start. He made his debut at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway and finished 11th.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Returns: The K&N Pro Series West will return to California’s Orange Show Speedway after a 38 year absence. The track hosted eight series events from 1968-78, with Jack McCoy celebrating in Victory Lane at four of the events.
