DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A battle for the championship points lead will be the highlight of Monday’s ComServe Wireless 150 at the brand new Virginia’s Dominion Raceway, which opened earlier this year.
Justin Haley and Kyle Benjamin head into the 150 lap feature tied with 204 points, with Haley holding the tiebreaker by virtue of his win at South Carolina’s Greenville Pickens Speedway back in March. Ironically, Haley passed Benjamin with seven laps to go in that race to claim the victory.
Haley, 17, from Winamac, Indiana, has earned one win, four top fives and five top 10s in the first five starts of the season. In the K&N Pro Series East’s last event, Haley finished runner-up to Austin Cindric after leading 20 laps of the 55 lap feature.
Benjamin, 18, from Easley, South Carolina will look to take back the championship lead at the .4-mile oval on Saturday. Benjamin has collected four top fives and five top 10s to start the season, including a fourth-place finish at VIRginia International Raceway. His early season success has prompted the team to change plans for the NASCAR Next alum, as he’s gone from planning a partial schedule in the series to chasing the championship.
Ronnie Bassett Jr., who sits in third, trails the leaders by 24 points. Just 34 points, though, separate third from 13th.
| RACE: | ComServe Wireless 150 |
|---|---|
| PLACE: | Virginia’s Dominion Raceway |
| DATE: | Monday, May 30 |
| TIME: | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TRACK LAYOUT: | .4-mile paved oval |
| 2015 WINNER: | Did not race |
| 2015 POLE SITTER: | Did not race |
| EVENT SCHEDULE: | Sunday, May 29 – Garage opens: 11:30 a.m.; Practice: 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.; Final Practice: 4:30 to 5:00 p.m.; Qualifying: 7:00 p.m.; Garage closes: 8:00 p.m.; Monday, May 30 – Garage opens: 11:00 a.m.; Driver/Crew Chief Meeting: 11:15 a.m.; Driver Autograph Session: noon to 1:00 p.m.; Driver Introductions: 2:30 p.m.; ComServe Wireless 150: 3:00 p.m. |
| TRACK CONTACT: | JD Wright, Communications Director, (703) 361-7223, jd.wright@dominionraceway.com |
| TRACK TWITTER: | @DominionRaceway |
| EVENT HASHTAG: | @ComServe150 |
| NASCAR IMC CONTACT: | Brooke Franceschini, (386) 631-6142, bfranceschini@nascar.com |
FAST FACTS:
The Race: The ComServe Wireless 150 will be the sixth of 14 races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season. It is the fifth of 10 oval track events and 14 races overall on the schedule. It will be the series’ inaugural visit to the northern Virginia oval.
The Procedure: The starting field is 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 22 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials while the remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps, spanning 60 miles, and will be run in two segments with a five minute break at or near the conclusion of lap 75.
The Track: Dominion is a multi-purpose race and entertainment facility which hosts racing on four different tracks. The complex offers drive-in movies, live music, car shows, events, festivals and more. The width of the .4-mile oval is 55 feet with 10 foot aprons with banking of 12 degrees in the turns and 7 degrees in the straights. The facility seats 3,500 people.
COMSERVE WIRLESS 150 NOTES:
Inaugural Trip To Northern Virginia Track: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will make their first visit to Dominion Raceway. The .4-mile northern Virginia track opened earlier this year and hosts weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing. Dominion is the second track that the series will debut at this year. Earlier in the season, the K&N Pro East made inaugural visit to Alabama’s Mobile International Speedway.
Will The Victory Lane Trend Continue?: In the first five events of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season, there have been five different winners – Todd Gilliland, Tyler Dippel, Justin Haley, Chad Finchum and Austin Cindric. Should a new face end up in the winner’s circle, it would make six different winners in six events. All five of the winners this year celebrated their first K&N Pro Series East victories.
NASCAR Next At Dominion: The 2016 NASCAR Next class was announced last week in Charlotte, North Carolina. Of the 11 newly appointed members, five will make the trip to Virginia and try to qualify for the ComServe Wireless 150. Fans can see Harrison Burton, Collin Cabre, Spencer Davis, Tyler Dippel and Noah Gragson this weekend at Dominion Raceway. In addition, Benjamin and Ruben Garcia Jr. are NASCAR Next alum.
Bassett Brothers Find Rides For The Weekend: After a fire destroyed their race shop and everything in it, the Bassett’s plans for racing this weekend were bleak. However, due to the extraordinary camaraderie of the K&N Pro Series East both drivers will be behind the wheel at Dominion this weekend. Ronnie Bassett Jr. will drive the car intended for David Calabrese, while younger brother Dillon Bassett will compete for Rick Gdovic and Charles Denike’s Precision Performance Motorsports.
NASCAR Home Tracks: ComServe Memorial Classic Features Weekly Action
Fans attending this weekend’s ComServe Memorial Classic will see more than the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East’s ComServe Wireless 150, they’ll be treated to some NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action as well. The Memorial Day weekend schedule will feature a 100-lap feature for the track’s Papa John’s Late Model division. Doug Barnes Jr. currently leads the division standings with 135 points with Nick Smith trails by 18 points in second with 117 points.
