DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — After a three-week hiatus, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East returns to action this Friday night in the Stafford 150 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. Below is a look at the race itself and some of the selected participants.
Stafford 150 Race Setup:
• This marks the K&N Pro Series East’s first visit to Stafford since the 2008 season finale.
• Justin Haley leads Kyle Benjamin by 19 points atop the standings, with one win and five top five finishes in six races.
At Stafford Motor Speedway:
History:
• The track was originally designed for standardbred horse racing and held events through the end of World War II.
• In 1959, Stafford entered into an agreement with NASCAR and the facility has hosted stock car racing every year since.
• The track is host to weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing on Friday nights, featuring the open-wheeled SK Modifieds at its featured divisions.
• Stafford hosts four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events this season, just as it has every year since 1992.
Notebook:
• The K&N Pro Series has held a total of 29 races in its history at Stafford, with Peyton Sellers winning the 2008 season finale at the track.
• There have been 21 different winners in K&N Pro Series competition at Stafford, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. who won races at the track in 2001 and 2003.
Stafford Data:
Race: #7 of 14 overall
Race Date: Friday, June 17 at 9:15 p.m. ET
Track Layout: .500-mile paved oval
Banking/Turns: 9 degrees (Turns 1&2), 7.5 degrees (Turns 3&4)
Race Length: 150 laps (75 miles)
Qualifying/Race Data:
2015 Winner: Race not held
2015 Pole Sitter: Race not held
1-lap Qualifying Record: 92.898 mph (2008, Brian Ickler)
150-lap Race Record: 75.758 mph (2001, Brad Leighton)
Stafford Motor Speedway Leaders:
Wins
Mike Johnson … 3
Kelly Moore … 3
Brad Leighton … 2
Andy Santerre … 2
Mike Stefanik … 2
Martin Truex Jr. … 2
15 drivers … 1
Poles
Mike Johnson … 3
Sean Caisse … 2
Seven drivers … 1
Laps Completed
Mike Olsen … 3591
Dave Dion … 3452
Kelly Moore … 3420
Jerry Marquis … 2759
Matt Kobyluck … 2748
Dale Quarterley … 2590
Ted Christopher … 2524
Laps Led
Andy Santerre … 464
Martin Truex Jr. … 464
Mike Johnson … 373
Brad Leighton … 368
Kelly Moore … 365
Matt Kobyluck … 326
Ted Christopher … 315
Selected Driver Highlights:
Hunter Baize (No. 13 Bicycle Playing Cars/Pine Mountain Chevrolet)
• Is ranked ninth headed into this weekend with four top 10s.
• Posted a season-best finish of sixth in the Biscuitville 125 at Virginia International Raceway in April.
• He is ranked second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle.
Ronnie Basset Jr. (No. 43 Bassett Gutters Ford)
• Is ranked sixth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings with three top fives and four top 10s.
• He has finished third at both Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway this season.
Kyle Benjamin (No. 40 FEVR Chevrolet)
• Heads into the weekend ranked second in the standings with four top fives and five top 10s.
• Has two poles (Greenville, Virginia’s Dominion Raceway) this season and runner-up finishes at Greenville and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this season.
• Is a NASCAR Next alumnus.
Harrison Burton (No. 12 DEX Imaging/Konica Minolta Toyota)
• Heads into the Stafford 150 ranked 11th in the standings with one top-10 finish.
• He won his first K&N Pro Series East 21 Means 21 Pole Award at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.
Collin Cabre (No. 2 UTI/NTI Toyota)
• Heads into the Stafford 150 ranked 10th in the standings with one top 10.
• Earned his lone series victory at Dover (Del.) International Speedwaway finale last season.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.
Spencer Davis (No. 41 Ruud.com Chevrolet)
• Is third in the standings with four top-five finishes.
• He won the series last race at Dominion Speedway.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.
Tyler Dippel (No. 38 East West Marine/TyCar Chevrolet)
• Is ranked sixth in the K&N Pro Series East standings with one win and three top 10s.
• Won at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway in only his second career series start.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.
Noah Gragson (No. 55 SPPEDVEGAS/AlertID/Colliers Int’l Ford)
• Heads into the weekend ranked fifth in the standings with three top 10 finishes.
• Took home his best K&N Pro Series East finish, third, at Dominion.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.
Justin Haley (No. 5 Braun Auto Chevrolet)
• Leads the series standings with one win, four top fives and five top 10s.
• Earned his first K&N Pro Series East victory at Greenville this year, a track of similar size.
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Racing Chevrolet)
• Finished eighth at Bristol in his only series start this season.
• Has seven career K&N Pro Series East wins and was the championship runner-up in 2009.
• Is the only driver in the field to start at Stafford, finishing fifth there in 2008.
• In his 15 starts at Stafford, he’s earned one win, 2 top fives and seven top 10s.
Austin Theriault (No. 1 Hattori Racing Toyota)
• Is eighth in the standings with three top fives and three top 10s.
• Finished a career-best third in the Biscuitville 125 at VIR in April.
Up To Speed:
• The 2016 season is the 30th for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
• The 2016 schedule features 14 races at 13 different tracks across the United States.
• Third-generation driver Todd Gilliland earned his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victory in his series debut at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway.
• Tyler Dippel collected his first series win in just his second series start at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway.
• Justin Haley recorded his first K&N East win at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway after leading a total of 28 laps.
• Chad Finchum earned his first series victory at Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway.
• Austin Cindric kept the new winner trend going winning the Biscuitville 125 at Virginia International Raceway.
• Spencer Davis took home his first series victory at the K&N Pro Series East’s inaugural visit to Virginia’s Dominion Raceway.
