QUALIFYING: Little Leads Pack at Iowa
Captures First Career K&N Pro Series Pole
NEWTON, Iowa — With 43 cars on the starting grid for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series combination race at Iowa Speedway, track position will be at a premium.
Jesse Little made sure he’d have no issues with traffic at the race start, capturing the 21 Means 21 Pole Award Friday evening in advance of the Autolite Iridium XP 150.
Little posted a fast lap of 23.883 seconds (131.893 mph) around the .875-mile banked oval in his No. 97 Get to Know Newton Chevrolet to win his first pole award in the K&N Pro Series. The second-generation driver scored his first K&N Pro Series win in the Granite State 100 at New Hampshire Speedway on July 11.
Sixteen year-old Australia native Brodie Kostecki, the pole winner for the K&N Pro combination race at Iowa in May, was second fastest. He had a fast lap at 23.592 (131.513).
Kyle Benjamin was third, followed by K&N Pro East season points leader Ben Rhodes and Ross Chastain. The top five qualifiers eclipsed the 131 mph mark.
Cole Custer, Scott Heckert, Brandon Jones, Kaz Grala, and Gray Gaulding rounded out the top ten. Greg Pursley, the K&N Pro West points leader, qualified 17th.
Little is the 11th different driver to win the pole award in 11 combination events at Iowa.
The green flag is scheduled for 9 pm ET, and the Autolite Iridium XP 150 will air on Fox Sports 1 on Friday, August 8 at 11 am ET.
QUALIFYING RESULTS
NKNPS Iowa 8/1/14 Qualifying
POS CAR DRIVER TEAM TIME SPEED
1 97 Jesse Little, Sherrills Ford, N.C. Get To Know Newton Chevrolet 23.883 131.893
2 43 Brodie Kostecki, Perth, Australia * Acroplate Toyota 23.952 131.513
3 27 Kyle Benjamin, Easley, S.C. * Benjamin Motorsports Ford 23.973 131.398
4 41 Ben Rhodes, Louisville, Ky. * Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet 23.990 131.305
5 1 Ross Chastain, Alva, Fla. Toyota Technical College/Yazaki Toyota 24.000 131.250
6 00 Cole Custer, Ladera Ranch, Calif. NAPA/Haas Automation Chevrolet 24.059 130.928
7 34 Scott Heckert, Ridgefield, Conn. Project Lifesaver Chevrolet 24.079 130.819
8 33 Brandon Jones, Atlanta, Ga. Wolfpack Energy Services Chevrolet 24.129 130.548
9 31 Kaz Grala, Westborough, Mass. * OzLINK Chevrolet 24.149 130.440
10 20 Gray Gaulding, Colonial Heights, Virg. Krispy Kreme Toyota 24.151 130.429
11 15 Nick Drake, Mooresville, N.C. * NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 24.185 130.246
12 98 Cameron Hayley, Calgary, Alberta Cabinets By Hayley Chevrolet 24.244 129.929
13 22 Austin Hill, Winston, Ga. * A&D Welding/Don Rich Ford Ford 24.247 129.913
14 6 Daniel Suarez, Monterrey, Mexico Rev Racing Toyota 24.268 129.801
15 17 David Mayhew, Atascadero, Calif. MMI Services/Ron’s Rear Ends Chevrolet 24.290 129.683
16 96 Kenzie Ruston, El Reno, Okla. Ben Kennedy Racing Chevrolet 24.317 129.539
17 26 Greg Pursley, Newhall, Calif. GPM/Star Nursery/Real Water Ford 24.343 129.401
18 24 Brennan Newberry, Bakersfield, Calif. Qore24 Chevrolet 24.352 129.353
19 71 Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass. Grimm Const./National MS Society Chevrolet 24.363 129.294
20 14 Trey Hutchens, Lexington, N.C. * MilitaryWarriors.org Chevrolet 24.365 129.284
21 4 Sergio Peña, Winchester, Va. Toyota Racing Development Toyota 24.407 129.061
22 66 James Bickford, Napa, Calif. * Sunrise Ford/Interstate Plastics Ford 24.413 129.030
23 42 Jay Beasley, Las Vegas, Nev. * Toyota Racing Development Toyota 24.421 128.987
24 21 MacKena Bell, Carson City, Nev. Special Smiles Pediatric Dentistry Toyota 24.429 128.945
25 47 Cale Conley, Vienna, W.Va. The PM Company Toyota 24.449 128.840
26 10 JJ Haley, Winamac, Ind. * Charles Dean Lefler Trust Chevrolet 24.451 128.829
27 04 Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Winston-Salem, N.C. * Butler Trailer Mfg. Toyota 24.502 128.561
28 9 Dylan Lupton, Wilton, Calif. Sunrise Ford/Go Pro/Lucas Oil Ford 24.504 128.550
29 77 Anderson Bowen, Suwanee, Ga. Cunningham Motorsports Dodge 24.598 128.059
30 83 Kelly Admiraal, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada Swan Rentals Chevrolet 24.684 127.613
31 99 Chris Eggleston, Erie, Colo. NAPA Filters/H2O Fire Protection Toyota 24.725 127.401
32 2 Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn. Universal Technical Institute/NTI Toyota 24.744 127.304
33 5 Thomas Martin, Auburn, Calif. MedActive Oral Care Chevrolet 24.800 127.016
34 56 Akinori Ogata, Kanagawa, Japan ENEOS Toyota 25.031 125.844
35 55 Zach Bruenger, Quincy, Ill. * Diversified Means, Inc. Chevrolet 25.253 124.738
36 51 Justin Funkhouser, Paradise, Calif. MedActive Oral Relief for Dry Mouth Chevrolet 25.260 124.703
37 16 Brandon McReynolds, Mooresville, N.C. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 25.294 124.535
38 36 Jairo Avila, Los Angeles, Calif. * Chilli Pepper LLC/Art Cleaners Toyota 25.340 124.309
39 54 Anthony Giannone, Colorado Springs, Colo. Trend Performance/Diamond Pistons Toyota 25.619 122.956
40 11 Jack Sellers, Sacramento, Calif. MedActive Oral Relief for Dry Mouth Chevrolet 25.992 121.191
41 84 Rich DeLong, III, Santa Clarita, Calif. * Country Girl Saloon/Ron’s Rear Ends Chevrolet 26.323 119.667
42 30 John Wood, Eagle, Idaho Wahl Traction Toyota 26.449 119.097
43 38 Zack Huffman, Manteca, Calif. * Holleran’s Performance Chevrolet No Time
Sources: Tom Bryant, NASCAR