A Look at the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Season
Kip Childress has been the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series Director for the past couple seasons. If you’re ever at a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race, you’ll always see Childress walking around and talking to the teams and drivers and just have a big smile on his face. This season the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will have 12 races in 2011. On the schedule this year is four brand new tracks. One of the tracks is Bowman Gray Stadium down in Winston-Salem, NC. “The flat quarter-mile bullring is the madhouse that everyone come to know and love. Were looking forward to getting there. How often will our guys have an opportunity to get in front of 18,000 people around a quarter mile football field essentially. It will be packed. Their (Bowman Gray) excited to have us there. Our teams are excited to go. They know it’s going to be a rough and tumble race. I think that one of the things that will show everybody is that our guys will be able to race even on the close quarters of Bowman Gray.” Childress stated
The other three new tracks that the series will go is Richmond International Raceway on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend. That race will be held on Thursday April28th. The Bowman Gray Stadium race will be held on Saturday June 4th a trip Langley Speedway on Saturday June 18th, and Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, OH on Saturday July 23rd.
In the past few years, we have seen the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams put their development drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East as a stepping stone for the next big level. We have seen guys like Joey Logano, 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, Austin Dillon, Ryan Truex and many others. This year Michael Waltrip Racing will have Brett Moffitt in the driver’s seat for a run at the championship as Ryan Truex has moved up to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Max Gresham will return to the seat at Joe Gibbs Racing and make a run at the championship. Childress during the off season has received phone calls from Late Models team that want to make that jump to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. With the NASCAR Nationwide Series going with their brand new car this season. It will make it more affordable for teams to buy Nationwide cars to run in the Series.
Childress and his group of officials on the Series likes to do the best job they can do and to do the right thing. Childress always like to see teams feel comfortable and want to come race on the series. “ We know that those late model drivers that are coming on board. They have options as where they can go and race. We want our series to be one of those options. If we don’t do our jobs well, if were crabby in the inspection line. That makes them want to go race somewhere else. I think when you look at some of the new talent that is coming in this season hopefully that says were doing our job the way we need to and improve”
The attendance last season at the K&N Pro Series East events was up and down. “Martinsville Speedway comes to mind. They had a tough time with attendance. I think you have to look at the economy for that. Race fans there some of the most loyal sports fans in all the country. They have to be selective of the events they go to. They have to watch where there spending money.” Childress stated
When the Series goes to Richmond in April. It will be the first ever appearance for these cars. The track is going to do a ten dollar ticket package. Childress feels that they will have great attendance for that race. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East travels all over the place. At one time, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series was once called the NASCAR Busch North Series. The NASCAR Busch North Series would travel to tracks all over the northeast. This year the series will be traveling just to New Hampshire Motor Speedway two races. Last season, the series made four appearances in the New England region with two appearances at New Hampshire and one at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire and Lime Rock Park. Lime Rock has been on the schedule since 1993.
Childress would like to see this series do some more races in the New England region. “ We want to race back up there but it has to be the right business decision. If it’s next year that’s great if it’s five years from now that’s great to.” Childress does not want the New England region fans to give up on the series as the series will not give up on the fans. “ The fans from New England feel we have alienated them. That’s certainly not the case. The plans for the New England tracks to host us. There just not in the cards right now. I hope they will continue to keep an eye on us. We could be back up there as early as next year.” Childress Stated. The drivers from New England that will be coming to the East Series this year is Eddie McDonald, Dale Quarterley, and John Salemi. Quarterley a former resident of Westfield, MA is currently living in Mooresville, NC.
Childress will honestly tell you that the fan base of the K&N Pro Series East hasn’t been lost but more redirected with going to the new venues. With the series, going to Richmond, Langley, and Bowman Gray it will attract some new fans. The Series will visit 10 tracks in 8 different states this season. There will be some great talent heading into the season as a lot of teams plan to run the Series. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will kick off their 2011 season at the historic Greenville Pickens Speedway in Greenville, SC for the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150.
Sources: Matt Wiernasz