K&N Pro Series East News & Notes: Loudon
Points Leader Moffitt Looks To Defend NHMS Win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Iowa Speedway may technically be Brett Moffitt’s home track, but you’d be hard-pressed to say that the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East points leader is more at home at a facility than he is at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
After a DNF in his debut at the “Magic Mile” in 2009, Moffitt has averaged a podium finish in his subsequent five visits, and he’s the defending Loudon winner. He’ll head to NHMS this week with a high level of comfort in an effort to repeat.
“We’ve run up front every time we’ve gone there, so it was good to finally get the win,” Moffitt said. “We’re taking that same [winning] car back this year, so hopefully we can get another one.”
Driving the No. 11 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota this season, Moffitt has compiled a pair of wins and nine top 10s across 10 events and enters this week’s G-Oil 100 with a 20-point lead in the championship standings.
Moffitt, from Grimes, Iowa, may have a win and three runner-ups to his credit at Loudon, but it is more than just his success there that has Moffitt excited for a return trip to New England.
“New Hampshire is just a really fun track, especially for our series,” Moffitt said. “It’s really racy, and it’s a chance for us to get on a bigger track, which is kind of fun.”
With four races to go in the season starting with the G-Oil 100, the championship is starting to come more into focus as the weeks tick by. Moffitt will continue to chase checkered flags, but he is staying conscious of the big picture as well.
“Obviously we’re still going to go for wins, but you really can’t take any risks,” Moffitt said. “You gotta be there, you gotta be in the top five. Just be in position to win, and if it works out then great. If not, then just come home with a solid top-five finish.”
Moffitt will strive for a sixth-consecutive top-five finish at Loudon in the 57th running of the K&N Pro Series East at the 1.058-mile oval with the G-Oil 100. The East will be joined on the Sept. 22 race card by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s F.W. Webb 100.
RACE: G-Oil 100
PLACE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 22
TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV SCHEDULE: SPEED, Sept. 27, 3 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.058-mile asphalt oval
2011 WINNER: Brett Moffitt
2011 POLESITTER: Darrell Wallace Jr.
EVENT SCHEDULE: Friday – Practice 8:30-10 a.m., Qualifying 2 p.m., Saturday – Driver Autograph Session 9:15-9:45 a.m.
TRACK PR CONTACT: Kristen Costa, (603) 513-5708, kcosta@nhms.com
TRACK TWITTER: @NHMS
EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #GOil100
NASCAR IMC CONTACT: Kevin W. Green, (661) 392-8543, kgreen@nascar.com, Twitter: @KevinW_Green
FAST FACTS
The Race: The G-Oil 100 will be the 11th of 14 races on the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule and the lone trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Procedure: The starting field is 36 cars, including provisionals. The first 32 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 100 laps (105.8 miles) with a 10-minute break at or near the conclusion of Lap 50.
The Track: NHMS, a 1.058-mile slightly-banked asphalt oval, is the largest track the K&N Pro Series East races at. NHMS has played host to the K&N Pro Series East in each year of the track’s existence and has held more races than any other facility in the series’ 26-year history.
Race Winners: There have been 25 different winners in 56 all-time stand-alone races at NHMS. New Hampshire native Brad Leighton has the most series wins at the “Magic Mile” with eight while Brett Moffitt is the defending race winner.
Pole Winners: Of the 29 different drivers to earn a Coors Light Pole Award at NHMS, Kelly Moore has the most in K&N Pro Series East history with six. Darrell Wallace Jr. set the track qualifying record at 29.849 seconds (127.6022 mph) in this event last year.
LOUDON RACE NOTES
Diverse Entry List for G-Oil 100: The G-Oil 100 entry list as of Sept. 12 included drivers that represented 15 states and five foreign countries. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East regularly sees full-time drivers Bryan Ortiz and Daniel Suárez represent Puerto Rico and Mexico, respectively. Part-time competitors Enrique Contreras III and Rafael Vallina also hail from Mexico while Carlos Iaconelli is from Brazil and Alastair (Ali) Jackson comes from Ireland. Eric Helary, from France, will also attempt to make his K&N Pro Series East debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Helary, Theriault Race Their Way to Loudon: Helary’s presence in Loudon is the result of a continuing effort in which the Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series sends its champion to compete in a K&N Pro Series event. Helary was the series’ 2011 titlist. Austin Theriault also had to perform on the track to earn his shot at making his K&N Pro Series East debut. Maine car owner Archie St. Hilaire held a “Maine Young Guns” contest across multiple events during July and August to determine who would get a shot to pilot his No. 38 Ford. A Brad Keselowski Racing development driver, Theriault competes in ACT Late Models.
Trio of New Englanders to Attempt Series Debut: Including Theriault, a trio of New England Late Model drivers hope to make their K&N Pro Series East debuts in their backyard, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Theriault comes from Fort Kent, Maine while fellow ACT competitor Nicholas Sweet is from Barre, Vt. Another Vermont driver, Stephen Legendre is from Danville, although he’s raced primarily in the southeast since 2010. Legendre would have made his series debut at Greenville Pickens Speedway on Sept. 3 if the race had not been postponed.
Homecoming for Series Veterans: The G-Oil 100 will also be a homecoming for New England K&N Pro Series East veterans Jeff Anton (Russell, Mass.), Eddie MacDonald (Rowley, Mass.), Dale Quarterley (Westfield, Mass.) and John Salemi (Nashua, N.H.). Full-time competitor MacDonald has three career triumphs at Loudon while part-timer Quarterly has one. It will be the first series appearance for Anton in 2012 while Salemi has three previous starts this year.
Kwasniewski to Make First Loudon Appearance: NASCAR K&N Pro Series West sophomore standout Dylan Kwasniewski is set to make his third appearance in East competition in the No. 20 Toyota owned by Steve deSouza, and first at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kwasniewski, one of NASCAR’s Next9 drivers, has previous starts this year at Greenville and Gresham Motorsports Park. The 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the K&N Pro Series West, Kwasniewski has four wins and 21 top 10s in 25 starts out west, and is 15 points behind points leader Greg Pursley with three races remaining.
Next9 Participates in Chase Activities: The 2012 Next9 class participated in Chase for the Sprint Cup Media Day activities in Chicago on Sept. 12. The drivers attended the Chase Contenders Live event, made some appearances on Sirius NASCAR Radio and visited with many of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers at the event. In the evening they took part in a media dinner with five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, then closed out their Windy City visit with a fan meet-and-greet at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 13.
Greenville Rescheduled: The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 was to have been the race that led into this week’s G-Oil 100, but rain brought an end to activities following practice on Sept. 3 at Greenville. The K&N Pro Series East will now return to the South Carolina half mile on Oct. 27.
HOME TRACKS: Helliwell Tops In Granite State
Wayne Helliwell Jr. is positioned to earn his third-consecutive NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state championship in New Hampshire, a feat accomplished in two different types of cars at two different Granite State short tracks. Helliwell drove Late Models at Canaan Fair Speedway in West Lebanon and Small Block Super Modifieds at Lee USA Speedway, and as of the latest national points updated on Sept. 11, he had compiled a lead of 648-413 on Russ Hersey Jr. in the New Hampshire standings. Helliwell also ranked 13th nationally. The Whelen All-American Series points season ended on Sept. 16.
LAST TIME OUT: Iowa
The most recent NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, the Pork Be Inspired 150, was held in combination with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West on Aug. 3 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Here are some highlights:
• Corey LaJoie nabbed his series-leading third win of the season when he trumped the combined K&N Pro Series field. LaJoie led three times for a race-high 134 laps en route to Victory Lane.
• Cale Conley recorded his second pole in five appearances this year and led the first four laps. He finished seventh.
• Iowa native Brett Moffitt, the track’s all-time leader in laps led, ran up front for three circuits and finished fifth.
• The Pork Be Inspired 150 marked the first time that the K&N Pro Series East had visited Iowa twice in the same season since the series began running there in 2007.
NEXT TIME OUT: Dover
Following the G-Oil 100, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return to action on Friday, Sept. 28 with the Dover 150 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It will be the 12th all-time event at the “Monster Mile” and the ninth year in a row the K&N Pro Series East has visited the track. Darrell Wallace Jr. is the defending race winner while Brett Moffitt is the only driver in series history to record multiple wins at the facility.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR K&N Pro Series East PR
KNPS East/NWMT New Hampshire 9/22/12 Event Schedule
Time Series Event
Friday
7 a.m. NKNPS East Garage Opens
7 a.m. NWMT Garage Opens
8:30-10 a.m. NKNPS East Practice
10:15-11:45 a.m. NWMT Practice
2 p.m. NKNPS East Qualifying
5 p.m. NWMT Qualifying
Saturday
8 a.m. NWMT Garage Opens
9:15-9:45 a.m. NKNPS East Autograph Session
10 a.m. NKNPS East Garage Opens
10:30 a.m. NWMT Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
11-11:30 a.m. NWMT Autograph Session
11:50 a.m. NKNPS East Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
12:15 p.m. NWMT F.W. Webb 100
2:30 p.m. NKNPS East G-Oil 100
All times ET and subject to change
NKNPS East New Hampshire 9/22/12 Entry List
CAR DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM OWNER CREW CHIEF
0 Enrique Contreras, III, Mexico City, Mexico * Viva La Raza Racing Toyota Cody Sommer Lonnie Rush Jr.
1 Sergio Pena, Winchester, Va. Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Shigeaki Hattori Matt Goslant
2 Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn. Universal Technical Institute/NTI Toyota Max Siegel Mark Green
4 Bryan Ortiz, Bayamon, Puerto Rico * Toyota Racing Development Toyota Max Siegel Mardy Lindley
5 Steven Legendre, Danville, Vt. * Sponsor TBD Chevrolet Kendell Legendre Kendell Legendre
6 Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif. * Rev Racing Toyota Max Siegel Randy Goss
07 Corey LaJoie, Concord, N.C. Sims Metal Mgmt/Dewey Auto Group Ford Randy LaJoie Ron Otto
7 Michael McGuire, Vinton, Va. * Woods Towing & Transportation Toyota Tim McGuire Tony McGuire
8 Jorge Arteaga, Aguascalientes, Mexico * Rev Racing Toyota Max Siegel Dennis Connor
9 Chase Elliott, Dawsonville, Ga. Aaron's/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Bill Elliott Lance McGrew
11 Brett Moffitt, Grimes, Iowa Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Shigeaki Hattori Dave McCarty
12 Hector Agguire, Monterey, Mexico * TWR/Champion Oil Chevrolet Lori Williams TBD
14 Daniel Suarez, Monterrey, Mexico Telcel/Finsa/Roca Acero Toyota Geraldo Rodrigues Coleman Pressley
15 Carlos Iaconelli, Sao Paulo, Brazil * Delavaco Toyota Geraldo Rodrigues Robert Huffman
18 Darrell Wallace, Jr., Concord, N.C. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota J D Gibbs Bryant Frazier
19 Chuck Buchanan, Hildebrand, N.C. Spring Drug Chevrolet Chuck Buchanan, Jr. Craig Wood
20 Dylan Kwasniewski, Las Vegas, Nev. Royal Purple Toyota Steve deSouza Matthew Lucas
22 Sam Hunt, Midlothian, Va. * Oakley Tank Lines/Bruster's Toyota Rick Gdovic Kevin Cunningham
26 Dylan Presnell, Sevierville, Tenn. * American Mountain Rentals/Amtrol Toyota Kenneth Presnell Jonathan Davis
30 Jeff Anton, Russell, Mass. East Coast Resurfacing Chevrolet Ray Anton TBD
31 Jimmy Weller, Hubbard, Ohio * Integrated Metal Products Toyota Jim Weller, Jr. Joe Williams
32 Dale Quarterley, Westfield, Mass. Van Dyk Baler Chevrolet Dale Quarterley TBD
37 Clay Campbell, Martinsville, Va. Mountain Dew/Spraker Racing Chevrolet Jeff Spraker Scott Goyer
38 Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine * Roy's Hamburgers Ford Archie St. Hilaire Todd Graffam
39 CJ Faison, Seaford, Del. * Elevate Youth Group Chevrolet Ron Faison Mark McFarland
46 Brandon Gdovic, Yorktown, Va. Aquis Communications/ComServe Toyota Rick Gdovic Todd Lohse
47 Cale Conley, Vienna, W.Va. PMC/Health Bridge Imaging Toyota Yale Conley David Hyder
49 Austin Hill, Winston, Ga. * MacDonald Motorsports Toyota Jenifer MacDonald Kevin Bellicourt
53 Nicholas Sweet, Barre, Vt. * Gilbane Dodge Bob Torriere TBD
61 Eric Helary, Paris, France * Euro-RaceCar NASCAR Touring Toyota Victoria Olsen TBD
63 John Salemi, Nashua, N.H. John Salemi Racing Toyota Joe Salemi Kevin Salemi
70 Rafael Vallina, Chihuahua, Mexico * Viva La Raza Racing Toyota Cody Sommer TBD
71 Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass. Grimm Construction Chevrolet Rob Grimm Rollie Lachance
73 Ali Jackson, Moyvalley Co. Kildare, Ireland * Celtic Waste Dodge Derrike Cope Robert Fox
74 Tim Bell, Los Altos, Calif. * Make Direct Chevrolet Andrew Woolgar TBD
94 Harrison Rhodes, High Point, N.C. * MacDonald Motorsports Toyota Jenifer MacDonald TBD
96 Ben Kennedy, Daytona Beach, Fla. G-Oil Chevrolet Robert Johnson Mike Fritts
97 Jesse Little, Sherrils Ford, N.C. * Coulter Mtrspts/Team Little Racing Chevrolet Jason Little Kris Bowen
99 Travis Pastrana, Annapolis, Md. * iRacing Toyota Michael Waltrip Mike Greci
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
Entry List as of Sept. 17