K&N East Statistical Advance: Road Atlanta
Analyzing The Inaugural Series Event At Road Atlanta
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will head to Braselton, Ga., to close out the 2013 campaign with the inaugural series event at Road Atlanta on Friday, Oct. 18. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the series and selected drivers:
Road Atlanta Race Setup
• Just five points separate Dylan Kwasniewski and Brett Moffitt atop the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship standings heading into the season finale at Road Atlanta.
• Kwasniewski – the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion – will attempt to become the first driver to win titles in both the East and West while Moffitt is looking to capture his first title after four years of finishes on the championship podium.
• In addition to the overall championship, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title is also up for grabs at Road Atlanta. Jesse Little has a six-point lead on Gray Gaulding and Kenzie Ruston entering the event.
• The 13 previous races this year have produced seven different first-time race winners, the most since 1994 when there were eight first-time victors.
ROAD ATLANTA:
History
• Held its first race on Sept. 13, 1970.
• The facility’s premier annual event is the Petit Le Mans. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East’s inaugural race at the track will be part of the 16th Annual Petit Le Mans presented by Mazda weekend.
• Has held two previous NASCAR races. The NASCAR Nationwide Series competed there in 1986 and 1987.
Notebook
• This will be the fourth all-time NKNPS East event in the state of Georgia. The first three took place from 2010-12 at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson.
• This will be the NKNPS East’s 34th all-time road course race since the series was formed in 1987. There were 18 at Lime Rock Park from 1993-2010 and 14 at Watkins Glen International from 1993-2009. The series’ first race at Virginia International Raceway was held earlier this year.
Road Atlanta
Race: #14 of 14
Track Layout: 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course
• Race Length: 28 laps (71.12 miles, 114.47 kilometers)
Qualifying/Race Data
2012 Pole/Race Winner: New Event
Qualifying Record: To Be Established
ACTIVE SERIES CAREER LEADERS:
Wins
1. Brett Moffitt … 9
2. Eddie MacDonald … 6
3. Dale Quarterley … 6
Poles
1. Brett Moffitt … 10
2. Dale Quarterley … 4
3. Cale Conley … 3
Dylan Kwasniewski … 3
Top Fives
1. Brett Moffitt … 33
2. Dale Quarterley … 31
Eddie MacDonald … 31
Top 10s
1. Eddie MacDonald … 83
2. Dale Quarterley … 67
3. Brett Moffitt … 44
Laps Completed
1. Eddie MacDonald … 22,041
2. Dale Quarterley … 18,891
3. John Salemi … 8,605
Laps Led
1. Brett Moffitt … 1,809
2. Dale Quarterley … 706
3. Eddie MacDonald … 672
SELECT DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS:
Cole Custer (No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, two poles and five top 10s in 13 starts as a rookie this year.
• Won from the pole at Iowa Speedway in August and at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• Ranks ninth in the overall points standings and fifth in Sunoco Rookie of the Year points.
• Finished 19th at Virginia International Raceway earlier this year in his only previous road course experience.
Gray Gaulding (No. 20 Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Toyota)
• Has a pole and eight top 10s in his first 13 races. Best finish was second at Five Flags Speedway.
• Became the youngest pole winner in NKNPS East history (15 years, two months, 15 days) in April at Richmond International Raceway.
• Ranks sixth in the overall standings and is tied for second in Sunoco Rookie of the Year points.
• Finished fifth at VIR in his only previous road course race.
Brandon Gdovic (No. 46 WindStax.com/Aquis Communications Toyota)
• Has a win, nine top fives and 19 top 10s in 38 career starts.
• Ranks 10th in the season standings with six top 10s, including his first career victory in the April race at Greenville Pickens Speedway.
• Suffered engine failure at VIR in August in his only previous road course race.
Ryan Gifford (No. 2 Sunoco Racing Fuel Toyota)
• Has a win, a pole, 15 top fives and 20 top 10s in 53 career series starts.
• Ranks 11th in points with six top 10s in 13 outings, highlighted by his first career win at Richmond.
• Led a lap at VIR earlier this year before engine failure relegated him to 21st. Finished 22nd in 2010 at Lime Rock Park in his only other road course race.
Alex Kennedy (No. 37 Legend Gear & Transmission/Glock Chevrolet)
• Has five top 10s in 19 career NKNPS East starts. Four of those top 10s have come on road courses, including a career-best finish of fourth at Lime Rock in 2009.
• Finished 10th at VIR in his only previous series appearance this year.
• Has made 15 career NASCAR Nationwide Series starts – 10 on road courses. Also has three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts this season – Sonoma, Pocono and Watkins Glen.
Ben Kennedy (No. 96 Ben Kennedy Racing Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, two poles, seven top fives and 18 top 10s in 40 career series starts.
• Ranks fourth in points with eight top 10s, highlighted by wins at Five Flags and Bowman Gray Stadium.
• Finished fourth at VIR in August in his only previous road course race.
• Has made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts this year with a best result of 15th at Iowa.
Dylan Kwasniewski (No. 98 Royal Purple/Rockstar Energy Drink Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, three poles, eight top fives and 11 top 10s in 16 career NKNPS East starts.
• Is the season points leader on the strength of those five victories.
• Is tied for third on the single season wins list with Tracy Gordon, Andy Santerre, Joey Logano and Corey LaJoie. A sixth win would tie him with Brad Leighton for second. Ricky Craven holds the record with 10 in 1991.
• Won from the pole in August at VIR. Had four top-fives and an average finish of 14th in seven career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West road course races.
• Was the 2012 NKNPS West champion, where he recorded five wins, seven poles and 24 top 10s in 28 career starts from 2011-12.
Jesse Little (No. 97 NASCAR Technical Institute Chevrolet)
• Has eight top 10s in 20 career NKNPS East races with a best finish of third at Greenville last fall and at Langley this summer.
• Ranks eighth in the overall season standings and leads in Sunoco Rookie of the Year points.
• Finished 11th this year at VIR in his only previous road course start.
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles, 31 top fives and 83 top 10s in 171 career series starts.
• Sits fifth in points with eight top 10s in 13 outings, highlighted by a runner-up finish at Iowa in August.
• Finished ninth at VIR in August. Has seven top 10s and an average finish of 15th in 16 career road course starts. Best road course finish was second at Lime Rock in 2009.
Brett Moffitt (No. 11 Kobe Toyopet Toyota)
• Owner of nine wins, 10 poles, 24 podiums, 33 top fives and 44 top 10s in 60 career series starts.
• Ranks second in the season standings with five top fives and a series-high 10 top 10s in 13 outings.
• Is in the midst of a career-long winless drought, now at 19 races.
• Has an average finish of fifth in four career road course races with a best result of third at both Watkins Glen International in 2009 and this year at VIR.
• Has an average finish of 16th in his two NCWTS appearances this year.
Sergio Peña (No. 37 Legend Gear & Transmission/Spraker Racing Chevrolet)
• Has three wins and 19 top 10s in 38 career NKNPS East starts.
• This will be his third series appearance this season. Finished eight at Five Flags.
• Finished 10th in 2010 at Lime Rock in his only previous series road course start.
Dale Quarterley (No. 32 Van Dyk Baler Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, four poles and 67 top 10s in 157 career starts. Two of those wins have come on road courses – Lime Rock in 2001 and 2003.
• Finished 22nd earlier this year at VIR. Also ran the NKNPS West road races at Brainerd International Raceway and Sonoma Raceway this year and finished sixth and 28th, respectively.
• Has two wins, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 15th in 24 career NKNPS East road course starts.
Andrew Ranger (No. 53 Waste Management Bagster Dodge)
• Has four top 10s in 12 NKNPS East starts, highlighted by a win at Lime Rock in 2010.
• Finished 23rd with engine failure at VIR in his only previous start this year. Won the NKNPS West road course race in September at Miller Motorsports Park.
• Has 17 career NASCAR touring series road course wins to his credit – 14 in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, two in NKNPS West and the NKNPS East Lime Rock victory.
• The 2007 and 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion where he has 17 wins, 12 poles and 54 top 10s in 61 career starts.
Kenzie Ruston (No. 34 AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet)
• Has four top fives and six top 10s in 13 starts.
• Best career finish of third, recorded in April at Greenville, is the best finish by a female driver in NKNPS East history.
• Ranks seventh in the overall standings and is tied for second in Sunoco Rookie of the Year points. The best previous points finish for a female in series history was 13th by Michelle Theriault in 2007.
• Finished 12th at VIR in her only previous road course experience.
Daniel Suárez (No. 6 Visit Acapulco Toyota)
• Has a win, seven top fives and 14 top 10s in 29 career NKNPS East starts.
• Ranks third in points with eight top 10s in 13 outings, highlighted by his first career victory at Columbus Motor Speedway. Has finished on the podium in five of the last seven races.
• Led 17 laps at VIR before suffering engine failure in his only previous series road course experience.
• Won a NASCAR Toyota Series road course race in 2012 at Nuevo Autódromo de Querétaro in Mexico and has two road course poles in that series.
UP TO SPEED:
• The 2013 season is the 27th for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
• The 2013 schedule features 14 races at 12 different tracks across 10 states.
• The competition season opened with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on Feb. 19 on the short track at Daytona International Speedway. Cameron Hayley won the K&N Pro Series feature.
• Dylan Kwasniewski took the checkered flag in the first points race of the season on March 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He assumed the lead when polesitter Michael McGuire was spun out under caution on Lap 30 and held it the rest of the way.
• Brandon Gdovic captured his first career victory on April 6 at Greenville Pickens Speedway. Brett Moffitt earned his ninth career pole prior to the race, which was originally scheduled to run on March 23 but was postponed due to rain.
• In the first points race in series history in the state of Florida, the Sunshine State’s own Ben Kennedy earned his second career pole and went on to lead all 150 laps in the inaugural event at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola on April 13.
• On April 25 at Richmond International Raceway, Gray Gaulding became the youngest pole winner in series history and Ryan Gifford captured his first career checkered flag.
• It was Moffitt who took the pole and led a race-high 123 laps, but Kennedy came out with the checkered flag at Bowman Gray Stadium on June 1.
• In the East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway on June 7, Anderson Bowen captured the pole in his series debut at Kwasniewski was credited with a victory as the highest-finishing East driver.
• At Langley Speedway on June 22, Kwasniewski registered his third win of the season after qualifying was rained out.
• Daniel Suárez made his first trip to Victory Lane on July 13 after leading 88 laps at Columbus while Kwasniewski earned the pole win.
• It was a record-setting night at Iowa on Aug. 2 as Cole Custer dominated the action and became the youngest race winner in series history.
• In the series’ return to a road course for the first time in three seasons, Kwasniewski stole the show as he captured the pole and led 39 of 57 laps en route to victory at Virginia International Raceway on Aug. 24.
• Kwasniewski won from the pole for the second race in a row when he triumphed in Greenville on Sept. 2.
• For the second time in three races Custer turned in a dominating performance as he won both the pole and the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 21.
• Cale Conley was the polesitter at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 27, but it was rookie Austin Hill that scored the surprise victory.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR K&N Pro Series East PR