K&N East Statistical Advance: Richmond
Analyzing The Blue Ox 100 At RIR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rolls into Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Friday, April 25 for the Blue Ox 100, the season’s fifth event. Below is a look at the performance of the series and selected drivers at Richmond, as well as, some other statistical trends:
Richmond Race Setup
• Ryan Gifford is the only past Richmond winner in the field and with last year’s victory, he joined Darrell Wallace Jr. (2011) as RIR winners out of the Rev Racing stable.
• Two of the three standalone series events at Richmond have been won from the front row with Brett Moffitt winning from the pole in 2012 and Wallace in 2011 from the second position.
• Virginia native Brandon Gdovic has a pair of top-five Richmond finishes in three starts including a runner-up finish last season.
Richmond International Raceway
History
• Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.
• The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.
• The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.
• The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.
• The track was rebuilt as a three-quarter-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.
Notebook
• This is the series’ ninth visit to the historic Virginia oval.
• The 2011 Blue Ox 100 was the first stand-alone race at Richmond in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East history.
• Teams from the NKNPS East competed in combination with the NASCAR Nationwide Series in five races at Richmond from 1988-92.
• The Blue Ox 100 will be telecast on a delayed basis by FOX Sports 1 on Friday, May 2 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
• Last season, Ryan Gifford collected his first series win in the Richmond event.
• In the three K&N East standalone events at Richmond, two have been won from the front row. Brett Moffitt won from the pole position in 2012 while Darrell Wallace Jr. started from the second spot in 2011.
• The most cautions for a K&N East race at Richmond is eight in 2012 while the fewest is two in 2011for a three-race average of 4.67. The most caution laps (35) came in the 2012 race while the fewest were 20 in 2011 for an average of 29.33.
• In three races the lead has changed hands an average of 3.0 times with a high of four changes in 2012.
• The average starting position for the winner is 4.67 while the pole sitter has an average finish of 9.67.
Richmond Data
Race: #5 of 16 (4/25/14)
Track Layout: .75-mile D-shaped asphalt oval
Race Length: 100 laps (75 miles)
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees (1,290 feet)
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees (860 feet)
Richmond Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Pole Winner: Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 121.228 mph (22.272 seconds)
2013 Race Winner: Ryan Gifford, Toyota, 71.410 mph (1 hour, 3 minutes, 1 second)
1-Lap Qualifying Record: Max Gresham, Toyota, 123.081 mph (21.948 seconds), April 28, 2011
100-Lap Race Record: Darrell Wallace Jr., Toyota, 81.325 mph (55 minutes, 20 seconds), April 28, 2011
Richmond Leaders (K&N East standalone events)
Wins
Ryan Gifford … 1
Brett Moffitt … 1
Darrell Wallace Jr. … 1
Poles
Gray Gaulding … 1
Max Gresham … 1
Brett Moffitt … 1
Laps Completed
Brandon Gdovic … 303
Ben Kennedy … 303
Eddie MacDonald … 303
Brett Moffitt … 303
Laps Led
Brett Moffitt … 92
Max Gresham … 55
Gray Gaulding … 53
Selected Driver Information:
Cole Custer (No. 00 NAPA/Haas Automation Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, two poles and five top fives in 15 career K&N East starts.
• Finished third last year in Richmond in his only start at the Virginia oval while leading 24 laps.
• Earned victory in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West opener at Phoenix this year.
• Has one win, two poles and two top 10s in three career K&N West starts.
Nick Drake (No. 15 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
• Has one top five and one top 10 in four career K&N East starts.
• Attempting to make Richmond track debut.
• Collected first series top-five finish (4th) on Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway.
David Garbo Jr. (No. 1 Big Machine Records/Garbo Lobster Toyota)
• Has one top-10 finish in four career series starts.
• Attempting to make K&N East RIR debut.
• Picked up first career top 10 with a seventh-place effort on March 15 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Gray Gaulding (No. 20 Krispy Kreme Chevrolet)
• Has a pole, four top fives and 11 top 10s in 18 series career starts.
• Finished 24th last season in the Blue Ox 100 after starting from the pole and getting caught up in a Lap 88 accident.
• Leads active drivers with 53 laps led at RIR.
• Became the youngest pole winner in NKNPS East history (15 years, 2 months, 15 days) in April 2013 at Richmond.
• Became the youngest race winner in NKNPS West history (15 years, 8 months, 30 days) in November 2013 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway.
• Became the youngest pole winner in NKNPS West history (15 years, 8 months, 16 days) in October 2013 at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif.
• Made NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on March 30 at Martinsville.
• Is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights young talent in the sport.
Ryan Gifford (No. 2 Toyota Racing Development Toyota)
• Has a win, a pole, 15 top fives and 21 top 10s in 58 career series starts.
• Won last year’s Richmond event after starting 11th.
• Has one victory in three RIR starts with an average finish of 17.7.
• Finished 31st in 2011 and 21st in 2012 at RIR.
• Has led 34 laps at the .75-mile Virginia track.
• Scored first series victory in April 2013 at Richmond.
• Is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights young talent in the sport.
Kaz Grala (No. 31 OzLINK Chevrolet)
• Has three top 10s in four career series starts.
• Attempting to make K&N East Richmond debut.
• Is seventh in the championship standings.
• Led 15 laps in last series outing in Greenville.
Cameron Hayley (No. 98 Cabinets By Hayley Chevrolet)
• Has one pole and two top fives in five career K&N East starts.
• Is fourth in championship standings.
• Has a win, six poles, 19 top fives and 26 top 10s in 34 career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West starts.
• Finished 32nd a year ago in Richmond after a late-race accident.
• Was championship runner-up to Derek Thorn last season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
• Is the youngest (15 years, 23 days) driver to start K&N West race in August 2011.
• Takes over Turner Scott Motorsports car that Dylan Kwasniewski drove to the K&N East championship in 2013.
• Is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights young talent in the sport.
Austin Hill (No. 22 Don-Rich Ford/A&D Welding Ford)
• Has a win, three top fives and four top 10s in 11 career series starts.
• Ranks 10th in championship standings after four races.
• Finished seventh last season at Richmond after a start in the fifth position.
• Earned first career win in September 2013 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Brandon Jones (No. 33 Wolfpack Energy Services Chevrolet)
• Has one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes in 11 career series starts.
• Holds down the 11th position in points.
• Finished 36th last year in his only Richmond start after engine problems.
• Collected a series-best finish of third in Feb. 16 season opener at New Smyrna.
• Made NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut last August at Bristol and followed with starts at Iowa and Martinsville.
Brodie Kostecki (No. 43 Arcoplate Toyota)
• Has one top-10 finish in seven career K&N East starts.
• Ranks 12th in points.
• Season-best finish of eighth on March 22 at Greenville.
• Made series debut last year at Richmond and finished 25th.
Jesse Little (No. 97 NASCAR Technical Institute Chevrolet)
• Has seven top fives and nine top 10s in 25 career NKNPS East races with a best finish of third on two occasions, most recently at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va., in June 2013.
• Currently owns the eighth position in the championship standings.
• Finished 16th last season in the Blue Ox 100.
• Made Richmond track debut in 2012 with an 11th-place showing.
• Was 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the Year for the K&N Pro Series East and finished ninth in championship standings.
• Made K&N Pro Series West, in which his father, Chad, was the 1987 champion, debut last November at Phoenix.
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction/National MS Society Chevrolet)
• Has seven wins, two poles, 32 top fives and 85 top 10s in 176 career series starts.
• Ranks fifth in points after four events.
• Finished 14th a season ago in Richmond.
• Has an average Richmond finish of 8.7 in three starts with a best finish of fourth in 2011.
• Snapped a 53-race winless streak with a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 15.
• Has finished in the top 10 in points for six consecutive K&N East seasons.
Brennan Newberry (No. 24 Qore24 Chevrolet)
• Has one top five in five career K&N East starts.
• Ranks ninth in the 2014 points standings.
• Attempting to make RIR debut.
• Has three poles, two top five and four top 10s in 12 career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West starts.
• Also competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Lee Pulliam (No. 11 Nishikawa/NISCO Toyota)
• Has two top fives in four K&N East career starts as a rookie.
• Is the 13th in the championship standings.
• Attempting to make K&N East Richmond debut.
• Is a two-time and reigning NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion and joins Larry Phillips (5) and Philip Morris (4) as the only multi-time series title winners.
• Has 73 career NASCAR Whelen All-American Series wins over 157 starts dating back to 2009.
Ben Rhodes (No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet)
• Has three poles, five top fives and eight top 10s in 11 career K&N East starts.
• Leads K&N East championship standings.
• Has won three consecutive pole awards – Daytona, Bristol and Greenville.
• Finished 35th last year in his only Richmond start after engine trouble.
• Made NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on March 30 at Martinsville and finished eighth.
• Is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights young talent in the sport.
Kenzie Ruston (No. 96 Ben Kennedy Racing Chevrolet)
• Has four top fives and eight top 10s in 18 career series starts.
• Ranks sixth in points.
• Finished 19th in last season’s Blue Ox 100 for her only RIR start.
• Led four laps on Feb. 16 at New Smyrna and became the first female K&N East driver to lead a lap since Danica Patrick at Dover in September 2010.
• Best career finish of third, recorded in April 2013 at Greenville, is the best finish by a female driver in NKNPS East history.
• Finished sixth in the final K&N East standings last season which is the best in series history for a female driver.
• Is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights young talent in the sport.
Daniel Suárez (No. 6 Toyota Racing Development Toyota)
• Has three wins, 11 top fives and 18 top 10s in 34 career NKNPS East starts.
• Second in points by just seven markers.
• Finished 21st in last year’s RIR race.
• Scored 20th and 29th-place finishes at Richmond in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
• Opened season with two straight series wins to become the second driver in series history to win the first two events of the season with Sean Caisse (2006) being the other.
• Has seven career NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series victories with 21 top fives and 10 pole wins in 46 career starts.
• Is in second season with Rev Racing for the NKNPS East.
• Slated to make NASCAR Nationwide Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond.
• Is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights young talent in the sport.
Up To Speed
• The 2014 season is the 28th for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
• The 2014 schedule features 16 races at 14 different tracks across 10 states.
• Daniel Suárez opened the season with a narrow victory over Cameron Hayley, who won his first K&N East pole, at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway.
• Suárez won at Daytona for his second straight series victory to become just the second driver in series history to win the first two races of the season. Sean Caisse in 2006 is the other. Ben Rhodes picked up his first series career pole award.
• Eddie MacDonald snapped a 53-race winless streak at Bristol. Ben Rhodes started from the pole and led 130 of 132 laps.
• Ben Rhodes started from the pole for the third consecutive race and picked up his first series win after leading a race-high 106 laps.
Sources: Shon Sbarra/NASCAR PR
NKNPS East Richmond 4/25/14 Schedule
Time Event
Thursday, April 24
Noon Garage Opens
4:10-5:30 p.m. Practice
7 p.m. Garage Closes
Friday, April 25
7:30 a.m. Garage Opens
9-9:50 a.m. Final Practice
2:05 p.m. Two-Lap Qualifying
4 p.m. Autograph Session (Amphitheater)
6:45 p.m. Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
9:20 p.m. Driver Introductions
9:40 p.m. Blue Ox 100 (100 laps, 75 miles)
All times ET.
Subject to change.
NKNPS East Richmond 4/25/14 Entry List
CAR DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM OWNER CREW CHIEF
00 Cole Custer, Ladera Ranch, Calif. NAPA Auto Parts/Haas Automation Chevrolet Bill McAnally Matt Goslant
1 David Garbo, Jr., Stonington, Conn. * Big Machine Records/Garbo Lobster Toyota Shigeaki Hattori Nick Hutchins
2 Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn. UTI/NASCAR Technical Institute Toyota Max Siegel Mark Green
04 Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Winston-Salem, N.C. * Butler Trailer Mfg. Toyota Ronnie Bassett Seth Smith
4 Sergio Pena, Winchester, Va. Toyota Racing Development Toyota Max Siegel Jon Wolfe
6 Daniel Suarez, Monterrey, Mexico Silent Circle/TelcelToyota Max Siegel Skip Eyler
07 Clint King, Denton, N.C. * Nashville Wire/Warehouse Design Toyota David King Teddy Brown
7 Michael McGuire, Vinton, Va. * Woods Towing & Transportation Toyota Tim McGuire Tony McGuire
11 Lee Pulliam, Semora, N.C. * NISCO/NRC Toyota Shigeaki Hattori Bruce Cook
12 Beto Monteiro, Recife, Brazil * Lenovo/Champion Oil Dodge Troy Williams Troy Williams
14 Trey Hutchens, Lexington, N.C. * All-Star Trucking Chevrolet Bobby Hutchens Bobby Hutchens
15 Nick Drake, Mooresville, N.C. * NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Bill McAnally Dave McCarty
18 Sam Hunt, Midlothian, Va. DRIVE Technology Toyota Shayne Lockhart Shayne Lockhart
19 Chuck Buchanan, Jr., Hildebrand, N.C. * Spring Drug Chevrolet Chuck Buchanan Craig Wood
20 Gray Gaulding, Colonial Heights, Va. Krispy Kreme Chevrolet Bob Newberry Ryan McKinney
21 Mackena Bell, Carson City, Nev. Special Smiles Pediatric Dentistry Toyota Jennifer Satterfield Glenn Parker
22 Austin Hill, Winston, Ga. * Don-Rich Ford/A&D Welding Ford Bryan Hill Doug Chouinard
24 Brennan Newberry, Bakersfield, Calif. Qore24 Chevrolet Bob Newberry John Monsam
29 Chad Finley, DeWitt, Mich. * Auto Value/Air Lift Ford Jeff Finley Jeff Finley
31 Kaz Grala, Westborough, Mass. * OzLINK Chevrolet Steve Turner Ray Holm
33 Brandon Jones, Atlanta, Ga. Wolfpack Energy Services Chevrolet Steve Turner Shane Huffman
34 Scott Heckert, Ridgefield, Conn. Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet Harry Scott, Jr. Rich Burgdoff
41 Ben Rhodes, Louisville, Ky. * Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet Steve Turner Mark McFarland
42 Jay Beasley, Las Vegas, Nev. * Toyota Racing Development Toyota Max Siegel Eddie Dickerson
43 Brodie Kostecki, Perth, Australia * Arcoplate Toyota Andrew Kostecki Doug George
45 Josh Berry, Hendersonville, Tenn. * Speedco Ford Darin Odle Bryan Shaffer
46 Brandon Gdovic, Yorktown, Va. American Messaging/Windstax Toyota Rick Gdovic Charles Denike III
52 Matt Tifft, Hinckley, Ohio Federated Auto Parts Dodge Ken Schrader Donald Richeson
55 Jerry Dawson, Saugus, Mass. * EXIT Realty Toyota Derek Beatrice Jamie Aube
56 Akinori Ogata, Kanagawa, Japan ENEOS Toyota Akinori Ogata Dale Quarterley
63 John Salemi, Nashua, N.H. John Salemi Racing Toyota Joe Salemi Kevin Salemi
71 Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass. Grimm Const./National MS Society Chevrolet Rob Grimm Rollie Lachance
81 Jeremy Burns, Simpsonville, S.C. * BBR Chevrolet Michael Burns Ron Otto Sr.
91 Jordan Anderson, Forest Acres, S.C. Tri Analytics Toyota Andrew Bloom Tracy Norman
96 Kenzie Ruston, El Reno, Okla. Ben Kennedy Racing Chevrolet Benjamin Kennedy Mike Fritts
97 Jesse Little, Sherrills Ford, N.C. NASCAR Technical Institute/PFC Brakes Chevrolet Jason Little Kris Bowen
98 Cameron Hayley, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Cabinets by Hayley Chevrolet Mike Curb Mardy Lindley
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender