K&N Pro East Stat Advance: Bowman Gray
Analyzing The NASCAR Hall of Fame 150
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East makes its annual visit to historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Saturday, May 31 for the NASCAR Hall of Fame 150. Below is a statistical look at the recent performance of the series and selected drivers at Bowman Gray, as well as some other statistical trends:
Bowman Gray Race Setup
• None of the nine drivers on the entry list with K&N Pro Series East experience at Bowman Gray have led a lap at the quarter-mile track. The best finish of those nine was fourth last season by Kenzie Ruston.
• A dozen of the entered drivers will be making their first series appearance at the track.
• Winning the pole position for the NASCAR Hall of Fame has not been a good sign with an average finish of 13.3 in three series events. The best finish for a pole sitter was the fifth-place showing by Kyle Larson in 2012.
Bowman Gray Stadium
History
• NASCAR’s first weekly track, racing was started at Bowman Gray Stadium in 1949 by Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins.
• Bowman Gray played host to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 29 times from 1958-71.
• Other NASCAR national or regional touring series that have competed at BGS include: Convertible Series (1956-59), Grand American (1970-72), Grand National East (1972), Goody’s Dash Series (1989-96), Whelen Southern Modified Tour (2005-pr.).
• Bowman Gray Stadium is part of the Winston-Salem Sports and Entertainment Complex and is home of the Winston-Salem State University Rams football team. It was also the home of the Wake Forest University football team until Groves Stadium (later BB&T Field) opened in 1968.
Notebook
• This is the K&N Pro Series East’s fourth visit to Bowman Gray Stadium.
• The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East made its debut at Bowman Gray on June 4, 2011. Coleman Pressley was the inaugural pole sitter and Matt DiBenedetto the race winner.
• The NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 will be telecast on a delayed basis by FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, June 7 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
• The Bowman Gray event has not been won from the pole position. DiBenedetto and Corey LaJoie (2012) started from the second position and Ben Kennedy (2013) lined up 10th.
• The most cautions for a K&N Pro Series East event at “The Stadium” is 15 in the inaugural 2011 event and the fewest was 10 in 2012.
• The average starting position for the winner is 4.67 while the pole sitter has an average finish of 13.33.
• Last year’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 was the first of the three BGS events not to be extended to a green-white-checkered finish.
• Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota have gone to Victory Lane at Bowman Gray.
Bowman Gray Data
Race: #7 of 16 (5/31/14)
Track Layout: .25-mile flat asphalt oval
Race Length: 150 laps (37.5 miles)
Bowman Gray Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Pole Winner: Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 62.193 mph (14.471 seconds)
2013 Race Winner: Ben Kennedy, Chevrolet, 36.976 mph (1 hours, 0 minutes, 51 seconds)
1-lap Qualifying Record: Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 62.193 mph (14.471 seconds), June 1, 2013
150-lap Race Record: Corey LaJoie, Ford, 38.346 mph (59 minutes, 51 seconds), June 2, 2012
Bowman Gray Leaders
Wins
Matt DiBenedetto … 1
Ben Kennedy … 1
Corey LaJoie … 1
Stat Pack
NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 Trackside Report
Pole Wins
Kyle Larson … 1
Brett Moffitt … 1
Coleman Pressley … 1
Laps Completed
Ben Kennedy … 459
Eddie MacDonald … 458
Brandon Gdovic … 456
Brett Moffitt … 456
Ryan Gifford … 445
Laps Led
Matt DiBenedetto … 156
Brett Moffitt … 123
Corey LaJoie … 118
Kyle Larson … 35
Ben Kennedy … 27
Selected Driver Information:
Ronnie Bassett Jr. (No. 04 Butler Trailer Manufacturing Toyota)
• Has two top fives and four top 10s in eight career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Is ninth in season standings.
• Set to make BGS debut in a K&N Pro Series East car.
• Finished season-best second at Greenville Pickens Speedway on March 22.
Nick Drake (No. 15 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
• Has three top fives in six career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Ranks fifth in the championship standings.
• Making first series appearance at Bowman Gray.
• Finished season-best second at Iowa Speedway on May 17.
• Collected first series top-five finish (4th) on Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway.
• Finished third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West 2014 season opener at Phoenix International Raceway.
Gray Gaulding (No. 20 Krispy Kreme Chevrolet)
• Has a pole, four top fives and 11 top 10s in 20 career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Sits third in points, just one point in back of second-place Cameron Hayley.
• Finished eighth last season in the BGS event after starting fourth.
• Recorded a season-best finish of second on March 15 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• 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.
• Made NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on March 30 at Martinsville Speedway.
• 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 six career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Occupies the 10th spot in the season standings.
• Making first series appearance at BGS.
• Led 15 laps in Greenville on March 22 and finished a season-best seventh.
Cameron Hayley (No. 98 Cabinets By Hayley Chevrolet)
• Has one pole and two top fives in seven career K&N East starts.
• Is second in the championship standings, 38 points in back of Ben Rhodes.
• Making first series appearance at Bowman Gray.
• Has a win, six poles, 19 top fives and 26 top 10s in 34 career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West starts.
• 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 an alumnus 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, four top fives and six top 10s in 13 career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Ranks sixth in championship standings after six races.
• Making first series start at BGS.
• Finished a season-best second on Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway.
• Earned first career win in September 2013 at Dover International Speedway.
• Member of 2014-15 NASCAR Next class.
Brandon Jones (No. 33 Wolfpack Energy Services Chevrolet)
• Has two top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes in 13 career K&N East starts.
• Holds down the seventh position in points.
• Set to make first series start at Bowman Gray.
• 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 two top-10 finishes in nine career K&N East starts.
• Ranks 12th in season standings.
• Making first series start at BGS.
• Season-best finish of eighth on March 22 at Greenville and April 26 at Richmond.
• Collected first career pole on May 17 at Iowa Speedway.
Jesse Little (No. 97 NASCAR Technical Institute Chevrolet)
• Has seven top fives and 10 top 10s in 27 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 fifth a season ago in this event.
• 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.
• Member of 2014-15 NASCAR Next class.
Brennan Newberry (No. 24 Qore24 Chevrolet)
• Has one top five and two top 10s in seven career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Is ranked 11th in the championship standings.
• Making first series appearance at Bowman Gray.
• Season-best finish of fourth on March 15 at Bristol.
• Has three poles, two top fives and four top 10s in 12 career K&N Pro Series West starts.
• Has made 33 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts.
Ben Rhodes (No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles, seven top fives and 10 top 10s in 13 career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Leads championship standings by 38 points over Cameron Hayley.
• Making track debut in this year’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 150.
• Scored first career win on March 22 at Greenville while second came at Iowa on May 17.
• 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 Bib’s Downtown Chevrolet)
• Has four top fives and eight top 10s in 20 career K&N Pro Series East starts.
• Ranks 14th in the championship driver standings.
• Scored a fourth-place finish last season at Bowman Gray.
• Finished a season-best sixth on Feb. 16 at New Smyrna Speedway and Feb. 18 at Daytona.
• 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 19 top 10s in 36 career NKNPS East starts.
• Fourth in the championship standings.
• Finished ninth in last season’s BGS event after a 22nd-place finish in 2012 track debut.
• 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 eight career NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series victories with 23 top fives and 11 pole wins in 49 career starts.
• Is in second season with Rev Racing for the NKNPS East.
• Made NASCAR Nationwide Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond in April.
• Is an alumnus of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights young talent in the sport.
Up To Speed In The East
• 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. Rhodes started from the pole and led 130 of 132 laps.
• Rhodes started from the pole for the third consecutive race and picked up his first series win after leading a race-high 106 laps at Greenville Pickens Speedway.
• Cole Custer started from the outside pole position and won at Richmond International Raceway after passing Bill McAnally Racing teammate and pole sitter Nick Drake with 51 laps remaining.
• Rhodes picked up his second win of the season and led a race-high 115 laps at Iowa Speedway. Brodie Kostecki led the race’s first 35 laps after earning his first series career pole award.
Sources: Shon Sbarra/NASCAR PR