CHAMPION CREW CHIEF: Roger Bracken
Wins Title In First Year Working With Eggleston
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Roger Bracken has been around racing for a long time, but his first K&N Pro Series West championship may be one of his sweetest victories to date.
He has been with more the 50 different teams across many different series since he got his start in 1975. In that time, Bracken, a crew chief in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West since 2006, has helped a variety of drivers win many titles and victories.
This season, he paired with Bill McAnally Racing (BMR) newcomer Chris Eggleston. The result was two wins, nine top-five and 11 top-10 finishes en route their first, Bill McAnally Racing’s sixth, series title and a trip to the NASCAR Touring Series Night of Champions in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“It’s exciting,” Bracken said about winning his first series crown as a crew chief. “It’s an amazing milestone for me, I’m 70-years-old and don’t have many years left working in the industry. What was the most exciting part for me, was seeing everyone else win their first title.”
CHAMPION: CHRIS EGGLESTON | CHAMPION OWNER: BILL MCANALLY
Bracken began working with Bill McAnally in 2006, when he contacted Bill asking if he needed any help around his shop. Bracken has worked with many BMR drivers throughout the years, like Eric Holmes and David Gilliland, and worked part-time with Brandon McReynolds last year.
Bracken met Eggleston last season when he was asked to crew chief for the driver during his one race deal at Colorado National Speedway. He had a positive first impression to the young driver.
“I knew he had a lot of experience,” said Bracken. “He was quiet, but he was fast. We put together a good car that weekend and I believed we could get the win.”
The veteran crew chief was right, Eggleston went on to win his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race, which set forth plans for the 2015 season.
Eggleston signed on with BMR a few months before the season began. Bracken was offered the crew chief position for the No. 99 NAPA Filters Toyota and set forth selecting his team for 2015. Their season began with a fifth-place effort at California’s Kern County Raceway Park, only to rebound the next time out with their first podium finish at California’s Irwindale Speedway.
“We won our two victories almost right away,” Bracken said. “We had a great season only experiencing issues at Iowa, we were horrible at Iowa all year. What was important to our season, is we bounced back and stayed positive throughout.”
Beginning with Kern, the team would win one other event and earn nine top five finishes. Bracken contributes experience and positivity as the main factors of their success.
“Chris and I had a lot of experience leading up to this season,” Bracken said. “This was the most competitive K&N West season I’ve seen and our plan was to stay focused and not get excited. We had very few mistakes all season, and everyone worked together, communicated and stayed positive. That was the key to our success.”
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