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Tag: Hailie Deegan

  • Deegan takes advantage of last lap pass, wins at Vegas Dirt Track

    Deegan takes advantage of last lap pass, wins at Vegas Dirt Track

    LAS VEGAS – As Jagger Jones approached lapped cars, Hailie Deegan takes advantage of the traffic with a last lap pass to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in the Star Nursery 100.

    “I had to do something to make the move. So I shoved my nose in there, squiggled my way through that corner and just parked around the bottom of [turns] 3 and 4 and got it done,” Deegan shared after the race.

    Deegan only led one lap in the main event, and it was the one that counted. Austin Reed started on pole and led the opening eight laps before Derek Kraus paced the field for 60 laps. Kraus was passed by Jones and Deegan with 31 laps to go, and Jones was able to pull away to a four-second lead with 10 laps to go. However, Deegan was able to find some speed to pull off the pass going into Turn 1.

    “In the end we wouldn’t have caught him if it weren’t for the lapped cars,” she said. “And they got in his way. If I was him, I’d be mad. Really mad. But some peoples losses are other peoples wins and we ended up getting it done. I knew what we had to do to win. I knew it was going to come down to the last lap again and we made it happen.

    “This was my kind of — what’s the word — rebound race. Coming here, especially in the heat race since we didn’t do that great, I was like, ‘man, I’ve got a lot of work to do tonight,’ but I wasn’t going to go down second again. I was done getting second. I’ve got second a ton of times now, and it just is not fun knowing that there’s a little more you can do, a little better you can be, and I just wanted to be the best I could tonight and go out and show everyone if they counted us out in the heat race that we weren’t done.”

    It was Jones’ first career start in the K&N Pro Series West start, who seemed to be on cruise control toward a victory. Fate determined something different.

    “Hailie [Deegan] definitely had a little more speed at the end,” he said defeated. “But I think I would’ve held her off no problem, but lapped card cut me off, pushed me right into the tire on the last lap and Hailie was just able to get underneath me. Definitely wanted that win.”

    Jones wasn’t upset at Deegan for her move. He was more upset at Kenny Bumbera, the lapped car that Jones was unable to pass in time before Deegan could get to his inside.

    “Oh I think her move was fine,” Jones said of Deegan’s last lap maneuver. “I mean she didn’t really do anything too bad. It’s just the lapped car cut me off in front. It just pushed me up the track. Once that all happened she had a whole lane to herself. It was kind of given to her, which is unfortunate on the last lap. It just sucks sometimes.”

    Donny Schatz charges through the field at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in the World of Outlaws Main Event. Photo by Rachel Schuoler.
    Donny Schatz charges through the field at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in the World of Outlaws Main Event. Photo by Rachel Schuoler.

    The Jefferson Pitts Racing driver, Joey Tanner, finished in third in his first career series with Kody Vanderwal and Todd Souza completing the top five. Derek Kraus finished sixth with Trevor Huddleston, Travis Milburn, Austin Reed and Matt Levin rounding out the top 10. The Star Nursery 100 is scheduled to be broadcast on Tuesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. on NBCSN.

    It was the start to a very historic night in Vegas. This was the first time that USAC, World of Outlaws and NASCAR competed at the same venue on the same evening. The action on track proved staying was well worth it. With Hailie Deegan winning the K&N West race, she is now the first ever female to lead the points in NASCAR’s history.

    The NASCAR K&N race was the third main event race of the night that had a last lap pass on the dirt track. In the World of Outlaws Main Event, Donny Schatz was able to get by Daryn Pittman on the outside of Turns 3 and 4. The two were side by side at the line, with Schatz’s car just a nose in front of Pittman. In the USAC 360 Main Event, Jake Swanson edged out Charles Davis Jr by 0.187 seconds with his last lap pass.

    The next race for the NASCAR K&N Pro West Series will be at Irwindale Speedway in California on March 30.

  • Will Rodgers Claims the Victory in a Thrilling Carneros 200 at Sonoma

    Will Rodgers Claims the Victory in a Thrilling Carneros 200 at Sonoma

    Will Rodgers holds off five Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers and earns his first career win at Sonoma Raceway in the Carneros 200 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

    Rodgers led 35 laps, set the fastest lap of the race and finished ahead of Aric Almirola in dominating fashion with a margin of 4.420 seconds. Last year, Rodgers finished under a second behind teammate and Cup champion, Kevin Harvick. One year later, he masters the track and dominates the field, besting five Cup drivers including teammate William Byron who finished third. He credits much of his success in today’s race from his learning experiences last year with Harvick.

    “It was very positive for me to have that experience last year,” Rodgers said about having Harvick as a teammate throughout the weekend in 2017. “Being beat every lap out of Turn 11 and on restarts, those are the two things I went back and really looked at and prepared myself to do today. So by having that experience, it definitely helped get us to victory lane. Obviously, everything that Kevin’s [Harvick] helped us with so far has been phenomenal, and I’m very appreciative of that.

    “I can tell you we wouldn’t be racing here this weekend if it wasn’t for Kevin, so I’m really, really happy I had that experience last year and was able to seal the deal this year.”

    After the opening laps, the No. 10 car of Matt Levin crashed in Turn 10 to bring out the first caution. Hailie Deegan battled a loose racecar and lost some spots after the first restart. Alex Bowman lost his motor after 10 laps of competition. No caution was waved for this incident.

    With 18 laps in the books, Hollis Thackeray in the No. 38 Butte Auto Parts Chevrolet stalled at the top of Turn 2. This caution was determined by officials to be the first break of the day. Will Rodgers, who had led every lap thus far, came into pit road for service. Aric Almirola was the first car to elect to stay out on the track and inherited the race lead.

    Later in the run, the No. 51 Ford of Carlos Vieira spun on the exit of Turn 10 to bring out the third caution flag of the race. At this point, Daniel Suarez battled his way to the second position with Rodgers and Byron fighting their way up through the field as well.

    The caution again came out for the fourth time of the day the No. 08 Chevrolet of Travis Milburn stalled on the exit of Turn 7 on lap 46. Towards the end of the race, Todd Souza in the No. 13 Central Coast Cabinets Toyota lost his motor with 18 laps to go.

    With 14 laps to go, Will Rodgers battled his way through the field and passed Aric Almirola for the lead a lap after the final restart. He held the lead and kept it for the remainder of the event. Daniel Suarez and Ryan Partridge rounded out the top five. Hailie Deegan continues her streak of top-10 finishes with a seventh-place result and earns Rookie of the Race honors. This was Rodgers’ first career win in the K&N Pro Series West. He also holds three career wins in the East Series in the middle of his third season of racing. The K&N Pro Series West races next weekend in Oregon at Douglas County Speedway.

  • Five Cup Drivers to Make K&N West Start at Sonoma

    Five Cup Drivers to Make K&N West Start at Sonoma

    Last year, Kevin Harvick made a substantial impact for many young drivers, including NASCAR Next driver Will Rodgers. This year, five NASCAR Monster Energy Cup series drivers will start in the NASCAR K&N Pro West race in Sonoma on Saturday, June 23.

    Alex Bowman, William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Eric Jones and Aric Almirola will join the 31-car entry list for Saturday’s Carneros 200.

    Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez will compete in the No. 20 and No. 54 Toyota cars owned by David Gilliland

    Alex Bowman will drive the No. 24 Chevrolet owned by Bill McAnally, and run as a teammate for Hailie Deegan. William Byron will be in the No. 27 Jerry Pitts Chevrolet, that won last year’s event with Kevin Harvick behind the wheel.

    “It kept me from sitting around and trying to find something to do on Saturday,” said Harvick about last year’s race. “I’m sitting around and there’s guys out there making laps and learning things, and I think that’s the most important thing is to never take for granted that you have to try to expand your knowledge and keep an open mind to making things better.”

    Aric Almirola, who missed last year’s Cup race due to his back injury from his crash at Kentucky Speedway, will pilot the Tony Stewart owned No. 41 Ford.

    Three drivers in the current NASCAR Next class are also scheduled in the entry list for the first K&N West road course race of the season. Among those is Will Rodgers, pole winner of last year’s race, who had a second place finish to Kevin Harvick. Derek Kraus, who won the season opener at Bakersfield, has already claimed three poles so far this year and currently sits third in the points standings. Hailie Deegan, daughter of the freestyle motocross stunt rider Brian Deegan, has finished no worse than eighth in all five K&N West races this season.

    “I think it’s going to be fun! The track is hard, though. If you make a mistake, you’re definitely going to pay,” said Deegan, who will race in the No. 19 Mobil 1/NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing and have Alex Bowman as a teammate. “It’s cool they throw a couple of road course races into the NASCAR circuit. It’s just something cool and different than not everyone gets to experience.”

    The Carneros 200 will kick off the weekend with a practice session on Friday and qualifying on Saturday morning. The green flag is scheduled to wave for the 64-lap feature at 1:30 p.m. local time.