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Tag: K&N Pro Series

Gilliland, Kyle Busch Motorsports Pairing Promises Success

In the Camping World Truck Series, Kyle Busch Motorsports has been right on the money in terms of picking the next breakout star in NASCAR. They won the 2015 championship with Erik Jones, who had been winning races for KBM for the previous two years. In 2016 they won seven races with rookie William Byron. Now with the recent addition of 2016 K&N Pro Series West champion Todd Gilliland for four races in 2017, the trophies may increase for KBM.

He’s only a kid, sure. But at 16, he has eight total K&N Pro Series wins to back his championship as well as an ARCA win. An ARCA win that he won at 15, giving him the record for youngest ARCA race winner. He knows how to bring home the hardware, and after running seven Super Late Model events for KBM this season, he’s finally graduating to trucks starting at Gateway in June. This promotion is right on schedule for Gilliland, who literally began winning races as soon as he sat down inside a stock car. He even managed to match Dan Gurney’s 60-year-old record by winning in his first four K&N Pro Series starts.

Along with his Gateway start, he’ll also be starting at MoSport and Loudon in September as well as Phoenix in November. That’s only four starts, but they’re all on track types that Gilliland is familiar with. Also, KBM trucks have won at all of those tracks at least once in the past three seasons. There is nothing saying that Gilliland won’t manage to score a win in one of those four starts. He has the drive, the equipment, and every opportunity to prove himself during his limited run in the No. 51 Tundra.

Everything points to Gilliland setting a high standard for himself in 2017, and from there it’s a given he’ll get more starts in KBM equipment. We could very well see a situation similar to Jones’s, where a win leads to more starts, and from there more wins lead to a championship opportunity. He’s versatile on different types of tracks, and what he doesn’t know he’ll learn quickly. He’s great on equipment; his lone slip-up this season at Sonoma was due to another driver’s error. Had that not happened he would have been on his way to scoring a top-10 in every race in 2016.

KBM knew what they had when they signed him, and in 2017 everyone else will see just how much potential Gilliland possesses behind the wheel. NASCAR may very well have its next juggernaut in the wings.

December 22, 2016
Rookie Kyle Larson Proves He Belongs in the Sprint Cup Series

When it was announced last year that Kyle Larson would replace Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series in 2014, my first reaction was shock. It had nothing to do with Larson’s skill.

I saw him race at Rockingham Speedway in November 2012 when he won the K&N Pro Series East championship in his rookie year. He also won the Rookie of the Year title that same year. Only two other drivers in the series, Joey Logano and Ryan Truex, have won the championship in their rookie season. It was enough to make me sit up and take notice, and I wasn’t the only one.

Jeff Gordon spoke about Larson’s K&N championship, saying, “It’s extremely impressive to me. I think he came into it pretty late. To be able to win the K&N East Series against the talent that’s out there with the limited amount of experience that he has in a full-bodied stock car is extremely impressive and says a lot about his talent and skills.”

A few months later in April of the following year, again at Rockingham, Larson won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, in only five starts. As Gordon noted, what is most noteworthy about these accomplishments is that Larson comes from an open-wheel racing background.

And that is where the doubt crept in. Was Larson ready to tackle the Sprint Cup Series after only one full season in the Nationwide Series? We’ve seen other drivers who were arguably thrust into the Cup Series before they were ready with lackluster results.

Chip Ganassi had no such trepidation when he announced Larson as the new driver of the No. 42.

“We believe Kyle is the future of the sport,” Ganassi said. “He is a unique talent.”

He went on to say, “I’m sure there will be growing pains, but I think he’s ready. Some of those growing pains will come whenever his first year in the series is. But I think this is a good opportunity. My expectations and advice to him are keep the car on the track and run laps.”

As the season has progressed, I’m thrilled to say that at least in this particular situation, I was wrong.There have indeed been “growing pains” and it hasn’t always been pretty. Larson’s passion and determination to win sometimes causes him to push too hard and he has developed a love/hate relationship with the wall. Even with the miscues, he has managed to achieve six top-fives, 12 top-10s and one pole so far this season.

Luckily for Larson, Jeff Gordon has remained one of his most ardent supporters and seems willing to offer support and advice. Following today’s race, Gordon took a few moments to talk to Larson.

When asked what he said to the rookie, Gordon replied, “I’m a big fan. I like seeing young guys out there driving like that. That’s so much fun. That’s what this sport is all about. I just want to let him know what a great job I thought he did.”

Larson added that Gordon had also given him some advice on restarts but Gordon laughed and interrupted him to say, “Don’t tell them that part.”

After watching Larson race at Chicagoland Speedway, leading laps and battling for the win with the best drivers in the sport, one thing is clear. Chip Ganassi made the correct decision. And, thanks to his foresight, the fans get to go along for the ride as one of NASCAR’s future stars takes his first steps on that exhilarating journey.

September 15, 2014
Christian PaHud has Dream Come True Opportunity with PEAK Stock Car Challenge

Third generation driver Christian PaHud had his dream come true by winning the 2014 PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge.

PaHud, who hails from Dayton, Ohio, has raced in the Southeast Limited Late Model Series and is pursuing his Associates Degree in Applied Science. He has more than 250 career races in his resume, starting his career in go karts on his fourth birthday.

Michael Waltrip, principal of Michael Waltrip Racing, announced PaHud as the winner in the media center at Pocono Raceway. PaHud was selected after submitting a video entry and then competing for three days in short-track, road, dirt and speedway racing, as well as in the marketing and communications arenas.

“This year, there were eighteen competitors and it became evident early on that Christian PaHud was going to be our guy,” Waltrip said. “It was obvious that he was going to be the one to beat in season two of the Stock Car challenge. He took control early in the contest and no one was ever able to seriously challenge him.”

“Our judges were Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, Danica Patrick and Jeff Burton and Ty Norris and I worked with him in the marketing area,” Waltrip continued. “Christian did a great job. That sets up season two and this was our winner.”

Clint Bowyer, MWR driver and judge, also had high praise for PaHud, who is following in the footsteps of Patrick Starapoli, winner of season one of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, as well as high praise for PEAK, who sponsored the program.

“First of all, just to have a sponsor give back to the sport and give someone an opportunity; you just don’t have that anymore,” Bowyer said. “For PEAK to step up, create a challenge and give someone a genuine opportunity is great.”

“Last year, with Patrick (Starapoli, last year’s winner) winning that K&N race with Bill McAnally, that really validated what we were doing,” Bowyer continued. “I’ll even admit that the first year I went into this thinking how are we going to make sure this is a real opportunity.”

“After we chose Patrick as the winner, he went on and won that race, the very races that all these team owners are watching,” Bowyer said. “There are a lot of kids right now that are on everybody’s radar so for him to go out and win that race and make the most out of the opportunity that PEAK provided was huge for me.”

“So, this year I was on board tenfold to watch Christian,” Bowyer continued. “He was the one that stood out and set the pace for everybody. It’s really neat to go through. You don’t just have to be a short-track racer or good on the big tracks. There are a lot of stations that you have to go through and duel it out with the rest of the contestants.”

Sponsor PEAK has also been most impressed by what they have seen so far in their season two dream challenge winner.

“We were very impressed with the raw talent that all eighteen finalists had this year at the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, but Christian’s on-track ability and poise as a young driver brought him to the top,” Bryan Emrich, Chief Marketing Officer for PEAK said. “Christian has a lot of potential to excel in this sport and we’re confident that he’ll make the most out of this opportunity.”

PaHud’s first race after his dream challenge win will be at All American Speedway in California, running for Bill McAnally Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race on October 11^th, 2014. Michael Waltrip will also be racing with him and PEAK will be sponsoring both race cars.

“I definitely can’t wait to get out to All American Speedway and make my first K&N debut,” PaHud said. “I can’t thank you enough for putting this on. Definitely honored to be the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge Winner and can’t wait to race.”

PaHud intends to lean on everyone that he has met along the way in the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge experience. He will also be finishing up his Associates Degree in addition to pursuing his racing goals.

“I’ll definitely lean on Patrick quite a bit,” PaHud said. “He was there during the whole competition and it was nice to know that he is there to guide us. I’ll also go to Clint with questions as I can.”

“I’ve got one more class left to take to finish my degree,” PaHud continued. “It’s not until spring semester so I will have time to race.”

Bowyer summed up the importance of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, likening it to the opportunity that he was given by Richard Childress to get into the racing world at the highest level.

“I remember being a short track racer trying to figure out how in the hell am I ever going to get a chance,” Bowyer said. “Those opportunities are few and far between. Everyone here at PEAK has done a great job and I think this can build and be better for the sport and our youth.”

“Richard Childress took a chance on me and I laugh about it every day of my life,” Bowyer continued. “That’s just it. This is that chance for Christian. All he had to do was submit a video and we chose the candidates which were all good. They were all strong and proven racers all across the country. I look for that to continue to grow if we can continue to do this.”

“I really do believe that the next Kyle Larson or who knows, that could be who we are sitting next to and I think it’s important to realize how big this can be.”

August 3, 2014
Teamcassracing from the Toyota All-Star Showdown: New Driver, New Crew, New Outlook

There are many different story lines floating around the NASCAR garages during a race weekend.

[media-credit name=”TeamCassRacing” align=”alignleft” width=”225″][/media-credit]The different angles that can be written about are vast as well as limitless, and depending who or what the subject may be about, it seems that most writers are always looking to the major players to get their next big story to write about.

With the popularity along with the start status that surrounds these teams, it’s easy to see how the little guy, or, for a more apt description, the low budget team almost always gets overlooked.

This weekend’s K&N Pro Series All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is no different, and once again the buzz around the garages surrounds a few of the major players in the East and West series, along with one driver who is making his first start at the NASCAR level.

This weekend could very well see the low budget team of TeamCassRacing once again visit victory lane when last season’s driver Auggie Vidovich, dominated the July 3 K&N Pro Series West race at this same race track.

Teamcassracing, which is back in the showdown after announcing a week after last year’s win they would no longer be racing in the series, is fielding the same car that won on July 3 with driver Jason Fensler.

Fensler, will pilot the No. 50 unsponsored Chevrolet which is entered in the showdown as a fan car, when during the weeks leading up to the race they gave the fans the opportunity to put their names on the car for a small nominal fee to help with racing expenses. In today’s high stakes game of racing, sponsors and budgets still need to be met in order for teams to be able to compete.

How unfortunate is it to be considered a low budget team, especially when their outlook and morale are on the same plateau as those of the more highly-funded teams. Family values have almost been lost when you walk around the garages of some of the more high profile teams, but this team has been able to keep the family values alive while living by the phrase, “The family that races together stays together.”

“You have to be a family in order to be a team, and family comes first with us. There is a bonding process that we go through, and once we mesh as family we should do good and that is one of our goals,” said team owner Terri Cass.

Being a family-orientated team does have its ups and downs, and the team is hoping to run more than just the showdown since it takes more than a tight knit family to run the full season.“For my team we are a low-budget team, we are family-owned and to find sponsors it’s tough because of the economy. We run on bare bones, but we run on top dollar equipment,” said Cass.

Cass also added that, “It does get tense without a sponsor, and sometimes those Top Ramens and hot dogs do get old. But my husband Jim and I are willing to sacrifice and eat those kinds of foods in order to put the money into racing.”

With the start of each new season come the challenges along with the high expectations, and even in this third-tier series, the competition is just as fierce as the second and first-tier levels.

When you think about NASCAR racing, try not to forget that there are still the other levels which bring just as much, and sometimes even more excitement than the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. After all, each driver has to start someplace, and maybe that one driver who is racing on a Saturday night in your own backyard just might become NASCAR’s next big superstar.

The outlook that Teamcassracing is carrying into the 2011 season is very positive, and one that will hopefully see their goals and dreams come true. “Our outlook is really good; I think that we will do very well this season. Those are our hopes and our dreams. We seem to be meshing as a team. We do have some humps and bumps to get over but we should go good.”

Fensler, who qualified 7th for Saturday nights All-Star Showdown, will be looking forward to bringing his new team a better finish than last year’s race, when Auggie Vidovich finished 32nd after an accident took him out of the evenings. “Practice started off okay and we were struggling made some changes in the middle. Roger Bracken made some changes, and the car picked up a lot of speed.” said Fensler after the first practice session on Friday afternoon.

Fensler also added that, “We have a great race car and I think we have a great shot at winning. I’m really happy from Jim and Terri and the rest of the team. I feel real confident and we will go out and see how the cards fall.” Fensler has one win in the K&N Pro Series West division which came back in 2008, and this weekend’s start will be his second in short tracks racing premier event when he finished 28 after an accident in the 2009 showdown.

Fensler talked about this year’s start knowing this same car is the defending race winner at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale half mile oval when he said, “I think it’s the positive and gives me a ton of confidence and the people that own it and run the program.” Fensler finished with, “It puts pressure on my shoulders as far as being able to get the car to what it needs to be performance wise. I would rather have that type of confidence.”

January 29, 2011
Travis Pastrana Practice’s at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in Preparation for the All-Star Showdown

When the announcement was made that 11-time X Games gold medalist and four-time Rally Car national champion Travis Pastrana would be coming to NASCAR in 2011, the news came as a breath of fresh air during a time when attendance was down and the biggest decline was found between the ages of 18-34. NASCAR had already lured Metal Mulisha star Brian Deegan, who competed in the NASCAR Whelan series driving a Bob Newberry NTS Motorsports prepared super late model.

[media-credit name=”Sal Sigala Jr.” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Deegan competed in three races on Toyota Speedway at Irwindale’s half mile in 2010 with a best finish of 10^th. Team owner Bob Newberry said that, “NASCAR will be energized by both new fans and new sponsors that Deegan and Metal Mulisha (Deegan Motocross team, clothing and product line) will attract.”

Attract, is the direction that NASCAR is taking by bringing both Deegan and Pastrana, along with AMA Supercross champion Ricky Carmichael into the sport in hopes of attracting the younger extreme motorsports fans.

Carmichael competed in the 2009 Toyota All-Star Showdown, which is dubbed the “Daytona 500 of short track racing,” finishing 34^th after starting 28^th on the grid because of an accident on lap 142. Pastrana took a different approach then what Deegan and Carmichael did, by teaming up with NASCAR’s Michael Waltrip to form Pastrana-Waltrip racing.

Pastrana, talked about the opportunity to team up with Waltrip during his recent practice session, in preparation for his first official NASCAR start in next weekend’s All-Star Showdown. “I’ve looked up to Michael a lot. His whole business philosophy is like mine,” said Pastrana who took his first practice laps in a Waltrip Racing prepared K&N Pro Series Toyota Camry.

Pastrana also added that, “We are in it for the long haul I realize its gonna be a long and tough road. We need to figure out what we need to work on and where we are as the season progresses.”

Pastrana finished with, “The 2011 season get my feet wet see where we need to go and make the best of it. The team is looking at long term goals. We have the right people in place for us to get the first race in to see where we sit and make a game plan.” Waltrip was not at the track for the practice session, but will be at the race serving as the Grand Marshal for the eighth running of this prestigious event.

The anticipation of getting the chance to race in the NASCAR series is in its final stages for the sports newest up and coming star, with Pastrana ready to take on the challenge of racing against some of the series best short track racers. Last season’s K&N Pro West Series champion Eric Holmes said that, “Irwindale is a tough track to learn on, but Travis has some good people behind him that are teaching him.”

Pastrana was able to keep the car off the wall, and going in straight line during his first few laps on a somewhat cold night, which will probably be the same weather conditions the area will see for the feature event.

“It felt okay a lot flatter course then the other tracks I’ve tested at. I just want to get out there and start driving. The team put me with the best crew everything is in place for me to do well.” said Pastrana after coming in to make some adjustments on the car.

Pastrana also added that, “This is gonna take a lot of time. I look forward to it I can’t tell you what it’s like because I never done it. Bottom line we have high expectations but we need results first.”

The all wheel drive Rally Car that Pastrana drove last year, may help his transition into the NASCAR series when he said, “The more sideways you get the more gas you give it, and with this car the more sideways you get you give it less throttle. The looser it gets the better I feel I should do better because in rally the cars loose.”

Pastrana’s first start will not come easy since he will first have to qualify his No.99 Toyota Camry, against more experienced drivers who are still looking to keep their rides for the 2011 season.

“Qualify and then don’t crash. Get as much time as possible in the car to see where our foundation our base place is gonna be, “said Pastrana when talking about next weekend’s outlook.

Pastrana is scheduled to possibly compete in seven Nationwide races, along with some K&N Pro Series East and West races with the showdown being the first, and a target date sometime in August for the NNS.

“After the showdown get back and regroup and think about what we need to do are gonna do. We will do the NNS series midway through the season and get as many K&N East and West series race in. August is a possible target date for the NNS,” said Pastrana when talking about his long range goals.

The All-Star showdown is non-points event which is the premier event of the season, since both the K&N Pro Series East and West drivers are invited to participate. “Year in and year out, the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown has provided some of the best racing action of the season,” said Bob DeFazio, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale track operator.

DeFazio finished with, “Last year’s sell-out crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale witnessed a race they will be talking about for years, and we are honored to once again host the pinnacle of short-track racing in NASCAR.

“Toyota Speedway’s graduated banking and multiple racing grooves are a perfect place to showcase this tremendous pool of talent in NASCAR. This event is a perfect way to give race fans a final send-off to the 2010 racing season and whet their appetite for more exciting racing in 2011.”

January 21, 2011