Wednesday, March 16, 2016

#KNWEST Season Opener Toyota/NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 Promises Excitement

David Regan and Matt DiBenedetto on Hand for Autographs



The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (NKNPSW) season begins at Irwindale Speedway in California on Saturday, March 19. The Series has become the preeminent development proving ground for the sport’s future stars. There are fourteen points races on the schedule, and is highlighted by the annual meeting in the Heartland for the combination race (East vs West) at Iowa Speedway on July 29.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan announced that he, along with teammate Matt DiBenedetto, would be on hand at the Toyota/NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 K&N West season opener to sign autographs and hang out with the fans. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will compete in the Auto Club 400 at the Auto Club Speedway the following night. 




Highlights of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, which will race at 13 different tracks across eight states, include:
  • The 2016 run will begin and end in California. The campaign will get underway in Southern California with a Saturday, March 19 race at Irwindale Speedway, just north of Los Angeles. And in a race that promises an electric atmosphere and fireworks before a traditionally sold-out crowd, the West will decide its champion on Saturday, Oct. 15, at All American Speedway, near Sacramento.
  • In an unprecedented race weekend, the series will compete in two full championship races on Sept. 10-11 at Utah Motorsports Campus, the state-of-the-art road course 30 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City. The series ran at the track from 2007-2014 before it was closed temporarily last year. It is the first time the series will run back-to-back days since 1979, and first time since the series’ modern era began in 1971 that the two races in two days will be run at the same track.
  • After successful inaugural events in 2015, Arizona’s Tucson Speedway and Idaho’s Meridian Speedway are again on the schedule and join series’ staples Kern County Raceway Park in California, Colorado National Speedway and Washington’s Evergreen Speedway.
  • In addition to Utah's two races, California’s Sonoma Raceway will be the third road course event as it hosts its 38th West race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend in June.
  • Orange Show Speedway, the quarter-mile oval in San Bernardino, California, has been in continuous operation since 1947. It held eight West races between 1968 and ’78.

In addition to Iowa, Watkins Glen, New Hampshire and Dover, companion events for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series feature East stops at Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as the annual West race at Sonoma. The 27 races that make up the NASCAR K&N Pro East and West calendar will be contested on 26 different weekends.

K&N Pro Series Schedule
Saturday, March 19
9:00 a.m. Garage opens.
10:15 a.m. Rookie/Spotter Meeting
12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Practice
1:45 to 2:30 p.m. Final Practice
4:15 p.m. Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
5:00 p.m. Qualifying
5:30 p.m. Driver Autograph Session
7:30 p.m. Driver Introductions
8:00 p.m. Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150
*All times are local and subject to change.


Photo Credit: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West will meet in the annual showdown at Iowa Speedway on July 29. NASCAR via Getty Images

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