December 31, 2010 - 12:05pm
The 57th season of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West marked another great year for the West’s oldest stock car circuit – with a new series sponsor being announced, the crowing of a three-time champion and tough competition throughout. The 2010 season featured seven different race winners, including a couple of first-time winners, and eight different pole winners.
PICTURE THIS: THE BEST OF 2010 IN PHOTOS
Welcome K&N
The announcement at the beginning of the year that K&N Engineering, Inc., would be the title sponsor for NASCAR’s top developmental series met with great excitement, especially from teams on the West Coast who are delighted to have such a great sponsor right in their own backyard. The Riverside, Calif.-based K&N Engineering – which has grown from a family-run business to a global company – traces its involvement with NASCAR back to the days of supplying parts for races at the old Riverside International Raceway, which hosted events when the series was known as the NASCAR Winston West Series.
BMR domination on short tracks
Eric Holmes won his third championship in 2010 and delivered Bill McAnally his fifth title as a car owner. While Holmes scored his first win of the year at Phoenix International Raceway, it was his domination of the short tracks that paved his way to the championship. Holmes won four of the six short-track races – Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore.; Montana Raceway Park in Kalispell, Mont.; Colorado National Speedway near Denver; and All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif. Bill McAnally Racing’s success on short tracks was evident with its other teams, as well, with Paulie Harraka winning one of the other two short track events to open the season.
Mayhew shadows Holmes
David Mayhew kept the pressure on Holmes throughout the year, often shadowing him as the pair battled for the 2010 crown. In three of the races Holmes won, Mayhew was filling up in his rear view mirror – coming across the finish line in the runner-up spot. Mayhew was not always trailing Holmes, however. Mayhew led seven races, more than any other driver – running out front for 345 laps. He finished ahead of Holmes on three occasions.
Turning around his season
After encountering all kinds of bad luck through much of the year, Greg Pursley and the Gene Price Motorsports team finally got things turned around late in the season – winning two of the final three races. Pursley led the championship standings early on – but after getting caught up in accidents in three of the first six races, he dropped to 10th by the midway point of the season. Pursley eventually rebounded, accumulating enough points in the final four races to move up to fifth in the final standings.
Newcomers
The 2010 season featured a large field of rookies. It’s always great to see new talent develop as they come into the series. Drivers competing in their first full season of competition had a good showing this year, taking the sixth through 12th positions in the final standings. Expect to see more from these drivers, particularly three of them who scored top five finishes during the season – Luis Martinez Jr., Jonathon Gomez and Michael Self. Martinez, who took home the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, also won a pole award.
Series veterans prevail
While newcomers to the series made a strong challenge, it was the veteran drivers who prevailed in the end. Holmes, Mayhew and Pursley registered eight of the wins, with second-year driver Paulie Harraka also scoring a victory. Others to notch a win in the series in 2010 included Andrew Ranger, a two-time champion in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1; Patrick Long, a Porsche factory driver who races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series on his off weekends; and veteran West Coast driver Auggie Vidovich.
Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge
Drivers and teams had a little something extra to shoot for in 2010, thanks to a special bonus package put together by Bill McAnally Racing Promotions and sponsored by Toyota and NAPA Auto Parts. The Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge offered a variety of bonuses to teams who registered and competed in five select events on this year’s schedule. While Eric Holmes and his BMR team collected a $10,000 bonus for winning three of the five races, registered teams that raced all five of the events each took home a $3,000 bonus.
Teen Safe Driving Campaign
Bill McAnally Racing Promotions also stepped up to help put on a special teen safe driving presentation in conjunction with select NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events during the year. BMRP partnered with Impact Teen Drivers, a public awareness and education program, headed by Kelly Browning that focuses on distracted and reckless driving, and local safety organizations to deliver the message of teen safe driving to six communities in 2010. It’s great to see them use their racing platform to deliver such an important message to teenagers and their families.
First visit to Montana
The 2010 season included the inaugural visit by the series to Montana Raceway Park in Kalispell, Mont. With the Montana and Colorado events on back-to-back weekends, there were many in the series who opted to make this venture into a road trip and do some sightseeing during the week. After visiting Glacier National Park just to the north, Yellowstone National Park was a popular stop en route to Denver. For those who took the opportunity to make the drive, they saw some majestic scenery and came away with some great stories. Some also hauled home a load of souvenirs.