K&N West (#knwest) Statistical Advance: Phoenix

Analyzing The Talking Stick Resort 75

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West opens its 61st season at Phoenix International Raceway on Thursday, Feb. 27 with the Talking Stick Resort 75. Below is a statistical look at the recent performance of the series and selected drivers at Phoenix, as well as some other statistical trends:

Phoenix Race Setup

• Just three past Phoenix winners – Gray Gaulding, David Mayhew and Greg Pursley – are on the Talking Stick Resort 75 entry list. Pursley leads active drivers with three wins and is tied for second with Richard Petty all-time at the Arizona track.
• Gaulding and Cole Custer will renew a rivalry established last November at PIR when Gaulding passed Custer for the win after a final-lap nudge
• Eleven Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders are entered into the event with James Bickford and Nick Drake aiming to make their K&N Pro Series West debuts.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West At Phoenix

• The Talking Stick Resort 75 will be the 33rd stand-alone series race at Phoenix International Raceway. In addition, the series visited PIR for nine combination races with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from 1988 to 1996.
• The Talking Stick Resort 75 will be telecast on a delayed basis by FOX Sports 1 on Friday, March 7 at 1 p.m. ET.
• Ken Schrader’s four victories heads the list for most series wins at Phoenix (2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006). With three wins each, two drivers are tied for second on that list – Richard Petty (1978, 1980 and 1981) and Greg Pursley (2010, 2011 and 2013). Two-time winner Scott Lynch (2003, 2004) is the only other driver with multiple series victories at PIR.
• Pursley is tied with Mike Duncan for the most pole awards at PIR, with four each. Richard Petty won three poles at Phoenix. Others with more than one pole at PIR include Neil Bonnett and Scott Lynch, with two each.
• Pursley has the most top-five finishes in series action at Phoenix, with seven.
• Bill Schmitt holds the mark for the most top-10 finishes in the series at PIR, placing 10th or better in 12 of his 13 starts there followed by Austin Cameron with nine.
• Richard Petty holds the mark for leading the most laps (361) in series competition at Phoenix.
• Of drivers who have competed in four or more races at Phoenix, Neil Bonnett had the best average finish of 2.2 – making five starts between 1977 and 1982.
• Each of the last seven PIR races have ended at their advertised distance while six of the previous seven were extended for green-white-checkered finishes.
• With 21 starts, Brett Thompson has competed in the most NASCAR K&N Pro Series West stand-alone events at Phoenix. Jack Sellers has the most PIR starts overall – racing in 18 stand-alone events and five combination races.
• Among manufacturers, Chevrolet has the most wins in series action at PIR with 15 wins.
• Eight of the 32 series races at Phoenix were won by the pole winner, including this race a season ago. Three race winners started outside the top 10. Rich Woodland Jr. started the furthest back and won, coming from 21st on the grid in 1998.

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Happy #NASCAR Birthday To #KNEAST Drivers Bryan Ortiz and Gray Gaulding

Bryan Ortiz
Age 25 (02/10/89) 

Gray Gaulding
Age 16 (02/10/98) 

Gray Gaulding Teams With Newberry

NASCAR Next driver Gary Gaulding joined NTS Motorsports for a full NASCAR
K&N Pro Series East slate and partial NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series schedule. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Gaulding Teams With Newberry At NTS
NASCAR Next Driver Set For Camping World Truck Series Debut

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – NTS Motorsports announced the addition of 15 year-old NASCAR Next driver Gray Gaulding to their lineup in 2014. Gaulding will make his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in eight races and will compete alongside Brennan Newberry in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) full-time.

Virginia native Gaulding, has set NASCAR records as the youngest winner and pole sitter in NASCAR K&N Pro Series competition. With primary sponsorship from Gemini Southern, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and TruMoo Chocolate Milk, Gaulding hopes to claim the NKNPSE championship and contend for victories in the NCWTS. As a NASCAR Next driver, Gaulding has claimed one win, 11 top-10’s and five top-5’s in 18 NKNPSE starts in 2013.

“Signing with a competitive and successful team like NTS Motorsports is a tremendous opportunity for me,” stated Gaulding. “With our new sponsorship from Gemini Southern and continued support from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and TruMoo Chocolate Milk, I am eager to return to the NKNPSE to build upon our success in 2013 and go after the championship. I look forward to achieving my goal of competing in the NCWTS and capturing the “Youngest Race Winner” title in that series as well.”

As Newberry enters his third season driving in the NCWTS, he is primed to use that experience to compete for the NKNPSE championship in the No. 24 Chevy Impala, where he is a three time pole award winner. Winning the Keystone Light Pole Award at Daytona International Speedway in the opening NCWTS race in 2013, is the momentum the 23 year-old driver will bring into each one of his 12 NCWTS races this season.

“I am extremely motivated to team up with Gray (Gaulding) to win races and contend for the NKNPSE championship. I look forward to my continued partnership with Qore-24 and my new relationship with GunBroker.com,” commented Newberry. “I truly enjoy competing in the NCWTS, so it was important for me to build a solid schedule for 2014 that included important NCWTS venues. I have had good success in the K&N Series in the past, so I know our No. 24 team will be highly competitive.”

“Gray Gaulding makes a great addition to NTS Motorsports as a driver and teammate to Brennan Newberry, in both the NKNPSE and NCWTS,” said NTS Motorsports owner Bob Newberry. “I am proud to debut the No. 20 Chevrolet truck with a phenomenal driver like Gray and I look forward to watching him as he continues to impress the NASCAR community with his drive and talent – far beyond his age. Brennan Newberry’s return to the NKNPSE marks a great opportunity for him to compete for the Regional Series Championship, while continuing to build and strengthen our NCWTS program.”

Dwayne Gaulding has moved into the role of Vice President of Operations at NTS Motorsports. As such, he is excited to reshape the organization into a competitive powerhouse in the NCWTS and NKNPSE. “Taking on the role of VP of Operations is a big commitment that comes with very important responsibilities,” states Gaulding. “The people we at NTS Motorsports have put in place are what will make this team successful. As a preacher once stated, ‘it’s not the building that makes up the church, it’s the people.” 

NTS Motorsports will compete full-time in the NCWTS with the No. 24 and No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado trucks. Newberry has been confirmed for 12 races, with the remaining 10 races to be filled by an unannounced driver. 

Gaulding will make his NCWTS debut at Martinsville Speedway on March 29th and will compete in an additional seven races in the series. The remaining fourteen races will be filled in by an additional driver to be announced. Gaulding will pilot the No. 20 entry in the full NKNPSE season.

Team Release

K&N Pro Series West - 2013 Top Races

The 2013 season featured the inaugural visit by the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
to the beautiful new Kern County Raceway Park and the much-anticipated
return of the series to Bakersfield, Calif. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

NAPA Auto Parts 150, Kern County Raceway Park
Oct. 26: 

The inaugural series visit to Kern County Raceway Park marked the much-anticipated return of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West to Bakersfield, Calif. The first series victory on the new high-banked, half-mile track went to Greg Pursley – who early in his stock car career was a regular competitor in the late model division at Bakersfield’s Mesa Marin Raceway before its closure in 2005.

Casey’s General Stores 150, Iowa Speedway
June 7: 

Michael Self went to Victory Lane at Iowa Speedway in June, becoming the first K&N West driver to take the overall win in the East-West combination race. Self held off K&N East drivers Dylan Kwasniewski and Brett Moffitt in a green-white-checkered finish. It was one of three consecutive wins for Self early in the season.

Carneros 200, Sonoma Raceway
June 22: 

In one of the most dramatic series races at Sonoma Raceway, Thorn moved past Hayley and Self late in the event to capture his first career road course win. Hayley and Self, who had staged a classic battle for the lead, had to settle for second and third, respectively.

Casino Arizona 50, Phoenix Inter. Raceway
Nov. 9: 

A season finale that included a four-way battle to decide the series championship also featured a scuffle between two 15-year-old drivers for the win. Cole Custer won the pole and led 49 of the 50 laps. 

But Gray Gaulding, who started sixth, caught Custer going into Turn 3 on the final lap and contact between the two resulted in Custer spinning and Gaulding becoming the youngest race winner in series history.

Thorn Snags K&N Pro Series West Title

Gaulding Gets Record-Setting Phoenix Victory

Gray Gaulding celebrates his first career win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series
with a victory at Phoenix International Raceway. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Gray Gaulding won the Casino Arizona 50 on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway, but Derek Thorn was the man of the night.

Thorn, from Lakeport, Calif., earned his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship with a 15th-place finish which was enough to hold off a trio of contenders. Thorn carried a 16-point advantage over 2011 series champion Greg Pursley into the night with Cameron Hayley and Michael Self right there, as well.

Gaulding got the win when Cole Custer spun in Turns 3 and 4 on the white-flag lap after some slight contact. It’s the first career victory for the 15-year-old out of Colonial Heights, Va., who becomes the youngest race winner in K&N West history at 15 years, 8 months and 30 days. He eclipses the mark of 16 years and 2 months established by Dylan Kwasniewski in Aug. 2011.

Fellow NASCAR K&N Pro Series East competitor and 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Jesse Little crossed the line in second followed by Hayley in third. David Mayhew was fourth followed by Brandon McReynolds in fifth.

Custer recovered to finish sixth while Kelly Admiraal, Brett Thompson, Self and Cuzick completed the top 10.

The race was red flagged on the initial start after several cars got tangled on the frontstretch causing a lengthy cleanup.

The Casino Arizona 50 is slated to air on FS2 on Nov. 17 at 11a.m. ET.

Derek Thorn celebrates his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship, Saturday
at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Thorn and NASCAR’s other 2013 touring champions will be honored at the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

By Shon Sbarra, NASCAR

Gaulding To Compete In K&N Pro Series

Gaulding will have just turned 15 when he makes his K&N Pro Series
debut in the UNOH Battle At The Beach. (Gray Gaulding Racing)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. - After two successful seasons in the Pro All Star Series (PASS) South, Gray Gaulding Racing (GGR) is pleased to announce that 14-year old racing sensation Gray Gaulding and the #20 Krispy Kreme Toyota will now be chasing the checkered flag in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.

At 11am, on Monday, January 7, Gaulding and representatives from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts unveiled the new #20 Krispy Kreme Toyota Camry at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I am excited to be competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and I hope to follow in the footsteps of the many K&N series drivers who have gone on to achieve national prominence,“ says Gaulding.  "Krispy Kreme and I set out in 2012, to touch and enhance lives both on and off the race track, and I am blessed to have Krispy Kreme, my team, family, and fans by my side as I take this giant leap forward in my career.”

Gaulding, who signed a multi-year marketing partnership with Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation in February 2012, just shy of his 14th birthday, began his racing career on dirt bikes and motorcycles at the early age of three.

Since that time, Gaulding has hit the track in Bandolero, Legend and Super Late Model racing competitions throughout the Southeast; was signed as a developmental driver with Kevin Harvick Incorporated and earned a number of coveted racing titles, including:

• Youngest Legend National Race Champion at age 12
• 2012 Winter Heat Pro Series Champion
• Youngest to win a Super Late Model Race at age 13
• Youngest PASS (Pro All Stars Series) Rookie of the Year at age 13

With the support of Krispy Kreme and a host of major sponsors including Dean Foods, Toyota Racing, Impact by Mastercraft Safety, WileyX Sunglasses, and Anderson’s Maple Syrup, GGR will enter the K&N series with a newly acquired race shop, crew chiefs, cars and equipment- including the #20 car previously owned by Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Gray continues to prove himself both on and off the track and we are excited to have him represent the Krispy Kreme Brand”, explains Dwayne Chambers, Chief Marketing Officer for Krispy Kreme. “He is a joyful and dedicated young man with amazing skills and an unmatched passion for the sport of racing as well as his fans. We look forward to championing Gray as he wins races and wins hearts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.”

Gaulding will sport the Krispy Kreme fire suit and take the wheel of the #20 Krispy Kreme Toyota Camry for 16 races during the 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East tour, including Bristol Motor Speedway (3/16), Gray's hometown track of Richmond International Raceway (4/25), Langley Speedway (6/22), and the historic Bowman Gray Stadium (6/1). Along with three NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races at Phoenix International Raceway (3/2), (11/9), and Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, CA (10/26). The 2013 season will kick off on February 19th during the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway.

Leading the program will be two veteran NASCAR crew chiefs Doug George and Doug Howe.

“This is an amazing opportunity for both Doug Howe and I to work with such a young talented driver.” explains Doug George. “Gray is so smooth behind the wheel and yet such a hard racer. That’s what makes him the total package in this business.”

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