Greg Pursley (left) led the championship standings at this time a year ago. Now, it's his teammate at Gene Price Motorsports, Dylan Kwasniewski (right), who is leading the points.
 Getty Images for NASCAR

News & Notes: K&N West Heads To Vegas

Kwasniewski Leads The Charge To His Hometown Track

By Kevin W. Green, NASCAR

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Consistent finishes are usually the sign of an experienced veteran race driver. But in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West this year, it’s second-year driver Dylan Kwasniewski who is the mark of consistency.

The Las Vegas resident, who celebrates his 17th birthday on Thursday, is the only driver to finish in the top five in each of the first six races this year. Those consistent finishes have paid off, giving Kwasniewski a solid lead in the championship standings.

The driver of the No. 03 Royal Purple/Rockstar Ford aims to keep his momentum rolling when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West heads to his hometown for the Star Nursery 200 at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 2.

Although Kwasniewski will be racing on his home track, he knows the competition will be tough. And in order to win, one of the drivers he will need to beat is defending series champion Greg Pursley, who is Kwasniewski’s teammate at Gene Price Motorsports.

Pursley led the standings a year ago and won at Las Vegas, with Kwasniewski finishing second. This year, however, it is Kwasniewski who is leading the charge heading to Sin City. He is the only driver with multiple wins this year and holds a 17-point lead over Pursley in the point standings.

“He’s got a year under his belt in these cars and he’s our competition now,” Pursley said of his young teammate. “I’m sure we’ll be racing him for the win again.

“He’s progressing a lot as a driver and we’re really proud of him” Pursley said. “I think he’s matured a lot since last year. Since the beginning of the year, he’s been on fire. He’s doing a great job. It’s good to see him doing that.”

Pursley is returning to Vegas with the same equipment he ran with a year ago and aiming for the same results.

“We put all our stuff in it that we won with last year,” he said. “So, we’re going to go with it that way. Hopefully, we can do good there and lead some more laps like we did last year and possibly win the race again.”

Self Captures First Win With Brainerd Victory

Michael Self celebrates his first career series win at
Brainerd International Raceway. Getty Images for NASCAR

Chases Down Kwasniewski To Take Lead In Closing Laps

By Kevin W. Green, NASCAR

BRAINERD, Minn. – Michael Self scored his first career win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West with a victory in the Brainerd 125 at Brainerd International Raceway on Saturday.

The 21-year-old from Park City, Utah chased down Dylan Kwasniewski in the closing stages of the inaugural series race on the 2.5-mile road course and took the lead coming to the white flag. Kwasniewski, who had dominated the competition, was battling transmission issues as the race wound down.

Self had run in third behind teammates Kwasniewski and Greg Pursley for most of the race. He picked off Pursley with 10 laps to go and then overcame more than a three-second deficit to get to the lead. He made the move past Kwasniewski entering Turn 9 on the 48th lap and pulled away in the No. 21 Rockwell/Golden Gate Meat/RCR Chevrolet to win by a margin of 4.859 seconds.

POS	DRIVER
1	Michael Self
2	Dylan Kwasniewski
3	Greg Pursley
4	Derek Thorn
5	David Mayhew

Despite the mechanical problems, Kwasniewski held on to finish second. Pursley was third, with Derek Thorn fourth and David Mayhew fifth. Completing the top 10 were Eric Holmes, Jonathon Gomez, Austin Dyne, Dylan Hutchison and Carl Harr.

With his win, Self locked up a spot in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at the UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next February during Speedweeks.

Kwasniewski, meanwhile, was able to extend his lead by two points in the championship standings.

The 16-year-old from Las Vegas, who led a race high 32 laps on Saturday, has 263 points over Pursley with 246. Mayhew is third, followed by Thorn and three-time series champion Holmes. Self, who had a previous best finish of fourth in 33 series starts, moved from eighth to sixth in the standings. He is followed by Gomez, Cameron Hayley, Daryl Harr and Dyne.

The Brainerd race featured eight lead changes among five drivers. It was slowed by just one caution.

This was the sixth event on a 15-race schedule and the second of four road course races for the series this year.

The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule will be the Star Nursery 200 at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 2.

LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | RESULTS | POST-RACE AUDIO: MICHAEL SELF | POST-RACE AUDIO: DYLAN KWASNIEWSKI | POST-RACE AUDIO: GREG PURSLEY

Michael Self wheeled the No. 21 Rockwell/Golden Gate
Meat/RCR Chevrolet to his first career win at BIR on Saturday.
Getty Images for NASCAR

News & Notes: K&N West 1st Visit To BIR

Kwasniewski Looks To Extend Lead
In Championship Standings
 

By Kevin W. Green
 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West makes its inaugural visit to Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway this week as part of the Fourth Annual Street Car Showdown on Saturday, May 26.

The event on BIR’s 2.5-mile road course is the sixth event of a 15-race schedule and the second of four road course events for the series this year.

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Kwasniewski heads to Minnesota first in the championship standings – with a 15-point lead over his teammate, defending series champion Greg Pursley. While Kwasniewski looks to build on his point lead, Pursley aims to gain ground in hopes of capturing back-to-back titles.

"I'm really excited about the inaugural K&N West race at Brainerd,” said Kwasniewski. “I think the fact that it's new for all of us West drivers levels the field just that much more. I'm happy that Royal Purple stepped up to sponsor this race and I'm confident I can bring my No. 03 Ford home in the winner’s circle this time."

Kwasniewski, of Las Vegas, is the first driver to capture more than one win in the series this year. He scored a victory earlier this month at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway and was credited with a win as the top finishing West driver in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa on Saturday.

Although he had a record setting season as a rookie last year, Kwasniewski did not have much success in road course events. His best finish in the three races was 25th. But with a fourth-place finish at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah last month, he appears to have turned things around this year.

"We did have a lot of bad luck on road courses last year and that's frustrating for me because I grew up racing karts on many different kinds of open wheel tracks,” Kwasniewski said. “I feel that I didn't have the opportunity to showcase my ability to race these kinds of tracks last year. Miller was definitely a boost to my confidence. I really enjoy racing road courses because you have to be on your game with all the turns, shifting and elevation changes all the time. I think finishing well in the road courses we have on the schedule is going to be important to winning the championship.”

Pursley, meanwhile, has the best road course stats among the series regulars. The driver of the No. 26 Gene Price Motorsports/Star Nursery Ford has three wins, all at Miller Motorsports Park, along with six top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 11 series road course starts.

Pick & Pull 150 K&N Pro Series West

STOCKTON, Calif. -- Dylan Kwasniewski was able to pull away on a green-white-checkered finish from Eric Holmes to win the Pick-N-Pull 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race Saturday at Stockton 99 Speedway.

Kwasniewski, who picked up his first win of the season and third of his career, started from the pole and led every lap in the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at the quarter-mile track since 2006. It was also the sixth time in nine NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races at Stockton since 2002 that a race was extended past its advertised distance.

Published on May 9, 2012 by NASCARHomeTracks

Dylan Kwasniewski - Pole To Win

Dylan Kwasniewski (fourth from left) celebrates with his Gene Price Motorsports teammates after winning the Pick-N-Pull 150 at Stockton 99 Speedway Saturday for his third NASCAR K&N Pro Series West victory in 17 career starts. Jason O. Watson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Kwasniewski Dominates In Stockton Win

16-Year-Old Leads Wire-To-Wire For Third Career Win

Tim Southers, NASCAR
May 6, 2012 - 12:52am

 

STOCKTON, Calif. – Dylan Kwasniewski was able to pull away on a green-white-checkered finish from Eric Holmes to win the Pick-N-Pull 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race Saturday at Stockton 99 Speedway.

Kwasniewski, who picked up his first win of the season and third of his career, started from the pole and led every lap in the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at the quarter-mile track since 2006. It was also the sixth time in nine NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races at Stockton since 2002 that a race was extended past its advertised distance.

“It was definitely tough,” said Kwasniewski, who after gaining the lead on the initial start had to fend off challenges in seven restarts during the event. “The Rockstar Energy Ford was great. Everybody at Gene Price Motorsports did a perfect job of putting this car together.”

Kwasniewski was side-by-side with his Gene Price Motorsports teammate, Greg Pursley, for the start and most of the restarts; but three-time series champion Eric Holmes had battled his way to second when the final caution flew. He challenged for the lead, but Kwasniewski once again was able to gain the position and lead the field to the checkered flag.

Pos	Driver
1	Dylan Kwasniewski
2	Eric Holmes
3	David Mayhew
4	Greg Pursley
5	Jason Fensler

“Eric Holmes had a chance to take me out and drive me rough, but he’s a great driver and I’m glad he did it respectively,” said the 16-year-old second-year driver from Las Vegas. “It was a great race. It was just perfect. I had a blast.”

Kwasniewski’s No. 03 Rockstar/Royal Purple Ford crossed the finish line with a margin of victory of .490 seconds.

Holmes held on for second, with David Mayhew taking third. Pursley, who held second through Lap 145, ended up fourth, with Jason Fensler fifth. Finishing sixth was Jonathon Gomez, with Derek Thorn seventh and Austin Dyne eighth. Jessica Brunelli and Ronnie Jay completed the top 10.

With his victory, Kwasniewski locked up a spot in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at the UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next February during Speedweeks.

Kwasniewski also took over the lead in the championship standings. He leads with 173 points over Mayhew with 167. Pursley is third with 162 points, followed by Holmes with 160 and Thorn with 156. Completing the top 10 are Cameron Hayley at 126, Daryl Harr at 119, Jonathon Gomez at 118 and Austin Dyne and Michael Self tied with 116 each.

Kwasniewski is following up a record-setting rookie year in the series last season in which he set the mark as the youngest race winner and youngest pole winner. He capped off 2011 by becoming the youngest driver to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

With his win at Stockton, he became the fourth different winner in four races this season. And he became the fourth driver to win from the pole this year. The last one to lead wire-to-wire, however, was Mayhew in the season opener.

The Pick-N-Pull 150 will air on SPEED on May 17 at 3 p.m. ET.

The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule is the Graham Tire 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa on May 19.

LAP BY LAP RECAP | RESULTS |  

POST-RACE AUDIO: ERIC HOLMES |  

POST-RACE AUDIO: DAVID MAYHEW

Dylan Kwasniewski (No. 03) and his teammate Greg Pursley (No. 26) were
side-by-side for numerous restarts at Stockton. Jason O. Watson/Getty Images for NASCAR

TOOELE, Utah – Greg Pursley rallied from a flat tire to claim the Utah Grand Prix for the third year in a row on Saturday at Miller Motorsports Park.

It was the 10th career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West victory for the Newhall, Calif., driver and the first of 2012 for the defending series champion.

Pursley dominated the early portion of the race and led the first 21 laps before stopping for fuel. At one point he had a more than six-second lead on Eric Holmes. After the stop he drove his No. 26 Gene Price Motorsports/Star Nursery Ford through the field and made it to second place before suffering the flat tire on Lap 39. Fortunately, Pursley discovered the tire going down at precisely the best place on the 2.2-mile road course.

“We stopped for fuel and I got back up front where I could see the lead, then I felt the tire going down,” said Pursley. “Luckily, it was right at pit entrance and I was able to come right down pit road. The guys on the crew did a super job at getting it changed quickly and we only dropped to eighth or so.”

POS	DRIVER
1	Greg Pursley
2	Eric Holmes
3	Austin Dyne
4	Dylan Kwasniewski
5	Austin Cameron

After the near disaster, Pursley wasn’t sure if he could make it back to the lead, but the yellow flag came out on Lap 44 when Jack Sellers suffered an ignition problem. The caution tightened up the field and set up a four-lap dash to the finish line giving Pursley a puncher’s chance at the victory.

On the subsequent restart the field roared into Turn 1 where several cars made contact with one another sending everyone scrambling for daylight. Pursley took a chance and it paid off as he was able to wrestle the lead away from Austin Dyne coming to the white flag.

“Cars were everywhere and I just dove to the inside,” Pursley said. “Once I made it through, I just put my head down and tried to reel off some qualifying laps to get the lead.”

Pursley had a clear handle on the race track as he was fastest in the morning practice session before earning his 12th career Coors Light Pole Award in afternoon qualifying.

“Our team really likes road racing and I enjoy racing here,” he stated. “This was a brand new car that we brought here and it was very strong.”

Holmes, like Pursley, was able to make up some ground on that final restart and had to overcome some adversity of his own before finishing second behind the wheel of his No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota.

“We had some sort of penalty with the catch can when we stopped for fuel,” said the three-time series champion out of Escalon, Calif. “I’m still not sure what that was about, but we were able to overcome that and get a solid finish. We’ve struggled a bit to start the season, so we’ll take second place.”

Had it not been for that last caution Dyne, more than likely, would have driven to Victory Lane in just his second series start, but he was relegated to third-place finish after the Lap 47 melee.

“It went better than I thought it might in our first road-course race,” said Dyne. “But without that last caution, I think we had enough to hold everybody off.”

Pursley’s teammate Dylan Kwasniewski and Austin Cameron finished fourth and fifth, respectively. For Cameron, it was his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start since 2008.

Scott Ivie, Kyle Heckman, Cameron Hayley, David Mayhew and Carl Harr rounded out the top 10.

With the win, Pursley secured a locked-in starting position for the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach during 2013 Speedweeks on a temporary short track at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

After three races, Mayhew leads Kwasniewski by one point and Pursley by three in the championship point standings.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will race next in the Pick-N-Pull 150 at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway on Saturday, May 5.

RESULTS | LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | ERIC HOLMES POST-RACE AUDIO | AUSTIN DYNE POST-RACE AUDIO

Greg Pursley (26) en route to his first victory of the 2012 season 

and his third straight at Miller Motorsports Park. 

 Jeff Bottari/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Jason Christley and Shon Sbarra, NASCARApril 28, 2012 - 8:42pm

Scenes from the K&N Pro Series West Race in Phoenix

Uploaded by NASCARHomeTracks on Mar 6, 2012

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- David Mayhew has his sights set on the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship, and he got off to a fast start as he led every lap en route to winning the Talking Stick Resort 50 Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.

Mayhew, who split time between the series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year, collected his fourth career win. It was a near perfect weekend for the Atascadero, Calif., driver -- who posted the fastest lap in practice Friday and earned his seventh Coors Light Pole Award Saturday morning. Mayhew had led 162 laps in four series races at Phoenix, but his best finish was fifth in 2010.

"We had a really fast car yesterday in practice and backed it up this morning in qualifying," said Mayhew, who qualified late in the session. "Going out was a little sketchy. A couple of guys were getting loose down in (Turn) 1. I was watching all those guys go through the corner thinking, 'oh man, this isn't good.' We got through the first lap. The second lap was awesome."

Mayhew emphasized the importance of starting up front in this event.

"Getting the pole was really the key to the race; starting up front, getting clean air and getting out and getting away from everybody," he said. "There were quite a few lappers, so being able to take your time when you got to them was the biggest thing -- some high, some low, some both. It was definitely entertaining out there."


Although the second and third-place cars closed in on Mayhew at one point of the event, he pulled away to win by a margin of 1.198 seconds. Sixteen-year-old Dylan Kwasniewski came from fourth to finish second, while Daniel Suarez took third.

"It was a great race," Kwasniewski said. "Mayhew was just way far ahead and he had a pretty good car. So it was going to be pretty hard to catch back up to him. Second place is a good finish for point standings. We're going for the championship this year, so it will definitely start me off on the right foot."

Defending race winner and series champion Greg Pursley finished fourth and Derek Thorn rounded out the top five. Rookie Carlos Iaconelli finished sixth, followed by Chad Boat, Eric Holmes, David Gilliland and DJ Kennington.

With his victory, Mayhew became the first to lock himself into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at the UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona International Speedway next February during Speedweeks 2013.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will return to action on Saturday, April 14 at Havasu (Ariz.) 95 Speedway.

Mayhew Off To Fast Start

Leads Every Lap In Winning K&N West Opener at Phoenix

By Jason Christley, NASCAR
March 3, 2012 - 8:27pm

AVONDALE, Ariz. – David Mayhew has his sights set on the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship, and he got off to a fast start as he led every lap en route to winning the Talking Stick Resort 50 Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.

POS	DRIVER
1	David Mayhew
2	Dylan Kwasniewski
3	Daniel Suarez
4	Greg Pursley
5	Derek Thorn

Mayhew, who split time between the series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year, collected his fourth career win. It was a near perfect weekend for the Atascadero, Calif., driver – who posted the fastest lap in practice Friday and earned his seventh Coors Light Pole Award Saturday morning. Mayhew had led 162 laps in four series races at Phoenix, but his best finish was fifth in 2010.

“We had a really fast car yesterday in practice and backed it up this morning in qualifying,” said Mayhew, who qualified late in the session. “Going out was a little sketchy. A couple of guys were getting loose down in (Turn) 1. I was watching all those guys go through the corner thinking, ‘oh man, this isn’t good.’ We got through the first lap. The second lap was awesome.”

Mayhew emphasized the importance of starting up front in this event.

“Getting the pole was really the key to the race; starting up front, getting clean air and getting out and getting away from everybody,” he said. “There were quite a few lappers, so being able to take your time when you got to them was the biggest thing – some high, some low, some both. It was definitely entertaining out there.”

Although the second and third-place cars closed in on Mayhew at one point of the event, he pulled away to win by a margin of 1.198 seconds. Sixteen-year-old Dylan Kwasniewski came from fourth to finish second, while Daniel Suarez took third.

“It was a great race,” Kwasniewski said. “Mayhew was just way far ahead and he had a pretty good car. So it was going to be pretty hard to catch back up to him. Second place is a good finish for point standings. We’re going for the championship this year, so it will definitely start me off on the right foot.”

Defending race winner and series champion Greg Pursley finished fourth and Derek Thorn rounded out the top five. Rookie Carlos Iaconelli finished sixth, followed by Chad Boat, Eric Holmes, David Gilliland and DJ Kennington.

With his victory, Mayhew became the first to lock himself into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at the UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona International Speedway next February during Speedweeks 2013.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will return to action on Saturday, April 14 at Havasu (Ariz.) 95 Speedway.

RESULTS | LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | VIDEO: POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH DAVID MAYHEW | VIDEO: POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH DYLAN KWASNIEWSKI | VIDEO: POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH DANIEL SUAREZ | AUDIO: POST-RACE WITH DAVID MAYHEW | AUDIO: POST-RACE WITH DYLAN KWASNIEWSKI | AUDIO: POST-RACE WITH DANIEL SUAREZ

David Mayhew put on a dominating performance at Phoenix International Raceway
Saturday, winning the Coors Light Pole and leading every lap en route to the win.
Getty Images for NASCAR

K&N Pro Series West Champion - Greg Pursley

Greg Pursley’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship season began last year with a win in the first race at Phoenix International Raceway.

He hopes to repeat that victory and get a jump in his charge for a second title when the curtain goes up on the 2012 season with the Talking Stick Resort 50 at PIR on Saturday, March 3. It will mark the start of the 59th season for the West’s premier stock car circuit.

After winning last year’s season opener, Pursley went on to dominate series competition beyond the midway point, winning six of the first eight races. The stretch run was a different story, however. Four different drivers visited Victory Lane in the final six races, as newcomers began to flex their muscle. Those young drivers look to pose a serious title challenge to Pursley and other veterans of the series this year.

Pursley has been considered the one to beat when it comes to Phoenix, meanwhile. After winning in the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011, the 44-year-old was going for a record third straight Phoenix victory last November – but ended up in the wall while battling for the lead.

Text Source

K&N Pro Series West Entry List - Roseville, CA

Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge presented
by A-All Mini Storage at All American Speedway

Entry List

	#	Driver
1	0	Paul Pedroncelli Jr.
2	3	Wes Banks
3	5	Justin Funkhouser
4	6	Luis Martinez Jr.
5	7	Greg Rayl
6	7	Kyle Kelley
7	9	Gary Lewis
8	9	Josh Combs
9	12	Paulie Harraka
10	13	Todd Souza
11	14	Travis Milburn
12	15	Jack Sellers
13	16	Moses Smith
14	17	David Mayhew
15	20	Eric Holmes
16	21	Blake Koch
17	22	Jonathon Gomez
18	26	Greg Pursley
19	38	Troy Ermish
20	50	Auggie Vidovich
21	51	Johnathan Hale
22	60	Taylor Barton
23	88	Michael Self

Which NASCAR CWSW Driver Will Become The Next First Time Winner?

The NASCAR Camping World Series West is the longest running racing series in the Western United States, having showcased professional Stock Car Racing for over fifty-six years. This series is considered the final step in the NASCAR ladder before drivers advance to the three national series. Drivers such as Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick came from the series. Other top drivers who graduated from the series include Derrick Cope, David Gilliland, Joey Logano, Martin Truex, Jr. Total attendance on the NASCAR Camping World Series in 2008 topped 200,000.

The NASCAR Camping World Series West has completed five of its scheduled thirteen races in the 2009 season. The action has proved a fan pleaser as the field is filled with talented drivers. Only one driver has won more than one race this year. The 2008 Series Champion Eric Holmes emerged victorious at the All American Speedway and at the Madera Speedway. Greg Pursley, a first time winner won the season opener at the Thunderhill Raceway in Texas. Jason Bowles won at the Phoenix International Raceway, a race presented in conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The last race at the Iowa Speedway, East vs. West went to first time winner David Mayhew.

The extent of the media coverage of the David Reutimann’s first Cup race win in the rainy Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day, demonstrates the excitement generated by first time winners. Who will be the next NASCAR Camping World Series West driver to record his / her first win? You can vote and have your opinion counted, by participating in the poll on the sidebar.

Jason Bowles and Moses Smith