First #KNWEST Win For 16-Year-Old Bickford

James Bickford celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NAPA
Auto Parts/Toyota 150 Saturday night at State Line Speedway in Idaho.
(William Mancebo/Getty Images for NASCAR)

James Bickford showed Saturday night he's a fast learner. And a fast driver.

The Napa, California, driver in just his seventh NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race, passed former champion Greg Pursley with four laps to go in the NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150 at State Line Speedway to go en route to capturing his first career win.

Pursley finished second -- .725-seconds back of Bickford's No. 6 Interstate Plastics/Sunrise Ford on the quarter-mile oval -- and Brandon McReynolds was third. Braeden Havens, who won the 21 Means 21 Pole Award earlier in the day, finished fourth and David Mayhew rounded out the top five.

Bickford, who turned 16 in March, is the cousin of four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. His previous best finish was a fourth-place run at Iowa Speedway in May.

James’ father, Tom, is John Bickford’s brother. Gordon, 42, was reared by stepfather John Bickford from the time he was a Vallejo toddler.

James Bickford drove to his first victory in his seventh career NASCAR K&N Pro
Series West race Saturday night. William (Mancebo/Getty Images for NASCAR)

James, who won the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model championship at All American Speedway in his rookie year in 2013, drives for Bob Bruncati Racing in the No. 6 Sunrise Ford. He replaced driver Derek Thorn, who is the reigning K&N West champion.

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Bickford Looks for Home Track Win Saturday in Sonoma

Bickford will look for a home track win Saturday in Sonoma.
 (Getty Images for NASCAR)

In professional sports, playing a home game is considered an advantage for the competitors.

For James Bickford, driver of the No. 6 Sunrise Ford Ford in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West, this weekend’s Carneros 200 at Sonoma Raceway can’t come soon enough. The sixteen-year-old Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, currently seventh in the series championship points standings, lives just 15 minutes from the track in Napa, California.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this race,” Bickford said. “Sonoma presents a lot of challenges, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Saturday’s race will be Bickford’s first on a road course, and he expects a strong contingent of family and friends to be at the track. He will also be carrying a bit of veteran’s knowledge into the event, courtesy of his cousin, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.

“He took me around the course in a rental car when they were here for a tire test, and told me what he does in a Sprint Cup car in every corner,” Bickford said of Gordon, who has five wins at Sonoma and nine road course victories in his career, most all-time in NASCAR’s premier series.

Bickford said the first three races in his inaugural K&N Pro Series West season were “a little rough,” but his two most recent outings have been encouraging for him and the entire team.

“At Iowa, we had a solid fourth-place finish among the West cars, and at Kern County, we ran near the front all night and finished sixth. We are definitely headed in the right direction,” Bickford said.

Bickford knows getting his first win of the season on the twisty, 1.99-mile road course won’t be easy.

“There is zero room for mistakes, and you have to stay focused every single lap.”

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#KNWest Race Recap #nascar Stockton 150

David Mayhew earned his ninth career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Coors Light Pole Award -- and first since 2012 -- with a fast lap at Stockton 99 Speedway Saturday evening in qualifying for the night's Stockton 150. (Qualifying Results)

Rookie James Bickford, who had the best lap in the afternoon's practice, qualified second at 13.839 (65.034), followed by Greg Pursley at 13.844 (65.010). (Practice Results)

Unfortunately during the race, Bickford was directed to the back of the pack for jumping the start. However, by lap 60, Bickford had worked his way back into the top five.

For the majority of the race however, series veterans  Greg Pursley and David Mayhew battled for the top position.

With two thirds of the laps expired and just fifty laps to go, the race order read  Mayhew, Pursley, McReynolds, Lupton, Thornton.  (Bickford had dropped to sixth place)

Lap 122 drew the fifth caution as McReynolds went around in Turn Two.  Some speculated that McReynolds may have gotten some help from Bickford.  McReynolds restarted the race from tenth position.

On Lap 135 it appeared that the K&N Pro Series West 'Stockton 150' would be settled by a fifteen-lap dash to the checkered flag.  However, an accident between Cuzick and Millard, in Turn Two, on Lap 142 earn both the sixth yellow flag and a subsequent a red flag.

At this juncture, Mayhew, Pursley, Thornton, Bickford, McReynolds, Martin, Lupton, Giannone, Cuzick,  and  Millard comprised the top-ten.

David Mayhew pulled off a great restart on lap 147.  There were just nine drivers on the lead lap.  Pursley was all over Mayhew during the white flag lap, but Mayhew hung on to win the K&N Pro Series West Stockton 150.

What a great showing by the series veteran - pole to victory!  This is the fifth career win for Mayhew; the first since Phoenix in March '12.

The unofficial top 10: Mayhew, Pursley, Thornton, McReynolds, Martin, Lupton, Cuzick, Giannone, Monroe, Bickford.

David Mayhew won the Coors Light Pole Award for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series
West race at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway.  (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Rookie James Bickford laid down the fastest lap during NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
practice at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway.  (Getty Images for NASCAR)

K&N Pro Series West 'Stockton 150' Entry List

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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James Bickford to drive for Bob Bruncati Racing

James Bickford (age 15) won the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model championship at All American Speedway in his rookie year in 2013. He has been chosen to race the 2014 season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

Driving for Bob Bruncati Racing in the No. 6 Sunrise Ford, he will replace Derek Thorn, who is the reigning K&N West champion.

Sponsor James Bickford after the driver wins the NASCAR
Whelen All American Series Late Model Championship
(Sept. 14, 2013. Jeannie Broussal Photo)

In 2013, Bickford, whose cousin is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, made the transition to racing Late Models in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series at All American Speedway in Roseville. After only four starts, he racked up his first Late Model win on May 11, 2013.

Driving the No. 25 Chevrolet sponsored by Buffship.com, Red Line Oil, Eibach Springs, Catchyoureye.com, Cooke Orthotics, Alpine Stars, and Piner’s Welding Supply, Bickford is the youngest driver in the 58-year history of All American Speedway to win a Late Model Series race and championship.

Bickford has been adamant about racing in the K&N Series. He had hoped to race a couple of races last year. He had a car and everything but a motor. Last fall, Bob Bruncati reached out to Bickford about driving one of his K&N West Series cars.

On Dec. 5, Bickford went to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale to test for Bruncati.

“The test at Irwindale was phenomenal,” Bickford said. “I didn’t know anything about the track except for racing it on a simulator on my computer. I went out and on the first lap I thought it was pretty easy. I went full throttle. It was a lot different than racing my Late Model. At the end I ran a really fast lap (18.41), and I came close to beating the K&N Series track record at the track.”

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