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Eric Holmes (right) and Chase Briscoe (left) sign autographs at the Napa Speedway before NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race
Greg Pursley won his fourth race of the season at the Napa Speedway. He moved up to second place in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings, 20 points behind leader Derek Thorn. There are three races remaining in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule. Pursley won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2011, and today, leads the West Series with four wins and nine top-five finishes in 12 races.
Derek Thorm took home the Coors Light Pole Award at the Napa Auto Parts 150 Race at the Napa Speedway
Pursley started the race at the NAPA Speedway on the front row with Thorn, who won the pole position. Pursley took the lead in the race briefly on lap 4, but faded back, allowing Thorn, Eric Holmes, Carl Harr and JD White to swap the lead for the first 90 laps of the NAPA Auto Parts 150. "This is a really abrasive track and it really takes a lot of patience and a lot of tire saving," Pursley said. "So we got up there and led a lap and fell back to about eighth or ninth. It was hard to have the patience to not go up there and want to race them, but we stuck to our game plan and stuck to our times."
Greg Pursley takes the checkered flag in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Napa Speedway
Thorn passed Harr for the lead on lap 90 and held it for 37 laps. Pursley moved to the front on lap 128 and led the final 22 laps of the race. Harr led 51, the most laps in the race. There were seven lead changes between five drivers.
Thorn finished in second place, followed by Cameron Hayley in third. "We led a lap, kind of strategized," Thorn said. "Greg Pursley said he wanted to do the same thing, so let him go, let Holmes go. Then we all kind of dropped back. This place is so abrasive. You can't run 150 laps on the same set of tires. It's not Iowa."
Holmes, making his 100th career start in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Napa Speedway, was fourth. Michael Self was fifth. Carl Harr dropped to ninth when the checkered flag flew. White was 11th.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West racer Greg Pursley celebrates his win at Napa Speedway
Even though Derek Thorn lost a bit of his lead in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings, he posted his 11th top five of the season, the most of any driver.
Cameron Hayley turned in another impressive run. He has 12 top-10 finishes in 12 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races this year. "It started off slow to say the least," Hayley said. "We knew from last year we needed to conserve a lot. I wish we could have done better, but to come out here third isn't too bad."
The next race on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule is the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at All American Speedway in Roseville.
Related K&N News Articles about NAPA Speedway and NASCAR K&N Pro Series West:
Derek Thorn Wins Second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race at NAPA Speedway;
Dylan Lupton Wins His First NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race at Evergreen Speedway;
Greg Pursley Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race at Spokane County Raceway;
Andrew Ranger Celebrates Another NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Win at Miller Motorsports Park
Autin Hill was left the winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Dover International Speedway.
Rookie Austin Hill won the first race of his career and veteran Brett Moffitt turned a runaway championship run in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East into a drag race at Dover International Speedway in Delaware.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Dover International Speedway housed intense battle between Kyle Benjamin and Austin Hill.
A pair of newcomers to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East wound up on the podium. Austin Hill, making only his seventh career start in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, passed CJ Faison on lap 88 of the Drive Sober 150 and held off Justin Boston and Kyle Benjamin on the final restart of the race.
"That CJ Faison, the 39 car, he was really the class of the field for the first 75," Hill said. "I knew we had something for him at the last 75. Once I got out front, I knew there was nothing holding me back except for that last restart. I knew that it was going to be tough. When I got back to the front, got back to the lead, I knew there wasn't going to be no stopping me."
Faison started on the front row, next to pole winner Cale Conley, and led a race-high 77 laps. Faison was involved in an accident on lap 138 and fell to 24th place. Hill was out front for the final 63 laps.
Cale Conley walked away with the Coors Light Pole Award at the Drive Sober 150 at Dover International Speedway
The race had six cautions for 26 laps. Justin Boston, an ARCA series veteran, making his second K&N Pro Series East start, and Benjamin, a 15-year-old rookie making his debut, challenged Hill for the lead over the final four laps of the race. Hill won the race by 0.412 seconds.
"I can't thank everyone enough -- the LaJoies and all them and all they've done," said Hill. "This track is really hard. It's a fast track. I've never been on a track this fast. A track like this is crazy. It gets pretty intense. On lap 75, though, I knew we had a shot at winning. We just had to get back to the front."
Austin Hill enjoying his victory after winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Dover International Speedway
Boston was second, followed by Benjamin in third. Three rookies took the top three spots in the race. "It was definitely a good end to the day," Boston said. "It was a melee out there for the first half of the race. We were definitely avoiding as many cars as we could."
Kyle Benjamin started on the second row and led three laps early in the race. "We had some troubles on restarts, a lot of people missing shifts, which was unfortunate," Benjamin said. "We got some nose damage, but other than, we had a really good race, managed to make it back up to the front."
Dylan Kwasniewski, who had a 40-point lead in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings two races ago, had electrical problems and finished in 29th place at the Dover International Speedway.
Brett Moffitt was 11th, but more importantly, trimmed Kwasniewski's lead to five points with one race to go. The final race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East is at Road Atlanta in Georgia on October 18, 2013.
Related K&N News Articles about Dover International Speedway:
NASCAR K&N Pro Series Racer Cory LaJoie Takes Home a Victory at Dover International Speedway;
NASCAR K&N Pro Series at Dover International Speedway Delivers Racer Cole Whitt a 2nd Place Finish;
Brett Moffitt Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at Dover International Speedway
Dominic "The Dominator" Scelzi won his first career King of the West event at Stockton-99 Speedway.
Some first race victories cut as deep as first love, and their effect lingers on with the same passion and intensity. For 16-year-old Dominic Scelzi, gifted racer and genetically blessed son of four-time NHRA Drag Racing Champion Gary Scelzi, that benchmark first came at California's Stockton-99 Speedway. This has been Scelzi's first season racing a 410 sprint car and he marked his arrival on the scene by notching his first career King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series victory.
"Getting the win with the King of the West series in Stockton made my team and me feel like we had finally succeeded in our year long goal of running and beating the best in California," Scelzi remarked. "We have been fast all year long with the 410 motor. The confidence boost was welcome too."
It is however, what went down after his victory, that has given Scelzi some, not entirely warranted, attention. With his peripheral vision partially blocked and being caught up in the moment of racing, Scelzi did not see the checkered flag and was unaware the race had ended. He continued to charge on after the finish line, inevitably making contact with slowed traffic and flipped his ride onto the roll bar. With the crowd dazed and slightly confused, Scelzi leaped from his car wearing a colossal smile and bolted towards his younger brother Giovanni, his dad, and a crowd of well-wishers, creating an emotional and memorable victory lane celebration.
Dominic Scelzi notches King of the West victory his first season racing a 410 sprint car.
"As you can see in the video, the flag stand is very hard to see," Scelzi explains. "When both the white flag and the checkered where thrown, I had cars on the inside of me, and did not see the flags, there isn't a score board that you can look at to see the lap count. Everyone races until the yellow flag comes out and unfortunately the lap cars in front of me had just completed the race, so the yellow flag had not come out, so nobody knew the race was over. I just didn't want to be passed - I wanted that win!"
Having drawn the number 3 pill in the dash draw, Scelzi started and finished in the third spot, placing him in the second row of the 30-lap feature event. After the pole-sitter, Willie Croft got upside down on the start of the feature. Scelzi moved up to the pole alongside a red-hot Jonathan Allard. The rookie matched Allard's every move. Scelzi attempted to poke his nose under Allard several times, but the veteran driver had an answer for each attempt. Then with ten laps to go, Allard suffered a blown motor and Scelzi was positioned to take the win.
Dominic Scelzi soon heads to Thunderbowl Speedway in Tulare for the Trophy Cup in the 360 sprint car.
The owner of a brand new California Driver's License, Scelzi's goal is to get as many races as possible to add to his seat time and experience. "The desire is definitely there," adds his mom, Julianne. "The only thing Dominic needs is more sponsorship funds to reach his goals. There are many possibilities and hopefully some great opportunities will come in the near future."
Gary Scelzi Motorsports and the 410 sprint car motor will return to action with King of the West series at Kings Speedway in Hanford, California. Then, they will head to Thunderbowl Speedway in Tulare for the Trophy Cup with the 360 sprint car motor. After the Trophy Cup, they will be back at Stockton Speedway for more King of the West series racing. "I'm also very excited for the Chili Bowl midget race in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the Matt Wood/Elk Grove Ford entry," Dominic Scelzi adds.
Related K&N News Articles about Dominic Scelzi:
Sprint Car Racer Dominic Scelzi Experiences Four Wide Excitement in World of Outlaws Race;
Sprint Car Driver Dominic Scelzi Races 360 Class with Future Plans in 410 Sprint Car Class;
Sprint Car Racer Dominic Scelzi Dominates Rebel Wing Main at Kings Speedway in Hanford, California
Shea Holbrook and childhood BFF professional wakeboarder, Tarah Mikacich, have now won their class two years in a row.
Longmont, Colorado has twice been named Money Magazine's "Top 100 Places to Live in America," and Twitter tagged it the "2nd Happiest City in America." Longmont and its understandably cheerful residents recently played host to "The 2013 Fireball Run: All Stars and Movie Cars," an epic eight day, 14 city, 2,500 mile life-sized trivia game, using America's west coast as the game board. To navigate the route 40 teams from across the country literally went head-to-head, engaging substantially more brain power than horsepower, solving clues based on history, science, nature, theology, pop culture, nearly anything was fair game. Then once clues were solved teams were required to accomplish missions in order to score points. And the entire shebang was filmed as part of the Fireball Run TV series.
This was Shea Holbrook's second year at the Fireball Run and the first in her 2013 K&N supported Team Fast & Furious Honda Civic Si.
Although it is a competition, it's not first and foremost about winning, it's about raising awareness for America's Missing Children, and it is in fact the largest active recovery effort for missing and exploited children in the country. Lifelong friends, K&N's Shea Holbrook and professional wakeboarder, Tarah Mikacich, competed for the second year in a row. The two finished first in the sedan class last year with Holbrook driving and Mikacich navigating. This year the dynamic female duo topped themselves, finishing 2nd overall and 1st in Class, they also won the Social Medial Award. They competed in Holbrook's Team Fast & Furious 2013 Honda Civic Si.
"Team Fast & Furious killed it during Fireball Run!" Holbrook declared. "And I was very excited to compete again with my sister from another mister. Last year Tarah and I immediately found out that I was better at driving and she was better at navigating, and together we uncovered clues to complete missions. This year the Fireball Run adventure brought us to remote areas where there was no service. We were told to bring an atlas and a CB radio to communicate with other teams, which we definitely utilized. There are many strategies one can play at this game, like asking the locals for help, calling the local chambers, or the local police to see what traffic may be like ahead… maybe a police escort somewhere (just saying) and even getting in on alliances with other teams."
Regardless of where the Fireball clues lead, Shea Holbrook always found time for her fans.
"Many of us set up group texting and we did use the CB radio. We had to move quickly if we wanted to rack up as many points possible each day, yet we still managed to spend a little time with the communities to thank them for hosting us and aiding in our effort to find missing children. We never lost sight of what our mission really was, and that was to spread awareness about missing kids by passing out thousands of posters of the child we represent. Fireball Run is amazing because this rally incorporates a means to promote sponsors in a unique way.
Shea Holbrook sent out a special thanks to the residents of Longmont, Colorado, for their enthusiastic support.
Each team is assigned a missing child from their home region along with thousands of posters to distribute along the route. A decal featuring the child is positioned on the vehicle, creating a rolling awareness campaign. The event started in 2007 and to date the effort has assisted in the recovery of 41 missing children.
"When you think about it, that's pretty amazing," remarks Holbrook. "I like doing good things for people and that's why Fireball Run was so interesting to me." Holbrook and Mikacich represented toddler, Donald Jackson, last seen in 2010.
"Another positive aspect was that I could continue to promote my partners, like K&N Filters in an intriguing and unique way. The rally generates millions of dollars in exposure and I can actually communicate with the communities we go to about partners' products or service they offer."
Holbrook is currently in Houston, Texas where the Shea Racing Team will compete in the Pirelli World Challenge Championship. "And we're also near the end of our helmet raffle in benefit of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy! We'll be announcing the winner of the raffle Saturday, October 5th. You can go online to buy raffle tickets."
Related K&N News Articles about Shea Holbrook:Shea Holbrook Racing Earns Pirelli World Challenge Championship Points at Lime Rock Grand Prix; K&N's Shea Holbrook Streams Live In-Car Video from Her TrueCar and Virgin Sportscar; Shea Holbrook's Newly Expanded Team Starts 2013 Pirelli World Challenge Season Strong; Pirelli World Challenge Racer Shea Holbrook Prepares for 2013 Race Season
In spite of mechanical issues, Chris Brandt went into rounds nine and ten of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing series fourth in the points race
Having experienced carburetor issues during the previous two Lucas Oil Off Road Racing events, Brandt was eager to put the changes they made to the fuel system to the test.
After qualifying 5th for Saturday's feature, Chris Brandt returned to the track later that day to earn his rightful position for Sunday's race. When the dust had settled, Brandt finished his second qualifying race 6th in a field of fierce competitors.
Lining up in the fifth row, when the waving of the green flag deemed round nine underway, Brandt, wasted no time working his way through the maze of drivers. Avoiding carnage and trouble, he managed to move into the sixth position prior to the halfway point of the race. However, bad luck eventually reared its ugly head. After heavy contact, a flat tire sent Brandt to the pits and in turn resulted in an 18th place finish.
Starting in the sixth row on the following day, Chris Brandt once again went to work immediately at the waving of the green flag. Methodically maneuvering his way around competitors, he eventually made his way to the lead pack. At the end of the race, Chris Brandt was situated in sixth place.
John Fitzgerald has experienced his fair share of success during is first season in the Pro Buggy Class of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Having qualified fifth for round nine of the Pro Buggy class of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing, Jon Fitzgerald took the hole shot in the feature, setting the pace for a field of talented drivers. Fitzgerald controlled the front position for the first couple of laps. However, carnage midway thru proved costly, putting the 2012 Limited Buggy champion in third place, where he would finish the race. Although Fitzgerald would have obviously preferred the leading two positions, he had earned a coveted spot on the podium.
Fitzgerald returned the final day with an eagerness to get round 10 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing series underway. Lining up in the last row for the feature, the Fitzgerald had a lot of work ahead of him. But he was more than ready to accept the challenge. He eventually started gaining positions and worked his way to third in the field. Even though the laps ran out before he could challenge the top two drivers, John Fitzgerald had earned his second trip to the podium in the event.
In reference to Fitzgerald's strong finishes in rounds nine and ten, Chris Brandt Racing's, Director of Operations, Jerrod Wedell, said "Getting on the podium is always a good thing. But his goal is to be on top of it at the season's end. The second and third places have kept him in a great points position for his first year in the class. He is still learning a lot about setup and driving of the Pro Buggy class and sees some potential for some good gains moving forward this season.
"The key to success for Chris Brandt Racing is to continue to focus on the consistency of setup and performance," he continued. "To be able to have speed on Friday, to be fast on Saturday and Sunday - weekend-to-weekend. We have had some bad luck handed our way this year, and that is part of racing. We believe the better we can perform consistently, the better our luck will be. And that is what we expect from ourselves."
Team Chris Brandt Racing is also conscious of the importance of keeping their rigs in tip-top running condition. That in mind, they are strong advocates of using K&N products to ensure their engines run contaminant free.
"K&N products are phenomenal," said Jerrod Wedell. "We have had excellent success with them. They are a staple in racing. In off road racing, they are at the top of the chart and that's why we use them. There is a lot of money at stake if the products fail, and that's why we associate ourselves with the best on the market. We have seen other companies try and come into the sport and fail. We cannot afford that. Failures affect consistency, and consistency wins championships. And championships are the goal of Chris Brandt Racing."
Looking at the "big picture" Jerrod Wedell concluded, "While a championship is looking slim after the 18th place at Glen Helen Raceway and the competition where it is right now, we are focusing on speed, consistency and getting both vehicles back to atop the podium where they belong. The team is capable. With the carburetor problems behind us on the #82 Pro-Lite and a little more development on the #14 Pro-Buggy, we should be there shortly."
Related K&N News Articles about the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series:
Stellar Performance for Casey Currie at Glen Helen Raceway in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series;
Baja-Style Off-Road Racer Kyle LeDuc Rises to the Top in Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series;
Bradley Morris Rules Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Prolite Class in Rounds 9 & 10 at Glen Helen Raceway
