In its eight year history, The Edge Hotel 150 at Adirondack International Speedway has been a microcosm of the overall NASCAR Camping World Series East title picture.
In each of the last two seasons, the driver holding the race trophy at the end of the night at Adirondack has been the same as the one holding the big trophy at the postseason awards banquet. Last season, Matt Kobyluck's win provided the driver of the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Chevrolet with the points lead that he would not relinquish en route to his first championship.
In fact, the eventual series champion has never finished worse than third at the half-mile oval located in the picturesque heart of upstate New York.
The race takes on an added importance in 2009, as the closest points battle in series history hurtles towards its conclusion in September. The running of the 8th Annual The Edge Hotel 150 presented by Casella Waste Management, Inc., represents the eighth of 11 races. When the drivers leave the track on Saturday night, just the road course at Connecticut's Lime Rock Park and the speedway events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway remain before a champion is crowned.
Rookie Ryan Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota) is the series' hottest driver with a pair of wins and a runner-up finish in his last three races. His victory in the most recent event, at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, allowed him to move to the top of the standings. He holds a slim nine-point lead over Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet).
Just 50 points separate Truex from fourth-place Kobyluck. The margin between first and sixth is only 93 points — keeping third-place Jody Lavender (No. 88 JoJo Ent./Custom Race Chassis Chevrolet), fifth-place Brett Moffitt (No. 44 brettmoffitt.com Chevrolet) and Steve Park (No. 35 Waste Management Recycle America Chevrolet) in the title hunt.
Fast Facts
The Race: The Edge Hotel 150 pres. by Casella Waste Systems
The Place: Adirondack International Speedway, Lowville, N.Y.
The Date: Saturday, August 1
The Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV Schedule: SPEED, August 13, 3 p.m. ET
Track Layout: .5-mile asphalt oval
Race Purse: $111,539
2008 Winner: Matt Kobyluck
2008 Polesitter: Bryon Chew
Event Schedule: Practice, 12:15-1 p.m.; Final Practice, 1:30-2:15 p.m.; Qualifying, 4:15 p.m.
Track Contact: John Flock, (315) 346-7223, publicrelations@adirondackspeedway.com
NASCAR PR Contact: Jason Christley. (386) 547-2469. jchristley@nascar.com
News & Notes
The Race ... The Edge Hotel 150 presented by Casella Waste Systems at Adirondack International Speedway in Lowville, N.Y., is the eighth event in an 11-race schedule this year for the NASCAR Camping World Series East and the second of two trips to the Empire State in 2009. This year's edition will mark the eighth season in a row that Adirondack has played host to the NCWS East.
The Procedure ... The starting field is 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 22 cars will have secured starting positions based on two-lap qualifying. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (75 miles).
The Track ... Adirondack is a circular half-mile asphalt track. The NCWS East has competed at Adirondack every year since 2002, the track's first full season of competition.
Race Winners ... Andy Santerre - current crew chief and owner of the No. 44 Chevrolet - won the first NCWS East event at Adirondack in 2002 en route to the first of his four-consecutive championships. Matt Kobyluck won there in 2008 on the way to his first title as well. Kobyluck - with three wins at Adirondack - is the only driver to have multiple triumphs at the track.
Pole Winners ... Of the seven previous NCWS East events at Adirondack, qualifying has only been held four times, with no drivers earning more than one pole. Bryon Chew captured the Coors Light Pole Award last year and set the qualifying record at 109.296 mph.
