Race Notes
The race … This event marks the beginning of the 2011 season for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. It is the first of two series visits to PIR this year, with the circuit returning in November for the season finale.
The procedure … The starting field is 40 cars, including provisionals. The first 36 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 100 laps.
The track … PIR is a one-mile superspeedway with Turns 1 and 2 banked 11 degrees, Turns 3 and 4 banked nine degrees and two degrees of banking in the dogleg. This will be the 27th stand-alone Phoenix race for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
The records … Qualifying: Greg Pursley, Nov. 13, 2010, 129.964 mph, 27.700 sec.; Race: David Gilliland, Jan. 30, 2005, 108.532 mph, 55 minutes 17 seconds.
100th series start … Brett Thompson (No. 61 Rich Thompson Trucking Chevrolet) will be making his 100th series start at Phoenix. The Jerome, Idaho driver made his first series appearance at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, Utah on Sept. 4, 2000.
Dillon returns … Ty Dillon (No. 31 Bay BioDiesel/RCR Chevrolet) is set to compete in his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event at Phoenix. Dillon, the 18-year-old grandson of Richard Childress, finished third at PIR in the season finale for the series last November.
Canadian representation … In addition to NASCAR K&N Pro Series West regulars Carl Harr and his son, Daryl, who hail from Edmonton, Alberta – two other Canadians are slated to compete at Phoenix. The entry list includes two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion Andrew Ranger (No. 35 Waste Management Recycling Chevrolet) and the reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion DJ Kennington (No. 12 Northern Provincial Pipelines Toyota).
Double duty … Greg Pursley (No. 26 Gene Price Motorsports Ford) will be pulling double duty at Phoenix, racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on Thursday and competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Friday.
Chad Boat Visits Phoenix Area School
Chad Boat (No. 98 Curb Records/KNIX Country 102.5 Chevrolet) is slated to make a special visit at Northwest Christian School in Phoenix on Tuesday, Feb. 22.
The 18-year-old, second-generation driver will be speaking to sixth-graders at the school. One of the sixth-grade classes won a contest held by Phoenix International Raceway, writing in to request that Boat visit their class.
He will talk to the students about being a professional race driver. He will take along his driving uniform and helmet, to give the kids a first-hand look at his safety gear and will also sign autographs.
Pastrana Heads For Phoenix
Action sports star Travis Pastrana (No. 99 Boost Mobile/KMC Wheels Toyota) came away with a sixth-place finish in his NASCAR debut at the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown last month. Now he is set to compete at Phoenix in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener, driving an entry for Bill McAnally Racing.
The event is Pastrana’s second step in his move to NASCAR, as he plans to compete in seven NASCAR Nationwide Series races later this year.
Pastrana’s resume includes world freestyle championships, X-Games gold medals, a 125cc pro national outdoor title and back-to-back Rally America Series championships.
Last Year’s Event
Eric Holmes (No. 20 NAPA Toyota) scored a major win a year ago with a victory in this event at Phoenix International Raceway.
Holmes outlasted runner-up Jason Bowles and third-place Greg Pursley in a race that ended under caution following one attempt at a green-white-checkered. Jonathon Gomez and David Mayhew rounded out the top five. Mayhew was second when the final caution came out, but came down pit road instead of taking the checkered flag on the track.
The win was a long-time coming for Holmes, who has twice finished runner-up at Phoenix (2006 and 2009) and ran out of gas after dominating the first half of the 2008 race.
Holmes and his Bill McAnally Racing team altered their strategy during the race – opting to pit for fresh right-side tires on the No. 20 NAPA Toyota midway through the event in order to chase down Brett Moffitt, who led a race-high 36 laps. Moffitt, meanwhile, was knocked out of the lead on Lap 89 after contact with another car.
Holmes worked his way to the front and into second place. In the final restart, he opted to restart in the outside lane and was able to take the lead and secure the win.
Daryl Harr, Stan Silva Jr., Todd Souza, Taylor Barton and series rookie Michael Self rounded out the top 10. Moffitt rallied to finish 11th. Andrew Myers won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in qualifying, but had his day cut short on Lap 48 after cutting a tire.
The last yellow flag came out for a multi-car wreck on the front stretch on the restart. The race was slowed by 10 caution periods, including two red flags. There were eight lead changes among six drivers.
Up Next: All American Speedway
Following Phoenix, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West heads to Roseville, Calif., for the Toyota/NAPA AutoCare 150 at All American Speedway on April 16.
The race will mark the first of two visits this year to the historic third-mile track at the Placer County Fairgrounds. The series returns to Roseville on Oct. 15.
Bill McAnally Racing, based in nearby Antelope, has dominated the competition at its home track in recent years – with Eric Holmes and Paulie Harraka accounting for the wins in five of the past six series events at All American Speedway.
