ANTELOPE, California — Eric Holmes, three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion from Bill McAnally Racing is making gains towards the No. 20 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota team’s goal of winning back-to-back championships. They move into fifth and only 47 points out of third with ten races left of the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season left.
"We’ll be strong at the Bull Ring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and close the gap in the chase even more."
The combined NASCAR K&N Pro Series East/West Series event was a much anticipated race for the NAPA team from BMR. The event was the East/West series fifth visit to the 7/8-mile track in Newton, Iowa. The unpredictable weather in Iowa hampered their efforts beginning with a change to the team’s practice schedule. With 58 cars taking the track, the practice became shortened as two cars backed into the wall. Without a ‘sticker’ run, Holmes would qualify the No. 20 NAPA Toyota Camry on the outside of row eleven.
Holmes managed to maintain his position moving into the top-fifteen at the half-way mark of the 175-lap race. As the sixth caution of the race came out, crew chief Duane Knorr called the No. 20 NAPA entry to pit road for fuel and left side tires. Pit stop shuffling moved the No. 20 NAPA Toyota into second for the restart at lap 101. In heavy traffic, he dropped to tenth twenty-five laps later. “I need right side tires bad,” Holmes radioed to the team. When the next caution came out at lap 148, he returned to get right side tires.
Holmes would get back in line now in 15th. He would be only able to gain one position to finish in 14th. With the points tallied separately for the East and the West, point leader Greg Purlsey was credited with the win and Holmes was scored as finishing in sixth.
“I really don’t know what happened,” said Holmes. “The NAPA Toyota was extremely loose when we went out to qualify. It was all I could do to keep it off the wall. The conditions of the track changed so much during the first half of the race.” At lap 82, Holmes reported in that the car was ‘tight, tight, tight’ everywhere before his pit stop.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted but looking at the big picture, we’re heading in the right direction. We’ll be strong at the Bull Ring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and close the gap in the chase even more.”
The Pork ‘Be Inspired’ 175 presented by Tompkins Industries can be seen on Thursday June 2nd on SPEED Channel at 3 pm PST. Please check your local listings.
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