NEWTON, Iowa — Closer and closer to that first victory each time out this season, Chase Elliott was able to take home the checkered flag Saturday at Iowa Speedway in the Graham Tire 150 for his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series triumph.
Elliott, the second generation driver of the No. 9 Aarons/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet from Dawsonville, Ga., wrestled the lead away from a dominant Brett Moffitt on Lap 146 and held on through a green-white-checkered finish for the first victory in 16 career K&N Pro Series East starts.
Moffitt, the defending race winner from nearby Grimes, earned the pole earlier in the evening Saturday and seemed destined to repeat in front of the hometown faithful. He held leads of three and four seconds during the middle stages of the races, but was caught in the closing laps by Elliott and had to settle for fifth place.
Ryan Blaney followed Elliott across the line for his second runner-up finish of the year. Cale Conley and action sports star Travis Pastrana also recorded personal best finishes in third and fourth, respectively.
Following Moffitt, the rest of the top 10 in the sixth-annual K&N Pro Series East & K&N Pro Series West combination race were Kyle Larson, Sergio Pena, Dylan Kwasniewski, Greg Pursley and Eddie MacDonald.
As the highest finishing K&N Pro Series West driver, Kwasniewski is also credited with a win in that series, the fourth of his career.
As the overall race winner Elliott has earned a secured starting position for the inaugural UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway during 2013 Speedweeks.
The K&N Pro Series West will return to action on May 26 at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway while the K&N Pro Series East will next race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., on June 2.
