NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Greenville Postponed

For Immediate Release   Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 rescheduled for April 2     GREENVILLE, S.C. (March 26, 2011) — The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season-opener at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway scheduled for Saturday, March 26 has been postponed to Saturday, April 2.

 

Rain moved into the Greenville area Saturday morning, and the forecast calls for persistent precipitation throughout the weekend.   The race-day schedule for the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 will remain the same, with the green flag slated for 8 p.m. For ticket information, please call 864-269-8052 or visit the track’s official website, www.greenvillepickens.com.

 

NASCAR - Analyzing The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 At Greenville Pickens Speedway

For Immediate Release   Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 At Greenville Pickens Speedway   DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 22, 2011) – The 25th season of competition for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will commence with the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway on Saturday, March 26.

 

At Greenville Pickens Speedway: History •  Opened on July 4, 1946 as a dirt track … Race surface was converted to asphalt in April, 1970. •  Held 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from 1951-71, including the first flag-to-flag televised event. •  David Pearson (1959) and Ralph Earnhardt (1965, 66) are among the famed drivers that have won championships at the track. Notebook •  The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East held its inaugural Greenville Pickens Speedway race on June 6, 2006 and has returned every year since. •  There have been five-different winning drivers and five-different pole winners in each of the first five NKNPS East races at GPS. •  In the first five years of the event, only Joey Logano has won both the pole and the race, which he accomplished in 2007. •  For the first time in 2011, there will be two NKNPS East races at GPS. The series will return to the historic half mile on Sept. 5.   Greenville Pickens Speedway Data Race: #1 of 12 (3/26/11) Track Layout: Half-mile oval Banking: Five degrees in the turns Race Length: 150 laps / 75 miles   Qualifying/Race Data 2010 pole winner: Cole Whitt (86.726 mph, 20.755 seconds) 2010 race winner: Darrell Wallace Jr. (47.098 mph, 1:39.22) Track qualifying record: Joey Logano (87.481 mph, 20.576 seconds, 4/28/07)   NKNPS East Race Winners at GPS June 6, 2006 ... Sean Caisse April 28, 2007 ... Joey Logano April 19, 2008 ... Austin Dillon April 11, 2009 ... Brian Ickler March 27, 2010 ... Darrell Wallace Jr.   NKNPS East Pole Winners at GPS June 6, 2006 ... Mike Olsen April 28, 2007 ... Joey Logano April 19, 2008 ... Peyton Sellers April 11, 2009 ... Brett Moffitt March 27, 2010 ... Cole Whitt   Up to Speed: •  The 2011 season will be the 25th for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The inaugural event was a combination race with the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Darlington Raceway on March 28, 1987. The first stand-alone race was held at Oxford Plains Speedway on April 26. •  There will not be a title defense in 2011 as Ryan Truex – the 2009 and 2010 champion – has moved up to the NNS with Pastrana-Waltrip Racing. Last year’s championship runner-up, Brett Moffitt, has moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to take over for Truex at Michael Waltrip Racing. •  Six of the top 10 finishers in the 2010 season standings will return full-time in 2011. Two of the four not returning, Truex and Cole Whitt, moved up to national series rides. •  New to the 2011 NKNPS East schedule is the inaugural stand-alone race for the series at Richmond International Raceway and the first trips to historical NASCAR weekly tracks Bowman Gray Stadium, Columbus Motor Speedway and Langley Speedway. •  NASCAR lowered the minimum competition age for drivers to 15 across all touring divisions. Chase Elliott will attempt to be the first driver to compete at the age of 15 this weekend at Greenville Pickens Speedway.   Selected Driver Highlights: Michael Cherry (No. 8 Toyota) •  Had two top 10s in three starts at the end of the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season. •  Competed in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division at Greenville Pickens Speedway in 2009. •  Will compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors out of the Revolution Racing garage and the Drive for Diversity program.   Matt DiBenedetto (No. 15 Toyota) •  Recorded two wins, three poles and five top 10s in seven NKNPS East starts in 2009 as a Joe Gibbs Racing development driver. •  Finished 10th in the 2009 season opener at GPS. •  Will compete for the newly-formed X Team Racing in 2011. •  Earned two top 10s in seven combined NNS starts for JGR in 2009-10.   Chase Elliott (No. 9 Chevrolet) •  The son of Bill Elliott, he will attempt to become the first 15-year-old to compete in a NASCAR touring series race with the minimum competition age lowered from 16 to 15 this past offseason. •  Signed a multi-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports. He will receive technical support from HMS while competing out of the family shop in Dawsonville, Ga. •  Earned 12 wins and 38 top 10s in 40 Late Model races in 2010.   Ryan Gifford (No. 2 Toyota) •  Has a pole and seven top fives in 14 career NKNPS East starts. •  Finished fourth in the 2010 opener at GPS. •  Competes for Revolution Racing and Drive for Diversity, and is a development driver for Richard Childress Racing that competes in dirt and asphalt Late Models with Team Dillon Racing.   Max Gresham (No. 18 Toyota) •  Has two wins, two poles and five top 10s in 13 career NKNPS East starts the two previous seasons with JGR. •  Was involved in an accident and finished 23rd in the 2010 opener at GPS. •  In addition to competing for the NKNPS East championship, he also hopes to make his NNS and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debuts in 2011, and some ARCA superspeedway starts.   Ben Kennedy (No. 96 Chevrolet) •  Made NKNPS East debut with one start in 2010. He finished 24th following oil line failure at Gresham Motorsports Park. •  Earned Pro-Truck and Late Model division titles at Orlando Speed World. •  The son of Lesa France Kennedy and great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.   Corey LaJoie (No. 07 Ford) •  Has three top fives and an additional top 10 in seven career NKNPS East starts. •  All four of his top-10 finishes have come at national series tracks. The best was a runner-up effort in the 2010 finale at Dover International Speedway. •  Is the son of Randy LaJoie, two-time NNS champion.   Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Chevrolet) •  Has six wins, two poles and 56 top 10s in 131 career NKNPS East starts. •  Has an average finish of 11th in four starts at GPS with a best effort of third in 2009. •  The longest-tenured driver on the pre-entry list, this will be his 11th year in the series.   Brandon McReynolds (No. 37 Chevrolet) •  Will look to make his NKNPS East debut at GPS. •  Competed regularly in UARA from 2008-10 and earned two wins at Rockingham Speedway. •  Made NNS debut at Gateway International Raceway in 2010. •  The son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief and current NASCAR on Fox analyst Larry McReynolds.   Brett Moffitt (No. 00 Toyota) •  Has four wins, three poles and 16 top 10s in 21 career NKNPS East starts. •  Finished third in points as a rookie with Andy Santerre Motorsports in 2010 and was the championship runner-up to Ryan Truex in 2010 with JGR. •  Has finishes of fifth and 24th in two previous starts at GPS. He became the youngest driver in NKNPS East history – surpassing Joey Logano – to earn a pole in 2009 at GPS. •  Will compete this year for MWR in the same car that Truex won the two previous championships.   Sergio Peña (No. 4 Toyota) •  Had three top 10s in 10 starts as a rookie in 2010. •  Finished 27th after an accident in his series debut at GPS a year ago. •  This will be his second year with Revolution Racing and Drive for Diversity.   Coleman Pressley (No. 14 Toyota) •  Will attempt to make his NKNPS East debut at GPS with X Team Racing. •  Made 12 combined NNS starts in 2009-10. •  Was the 2010 UARA Late Model champion. •  Is the son of former NASCAR national series driver Robert Pressley.   D.J. Shaw (No. 60 Chevrolet) •  Has five top 10s in 12 career starts. •  Best finish of his 2010 rookie season was a fifth-place effort in the opener at GPS. •  Is the son of 1994 NKNPS East Champion Dale Shaw, who is crew chief of the No. 60.   Darrell Wallace Jr. (No. 6 Toyota) •  Recorded two wins and seven top 10s to finish third in overall points and earn Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2010. •  Is the defending winner of the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150. The win made him the youngest and first African-American race winner in NKNPS East history. •  Competes for Revolution Racing and Drive for Diversity. He is also part of the JGR driver development program.   For more information, contact: Jason Cunningham, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

 

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East 2011 News & Notes - Greenville Pickens

East Crown Wide Open As 2011 Season Launches At Greenville   Host of newcomers set to challenge returnees   With the departure of two-time defending champion Ryan Truex to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the chase for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East crown will be wide open in 2011. That journey will begin on Saturday, March 26 with the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway.

 

Among the title contenders that return from a year ago, Brett Moffitt is the head of the class. The Grimes, Iowa driver's third season in the series figures to be his best. After a third-place effort in the final standings as a rookie in 2009, and a runner-up finish to Truex a year ago, Moffitt has the experience to go along with the talent to be a championship favorite. He has also moved over to Michael Waltrip Racing and into the seat vacated by Truex, which can only enhance his chances for a title. Darrell Wallace Jr. and Max Gresham also figured to be in the title hunt. Like Moffitt, both won two races a year ago in their first full seasons in the K&N Pro Series East. Wallace remained in championship contention through the first three-quarters of the 2010 schedule while Gresham had an up-and-down year. While both figure to be a threat to win everywhere they go, they'll need to focus on consistency to mount a championship run. While the previously-mentioned trio figures to be the odds-on favorites, there is no lack of other talent in the garage that could contend for the championship. Wallace's Revolution Racing teammates Michael Cherry, Ryan Gifford and Sergio Peña learned valuable lessons from their experience a year ago, as did D.J. Shaw, who finished ahead of each of them in the standings. And the elder statesman among the returners - Eddie MacDonald - will take another swing at what would be his first East crown. Also, don't forget about Corey LaJoie. While this will technically be his rookie season, he has logged seven starts across the two previous seasons, and finished in the top 10 in four of those outings.   What To Watch For The 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season-opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway shapes up to be similar to those of recent seasons past with a number of new teams, a lot of new faces and plenty of storylines to keep an eye on. More History for a Historical Track: Not only has Greenville Pickens produced esteemed track champions such as David Pearson, Ralph Earnhardt and Robert Pressley, but it is also one of just nine facilities that has been a sanction member of each of the 30 years of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Now it will become the first host track for the 25th season of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Notable Newcomers: While the list of possible newcomers to the series seems to be endless, there are a number of recognizable names that will look to launch their NASCAR career's in Greenville. Ben Kennedy - great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France - will launch his first full season at Greenville Pickens after one start in 2010. Then there's past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Bill Elliott's son, Chase, former crew chief and NASCAR on Fox analyst Larry McReynold's son, Brandon, and former Cup driver Robert Pressley's son, Coleman. Formation of X Team Racing: Led by successful crew chief Robert Huffman, and with strong ties to Toyota Racing Development, the newly-formed X Team Racing has already made a splash with its stable of drivers. A standout during the 2009 K&N Pro Series East season, Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Matt DiBenedetto will return to the series full-time with X Team this year. His teammate will be USAC standout Alex Bowman, and the plan is for Pressley to pilot a third car part-time. Who Makes History This Year?: With the minimum competition aged lowered to 15 in the offseason, Elliott stands to become the youngest driver to take the green flag in series history. Could he also surpass Brett Moffitt's mark as the series' youngest pole sitter, or Darrell Wallace Jr.'s record for youngest race winner? Both of those marks were established at Greenville Pickens. Women's Movement: The 2011 season-opener could potentially have two females take the green flag. Michelle Theriault has returned to the series for the first time since her 2007 rookie campaign while Ali Kern will also attempt to make the starting grid. The series could also see Sloan Henderson at some point in 2011. Five Years, Five Different Winners: Each of the first five K&N Pro Series East races have produced different pole and race winners. Will Moffitt be the first with multiple poles, will Wallace be the first to get a second trip to Victory Lane, or will the trend continue? The 2011 season is the 25th in series history. From its days as the Busch North Series, to the present-day NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, there are countless moments that have come to define the series. Each week we will take a look back at those moments and figures that have defined the series. Logano Launches: While he may have already had a win under his belt from the K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway, budding star Joey Logano launched his memorable 2007 K&N Pro Series East title run with an impressive performance at Greenville Pickens Speedway. The impact was immediate as the 16-year-old drove to the pole with a lap that still stands as the track record, then led 75 of the 150 laps for the first of his five triumphs en route to a record-shattering season that resulted in the championship.   Last Year's Event As with a number of the previous NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races at Greenville Pickens Speedway, last year's Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 was once again a history-maker. After Cole Whitt earned the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light in his first series start to get the festivities started, Darrell Wallace Jr. took the headlines in the end as he took the lead for the third and final time on the white flag lap and held on for the checkers. In his first race, Wallace made history on two fronts. Not only did he surpass Brett Moffitt's previous mark as the youngest race winner in K&N Pro Series East history, but he also became the first African-American to reach Victory Lane.   Up Next: South Boston150 For the fifth season in a row, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will visit South Boston (Va.) Speedway for the South Boston 150 on Saturday, April 16. The first four visits for the series to the famous Virginia short track have produced four-different winners. Matt Kobyluck was the victor in the inaugural 2007 event, followed by Brian Ickler in 2008. This year's event will feature the last two race winners as Brett Moffitt (2009) and Max Gresham (2010) will vie to become the first drivers to triumph multiple times at the fast half mile.