Thursday, July 7, 2016

Analyzing the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Stateline Speedway



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 6, 2016) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will be back in action at Idaho’s Stateline Speedway Saturday for the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150. Below is a look at the past performance of the series and selected drivers.

Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 Race Setup:
• The race is the seventh event on a 14-race series schedule and the only visit to the .250-mile track.
• Nine of the 19 drivers scheduled to compete this weekend raced in last year’s Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150.
• This will be the K&N Pro Series West’s third visit to the track since 1985.
• Ryan Partridge heads into the weekend first in the championship standings.

At Stateline Speedway:
History
• Stateline has hosted four previous events, 1974, 1985, 2014 and 2015. The Post Falls, Idaho facility sits approximately 21 miles east of Spokane, Washington.
• Stateline Speedway was built in 1974 by Bill Eberle. The .250-mile oval track also has a figure 8 track embedded and raised concrete grandstands to allow better sightlines for the fans.
• Jimmy Insolo won the first series event at Stateline on July 1, 1974, beating out Chuck Wahl and Ernie Stierly. The series returned 11 years later on July 7, 1985, when Jim Robinson beat Rueben Garcia, father of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East driver and NASCAR Next alumnus Ruben Garcia Jr., for the checkered flag.
• James Bickford has won the last two K&N Pro Series West events at the Idaho short track. He earned his first series win at the track in 2014, passing veteran Greg Pursley with four laps to go to take the win.

Notebook
• Braeden Havens is the only local driver slated to compete in the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150. Havens set the K&N Pro Series West track qualifying record in 2014.
• Jim Robinson is the only driver to lead every lap in a series race at Stateline, accomplishing the feat in 1985.
• James Bickford is the only driver to have won a K&N Pro Series West race on the pole at Stateline.

Stateline Data:
Race: #7 of 14 overall
Race Date: Saturday, July 9, 9 p.m. PT
Track Layout: .250-mile high banked oval
Race Length: 150 laps (37.5 miles)

Stateline Qualifying/Race Data:
2015 Winner: James Bickford
2015 Pole Sitter: James Bickford
1-Lap Qualifying Record: Braeden Havens, Chevrolet, 13.804 seconds (65.198 mph), July 12, 2014
150-Lap Race Record: Jim Robinson, Oldsmobile, 39 minutes 53 seconds (56.415 mph), July 7, 1985

Stateline Leaders:
Wins
James Bickford … 2
Jimmy Insolo … 1
Jim Robinson … 1

Poles
James Bickford … 1
Derrike Cope … 1
Sonny Easley … 1
Braeden Havens … 1

Laps Completed
Nicole Behar … 307
James Bickford … 307
David Mayhew … 307
Brandon McReynolds … 307
Rich DeLong III … 301

Laps Led
James Bickford … 155
Jim Robinson … 150
David Mayhew … 129

Select Driver Highlights:
Chris Eggleston (No. 50 NAPA Filters Toyota)
• Heads into the Toyota/NAPA 150 ranked third in the standings with two wins and five top fives.
• In his first start at Stateline last year, he finished 11th after starting fourth.
• At the series other .250-mile, Idaho’s Meridian Speedway, last season he finished fourth.

Todd Gilliland (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
• Is second in the championship standings with two wins and five top fives.
• This will be his first series start Stateline.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.

Noah Gragson (No. 7 SPEEDVEAGS/AlertID/Colliers International Ford)
• Is fourth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings with three top fives and four top 10s.
• He finished second at Stateline last season after starting 13th.
• At Meridian last season, he walked away with the win after starting on the pole.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.

Riley Herbst (No. 19 NAPA Batteries Toyota)
• Heads into the weekend ranked eighth with two top fives and four top 10s.
• This will be his first series start at the Post Falls, Idaho short track.
• Earned his best finish, fifth, the last time out at California’s Sonoma Raceway.

Julia Landauer (No. 54 Curb Records Toyota)
• Is sixth in the standings with two top fives and five top 10s.
• This will be her first K&N Pro Series West start at Stateline.
• Recorded her best finish, fifth, at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway and California’s Orange Show Speedway.

Matt Levin (No. 14 Risk Management Ford)
• Is ranked 10th in the standings headed into the weekend with three top 10s.
• He finished 14th at Stateline Speedway last season.
• At Meridian last year, he finished 12th after starting 19th.

Ron Norman (No. 30 Port of Tucson Ford)
• Is ninth in the standings with three top 10s.
• He finished sixth at Stateline last season after starting 14th.
• At the other .250-mile track on the schedule last year, Meridian, he finished 18th.

Ryan Partridge (No. 9 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Lucas Oil Ford)
• Heads into the weekend first in the championship standings with one win, five top fives and six top 10s.
• Last season at Stateline, he finished fourth after starting second.
• He finished 11th after starting seventh at Meridian Speedway last year.

Gracin Raz (No. 27 Montana Tech Ford)
• Is fifth in the K&N Pro Series West standings with three top fives and four top 10s.
• He finished third after starting eighth at Stateline last season.
• At Meridian last season, he finished sixth.

Cole Rouse (No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Lucas Oil Ford)
• Heads into the weekend ranked seventh in the standings with two top fives and five top 10s.
• This will be his first K&N Pro Series West start at Stateline and a .250-mile oval.
• Collected his best finish, third, at California’s Kern County Raceway Park.

Other Driver Notes:
• Braeden Havens is slated to make his 18th NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start, his first of 2016. He has two starts at Stateline Speedway and finished fourth (2014) and 18th (2015). Havens also set the series track qualifying record in 2014.
• Cole Moore is scheduled to make his second start of the year with Bill McAnally Racing. In his season debut at Colorado National Speedway, he finished 14th after starting third.

Up To Speed:
• The 2016 season is the 63rd for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
• The 2016 schedule features 14 races at 13 different tracks across eight states.
• Third-generation driver Todd Gilliland won the season opener at California’s Irwindale Speedway on March 19 after leading a total of 33 laps.
• Gilliland expanded his K&N Pro Series West win streak to three after winning the second race of the season at California’s Kern County Raceway Park.
• Ryan Partridge collected his first win of the year at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway after leading 127 laps.
• Chris Eggleston, the defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, picked up his first win of 2016 after gaining the lead with nine laps to go at California’s Orange Show Speedway.
• Eggleston made it two-for-two after leading 102 laps at his home track, Colorado National Speedway.
• Chase Elliott scored the first road course victory of the year at California’s Sonoma Raceway after passing Noah Gragson with two laps to go.