Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Two Races In Two Days At UMC Could Have Big Title Implications



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2016) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will return to Utah Motorsports Campus, formerly Miller Motorsports Park, this weekend for an action-packed doubleheader.

The series last visited the 3.048-mile road course in 2014 with David Mayhew taking home the trophy after leading only seven laps.

The track has celebrated many other notable winners, such as two-time NASCAR Pinty’s Series champion Andrew Ranger and K&N Pro Series West champion Greg Pursley, who won three back-to-back events at the track.

The double-header will be the first series’ event held at the track since it closed in 2014. It opened at the start of the season under new ownership.

The Saturday and Sunday races should prove to hold the same excitement as Todd Gilliland and Ryan Partridge continue their back-and-forth battle for the championship. The two are separated by only five points (424-419) and have held the top two spots for all but one race and have collected seven wins in the 10 races so far.

Gilliland will look for some road course redemption, after he lost the points lead when he got caught up in a wreck on Lap 1 during the series last road-course race at California’s Sonoma Raceway.

Should a similar misfortune strike at Salt Lake City for the two leaders, defending champion Chris Eggleston sits just 19 points back in third and five drivers are within 21 points of his spot.

RACE: Utah 110 Presented by Ken Garff Volvo (Saturday, Sept. 10) and UMC 110 presented by Ken Garff Volvo (Sunday, Sept. 11)
PLACE: Utah Motorsports Campus
TV SCHEDULE: NBCSN, Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 ET/8 p.m. MT
TRACK: 3.048-mile road course
2015 WINNER: Did not race
2015 POLE SITTER: Did not race
EVENT SCHEDULE: Saturday – Garage opens: 8 a.m.; Practice: 9:20-10:50 a.m.; Qualifying: 1:15 p.m.; Driver Introductions: 4:30 p.m.; Utah 110 presented by Ken Garff Volvo: 5 p.m.; Sunday – Garage opens: 8 a.m.; Practice: 10-11 a.m.; Driver Introductions: 1:45 p.m.; UMC 110 presented by Ken Garff Volvo: 2:15 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT: John Gardner, john.gardner@umcampus.com, (435) 277-8000
EVENT HASHTAG: #UtahDoubleheader
NASCAR IMC CONTACT: Brooke Franceschini, (386) 631-6142, bfranceschini@nascar.com

Fast Facts:
The Race: The Utah doubleheaders will be the 10th and 11th races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule. It’s the second and third of three road-course events and 14 races overall this season. This will be the series’ ninth visit to the facility.

The Procedure: The starting field for both races is 30 cars. The first 26 cars will be determined by qualifying with the remaining four slots being awarded through the provisional process. Saturday’s qualifying will be determined through NASCAR Road Race Style, group qualifying, while Sunday’s field will be determined by a driver’s fastest lap in Saturday’s race.

The Track: Was originally created as a novelty track for Larry H. Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz, and various car dealerships to use as a personal playground. It was opened to the public in April 2006. The Full Course is a 23-turn, 4.486-mile road circuit that runs counterclockwise. The additional tracks can be configured from the larger course.

The Records: Qualifying: Greg Pursley, Ford, 117.250 (mph), Sept. 13, 2014. Race: 36 Laps – Greg Pursley, Ford, 1 hour 24 minutes 26 seconds, 77.975 mph, Sept. 12, 2010.

Utah Motorsports Campus Notes:
Can The Gene Price Success Continue With JPR?: Greg Pursley won three consecutive races at Utah Motorsports Campus, then Miller Motorsports Park, with Gene Price Racing from 2010-2012. Fast forward four years later and the team is heading back to the track as the second-year team Jefferson Pitts Racing. Drivers Noah Gragson and Gracin Raz will look to use their past road course success to their advantage to keep climbing up the championship standings.

Gilliland & Eggleston Look For Road Course Rebound: Bill McAnally Racing teammates Todd Gilliland and Chris Eggleston are eager to get back on a road course. At the series last road course race at Sonoma Raceway, both drivers had strong practice and qualifying sessions before getting caught up in a multi-car wreck shortly after the green flag. The teammates and championship contenders will look to have better success Saturday and Sunday.

Ford Success: Ford drivers will look to build upon the manufacturer’s success at Utah Motorsports Campus this weekend. In the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West’s eight visits to the track, Ford has won five of those events. With six of the 22 cars slated to compete being Fords, Ryan Partridge being one of them, there’s a good chance for Ford to return to Victory Lane.

Track Deals: Utah Motorsports Campus has two great deals going on during this weekend’s doubleheader. County residents will receive a 50% discount and all military members and first responders will get two free tickets.