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LAS VEGAS — Hailie Deegan was not to be denied.

In what she called the biggest race of her season and her "rebound race," second wasn't going to be good enough.

Thanks to a last-lap pass, she didn't have to settle for a runner-up finish. The 17-year-old from Temecula, California, captured her second career win and opened up the 2019 K&N Pro Series West season in Victory Lane in the Star Nursery 100 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.

After having a pedal extension problem in her heat race forcing her to start ninth, she slowly and methodically worked her way into the top five by the lap 51 break. With some new tires and adjustments, she restarted third behind Derek Kraus and Jagger Jones.

Kraus was passed by Jones with 31 laps to go, and Deegan followed him through. But the No. 6 got smaller and smaller in her windshield, racing out to a four-second lead with 10 laps to go.

Just like she did before the midway break, she slowly reeled Jones in. As the white flag flew, Deegan was in striking distance of Jones. With the help of lapped traffic, the No. 19 dove to the inside, cleared Jones off Turn 2 and sped to the checkered flag.

"In the end we wouldn't have caught him if it weren't for the lapped cars," she said. "And they got in his way. If I was him, I'd be mad. Really mad. But some people’s losses are other people’s wins and we ended up getting it done. I knew what we had to do to win. I knew it was going to come down to the last lap again and we made it happen."

The NASCAR Next driver was not optimistic about her chances pre-race, saying her car was extremely ill-handling and the track wasn't conducive to her style of dirt racing. But in the downtime between the heat and 100-lap main, she did some homework and things changed.

"Mostly just me working on my lines," she said. "The line I was trying to run didn't work for my car, so I had to move around and find which line worked. Once we found that, fixed the car, the car was great. The track was still icy, and we still weren't good, but it was better than everyone else."

The thrill of victory for some is dichotomous with the agony defeat for others. In his first career K&N Pro Series West start, Jones seemed to be on his way to a victory.

Unfortunately for the 16-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, and his Sunrise Ford Racing team, circumstances dictated otherwise.

"Hailie definitely had a little more speed at the end," he said dejectedly. "But I think I would've held her off no problem, but lapped card cut me off, pushed me right into the tire on the last lap and Hailie was just able to get underneath me. Definitely wanted that win."

Jones wasn't upset with Deegan for the move. He was frustrated with Kenny Bumbera, who made life difficult for Jones on the final lap. When the door opened, Deegan kicked it down.

"Oh I think her move was fine," Jones said of Deegan's last lap maneuver. "I mean she didn't really do anything too bad. It's just the lapped car cut me off in front. It just pushed me up the track. Once that all happened she had a whole lane to herself. It was kind of given to her, which is unfortunate on the last lap. It just sucks sometimes."

Joey Tanner came home third in his first career series race for Jefferson Pitts Racing. Kody Vanderwal and Todd Souza rounded out the top five.

After leading a race-high 60 laps, Derek Kraus finished sixth with Trevor Huddleston, Travis Milburn, polesitter Austin Reed (led the first eight laps) and Matt Levin completing the top 10.

The Star Nursery 100 is scheduled to be broadcast on Tuesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. on NBCSN.

The next K&N Pro Series West event will take place Saturday, March 30 at Irwindale Speedway.

Contact:
Jason Christley
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications
(386) 310-6094
jchristley@nascar.com

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST-Star Nursery 100 Results
Thursday
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (8) Hailie Deegan, Temecula, Calif, Toyota, 100 laps, 57.526 mph.
2. (4) Jagger Jones, Scottsdale, Ariz., Ford, 100.
3. (15) Joey Tanner, Portland, Ore., Ford, 100.
4. (7) Kody Vanderwal, LaSalle, Colo, Chevrolet, 100.
5. (5) Todd Souza, Aromas, Calif., Toyota, 100.
6. (2) Derek Kraus, Stratford, Wis., Toyota, 100.
7. (12) Trevor Huddleston, Agoura Hills, Calif., Ford, 100.
8. (11) Travis Milburn, Eagle, Idaho, Ford, 100.
9. (1) Austin Reed, Mooresville, N.C., Toyota, 100.
10. (3) Matt Levin, Tucson, Ariz., Chevrolet, 100.
11. (16) Brittney Zamora, Kennewick, Wash., Toyota, 100.
12. (13) Kenny Bumbera, Sealy, Texas, Ford, 99.
13. (9) Rob Powers, Meridian, Idaho, Ford, 99.
14. (17) David Hibbard, Medford, Ore., Chevrolet, 99.
15. (18) Rich DeLong III, Santa Clarita, Calif., Chevrolet, 99.
16. (6) Tony Toste, Pismo Beach, Calif., Chevrolet, 99.
17. (14) Takuma Koga, Nagoya, Japan, Toyota, 97.
18. (10) Tim Spurgeon, Danville, Calif., Chevrolet, 27, accident.
19. (19) Taylor Canfield, San Diego, Calif., Chevrolet, 1, electrical.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 52 minutes 9 seconds
Margin of Victory: .385 seconds
Caution Flags: 5 for 21 laps.
Lead Changes: 3 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: A. Reed 1-8; D. Kraus 9-68; J. Jones 69-99; H. Deegan 100.
Standings: 1. H. Deegan, 47; 2. J. Jones, 43; 3. J. Tanner, 41; 4. K. Vanderwal, 40; 5. D. Kraus, 40; 6. T. Souza, 39; 7. T. Huddleston, 37; 8. T. Milburn, 36; 9. A. Reed, 36; 10. M. Levin, 34.

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The following is an editorial piece by site owner/administrator, Matthew Sullivan. The opinions expressed belong solely to the author and do not represent views of any other reporter, race track or sanctioning body.

Last night's NASCAR K&N West Series Star Nursery 100 should have been a celebratory moment for many reasons. It was the first time since 1979 that the West Series raced on a non-paved surface and the first opportunity to see how current day NASCAR stock cars would fair on the dirt in a competitive environment.

Instead of talking about the race, most will remember the race for the failure by those in charge of the speedway and NASCAR for failing to provide a track that could actually be raced on in a safe manner.

The event was heavily advertised going into Thursday night as being the "first" ever dirt race for the NASCAR K&N West Series. As previously noted, the series did in fact race on dirt with the last race tacking place at at the famed yet long-gone Ascot Park half-mile in Gardena, California on September 8, 1979. Bill Schmitt won the 100-lap race over Jim Robinson and Jim Hopkinson.

In fact, what was then known as the Winston West Series regularly raced on the dirt. The first year of Winston's sponsorship for the series in 1971 saw four dirt events on the schedule of the 26-race season. In 1972, the number of dirt events expanded to six races and got as high as seven in 1974 and 1975. When the West Series debuted in 1954 as the Pacific Coast Late Model Division, all nine races on the schedule were held at dirt tracks.

Promoting the Thursday night race as being "the first" dirt race in the history of the K&N West Series seemed to be a major slap in the face to the drivers of yesteryear and to the fans who watched and supported those races. It may not be important in the grand-scheme of things but little circumstances like that have combined to be a big over-all reason why NASCAR's popularity has dwindled over the years.

When NASCAR announced during the off-season that the K&N West Series would be racing on the dirt it immediately became a high-profile event. NASCAR fans have seen the Camping World Truck Series race at the Eldora Speedway half-mile and have been clamoring for another dirt event ever since the truck series debuted there in 2013. Many were eager to see the race and how the racing on the Vegas half-mile would compare to the action Eldora has seen.

The problem was unless you were at the dirt track in Vegas, you couldn't watch the race.

No the highly anticipated event was not broadcast live anywhere outside of Facebook and Twitter video feeds among friends. While the race will eventually be televised on NBCSN on Friday September 21, the excitement and anticipation to actually see the race will fade. Talk about a lost opportunity.

Young up and coming female driver, Hailie Deegan made history by setting fast time for the Star Nursery 100. Besides being the first driver to set the bench mark for future K&N events at the Las Vegas Dirt Track, she became the first female in series history to earn pole position honors. It was a great and historic moment for many reasons.

The heat races went off without major issues but then the 100-lap feature happened.

Deegan led the field to the green flag but the race was immediately slowed when Todd Souza and Michael Kofoid spun in the first turn. The race resumed on lap six but it immediately became apparent that the track was not properly prepared for the race. Dust and dirt in the air are regular sites at any dirt race but the amount that was being sent up in the air was dangerous to the competitors. Three-cars wrecked on lap nine going into the first turn with several others getting damage because they couldn't see. In fact, drivers were driving through the infield believing they were on the racing surface when were not. After the incident, officials red-flagged the event and had the drivers pull off the surface so they could properly prep the track for the remainder of the race.

Why wasn't the track prepped and ready before the action started? According to Matt Weaver of Autoweek Magazine, the surface is rarely watered because of high-water costs. So instead of having the track surface sufficiently prepared for the 100-lap race, drivers raced on a circuit that was completely unsafe for competition.

After the track was properly set-up to race on, the rest of the race ran smooth. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Christopher Bell put on a show by driving through the field to the lead in a hood-less car only to be black flagged on a late restart violation. ARCA points leader, Sheldon Creed held off late race charges by Derek Thorn and Deegan to take his first West Series victory in his third career start.

What should have been an historic event will be remembered for all the wrong reasons because of errors that required only basic sense. Las Vegas Speedway Dirt Track officials and NASCAR should be embarrassed and ashamed that they allowed the event to start on a surface that was dangerous and unsafe for the competitors and each share equally in receiving blame. Both the NASCAR West and East Series are struggling to draw cars every week. With only nine drivers attempting to race the full West schedule and the starting fields having 15 cars or less in stand-alone events, big mistakes like this only make things tougher for the series to succeed.

As race fans, we can only hope that the mistakes made last night will serve as a lesson learned and next season's potential event on the Vegas dirt will be bigger and better. Failure to do so will only further injure a series that appears to be on wobbly legs.

Sheldon Creed celebrates with the fans following his Star Nursery 100 victory at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, his first career K&N win. (Nigel Kinrade, NKP)

Via NASCAR Media

LAS VEGAS — It ain’t over until the checkered flag flies.

Sheldon Creed proved that on Thursday evening at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, as he won the Star Nursery 100 to earn the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series victory of his young career.

He inherited the top spot when dirt track ace and NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Christoper Bell was black flagged for a restart violation with five laps to go while leading. Bell had driven through the field after suffering early contact and was cruising when a late caution gave Creed the opportunity to grab the win.

Creed was able to hold off a hard-charging Hailie Deegan in overtime to earn the victory in the No. 40 United Rentals Chevrolet for Levin Racing.

“It’s pretty cool,” Creed said of his first win in the series. “We got close once or twice last year. Led Dover until like 20 to go and blew a tire. I thought we gave a couple away last year, so it’s really cool to come here this year and finish it off.”

Creed’s previous best K&N Pro finish came last season at California’s Orange Show Speedway (second) and had three top fives and four top 10s coming into the 100-lap dirt event. He leads the championship standings in the ARCA Racing Series driving for MDM Motorsports, and was able to bring his crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz to Last Vegas with the Levin Racing team, a smaller organization that doesn’t see Victory Lane that often.

“This whole deal was last minute,” Creed said. “I was going (run this race) with Jefferson Pitts Racing earlier in the year when we talked about it and then things changed. Levin Racing was kind of the only car open and JPR mentioned it to us. Pretty cool to put this together two weeks ago, they did everything we wanted. Just super thankful for them.”

Hailie Deegan became the first female to win a pole in the history of the K&N Pro Series, East or West, earlier in the day. She won her heat and led 13 laps but came up one spot short for the second time this season.

“It was a struggle,” Deegan said of the 100-lap event. “I knew it was going to be a struggle from the get-go, but that was difficult. I just kept overdriving it from the initial start. I dropped back, jammed the shifter from third to fourth … and I think we chipped some teeth off the gears or something because it kept popping out of fourth every other lap or so. We had to battle that all night.”

The 17-year-old Temecula, Calif. native and NASCAR Next driver had a shifter issue midway through the race which forced her to fall back outside the top 10. But once her Bill McAnally Racing team resolved the issue under the halfway break, the No. 19 Mobil 1/NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota came back to life.

“In the end we fought back,” she said. “I think with another lap or two, we definitely could have had him. … I knew I was in the best position to strike. I expected Sheldon to overdrive the first corner a little more, but he’s good driver, he’s done this before, he’s raced ARCA on dirt. He knows to protect that last corner. He knew what do to and drove a smart race.”

Derek Thorn overcame a spin early on to finish third and extend his championship points lead to 31 over Sunrise Ford teammate Ryan Partridge. Cole Keatts overcame a crash in the early going to finish fourth and NASCAR national series veteran and former West champion Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top five.

Cole Rouse, Trevor Huddleston, Partridge, Matt Levin and Bell competed the top 10. Derek Kraus finished 17th after spinning twice due to flat tires and hitting the wall late. His second spin on Lap 94 set up the final restart.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will take a week off before visiting Meridian Speedway in Idaho for the NAPA Auto Parts Idaho 208 on Saturday September 29.

The Star Nursery 100 is scheduled to air Friday September 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Contact:
Jason Christley
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications
(386) 310-6094
jchristley@nascar.com

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST-Star Nursery 100 Results
Thursday
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nev.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) Sheldon Creed, El Cajon, Calif., Chevrolet, 102 laps, 40.746 mph.
2. (1) Hailie Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Toyota, 102.
3. (3) Derek Thorn, Lakeport, Calif., Ford, 102.
4. (12) Cole Keatts, Lewiston, Idaho, Ford, 102.
5. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, Nev, Toyota, 102.
6. (4) Cole Rouse, Fort Smith, Ark., Toyota, 102.
7. (10) Trevor Huddleston, Agoura Hills, Calif., Ford, 102.
8. (5) Ryan Partridge, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Ford, 102.
9. (18) Matt Levin, Tucson, Ariz., Chevrolet, 102.
10. (7) Christopher Bell, Norman, Okla., Toyota, 102.
11. (17) Austin Reed, Mooresville, N.C., Toyota, 102.
12. (21) Vanessa Robinson, Las Cruces, N.M., Ford, 102.
13. (20) Bill Kann, Scottsdale, Ariz., Chevrolet, 102.
14. (16) Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, Ford, 102.
15. (24) David Hibbard, Chevrolet, 99.
16. (14) Takuma Koga, Nagoya, Japan, Chevrolet, 97.
17. (2) Derek Kraus, Stratford, Wis., Toyota, 93, accident.
18. (19) Todd Souza, Aromas, Calif., Toyota, 82.
19. (22) Tim Spurgeon, Danville, Calif., Chevrolet, 68, electrical.
20. (9) Kody Vanderwal, LaSalle, Colo, Ford, 59.
21. (15) Michael Kofoid, Chevrolet, 51, mechanical.
22. (23) Rich DeLong III, Santa Clarita, Calif., Chevrolet, 17, accident.
23. (8) Buddy Shepherd, Bakersfield, Calif., Ford, 8, accident.
24. (13) Hollis Thackeray, Gridley, Calif., Toyota, 8, accident.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 15 minutes 6 seconds
Margin of Victory: .623 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: H.Deegan * (84.392 mph, 21.329 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 41 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D. Kraus 1-5; H. Deegan 6; D. Kraus 7; H. Deegan 8-19; D. Kraus 20-44; C. Rouse 45-59; D. Thorn 60; C. Rouse 61; S. Creed 62-68; C. Bell 69-95; S. Creed 96-102.
Standings: 1. D. Thorn, 465; 2. R. Partridge, 434; 3. C. Rouse, 430; 4. D. Kraus, 423; 5. T. Huddleston, 392; 6. H. Deegan, 391; 7. K. Vanderwal, 377; 8. M. Levin, 317; 9. T. Koga, 303; 10. T. Souza, 237.

Hailie Deegan is one of the few K&N Pro drivers with experience racing on dirt heading into Thrusday's big race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Jonathan Moore/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Via NASCAR Media

It’s time to get dirty. Literally.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will race on dirt. The Star Nursery 100 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track has been a talking point of drivers, fans and teams for months.

And why wouldn’t be? The impending duel in the desert will be one of the few NASCAR-sanctioned dirt track races in the last couple decades to take place and the first one in the series since 1979 at Ascot Park in Gardena, California.

Reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from Eldora Speedway whenever the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes their midsummer trip to the Rossburg, Ohio, oval. It’s something different. It bucks the trend.

Tim Richter, Short Tracks Racing Operations Manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has been spearheading the preparation of the half-mile dirt track. In addition to ensuring the event has a special feel like Eldora, he’s also making sure the desert heat doesn’t dry out the 10-degree oval.

“It’s been really good,” Richter said of the track preparation. “We’re ending our second week of prep on it. We started the last Sunday of August with water, and that was three full days of getting moisture to make the ground workable. It’s been a process, but the track is really looking good. We’re looking smooth and we’re excited for the challenge with these K&N cars on the dirt track.”

Having full-bodied stock cars race around the track compared to much lighter, smaller cars is going to be the biggest obstacle for the track to navigate.

“The K&N cars don’t have the suspension the traditional dirt cars do,” Richter explained. “Asphalt cars are 50/50 hooking up with the left rear or right rear (tire). So using K&N cars, which are more traditionally asphalt cars, on the dirt track is a challenge.”

“The dirt can’t be too heavy, mud can’t get on the windshield so they can’t see. That’s the challenge for us, making the right mixture of moisture and hardness to where they can get a decent racing surface.”

Current K&N Pro Series West championship points leader Derek Thorn admits he’s no dirt ace. And due to the expected high influx of entries, he just wants to get through it unscathed.

“If we can get through the dirt race—there’s going to be probably 30 cars out there and probably 15-20 are going to be out there to have a good time, and then 10-15 of us are going to be out there racing for points,” Thorn said. “I feel like that’s another bullet to dodge, so to speak.”

His champion crew chief and series veteran Bill Sedgwick agrees with his driver, hoping to leave Las Vegas with the car in one piece and the points lead intact.

“I’m not looking forward to it, but at the same time I’ve sat down with Derek and we have a gameplan going into it,” Sedgwick said of the Star Nursery 100 this upcoming Thursday evening. “We’re going to go there, unload and run 100 laps if we can. We’ll look at where the chips fall. Dirt racing isn’t one of our strongholds … but I think if we go in there with a good attitude and just try to stay out of trouble, we’ll tally up the points at the end.”

Thorn’s Sunrise Ford teammate, Ryan Partridge, sits second in the championship standings 25 markers behind the No. 6, and understands the event could either help rejuvenate his quest for a title, or sink his hopes.

“It could be a catastrophic night for a couple of people and I’m sure it will be,” Partridge said. “I’m pretty sure 90 percent of the field in the West Series aren’t dirt racers. I’ve been doing what I can as far as getting some dirt experience. I’ve ran a couple races at Perris Auto Speedway which is a half mile dirt track in southern California. Just trying to get my feet wet and a better understanding of dirt. What you have to do because the track is always changing, how setup applies, all that stuff. Trying to prepare the best we can.”

One driver that’s been eyeing this race for a while is Bill McAnally Racing Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Hailie Deegan, who has an extensive background racing on dirt.

“That track is definitely one that I’ve been excited for,” Deegan said. “I felt like Iowa was more of my driving style pavement wise, but hopefully I can do well at the dirt track … I feel like I can come out there and do really well. I’m hoping. It’s going to be either really good or really bad.”

Richter said feedback from the higher-ups at the speedway, fans in the community and drivers preparing to compete has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Everybody’s excited,” Richter said. “When it first was announced, you had your skeptics that didn’t know if it was going to work. Now that it’s getting close and coming to fruition, it’s really like ‘oh wow, this is something that’s going to be a spectacle.’ You’re going to want to be here you, want to experience it.”

The Star Nursery 100 from the Las Vegas Dirt Track is scheduled to go green at 8 p.m. ET local time on Thursday September 13.

Christoper Bell and Brendan Gaughan will make their returns to the K&N Pro Series West on Thursday, both driving for Bill McAnally Racing. Gaughan will have his crew chief who led him to back-to-back titles in 2000-01, Shane Wilson, atop the pit box. Bell, who is third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, made a pair of K&N Pro West starts in 2015.

Tim Ward, David Hibbard, Michael Kolfoid and South African Arnout Kok are all making their K&N Pro Series West debuts. Ward is an IMCA dirt modified driver from Iowa with 44 wins to his credit, and will be drivin the No. 36 Stoney’s Rockin Country/Sams Town Gambling Hall Ford for car owner and former NFL star Shawne Merriman. Hibbard, from Oregon, also has extensive dirt experience. In July, he won his fifth 25-lap Kendall Oil Sprint main event of the season at Southern Oregon Speedway. Teenager Michael “Buddy” Kofoid is a rising star in the dirt sprint scene as well. The 16-year-old recently won 29th Annual Bob’s Burgers and Brew Summer Nationals at Skagit Speedway in Oregon. Kok is competing for Obaika Racing, owned by Nigerian entrepreneur Victor Obaika.

Like Deegan, Cole Keatts has off-road dirt experience. The 17-year-old previously competed in the Red Bull Global Rally Cross Series among his various racing pursuits. He has three top 10s in three K&N Pro starts this year, including a sixth-place run at Washington’s Evergreen Speedway.

Buddy Shepherd is also back behind the wheel for Jefferson Pitts Racing after making five series starts (with two top fives and four top 10s) from 2015-2017. The 18-year-old from Bakersfield, California, is coming off a big money, asphalt Late Model win win as he took down $10,000 in the JM Enviromental Highline 150 last weekend at All American Speedway in Roseville, California.

Vanessa Robinson will make her sixth career series start and fourth this season. Her best finish in 2018 came at her home track of Tucson Raceway (fifth). The New Mexico driver raced in the Super Late Model Division at Tucson in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and was the 2015 Arizona state Rookie of the Year.

Via NASCAR Media

The stars of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West are in the middle of a tight race for the championship, but have at least two obstacles looming ahead of them in Thursday’s Star Nursery 100. Teams will take to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track — an event that will put those with prior dirt experience at the front of the list of favorites, while some others could be faced with their toughest challenge of the season.

The series regulars will also have to deal with NASCAR Xfinity Series stars who will invade the K&N Pro Series once again looking to steal the trophy in the inaugural event.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST AT LAS VEGAS DIRT TRACK

With just four races remaining in the points championship schedule, Bob Bruncati Motorsports looks to be in prime position to have one of their drivers hold the trophy. And with two wins in his pocket, Derek Thorn leads the standings by 25 points over teammate Ryan Partridge as their battle brings them to a dirt track for the first time.

But they may not be the favorites to score the checkered flag going into the race on Thursday. NASCAR Xfinity Series star Christopher Bell will be back in K&N Pro Series competition for the first time since 2015, and his return comes behind the wheel of a car for Bill McAnally Racing. In two previous starts for the team, Bell has a best finish of second, but he has dirt racing experience — and a lot of it — in his background. Bell won the 2015 edition of the “Dirt Derby” for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Eldora Speedway.

Racing alongside Bell will be another former Xfinity Series regular, Brendan Gaughan. Much like Bell, Gaughan has dirt experience in his background, and he will look to steal the trophy driving for BMR as well.

Derek Kraus, who is coming off a win at Gateway Motorsports Park and is four points back of Partridge, will look to begin a perfect stretch of finishes as he looks to close the gap to the top of the standings in the final four events.

Fans will have the opportunity to meet some of NASCAR’s top stars as part of an autograph session at 6 p.m. — including Monster Energy Cup Series drivers Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch.

RACE FACTS

RACE
STAR NURSERY 100

PLACE
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track

DATE
Thursday, September 13

TIME
8 p.m. PT (approx.)

TELEVISION
NBCSN, Friday, Sept. 21, 2:30 p.m.

TRACK LAYOUT
Half-mile dirt track

2017 WINNER
Inaugural Event

2017 POLE
Inaugural Event

EVENT SCHEDULE
Thursday: Garage Opens: 12:15-1 p.m., Final Practice: 1:15-2 p.m., Qualifying: 4 p.m., Qualifying Heat Race 1: 6 p.m., Heat 2: 6:10 p.m., Heat 3: 6:20 p.m., Heat 4: 6:30 p.m., Last Chance Qualifier: 7:15 p.m., Star Nursery 100: 8 p.m.

TWITTER
@LVMotorSpeedway

HASHTAG
#StarNursery100, #KNWest

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 26 cars, including provisional positions. The first 22 cars will secure starting positions based on the group qualifying session for the STAR NURSERY 100, while the remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process.

NASCAR group qualifying is in place for this event. Qualifying order will be determined by each vehicle’s fastest single lap from the official practice session(s). The number of groups will be determined by NASCAR. Each group qualifying session will be five (5) minutes in duration. Adjustments of repairs may not be made on a vehicle after the vehicle enters the track to begin the qualifying session. Vehicles may not return to the track or make any further qualifying laps unless directed to do so by a NASCAR official or in the event of a caution. If a vehicle returns to pit road, the vehicle’s qualifying attempt is complete. Once a vehicle’s qualifying attempt is complete, the vehicle must proceed directly to the designated impound area once it enters pit road. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicles must qualify on race set up.

Starting positions for the qualifying races will be set by each vehicle’s fastest lap in group qualifying. The fastest qualifier will be in position number 1 in the first qualifying heat race, second fastest qualified will be in position 1 for the second qualifying heat race, third fastest qualifier will be in position 1 for the third qualifying heat race, fourth fastest qualifier will be in position 1 for the fourth qualifying heat race. All other positions for the qualifying heat races will be determined in the same manner. The top five finishing positions from the qualifying heat races will advance to the feature event. All positions beyond 5th place in the qualifying heat races will move to the last chance qualifier. Positions from the last chance qualifier will be determined by finishing position in the qualifying heat races. The top two finishers from the last chance qualifier will advance to the feature event.

The STAR NURSERY 100 will be 100 laps (50 miles). It will be run in two (2) segments. There will be a five (5) minute break at or near the conclusion of lap 50. Once the yellow flag is displayed, the caution vehicle will pick up the field and once pit road is open, vehicles electing to pit may enter. No work is to be performed until advised by NASCAR officials. A maximum of four (4) uniformed crew members will be allowed in the vehicle servicing area. The caution vehicle will roll at the five (5) minute mark and any vehicle that is not on the track may be assessed a penalty. At the end of the break, vehicles will line up with lead lap vehicles to the front. Lead lap vehicles that elected to pit will line up behind the lead lap vehicles that elected not to pit in the order of running. The four (4) tires in your pit can only be installed during the break. During the break teams will be allowed to change four (4) tires and add fuel. Fuel may only be added during the break.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Four (4) tires for practice, four (4) tires for qualifying and to begin the race and four (4) additional tires to use during the break for a total of twelve (12) tires.