Gilliland Wins Sixth K&N Pro Series West Race of Season, Leads Points Race
- 30 Sept 2016
NASCAR Next driver Todd Gilliland won the K&N Pro Series West race at Meridian Speedway in Idaho and took a commanding lead in the K&N Pro Series West standings. Two women drivers finished on the podium. “We started the year not too great at the real tiny, quarter-mile tracks,” Gilliland said. “I think that showed at Orange Show where we finished fourth. Then going back to Stateline Speedway, then here, and getting two wins. I feel like we’ve been strong everywhere we’ve gone.”
Gilliland took the lead on a green-white-checkered flag finish in the NAPA Auto Parts/Idaho 208. The race was extended eight laps because of a multicar crash five laps from the scheduled end. Ryan Partridge, who won the pole, his third in a row and fifth of the season, spun out during the green-white-checker finish. He led a race-high 173 laps and was in the lead on lap 214. Gilliland passed Partridge on lap 215 and took the checkered flag for his sixth win of the season. Gilliland and Partridge battled for most of the race. Partridge was out front for the first 60 laps. Gilliland took the lead on lap 135 and was out front for 28 laps. Partridge regained the lead on lap 164, but the crash on lap 203 brought out a red caution flag.
When the race resumed, Partridge spun out. By the time he recovered, Gilliland won the race and Partridge crossed the finish line in 11th place. Gilliland has won seven races in his rookie season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. He also won the season opener in the K&N Pro Series East at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. “It feels amazing,” Gilliland said. “That’s something we definitely wouldn’t have imagined going into this year. I think we set our goals saying we wanted to win a race in the whole season and finish in the top 10 in points. Now we find ourselves six wins in and in the points lead going in to the last race, it’s really crazy.”
NASCAR Next driver Julia Landauer was second, her best career finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. It matched the best finish by a woman driver in the history of the K&N Pro Series West. “This was a rough little ride,” Landauer said. “We started eighth, it wasn’t where we wanted to start. But just kept picking them off. The outside line was definitely really good on the restarts. That’s where I did really well. “This is by far the best the car has been all season. We’ve worked really hard. I’m super psyched. I want to get the win at Roseville now.”
Nicole Behar, a NASCAR Next alum making her third K&N Pro Series West start of the season, was third. She has three top-10 finishes in her three K&N Pro Series West races. “It was a pretty rough race,” Behar said. “Just tried to stay out of the crashes and the incidents in the beginning. I think the main part was just staying out of the crashes, try to save your stuff and be there at the end. I think that’s what we did. “It got rough in the end, but we held on and came away with a third-place finish.”
Gilliland has a 25-point lead over Partridge in the K&N Pro Series West standings with one race remaining. Noah Gragson is third in the K&N Pro Series West standings, 46 points behind Gilliland. Gracin Raz is fourth and Landauer is fifth in the K&N Pro Series West standings. “We were able to capitalize on a small there mistake by (Partridge) and we were able to get the win,” Gilliland said. “It’s goes to feel good going into Roseville knowing that we are in control.” The K&N Pro Series West season finale is at All American Speedway in California on Oct. 15. |
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