K&N NASCAR Pro Series East Driver Sergio Pena Wins at South Boston Speedway in Virginia
- 20 Apr 2011
Pena, a NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver for Revolution Racing, burst on to the K&N Pro Series scene in 2010 when he won the pole and was the runner-up to Joey Logano in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. But his first full season in the K&N Pro Series East was far from stellar. He recorded only three top-10 finishes in 12 races and finished 12th in the final East Series standings. His best finish in 2010 was a sixth-place in the season opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. "This feeling is unbelievable," Pena said. "The Showdown was one feeling, but to win a race actually is a completely different deal."
Pena took the lead in the race at South Boston on lap 141, passing Moffitt who was out front by nearly three seconds before tangling with lapped traffic. Moffitt crashed with Michael Cherry with 10 laps to go in the race. "I was riding there third for a while," Pena said. "Brett Moffit, he checked out. He was definitely the car to beat. We were going through some lapped traffic. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I was a little bit too far behind. I think he got in to the back of someone.
On the ensuing restart, Pena took the lead and held off Matt DiBenedetto, who finished second, and Max Gresham in third. "We had a chance there. We just got a little too loose there in the last couple of laps," Gresham said. "Sergio's a great kid and we're good friends. I don't want to race him dirty and I'm happy for him." Moffitt was in search of his third K&N Pro Series East win in a row. He won the season opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway and the 2010 season finale at Dover Inernational Speedway in Delaware. He ended up in 24th after crashing. Darrell Wallace Jr. won the pole and led a race-high 73 laps. Moffitt passed Wallace for the lead on lap 74 and was out front for the next 67 laps. Wallace ended up in sixth place. Coleman Pressley was fourth followed by Ryan Gifford in fifth. It was Pressley's second top-five finish in as many races. Pena leads the K&N Pro Series East standings after two races. He is one point ahead of Pressley. DiBenedetto is third in the East Series standings, six points behind Pena. The next K&N Pro Series East race is at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia on April 28. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
