NASCAR K&N Pro Series Racer Dylan Kwasniewski Makes it Two in a Row at Montana Raceway Park
- 16 Aug 2011
The 16-year-old driver from Las Vegas became the youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series race at Colorado National Speedway. He followed his historic win with another one at Montana Raceway Park in a field that included two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip. Kwasniewski led a race-high 99 laps and won the eighth race of the season for Gene Price Motorsports.
"It was a fantastic race. I knew we had the car to beat right off the bat," Kwasniewski said. "Once we passed Greg we got a comfortable lead. We came out with another win which was awesome." Kwasniewski's Gene Price Motorsports teammate Greg Pursley has won six K&N Pro Series West races this year, giving the team eight wins in 11 races. Pursley set fast time and started on the pole. He led the first 51 laps of the Toyota/TTC 150 at Montana Raceway Park. Kwasniewski started the race in third and passed Pursley for the lead on lap 52. "He made a little bit of a mistake and we were able to get our nose in there and make a clean pass," Kwasniewski said. "Once we were ahead of everyone, we knew we were going to pull out a little bit and get a comfortable lead. And that's what we did." Once out front, Kwasniewski pulled away from the rest of the field and stayed out front over a caution free run to the checkered flag. There were only two cautions in the race, the last coming when Daryl Harr spun out on lap 41.
"I was definitely trying to push the limit at the beginning," Kwasniewski said. "I like having a comfortable lead, knowing that everyone else is far behind. Once we got out there and I knew that we had a straightaway lead, I kind of backed off a little bit." Cameron Hayley, in his K&N Pro Series West debut, was second. The 15-year-old from Calgary, Alberta, is the youngest driver to compete in a K&N Pro Series West race. "We just came out here with an open mind," said Hayley, who was driving one of four cars in the race for Bill McAnally Racing. "Rob (Dixon), my crew chief, had it dialed in ever since practice. We went out there and qualified seventh. We rolled around there for a bit at the beginning, just to save my tires. I experimented with different grooves to see what was going to be best at the end. We had something for Dylan, but we were just a little too far back." Eric Holmes was third and posted his sixth top-five finish of the season. "It was a tough race," Holmes said. "We had a decent car at the very, very beginning of the race and then Dylan got by us. Figured I'd just ride and save something for the end. Hoping for a late-race caution. We didn't get it." Pursley extended his lead in the K&N Pro Series West standings with a fourth-place finish. He has a 284-point lead over Moses Smith. Waltrip, driving for Bill McAnally Racing, was seventh. The Toyota/TTC 150 from Montana Raceway Park will be broadcast on Speed on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. ET. The next K&N Pro Series West race is at Spokane County Raceway in Washington on Sept. 3. 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. |
