Gaulding Grabs Record-Setting Phoenix Victory
Gray Gaulding won the Casino Arizona 50 on Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway, while Derek Thorn was celebrating the series championship.
Derek Thorn celebrates his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship on Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway
Photo – Getty Images
From Lakeport, CA, Thorn earned his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship with a 15th-place finish – enough to hold off a trio of strong contenders. Cameron Hayley snagged second place by a mere six points, with 2011 series champion Greg Pursley in third (-16) and Michael Self taking fourth (-24). Anyone watching the series knows there has been a hot contest in the west with these four contenders exchanging the lead throughout the season.
The race began with a red flag on the first start after several cars collided on the frontstretch causing a lengthy time out to clean up the mess.
Gray Gaulding celebrates his first career win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series with a victory at Phoenix International Raceway
Photo – Getty Images
And to finish the race, Gaulding captured his victory when on the white flag, Cole Custer spun in turns three and four after some slight contact. It’s the first career win for the 15-year-old from Colonial Heights, VA, as he is now the youngest race winner in K&N West history at 15 years, 8 months and 30 days. He eclipses the mark of 16 years and 2 months established by Dylan Kwasniewski in August 2011.
Fellow NASCAR K&N Pro Series East driver and 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Jesse Little crossed the line in second followed by Hayley in third. David Mayhew came in fourth, followed by Brandon McReynolds in fifth.
Custer managed to finish sixth while Kelly Admiraal, Brett Thompson, Self and Cuzick rounded out the top-ten.
Thorn and NASCAR’s other 2013 touring champions, including K&N Pro Series East champion, Dylan Kwasniewski, will be honored at the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards ceremony on Saturday, December 14 at the Charlotte (NC) Convention Center in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Fans can watch the Casino Arizona 50 which is to air on FOX Sports 2 on November 17 at 11am ET.
Derek Thorn, and his competitors for the title – Cameron Hayley, and Greg Pursley – are our next guests on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR-NHRA Talk, on Monday, November 11th from 8:30-10pm ET. Fans can call 347-996-5176 during the LIVE broadcast to interact with our guests and the Fan4Racing panel.
