Chris Eggleston at 9:30 pm ET on Monday, November 16, 2015. Photo – Getty Images
Chris Eggleston is our guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, November 16, 2015 at 9:30 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite @Sal_Sigala or @beberly18 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
With just 12 points separating the top-four drivers before the start of the Casino Arizona 100 at Phoenix International Raceway, leader Chris Eggleston did what he needed to bring his team owner his sixth championship title by the end of the NASCAR K&N West season finale.
Finishing 11th, Eggleston put his No. 99 team in position to win his first K&N West title ending his 2015 championship bid against some tough competitors.
Todd Gilliland won the race, making him the youngest winner in series history at just 15 years of age. He is the son of Sprint Cup Series driver, David Gilliland, who drove his car to the same victory lane ten years ago.
The younger Gilliland was born in 1999, the first year McAnally won a K&N West title with Sean Woodside. The organization added championships with Brendan Gaughan in 2000 and 2001 and Eric Holmes in 2008 and 2010.
Eggleston, the 26-year-old from Erie, Colorado, added his name to the Bill McAnally Racing championship roster at Phoenix. NASCAR K&N East champion William Byron finished second, followed by Eggleston’s teammate, Brandon McReynolds in third.
Making three starts with Bill McAnally Racing last year, Eggleston’s first race came at his home track, Colorado National Speedway, and ended in his first career NASCAR victory. That led to two more starts at Iowa and Phoenix, allowing the relationship to extend into a full season schedule in 2015.
Entering the 2015 finale with just a four-point lead over Rookie of the Year candidate Noah Gragson, Eggleston had another pair of rookies Gracin Raz and Ryan Partridge within 12 points of his lead. Unfortunately, Eggleston was not eligible for the series’ rookie of the year honors as he had run six Camping World Truck Series races between 2010-2014.
Eggleston did what he needed Thursday night by keeping his challengers in the rear-view mirror. After qualifying 15th — second behind Partridge among contenders — he passed Partridge before the halfway break and kept his car out of trouble while picking up positions.
Gragson finished 14th, putting him seven points behind Eggleston in the championship standings (512-505). Partridge at 12th, finished with 499 points, while Raz had a motor issue, leading to a 24th-place finish and ten points behind Partridge.
Watch the Casino Arizona 100 on NBCSN this Thursday, November 19th at 7 pm ET.
Eggleston and the top K&N West drivers will receive honors at the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards at the Charlotte Convention Center/NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, December 12th.