NASCAR K&N Pro Series East drivers are anxious to decide their points leader after K&N West driver, Todd Gilliland won their season opener at New Smyrna in February. Their wait is over with the Mobile 200 starting today at 3 pm ET at Mobile International Speedway.
Several contenders are ready to show their talent behind the wheel with hopes of taking over the points lead when the checkered flag waves today.
Spencer Davis heads into Mobile as the K&N East leader in the series standings. The rookie is overcoming a destroyed car after getting into an accident during the extra lap at New Smyrna. Despite those unfortunate circumstances, the 17-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native persevered and finished runner-up and the top K&N East driver.
Ronnie Bassett Jr. will also look to capitalize on his strong run at the opener. The 20-year-old Winston-Salem, North Carolina, driver crossed the finish line first after contact with race leaders Davis and Gilliland. However, per the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rule Book, the official finish of the race reverted back to the finish of lap 150, the advertised distance of the event and Bassett officially finished third.
Kyle Benjamin will also be in the hunt. The 18-year-old Easley, South Carolina, racer is coming off at fourth place finish at New Smyrna. Out of the three, he has an advantage having competed at Mobile twice in 2013 and 2014 with ARCA when he recorded second place finishes both times.
With all three having experience in the K&N East, any one of them could prove themselves as a threat this weekend.
Three drivers are looking for good finishes at Mobile. Dillon Bassett, Austin Theriault and Ruben Garcia Jr. are hoping to put their tough starts to the season behind them to rebound and begin their climb to championship contention. Garcia finished 21st while Theriault and Bassett finished 24th and 27th, in the opener at New Smyrna Speedway.
Cornett-Ching sees her experience last season as a competitive advantage this weekend. Sarah Cornett-Ching hopes her ARCA experience at Mobile International Speedway leads to success in the K&N East race today. The 25-year-old Summerland, British Columbia, driver competed at the Alabama oval last year in the ARCA Series and finished 14th after starting 11th. Cornett-Ching is one of a handful of K&N East drivers that have previous experience at Mobile.
HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks is counting on a better showing at Mobile after finishing fourth (Justin Haley), eighth (Tyler Dippel), 13th (Harrison Burton) and 29th (Hunter Baize) at the season opener. Burton is the only HScott driver with previous experience at Mobile, he won a Southern Super Series race there last year. A championship this season would make it three in a row for Harry Scott Jr. and the second consecutive championship title for HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks.
Dominique Van Wieringen is coming off a strong K&N Pro Series East debut at New Smyrna. The 21-year-old Amherstburg, Ontario, native started third and stayed in the top-five throughout the race until lap 91 when she was overtaken by the Bassett brothers. She managed to keep calm and finished tenth overall in her first K&N East start.
Rev Racing and Drive For Diversity veteran Collin Cabre led his team at New Smyrna. Cabre, who won his first series race at the Dover International Speedway finale last season, finished 11th at the Florida oval. His teammates finished 20th (Ali Kern), 21st (Ruben Garcia Jr.) and 23rd (Jairo Avila Jr.).
NASCAR Next member Jesse Little and series veteran Brandon Gdovic will make their season debuts this weekend. Little competed in six K&N East races last season and earned one win, two top-fives and two top-tens. In 43 starts, Little has registered two wins, 12 top-fives and 20 top 10-tens. Gdovic made one start last season at VIRginia International Raceway and finished 12th. In 48 series’ starts, he’s earned one win, nine top-fives and 21 top-tens.
The Mobile 150 is the second race of the 2016 K&N East season and is the second of 11 oval track events and 14 races overall on the schedule. This is the series’ inaugural visit to the Alabama oval.
The K&N East Mobile 150 starts at 3 pm ET today at Mobile International Speedway with NBC Sports Network showing the broadcast at a later date. Check your local listings for the date and time. Fans can also follow the Mobile 150 action at NASCAR Hometracks Race Central powered by Speed 51.