Eggleston, Defending K&N West Champ Scores Big Win at Orange Show Speedway

Chris Eggleston at 9:30 pm ET on Monday, May 23, 2016 Photo - Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images

Chris Eggleston at 9:30 pm ET on Monday, May 23, 2016 Photo – Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images

Chris Eggleston is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, May 23, 2016 at 9:30 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

Although Todd Gilliland and Ryan Partridge have dominated the news in this NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season, last year’s series’ champion made his own headline on Saturday night at Orange Show Speedway.

Driving for Bill McAnally Racing, Eggleston took the lead from Partridge with seven laps to go, chasing down his first win of the season in the Sunrise Ford 150. With that victory, the Erie, Colorado, driver of the No. 50 NAPA Filters Toyota made it clear, he’s also a contender for another championship title.

The win was the fourth career victory for Eggleston and his fourth top-five in as many races, moving him to within nine points of Gilliland for the series points lead.

When race leader Ryan Partridge spun on the tight quarter-mile trying to avoid a lap-down car, Eggleston took the lead, then held off Jefferson Pitts Racing teammates Gracin Raz and Noah Gragson — who finished second and third — on a green-white-checkered finish that pushed the race distance to 151 laps. Gilliland and Julia Landauer round out the top-five. Partridge managed a sixth-place finish after winning the Pole earlier in the day and leading most of the laps throughout the race.

It was Partridge’s first finish outside the top-five, but he remains within four points of Gilliland, the points leader and five points ahead of third-place, Eggleston in the standings.

Ron Norman finished seventh, followed by Matt Levin, Blaine Perkins and Jesse Iwuji.

This was the K&N Pro Series West’s first visit to the historic quarter-mile at Orange Show Speedway since September 23, 1978. The Sunrise Ford 150 will air on NBC Sports Network on Wednesday, May 25 at 6 pm ET.

Next up, the K&N West teams will head to Eggleston’s home track, Colorado National Speedway, for the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 on Saturday, June 11.