Bill McAnally Racing has had a remarkable start to the 2016 season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, including trips to Victory Lane in the first two series races – along with winning the pole award for both events.
The four BMR drivers who are running the full K&N West schedule this year have all experienced early-season success, with each of them finishing in the top 10 in the first two races. In the most recent event, three of the drivers finished in the top five.
All four are focused on maintaining their momentum as the series heads to Tucson (Arizona) Speedway this week for the NAPA AUTO PARTS / Wildcat 150 on Saturday. It will mark the 14th series event hosted by the 3/8-mile short track.
“Everyone at BMR is excited about the start we’ve had to the season,” said BMR President Bill McAnally. “We’ve got a very talented lineup of drivers, matched up with four teams of top-caliber crew members.”
“All four teams are working in unison to achieve the goals we’ve set for this season,” said McAnally, who as a car owner has a record tying six series championships.
“The drivers and teams pull together to help each other, with an aim to deliver our racing partners and fans with the best performance possible,” he said.
Defending series champion Chris Eggleston, who finished ninth last year in the series race at Tucson, is in his second full season of series competition – driving the No. 50 NAPA Filters / H2O Fire Protection Toyota Camry. The Erie, Colorado driver is coming off a fifth-place finish last month at Kern County Raceway Park in California. He is third in the championship standings, with two top-five finishes to begin his season.
No series rookie has garnered as much early season attention as Todd Gilliland. The 15-year-old from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina opened his freshman year by winning the first two races in the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry. Gilliland has three consecutive K&N West wins, extending back to his series debut in last season’s final race. He leads the championship standings, as well as the rookie points.
In addition to racing the full schedule in the K&N West, Gilliland is also racing select events in the K&N East this year. Most recently, he finished ninth in K&N East action at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway last month. Prior to that he won the K&N East season opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Raceway in February.
Another talented teenager at BMR this year is 17-year-old Riley Herbst, who drives the No. 19 NAPA Batteries Toyota Camry. The Las Vegas resident registered a fourth-place finish at Kern County. He is second in rookie points and fourth in the overall series standings, with one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
Herbst is also competing in select events in the K&N East. He turned in a 10th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway, to go with a ninth-place finish in the season opener in Florida.
Another rookie who is making her mark in the series early this year is Julia Landauer, who wheels the No. 54 Toyota Camry for BMR. The 24-year-old New York native is coming off a 10th-place finish at Kern County. She is fourth in rookie points and eighth in the overall standings, with two top-10 finishes in the first two races this season.
Activities leading up to Tucson’s NAPA AUTO PARTS / Wildcat 150 will get underway Friday afternoon with a special parade planned for the brightly colored team haulers.
The BMR team will provide NAPA VIPs with a first-hand look at Tucson Speedway on Friday night, with a lap around the track in the NAPA two-seater Toyota Camry. BMR will also host a special NAPA hospitality event for a large group of VIPs at the track on Saturday.
The NAPA AUTO PARTS / Wildcat 150, which will be televised on NBCSN on May 12 at 6 p.m. ET, is the third event on a 14-race schedule.
BMR PR
