Dominion Raceway Review: ComServe Wireless 150

This past Memorial Day weekend, all four HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks (HSMJM) NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) teams made the trip to the brand new Dominion Raceway in Thornburg, Va. to compete in the ComServe Wireless 150. 

 

Following a successful Saturday test session, the teams returned to the track on Sunday for two practices sessions and qualifying. NASCAR was forced to cancel all on-track activities halfway through the first practice session due to heavy rain showers. Due to the inclement weather throughout the weekend, practice, qualifying, and the ComServe Wireless 150 all were scheduled for  Memorial Day. Hunter Baize led the HSMJM  qualifying efforts with an eighth-place effort. Justin Haley, Typer Dippel and Harrison Burton qualified 11th, 13th and 16th, respectively. 

 

Justin Haley, driver of the No. 5… Haley entered the ComServe Wireless 150 aiming to leave the Dominion Raceway as the sole series points leader. After starting in the 11th position, Haley cracked the top-10 early on, where he consistently ran for the duration of the race. At the halfway point, the 17-year-old Ind., driver was extremely pleased with his No. 5 Braun Auto Chevrolet. He restarted third on the final restart and  quickly moved to into the second position.  Haley caught the leader on the final lap but was edged out at the line by the No. 40 of Spencer Davis and finished second in one of the closest NASCAR finishes of all time. Haley is now the sole NKNPSE points leader by 16 points. 

 

Haley on Dominion… “My HSMJM team gave me a great car today. We were able to run consistently in the top-10 all day and make our way to the front. I really thought we got Spencer (Davis) at the line; It was remarkably close. I hope the fans enjoyed it because it was intense. Ultimately, we were able to achieve one of our goals and we’ll go into the next race as the points leader.”

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Hunter Baize, driver of the No. 13… Baize entered Monday’s NKNPSE event 10th in the series standings  after a career-best sixth-place finish  at Virginia International Raceway on April 30. Baize was extremely quick in practice, laying down the second-fastest lap of the session.  Baize qualified eighth,  and when the green flag dropped, the 18-year-old Ky., native drove through the field quickly. He lost a lap in  an early spin while passing for fourth,  exchange, but was awarded the lucky dog at the halfway break caution. After restarting at the rear with 75 laps to go, Baize drove back into the top-10, and finished eighth, his fourth top-10 run this season. He is now ninth in the series standings. 

 

Baize on Dominion… “We had an absolutely great race car today. We were a top-three car for sure, but got caught up in a racing incident. It’s frustrating, but I have confidence in this team and we’re going to catch a break sooner than later. The way we were able to drive through the field in the second half showed just how solid our car was.. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season.”

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Tyler Dippel, driver of the No. 38… Entering the sixth race of the 2016 season, Dippel  sits fifth in the series standings. After starting13th in the ComServe Wireless 150, he ran within the top-15 most of the day. . The 15-year-old was able to avoid multiple wrecks and salvage a solid 11th-place finish. Dippel  is sixth in series point standings. He’ll return to his home track, Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Sprints, Conn., for the next NKNPSE race on June 17 as he returns to his home track, Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Conn., for the next NKNPSE race.

 

Dippel on Dominion… “My guys worked really hard this weekend, but the car just wouldn’t respond to the adjustments made. Dominion (Raceway) has a lot of grip and I just have never liked places with a lot of grip, but it’s something I can definitely improve on as a driver. We certainly won’t give up and we have been able to prove that we can be a strong contender.”

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Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 12… Burton, coming off a big Super Late Model win at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway on Friday night, entered the ComServe 150 looking for his second NKNPSE top-10 finish of 2016. Despite struggling to find speed in practice and  qualifying, he was able to rebound and drive  into the top 10.  While making a pass for seventh place, however,, the  hood  of the No. 12 came unlatched. The mechanical issue forced Burton to pit, and caused the team to lose a number of laps. He finished 21st. 

 

Burton on Dominion… “We definitely had a top-10 car today. The hood coming up is a strange thing to happen, I was just trying to get it to pit road safely and without any damage. It’s aggravating to have a mechanical issue like that when we had a strong run going for us, but we can’t hang our heads. We need to keep working because everyone knows how good this team can be. I’m really looking forward to Stafford in a few weeks.”