Justin Haley needs only to do what he’s done all year to become the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion when the series turns the final laps of the season in the Dover 125 at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway on Friday, September 30.
Haley, of Winamac, Indiana, holds a 29-point lead over Kyle Benjamin entering the final race at Dover and needs only to finish 25th or better in order to clinch the championship, regardless of what Benjamin does.
That’s not a stretch for Haley, by any means. Haley is the only driver this season to have finished in the top 10 in all 13 races. The 17-year-old driver of the No. 5 Braun Auto Chevrolet has two wins and 12 top fives this year, his second full season in the series.
Should Haley falter, however, Benjamin has himself in position to strike. The Easley, South Carolina, driver has two wins himself this season and finished third at Dover in 2013. Benjamin can claim the title for himself by winning the race and leading the most laps, while Haley fails to lead any laps and finishes 26th or worse.
But Haley and Benjamin aren’t the only drivers battling for position in the final standings this weekend. The drivers sitting third through seventh in the standings are separated by just 17 points — Tyler Dippel is third, followed by Noah Gragson, Hunter Baize, Collin Cabre and Spencer Davis.
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