The Carneros 200 will pit more than 20 California drivers from the NASCAR Pro Series West in a battle for bragging rights at Sonoma Raceway, June 21-22, during the 25th Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West celebrates its 60th season this year with a 15-race schedule. Coming off back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012, the two teams at Gene Price Motorsports aim to continue their success in the series.
Greg Pursley, who won the 2011 title and finished second in the standings last year, is piloting the No. 26 Renegade/Star Nursery/Real Water Ford for a fifth consecutive season. The Southern California native has led the series in wins the past two years, with six victories in 2011 and four in 2012.
Sixteen-year-old Cameron Hayley, meanwhile, joined last year’s championship team. Hayley of Calgary, Alberta, replaced Dylan Kwasniewski – who in two seasons with GPM won the series championship in 2012, after earning the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in 2011.
Another driver expected to be in the title hunt this season is Lakeport’s Derek Thorn, who finished third in the championship standings with two wins last year in his first full season of series competition. He is behind the wheel of the No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Lucas Oil/Eibach Ford for championship car owner Bob Bruncati, with veteran crew chief Bill Sedgwick.
Other series veterans in the mix this year include Tracy’s Ryan Philpott, in the No. 52 51-FIFTY Energy Drink/Moto EFX Ford; San Ramon’s Scott Ivie in the No. 47 MSI Development Toyota; and the father-son team from Edmonton, Alberta – Carl Harr in the No. 2 WestWorld Computers Chevrolet and his son, Daryl, in the No. 71 iWorld Connect Chevrolet.
The series features a talented field of rookies this season. The freshman class includes Bakersfield’s Dallas Montes, in the No. 29 NTS/Lynch Oil Chevrolet; Wilton’s Dylan Lupton in the No. 9 Vadio/Lupton Excavating/Sunrise Ford Ford; Griffin Steinfeld of Thousand Oaks in the No. 56 Our Military Kids Ford; Carlos Vieira of Atwater in the No. 51 51 FIFTY Energy Drink Toyota; and Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita in the No. 01 Country Girl Saloon/Ron’s Rear Ends Ford.
In addition to its regular competitors, the series attracts a contingent of road-race specialists each year at its road-course events. In fact, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular David Gillilandclaimed his second West Series victory in Sonoma in 2012. Five of the last eight West Series races in Sonoma have been won by NASCAR Cup drivers – Kevin Harvick, 1998; Brian Vickers, 2006; Joey Logano, 2011; and Gilliland, 2007 and 2012.
Sonoma Raceway PR
