HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks (HSMJM) entered the Casey’s General Store 150 at Iowa Speedway looking to get back to victory lane after series point leader William Byron brought home a runner-up finish the last time out at Bristol. The Casey’s General Store 150 is a unique event as it pits the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) against the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in a showdown of both series. The day got started in the right way for HSMJM as Byron captured his first-career 21 Means 21 Pole award for the event. Byron would also lead the charge in the finishing order for the organization, bringing home his second-straight runner-up finish and win for the NKNPSE, after leading a race-high 128 laps. J.J. Haley and Scott Heckert brought home solid top-10 finishes, while Dalton Sargeant and Rico Abreu suffered from late-race mishaps that ultimately hindered their overall finish.
William Byron:
Byron got the day started on a high note for the No. 9 Liberty University team by capturing HSMJM’s first 21 Means 21 Pole award. The 17-year-old took advantage of the strong starting position as the race began pulling out to an early lead. The NASCAR Next driver held strong at the point until lap 44 when he surrendered the lead to a fellow competitor. Within 20 laps, Byron was able to battle and regain the top position. The North Carolina native held strong in the lead through the midway break, until nine laps to go when Byron lost the lead to the eventual race winner. Although Byron ultimately came home second in the running order, he did finish first among NKNPSE competitors, giving him the top points possible in the event along with the NKNPSE win. Byron remains the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings leader heading into Bowman Gray in a couple of weeks.
William Byron on his run at Iowa:
“We had a good run in the Liberty University Chevrolet. We started off the weekend struggling somewhat as we were really tight when we unloaded. We made some wholesale changes from first practice to second practice, and we got it a lot better. We were able to put the No. 9 on the pole, which was really cool and led a lot of laps in the race. The car came to me as the race began, but unfortunately we just lost it a little bit at the end of the race as the car got tight. I’m really proud of everyone on this HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks team for giving me another great racecar.”
J.J. Haley:
Haley came in to the Casey’s General Store 150 looking to build upon a solid top-10 finish at Bristol a few weeks earlier. The 16-year-old had to battle throughout the evening after qualifying the No. 5 Braun Auto Chevrolet in the 16th position. Haley quickly went to work as the green flag flew, moving through competitors towards the front of the field. By the halfway break, Haley had worked his way into the top 10 and was running solidly in the seventh position. The second half of the race saw the Indiana native hold strong inside the top 10 and survive a late-race restart to ultimately bring home a sixth-place finish overall and fourth-place finish in NKNPSE, a career best. Haley enters Bowman Gray in a few weeks sitting 11th in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings.
J.J. Haley on his finish at Iowa:
“I really enjoyed being back at Iowa Speedway in the No. 5 Braun Auto Chevy. We showed speed all day and our momentum is finally rolling. I’m looking forward to many more strong runs with my HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks team.”
Scott Heckert:
Heckert came in to the Casey’s General Store 150 looking to take advantage of his past experience at Iowa Speedway. The 21-year-old kept his past history of strong runs at the track going by qualifying for the event in the third position. The Connecticut native kept the No. 34 Project Lifesaver Chevrolet up inside the top 10 for the entirety of the event and stood sixth at the midway break. Following some late-race restarts in the race’s closing laps, Heckert came home eighth in the final running order overall and fifth in the NKNPSE. The eighth-place finish moved Heckert to fifth in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings heading into Bowman Gray.
Scott Heckert on his run last night at Iowa:
“We kind of had a hectic day to get everything started with practice. There are some changes that we would’ve liked to have made to run up towards the front at the end. Overall, we qualified third and were able to race up there for awhile and the car just went to the snug side before the break and then just a little too free at the end. We had a good car though in general; I’d like to thank everyone at HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks along with Project Lifesaver for the support. We will get them at Bowman Gray.”
Dalton Sargeant:
Sargeant looked to regain momentum heading into the Casey’s General Store 150 following an unfortunate outing at Bristol a few weeks prior. The day got started solidly for the newly named NASCAR Next member as Sargeant began the event in the eighth position. Sargeant quickly went to work looking to move through the field following the drop of the green flag. At the midway portion of the race, Sargeant remained in the eighth position. As the second half of the race began, Sargeant slowly began to slip through the field. As the laps wound down, the team was able to diagnose the issue as a slow leak in one of Sargeant’s tires. Although the leak hindered the 17-year-old’s overall finish, Sargeant was able to complete the race, ultimately coming home 23rd overall and 14th in the NKNPSE. Sargeant now sits ninth in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings heading into Bowman Gray.
Dalton Sargeant on his night in Iowa:
“We had a really disappointing night; we were running solidly in the top 10 just biding our time and waiting for the halfway break. The No. 51 GALT machine was pretty good but right after the halfway break, we cut down a tire and it slowly lost all the air and ruined our overall finish. It’s a tough deal, but we’ll regroup and be better for Bowman Gray.”
Rico Abreu:
Abreu entered the Casey’s General Store 150 looking to build upon a string of two-straight top-10 finishes. The 23-year-old had some work to do when the green flag dropped after starting the race in the 26th position. As the race began, Abreu clearly showed that the No. 98 GoPro Motorplex/AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet had speed as he made his way through the field. By the midway portion of the race, the NASCAR Next member ran in the 15th position. Abreu continued to move through the field, racing his way into the top 10. Unfortunately, he was involved in a late-race incident that ended his night early, ultimately giving him a 30th-place finish overall and 17th in the NKNPSE. Abreu now sits 12th in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings heading into Bowman Gray.
Rico Abreu on his finish at Iowa:
“I want to thank Harry and Justin along with everyone on the No. 98 GoPro Motorplex/AccuDoc Solutions/Curb Records team for giving me a great racecar. That was a really unfortunate way to end our night, because our car was really coming on strong, especially on the longer runs. I thought we were going to be able to grab a top-10 finish, but that wasn’t the case.”
HScott Motorsports PR
