HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Review: Mobile International Speedway

After a soggy start to the weekend at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) drivers and teams were finally able to race Sunday afternoon. Among those entries were the four HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks (HSMJM) drivers and teams, all of which qualified in the top-ten. Harrison Burton led the charge in qualifying with a 4th-place effort, Tyler Dippel started 5th, Hunter Baize started 6th, and Justin Haley started 7th. The race went green just after 5:00 p.m. ET, and was a relatively clean race but was extended to 154-laps due to a late caution. On the last restart, Dippel held off Spencer Davis and Jesse Little to win his first NKNPSE event in only his second start.

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Tyler Dippel, driver of the No. 38… Dippel entered the Mobile 150 Presented by Mobile Sports Authority looking to improve on an eighth-place run in his NKNPSE debut at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway last month. The 15-year-old dirt standout raced his No. 38 EastWest Marine/TyCar Chevrolet SS with success, starting fifth, leading the most laps, and winning the Mobile 150. The victory is his first NKNPSE win. He is now 2nd in NKNPSE points, one point behind Spencer Davis.

Tyler Dippel on his win at Mobile… “It’s still surreal. My guys at HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks gave me a great EastWest Marine/TyCar Chevrolet SS. We were able to get out in front early and just conserve our stuff. Keeping the tires on it was so important and our track position allowed up to save them. I can’t thank EastWest Marine, TyCar, HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, and everyone else who helps make this happen enough. That was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to do it again soon.”

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Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 12… Burton was the fastest car in final practice for the Mobile 150. He qualified his No. 12 Dex Imaging/Konica Minolta Toyota Camry fourth and raced his way into second place at one point during the race. Burton never fell out of the top-10, and spent much of his day in and near the top five. A late-race restart shuffled him to seventh. Overall, it was a solid run for the 15-year-old son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner Jeff Burton. Harrison Burton will return to NKNPSE action along with his HSMJM teammates on March 26 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Easley, S.C. 

Harrison Burton on Mobile… “Today was a learning experience for the whole team. Our car wasn’t quite as good as it needed to be for the win, but I promise you that we will be better in the races to come and will be able to race for a win in the near future. It was awesome to see an HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks car go to victory lane, but like I said, I can’t wait until it is this No. 12 DEX Imaging/Konica Minolta Toyota team.” 

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Hunter Baize, driver of the No. 13… For 18-year-old Baize, Sunday’s Mobile 150 was a much needed top-10 run, following a mid-race accident in the season opener last month. After a good test at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway last Saturday, his confidence going into Sunday’s event was high. He backed up his top-10 practice speed with a sixth-place qualifying effort. Early in the event, a tight race car hampered his ability to maintain a top-10 position. After fading early, the No. 13 Bicycle Playing Cards/Pine Mountain Firelogs team made some changes at the halfway break and Baize was able to race back into the top-five before eventually finishing sixth.

Hunter Baize on Mobile… “We needed a run like that. My Bicycle Playing Cards/Pine Mountain Firelogs HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks guys gave me a solid car all weekend. We made small gains on it and by the end of the race we were really good. This was a huge step in the right direction. I’m really looking forward to Greenville in a couple weeks.”

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Justin Haley, driver of the No. 5… Haley, the most experienced NKNPSE driver out of the HSMJM stable, entered the weekend fifth in series points following a fifth-place run at New Smyrna Speedway last month. Haley was penalized on the start for changing lanes before the start/finish line and had to serve a pass through penalty under green. After receiving the lucky dog on lap 82, Haley drove from 22nd-place into the top-10. He went on to score his second consecutive top-10, finishing ninth in the No. 5 Braun Auto Chevrolet.

Justin Haley on Mobile… “We had a great Braun Auto Chevrolet SS all weekend. The weather this weekend was unfortunate but Sunday provided a great warm day in Mobile. I had a hiccup early in the race that cost us a lap, but my HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks team fought hard and we wound up with a top-ten finish.”

HScott Motorsports PR