K&N Pro Series West Heads to First of Three Road Courses

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will head to its first of three road-course races of the season at California’s Sonoma Raceway this Saturday.

Todd Gilliland will look to protect his championship points lead headed into the Chevys Fresh Mex 200. The 17-year-old Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, driver has a four-point lead over teammate Chris Eggleston headed into the weekend (221-217) after winning the first two races of the season and finishing in the top-five in the five races of the season.

Eggleston, the defending K&N Pro Series West champion and Gilliland’s Bill McAnally Racing teammate, will look to gain the top spot after coming off a win at his home track, Colorado National Speedway.

Not to be overlooked this weekend are Ryan Partridge and Noah Gragson who are third and fourth in the series standings, respectively.

Partridge, 28, from Rancho Cucamonga, California, sits six points back from Gilliland in the standings and has collected one win this season at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway.

NASCAR Next driver Gragson, 17, is coming off a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victory at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas, Nevada, teen led six laps in the K&N Pro Series road course race at VIRginia International Raceway.

Unlike Gilliland, the three drivers have prior road course and Sonoma experience. Partridge and Gragson finished fourth and seventh, respectively, at the California track last season, while Eggleston finished 13th.

Gilliland will have some help this weekend at Sonoma. His grandfather, Butch Gilliland, visited Victory Lane at the track in 1996 and ’97. While his dad David won the K&N Pro Series West race there in 2007 and 2012.

NASCAR PR