Faces New and Old Begin March to Season Title In The Jet Tools 150

By:
On:
In: Racing News

A host of new drivers, and a crop of talented racers returning to the series, begin the march toward the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship when a brand new season takes the green flag in the Jet Tools 150 at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on Sunday, February 19. For the fourth consecutive season, K&N Pro Series teams begin their season during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna.

Of the 28 drivers entered in the Jet Tools 150, the first of 14 races for the series this season, a full third of those drivers have participated in the K&N Pro Series previously. All three of last year’s top three finishers, including race winner Todd Gilliland are entered this week. Collin Cabre and Jay Beasley are back in the Rev Racing fold for 2017, while Harrison Burton, Hunter Baize and Tyler Dippel all had strong 2016 season in the series and are looking to back that up with good opening runs at New Smyrna.

While getting the season off on the right foot with a trip to Victory Lane is the goal for most teams this week, winning the season opener has not proven necessary for championship hopes. No driver to win the Jet Tools 15 in any of the first three years went on to win the title — in fact, Ben Rhodes fourth-place finish in the inaugural event in 2014 marks the highest Jet Tools 150 finish by a championship winner. William Byron placed seventh at New Smyrna in 2015, while Justin Haley finished fifth last season.

And while none of the previous New Smyrna winners ended up winning that year’s K&N Pro Series East championship, all have gone on to great things in their own careers. Daniel Suarez, who won the inaugural event in 2014, won the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship last year and is replacing Carl Edwards in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing entry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. 2015 New Smyrna winner Austin Hill is entering his second full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

NASCAR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 43