Races No. 3 and 4 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West division were held Saturday at Irwindale Speedway as a double header. The Twin NAPA 100’s were the final two events of the NAPA 500 Challenge. The NAPA 500 Challenge includes four races in eight days at racetracks in Arizona and California such as Tucson, Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield and of course, Irwindale.
Sherrils Ford, NC driver Todd Gilliand has been on a hot streak out west. Not only did he win the NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Bakersfield last Thursday, he went on to grab the pole and sweep both races in the NAPA Auto Parts Twin 100 at Irwindale, a .500-mile paved track. After Gilliland led 82 of 100 laps in the first race, there was no stopping him in the second one as he dominated all 100 laps in the No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota.
“I was able to get out to the early lead and then fall back to second to save our stuff,” Gilliand said of his strategy in the first race. “But then get right back to the lead and finish off. It was fun racing with my BMR teammates.”
The 16-year-old battled the No. 99 NAPA Filters Toyota piloted by Chris Eggleston, who finished second. “It was a great battle with the (No.) 99,” Gilliland said. “Seems like we’re always side by side racing each other super hard for the lead. That’s something I like.”
The next race would see Gilliand and Eggleston showing the way again but it was Gilliland who stayed up front for all 100 laps. “That was an intense battle with my teammate,” Gilliland explained after the second event. “We always have some fierce battles it seems like at the end of these races. There’s a lot of fans out here at Irwindale Speedway and I hope they enjoyed it.”
Gilliland praised his team Bill McAnally Racing for improving his car. “We actually made it better for the second race and that rarely happens,” Gilliland said. “I’m very proud of everyone. Hopefully this builds some momentum for the rest of the season.”
Although Eggleston came up short, it was still a good showing for the Erie, Colo. native. “Overall it was a good night,” he said. “It was fun racing with Todd on the last few restarts, just gave it all we had. There were some cool back-and-forth lead swaps. It’s hard to swallow two second places but we’ll keep digging. Everything they do in the (No.) 16 camp only make us in the (No.) 99 camp stronger.”
Since the K&N West season began, Will Rodgers has had four straight top-five finishes including both races at Irwindale. These are also Rodgers’ first three starts with the Jefferson Pitts racing team. “These are my first three starts with these guys and it’s gone well so far,” the No. 7 Craft Beer Racing Ford driver said. “Jeff Jefferson and I and the whole team have clicked really well and I think that’s the reason we are able to do this.”
Nicole Behar came from starting in the very last spot to finish fourth in the first race. “I was just ready to go from the start,” she said. “I knew that we needed to move up through the field as much as we could.” Behar went on to finish eighth in the second event.
Micheal Self did not have the trip he was looking for in the first race. However, the No. 9 Lucas Oil/Eibach/Sunrise Ford driver redeemed himself the second time around with a third-place finish. “The first race definitely didn’t go how we wanted it to,” said Self. “We had a really good car through practice. In the first race, we couldn’t get track position at all. Kept getting stuck on the bottom and that just kills you here, you get freight trained on the outside and you kill your tires.”
Self and his team had things figured out for round two at Irwindale. “The guys made some adjustments. In this race, we were able to settle in and get single file and ride in fourth (position) waiting for a late restart. I thought we might have a little bit for the (No.) 99. The (No.) 16 had us covered but all in all, a really good night.”
The NAPA Twin 100 airs on NBCSN on Saturday, April 1 at 7 p.m. ET. The K&N Pro Series West goes back to work at Spokane County Raceway in Washington on May 13.
I didn’t decide I wanted to pursue a career in NASCAR until the summer of 2012. I’m not a wrench head or strong enough for a pit crew so media was the next best thing. At the beginning of 2013, I started going to races and making connections within the sport. I also studied Motorsports Management at Sports Management Worldwide. Although I love what happens on the track, I’ve always been interested in what goes on behind the scenes and I’ve gotten to know many people throughout the radio, TV and digital media world.
While I’m a long time writer, 2015 was my first year actually covering the sport with www.nascarfemale.com . I also became a media correspondent for Raceline. I’ve been able to help the TV show gain recognition on social media. My current goal is to acquire more experience in covering NASCAR and move up the media ladder. Outside of motorsports, I have been an equine-sports statistician for 16 years.
I currently reside in Gillette, WY where I’m still involved with horses. I enjoy riding them, rodeo, swimming, traveling and meeting people.
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