BMR Aims To Extend String Of Wins At Iowa Speedway

Bill McAnally Racing is aiming to extend its string of consecutive wins at Iowa Speedway as teams from across the country gather this week in Newton, Iowa for the annual NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race.

BMR’s No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry has been in Victory Lane at the 7/8-mile track for the past three events and will go for a fourth straight win on Friday in the Casey’s General Stores 150 presented by Vatterott College.

Todd Gilliland won last year’s race, one of six victories he scored in a sensational rookie season in which he won the K&N West championship. Brandon McReynolds swept both events for BMR in 2015, the last year in which the track hosted two East-West combo races in a season. He was the first driver with multiple wins in the prestigious event.

Gilliland, along with 2015 series champion Chris Eggleston and 15-year-old series rookie Derek Kraus, will mount this year’s charge for a fourth consecutive BMR win. Gilliland, Eggleston, and Kraus are 1-2-3, respectively, in the K&N West championship standings.

BMR President Bill McAnally talked about winning the Iowa event.

“The East-West combination race is one of the most significant events on the schedule, as the East and West divisions of the K&N Series come together to battle it out for the win and to be the best of the best,” he said. “This event takes all you’ve got. I credit our success to all our hard working team members, our talented drivers, and the great partners we have who provide the resources for a championship effort.”

Gilliland, who is running the full schedules in both the East and West divisions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series this year, is coming off a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in K&N East action. While the 17-year-old from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina leads the championship standings in the K&N West, he is second in the K&N East standings. Overall in the two divisions, he has six wins, 12 top-five, and 17 top-10 finishes in 17 starts this year. Gilliland is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights NASCAR’s rising stars.

Eggleston of Erie, Colorado is a veteran of the series – driving the No. 99 NAPA Filters / H2O Fire Protection Toyota Camry for BMR. He has three wins, seven top-five, and eight top-10 finishes in eight starts this season – including a 10th-place finish at Sonoma Raceway in the most recent K&N West race.

Kraus, driving BMR’s No. 19 Central Iowa Architectural / Carlyle Tools Toyota Camry, is in his freshman season in the K&N West. The Stratford, Wisconsin teenager is coming off a fifth-place finish at Sonoma. In addition to being third in the overall standings, he leads the rookie points – with five top-five and six top-10 finishes this season.

Friday’s East-West combo event, slated to be televised on NBCSN on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT), is part of a big NASCAR weekend at Iowa Speedway that also features the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

A group of special guests, headed by Sales Manager Randy Judge of NAPA Des Moines, will be treated to a VIP experience on Friday, as BMR provides them the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes with a tour of the NASCAR garage. Guests will meet with BMR team owner Bill McAnally, as well as Gilliland, Eggleston, and Kraus.

Following Friday night’s race, the spotlight will turn to the NAPA AUTO PARTS Concert Series at Iowa Speedway, with a performance by Grand Funk Railroad. The BMR drivers are slated to go on stage during the event that features the popular five-piece group, known as “The American Band.” This marks the third straight year for the NAPA Auto Parts Concert Series to be featured at the track.

Iowa Speedway has hosted 14 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination events, dating back to 2007. In addition to Gilliland and McReynolds, other past winners of the event include Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Cole Custer, and Corey LaJoie.

BMR PR