When it comes to Douglas County Speedway, Bill McAnally Racing is known for being up front in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West competition.
BMR has won seven of the past 10 series races at the tight 3/8-mile fairgrounds track in Roseburg, Oregon.
Last year, BMR had two of its drivers up front battling for the win; but as they raced side-by-side coming off Turn 2, the pair made contact. Their subsequent spin left both out of contention for the win.
As the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West returns to Roseburg for this year’s Clint Newell Auto Group Toyota 150 presented by NAPA AUTO PARTS on Saturday, both drivers expect to be battling for the win, again.
Todd Gilliland, who went on to have win the series championship as a rookie, returns in BMR’s No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry. Chris Eggleston, the 2015 series champion, is back in the No. 99 NAPA Belts & Hoses / NAPA Filters Toyota Camry for BMR. They are joined by 15-year-old Derek Kraus, who wheels BMR’s No. 19 Carlyle Tools / NAPA Belts & Hoses Toyota Camry as a series rookie.
The three drivers are 1-2-3 in the championship standings, with Gilliland holding a slim two-point edge over Eggleston in a title battle that could down to the wire. Gilliland and Eggleston have dominated the competition this season, winning nine of the 10 series events so far.
Each of the three BMR drivers would like to add their name to BMR’s list of race winners at Roseburg. Four different drivers have scored victories for the team there. Eric Holmes won three races there – in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Austin Cameron had two wins there, in 2002 and 2003. Peyton Sellers won there in 2006 and Brian Ickler went to Victory Lane there in 2007.
Eggleston, who battled back last year to finish seventh at Roseburg, is coming off a dominant win at Evergreen Speedway in which he led wire-to-wire. The series veteran from Erie, Colorado has four wins, nine top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes in 10 starts this season.
Gilliland, who rebounded from last year’s Roseburg incident to finish sixth, had a 12th-place finish earlier this month at Monroe – after suffering a flat tire. The 17-year-old NASCAR Next driver from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina has five wins, seven top-five, and nine top-10 finishes. He’s running the full schedules in the East and West divisions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series this year.
Kraus of Stratford, Wisconsin leads the rookie points, as well as being third in the overall series standings. He has five top-five and six top-10 finishes this season – including an 11th-place at Evergreen Speedway.
There are a variety of activities scheduled in the local area leading up to and included in Saturday’s event. BMR drivers arrive in town early and are slated to meet with customers, employees and local media at Clint Newell Auto Group Toyota in Roseburg from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday.
A meet-and-greet with the drivers is also slated as part of a special sales event at the NAPA Auto Parts Store in nearby Winston from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. A special Fan Appreciation Gala is planned at the track from 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday in conjunction with Clint Newell Auto Group Toyota and NAPA. BMR’s 2-seater No. 16 NAPA Toyota will also be on hand to provide rides to selected guests and media.
Activities on Saturday will include the big Toyota Let’s Go Places VIP Hospitality Corral and a VIP pit tour.
The Roseburg race, which is the 11th event on a 14-race series schedule, is slated to be televised on NBCSN on Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. PT. Douglas County Speedway has hosted 14 series events overall, dating back to 1966.
BMR PR
