Purdy Sixth After Twisty and Turny Race in New Jersey

Saturday afternoon’s penultimate NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at New Jersey Motorsports Park was a tumultuous affair for Chase Purdy, but one which resulted in him finishing sixth after having a shot at a top three finish in the final handful of laps. The finish extended his lead in the Rookie of the Year standings going into the series finale.

 

Purdy and the David Gilliland Racing team unloaded at New Jersey looking to rebound after a lackluster performance at Watkins Glen a month ago. In practice, Chase labored to get a rhythm on the challenging layout which features both high-speed right-handers and a lower-speed technical section. At the end, he was only 12th fastest, 3.5 seconds off the pace.

 

By qualifying, a chance to debrief with the crew and apply what he learned paid off. Chase picked up nearly three seconds, good enough for fifth fastest in time trials and a starting spot inside of row three.

 

As the race played out, Chase continued to test the limits of his car and the racetrack, finding the edge on occasion but ultimately positioning himself inside the top five late in the race. A restart in the closing circuits gave him an opportunity to improve himself into the top three, but a defensive miscue caused him to drop multiple spots before charging back to sixth by the checkered flag.

 

“I’d like to think this was an above average weekend for us,” Chase said following the race. “The strong parts were that I had the opportunity to learn a lot more about road racing and work on my consistency, but I also think I was weak on taking advantage of breaks as they presented themselves. At the end of the race, the car was more unstable over the bumps after I had to drive through the field, and without as much tire left I needed more forward drive off. Overall, it was a good weekend. I’m proud of my David Gilliland Racing crew and looking forward to Dover.”

 

Chase’s final NASCAR K&N Pro Series event of the season comes in two weeks at Dover International Speedway, a companion event to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the fastest track on which Chase has competed in a K&N car. Before then, he will make his first career intermediate track start at Kentucky Speedway on Friday, September 22, in the ARCA Racing Series with Mason Mitchell Motorsports. The next night, he will pilot a super late model at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

 

For more information on Chase Purdy, visit his website at ChasePurdyRacing.com and follow him on Facebook (@ChasePurdyRacing), Twitter (@ChasePurdy12) and Instagram (@chase_purdy).