The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East heads to Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, for the final event of the 2017 season, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation 125 presented by Carl Deputy & Son Builders on Friday, June 29. Two drivers — NASCAR Next members Todd Gilliland and Harrison Burton — have their eyes on a first career series championship.
Gilliland and Burton have enjoyed virtually identical seasons statistically. Each has four wins, and each has finished in the top 10 in all 13 races to date, making them the series leaders in both categories. Gilliland, the reigning NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, has an eight-point lead over Burton entering the season finale at Dover.
Gilliland needs to finish third or better to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship trophy. If he leads a lap or leads the most laps, he can clinch the title with finishes of fourth or fifth, respectively. However, if Burton ends up in Victory Lane, he will also be crowned the 2017 K&N Pro Series East champion.
Between them, the two championship contenders have only one start at Dover, by Burton last season. He finished sixth in that race.
The second half of the season has been a remarkable one for Gilliland, who has finished either first or second in seven straight races heading into Dover. His most recent outing included a runner-up finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park, but his strength this season has been on the speedways. Gilliland won at both New Hampshire and Iowa this summer, while Burton finished fourth at each of those tracks, respectively.
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