Drivers from across the country will head to Iowa Speedway this week for the annual NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race on Friday.
The Casey’s General Store 150 on the 7/8-mile track in Newton, Iowa offers drivers in NASCAR’s top developmental series a chance to showcase their talent in an event that features both divisions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in competition.
Three talented young drivers with Bill McAnally Racing are featured among the entries for this year’s event. Derek Kraus, in the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, will be competing in his third Iowa combo event. Hailie Deegan, in the No. 19 Monster Energy/NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry, will be in her second Iowa East-West race. Brittney Zamora, in the No. 99 NAPA Filters/ENEOS Toyota Camry, is making her first trip to Iowa Speedway for the big event.
Kraus is leading championship battles in the East and West divisions this year. The 17-year-old from Stratford, Wisconsin is coming off a third-place finish on Saturday in K&N East competition at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He leads the K&N East standings by two points – with two wins, four top-five and six top-10 finishes in six starts.
While Kraus has competed in all six K&N East events to date, Deegan and Zamora have raced a limited schedule in that division. Deegan – an 18-year-old from Temecula, California – is 10th in the K&N East standings, with five starts. Zamora – a 20-year-old series rookie from Kennewick, Washington – is 11th, with four starts.
In the K&N West, meanwhile, Kraus and Deegan are 1-2 in the championship standings – with Kraus holding an eight-point advantage. He has three wins, one pole, four top-five and six top-10 finishes in seven K&N West starts this season. Deegan has two victories, two poles, five top-five, and six top-10 finishes in her seven starts.
Kraus and Deegan are both members of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights NASCAR’s emerging stars.
Zamora is second in rookie points and sixth in the overall K&N West standings. She has one pole, four top-five and five top-10 finishes in seven starts.
Kraus won the pole and finished 11th as a rookie at Iowa in 2017. In this event last year, he finished 20th – while Deegan finished just behind him in 21st.
The Iowa race, the first of two NASCAR K&N Pro Series combo events this year, will air live on FansChoice.TV – the streaming digital platform that’s airing the entire NASCAR regional series schedule live this year. In addition, it will be broadcast to a national audience on NBCSN on July 31 at 4 p.m. PT.
BMR won four consecutive combination races at Iowa Speedway. Todd Gilliland won the prestigious race for BMR in 2016 and 2017. Brandon McReynolds swept two East-West events there for BMR in 2015, the last year in which Iowa Speedway hosted two combination races in a season.
In advance of the race, BMR’s cars and drivers will make a special appearance for a sales event at the MPEC-NAPA Auto Parts Store on 1st Avenue in East Newton from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday.
A group from NAPA Power Premium Plus will be guests at a hospitality area at the track on Friday, along with having the opportunity to take a VIP pit tour. In addition, guests from NAPA Belts & Hoses will be in attendance on race day.
Activities at Iowa Speedway continue after the race on Friday, when the NAPA AUTO PARTS Concert Series presents Granger Smith, featuring Earl Dibbles Jr. The BMR drivers are slated to go on stage following the race. This marks the fifth straight year for the NAPA Auto Parts Concert Series to be featured at the speedway.
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