• NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Action At Shasta Speedway
ANDERSON, Calif. (May 30, 2015) – Chris Eggleston captured his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West victory of the year by winning the Bill Schmitt Memorial 150 presented by Lithia Toyota and NAPA AUTO PARTS Saturday night at Shasta Speedway.
It marked the third win in just nine series starts for the driver of the Bill McAnally Racing No. 99 NAPA Filters/H2O Fire Protection Toyota.
After working his way to second with a series of outside passes on the tight 3/8-mile-oval, Eggleston slipped to the inside six laps from the finish to take the lead and the win.
“I didn’t know how it was going to be to pass out there,” said Eggleston, who hails from Erie, Colorado. “I got nervous, because I started using my stuff up passing cars on the outside early. I didn’t think we were going to have anything for the (No.) 6 there at the end – but our car was good on the long run. We were able to keep some distance behind us to make that move at the end and it paid off.
“It’s great to come out here and get this win for NAPA Filters, NAPA AUTO PARTS and Toyota, all those guys who have supported us this season,” said Eggleston, who is in his first full season of competing in the series. “I’m just so proud to put those brands in Victory Lane. For us to get two wins in the first five races is just phenomenal. The BMR guys worked extra hard this weekend.”
While Eggleston was charging to the win, his BMR teammate Brandon McReynolds was battling his way back to get a top-10 finish in the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota after getting spun.
McReynolds and Eggleston started fourth and fifth on the grid, respectively. McReynolds charged to third at the drop of the green flag. After running fifth early in the event, Eggleston went to the high side to make his way to third. McReynolds also gained a spot and the two BMR cars ran nose-to-tail in third and fourth at Lap 50.
The two BMR drivers were battling for second on Lap 98, when contact from another car sent McReynolds for a spin. He managed to avoid any damage, but had to battle his way back after restarting at the rear of the field.
Being on the outside for several restarts in the final 50 laps, Eggleston tried to get by the leader on the high side – but was not successful. As the laps wound down, he made his move to the inside going into Turn 1 and slipped by for the lead.
McReynolds, meanwhile, managed to recover to finish seventh.
With the win, Eggleston gained the lead in the championship standings by a 12- point margin. In addition to his two wins, he has four top-five and five top-10 finishes in five starts.
McReynolds, 24, of Mooresville, North Carolina, also gained a position in the standings, moving to ninth in points. He has one win and three top-10 finishes.
The Bill Schmitt Memorial 150 will be televised on NBCSN on June 4 at 8 p.m. ET. It was the fifth event on a 13-race schedule. It was the 14th visit by the series to Shasta Speedway, but the first since 1993.
The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule will be at Sonoma (California) Raceway on June 27.