Watkins Glen Post Unique Challenge For Tyler Ankrum and Title Contenders

 

The fourth race in four weeks for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will take the series to its second road course of the season. Some big name road ringers will join the championship contenders as the series heads to upstate New York to Watkins Glen International on Friday for the Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has the first of two stops at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the books, and follows up the ‘Magic Mile’ with a return to the familiar stomping grounds of Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway. Friday’s Starrett 150 will be the second of three races this season for the tour at the historic half-mile.

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST at WATKINS GLEN

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Tyler Ankrum is a win away from history, but he’ll face an uphill battle to reach it.

Ankrum has rolled to three straight wins, one short of the K&N Pro Series East record set by Ricky Craven and Ben Rhodes. Ankrum’s come from the back twice and led every lap in his other outing. But Watkins Glen brings a different type of challenge.

The field for the Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100 is slated to include Will Rodgers, Noah Gragson and Scott Heckert. Rodgers, a current member of the NASCAR Next class, has won the last four K&N Pro road-course races — Sonoma Raceway (2018), New Jersey Motorsports Park (2017 and ’18) and Watkins Glen (2017). Gragson won at New Jersey in 2016 in addition to a pair of road-course wins in the West in 2016. And Heckert won at Watkins Glen in 2014 and ’15.

In addition, the entry list includes Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rising stars Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace, who are looking for more track time before Sunday’s race. The wild cards will be Rev Racing’s Ernie Francis Jr. and Ruben Garcia Jr. Francis, the multi-time Trans-Am champ, won the pole at New Jersey in his first career K&N Pro start earlier this year and finished second to Rodgers. Garcia has extensive road-course experience in both the K&N Pro Series and NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, where he’s the points leader.

Ankrum, though, is no road course slouch. He was in contention for a podium spot at New Jersey before some late-race contact knocked him back to ninth. It is his worst finish of the season and the last race he didn’t win. His roll has allowed him to build a 37-point lead over DRG-Crosley teammate Tyler Dippel with four races remaining.

RACING-REFERENCE: Previous K&N Pro Series East races at Watkins Glen | K&N Pro Series East drivers’ career stats at Watkins Glen

RACE FACTS

RACE	GREAT OUTDOORS RV SUPERSTORE 100
PLACE	Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
DATE	Friday, Aug. 3
TIME	4:45 p.m. ET
TELEVISION	NBCSN, Wednesday, Aug. 8 — 6 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT	2.450-mile road course
2017 WINNER	Will Rodgers
2017 POLE	Ryan Truex
EVENT SCHEDULE	Friday — Garage opens: 8:15 a.m. ET; Final practice: 11:00 a.m.-12:25 p.m.; Group qualifying: 3:30 p.m.; Great Outdoors RV 100: 4:45 p.m.
TWITTER	@WGI
HASHTAG	#GORV100 #KNEast

RACE CENTRAL LIVE | ENTRY LIST | TICKETS

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 28 cars, for each race, including provisionals.

Qualifying groups will be determined by each vehicle’s overall fastest single lap from the official practice sessions.

The first 24 cars will secure starting positions based on the group qualifying session for the Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process.

Each group qualifying session will be five (5) minutes in duration and the fastest single lap speed of each vehicle will determine starting positions 1st through 24th. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on a vehicle after the vehicle enters the track to begin the qualifying session. Vehicles may not
return to the track or make any further qualifying laps unless directed to do so by a NASCAR Official or in the event of a caution. If a vehicle returns to pit road, the vehicle’s qualifying attempt is complete.

The Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100 will be 41 laps (100.45 miles), and be run in two (2) segments with a 5-minute break at or near the conclusion of lap 21. At the end of the break cars will line up with lead lap cars to the front. The four (4) tires (change tires) can only be installed during the break. During the break, teams will be allowed to change all four (4) tires and add fuel. Fuel may only be added during the break.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Four (4) tires for practice, four (4) tires for qualifying and an additional four (4) tires for the races for total of twelve (12) tires.

All teams may be required to have one (1) set of four (4) mounted wet condition tires as specified by Goodyear in their assigned pit stall.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR at STAFFORD

If Chase Dowling and Co. are going to catch Justin Bonsignore, they’re running out of time. They need to start making progress Friday at Stafford with the Starrett Tools 150. The race marks the official start of the second half of the season and is the first of three races in 14 days.

Dowling won the pole, led 69 laps and finished second in the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200. Bonsignore was eighth, his only finish outside of the top five this season. But the Long Island driver has built a 32-point lead over Dowling and 66 over third-place Timmy Solomito after eight of 16 races.

Spring Sizzler winner Ryan Preece, who has taken home three of the last four tour races at Stafford, will miss the race to run the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Watkins Glen. That opens the door for a new winner. In addition to Dowling, Craig Lutz and Ronnie Williams Jr. are among the top candidates to score their first tour win Friday night.

Williams has dominated the SK Modified Division at Stafford this year, building a 62-point cushion on multi-time champion Keith Rocco. Lutz is looking to bounce back from a 19th-place finish at New Hampshire, and was fifth at Stafford in the April after winning the pole in this event last year.

RACING-REFERENCE: Previous Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford | Whelen Modified Tour drivers’ career stats at Stafford

RACE FACTS

RACE	STARRETT TOOLS 150
PLACE	Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway
DATE	Friday. Aug. 3
TIME	2 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT	1.058-mile oval
2017 WINNER	Ryan Preece
2017 POLE	Craig Lutz
EVENT SCHEDULE	Friday — Garage Opens: 1:45 p.m., Practice: 4-4:30 p.m.; Final Practice: 5:10-5:40 a.m.; Group Qualifying: 6:35 p.m.; Starrett Tools 150: 9:15 p.m.
TWITTER	@StaffordSpeedwy
HASHTAG	#Starrett150 #NWMT

RACE CENTRAL LIVE | ENTRY LIST

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 31 cars, including provisionals.

The first 25 cars will secure starting positions based on the group qualifying session for the STARRETT TOOLS 150. The remaining six spots will be awarded through the provisional process.

Each group qualifying session will be five (5) minutes in duration and the fastest single lap speed of each vehicle will determine starting positions 1st through 25th. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on a vehicle after the vehicle enters the track to begin the qualifying session. Vehicles may not
return to the track or make any further qualifying laps unless directed to do so by a NASCAR Official or in the event of a caution. If a vehicle returns to pit road, the vehicle’s qualifying attempt is complete.

Vehicles will proceed immediately to inspection after making qualifying attempt. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying/inspection. Vehicle must qualify on race set up.

The STARRETT TOOLS 150 will be 150 laps (75 miles).

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eleven (11) tires per team. Four (4) tires used for qualifying must be used to begin the race. The tire change rule is four (4) tires, any position.

 

Source:
Jason Christley
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications