Short Track Action | Short Track Racing News: K&N Pro Series East News & Notes: Clearfield K&N Pro Series East News & Notes: Clearfield ================================================================================ News on 07/09/2012 12:51:00 At the midway point of the 2012 season, the championship race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East couldn’t get much closer. The series’ return to CNB Bank Raceway Park could perhaps set the tone for the home stretch in the Samuel 150 on Saturday, July 14 in Clearfield, Pa. Chase Elliott will take just a one-point lead to Clearfield on Corey LaJoie after LaJoie earned his second win of the season last time out at Langley Speedway on June 23 in Hampton, Va. With seven races down and seven to go, it’s the closest that the competition has been since the 2012 season took the green flag in mid-March. While Elliott and LaJoie – two sons of past NASCAR champions – may have positioned themselves as the frontrunners, they’re far from the only title contenders as the second half of the campaign gets underway in Clearfield. Kyle Larson sits in third, just eight points back of Elliott, while Brett Moffitt ranks fourth, two tallies behind Larson. The top four contenders have shown little signs of blinking under pressure through the first half either. All four have at least five top-10 finishes through the first seven races and all four have reached Victory Lane. This week’s Samuel 150 will provide a new set of challenges for the championship contenders as well as the rest of those in attendance. CNB Bank Raceway Park is one of three tracks new to the series schedule this year, but the .625-mile oval presents the most unknowns of any race with no previous NASCAR races at the reconfigured facility. strtoupper(" RACE: ")strtoupper(" Samuel 150 ") PLACE: CNB Bank Raceway Park, Clearfield, Pa. DATE: Saturday, July 14 TIME: 8 p.m. ET TRACK LAYOUT: .625-mile banked asphalt oval 2011 WINNER: New Event 2011 POLESITTER: New Event EVENT SCHEDULE: Practice 1-1:45 p.m., Final Practice 2:15-3 p.m., Qualifying 6 p.m., Driver Autograph Session 6:45 p.m. TRACK CONTACT: Tim Bainey Jr., (814) 768-3524, info@thebigtrack.com EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #Samuel150 NASCAR IMC CONTACT: Jason Cunningham, (704) 201-6658, jcunningham@nascar.com, Twitter: @NASCAR_NE EVENT SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST FAST FACTS The Race: The Samuel 150 will be the eighth of 14 races on the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. It will mark the series’ first visit to CNB Bank Raceway Park since 1988 and the first trip to the state of Pennsylvania since 2006. The Procedure: The starting field is 30 cars, including provisionals. The first 26 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (93.75 miles) and contested in two segments with a 10-minute break at or near the conclusion of Lap 75. The Track: Originally a half-mile oval, which held the two previous races for the K&N Pro Series East, CNB Bank Raceway Park was recently reconfigured to a banked .625-mile track. The Samuel 150 will be the first NASCAR-sanctioned event for the renovated facility. Race Winners: Bobby Dragon won at Clearfield on June 11, 1987 during the K&N Pro Series East’s inaugural season. Kelly Moore won the only other race there in 1988. Pole Winners: Moore and Pete Silva earned the two previous poles at Clearfield. Pole times from the first two races are not available. SAMUEL 150 RACE NOTES Keystone State Drivers Come Out for Samuel 150: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East’s return to Clearfield will feature at least three drivers from Pennsylvania. Phillipsburg’s Tim Bainey Jr., whose family operates CNB Bank Raceway Park, will attempt to make his first East start since 2005. His only prior appearance was a 17th-place finish at Holland Motorsports Complex. DuBois’ Benny Gordon, who competed full-time in 2011, will attempt to make his first K&N Pro Series East start this season in his home state while Nathan Russell from Curwensville will look to make his series debut. Series History in Pennsylvania: While it has been six years since the K&N Pro Series East has competed in Pennsylvania, the series has a rich history in the state. Pennsylvania tracks welcomed the series every year from its inaugural season of 1987 through 2006. This week’s Samuel 150 will be the 28th all-time, stand-alone event in the Keystone State across four different tracks. Jennerstown Speedway played host to the most East events with 16 while Lake Erie Speedway was the last to welcome the series in 2006. The K&N Pro Series East also competed in 13 races in combination with the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Nazareth Speedway from 1988-2000. LaJoie the First Two-Time Winner: The 2012 season began by seeing six-different drivers reach Victory Lane through the first six events, the first time that happened since 2002. Last time out at Langley Speedway Corey LaJoie became the first multiple race winner of the year following his previous win at Bowman Gray Stadium. Kennedy Wins Across the Pond: Second-year K&N Pro Series East driver Ben Kennedy earned his first NASCAR victory in historic fashion on July 7 in Tours, France. Kennedy, the great grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., took the checkered flag in the inaugural European oval race for the Euro-Racecar Series, which is in its first season of competition under NASCAR sanction. The series had previously contested only road course races since its formation in 2008. Larson Solid in National Series Debut: The leading K&N Pro Series East contender for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, Kyle Larson recently made a successful debut at the national series level. Larson finished 10th in the UNOH 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kentucky Speedway on June 28. Larson competes in the K&N Pro Series East for Rev Racing as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity initiative and is a development driver for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, which facilitated the opportunity at Kentucky. HOME TRACKS: Grandview Drivers Lead The Keystone State A titan in the NASCAR dirt track ranks, the top drivers at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville lead the way in the Pennsylvania state NASCAR Whelen All-American Series rankings. Duane Howard, who ranks ninth nationally with seven wins in 12 starts, led the Keystone State points through the official standings posted July 3 with a commanding 481-362 advantage on Doug Manmiller. They are followed in the track and state standings by Craig Von Dohren, Jeff Strunk, Mike Gular and Meme Desantis. Gary Wiltrout, the highest-ranking Pennsylvania asphalt driver, comes in seventh competing at Motordrome and Lake Erie Speedways. LAST TIME OUT: Langley The most recent NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, the Visit Hampton VA 175, was held on June 23 at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va. Here are some highlights: * Corey LaJoie took the lead for the third and final time with 10 laps to go to secure his second victory of the season and his career. With the win he also moved to one point behind Chase Elliott in the season standings. * Elliott earned his first career 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Brewing, and set the mark for the youngest pole winner in K&N Pro Series East history, eclipsing the previous record set by Brett Moffitt in 2009. Elliott led the first 20 laps of the race and finished third. * Brett Moffitt led a race-high 115 laps and finished second for his series-best-tying fifth top-five finish in seven races this year. * The Visit Hampton VA 175 marked the halfway point of the 14-race season. NEXT TIME OUT: Columbus Following the Samuel 150, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return to action on Saturday, July 21 with the Jegs 150 at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway. The East made its inaugural visit to the venerable .333-mile facility in 2011 and Darrell Wallace Jr. came home the victor.