David Gilliland Wins the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race in Sonoma, CA
- Jul 3, 2012
Greg Pursley, one of the drivers for Gene Price Motorsports, posted his best finish in a K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma. Dylan Kwasniewski, Pursley's teammate at Gene Price Motorsports, maintained his lead in the K&N Pro Series West standings. David Gilliland, a regular on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, won his second West Series race at Sonoma, matching his father's two wins at the track. David Gilliland was also the crew chief for his dad for one of those wins, so he probably has bragging rights, if only on a technicality. Seeing Butch Gilliland inducted into the Hall of Fame was just as special as winning the race in Sonoma, David Gilliland said. "Obviously a huge thing for our family," David Gilliland said after the race. "A very special achievement and I got to induct him into the Hall of Fame, so it was pretty cool. He lives in Dubai now, so I don't get to see him very much. He's won here twice and I've only won here once. Today we had to tie it up." David Gilliland didn't take the lead in the race until the second half. A string of West Series regulars were out front for the majority of the race.
Pursley won the pole and led the first 23 laps of the Pick-n-Pull Racing To Stop Hunger 200. David Mayhew passed Pursley for the lead on lap 24 and held it for six laps. Eric Holmes took over the lead from Mayhew on lap 31 before Gilliland worked his way to the front. Gilliland took the lead on lap 44 and held it until the checkered flag. "This race is awesome," Gilliland said. "My dad has had a lot of success out here. I've had a lot of success out here as a crew chief. I've got my career best Cup finish here. We finished second. It's an awesome race track. I love coming out here and racing." Derek Thorn, making his first K&N Pro Series West start at Sonoma, was second. "We had one final shot with Gilliland at the end," Thorn said. "Following him helped me learn some stuff. With the experience he has, he was able to pull away from me a little bit. It was awesome to run up front like that. The whole combination of our team came together today. Second place, for this being my first time here, we're ecstatic." Pursley posted his best K&N Pro Series West finish at Sonoma coming in third. He was fourth at last year's Sonoma race. He was able to close the gap a little in the K&N Pro Series West standings and trails Kwasniewski by eight points after eight races. "Very good points day," Pursley said. "Led a bunch of laps and we'll get some points out of that. Dylan finished great. He finished fifth today. All in all a great day for Gene Price Motorsports. The guys did a great job and they work hard. Gotta give it to them." Jim Inglebright was fourth followed by Kwasniewski in fifth to round out the top five. The Pick-n-Pull Racing To Stop Hunger 200 will be televised on Speed on July 12 at noon PDT. The next K&N Pro Series West race is the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Gene Price Motorsports at Evergreen Speedway in Washington on July 14. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
