K&N is Title Sponsor of the NASCAR Pro Series East and West Until 2021

Ben Rhodes won five races and six poles en route to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in 2014.

Ben Rhodes won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in 2014. He won four races in a row during his championship campaign

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series has a long history of developing the stars of stock car racing. Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott are some of the more recent drivers who started their ascension to NASCAR stardom in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Today, Todd Gilliland, Justin Haley, and Chris Eggleston are the rising stars of the series.

“That was a series you always grew up wanting to race in. Last year, getting the opportunity to run a full season, let alone winning the championship, was really cool,” said Eggleston, who won the K&N Pro Series West championship in 2015. “K&N, they does a lot for that series, the West and the East Series. It’s an awesome title sponsor to have on board. It gives kids and other drivers a chance to fulfill their dreams, to keep working on their goals of moving up into the top tier of racing. It’s a great stepping-stone series.”

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series is the final step in the ladder to the national touring divisions of NASCAR, the Sprint Cup Series, the XFINITY Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. The K&N Pro Series is split into two regions, the East and West, each crowns a separate champions. The K&N Pro Series East and West run 14 races each. Teams from both the East and West Series meet at Iowa Speedway on July 29 for a combination race.

William Byron won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in 2015 by 13 points over runner-up Scott Heckert.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series unveiled a new body for its teams’ cars in the East and West Series at the SEMA Show in 2014.

K&N has been the title sponsor of the Pro Series since 2010. But the history of both series dates back to the 1950s. The K&N Pro Series East started as the Busch North Series in 1987. The K&N Pro Series West was the Pacific Coast Late Models when it started in 1954. K&N announced in 2015 that it will be the title sponsor of the Pro Series East and West until 2021.

“K&N has been incredibly pleased with our sponsorship of the Pro Series over the past six years. We couldn’t have joined the NASCAR family at a better time, as we’ve seen the series grow in popularity each season,” said Caitlin Clement, K&N Track and Series Support Manager. “It’s amazing to see what the recent K&N Pro Series alumni have been able to do in the NASCAR National series in such a short amount of time and we’re seeing a whole new wave of extremely talented drivers this season who are undoubtedly on the path to stardom, as well. We’re excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the series for another six years and we’d like to thank NASCAR and all the teams for everything they’ve done and will do for the K&N brand.”

Chris Eggleston won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2015. He won two races, at Irwindale Speedway and Shasta Speedway, during his championship season.

Bill McAnally, left, owner of Bill McAnally Racing, and Chris Eggleston won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2015. It was the sixth time McAnally won the K&N Pro Series West title as a team owner.

Bill McAnally, who owns Bill McAnally Racing in the K&N Pro Series West, said having the support of K&N brings credibility to the series.

“We had several sponsors. Year after year we were changing sponsors,” McAnally said. “It’s great to have found a partner in K&N that’s found a home and has been involved in the series, continues to be involved with the series, it brings credibility to the K&N Series.”

The cars the teams use in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series are similar to the Generation 4 Sprint Cup cars used from 1992-2006. The K&N Pro Series cars produce 625 horsepower at 8,000 RPMs. For reference, the current NASCAR XFINITY Series cars produce 650 horsepower at 8,200 RPMs and the Sprint Cup cars of today produce 850 horsepower at 9,000 RPMs.

Todd Gilliland became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in Phoenix in November. He was 15 years, six months when he won the race at Phoenix.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series visits some of the same tracks as the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series teams. The K&N Pro Series East teams race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, Watkins Glen International Raceway in New York, and Dover International Speedway in Delaware. The K&N Pro Series West visits Sonoma Raceway in California. The Pro Series West teams have also raced at Phoenix International Raceway and Auto Club Speedway in California in the past. The K&N Pro Series visits several markets that the NASCAR national series doesn’t. It benefits both the K&N customers and NASCAR fans.

“It puts us in a lot of markets that don’t get any other NASCAR exposure,” McAnally said. “When we go to Denver or Salt Lake or Portland or Seattle, it’s a big deal. It tours NASCAR into some hungry markets. It adds a lot to our series.”

Todd Gilliland won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway in November. It was his first start in the K&N Pro Series West.

Ryan Truex won the first K&N Pro Series East championship in 2010. He repeated as the East Series champion and moved on to the XFINITY Series. William Byron won the K&N Pro Series East championship in 2015. Kyle Larson, who drives the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, won the K&N Pro Series East championship and was the rookie of the year in 2012.

Eric Holmes won the first K&N Pro Series West championship in 2010. It was his third West Series title. Greg Pursley won two K&N Pro Series West championships, he first was in 2011 and the second came in 2014. Dylan Kwasniewski won the K&N Pro Series West championship in 2012 and the K&N Pro Series East championship in 2013.