Rookie Noah Gragson Takes Checkers at Napa Auto Parts Wildcat 150 in Tucson, AZ

After a fierce door-to-door battle it would be Noah Gragson who crossed the line first under a green-white checkered flag with the margin of victory over his teammate a mere .468 seconds

Dustin Ash managed to get by Ryan Partridge and crossed the line third; Ryan Partridge, who led a race-high 87 laps, came in fourth with Nicole Behar rounding out the top-five

After a 14-year absence, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West returned to Tucson Speedway in Tucson, Arizona giving fans a great night of door-to-door racing with an all-rookie top five finish on a green-white checkered flag. Noah Gragson, in just his third NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race, started the Napa Auto Parts Wildcat 150 in 18th place, but quickly worked his way toward the front in the number 7 Alert I.D. Ford.

By the halfway point of the NAPA Auto Parts Wildcat 150 at Tucson Speedway, Gragson was sitting in second place after briefly leading laps 62 through 69. Ryan Partridge regained the lead on lap 70 and kept the number 9 Eibach Springs/Sunrise Ford/Lucas Oil Ford in front of the pack through lap 140. As the Napa Auto Parts Wildcat 150 at Tucson Speedway wound down, the competition grew fierce.

One autographed K&N Pro Series mini Bell replica helmet will be given away through K&N’s official Twitter feed twitter.com/knfilters after all 28 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East & West races

The top three drivers of the Napa Auto Parts Wildcat 150 at Tucson Speedway in Tucson, Arizona: Gracin Raz who finished second, Noah Gragson with the win, and Dustin Ash in third

Ryan Partidge and Noah Gragson swapped for the lead three times in the closing laps. An extremely late caution in the race added another twist to the plot as Gragson’s teammate Gracin Raz was able to edge past Ryan Partridge. Raz and Gragson were lined up next to one another in the final restart of the race. After the fierce door-to-door battle it would be Gragson who crossed the line first under a green-white checkered flag. Dustin Ash, another rookie, managed to get by Partridge and crossed the line third. Ryan Partridge, who led a race-high 87 laps, came in fourth with another rookie, Nicole Behar rounding out the top-five.

“It got a little hairy there at the end,” said Noah Gragson. “I gave it the restart of my life and we came out with the win.” In only his third NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race Gragson has finished in the top-five twice and in the top-ten once. Gragson’s margin of victory over his teammate in the number 27 Trinity Energy Ford was a mere .468 seconds. Gragson leads the points standing after three races, with Chris Eggleston just two points behind. Gracin Raz sits in third only five points behind his teammate Noah Gragson.

The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series race will be on May 16th at Iowa Speedway for the Casey’s General Store 150. This will be the first of two K&N East vs. West combination races of the 2015 season. “Iowa will be something I haven’t seen before. So it’s going to be nice to have this second carry into that,” said Gracin Raz after the NAPA Auto Parts Wildcat 150 in Tucson.