GREENVILLE, S.C. — Story and audio by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Getty Images for NASCAR photo —
Kyle Benjamin kept the hometown fans happy through Coors Light Pole Qualifying on Saturday at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, notching the 21 Means 21 Pole Award in advance of the night’s main event, the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Benjamin, the eighth car out to qualify in the 21-car field, posted a fast lap of 20.705 seconds (86.936 mph) that held up all the way through the end of two-lap drills and handed the Easley, S.C. teenager his first career K&N East pole, as well as his first of the season.
“To sit on the pole, it’s a big deal for me,” the hometown hero said with a smile after accepting the 21 Means 21 Pole Award. “We haven’t had really good runs here (in the past), so to come out and run like we’ve run is a huge boost of confidence. It’s pretty awesome for this whole Ranier Racing with MDM team — hopefully we can back it up with a win tonight.”
Benjamin led both practices earlier in the day as well, and said that he took several keys to success away from his performance over the course of the day to date.
“You gotta save your stuff and make it to the end. The guy who does that the best is going to win in the end. I took away some little ways to do that during those two 45-minute sessions, but you know, the race is always so different than qualifying so we’ll just see what happens and take it a lap at a time.”
Second-year driver Justin Haley, from Winimac, Ind., took his No. 5 Braun Auto Group Chevrolet to the front row with a lap of 20.765 seconds (86.684 mph). Haley, looking for his first-career series victory, will start second as the best of the four HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks entries.
Ronnie Bassett Jr. posted the third-fastest lap in the No. 04 Bassett Gutters Ford, going at a clip of 20.807 seconds (86.509 mph) for his family-owned team, with Kaz Grala () and K&N East points leader Spencer Davis () rounding out the ‘Fast Five’.
Notables further down the time sheets included Mobile winner Tyler Dippel (seventh), last year’s Dover finale winner Collin Cabre (eighth), former Pro Cup star Reid Wilson (10th), last year’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship runner-up Noah Gragson (11th) and former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Austin Theriault (17th).
The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start time, with tape-delayed coverage to-be-announced on NBC Sports Network.
Audio with pole winner Kyle Benjamin:
RESULTS: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East; Coors Light Pole Qualifying; Greenville-Pickens Speedway; March 26, 2016
- Kyle Benjamin
- Justin Haley
- Ronnie Bassett Jr.
- Kaz Grala
- Spencer Davis
- Dillon Bassett
- Tyler Dippel
- Collin Cabre
- Jairo Avila Jr.
- Reid Wilson
- Noah Gragson
- Dominique van Wieringen
- John Holleman IV
- Ruben Garcia Jr.
- Harrison Burton
- Ali Kern
- Austin Theriault
- Sarah Cornett-Ching
- Hunter Baize
- Trey Hutchens III
- Christian Celaya
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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