ALTON, Va. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Brent Seelman photo —
Nick Drake shot to the top of the leaderboard at Virginia International Raceway — and stayed there — after posting a mock qualifying run in the final five minutes of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East final practice on Saturday morning.
Drake’s lap of 1:28.043 (92.000 mph), under the track record set by Scott Heckert in 2014 by two full tenths, was enough to leave the driver of the No. 15 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota as the overall practice leader ahead of today’s Biscuitville 125 (4:30 p.m. ET).
“When you bolt on new tires around this place, you’re going to pick up a lot of time,” Drake said. “We were one of a couple that put on a new set and mocked up in this session, and it showed in our time. I didn’t necessarily expect us to have this kind of speed, but for me being relatively new to road courses I’m happy with it. It’s a technical joint and I’m just looking for a good day all around.”
Drake led 16-year-old rookie J.J. Haley at the end of the session, with Haley slotting in second-fastest after his lap of 1:28.198 (91.839) in the No. 5 Braun Auto Group Chevrolet. Kaz Grala was again among the contenders on speed, with his mock run of 1:28.304 (91.729) enough to put him third among the 18 cars entered for this afternoon’s 55-lap event.
Austin Hill, who led the first practice session, was the fourth and final driver to test his qualifying setup during the 45-minute block, putting down a clip of 1:28.372 (91.658) in the No. 22 A&D Welding/Don Rich Ford.
“We went out on our mock run and I felt like it was going to be a great lap, but all of a sudden I looked down and the water temperature was 240,” Hill explained. “At that point I just shut it off and coasted back to the pits. I still think we’ve got a great car underneath us, so we’ll see what happens for the rest of the day.”
Defending VIR winner Scott Heckert rounded out the top five, followed by his teammates Rico Abreu and William Byron. Brandon Gdovic, Dale Quarterly and Sergio Pena made up the balance of the top 10.
The session took nearly 25 minutes before a solid green run could be stablished, with a full-course caution coming out in the opening minute after Sergio Pena and Devon Amos went off course in turn one, and then Dalton Sargeant stalled on the back half of the course with drive train issues onboard his Chevrolet.
Just after the course returned to green with 15 minutes elapsed on the clock, a second stoppage came when Dale Quarterly’s No. 32 VANDYK Recycling Chevrolet slowed with ignition troubles.
Qualifying for the Biscuitville 125 is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. local time, with a one-hour autograph session prior to time trials beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the VIR Pavilion.
Audio with final practice leader Nick Drake:
Audio with first practice leader Austin Hill:
RESULTS: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East; Final Practice; VIRginia International Raceway; August 29, 2015
- Nick Drake
- J.J. Haley
- Kaz Grala
- Austin Hill
- Scott Heckert
- Rico Abreu
- William Byron
- Brandon Gdovic
- Dale Quarterly
- Sergio Pena
- Kenzie Ruston
- Collin Cabre
- David Garbo Jr.
- Christian Celaya
- Zeb Pixley
- Charles Buchanan Jr.
- Devon Amos
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. He 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
