BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 15, 2014) – A big charge through the field at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Saturday paid off with a career-best finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for Patrick Staropoli.
One of three Bill McAnally Racing drivers competing in the PittLite 125, Staropoli drove his No. 99 PEAK Toyota from 24th on the grid to finish sixth.
His BMR teammates Cole Custer and Nick Drake, meanwhile, encountered trouble and finished 14th and 29th, respectively. Custer’s No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS/HAAS Automation entry suffered a flat left rear tire early in the event and then was caught up in an incident later in the race, but still managed to finish on the lead lap. Drake blew a right front tire on the No. 15 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota on Lap 102 and bounced off the wall, ending his night.
Staropoli’s sixth-place finish on the high-banked Bristol half-mile oval gives him two top-10 finishes in the first three NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races this season and puts him fourth in the championship standings. The 24-year-old driver from Plantation, Fla., finished 11th in the season opener at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and eighth in the UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short-track course at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Staropoli is slated to drive select events in the East and West divisions of the K&N Pro Series this year.
Drake, meanwhile, slipped to 17th in the standings. As a contender for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, the 18-year-old from Mooresville, N.C., was making his first Bristol start. In the first two series events, he finished 15th at New Smyrna and fourth at Daytona.
Custer, who is competing in select events in the East and West divisions of the K&N Pro Series this year, was making his first East start of the season. He scored a big win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at Phoenix International Raceway last month.
The PittLite 125, which is slated to be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 on March 22 at 11:30 a.m. ET, was part of big NASCAR weekend at Bristol that also featured the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
The Bristol weekend featured several special NAPA events with the BMR drivers. NAPA pre-race appearances included Drake visiting fans in Johnson City, Tenn., and Staropoli making a stop in Kingsport, Tenn. In addition, 50 NAPA VIPs from Knoxville were treated to a special pre-race garage tour at the track on Saturday.
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