ROSEVILLE, Calif. (Sept. 29, 2015) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will wrap up its 2015 season with the Drive Sober 125 at Dover (Delaware) International Raceway on Friday.
Bill McAnally Racing drivers Nick Drake, in the No. 15 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota, and Patrick Staropoli, in the No. 99 AutoNation Cure Bowl Toyota, are aiming for a strong finish at the one-mile track, known as the Monster Mile.
As the K&N Pro Series East wraps up its 14-race schedule, Drake will complete his second full season in the series after making the transition from open-wheel sprint cars. The 19-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina has one pole, five top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 29 series starts over two seasons.
A flat tire and contact with the wall relegated Drake to a 28th-place finish last year at Dover. He’s optimistic the experience he gained in that visit will benefit him in his return this week.
“Going back with some experience should help us out,” he said. “And we made some big changes from last year.”
Drake ended up 10th in the final championship standings last year and is eighth in points this year. He’s far enough back that he knows he doesn’t need to worry about points.
“At this point, we have nothing to lose,” he said. “We’re going there to try to win it.”
In addition to his career marks in the K&N Pro Series East, Drake has a win and a third-place finish in two starts at in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
Staropoli, meanwhile, will be making his second series start this season on Friday. The 25-year-old Plantation, Florida driver has raced select events in the East and West divisions of the K&N Pro Series since winning the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge in 2013. The Harvard University graduate balances his racing schedule around his medical school studies at the University of Miami.
He has one win, one pole, three top-five and four top-10 finishes in four K&N Pro Series West starts overall, and two top-10 finishes in four starts in the K&N Pro Series East.
Staropoli’s entry carries sponsorship by the AutoNation Cure Bowl, a new NCAA College Football Bowl Game held in Orlando, Florida on Dec. 19, 2015. The AutoNation Cure Bowl is the first bowl game of its kind, raising both money and awareness for breast cancer research. AutoNation, the game’s title sponsor, has pledged $1M to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation over and above their title sponsorship of the bowl game.
AutoNation, the nation’s largest new car retailer, will also place pink license plate frames on the back of every vehicle sold or serviced and match the donations made by their customers. More information can be found at CureBowl.com.
“I’m so excited to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month at Dover,” said Staropoli. “We have a lot to drive for this weekend, and I can’t thank Marc Cannon and AutoNation enough for giving me the chance to put this AutoNation Cure Bowl Toyota up front. It’s been amazing to see the support the Drive Pink campaign has received so far and I’m looking forward to making everyone involved in it proud with our run on Friday.”
The Drive Sober 125 will be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network, “The Voice of NASCAR.” Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle will anchor the broadcast, which airs at 5 p.m. ET on Friday. The race will also be televised on NBCSN on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET.