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8/12/2010 |
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MOMENTUM PUTS
HOLMES NO. 1 IN HUNTER INDEX
K&N Pro Series
West Leader Hitting His Stride |
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 If
it’s an even year, you might want to put your money on Eric Holmes
winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West title. Holmes, the 2006 and
2008 champion, has pushed himself to the top of the standings with
three wins and six top fives in the season’s first eight races.
Holmes has only gotten stronger as the summer months have heated up
the 2010 championship race. He drove to the victory at Montana
Raceway Park last week and recorded a strong runner-up finish at
Portland (Ore.) International Raceway in the previous race,
performances that have landed him in the top spot for the August
edition of the Hunter Index.
“Before winning the race at Montana Raceway Park, Eric said he
didn't feel his team was as dominant as in years past. He expected
more wins and some better results at this point in the season,” said
Tim Haddock of haddockinthepaddock.blogspot.com. “He qualified
seventh for the Montana race, but impressively worked his way to the
front during one of the longest green-flag runs all year. It took
Holmes 118 laps to get the lead at Montana, but once he had it, no
one was going to take it away from him.”
The Hunter Index is a new feature in 2010 on NASCARHomeTracks.com
that will spotlight the top 10 drivers in the NASCAR Developmental
Series in a monthly power poll. Drivers are ranked on their
performance over the previous month. The rankings are compiled by a
panel of auto racing writers and NASCAR representatives.
Holmes, who received three first-place votes, narrowly edged
Nebraska dirt late model driver Craig Preble and Darrell Wallace Jr.
of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Preble, who received two first-place votes, is chasing Connecticut’s
Keith Rocco in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national
championship race. The Yuma, Neb., driver has put together an
impressive run in the last month with six wins and eight top fives
in nine starts at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb.,
and at I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb.
“I think it’s about time he gets his due,” said Adam Fenwick of
National Speed Sport News. “He’s having a really good year and is
hotter than Rocco right now.”
Wallace had just one race in the voting period, but made quite an
impression.
The 16-year-old from Mobile, Ala., used a three-wide pass in the
closing laps to take the win at Lee (N.H.) USA Speedway. The
victory, his second of the year, continued his hot stretch that has
included a win, three thirds and a sixth in his last five races to
move within 33 points of series points leader Ryan Truex.
DJ Kennington, who had a win, a second and a third in a four-race
stretch in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, was fourth, and Ted
Christopher, fifth. Christopher, who received the other first-place
vote, had a win in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Monadnock
Raceway in New Hampshire to go with two wins and three top fives in
five starts in his asphalt Modified at Stafford (Conn.) Motor
Speedway and Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway in the NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series.
L.W. Miller (NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour) was sixth,
followed by Jason Miller (NASCAR Whelen All-American Series),
Antonio Perez (NASCAR Mexico Series), Scott Steckly (NASCAR Canadian
Tire Series) and Greg Edward (NASCAR Whelen All-American Series).
Four drivers earned honorable mention, including Patrick Long, who
won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Portland, and JR
Fitzpatrick, who won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at
Edmonton.
The Hunter Index is named for Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president of
corporate communications and a longtime supporter of the weekly and
touring series that make up the NASCAR Developmental Series.
The Index was designed in the off season as an opportunity to
compare the top drivers from the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
all the way up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. It will also encompass
drivers from the NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series,
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified
Tour.
Holmes joins Virginia asphalt Late Model driver Philip Morris
(March), Paulie Harraka of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (April),
Christopher (May), Bobby Santos of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
(June) and Rocco (July) in earning the No. 1 position in the Index.
The panel also included media members Shawn Courchesne of the
Hartford (Conn.) Courant representing the Northeast, Adam Fenwick
from the Southeast, Haddock from the West Coast, and Spencer Lewis,
representing the Canadian publication Inside Track Motorsports News.
They are joined by Brett Bodine, who is the chairman of the NASCAR
Resumé Committee and represents the NASCAR competition side on the
panel, and Jason Christley, the NASCAR public relations
representative.
For more information, contact:
Jason Christley, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 310-6094 or
jchristley@nascar.com
AUGUST HUNTER INDEX
1. ERIC HOLMES
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
Why he’s here: He’s been consistently good over the last four years,
with two series championships and a runner-up finish. This year has
been no different. He’s put himself in line for a third championship
thanks to a second-place at Portland and a big win in Montana.
2. CRAIG PREBLE
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Why He’s Here: Nebraska driver has rolled off six wins in his last
nine starts to keep the pressure on Connecticut’s Keith Rocco in the
national title race.
3. DARRELL WALLACE JR.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Why He’s Here: Put an exclamation point on his recent hot streak
with a three-wide pass to claim the win at Lee USA Speedway.
4. DJ KENNINGTON
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Why He’s Here: Wrested the points lead away from JR Fitzpatrick with
a win at Saskatoon, to go with a second at Vernon and third at
Toronto.
5. TED CHRISTOPHER
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series / Whelen Modified Tour
Why He’s Here: Continues to get it done in a Modified: A pair of
wins in the weekly ranks to go along with a win on the Tour that put
him right back in title contention.
6. L.W. MILLER
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Why He’s Here: Used the bump-and-run to take the win away from Burt
Myers at historic Bowman Gray Stadium and claimed the points lead in
the process.
7. JASON MILLER
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Why He’s Here: Nearly perfect on the first at Kopella Speedway in
Wisconsin, winning five times in his last six starts.
8. ANTONIO PEREZ
NASCAR Mexico Series
Why He’s Here: Series points leader finished second at Puebla before
picking up first win of the season at Guadalaraja.
9. SCOTT STECKLY
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Why He’s Here: Backed up impressive win at Vernon with a third-place
run at Edmonton and a fourth-place run at Saskatoon.
10. GREG EDWARDS
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Why He’s Here: Four wins and five top fives in seven starts at
Langley Speedway has moved the Virginia driver into the top 10 in
the national standings.
HONORABLE MENTION: JR Fitzpatrick (NASCAR Canadian Tire
Series), David Mayhew (NASCAR K&N Pro Series West), Ron Silk (NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour), and Ryan Truex (NASCAR K&N Pro Series East).
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Source: Jason Christley / NASCAR
Posted: August
12, 2010 |
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