Hill closes K&N Pro East season with second Dover win

DOVER, DE - Austin Hill mastered the Monster Mile. Again.<br /> <br /> The 20-year-old from Winston, GA, returned to the track where he recorded his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win a year ago and put on a dominating display Friday in the Driver Sober 150. Not even a tire issue could keep Hill from becoming the first driver since 1997 to close out the series season with back-to-back wins.<br /> <br /> Like South Carolina's Greenville Pickens Speedway earlier this month, Hill again shared Victory Lane celebration with fellow NASCAR Next driver Ben Rhodes.<br /> <br /> The 17-year-old Rhodes, from Louisville, KY, clinched the series title with a race remaining back on Sept. 6 in a race Hill won. Rhodes finished 15th at Dover and officially received the championship trophy from NASCAR President Mike Helton at the Monster Mile. Rhodes had also previously secured the K&N Pro East Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.<br /> <br /> Hill's No. 22 A&D Welding/Don Rich Ford outdistanced Kaz Grala by 5.136 seconds to take the checkered flag. Hill joined Brett Moffitt as the only series drivers to win twice on the one-mile, high-banked concrete oval.<br /> <br /> Hill's day was nearly ended in a lap 93 incident when he got together with Brennan Newberry in a battle for the lead. Newberry wound up spinning, while Hill was subsequently forced down pit lane with a flat tire. However, Hill was able to stay on the lead lap, came back out 13th, and marched his way back to the front.<br /> <br /> He took the lead on lap 120 and pulled away for the victory.<br /> <br /> Grala, 15, scored his career best finish. Scott Heckert, Eddie MacDonald and Brodie Kostecki rounded out the top five.<br /> <br /> Sergio Pena finished sixth, followed by J.J. Haley, Gray Gaulding, Ryan Gifford and Dylan Presnell.<br /> <br /> Rhodes finished with a 60-point margin over Turner-Scott Motorsports teammate Cameron Hayley and 78 over Gaulding. Brandon Jones and Hill rounded out the top five. Rhodes gave Turner-Scott its second straight championship, following Dylan Kwasniewski last season.<br /> <br /> <strong>NASCAR K&N Pro Series East</strong><br /> <strong> Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE</strong><br /> <strong> Race Results - Sept. 26, 2014</strong><br /> <br /> Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status<br /> 1 9 22 Austin Hill * A&D Welding/Don Rich Ford 150 48 5 Running<br /> 2 5 31 Kaz Grala * NETTTS Chevrolet 150 42 Running<br /> 3 8 34 Scott Heckert Project Lifesaver Chevrolet 150 41 Running<br /> 4 16 71 Eddie MacDonald Grimm Contracting Chevrolet 150 40 Running<br /> 5 12 43 Brodie Kostecki * Arcoplate Toyota 150 39 Running<br /> 6 23 4 Sergio Pena Universal Technical Institute Toyota 150 38 Running<br /> 7 7 10 J.J. Haley * Braun Auto Group Chevrolet 150 37 Running<br /> 8 17 20 Gray Gaulding Krispy Kreme Chevrolet 149 36 Running<br /> 9 20 2 Ryan Gifford Honda Generators Toyota 149 35 Running<br /> 10 24 26 Dylan Presnell Amtrol/Well X Trol/American Mountain Rentals Toyota 149 34 Running<br /> 11 26 46 Brandon Gdovic American Messaging/Windstax Toyota 149 33 Running<br /> 12 21 4 Ronnie Bassett, Jr. * Bassett Racing Chevrolet 149 32 Running<br /> 13 2 98 Cameron Hayley Cabinets by Hayley Chevrolet 149 32 1 Running<br /> 14 25 96 Kenzie Ruston The Deleware Office of Highway Safety Chevrolet 148 30 Running<br /> 15 3 41 Ben Rhodes * Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet 148 30 1 Running<br /> 16 27 42 Jay Beasley * Toyota Racing Development Toyota 148 28 Running<br /> 17 11 21 Mackena Bell Special Smiles Pediatric Dentistry Toyota 148 27 Running<br /> 18 14 0 Cole Custer NAPA Auto Parts/Haas Automation Chevrolet 147 26 Running<br /> 19 22 52 Matt Tifft Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet 146 25 Running<br /> 20 29 18 Milka Duno * RAB Racing Toyota 145 24 Running<br /> 21 6 33 Brandon Jones Lucas Oil Chevrolet 142 23 Running<br /> 22 10 6 Daniel Suarez Sunoco Toyota 133 22 Accident<br /> 23 1 97 Jesse Little NASCAR Technical Institute Chevrolet 130 22 1 Running<br /> 24 4 27 Kyle Benjamin * Benjamin Motorsports Ford 107 20 Accident<br /> 25 19 24 Brennan Newberry Qore24 Chevrolet 93 19 Drive Shaft<br /> 26 18 25 Anderson Bowen * Turn 1/Texas Corral Toyota 82 18 Accident<br /> 27 28 1 Trey Hutchens * Gunma Toyopet Toyota 77 17 Ignition<br /> 28 13 15 Nick Drake * NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 69 16 Accident<br /> 29 15 5 Codie Rohrbaugh * Grant County Mulch Toyota 51 15 Accident<br /> 30 30 29 Chad Finley * Auto Value/AirLiftcompany.com Ford 4 14 Engine<br /> <br /> RACE STATISTICS<br /> Fastest Qualifier: Jesse Little, Time: 23.384 Seconds, Speed: 153.951 mph<br /> Failed to Qualify: (2) Dale Quarterley (#32), John Salemi (#12).<br /> Time of Race: 1 hrs., 38 mins, 31 secs Average Speed: 91.355 mph Margin of Victory: 5.136 Seconds<br /> Caution Flags: Laps 53-58 (#05 Backstretch - FP #26); 70-73 (#15 Backstretch - FP #04); 79-83 (Debris - FP #4); 88-91 (#25 Frontstretch - FP #2); 94-98 (#24 Turn 2 - FP #46). 5 for 24 laps.<br /> Lap Leaders: Jesse Little 1-14, Cameron Hayley 15-67, Austin Hill * 68-95, Ben Rhodes * 96-116, Austin Hill * 117-150.<br /> Total Laps Led: Austin Hill * 62, Cameron Hayley 53, Ben Rhodes * 21, Jesse Little 14. 4 changes involving 4 drivers.<br /> Top 10 Driver Points: Ben Rhodes * 640, Cameron Hayley 580, Gray Gaulding 562, Brandon Jones 551, Austin Hill * 546, Jesse Little 546, Kaz Grala * 542, Scott Heckert 526, Kenzie Ruston 522, Nick Drake * 507<br /> * Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender

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