Justin Haley was patient all night at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Easley, S.C. Until it was go-time.
The 16-year-old from Winamac, Indiana, cleared the dominant car of Kyle Benjamin with seven laps to go and sailed to his first career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victory in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150.
It was Haley’s 23rd career NASCAR K&N Pro Series start. He nearly picked up the win in Phoenix last fall in the K&N Pro West, but late contact while leading cut a tire and ended his night six laps short of the win.
Saturday on the historic flat half-mile, Haley ran second most of the night before making his late move.
Benjamin settled for second, followed by Ronnie Bassett, Jr.
Benjamin, from nearby Easley, South Carolina, was fastest in practice and winner of the 21 Means 21 Pole Award. He led a race-high 122 laps. Haley used lapped traffic to wrestle the lead away early in the race. But Benjamin took it back just before halfway and led until the closing laps when Haley edged by him to claim the checkered flag.
Dawsonville, Georgia’s Spencer Davis, the current series points leader, continued his strong early season run by recording his third straight top five finish by rolling home fourth. It also marks his sixth straight top five finish dating back to September of 2015.
Dillon Bassett finished in fifth. Reid Wilson finished sixth, followed by Noah Gragson, Tyler Dippel, Kaz Grala and Hunter Baize.
The race was slowed just twice by cautions, including the halfway break.
Davis maintained a three-point lead over Benjamin, while Haley moved into third. Haley is one point behind Benjamin and one ahead of teammate Dippel. Ronnie Bassett rounds out the top five in points.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will be back in action on April 16 with the PittLite 125 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Benjamin is the defending race winner.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Greenville-Pickens Speedway – Easley, SC
Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 – March 26, 2016
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Points | B/Points | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 5 | Justin Haley | Braun Auto Chevrolet | 150 | 47 | 4 | Running |
| 2 | 1 | 40 | Kyle Benjamin | FEVR Chevrolet | 150 | 44 | 2 | Running |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | Ronnie Bassett, Jr. | Bassett Gutters Ford | 150 | 41 | Running | |
| 4 | 5 | 41 | Spencer Davis * | Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet | 150 | 40 | Running | |
| 5 | 6 | 44 | Dillon Bassett | Bassett Gutters Ford | 150 | 39 | Running | |
| 6 | 10 | 66 | Reid Wilson * | TruNorth Warranty Programs Chevrolet | 150 | 38 | Running | |
| 7 | 11 | 55 | Noah Gragson | AlertID/Speed Vegas/Colliers Int’l Ford | 150 | 37 | Running | |
| 8 | 7 | 38 | Tyler Dippel * | East West Marine/TyCar Chevrolet | 150 | 36 | Running | |
| 9 | 4 | 3 | Kaz Grala | NETTTS Toyota | 150 | 35 | Running | |
| 10 | 19 | 13 | Hunter Baize * | Bicycle Playing Cards/Pine Mountain Firewood | 150 | 34 | Running | |
| 11 | 8 | 2 | Collin Cabre | UTI/NTI Toyota | 150 | 33 | Running | |
| 12 | 9 | 42 | J.A. Junior Avila * | Braille Batteries Toyota | 149 | 32 | Running | |
| 13 | 18 | 2 | Sarah Cornett-Ching * | Dickies Ford | 149 | 31 | Running | |
| 14 | 17 | 1 | Austin Theriault | Don Valley Toyota | 149 | 30 | Running | |
| 15 | 15 | 12 | Harrison Burton * | DEX Imaging/Konica Minolta Ford | 148 | 29 | Running | |
| 16 | 12 | 30 | Dominique Van Wieringen * | Durobyte Ford | 148 | 28 | Running | |
| 17 | 13 | 49 | John Holleman, IV * | Midway Mobile EStorage Ford | 148 | 27 | Running | |
| 18 | 16 | 4 | Ali Kern * | Max Siegel, Inc. Toyota | 148 | 26 | Running | |
| 19 | 14 | 6 | Ruben Garcia Jr. * | Special Smiles Pediatric Dentistry Toyota | 148 | 25 | Running | |
| 20 | 20 | 14 | Trey Hutchens | Hutchens Motorsports Chevrolet | 147 | 24 | Running | |
| 21 | 21 | 9 | Christian Celaya | Alle Health Chevrolet | 146 | 23 | Running |
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: Kyle Benjamin, Time: 20.705 Seconds, Speed: 86.936 mph
Time of Race: 1 hrs., 2 mins, 52 secs Average Speed: 71.580 mph Margin of Victory: .515 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 76-80 (Halfway Break – FP #42); 87-90 (#30 Turn 2 – FP #02). 2 for 9 laps.
Lap Leaders: Kyle Benjamin 1-54, Justin Haley 55-73, Kyle Benjamin 74-80, Justin Haley 81, Kyle Benjamin 82-142, Justin Haley 143-150.
Total Laps Led: Kyle Benjamin 122, Justin Haley 28. 5 changes involving 2 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Spencer Davis * 125, Kyle Benjamin 122, Justin Haley 121, Tyler Dippel * 120, Ronnie Bassett, Jr. 116, Noah Gragson 107, Kaz Grala 104, Harrison Burton * 97, Austin Theriault 90, Collin Cabre 88
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/3/380325/late-pass-at-gps-nets-haley-first-kn-pro-east-victory