NASCAR K&N East Part Of Big NASCAR Weekend At Richmond

After a rapid start to the season for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the pace slows a bit this month with only one race scheduled in April. Don’t anticipate the pace of the competition on track to ease up, however, as the series action heads to Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Bill McAnally Racing drivers Cole Custer and Nick Drake are among those entered in the Blue Ox 100 on Friday at the 3/4-mile, D-shaped oval.

The event, which will be televised on FOX Sports 1 on May 2 at 4:30 p.m. ET, is part of a big NASCAR weekend at Richmond that includes the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The K&N East race marks the fifth on a 16-race schedule.

Custer, who drives the No. 00 NAPA AUTO PARTS/HAAS Automation entry, finished third as a rookie last year in his only previous series start at Richmond. He returns this year with two wins, two poles, five top fives and six top 10s in 15 career K&N East races.

In his only series start this season, the 16-year-old from Ladera Ranch, Calif., finished 14th at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway after getting caught up in a late-race incident. Custer also has a start this year in the K&N West, where he won the season opener at Phoenix International Raceway in February.

“We’re looking forward to returning to Richmond,” Custer said. “We had a strong run there last season and hope to do even better this year. The track is a lot of fun to race and the fans there are great.”

In addition to competing in select events in the East and West divisions of the K&N Pro Series this year, Custer is also racing a limited schedule in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – where he made his debut with a 12th-place finish at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway three weeks ago.

Drake, who drives the No. 15 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in his challenge for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, will be making his first series start at Richmond. The 18-year-old Mooresville, N.C., driver comes into the event with four K&N East starts – highlighted by a fourth-place finish on the short track at Daytona International Raceway in February.  He also competed in the K&N West race at Phoenix, where he finished third.

Coming off a 16th-place finish at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway last month, Drake is sixth in rookie points and 14th in the overall championship standings.

He is transitioning to stock cars from open-wheel racing, where he competed in the USAC National Sprint Car Series last year.

BMR PR