HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Post Race Report: Dover International Speedway

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HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks (HSMJM) entered this weekend’s race at Dover International Speedway with an opportunity to lock up the championship in their first season of operation in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE). Rain caused all practice sessions and qualifying to be canceled and postponed the originally scheduled Friday night event to a Saturday afternoon show. William Byron and Scott Heckert entered the day with an opportunity to win the championship with Byron holding a 13-point lead at the start of the Drive Sober 125. The NASCAR Next driver was able to bring home a ninth-place finish in his first Dover start, which secured the championship in his first season of NKNPSE competition. Rico Abreu led the charge on the track, leading laps and finishing third. J.J. Haley, Scott Heckert and Dalton Sargeant all brought home top-11 finishes at the end of the day to close out the 2015 season with all 5 HSMJM drivers in the top 6 in the final NKNPSE Driver Points Standings.

 
William Byron:
Byron entered the Drive Sober 125 with an opportunity to capture his first-career NASCAR championship. The North Carolina native held a 13-point lead heading into Dover. Byron began the event on the pole after rain force the cancellation of qualifying. Early on in the event, Byron was able to jump out to a commanding lead, putting the No. 9 Liberty University Chevrolet up front. Byron led the opening 57 laps before surrendering the lead to HSMJM teammate Rico Abreu. The 17-year-old held strong inside the top 10 throughout the duration of the event, eventually finishing in the ninth position, firmly securing the 2015 NKNPSE championship in his rookie season. Byron became the sixth-ever rookie to win the NKNPSE title and did so with four victories on the season through 14 races.
 
William Byron on winning his first championship:
“I’m so proud of this team for the season that we have put together. This was our big goal, and I’m really excited to celebrate with all of my guys. We have had fast Liberty University Chevrolets all season long, and it’s been a blast to drive them. I can’t thank Liberty University, Harry Scott, Justin Marks and the entire No. 9 team enough for everything this season.”
 
Rico Abreu:
Abreu entered this weekend’s race at Dover looking to close out the season on a high note. The 23-year-old started the event in the seventh position and early on learned his way around the track, having never previously raced at the “Monster Mile.” Abreu was able to make his way forward and on lap 58 took the lead away from HSMJM teammate Byron. Abreu had a fast machine and stayed up front for 10 circuits before losing the lead to the eventual race winner. Abreu was able to run inside the top five for the remainder of the event and closed the season with a third-place finish. Abreu finished the season fifth in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings.
 
Rico Abreu on his day at Dover:
“We had a great run in the No. 98 Chevy. We had a really fast car there at the end of the race and had a shot at the win. It’s always fun being able to get up front and lead laps. Unfortunately we weren’t able to close the deal tonight, but it was still a good performance. Overall, it’s been a great season and I can’t thank my guys enough for all the hard work.”
 
J.J. Haley:
Haley came into the Drive Sober 125 looking to close out what has been an impressive rookie campaign in the NKNPSE. The 16-year-old started the event in the sixth position. Early on in the 125-lap race, Haley received some damage to the rear of his No. 5 Braun Auto Chevrolet. Under the first break the team made  adjustments to Haley’s machine, looking to help him better navigate through traffic. Unfortunately, the car still was not quite to Haley’s liking and the team elected to make even more changes during the midway break of the race. The changes were just what Haley needed, as he was quickly able to drive from 18th to sixth, where he would eventually finish. Haley ends the season sixth in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings.
 
J.J. Haley on his day in Dover:
“We had a solid effort this year by the No. 5 Braun Auto team. I can’t thank everyone enough for their ongoing effort and dedication to me and this race team. We started off a bit tight in the race and fell way back, but once we came in and made adjustments, we never looked back. It was an awesome effort and I’m happy to end the 2015 East season on a good note.”
 
Scott Heckert:
Heckert entered the Drive Sober 125 looking to capture his first-career NASCAR championship. The day started with Heckert on the outside pole. The 21-year-old was able to run up inside the top five for the race’s opening 70 laps. Some handling issues in the closing stages of the event caused Heckert to slip back through the field just a bit, leaving the driver with a 10th-place finish. The Connecticut native finished the season second in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings, a career best.
 
Scott Heckert on his run at Dover:
“We had a tough day without any practice, but I’ve been really happy with these guys all year. They deserve all the success we have had this season. A couple of hiccups throughout the year hurt our championship effort, but I wouldn’t want to do it with another group of guys. We had a great 2015 season and thanks again to the entire HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks team.”
 
Dalton Sargeant:
Sargeant came to Dover looking to close out the season on a high note. The 17-year-old began the event in the fourth position. As the race began, Sargeant slid back just a bit as the 17-year-old had never completed a lap at Dover prior to the drop of the green flag. Although Sargeant was new to the one-mile track, the NASCAR Next driver used the opening circuits to learn the track and gain valuable experience. The Florida native was able to get by some of his competitors in the race’s closing laps and bring home an 11th-place finish to close out the year. Sargeant ended up fourth in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings for 2015.
 
Dalton Sargeant on 2015 and Dover:
“This was not necessarily the finish we were looking for, but overall a good season for the GALT team. We had some great runs this year and put together some great performances. I can’t thank the entire HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks organization enough. The 51 guys worked their butt off all season long to bring me fast racecars and make us competitive. It’s been a fun season.”

HScott Motorsports PR

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