K&N East Makes Inaugural Visit To Berlin Raceway

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East makes its first visit to Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan on Saturday for the Stars & Stripes 150.

Todd Gilliland, who drives the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry for Bill McAnally Racing, would like to nail down his first K&N East victory of the year and put his name in the win column for the inaugural series race at the 7/16-mile track near Grand Rapids.

“We really need to pick up that first East win,” Gilliland said. “It’s been tough this year. I know we’ve had the cars to do it and we’ve been in position to do it, it just hasn’t fallen our way.”

While the 17-year-old from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina has yet to take home the trophy from a K&N East race this season, he emphasized the experience he gains from each event.

“Every race we go to is really important,” he said. “I try to learn as much as I can at all these race tracks.”

Gilliland is coming off an eighth-place finish in K&N East action at Memphis International Raceway. He is second in the championship standings – 28 markers out of first – with three top-five and six top-10 finishes in six starts this season.

It’s a busy season for the third-generation driver, who is running the full schedules in the East and West divisions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. In addition, he is competing in eight races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports this year.

Gilliland, who leads the championship standings in the K&N West, is a member of the NASCAR Next program that spotlights NASCAR’s rising stars.

The Michigan race, which is scheduled to be televised on NBCSN on July 7 at 12:30 p.m. ET, is the seventh event on a 14-race series schedule. It’s the first of three straight weeks of racing for the K&N East competitors. Following Saturday’s event, the series heads to Connecticut for a race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on July 8 and then travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a race on July 15.

BMR PR