On Saturday evening, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) raced at the Magic Mile, New Hampshire Motor Speedway located in Loudon, N.H. Representing MDM Motorsports were drivers Harrison Burton, Sheldon Creed, and Vinnie Miller.
On Friday, teams and drivers took to the 1.058-mile speedway for two practice sessions and qualifying. Both Burton and Creed had solid practice sessions. Miller wasn’t so lucky as he cut a tire in the first practice, causing him to hit the wall. That damage led him to miss valuable track time in both sessions. Burton qualified fifth in his No. 12 RUUD Toyota, while Creed was directly behind him in his No. 40 United Rentals Toyota with a sixth-place qualifying effort. Miller qualified 18th with a damaged ball joint in his No. 41 Master Mfg. Inc. Toyota. The team replaced the ball joint prior to the race and the 19-year-old Michigan driver started the race from the rear.
The 70-lap NKNPSE event was delayed due to weather pushing back the end of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race. The United Site Service 70 went green just before 7:30 p.m., ET. The only caution was for Miller, who suffered another cut tire. The team attempted to repair the car but were unable to, he retired from the race after completing just 12 laps. Burton started fifth and never fell below the seventh position. He had many great battles including one with teammate Creed. They went on to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. That fifth-place finish for Creed marked his first career NKNPSE top-five finish.
Burton, driver of the RUUD No. 12… Burton entered the United Site Services 70 coming off a victory at Thompson (Conn.) Speedway Motorsports Park last Saturday. The current NKNPSE points leader, was making his second career New Hampshire Motor Speedway start with a new partnership from RUUD. He qualified fifth and raced around the top-five all race long. He was able to work his way to fourth when the checkered flag waved.
Burton on New Hampshire: “Not a terrible weekend for our No. 12 RUUD team, but we just never quite hit on it,” said Burton. “Track position was really important today too, having clean air was a big deal. If we’re a little bit upset about a fourth-place run, I think that shows how strong this team really is, and how much we expect from ourselves. We will get them at Iowa in a few weeks.”
Creed, driver of the United Rentals No. 40… Creed made his New Hampshire Motor Speedway debut driving the No. 40 United Rentals Toyota. He is coming off a strong third-place finish at Iowa Speedway in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards Friends With Benefits 150 last Saturday. He qualified right behind his teammate Burton in sixth and quickly made his way into the top-five, racing as high as third early in the event. After a great battle, Creed was able to bring home a fifth-place finish in the United Site Services 70, his first career NKNPSE top-five finish.
Creed on New Hampshire: “I’m happy with the way our weekend went overall,” said Creed. “This was my first time here, and this is a tough race track. My No. 40 United Rentals team brought me a strong car. We needed a caution to gain track position if we wanted a shot at the win but never got one. We have great speed, and I feel like we’re really getting close to getting that win. These cars are extremely fun to drive right now.”
Miller, driver of the Master Mfg. Inc., No. 41… Miller made his debut at the 1.058-mile Magic Mile on Saturday evening. In Friday’s first practice session, Miller cut a tire down and the hit the wall. The team was able to repair most of the damage on the No. 41 Master Mfg. Inc., Toyota. They qualified 18th and later discovered they had a bent ball joint. They fixed the car, but would have to start in the rear due to NASCAR rules. In the first few laps, he drove inside the top-15 and showed that he had a car capable of running up front. On lap 5, a tire went down and Miller hit the wall. He tried to continue but the damaged proved to be to much. The race was over early for the No. 41 team. He finished 21st.
Miller on New Hampshire: “It was a frustrating weekend for sure,” said Miller. “I think our Master Mfg. Inc., Toyota had good speed but we just never had the chance to show it. We’ll have to keep our heads up and rebound. I can’t thank everyone involved enough for the opportunity to drive really fast race cars.”
The United Site Services 70 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway will air on NBCSN July 20, at 6 p.m., ET.
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