NASCAR Driver Chase Purdy Sits in Third Place in the K&N Pro Series East Series

Chase Purdy and his Number 17 car racing during the race at Dover International Speedway

After a slow start to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, rookie driver Chase Purdy has emerged as one of the top drivers in the series. He has four runner-up finishes in his rookie season, but is still looking for that elusive first win. With three races remaining in the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule, he is running out of time.

In his 11 starts this year, Purdy sits in third place in the K&N Pro Series East standings with 406 points. His four top-5 finishes, all second places, go hand-in-hand with his six top-10 finishes. Purdy has been selected to be in the NASCAR NEXT class, a prestigious group of drivers hoping to one day be racing in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series.

Purdy enters the NASCAR NEXT class as the 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rookie of the Year and is on the cusp of taking home the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year award in the K&N Pro Series East.

Purdy won his first K&N Pro Series East '21 Means 21' Pole award at Memphis International Raceway in June and added three more poles in a row. He won the pole position at the races at Berlin Raceway in Michigan, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Connecticut, and New Hampshire International Raceway.

One of his runner-up finishes came at Iowa Speedway in July. It was a race that combined the teams and drivers from the K&N Pro Series East and West and had a field of 34 cars.

“All day I felt like we didn't have enough speed, but during the final segment of the race we got our speed, picked off a few cars and finished second with five laps to go after a restart,” Purdy said about his second-place finish at Iowa. “That’s when I threw my marbles into a bag and we just came up short from that and just could not get it done.”

Purdy finished second in the K&N Pro Series East races at Berlin Raceway, South Boston Speedway, and New Hampshire International Raceway.

When asked if he could have won any of the races he finished second in, Purdy said, “I threw away South Boston myself and I really put that on my shoulders as something that slipped away from me in the end.

Chase Purdy and his crew discussing strategy before a race

Purdy is sponsored by Bama Buggies and races for David Gilliland, father to Todd Gilliland, who races in the K&N Pro Series East and West. Todd Gilliland is the reigning K&N Pro Series West champion and leads the West Series standings after 11 races in 2017.

At 17 years old, Purdy is shaping up to be one the up-and-coming drivers in NASCAR.

“Just stay consistent and not focus too much on that stuff, and stay smart,” he said when asked about the Rookie of the Year Award.

Purdy did not expect to be third in the K&N Pro East Series Standings. He said he expected to be in the top 10 in the standings, though.

“I am third behind the series elite, Harrison (Burton) and Todd (Gilliland), and to be a rookie and sit in third place is pretty outstanding,” Purdy said

“It’s huge, several guys in the big leagues came through the K&N series which really puts you on the map. It prepares you for the big leagues and gives you the ability to drive some of the big cars that they use up there,” Purdy said on the sponsorship of K&N and how much it has helped his career.