NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Racer Greg Pursley Wins at Evergreen Speedway
- Jul 12, 2011
Pursley won the Evergreen 200 at Evergreen Speedway in Washington after surviving a flat tire and rallying through the field on Sunday. He took the lead on lap 189 after the fifth caution of the race, passing Gene Price Motorsports teammate Dylan Kwasniewski. Pursley won his sixth K&N Pro Series West race of the season and the ninth of his career. "We had to come in and put a right front tire on," said Pursley. "It was cut it down. We ran something over. We went out there and tried to stay out of trouble and still run my race and got back up to fifth there by the break." Pursley won the pole and led the first 61 laps of the Evergreen 200. He ran into trouble when he ran over some debris on the track and cut a tire. He had to pit to repair the tire and Kwasniewski took over the lead. Kwasniewski was out front for the next 60 laps through the midway point and mandatory pit stops of the race. Pursley worked his way back to the front and took the lead on lap 123, but held it for only one lap.
Kwasniewski regained the lead on lap 125 and held it until the fifth and final caution of the race. On the ensuing restart, Kwasniewski missed a shift and Pursley passed him. Kwasniewski, the 16-year-old rookie from Las Vegas, finished second, his second runner-up in the K&N Pro Series West. He led a race-high 125 laps. "It was a great race. We led a lot of laps," Kwasniewski said. "(Pursley) got that flat. This track is so small and so fast and we both were so good that I knew he was going to get back up to us. He got a caution and then he was right behind me. Putting on a good fight and we definitely had the car to win. On the last restart, just missed a shift and he got on the outside of me, forced the issue and made a great pass without even touching me." Moses Smith, a driver from Bill McAnally Racing, was third, followed by teammate Eric Holmes in fourth and Daryl Harr in fifth. "We didn't qualify exactly where we wanted to," Smith said. "The car was good on the long runs and thank goodness we had long runs out here. We had some good, close competition. It's good to be back up on the podium after a few races of being off of it. Third place, we'll take it." Pursley extended his lead in the K&N Pro Series West standings to 298 points over Smith. The Evergreen 200 will be broadcast on Speed on July 28 at 6 p.m. ET. The next K&N Pro Series West race is the Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125 at Portland International Speedway on July 24. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
