The NASCAR K&N East Series heads to Greenville, South Carolina this Saturday to perform the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 100 at Greenville Pickens Speedway (GPS).
While many drivers competing this weekend are new to GPS, the track has had a dominant history since it’s opening around 60-years-ago. It began as a local dirt track where famed drivers like Ralph Earnhardt and David Pearson scored championships. The track also hosted 29 Winston (now Sprint) Cup Series events during its early years, but quickly lost exposure after the Cup Series shifted their schedule away from Greenville.
Despite it falling on the NASCAR Touring Series schedule, the K&N East Series and Whelen Modified Southern Tour began visiting the historic track. This weekend’s race will mark the 12th time that the K&N East machines have taken to the speedway. Joey Logano, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Dylan Kwasniewski are among the few drivers who’ve taken victories in the K&N Series at GPS.
Brandon Gdovic stole the checkered flag in this event last season, and he’ll hope to repeat that performance this season. However, Ben Rhodes – who won a Late Model Stock Car event at GPS last season – is also a main contender to score the victory after finishing sixth in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 100 last year.
“It’s just too bad we couldn’t get the win (at Bristol), but we’ll head to Greenville and try to get a win there,” Rhodes said after finishing third in Bristol, Tennessee.
While Rhodes and Gdovic seem to be the favorites, Lee Pulliam and Gray Gaulding aren’t out of the question either. Pulliam, 2-time NASCAR Whelen All-American champion, has prior knowledge at GPS, and the format of the track suits his driving style greatly. Gaulding on the other hand, is the current K&N point’s leader, and has prior K&N knowledge at GPS – he finished third and 10th in the events held at this racetrack last season.
Qualifying could be the key factor in this weekend’s event, as the average starting position of the victor is 3.18 – which shows how critical qualifying up front will be. And if prior history repeats itself, you can expect the winner to qualify inside the top five.
The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 will air on Fox Sports 1 at 11:00 AM EST on Friday, March 28th – and it’s surely expected to be a nail bitter. However, considering the race isn’t streamed live, you can always follow live updates at @MarshallGabell on Twitter.
