Kraus leads the way for BMR at Irwindale
For Hub City Times
IRWINDALE, CA – Stratford’s Derek Kraus came away with a third-place finish in the NAPA / ENEOS 150 at Irwindale Speedway on March 30, to lead the way among four Bill McAnally Racing entries that all finished in the top 10 in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West competition.
Kraus jumped into the early lead and paced the field for the first 25 laps. Kraus appeared content to slip back a few spots in the first half of the race, but then charged from third to first on the restart following the midway break.
Kraus seemed headed for victory, but came up short with brake issues just seven laps from the finish.
“We just ran out of brakes while leading,” said 17-year-old Kraus. “We went into Turn 1 without brakes.”
Despite the disappointment, Kraus remained upbeat about the event and leading the most laps.
“It was definitely a fun night,” he said. “We had a really good NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Kraus watched from third as Trevor Huddleston edged Tanner Gray in a thrilling side-by-side finish.
Kraus is fourth in the standings.
The Irwindale race will be televised to a national audience on NBCSN on April 8.