MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 2, 2017) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) season has come to a close following Friday afternoon’s National Fallen Firefighters Foundation 125 presented by Carl Deputy & Son Builders at Dover International Speedway located in Dover, Del. Harrison Burton scored the victory, earning him the 2017 series championship. His teammates, Sheldon Creed and Riley Herbst scored fourth-place and seventh-place finishes respectively.
Entering Friday’s season finale, Burton was second in Championship points standings, eight points behind the leader. After pacing the field in final practice, the 16-year-old Huntersville, N.C., driver qualified third in the No. 12 RUUD / DEX Imaging Toyota. A blown tire and destroyed race car for championship points leader Todd Gilliland opened the door for Burton. Still needing to finish fifth or better after leading a lap, he closed out the 125-lap event with a solid restart, taking the lead for the final time with two to go. The victory was his series leading fifth of the season.
Creed continued his hot streak with MDM Motorsports. After nearly winning at Kentucky Speedway last weekend in the ARCA Racing Series Crosley 150, Creed made the trip to Dover International Speedway looking for redemption. He qualified the No. 40 United Rentals / A.M. Ortega Construction Toyota seventh, but didn’t stay there long. He worked his way to the lead before a flat tire forced him to pit. He restarted in the rear of the field and was able to drive back into the top-five, eventually finishing fourth, a career-best NKNPSE finish for Creed.
Herbst joined MDM Motorsports at Dover International Speedway for the first time. Piloting the Terrible Herbst No. 41 Toyota, the 18-year-old Las Vegas native qualified 13th. Working with veteran crew chief Jamie Jones, Herbst worked his way into the top-10 before the halfway break and the No. 41 MDM Motorsports team, led by Jones, made some quality adjustments. In the second half of the race, Herbst appeared to be a contender. He worked his way inside the top-five and eventually to second. On the final lap, contact from another competitor sent him into the wall, ending his chances of a top-five finish. Despite the damage, he was able to limp home seventh.
Harrison Burton, driver of the RUUD/DEX Imaging No. 12… Harrison Burton, the son of former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star and current NASCAR on NBC broadcaster Jeff Burton, scored one of the biggest victories of his young career on Friday, when he went to victory lane in the (RACE NAME) at Dover International Raceway. That win, his fifth of the season, closed an eight-point deficient and propelled him to the 2017 NKNPSE Championship.
Burton on Dover: “It’s the best day of my life. To win at Dover, a place my dad has won at before and for that win to help us win the championship is special. Having my mom and dad here to celebrate with me is really cool because they are my biggest supporters. After the last few races, I almost began to doubt myself, but my family and this No. 12 team rallied around me, giving me everything I needed today to get this done. It’s just really cool, it’s definitely the best day of my life.”