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NASCAR Touring and Weekly notebook

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Touring Series action gets underway this weekend with the Jet Tools 150

Todd Gilliland
Todd Gilliland
Todd Gilliland
Derek Kraus, BMR
Race winner Ben Kennedy
Ben Kennedy

The three NASCAR national series are not the only NASCAR divisions making news this week as they get things going at Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Hometracks program begins its season as well at nearby New Smyrna Speedway for the season opening Jet Tools 150 for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East competitors.

In addition to action on the track there is other news coming from the various NASCAR Touring and Weekly programs, check in each week as Motorsport.com will cover many of these events and provide fans of the NASCAR Developmental Series weekly updates and news.

In the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Jet Tools 150 at New Smyrna Speedway, defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion Todd Gilliland will also try and become the first repeat winner in the four-year history of the season-opening kickoff event.

Gilliland plans to compete in both K&N Pro Series divisions and start all 27 events on the combined schedule this season. The third-generation driver will once again drive for Bill McAnally Racing along with new teammate Derek Kraus, who’ll be making his first start in the series. Gilliland will attempt to make 27 NKNPS starts this season.

Also competing this weekend will be Spencer Davis who finished second in this race last year. Earlier this week it was announced the NASCAR Next driver will drive for NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series driver Ben Kennedy this season.

The race will be broadcasted on tape-delay on NBCSN on Saturday, February 25, at 10 p.m. ET.

Also competing from the Touring and Weekly Series will be NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Elite II champion Stienes Longin. Longin will make his NASCAR racing debut in the US competing in the PPG/Tower Sealants Pro Late Model 100 at New Smyrna Speedway.

New rules and procedures in 2017

In other NASCAR K&N Pro Series news, East Series director Chris Wright has also been named director of the West Series filling the role previously held by Kip Childress who was promoted to assistant NASCAR Xfinity Series Director late last year.

One big change in race procedures for the NASCAR Touring Series will be a switch from the familiar green-white-checkered finish to an overtime line used already in the NASCAR national series. The rules will be the same in the national series if a race goes past the advertised distance the line will be used if the leader crosses it before a caution comes out the race will be considered official.

Another new procedure set to become effective this weekend is group qualifying at most events. Some events will still use single-car qualifying. Qualifying groups will be set by practice times.

NASCAR has also implemented mandatory pre-license drug testing for all drivers competing in any of its U.S.-based touring series effective this season. 

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