DOVER, Del. (Sept. 19, 2008) – Matt Kobyluck won his first NASCAR championship Friday at Dover International Speedway, while Aric Almirola earned the win in his first appearance in the NASCAR Camping World Series East.
Kobyluck, the 38-year-old driver from Uncasville, Conn., clinched the NASCAR Camping World Series East title with his third-place finish in the Sunoco 150. Kobyluck also became the first Native American to win a NASCAR Camping World Series championship. He is a member of the Mohegan Tribal Nation.
The 23-year-old Almirola, a Cuban-American, ran the No. 8 DEI Chevrolet as a one-race substitute for Jeffrey Earnhardt. Almirola will be running in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009. Marc Davis, an 18-year-old African-American, finished third. Steve Park and Bobby Hamilton, Jr. rounded out the top five.
With one race remaining, Kobyluck holds a 219-point lead over second-place Austin Dillon. Dillon finished ninth.
In his 10th full season in the series, Kobyluck has finished in the top 10 each of the last six seasons. His previous best finish was a second-place in 2002, when he ended the season nine points behind champion Andy Santerre. Last year, Kobyluck finished fourth in points.
Kobyluck has a series-high four wins, along with nine top fives and 11 top 10s in 12 races.
The NASCAR Camping World Series East season concludes Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Camping World Series East-Sunoco 150 Results
Friday
At Dover International Speedway
Dover DE
Lap length: 1 mile
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (8) Aric Almirola, Tampa, Fla., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 90.833 mph, $14,000.
2. (6) Marc Davis, Mitchelville, MD., Toyota, 150, $11,411.
3. (5) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $9,000.
4. (9) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $8,000.
5. (20) Bobby Hamilton, Jr., Nashville, Tenn, Dodge, 150, $6,500.
6. (14) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Dodge, 150, $6,000.
7. (16) Ricky Carmichael, Clearwater, Fla., Chevrolet, 150, $6,515.
8. (27) Jody Lavender, Hartsville, S.C., Chevrolet, 150, $7,300.
9. (17) Austin Dillon, Lewisville, N.C., Chevrolet, 150, $5,700.
10. (11) Bryon Chew, Mattituck, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $5,100.
11. (24) Craig Goess, Greenville, N.C., Toyota, 150, $4,500.
12. (23) Dustin Delaney, Mayfield, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $4,850.
13. (25) Ryan Seaman, Toms River, NJ, Chevrolet, 150, $3,900.
14. (22) Max Dumarey, Gent, Belgium, Chevrolet, 150, $4,100.
15. (21) Jamie Hayes, Norlina, N.C., Chevrolet, 149, $3,475.
16. (28) Ryan Duff, Hazard, Ky., Chevrolet, 147, $3,425.
17. (4) Jesus Hernandez, Fresno, Calif., Chevrolet, 146, $3,875.
18. (2) Peyton Sellers, Danville, VA., Chevrolet, 146, $3,825.
19. (19) Dale Quarterly, Westfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 145, $3,300.
20. (18) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 133, $3,750.
21. (3) Trevor Bayne, Knoxville, Tenn., Chevrolet, 130, accident, $3,700.
22. (13) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Dodge, 118, accident, $3,176.
23. (30) Scott Bouley, Wolcott, Conn., Chevrolet, 89, rear end, $3,150.
24. (7) Jeff Anton, Russell, Mass., Chevrolet, 68, accident, $3,600.
25. (10) Tim Andrews, Mooresville, NC, Chevrolet, 67, accident, $3,000.
26. (15) Jason Patison, Corona, Calif., Chevrolet, 67, accident, $3,000.
27. (29) James Pritchard, Wharton, N.J., Dodge, 66, accident, $3,000.
28. (12) Alex Kennedy, Aztec, New Mexico, Chevrolet, 60, accident, $3,000.
29. (26) Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, Conn., Dodge, 53, accident, $3,000.
30. (1) Brian Ickler, San Diego, Calif., Chevrolet, 26, engine, $5,000.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 39 minutes 5 seconds
Margin of Victory: 1.495 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: B.Ickler (152.620 mph, 23.588 seconds)
Caution Flags: 6 for 37 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among 9 drivers.
Lap Leaders: P.Sellers 1-6; B.Ickler 7-8; P.Sellers 9-10; B.Ickler 11-17; J.Hernandez 18-22; M.Davis 23-44; A.Almirola 45-56; M.Kobyluck 57-67; M.Hirschman 68-77; B.Hamilton, Jr. 78-111; M.Davis 112-124; R.Carmichael 125; M.Davis 126-135; A.Almirola 136-150.
Standings: 1. M.Kobyluck, 1980; 2. A.Dillon, 1756; 3. J.Hernandez, 1692; 4. M.Davis, 1688; 5. T.Bayne, 1685; 6. S.Park, 1642; 7. R.Carmichael, 1611; 8. E.MacDonald, 1578; 9. P.Sellers, 1547; 10. B.Ickler, 1525.