Pursley Posts Phoenix Podium
Gene Price Motorsports & Driver Greg Pursley Score a Third Place Finish and Move to Points Lead
PARKER, ARIZ (April 10, 2010) – Greg Pursley, driver of the GPM Performance Parts Ford in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West, went from the front to the back and to the front in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation "100" so score a third place finish in round two of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series schedule.
Pursley qualified third for the 100-lap event on the one-mile paved oval where he is the track record holder. But no records were broken in qualifying as warm temperatures, a new gear rule, and early qualifying draw kept his record intact.
The race took the green flag just after 5pm as the sun was setting in the West causing plenty of glare and limited visibility for the drivers as they barreled into turn one for the first time. Pursley wasted no time in asserting himself and by lap ten the former NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national champion had taken the lead.
But as soon as he took control of the top spot (a position he held through lap 32), his Ford started to smoke causing plenty of concern for the Jerry Pitts led crew. "It was pretty bad in the car," Pursley described. "At first we did not know what it was but we had the lead and we were intent on winning."
The team pitted three times during the first 50 laps to repair the oil leak and was given the OK by NASCAR officials on pit lane. The team also replaced right side tires on lap 40.
While Pursley remained one of the fastest cars on the track, he would never fall below tenth in the running order. Pursley retook the top spot on lap 89 but the handle on his Ford started to fade and lost the top spot on lap 93. He hung on to finish third for his 11th top five series finish.
"This was a big picture race for us and as much as I wanted to win, finishing third is a great night," Pursley said. "We had a lot of concern about the engine but the thing never missed a beat. This whole Gene Price Motorsports team does a fantastic job and Jerry (Pitts) made great calls and had a set up that was perfect. This was a fun car to drive."
The third place finish moves Pursley into a tie for the series points lead with David Mayhew heading into the next event at Iowa Speedway May 21-23. Pursley is the track record holder at Iowa.
Greg Pursley is in his third full season of competition in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and has 31 career starts, one win (Thunder Hill 2009), with eleven top five and 18 top ten performances along with two Coors Light Pole Awards. Pursley is the 2004 NASCAR Whelen All American Series National Champion where he competed at Toyota Speedway and was a multi-time winner on the now defunct NASCAR Southwest Tour where he competed for many years.
Greg Pursley is sponsored by GPM Performance Parts, Star Nursery, Ron’s Rear Ends, and Finish Line Signs & Designs. The GPM team operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in Parker, AZ. The race from Phoenix will be broadcast on SPEED Channel on Thursday, April 22 at 3PM PT. The next event for GPM is NASCAR K&N Pro Series East/WEst Challenge at Iowa SPeedway May 21-23. For all the latest news and information on about Greg Pursley and Gene Price Motorsports, log onto www.genepricemotorsports.com. Gene Price Motorsports operates a full-service race shop and performance parts store. Log onto their website or email Greg at greg@genepricemotorsports.com for details. Log onto www.racingwest.com for coverage of all things racing on the West Coast.
