Thursday, December 11, 2014

Scott, Marks Team For K&N East Campaign

NASCAR team owner Harry Scott, Jr. announced today the formation of HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East team that will compete full-time in 2015. The announcement comes on the heels of Scott's partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks will field four teams with returning driver Scott Heckert and Rookie of the Year contenders William Byron, J.J. Haley and Dalton Sargeant.

"The future of NASCAR is being developed in the NASCAR K&N Series," said Scott.  "My partnership with Justin Marks to field four teams in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East is an opportunity for us to help young drivers get to the next level.  We are fortunate to return to the series with remarkable talent that already includes two championships, 15 victories and 14 poles."

Marks, 33, has competed in multiple levels of road course racing, winning the 2009 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the GT division, as well as in all three of NASCAR's national series. An accomplished entrepreneur, Marks is the owner of DryLake Entertainment, GoPro Motorplex and KartSport North America. In 2014, Marks partnered with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie of the year, Kyle Larson, to form the Larson Marks Racing World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series team.

"It's a thrill for me to be able to partner with someone like Harry on this enterprise," said Marks.  "This organization has proven to be a significant strength in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and I am looking forward to continuing that success.  We have a stable of talented drivers for 2015, backed by a group of hard working and dedicated team members."

Heckert, 21, of Ridgefield, Conn., returns to compete for Harry Scott in 2015. Last season, Heckert posted K&N Pro Series East wins at Watkins Glen International and Virginia International Raceway. He also earned three poles and finished eighth in the series point standings. A student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Heckert will graduate in 2016 with a mechanical engineering degree. While not on track, Heckert will work as an intern for HScott Motorsports' NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team.

Byron, a Charlotte native and K&N Rookie of the Year contender, competed in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for JR Motorsports in 2014, winning the North Carolina Rookie of the Year title. In 2014, he earned 11 victories and 24 poles in 54 combined Late Model and Legends starts. A junior at Charlotte Country Day school, Byron, 17, also attends and takes college courses through his primary sponsor Liberty University's Online Academy.  Liberty University is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation.  

Haley, 15, will enter his rookie year of K&N Series competition in 2015. He most recently competed in ARCA Racing Series and K&N competition. Last season, the Winamac, Ind., native earned one ARCA pole and a career-best seventh-place finish in his third K&N start at Dover International Speedway in September. Haley, the nephew of former NASCAR team owner Todd Braun, has an extensive racing background in quarter midgets, micro sprints and late model stock cars.

Sargeant, a former competitor in the International Kart Federation and World Karting Association, also will compete for K&N Rookie of the Year honors in 2015. The 16-year-old native of Boca Raton, Fla., began his stock car career in 2014 competing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and earned his first career stock car victory last August at Virginia International Raceway and followed it with a second win at Orange County Speedway in October. Along with his two wins, Sargeant posted 26 top-10 finishes in his rookie season, including a runner-up finish in the prestigious Snowball Derby earlier this month.

HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks will be led by Mike Greci, who oversaw Turner Scott Motorsports' K&N Series program since its inception in 2013. Under Greci's leadership, TSM earned back-to-back K&N Pro Series East championships, 15 victories and 14 pole positions. He helped launch the careers of NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Dylan Kwasniewski and Ben Rhodes, the 2012 and 2013 K&N Series champions, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Cameron Hayley and Brandon Jones.


The 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season will commence at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 7.

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