For Hub City Times

CHARLOTTE, NC – Derek Kraus and the Bill McAnally Racing team took home top honors on Nov. 23, after being crowned NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champions at the NASCAR Awards ceremony at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Crown Ballroom in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It marked the first NASCAR championship for Kraus – a Stratford 18-year-old.

With a ninth series title, meanwhile, the Roseville, CA-based BMR team established a new record for winning championships in the series and for NASCAR Regional Touring overall.

Kraus was presented with the championship trophy and NASCAR championship ring.

“Just to be able to compete in the K&N Series is amazing to me, and to be on stage as a champion is very humbling,” Kraus said.

“From sitting in the stands with my mom, watching my dad race, to racing go karts and getting my first victory, I just fell in love with the sport. From the time I told them I knew racing is what I wanted to do, they’ve supported me in every way possible, and so has my sister, Lauren. We race as a family and it means everything to me.”

Kraus set the pace for much of this season – leading 812 of 1,844 laps of K&N West competition. He led laps in 10 of the 14 races, led the most laps in six of those events, and led flag-to-flag in three of the events. He scored five wins, along with two poles, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 14 series starts.

He wrapped up his season with a 49-point lead in the standings; the largest margin since the series adopted its current point system in 2012.

Kraus also finished seventh in the standings for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this year – with two wins, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in nine starts.

“Derek has demonstrated his talent behind the wheel during his three years at BMR, and this year it netted him a championship,” BMR President Bill McAnally said.