Andrew Gipson Set To Make NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Debut
17-Year-Old Led By Veteran Barney McRae
Bradenton, FL (April 9, 2011): Andrew Gipson is ready to make his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut next weekend at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. The 17-year-old is the fourth driver tapped by veteran driver and mentor Barney McRae to be developed in the series that has produced such racing greats as Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne. But Gipson, unlike many of the other series’ current contingent, has gotten to this level with only two years of racing experience. Therefore, the 2011 season will be focused on development.
“For Andrew, we’re concentrating on getting him to understand the cars – what he can and can’t do with them – and get him the experience he needs,” said McRae, who will serve as his crew chief. “This is all new territory for him, but he has the talent and the mental focus to be really successful at it. He’s patient and he learns quickly.”
Gipson was racing ProTrucks in Florida when Barney McRae gave him a call to audition for a chance to run in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. A former crew member of McRae’s had seen the young driver compete and was impressed. When McRae saw him race, he was impressed too.
Over the winter, McRae advised Gipson to run some dirt races to hone his skills and in between the duo have been testing as much as possible. McRae even put him behind the wheel of an American Canadian Tour car to get some practice during the off-season.
“We only had three or four months to prepare Andrew for this debut,” said McRae. “We’re not putting any pressure on him in these first few races. We just want him to get a feel for everything and learn. That’s what we’re concentrating on.”
Gipson is competitive, but he’s keeping his goals in check with the team.
“For the first race I just expect to get into the race and finish the race,” the high school junior said. “Since we are only doing five races to keep my rookie status, I just want to be able to prove that I can do well and get the team’s momentum up for next year. I’m also looking to gain the respect of the other drivers.”
At the same time, Gipson has always been competitive and still wants the best finish he can get.
” It’s not like I just get into the car and I go fast. It’ll take me a practice or two to finally get the hang of it. I’m always asking different drivers what I can do and getting their opinions about how their driving the track and what I can do to go faster,” he said. ” I’m not at the moment (intimidated). I have to think that if I got this far in two years I must be doing something right.”
The South Boston 150 takes place on Saturday, April 16 at South Boston Speedway. The event, which is a doubleheader with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, takes the green flag at 7 p.m. with qualifying at 4:30 p.m.