HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (February 10, 2015) – – After two seasons of competition in the CARS Pro Cup Series, Reid Wilson (@Reidwilson66) will graduate to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKPSE) this season in a limited schedule.
Since 2013, the 18 year-old Huntersville, North Carolina native competed in 20 races on the CARS Pro Cup Series tour earning seven top-fives and 17 top-10s including a career-best finish of second at Tri-County (N.C.) Speedway last year. The second youngest CARS Pro Cup pole winner (behind NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano) also found himself in contention for the championship, but a late-season injury sidelined the likable driver for two races forcing a sixth place finish in the overall championship standings.
With CARS overhauling their series platform for this year, Wilson and his BR2 team decided that graduating to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East was the next crucial step in his career development.
“Advancing into a NASCAR series has always been the plan,” said Wilson. “I’m excited that we’re now ready to make the move. Our first race can’t come soon enough. The Pro Cup Series was great. I had the opportunity to race up front with past champions and some of the best short track racers in the country; guys like Benny Gordon, Brian Keselowski, Mark McFarland, JP Morgan and Clay Rogers. Without a doubt, I think that experience will pay off in K&N.”
While their exact schedule is being finalized, Wilson notes that his BR2 team is dedicated to rolling out a competitive program with realistic goals.
“It’s important for us to unload as strong and competitive as possible for our first race,” sounded Wilson. “I owe a lot to my crew chief Pop (Mike Herman Sr.) for not only building me great, fast cars for the last two seasons, but teaching me to be a better racer. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him and I know his leadership will only continue to elevate our program even more as we make this next leap.”
Mike Herman, Sr., known as Pop in racing circles, spent 10 years as crew chief in the Pro Cup Series for son Mike Herman, Jr., while also racking up two NASCAR track championships at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park with his son. The last two years, Pop has been the commander for Reid Wilson Racing.
“We have a great group,” Wilson said with a smile. “My family is number one, but my race team is a close second. I cannot do this season without the team that Pop assembles. They continue to believe in my ability to get the job done and together we hope to prove our worth.”
When not logging laps, Wilson is in the midst of his freshman year at UNC Charlotte, where he hopes his class courses will pay dividends back on the track with results.
“I’m a freshman in the engineering school at UNC Charlotte, so I have to balance racing with school,” added Wilson. “I think that’s going to make me even more focused on getting the most out of each race and proving myself. I look forward to being a contributor to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.”