Breaking down the K&N East, West title fields

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and K&N Pro Series West are comprised of drivers who one day will compete against each other for wins at NASCAR‘s highest levels, including the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. But before they move up the ranks in the future, they presently are competing for championships now in the ultra-competitive K&N Pro Series.

Both K&N circuits offer some of the most competitive racing in NASCAR, with up-and-comers, NASCAR Next drivers and seasoned veterans all on the same track together. Winning the K&N Pro Series championship often is an indicator of big things brimming in the future — past East champions include Hendrick Motorsports‘ William Byron, Team Penske‘s Joey Logano and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regulars Justin Haley and Ben Rhodes.

So we‘re focusing on the championships battles as the K&N season winds to a close, and ahead of the combination race at Gateway Motorsports Park on Aug. 24. We highlight the top five drivers in each series and break down the championship races that are sure to thrill racing fans.

RELATED: Full K&N East schedule

K&N PRO SERIES EAST

1. Tyler Ankrum

Car: No. 17 Toyota
Points: 471
Behind leader: —
Notes: Ankrum is the points leader for good reason — in 11 races, his worst finish so far this year is ninth. That‘s a clean sweep of top-10 finishes, and he has nine top-five finishes to boot. The driver of the No. 17 Toyota has four wins on the year as well, including three in a row at Thompson, New Hampshire and Iowa. Having held the series points lead since the third race of the season, he is the championship favorite and one to keep an eye on once he moves up to the NASCAR national series level.

RELATED: Full K&N East coverage

2. Tyler Dippel

Car: No. 54 Toyota
Points: 426
Behind leader: -45
Notes: Dippel is one of four full-time K&N Pro Series East drivers with a win this year, with his conquest at Langley Speedway serving as his second career win in the series. His average start this year is an impressive 3.9, which serves as the best in the entire series. His average finish of 5.9 ranks second-best among the series‘ full-time drivers.

3. Ronnie Bassett Jr.

Car: No. 04 Chevrolet
Points: 387
Behind leader: -84
Notes: Bassett is one of the veterans on the circuit despite being just 22 years old. He currently is trending toward matching his career-best season-long finish of third, which he also achieved last year when he nabbed his first career series win. Bassett‘s 10th-place finish at Watkins Glen, the series‘ most recent race, came at the right time as he‘d gone three consecutive races finishing outside the top 10. With three top-five finishes in 11 races, Bassett has been able to avoid trouble most of the season to work his way up the standings.

4. Ruben Garcia Jr.

Car: No. 6 Toyota
Points: 374
Behind leader: -97
Notes: In his third full-time season in the East, Garcia nabbed his first win at Memphis International Raceway earlier this year. Garcia has been one of the best stories of the year, especially after opening the season with finishes of 26th, 10th, 10th, 12th and 15th. He was ninth in the standings at that point, but won the next week at Memphis to climb to sixth, and he‘s been on the uptick ever since. Keep an eye on third through fifth in the standings as precious few points separate the drivers.

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5. Anthony Alfredo

Car: No. 40 Toyota
Points: 369
Behind leader: -102
Notes: Alfredo, a rookie at age 19, has been all over the place this year, but is one of the most exciting racers in the East. He also, inarguably, has one of the best nicknames — Fast Pasta. The NASCAR Next member has one win and an impressive four top-five finishes to climb into the top five in the standings, but he also has crashed out of four races. His average start of 7.1 includes one pole and is third-best among drivers who have started all 11 races.

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