This weekend Spokane's Braeden Havens heads to The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track he has competed on in the past, for the Star Nursery 200 on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.

Spokane, Wash. (May 30, 2012)-In his first two starts of the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series, Braeden Havens has battled to learn new tracks and racing lines that could get his No. 61 Western Rail Inc. Chevrolet to the front. This weekend Havens heads to The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track he has competed on in the past.

That prospect has the recent high school graduate excited about his opportunities in the Star Nursery 200.

“It is good to know the line and groove around the track. I was fastest in practice last year (in a national Baby Grand event) and qualified second so I look forward to getting back on the track. I know the Thompson crew will give me a great car for the weekend. I would like to qualify in the top seven or eight for sure and be there at the end. If you keep your car clean and stay in the top-10 running order you will have the chance at the end to race for a good finish. It is a super long race and the objective will be to keep you nose clean and perform at our best for a top-flight run,” Havens said.

Having put together two strong performances in their first two races as a group, Havens and the Thompson Motorsports team should continue to be a factor for race wins, he added. With recent success in his late model to build upon, Las Vegas could provide a winning hand.

“The team and I are starting to click and with that comes confidence and better finishes. We have been super fast in the late models this year with good runs and good finishes so I want to continue that in the K&N car,” Havens noted.

With a familiar track comes goals that Havens see the team capable of reaching, he acknowledged. “I always dig deeper for excellent finishes. The competition level in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series is like nothing I have ever experienced. You look to stay in the top-5 or 10 and take advantage of the opportunity to go gain positions towards the end of the race. The top seven to ten drivers are all so close it is anybody's race between those cars at the end. If you stay up front and stay clean you will have opportunities to have a good finish and that's what we're aiming for this weekend. I know Brett (Thompson, who shares the driving duties with Havens) has had some tough luck in his starts behind the wheel of the No. 61 so we're out to keep our team in the top-10 in owner points and maybe pick-up a win if things go our way.”

One reason for optimism in Las Vegas is the bond Havens and the team have built in their 2012 starts.

“The Thompson Motorsports crew and I are clicking. My crew chief Will and I are on the same page. My teammate Brett has a driving style that is completely different from mine so it took a few races to get there with my crew chief but I think were moving forward towards running up front consistently. One example of this is at Stockton. We were running in the top-5 when a lapped car got into the side of me and cut down a tire. The pit crew got me in and out on the lead lap and salvaged a lead lap finish out a of a bad situation,” Havens said. “We will bring that don't give up attitude to Las Vegas this weekend that's for sure.”

Follow Havens progress this weekend on Facebook at Killer “B” Racing or www.killerb83.com

---

---