DOVER, Del. – Matt Kobyluck won his first NASCAR championship Friday at Dover International Speedway, while Aric Almirola earned the win in his first appearance in the NASCAR Camping World Series East.
Kobyluck, the 38-year-old driver from Uncasville, Conn., clinched the NASCAR Camping World Series East title with his third-place finish in the Sunoco 150. Kobyluck also became the first Native American to win a NASCAR Camping World Series championship. He is a member of the Mohegan Tribal Nation.
The 23-year-old Almirola, a Cuban-American, ran the No. 8 DEI Chevrolet as a one-race substitute for Jeffrey Earnhardt. Almirola will be running in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009. Marc Davis, an 18-year-old African-American, finished third. Steve Park and Bobby Hamilton, Jr. rounded out the top five.
With one race remaining, Kobyluck holds a 219-point lead over second-place Austin Dillon. Dillon finished ninth.
In his 10th full season in the series, Kobyluck has finished in the top 10 each of the last six seasons. His previous best finish was a second-place in 2002, when he ended the season nine points behind champion Andy Santerre. Last year, Kobyluck finished fourth in points.
Kobyluck has a series-high four wins, along with nine top fives and 11 top 10s in 12 races.
The NASCAR Camping World Series East season concludes Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
Finish
Start
Car #
Driver
Hometown
Car
Laps
Money Won
Reason Out
1
8
8
Aric Almirola
Tampa, Fla.
Dale Earnhardt Foundation Chevrolet
150
$14,000
2
6
18
Marc Davis
Mitchelville, MD
Slim Jim Toyota
150
$11,411
3
5
40
Matt Kobyluck
Uncasville, CT
Mohegan Sun Resort Casino Chevrolet
150
$9,000
4
9
35
Steve Park
East Northport, NY
Waste Management Recycle America Chevrolet
150
$8,000
5
20
59
Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
Nashville, Tenn.
Neo Synthetic Oil Dodge
150
$6,500
6
14
9
Matt Hirschman
Northampton, Penn.
Gillett-Evernham Motorsports Dodge
150
$6,000
7
16
4
Ricky Carmichael
Clearwater, FL
Monster Energy Drink Dodge
150
$6,515
8
27
88
Jody Lavender
Hartsville, SC
Heritage Community Bank/Jo Jo Enterprises Chevrolet