NASCAR to recognize eight champs in Charlotte awards ceremonies

The Charlotte Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom will again host the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards on Friday and the NASCAR Touring Series Night of Champions on Saturday. Between the two events, eight NASCAR champions will be recognized for their accomplishments this season.

Kyle Busch (Cup), Chris Buescher (Xfinity) and Erik Jones (Trucks) have already been recognized as NASCAR’s national series champs. Here’s a look at NASCAR’s eight other champions:

Whelen All-American Series

Champion: Lee Pulliam. Won at six tracks, Caraway Speedway in Sophia; Kingsport (Tenn.) Speedway; Langley (Va.) Speedway, Motor Mile (Va.) Speedway and South Boston (Va.) Speedway and Southern National. Had 29 wins, 46 top-fives and 48 top-10 finishes in 51 starts.

K&N Pro Series East

Champion: Charlotte’s William Byron. Became just the fifth driver to win the rookie of year in his championship season, joining Joey Logano (2007), Ryan Truex (2009), Kyle Larson (2012) and Ben Rhodes (2014). Byron, a student at Charlotte Country Day, had four wins, five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 14 starts. He will drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series in 2016.

K&N Pro Series West

Champion: Chris Eggleston. Gave car owner Bill McAnally his sixth championship and his second in the last five years. Had two victories, nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.

Whelen Modified Tour

Champion: Doug Coby. Won his second consecutive title and third in four years. Edged former champion Ryan Preece by 1 points and Woody Pitkat by 13. Had seven wins, 11 top fives and 12 top 10s in 15 races, including final three races from pole.

Whelen Southern Modified Tour

Champion: Andy Seuss. Third driver in the history of the southern modified tour to win back-to-back championships. Finished the season with three wins, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes and kept a nine-year streak of winning at least one race during the season alive, a tour record.

Whelen Euro Series

Champion: Ander Vilarino. Wins his third title, with 3 wins, 9 top fives and 12 top-10s, edged Alon Day by 35 points.

Canadian Tire Series

Champion: Scott Steckly. Became second active driver in NASCAR Touring history with four championships. Had three wins, four pole awards, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 11 starts.

Mexico Series

Champion: Rubén García Jr. After finishing second just nine points out of the top spot last year, Garcia used consistent finishes and a win during the playoffs to claim his first title. Had three wins, eight top five and 12 top-10 finishes in 15 races.

Source: NASCAR.

This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 10:14 PM with the headline "NASCAR to recognize eight champs in Charlotte awards ceremonies."