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World History! Kobyluck Wins Title

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 second. Steve Park and Bobby Hamilton Jr. rounded out the top five.

With the victory, Almirola earned a secured spot in the starting lineup for the posteason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to be run Jan. 23-24 at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

With one race remaining, Kobyluck holds a 224-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.

Davis led three times for a race-high 45 laps, but a caution on lap 131 erased his lead. Almirola drove by Davis following the restart en route to the win.

The NASCAR Camping World Series East season concludes Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

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