Little To Run In The K&N Pro Series In 2012

Little To Run In The K&N Pro Series In 2012

Will Make Move To Touring Level, Follow In His Father's Footsteps

October 12, 2011

SHERRILLS FORD, N.C. Team Little Racing has announced that third generation driver Jesse Little will compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2012.

Currently a 14-year-old high school freshman, Little will advance his NASCAR racing career to the level where his father won a championship. Chad Little, a former Sprint Cup Series driver, competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West from 1985-88 and earned the title in 1987.

Team Little Racing is owned and managed by Chads brother and Jesses uncle, Jason Little.

The K&N Pro Series is one of NASCARs most competitive touring series in the U.S., and its a natural progression for our team and for Jesse, Jason said. Its the next step for a driver aspiring to someday compete at NASCARs top level.

The team has been preparing to race in the K&N Pro Series for past couple years, running several late model touring series and USAC Ford Focus Midgets. In 2011 Little participated in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and UARA Late Model events.

I like racing different tracks each week, Jesse said. Its a challenge to get the car set up in a short period of time.

Little has had strong runs at tracks Motor Mile, Hickory, Concord and Rockingham in his young career. Most recently, on Oct. 8, he became the first 14-year-old to participate in the famed Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway, where he finished 17th.

We race against some of the toughest late model competitors in the country, Jesse said. Its helped me learn how to race, and more importantly, when to race.

Running cars similar in chassis design to the K&N Pro Series is an added benefit of the experience the team has gained in recent seasons.

The NASCAR late model cars are a close cousin to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, Jesse said. The weight and horsepower ratio is similar, as are some tracks. It will be a learning curve for sure, especially at the intermediate tracks, and I look forward to that.

Little will make his NASCAR K&N Pro Series debut after he turns 15 on April 15, 2012. The team plans to compete full-time in the K&N Pro Series East and make selected starts in the K&N Pro Series West.

Team Little Racing is located in Sherrills Ford, N.C., and has strong alliances with established programs and veteran crew members like RCRs NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crew chief, Harold Holly. Holly was Chad Littles crew chief during his NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series years, and continues to be a close friend and mentor for Jesse.

We bought our cars from RCR, and Harold has provided direction as we prepare for the step up to K&N Pro Series competition, Jason said.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series is a developmental series within NASCAR, concentrating on developing drivers skills at a variety of tracks. Drivers have the opportunity to compete at some of the toughest short tracks in the nation as well as events at intermediate facilities like Dover International Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Richmond International Raceway along with road courses such as Infineon Raceway.

updated by @stars-radio: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM

I love the way folks muddy up the waters in releases like these. When Chad Little won his 1987 Winston West Series Title driving for George Jefferson the cars were identical to Cup cars and competed at Riverside, etc.


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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

I honestly don't see the big deal in calling the series by the current sponsor name. Winston got the publicity they deserved when they were active sponsors and now Sprint, K&N or whoever is the active sponsor of the same respective series in the present day gets their names mentioned for their contribution toward keeping the series running. Good luck to Jesse in the K&N Series next year.

P.C. is B.S.!

Here's where it becomes a big deal to some of us. It takes away from the history. Winston helped build this sport and alot of us believe they earned the right to keep the name front and center when talking about the historical races and stats of old.I have not smoked a cigarette since 1985 and even then I didn't smoke their brand, but I do believe they have the right to keep their name attached to races they paid for. Of course we now live in a world where money is king and history just don't quite seem to matter to some folks. Back when Winston came along we have never called any races run prior to that Winston Cup races. They changed history with stroke of a pen on a check. Just doen't seem quite right to me. Just one more reason the fans of yesteryears racing have a hard time grasping todays version of Winston Cup racing,uuh excuse me,I meant Sprint Cup racing(:

I am not saying that we should forget about Winston's great contribution to the sport just because we have a different series sponsor now. Far from it, all I'm saying is that I don't feel it is an insult to Winston if someone in the media simply refer to what are still Cup races from the Winston era by the name the Cup series is referred to at present.

Personally, I always use the period-specific nomenclature for all purposes.

Chad Little ran in the series that was sponsored by Winston in 1987 and is now sponsored by K&N. That is simply how I look at it. I guess we just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Folks.... PLEASE.....

The point I tried, obviously very unsuccessfully to make.... for any of you who know anything about the history of Winston West.... is that those cars were IDENTICAL to Cup cars of the time period and competed in races with the Cup cars regardless of the sponsoring name on the series.

The K&N cars are NOT IDENTICAL to the current Cup cars, much less powerful.

I, also, wish Mr. Little all the success in the world, but back when Chad Little and Derrike Cope drove those cars out of Yakima, Washington for George Jefferson, they were FULL-BLOWN equivalents of the Cup cars and competed in the same races with them. Comparing the K&N Series to that is very much an apples to oranges comparison - although, I guess, the years they ran those darned bumble-bee sounding six cylinders in the Busch Series is also an apples to oranges comparison of that time span to the previous LMS & Busch/Bud 8 cylinder series and today's 8 cylinder Nationwide Series.

Again, the problem I have is equating the K&N cars to the cars that Chad & Derrike ran. It is a poor comparison.

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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"