Chase Elliott Wins K&N Pro Series West Race at Sonoma Raceway in California

Chase Elliott won the pole for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma Raceway in California.

Looking to gain some experience on the Sonoma Raceway road course, Chase Elliott won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the Northern California track. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie led the last three laps of the race passing Noah Gragson on lap 62 in the Chevys Fresh Mex 200.

Chase Elliott, a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, made his first start of 2016 in the K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma Raceway in California.

"It was a fun race," said Elliott, who won his first K&N Pro Series East race at Iowa Speedway in 2012. "I'm glad we came out to do this." He was selected by fans as the most popular driver in the K&N Pro Series East in 2011 and 2012.

Elliot, who drives the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motor Sports in the Sprint Cup Series, was 21st in the Cup race at Sonoma Raceway. Gragson posted his third top-five finishes in six NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races. It was his second podium finish in the past two K&N Pro Series West races.

Chase Elliott won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma Raceway in his first start of the season.

"This was an experience of a lifetime to race against someone like Chase Elliott," said Gragson, who is one of the NASCAR Next drivers. "I knew Chase probably had the best car, but I also knew I had a car that could win. I learned so much out there today. This will only help me become a better racer."

Elliott won the pole but Ryan Partridge led the first seven laps of the race. Gragson led for 34 laps, the most in the race. He took the lead from Gracin Raz on lap 26 for seven laps, and again from Raz a lap later for six more laps. Gragson was out front from lap 43 to 61. Elliott passed Gragson on lap 62 and took the checkered flag.

Chase Elliott leads the pack through the road course during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Sonoma Raceway in California.

"More than anything I felt they were running a little bit harder than I wanted to run at that point in the race," Elliott said. "I didn't want those guys to push me any harder than what I was going. I felt like it was such a long ways to go. They were all kind of racing kind of hard, I felt like, kind of rooting each other up along the way. I really didn't want any part of that. Let them do their thing and race, do whatever they wanted to do. Try to put our focus on when it mattered."

Chase Elliott led the last three laps and won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma Raceway in California.

Raz crossed the finish line in third, followed by Partridge in fourth and Riley Herbst in fifth.

"It's hard to focus on what's in front of your when there is so much going on behind you," Raz said. "We really tried to focus on just taking one corner at a time, hitting all my marks, not wheel hopping or overdriving the corners. Just keeping your composure there was really a task, but not something my team couldn't help me with."

Partridge leads the K&N Pro Series West standings after six races. He has a 15-point lead over Todd Gilliland, who was 24th in the Sonoma race. The start of the race was rough. A four-car crash on the opening lap knocked two of the K&N Pro Series West championship contenders to the pits. Gilliland and his Bill McAnally Racing teammate Chris Eggleston, the reigning K&N Pro Series West champion, were involved in the opening-lap collision. It turned into a 26th place finish for Eggleston, who completed 34 of the 64 laps. Gilliland completed 41 laps.

The next K&N Pro Series West race is at Stateline Speedway in Idaho on July 9.