Brian Ickler Waltzes to the Win in the Camping World Series East Dance

The "big dance" in the NASCAR Camping World Series East kicked off this weekend at Greenville-Pickens Speedway.  Twenty-nine competitors took to the stage in the NASCAR Home Tracks 150 presented by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet, the official season opener for the East series.

There were rising and waning stars alike in the field for the race.  Rookies, like 16-year-old Brett Moffitt and Martin Truex's younger brother, Ryan, foxtrotted onto the racing scene for their big debut.

Wily veterans, such as Steve Park, and other seasoned participants in the East series, like Eddie MacDonald and past champion Matt Kobyluck, made their experience and presence known as well.

From the first practice on, Brian Ickler took command of the speedway.  He posted the fastest time at 21.244, with Matt DiBenedetto following closely behind.

The racers quick-stepped from practice right into qualifying for the race. 

Matt Kobyluck, Ryan Truex, Brian Ickler, and Eddie MacDonald were all fast in qualifying trim, but Andy Santerre's young protege, Moffitt, pulled off an amazing lap to secure the Coors Light Pole Award.

Moffitt, at 16-years-old, became the second youngest driver to win the Pole Award in the Camping World Series East, surpassed only by Joey Logano, . 

After the pre-race ceremonies, Moffitt had the pleasure of leading all the competitors out onto the racing dance floor.

Things got a little dicey on the first lap, however, as Moffitt's inexperience shone through when cars stacked up behind him after a poor restart.

Eleven cars were involved in the Lap 1 crash caused by Moffitt's poor start and the race had to be red-flagged in Turn 3.  The field went back to racing after an 11-minute delay and the racers got down to their business.

The race had nine cautions and, after a battle to the checkered flag, Brian Ickler sashayed past Jody Lavendar to score his perfect ten win.  This was Ickler's fourth career win in the East Series.

Ickler said after the race that this was a "once-in-a-lifetime race car."  He continued by sharing that this was a "good way to start the Series off".

This win also guaranteed Ickler a spot in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, a coveted race for determining bragging rights between the Camping World Series East and West rivals.

Jody Lavendar tangoed his way into second place.  This was his best career finish ever in the Series.

Lavendar said that he was lucky to be able to continue after the wreck in the very beginning of the race.  He added, "this track has been very good to me".

Veteran Eddie MacDonald finished third.  Rookies Josh Richards and Brett Moffitt rounded out the top five.

Veterans Steve Park and Matt Kobyluck finished seventh and eighth.  Kobyluck and his team struggled with the car throughout the race, battling tight conditions and tire issues.

"About a third of the way through the race, the rear grip just totally went away," said Kobyluck.  "The rear end was coming around on me....It was unfortunate because we had a really good car".

Rookie Ryan Truex, recently signed to Michael Watrip Racing, finished in the 14th spot in his NAPA Toyota.

The top 15 finishers were as follows:

1.    Brian Ickler

2.    Jody Lavender

3.    Eddie MacDonald

4.    Josh Richards

5.    Brett Moffitt

6.    Patrick Long

7.    Steve Park

8.    Matt Kobyluck

9.    Alan Tardiff

10.   Matt DiBenedetto

11.   Jason Patison

12.   Dakoda Armstrong

13.   Dustin Delaney

14.   Ryan Truex

15.   Ryan Duff

The NASCAR Camping World Series East will next samba onto the scene at the Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, North Carolina on Saturday, April 25th.

Sources:  Penny Aicardi; eastseries.com; nascar.com.