SPORTS

Stratford teen in NASCAR development series

Tim Johnson
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

STRATFORD – Teen stock car driver Derek Kraus will get a chance to compete in the a premier NASCAR development series this season.

The 15-year-old from Stratford will drive for Bill McAnally Racing in the K&N Pro Series West and also compete in select events in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The announcement was made last week.

Kraus will drive Carlyle Tools Toyota Camry stock car for the season, emblazoned with a No. 19.

RELATED:  I Am Sport: No license, but 14-year-old NASCAR hopeful winning races

RELATED: Stratford teen making impression on racing circuit 

“I am excited for the opportunity to run the K&N Series with BMR,” Kraus said in a news release. “After the test session we had, I’m confident we will do well in representing Toyota, NAPA, and Carlyle Tools. I am looking forward to what the 2017 race season will bring.”

Kraus was named as one of seven drivers in the Ganassi Racing Gen G program in 2016, as he was recognized as one of the top up-and-coming race car drivers in the country.

The K&N Pro Series is a regional stock car series to give experience for drivers with potential to eventually move up to a major NASCAR series. The 14-race K&N Pro Series West schedule begins March 18 at the Tucson Speedway and ends Nov. 4 at the Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California.

Kraus raced in the Super Late Models series this past season and finished second overall in points in the division at both the State Park Speedway in Rib Mountain and also at the Marshfield Super Speedway. Kraus placed in the top five 16 in 44 starts in the Super Late Model series overall, and had 22 Top Ten finishes. Kraus won both the Flip Merwin Memorial and the Wayne "Loid" Lodholz Memorial races at State Park Speedway.

Kraus finished fourth in the season championship points and second in the rookie standings in the ARCA Midwest Tour Series. He became the youngest driver to win an ARCA Midwest Tour Series race, breaking a 25-year-old record set by Matt Kenseth.

Kraus also was the youngest driver in the Snowball Derby, a prestigious 300-lap Super Late Model race in Pensacola, Florida, which has attracted some of the top NASCAR drivers over the years.

Kraus made the jump to stock cars last year in the progression of a racing career that began with him racing go-karts when he was 7,  progressing to bandoleros — an entry-level division for youth drivers in which the vehicles have the appearance of  mini stock cars — and trucks.

Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter@timmyjo11

Stratford teen Derek Kraus, left, will compete in the K&N Pro West Series this season, a NASCAR development opportunity.