Heavy afternoon rain has delayed the start of the first of two scheduled afternoon practice sessions Thursday for Nationwide Series teams at Daytona International Speedway.
Nationwide drivers were scheduled to begin practice at 2:30 p.m. for Friday’s Subway Jalapeno 250 race, but soaking rain was falling at that point.
A second Nationwide practice is scheduled from 5:30 to 6:25.
Sprint Cup drivers are scheduled to practice from 4 p.m. to 5:20 and from 6:35 to 8 p.m. for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400.
Practice schedules are likely to be modified extensively because of weather concerns.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Kevin Harvick Inc. a four-headed monstrosity at Daytona
Kevin Harvick Inc. a four-headed monstrosity at Daytona
By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 29, 2011)
The "mega-team" is a common occurrence in the Sprint Cup Series, but in NASCAR's Nationwide Series, it's rare to see a team field more than two cars.
Turner Motorsports regularly enters four cars in the Nationwide Series race this year, while Roush Fenway Racing has had three in all but one event.
Every other full-time team is a one- or two-car operation, and that usually includes Kevin Harvick Inc., which runs the No. 2 Chevrolet for Elliott Sadler in every race, as well as the No. 33 with multiple drivers.
But for this Friday's Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway, KHI will have four cars: Sadler, Clint Bowyer in the No. 33 and two additional cars, the No. 4 for Harvick and the No. 9 for Tony Stewart.
That goes back to the style of racing, and that's really why you have to have an even number of cars," Harvick said. "With the new racing surface (at Daytona) you also need a good drafting partner. KHI is fielding four cars for this race, so finding a partner shouldn't be too difficult."
Harvick is talking about the unique two-car drafts that have become prevalent at restrictor-plate tracks. With four cars, KHI has the ability to have a pair of two-car drafts utilizing only its cars. KHI had three cars at Daytona in February, with Stewart battling Bowyer to the finish line (Sadler had wrecked earlier in the race).
KHI has been a powerhouse at Daytona since Stewart gave the team its first win in 2005. The team has four wins, eight top-five finishes, 11 top 10s and two poles in 21 Daytona starts over the last six-and-a-half years.In addition, the four drivers entered have combined for 44 Nationwide starts overall there, eight victories, 27 top fives, 32 top 10s and six poles at Daytona.
Stewart has been personally responsible for much of those gaudy statistics, as he's 4-for-6 at Daytona for KHI in the Nationwide Series. He returns to Daytona with the same car he won with in February, with KHI Camping World Truck Series crew chief Bruce Cook serving as his crew chief.
"I think it's because of the attention to detail that Kevin and DeLana put into their racecars," Stewart said of his Daytona success. "You see it in their truck series program. You see it in their Nationwide Series program. They just do everything first class. I always have the confidence when I get in one of their cars that I'm in just as competitive a car as I could be with any other organization out there.
"They're first class, and that's the kind of group that you want to be with when you do a one-off race like this. You have that confidence. You don't worry about anything. You know that they're giving you the best equipment that you can get in that series. It's always fun."
Bowyer, who won at Daytona in July 2009 for Richard Childress Racing, returns in the car he finished second with in February. The February race was his eighth top-five in 12 Daytona starts.
Harvick will have Chris Carrier, crew chief for KHI's No. 8 truck team, serving as his crew chief for this race. Harvick has one win, 12 top fives and 14 top 10s in 17 starts at DaytonaFinally, there's Sadler, KHI's lone full-time driver who is second in the series points standings.
By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 29, 2011)
The "mega-team" is a common occurrence in the Sprint Cup Series, but in NASCAR's Nationwide Series, it's rare to see a team field more than two cars.
Turner Motorsports regularly enters four cars in the Nationwide Series race this year, while Roush Fenway Racing has had three in all but one event.
Every other full-time team is a one- or two-car operation, and that usually includes Kevin Harvick Inc., which runs the No. 2 Chevrolet for Elliott Sadler in every race, as well as the No. 33 with multiple drivers.
But for this Friday's Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway, KHI will have four cars: Sadler, Clint Bowyer in the No. 33 and two additional cars, the No. 4 for Harvick and the No. 9 for Tony Stewart.
That goes back to the style of racing, and that's really why you have to have an even number of cars," Harvick said. "With the new racing surface (at Daytona) you also need a good drafting partner. KHI is fielding four cars for this race, so finding a partner shouldn't be too difficult."
Harvick is talking about the unique two-car drafts that have become prevalent at restrictor-plate tracks. With four cars, KHI has the ability to have a pair of two-car drafts utilizing only its cars. KHI had three cars at Daytona in February, with Stewart battling Bowyer to the finish line (Sadler had wrecked earlier in the race).
KHI has been a powerhouse at Daytona since Stewart gave the team its first win in 2005. The team has four wins, eight top-five finishes, 11 top 10s and two poles in 21 Daytona starts over the last six-and-a-half years.In addition, the four drivers entered have combined for 44 Nationwide starts overall there, eight victories, 27 top fives, 32 top 10s and six poles at Daytona.
Stewart has been personally responsible for much of those gaudy statistics, as he's 4-for-6 at Daytona for KHI in the Nationwide Series. He returns to Daytona with the same car he won with in February, with KHI Camping World Truck Series crew chief Bruce Cook serving as his crew chief.
"I think it's because of the attention to detail that Kevin and DeLana put into their racecars," Stewart said of his Daytona success. "You see it in their truck series program. You see it in their Nationwide Series program. They just do everything first class. I always have the confidence when I get in one of their cars that I'm in just as competitive a car as I could be with any other organization out there.
"They're first class, and that's the kind of group that you want to be with when you do a one-off race like this. You have that confidence. You don't worry about anything. You know that they're giving you the best equipment that you can get in that series. It's always fun."
Bowyer, who won at Daytona in July 2009 for Richard Childress Racing, returns in the car he finished second with in February. The February race was his eighth top-five in 12 Daytona starts.
Harvick will have Chris Carrier, crew chief for KHI's No. 8 truck team, serving as his crew chief for this race. Harvick has one win, 12 top fives and 14 top 10s in 17 starts at DaytonaFinally, there's Sadler, KHI's lone full-time driver who is second in the series points standings.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Four Drivers, One Big Reward
Four Drivers, One Big Reward
Add another exciting element to the drama of Daytona. It’s the first of four “Dash 4 Cash” races where a $100,000 bonus is on the line for eligible drivers. NASCAR and Nationwide Insurance have produced a new and improved format for the three-year-old program.
Heading into Daytona, the top four drivers in the standings – Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse and Justin Allgaier – are the eligible drivers competing for the bonus. The highest Daytona finisher of those four, no matter where they place, will win the $100,000 “Dash 4 Cash” award and automatically qualify for the next bonus event at Iowa. Sorenson (fifth) and Stenhouse (eighth) were among the highest-finishing driver championship contenders at Daytona last February. Allgaier was 27th and Sadler finished 38th.
The three-highest finishing driver championship contenders at Daytona also qualify for the next bonus event, at Iowa. Those same rules are in effect for the last two “Dash 4 Cash” races, to be held at Richmond and Charlotte in the fall. Nationwide Insurance will award an additional $600,000 to the prize if the same driver captures each “Dash 4 Cash” bonus and wins the final race at Charlotte, bringing the total prize to $1 million.
There will be a distinct “Nationwide blue” windshield logo for the four eligible drivers, which will help fans identify those drivers competing for the bonus.
Rookies Hill, Koch Finding Their Way
When the NASCAR Nationwide Series 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year class was solidified, a couple of names were a bit more obscure than most on the five-driver list.
Timmy Hill and Blake Koch (pronounced “Cook”) were well in the “unknown” category.
Thanks to their performances over the first half of the season, they’ve now managed creep above the recognition radar. Hill, the first stock-car development driver for multi-faceted Rick Ware Racing, leads the rookie standings by 16 points over Koch. That normally would be considered a nearly insurmountable deficit, but last year at this race, Ricky Stenhouse began his comeback from a series-high 35-point hole to claim the honor.
Both drivers will be making their series track debuts at Daytona. Hill hadn’t yet turned 18 by the time the season-opener arrived in February. The native of Port Tobacco, Md., made his series debut the following race at Phoenix, where he finished 29th. His ARCA career spanned seven races in 2010 and he also participated in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and one East race last year, posting top-10 finishes in his debuts in each of those series.
Koch, 25, is from West Palm Beach, Fla., making this start even more special. He was originally slated for a limited schedule with MacDonald Motorsports, but his ride blossomed into a full-time opportunity after the Bristol race in March. With 23 races over three years in the West Series, Koch also had three NASCAR Nationwide Series starts from 2009-10 prior to his full-time status this year. All but one of those races was with MacDonald Motorsports.
Since graduating from high school June 7, Hill has posted two of his three best series results, including his career-best 11th last Saturday at Road America. Koch also shined among series veterans and road-course aces at Road America, securing his career-best finish, 14th.
Add another exciting element to the drama of Daytona. It’s the first of four “Dash 4 Cash” races where a $100,000 bonus is on the line for eligible drivers. NASCAR and Nationwide Insurance have produced a new and improved format for the three-year-old program.
Heading into Daytona, the top four drivers in the standings – Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse and Justin Allgaier – are the eligible drivers competing for the bonus. The highest Daytona finisher of those four, no matter where they place, will win the $100,000 “Dash 4 Cash” award and automatically qualify for the next bonus event at Iowa. Sorenson (fifth) and Stenhouse (eighth) were among the highest-finishing driver championship contenders at Daytona last February. Allgaier was 27th and Sadler finished 38th.
The three-highest finishing driver championship contenders at Daytona also qualify for the next bonus event, at Iowa. Those same rules are in effect for the last two “Dash 4 Cash” races, to be held at Richmond and Charlotte in the fall. Nationwide Insurance will award an additional $600,000 to the prize if the same driver captures each “Dash 4 Cash” bonus and wins the final race at Charlotte, bringing the total prize to $1 million.
There will be a distinct “Nationwide blue” windshield logo for the four eligible drivers, which will help fans identify those drivers competing for the bonus.
Rookies Hill, Koch Finding Their Way
When the NASCAR Nationwide Series 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year class was solidified, a couple of names were a bit more obscure than most on the five-driver list.
Timmy Hill and Blake Koch (pronounced “Cook”) were well in the “unknown” category.
Thanks to their performances over the first half of the season, they’ve now managed creep above the recognition radar. Hill, the first stock-car development driver for multi-faceted Rick Ware Racing, leads the rookie standings by 16 points over Koch. That normally would be considered a nearly insurmountable deficit, but last year at this race, Ricky Stenhouse began his comeback from a series-high 35-point hole to claim the honor.
Both drivers will be making their series track debuts at Daytona. Hill hadn’t yet turned 18 by the time the season-opener arrived in February. The native of Port Tobacco, Md., made his series debut the following race at Phoenix, where he finished 29th. His ARCA career spanned seven races in 2010 and he also participated in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and one East race last year, posting top-10 finishes in his debuts in each of those series.
Koch, 25, is from West Palm Beach, Fla., making this start even more special. He was originally slated for a limited schedule with MacDonald Motorsports, but his ride blossomed into a full-time opportunity after the Bristol race in March. With 23 races over three years in the West Series, Koch also had three NASCAR Nationwide Series starts from 2009-10 prior to his full-time status this year. All but one of those races was with MacDonald Motorsports.
Since graduating from high school June 7, Hill has posted two of his three best series results, including his career-best 11th last Saturday at Road America. Koch also shined among series veterans and road-course aces at Road America, securing his career-best finish, 14th.
ThorSport’s New State-Of-The-Art Facility
ThorSport’s New State-Of-The-Art Facility Shows Commitment To Series
ThorSport Racing, due to compete in its record, 354th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event later this summer at Pocono Raceway, is proving to be not only involved in the series but committed to take the next step toward its championship.
While Johnny Sauter continues to savor a 20-point championship lead – largest of 2011 – his team is putting the finishing touches on what will be by far the largest, most state-of-the-art NCWTS-only facility.
The 100,000 square-foot headquarters will be operational in the next several weeks with a grand opening planned for Aug. 17. The facility will house three teams: Sauter’s, the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet of Matt Crafton and the No. 98 Chevrolet of newcomer Dakoda Armstrong, who is set to make his debut on July 16 at Iowa Speedway.
Size is one thing. “I believe the best way to compare the two shops is in the fact that the main set up and finish assembly area is the same size as our entire shop at this time,” said team manager David Pepper.
Location is another.
ThorSport, owned by husband and wife Duke and Rhonda Thorson, is based in Sandusky, Ohio, far from the Charlotte area home to virtually every fulltime NASCAR national series team. The Thorsons wouldn’t have it any other way and would be pleased to join 2004 NCWTS champion Bobby Hamilton as the only team based outside North Carolina to win a series title.
Ironically, Hamilton moved into his new shop the same season he won the championship.
“It opens a new chapter for ThorSport Racing and gives us the ability to grow this organization into the future,” said Pepper. “This is truly a long-term business plan that will help us offer substantially more resources and support to our employees, sponsor partners and crew members as well as our series.”
Five Red-Hot Twenty-Somethings Gunning For NCWTS Veterans
Travis Kvapil made news in 2003 as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ first (and still only) champion under the age of 30. Looking at drivers currently ranked among the top 10 it’s possible Kvapil, then 27, could lose his spot in the record book. Five 2011 title contenders – including two in the top four – have yet to celebrate their 22nd birthdays.
• Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt, 20, heads the group in the runner-up spot behind current championship leader Sauter.
• Austin Dillon recently celebrated his 21st birthday as he shows in the No. 4 position.
• James Buescher, seventh, is 21.
• Parker Kligerman, 20, finished second in the series’ most recent race at Texas Motor Speedway.
None have won a race in 2011 but the season is only nine races old. What stands out, however, is the five drivers’ consistency - especially at such tender ages. They have posted a combined four Keystone Light Poles, 11 top fives and 23 top 10s.
NCWTS
Armstrong, 19, won ARCA’s June 25 race at historic Winchester Speedway in Indiana. The former World Karting Association champion previously won series races at Talladega Superspeedway and Salem, Ind. The Indiana farmer was ARCA’s 2010 rookie of the year. … Ricky Carmichael made a solid NASCAR Nationwide Series road racing debut finishing ninth on Saturday at Road America. Carmichael is slated to compete for Turner Motorsports in this week’s Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. … The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off over the Fourth of July weekend but returns to action July 7 – a Thursday night race – at Kentucky Speedway. Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Carl Edwards won his first of six series races at the 1.5-mile facility in 2003, the track’s only first-time NCWTS winner. A win in Kentucky Speedway’s inaugural Quaker State 400 would give the Missourian a sweep of all three NASCAR national series. Edwards previously won the 2005 NNS Meijer 300.
ThorSport Racing, due to compete in its record, 354th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event later this summer at Pocono Raceway, is proving to be not only involved in the series but committed to take the next step toward its championship.
While Johnny Sauter continues to savor a 20-point championship lead – largest of 2011 – his team is putting the finishing touches on what will be by far the largest, most state-of-the-art NCWTS-only facility.
The 100,000 square-foot headquarters will be operational in the next several weeks with a grand opening planned for Aug. 17. The facility will house three teams: Sauter’s, the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet of Matt Crafton and the No. 98 Chevrolet of newcomer Dakoda Armstrong, who is set to make his debut on July 16 at Iowa Speedway.
Size is one thing. “I believe the best way to compare the two shops is in the fact that the main set up and finish assembly area is the same size as our entire shop at this time,” said team manager David Pepper.
Location is another.
ThorSport, owned by husband and wife Duke and Rhonda Thorson, is based in Sandusky, Ohio, far from the Charlotte area home to virtually every fulltime NASCAR national series team. The Thorsons wouldn’t have it any other way and would be pleased to join 2004 NCWTS champion Bobby Hamilton as the only team based outside North Carolina to win a series title.
Ironically, Hamilton moved into his new shop the same season he won the championship.
“It opens a new chapter for ThorSport Racing and gives us the ability to grow this organization into the future,” said Pepper. “This is truly a long-term business plan that will help us offer substantially more resources and support to our employees, sponsor partners and crew members as well as our series.”
Five Red-Hot Twenty-Somethings Gunning For NCWTS Veterans
Travis Kvapil made news in 2003 as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ first (and still only) champion under the age of 30. Looking at drivers currently ranked among the top 10 it’s possible Kvapil, then 27, could lose his spot in the record book. Five 2011 title contenders – including two in the top four – have yet to celebrate their 22nd birthdays.
• Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt, 20, heads the group in the runner-up spot behind current championship leader Sauter.
• Austin Dillon recently celebrated his 21st birthday as he shows in the No. 4 position.
• James Buescher, seventh, is 21.
• Parker Kligerman, 20, finished second in the series’ most recent race at Texas Motor Speedway.
None have won a race in 2011 but the season is only nine races old. What stands out, however, is the five drivers’ consistency - especially at such tender ages. They have posted a combined four Keystone Light Poles, 11 top fives and 23 top 10s.
NCWTS
Armstrong, 19, won ARCA’s June 25 race at historic Winchester Speedway in Indiana. The former World Karting Association champion previously won series races at Talladega Superspeedway and Salem, Ind. The Indiana farmer was ARCA’s 2010 rookie of the year. … Ricky Carmichael made a solid NASCAR Nationwide Series road racing debut finishing ninth on Saturday at Road America. Carmichael is slated to compete for Turner Motorsports in this week’s Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. … The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off over the Fourth of July weekend but returns to action July 7 – a Thursday night race – at Kentucky Speedway. Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Carl Edwards won his first of six series races at the 1.5-mile facility in 2003, the track’s only first-time NCWTS winner. A win in Kentucky Speedway’s inaugural Quaker State 400 would give the Missourian a sweep of all three NASCAR national series. Edwards previously won the 2005 NNS Meijer 300.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Dash 4 Cash Begins: Who Is Taking Home The Big Check
Dash 4 Cash Begins: Who Is Taking Home The Big Check
Close quarter racing at high speeds on high banks under the lights is the recipe for a great NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. Adding an additional $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize raises the stakes even more for all involved.
The top four drivers in the standings – Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse and Justin Allgaier – are the eligible drivers competing for the bonus. The highest Daytona finisher of those four, no matter where they place, will win the $100,000 “Dash 4 Cash” award and automatically qualify for the next bonus event at Iowa. Sorenson (fifth) and Stenhouse (eighth) were among the highest-finishing driver championship contenders at Daytona last February. Allgaier was 27th and Sadler finished 38th.
Close quarter racing at high speeds on high banks under the lights is the recipe for a great NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. Adding an additional $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize raises the stakes even more for all involved.
The top four drivers in the standings – Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Stenhouse and Justin Allgaier – are the eligible drivers competing for the bonus. The highest Daytona finisher of those four, no matter where they place, will win the $100,000 “Dash 4 Cash” award and automatically qualify for the next bonus event at Iowa. Sorenson (fifth) and Stenhouse (eighth) were among the highest-finishing driver championship contenders at Daytona last February. Allgaier was 27th and Sadler finished 38th.The three-highest finishing driver championship contenders at Daytona also qualify for the next bonus event, at Iowa. Those same rules are in effect for the last two “Dash 4 Cash” races, to be held at Richmond and Charlotte in the fall. Nationwide Insurance will award an additional $600,000 to the prize if the same driver captures each “Dash 4 Cash” bonus and wins the final race at Charlotte, bringing the total prize to $1 million.
There will be a distinct “Nationwide blue” windshield logo for the four eligible drivers, which will help fans identify those drivers competing for the bonus. Click here for the graphics package associated with the Dash 4 Cash program.
Rookie Stripes: Hill, Koch Looking To Showcase Their Talents At Daytona
Daytona could provide the perfect backdrop to showcase the talents of two up-and-coming Sunoco Rookie of the year contenders this weekend, Timmy Hill and Blake Koch.
Hill, the first stock-car development driver for Rick Ware Racing, leads the rookie standings by 16 points over Koch. That normally would be considered a nearly insurmountable deficit, but last year at this race, Ricky Stenhouse began his comeback from a series-high 35-point hole to claim the honor.
Both drivers will be making their series track debuts at Daytona. Hill hadn’t yet turned 18 – the minimum age for national series competition – by the time the season-opener arrived in February. The native of Port Tobacco, Md., made his series debut the following race at Phoenix, where he finished 29th. His ARCA career spanned seven races in 2010 and he also participated in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races and one East race last year, posting top-10 finishes in his debuts in each of those series.
Koch, 25, is from West Palm Beach, Fla., making this start even more special. He was originally slated for a limited schedule with MacDonald Motorsports, but his ride blossomed into a full-time opportunity after the Bristol race in March. With 23 races over three years in the West Series, Koch also had three NASCAR Nationwide Series starts from 2009-10 prior to his full-time status this year. All but one of those races was with MacDonald Motorsports.
Since graduating from high school June 7, Hill has posted two of his three best series results, including his career-best 11th last Saturday at Road America. Koch also shined among series veterans and road-course aces at Road America, securing his career-best finish, 14th.
NASCAR Nationwide Series – Daytona
Upcoming Milestones: Jason Leffler will be making his 275th NASCAR Nationwide Series start this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Leffler now has 202 consecutive races started in the series, the longest active streak. Leffler assumed the No. 1 spot when Carl Edwards, racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Infineon Raceway, missed last week’s race at Road America. Edwards’ streak ended at 210 starts. Dennis Setzer will be attempting to make his 150th series start this weekend, and Joe Nemechek will attempt to post his 75th top-five finish. He finished third at Talladega earlier this season. … 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne and JR Motorsports’ driver Danica Patrick will both have to qualify on time this weekend to assure their position in the Subway Jalapeno 250. Both Bayne and Patrick have average starting positions at Daytona in the top 15.
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
6/28/11
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Young Guns Rise To The Top In First Nine NCWTS Races
just nine races into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 25-race schedule a younger generation has arrived on track and does not appear to be going anywhere.
Currently, five out of the top 10 in the series standings are 21 years of age or younger with four out of the five still searching for their first series victory.
A breakdown of series young guns’ season so far in the order they appear in the series standings:
Cole Whitt (20): In his first full NCWTS season, Whitt has positioned himself has a front runner in the series championship and Sunoco Rookie of the Year title with one pole, two top-five and five top-10 finishes in nine races. He is second in the series standings only 20 points behind leader Johnny Sauter.
Austin Dillon (21): Last year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year has not missed a beat in his sophomore season capturing two poles, two top-fives and four top-10 finishes. Dillon, currently fourth in the series standings, will revisit the site of his first series victory when the series races at Iowa Speedway on July 16.
James Buescher (21): After failing to qualify for the second race of the season, Buescher has continued to turn heads climbing all the way to seventh in the series standings with 16 events left on the series schedule. Buescher has finished inside the top-10 in seven of the eight races he has competed in.
Parker Kligerman (20): Not only is Kligerman embarking on his first full season in NCWTS competition he is also carrying the banner for Dodge and Brad Keselowski Racing. In nine races, Kligerman has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. A second place finish at Texas moved Kligerman up to eighth.
Joey Coulter (20): Before Daytona, Coulter had never made a NCWTS start and has wasted no time getting accustomed to his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. In nine races this season, Coulter has finished inside the top-10 four times; including back-to-back top-five finishes Kansas and Texas in June. He currently sits ninth in the series standings.
Carmichael Focuses On NASCAR Nationwide Series During NCWTS Open Weekend
While the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series completes its third consecutive open weekend on the schedule, Ricky Carmichael will continue to focus on the NASCAR Nationwide Series event this weekend at Daytona.
Carmichael will once again pilot the No. 30 Chevrolet for Turner Motorsports.
He finished ninth in his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut for the 2011 season at Road America last weekend.
Carmichael, who finished eighth in the NCWTS race at Daytona in February, currently sits 12th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.
Up Next: Kentucky Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to action following three open weekends on the schedule at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 7.
In 11 races at Kentucky, 10 different winners have visited victory lane, including six (Biffle, Bliss, Hamilton, Benson, Hornaday and Bodine) who went onto win the series championship in the same season.
Carl Edwards remains the only first-time winner at Kentucky. He performed his first post victory back flip following his win in the Bluegrass State in 2003.
This season will mark the first time the series has competed at Kentucky Speedway twice in one season. The series will return to the 1.5-mile oval on Saturday, Oct. 1.
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Young Guns Rise To The Top In First Nine NCWTS Races
just nine races into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 25-race schedule a younger generation has arrived on track and does not appear to be going anywhere.
Currently, five out of the top 10 in the series standings are 21 years of age or younger with four out of the five still searching for their first series victory.
A breakdown of series young guns’ season so far in the order they appear in the series standings:
Cole Whitt (20): In his first full NCWTS season, Whitt has positioned himself has a front runner in the series championship and Sunoco Rookie of the Year title with one pole, two top-five and five top-10 finishes in nine races. He is second in the series standings only 20 points behind leader Johnny Sauter.
Austin Dillon (21): Last year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year has not missed a beat in his sophomore season capturing two poles, two top-fives and four top-10 finishes. Dillon, currently fourth in the series standings, will revisit the site of his first series victory when the series races at Iowa Speedway on July 16.
James Buescher (21): After failing to qualify for the second race of the season, Buescher has continued to turn heads climbing all the way to seventh in the series standings with 16 events left on the series schedule. Buescher has finished inside the top-10 in seven of the eight races he has competed in.
Parker Kligerman (20): Not only is Kligerman embarking on his first full season in NCWTS competition he is also carrying the banner for Dodge and Brad Keselowski Racing. In nine races, Kligerman has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. A second place finish at Texas moved Kligerman up to eighth.
Joey Coulter (20): Before Daytona, Coulter had never made a NCWTS start and has wasted no time getting accustomed to his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. In nine races this season, Coulter has finished inside the top-10 four times; including back-to-back top-five finishes Kansas and Texas in June. He currently sits ninth in the series standings.
Carmichael Focuses On NASCAR Nationwide Series During NCWTS Open Weekend
While the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series completes its third consecutive open weekend on the schedule, Ricky Carmichael will continue to focus on the NASCAR Nationwide Series event this weekend at Daytona.
Carmichael will once again pilot the No. 30 Chevrolet for Turner Motorsports.
He finished ninth in his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut for the 2011 season at Road America last weekend.
Carmichael, who finished eighth in the NCWTS race at Daytona in February, currently sits 12th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.
Up Next: Kentucky Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to action following three open weekends on the schedule at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 7.
In 11 races at Kentucky, 10 different winners have visited victory lane, including six (Biffle, Bliss, Hamilton, Benson, Hornaday and Bodine) who went onto win the series championship in the same season.
Carl Edwards remains the only first-time winner at Kentucky. He performed his first post victory back flip following his win in the Bluegrass State in 2003.
This season will mark the first time the series has competed at Kentucky Speedway twice in one season. The series will return to the 1.5-mile oval on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Wild finish goes Sorenson's way at Road America
Wild finish goes Sorenson's way at Road America
ELKHART LAKE, Wis.—Call it what you will, but the finish of Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 Nationwide Series race was certainly interesting—and drawn out.
The scheduled 50-lap race on Road America’s 4.048-mile road course needed three green-white-checkered-flag attempts to determine a winner, and even on Lap 57, it was difficult to see that Reed Sorenson had won his first race since 2007.
For most of the afternoon, the race was relatively clean. Then came the final laps, and Road America morphed into something resembling a demolition derby, forcing the maximum overtime attempts allowed to determine the winner.
The race ended under caution, which was fitting considering all the pushing, grinding and shoving that sent countless cars into the road course’s expansive gravel traps.
It also ended under a cloud of uncertainty—and drama.
Justin Allgaier took the white flag and had the lead when the seventh and final caution was thrown because Aric Almirola’s No. 88 Chevrolet had stopped on the track in Turn 5. But Allgaier ran out of gas in Turn 6, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether Sorenson or Ron Fellows had inherited the lead—even though Sorenson was running second behind Allgaier and Fellows third.
Before declaring the winner, NASCAR officials took an extra look at the video feeds. They determined that Fellows had moved ahead of Sorenson after the yellow had been thrown, thus giving the win to Sorenson.
“This is not the place I thought I’d win a race,” Sorenson said. “I’d never been here before.”
The restarts produced by the green-white-checkers contributed to the late race mayhem, Sorenson said.
“It’s easy for the guys to get bundled up and have wrecks,” he said. “We were able to capitalize on that. When the last caution came out, Justin was first, and we were second. We were able to break away and stay in second place. Justin ran out of gas in Turn 6, and we were able to make it around and even have some gas left for some doughnuts.”
Fellows, who was scored second, was disappointed with his result.
“We got ourselves in a little bit of trouble, anyway,” he said. “For whatever reason, on the restarts toward the end, I just couldn’t get any forward traction.”
Jacques Villeneuve, who had an eventful afternoon, Elliott Sadler and Mike Wallace rounded out the top five.
Villeneuve was apologetic for a Turn 1 incident on the first GWC attempt. The incident put Max Papis and Brian Scott out of the race. On the restart, Villeneuve attempted to move to the inside of Scott only to run out of pavement where the Road America’s pit lane blends with the front straight. Villeneuve drifted back and bumped into the right rear fender of Scott, which sent Scott into Papis and both into the gravel on the outside of Turn 1.
“When I put two wheels on the grass, I really didn’t want to be there,” Villeneuve said.
The win pushed Sorenson up two spots and into first in the standings by five points over Sadler. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished eighth and dropped from first to third. Allgaier finished 19th and remained fourth in the standings but is now 34 points behind the leader
By Jim Heine
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 25, 2011)
ELKHART LAKE, Wis.—Call it what you will, but the finish of Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 Nationwide Series race was certainly interesting—and drawn out.
The scheduled 50-lap race on Road America’s 4.048-mile road course needed three green-white-checkered-flag attempts to determine a winner, and even on Lap 57, it was difficult to see that Reed Sorenson had won his first race since 2007.
For most of the afternoon, the race was relatively clean. Then came the final laps, and Road America morphed into something resembling a demolition derby, forcing the maximum overtime attempts allowed to determine the winner.
The race ended under caution, which was fitting considering all the pushing, grinding and shoving that sent countless cars into the road course’s expansive gravel traps.
It also ended under a cloud of uncertainty—and drama.
Justin Allgaier took the white flag and had the lead when the seventh and final caution was thrown because Aric Almirola’s No. 88 Chevrolet had stopped on the track in Turn 5. But Allgaier ran out of gas in Turn 6, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether Sorenson or Ron Fellows had inherited the lead—even though Sorenson was running second behind Allgaier and Fellows third.
Before declaring the winner, NASCAR officials took an extra look at the video feeds. They determined that Fellows had moved ahead of Sorenson after the yellow had been thrown, thus giving the win to Sorenson.
“This is not the place I thought I’d win a race,” Sorenson said. “I’d never been here before.”
The restarts produced by the green-white-checkers contributed to the late race mayhem, Sorenson said.
“It’s easy for the guys to get bundled up and have wrecks,” he said. “We were able to capitalize on that. When the last caution came out, Justin was first, and we were second. We were able to break away and stay in second place. Justin ran out of gas in Turn 6, and we were able to make it around and even have some gas left for some doughnuts.”
Fellows, who was scored second, was disappointed with his result.
“We got ourselves in a little bit of trouble, anyway,” he said. “For whatever reason, on the restarts toward the end, I just couldn’t get any forward traction.”
Jacques Villeneuve, who had an eventful afternoon, Elliott Sadler and Mike Wallace rounded out the top five.
Villeneuve was apologetic for a Turn 1 incident on the first GWC attempt. The incident put Max Papis and Brian Scott out of the race. On the restart, Villeneuve attempted to move to the inside of Scott only to run out of pavement where the Road America’s pit lane blends with the front straight. Villeneuve drifted back and bumped into the right rear fender of Scott, which sent Scott into Papis and both into the gravel on the outside of Turn 1.
“When I put two wheels on the grass, I really didn’t want to be there,” Villeneuve said.
The win pushed Sorenson up two spots and into first in the standings by five points over Sadler. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished eighth and dropped from first to third. Allgaier finished 19th and remained fourth in the standings but is now 34 points behind the leader
By Jim Heine
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 25, 2011)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
BUCYRUS 200 Winner: Reed Sorenson
Race Fast Facts
Road America
2nd Annual BUCYRUS 200 Presented by Menards
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, June 25, 2011 @ 09:03 PM Eastern
Race Winner: Reed Sorenson
Age: 25
Team : No. 32 - Dollar General Chevrolet
Owner: Sandra Turner
Crew Chief: Trent Owens
Reed Sorenson won the 2nd Annual BUCYRUS 200 Presented by Menards, his fourth victory in 147 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in one races at Road America.
Ron Fellows (second) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Road America. It is his first top-10 finish in 2011.
Jacques Villeneuve (third) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Road America.
Timmy Hill (10th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Reed Sorenson leads the point standings by 5 points over Elliott Sadler.
Road America
2nd Annual BUCYRUS 200 Presented by Menards
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, June 25, 2011 @ 09:03 PM Eastern
Race Winner: Reed Sorenson
Age: 25
Team : No. 32 - Dollar General Chevrolet
Owner: Sandra Turner
Crew Chief: Trent Owens
Reed Sorenson won the 2nd Annual BUCYRUS 200 Presented by Menards, his fourth victory in 147 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in one races at Road America.
Ron Fellows (second) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Road America. It is his first top-10 finish in 2011.
Jacques Villeneuve (third) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Road America.
Timmy Hill (10th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Reed Sorenson leads the point standings by 5 points over Elliott Sadler.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Edwards pulls out of Nationwide race at Road America
Edwards pulls out of Nationwide race at Road America
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 24, 2011)
SONOMA, Calif. —After running a strong qualifying lap at Infineon Raceway, Carl Edwards told the Performance Racing Network he has opted not to defend last year's Nationwide Series win at Road America in Elkhart Lake , Wis. , as he was scheduled to do.
Rather than make the difficult commute, Edwards will remain in Sonoma and practice his Sprint Cup car in preparation for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon. Edwards leads the Sprint Cup standings by 20 points over second-place Kevin Harvick.
Billy Johnson will take Edwards' place in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at Road America . Johnson already was in Elkhart Lake to practice Edwards' car while Edwards took care of his Cup duties in Sonoma .
Edwards was 37th fastest in Friday's Sprint Cup practice but improved dramatically in qualifying despite an early draw. He posted a lap at 92.076 at the 1.99-mile road course, and the time stood up until defending race winner Jimmie Johnson, the 18th driver to make a qualifying attempt, surpassed it.
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 24, 2011)
SONOMA, Calif. —After running a strong qualifying lap at Infineon Raceway, Carl Edwards told the Performance Racing Network he has opted not to defend last year's Nationwide Series win at Road America in Elkhart Lake , Wis. , as he was scheduled to do.
Rather than make the difficult commute, Edwards will remain in Sonoma and practice his Sprint Cup car in preparation for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon. Edwards leads the Sprint Cup standings by 20 points over second-place Kevin Harvick.
Billy Johnson will take Edwards' place in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at Road America . Johnson already was in Elkhart Lake to practice Edwards' car while Edwards took care of his Cup duties in Sonoma .
Edwards was 37th fastest in Friday's Sprint Cup practice but improved dramatically in qualifying despite an early draw. He posted a lap at 92.076 at the 1.99-mile road course, and the time stood up until defending race winner Jimmie Johnson, the 18th driver to make a qualifying attempt, surpassed it.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Villeneuve hopes to win with strong Penske team
Villeneuve hopes to win with strong Penske team
By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 23, 2011)
Jacques Villeneuve hasn't driven in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race since last August, has never driven the new Nationwide Series car and has yet to race with his current team, Penske Racing.
Yet many consider him one of the drivers to beat in this weekend's Bucyrus 200 at Road America . The former Formula One champion will drive Penske's No. 22 Dodge normally in the hands of defending series champion Brad Keselowski at the famed road course in Elkhart Lake , Wis.
And Villeneuve has but one goal: Win.
"We're all going there to win it, so that puts a bit of pressure on, which is good," Villeneuve said. "Finishing second would be disappointing, but (winning) will be difficult."
Villeneuve is still looking for his first NASCAR victory, though he's performed well in limited duties. He finished third at his home track in Montreal a year ago and was running second to Carl Edwards on the last lap at Road America last June before an electrical problem dropped him to 25th.
That finish snapped his Road America winning streak, as he won both IndyCar starts he made there in the 1990s.
"Not good for the average," Villeneuve said with a laugh.
But he'll try to up that average this weekend on one his favorite tracks.
"There are a lot of tracks around the planet, but that's one of the special ones," Villeneuve said of Road America . "It feels like all these older tracks where you feel like you're going somewhere. It's a long lap, the corners are difficult, you're in-between trees, it goes up and down. It's picturesque.
"It's always a place where I felt I would be quick. When you go there with that mindset, you end up being quicker. That was the case in IndyCars."
He was quick last year, too, qualifying Braun Racing's No. 32 second and running an aggressive race around the 4.048-mile facility.
Now, he'll get to drive for one of the top teams in the sport, a team Villeneuve knows well from his years in motorsports."I've always had the utmost respect for (Penske Racing), mainly because of having raced against them in IndyCar in the '90s—and all they've accomplished throughout the years," Villeneuve said. "It's a special team to be with, and whenever you get an opportunity to drive for them, you just can't say no. You jump at it."
Villeneuve recently tested with Penske, the first time he's raced the new Nationwide Series car.
"It's kind of a blank sheet of paper," Villeneuve said. "We'll start from zero, so I'm sure we'll have a few surprises. Hopefully, the brakes will be great. That's my main worry. It's important to have brakes there to stop and to overtake."
By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 23, 2011)
Jacques Villeneuve hasn't driven in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race since last August, has never driven the new Nationwide Series car and has yet to race with his current team, Penske Racing.
Yet many consider him one of the drivers to beat in this weekend's Bucyrus 200 at Road America . The former Formula One champion will drive Penske's No. 22 Dodge normally in the hands of defending series champion Brad Keselowski at the famed road course in Elkhart Lake , Wis.
And Villeneuve has but one goal: Win.
"We're all going there to win it, so that puts a bit of pressure on, which is good," Villeneuve said. "Finishing second would be disappointing, but (winning) will be difficult."
Villeneuve is still looking for his first NASCAR victory, though he's performed well in limited duties. He finished third at his home track in Montreal a year ago and was running second to Carl Edwards on the last lap at Road America last June before an electrical problem dropped him to 25th.
That finish snapped his Road America winning streak, as he won both IndyCar starts he made there in the 1990s.
"Not good for the average," Villeneuve said with a laugh.
But he'll try to up that average this weekend on one his favorite tracks.
"There are a lot of tracks around the planet, but that's one of the special ones," Villeneuve said of Road America . "It feels like all these older tracks where you feel like you're going somewhere. It's a long lap, the corners are difficult, you're in-between trees, it goes up and down. It's picturesque.
"It's always a place where I felt I would be quick. When you go there with that mindset, you end up being quicker. That was the case in IndyCars."
He was quick last year, too, qualifying Braun Racing's No. 32 second and running an aggressive race around the 4.048-mile facility.
Now, he'll get to drive for one of the top teams in the sport, a team Villeneuve knows well from his years in motorsports."I've always had the utmost respect for (Penske Racing), mainly because of having raced against them in IndyCar in the '90s—and all they've accomplished throughout the years," Villeneuve said. "It's a special team to be with, and whenever you get an opportunity to drive for them, you just can't say no. You jump at it."
Villeneuve recently tested with Penske, the first time he's raced the new Nationwide Series car.
"It's kind of a blank sheet of paper," Villeneuve said. "We'll start from zero, so I'm sure we'll have a few surprises. Hopefully, the brakes will be great. That's my main worry. It's important to have brakes there to stop and to overtake."
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
NATIONWIDE SERIES On The Road Again
6/21/11
\NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
It’s back to the stand-alone portion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule with a Saturday afternoon stop at 4.048-mile Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The course is the longest track on which NASCAR’s national series will race this season.
It’s also back to a closely-contested championship. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the standings by two points over Elliott Sadler. Reed Sorenson is third, four points out of the lead while Justin Allgaier is 17 points back in fourth. Driver championship contenders have won the last two stand-alones – Stenhouse won at Iowa and Allgaier followed up with a victory at Chicagoland.
The Bucyrus 200 is the first of three road-course races on this year’s schedule and represents the fourth of eight stand-alones. It also will be the first road-course event for the series’ new car, which is being fully integrated this year.
Carl Edwards won last year’s inaugural event at Road America, posting a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating in the process. He’ll be back to defend and is the only full-time double-duty driver who’ll make the long trek from Infineon Raceway. Edwards won last week at Michigan.
To The Victor Goes The … Harley? Yes!
In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the coveted Martinsville grandfather clock is its signature trophy.
In the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the trophy that’s been most coveted is Nashville’s Gibson guitar with its original hand-painted design by Sam Bass.
Road America’s Victory Lane keepsake might top them all – a Harley Davidson motorcycle is the prize.
Revenge For Villeneuve?
Last year, Jacques Villeneuve drove the Road America course like a man possessed. His deft work on the 14-turn course was breathtaking at times, especially one three-wide pass late to capture the lead for a brief period. A mechanical problem ended his opportunity for a win, opening the door for Carl Edwards to ride off on the Harley trophy.
Edwards is back. And so is Villeneuve. Revenge, anyone? Villeneuve will drive the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge for reigning series champion Brad Keselowski, who will focus on the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon.
Villeneuve is one of three well-known road-course aces in the field. Ron Fellows, last year’s Road America runner-up, returns to run for JR Motorsports. Max Papis will drive the flagship No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. In his most recent series race last August in Montreal, Papis was edged by Boris Said by .012 seconds, the fifth-closest finish in series history.
Ricky Carmichael represents the other end of the "road-course ringer" spectrum. The 15-time motocross champion and full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series season debut at Road America, which also will be his NASCAR national series debut on a road course. In 2008, he finished ninth and 12th, respectively, at road courses while driving in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Dash Adds More Drama
Not that the first road-course race in the new car -- among a field full of driver championship contenders scraping for wins and points -- needs any more drama. To the contrary.
Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 will be the last event before the first of four "Dash 4 Cash" races, July 1 at Daytona. Introduced in 2009 by Nationwide Insurance and NASCAR, "Dash 4 Cash" is a one-of-a-kind bonus program that rewards the highest-finishing eligible driver in designated races with a $100,000 bonus above and beyond the race purse.
Only the top four driver championship contenders in the standings heading into Daytona will be eligible for the bonus. That means ultra-competitive racing among the top drivers in the standings at Road America, setting the stage for Daytona.
The highest-finishing eligible driver at Daytona earns the bonus and automatically qualifies for the next "Dash 4 Cash" event in August at Iowa. The three highest-finishing drivers to collect NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points at Daytona also qualify for the bonus at Iowa. That same qualifying procedure will be in place for the remaining two events, at Richmond in September and Charlotte in October.
\NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
It’s back to the stand-alone portion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule with a Saturday afternoon stop at 4.048-mile Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The course is the longest track on which NASCAR’s national series will race this season.
It’s also back to a closely-contested championship. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the standings by two points over Elliott Sadler. Reed Sorenson is third, four points out of the lead while Justin Allgaier is 17 points back in fourth. Driver championship contenders have won the last two stand-alones – Stenhouse won at Iowa and Allgaier followed up with a victory at Chicagoland.
The Bucyrus 200 is the first of three road-course races on this year’s schedule and represents the fourth of eight stand-alones. It also will be the first road-course event for the series’ new car, which is being fully integrated this year.
Carl Edwards won last year’s inaugural event at Road America, posting a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating in the process. He’ll be back to defend and is the only full-time double-duty driver who’ll make the long trek from Infineon Raceway. Edwards won last week at Michigan.
To The Victor Goes The … Harley? Yes!
In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the coveted Martinsville grandfather clock is its signature trophy.
In the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the trophy that’s been most coveted is Nashville’s Gibson guitar with its original hand-painted design by Sam Bass.
Road America’s Victory Lane keepsake might top them all – a Harley Davidson motorcycle is the prize.
Revenge For Villeneuve?
Last year, Jacques Villeneuve drove the Road America course like a man possessed. His deft work on the 14-turn course was breathtaking at times, especially one three-wide pass late to capture the lead for a brief period. A mechanical problem ended his opportunity for a win, opening the door for Carl Edwards to ride off on the Harley trophy.
Edwards is back. And so is Villeneuve. Revenge, anyone? Villeneuve will drive the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge for reigning series champion Brad Keselowski, who will focus on the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon.
Villeneuve is one of three well-known road-course aces in the field. Ron Fellows, last year’s Road America runner-up, returns to run for JR Motorsports. Max Papis will drive the flagship No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. In his most recent series race last August in Montreal, Papis was edged by Boris Said by .012 seconds, the fifth-closest finish in series history.
Ricky Carmichael represents the other end of the "road-course ringer" spectrum. The 15-time motocross champion and full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series season debut at Road America, which also will be his NASCAR national series debut on a road course. In 2008, he finished ninth and 12th, respectively, at road courses while driving in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Dash Adds More Drama
Not that the first road-course race in the new car -- among a field full of driver championship contenders scraping for wins and points -- needs any more drama. To the contrary.
Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 will be the last event before the first of four "Dash 4 Cash" races, July 1 at Daytona. Introduced in 2009 by Nationwide Insurance and NASCAR, "Dash 4 Cash" is a one-of-a-kind bonus program that rewards the highest-finishing eligible driver in designated races with a $100,000 bonus above and beyond the race purse.
Only the top four driver championship contenders in the standings heading into Daytona will be eligible for the bonus. That means ultra-competitive racing among the top drivers in the standings at Road America, setting the stage for Daytona.
The highest-finishing eligible driver at Daytona earns the bonus and automatically qualifies for the next "Dash 4 Cash" event in August at Iowa. The three highest-finishing drivers to collect NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points at Daytona also qualify for the bonus at Iowa. That same qualifying procedure will be in place for the remaining two events, at Richmond in September and Charlotte in October.
Road Course Brings Unpredictability During Summer Stretch
Road Course Brings Unpredictability During Summer Stretch
The hot summer months ahead pack a big punch of unpredictability, and the BUCYRUS 200 presented by Menards at Road America, the longest series road course (4.048-miles), presents itself as one of the biggest wild cards of the season.
Not only will the drivers be faced with navigating 14 different turns at high speeds, but this also will be the first of three road course events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule and the road course debut for the new car.
The door is wide open. The series could see another first-time winner this weekend. Already through the first 15 races there have been eight different winners and seven different Coors Light Pole award winners.
One driver that could be a standout this weekend is Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne, who posted top-10 finishes at both Road America and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Montreal) last season. Bayne is 12th in the standings, having posted three top fives and seven top 10s this season. He is ranked fifth in the pre-race Driver Rating with an 85.9 heading into this weekend.
Bayne’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Carl Edwards, is the only full-time double duty driver that will be making the trek from Northern California’s Infineon Raceway to Wisconsin’s Road America. Edwards won the series’ inaugural race at Road America last season, leading 35 of the scheduled 50 laps and posting a perfect Driver Rating (150.0). Edwards won last weekend at Michigan; his fourth victory of the season.
Stenhouse Jr. Leads Tight Championship Race After First 15 Races
It’s back to the stand-alone portion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule which draws even more attention to the already closely-contested championship. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the standings by two points over Elliott Sadler. Reed Sorenson is third, four points out of the lead while Justin Allgaier is 17 points back in fourth. Driver championship contenders have won the last two standalones – Stenhouse at Iowa and Allgaier at Chicagoland.
This weekend at Road America could prove to be a challenge for the series’ top four championship contenders. Stenhouse finished 26th at Road America and 24th at Montreal last season. Allgaier also struggled at Road America, finishing 35th, but managed to find his stride at Montreal, where he finished ninth. Sadler and Sorenson did not enter last year’s event at Road America and will both be making their first laps at the track during practice on Friday, June 24.
"Going up to Road America this weekend is going to be a new challenge for me,” Sorenson said. “It's one I'm looking forward to, though. I think the first thing I need to do is make sure I have a handle on mapping out the track and which way the turns come at me. Finding out where the passing zones are will be huge as well.”
An unfamiliar dark horse who could steal the checkered flag this weekend: Steve Wallace of Rusty Wallace Racing. He currently is eighth in the standings and has the highest ranked pre-race Driver Rating of the championship contenders with 89.7. He also finished ninth at Road America and ninth at Watkins Glen last season.
Road Course Aces Stack Already Stout Field
One man who will be on a mission this weekend is Jacques Villeneuve. The former F1 champion was leading in the closing laps of last year’s event at Road America, but subsequently lost the lead on a restart to a charging Carl Edwards. A failing alternator wire landed him a 25th-place finish.
Villeneuve is entered in the Penske Racing No. 22 Dodge in place of 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski.
Villeneuve is joined by several skilled road course talents this weekend, including Max Papis driving the Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 33 Chevrolet. In Papis’ most recent series race, last August in Montreal, he was edged by Boris Said by 0.012 seconds, the fifth-closest finish in series history and the closest in series history on a road course.
Another standout is Ron Fellows, who will be driving the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet. Fellows finished second to Edwards in this event last season. Fellows also won at Montreal in 2008 driving for JR Motorsports.
NASCAR Canadian Tires Series star Andrew Ranger will be piloting the No. 53 Dodge for owner Robert Torriere, and also J.R. Fitzpatrick will be in the No. 67 owned by Steve Meehan. Fitzpatrick finished in the top 10 in last season’s event at Road America.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 will be the last event before the first of four “Dash 4 Cash” races, July 1 at Daytona. Introduced in 2009 by Nationwide Insurance and NASCAR, “Dash 4 Cash” is a one-of-a-kind bonus program that rewards the highest-finishing eligible driver in designated races with a $100,000 bonus above and beyond the race purse. Only the top four driver championship contenders in the standings heading into Daytona will be eligible for the bonus. … Ricky Carmichael, the 15-time motocross champion and full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series season debut at Road America, which also will be his NASCAR national series debut on a road course. In 2008, he finished ninth and 12th, respectively, at road courses while driving in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. … NASCAR Nationwide Series road course qualifying procedures: Cars are assigned a qualifying group based on the official practice times. Each qualifying group will be approximately seven minutes. A drivers’ best lap time during his/her group will be the lap time of record.
The hot summer months ahead pack a big punch of unpredictability, and the BUCYRUS 200 presented by Menards at Road America, the longest series road course (4.048-miles), presents itself as one of the biggest wild cards of the season.
Not only will the drivers be faced with navigating 14 different turns at high speeds, but this also will be the first of three road course events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule and the road course debut for the new car.
The door is wide open. The series could see another first-time winner this weekend. Already through the first 15 races there have been eight different winners and seven different Coors Light Pole award winners.
One driver that could be a standout this weekend is Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne, who posted top-10 finishes at both Road America and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Montreal) last season. Bayne is 12th in the standings, having posted three top fives and seven top 10s this season. He is ranked fifth in the pre-race Driver Rating with an 85.9 heading into this weekend.
Bayne’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Carl Edwards, is the only full-time double duty driver that will be making the trek from Northern California’s Infineon Raceway to Wisconsin’s Road America. Edwards won the series’ inaugural race at Road America last season, leading 35 of the scheduled 50 laps and posting a perfect Driver Rating (150.0). Edwards won last weekend at Michigan; his fourth victory of the season.
Stenhouse Jr. Leads Tight Championship Race After First 15 Races
It’s back to the stand-alone portion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule which draws even more attention to the already closely-contested championship. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the standings by two points over Elliott Sadler. Reed Sorenson is third, four points out of the lead while Justin Allgaier is 17 points back in fourth. Driver championship contenders have won the last two standalones – Stenhouse at Iowa and Allgaier at Chicagoland.
This weekend at Road America could prove to be a challenge for the series’ top four championship contenders. Stenhouse finished 26th at Road America and 24th at Montreal last season. Allgaier also struggled at Road America, finishing 35th, but managed to find his stride at Montreal, where he finished ninth. Sadler and Sorenson did not enter last year’s event at Road America and will both be making their first laps at the track during practice on Friday, June 24.
"Going up to Road America this weekend is going to be a new challenge for me,” Sorenson said. “It's one I'm looking forward to, though. I think the first thing I need to do is make sure I have a handle on mapping out the track and which way the turns come at me. Finding out where the passing zones are will be huge as well.”
An unfamiliar dark horse who could steal the checkered flag this weekend: Steve Wallace of Rusty Wallace Racing. He currently is eighth in the standings and has the highest ranked pre-race Driver Rating of the championship contenders with 89.7. He also finished ninth at Road America and ninth at Watkins Glen last season.
Road Course Aces Stack Already Stout Field
One man who will be on a mission this weekend is Jacques Villeneuve. The former F1 champion was leading in the closing laps of last year’s event at Road America, but subsequently lost the lead on a restart to a charging Carl Edwards. A failing alternator wire landed him a 25th-place finish.
Villeneuve is entered in the Penske Racing No. 22 Dodge in place of 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski.
Villeneuve is joined by several skilled road course talents this weekend, including Max Papis driving the Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 33 Chevrolet. In Papis’ most recent series race, last August in Montreal, he was edged by Boris Said by 0.012 seconds, the fifth-closest finish in series history and the closest in series history on a road course.
Another standout is Ron Fellows, who will be driving the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet. Fellows finished second to Edwards in this event last season. Fellows also won at Montreal in 2008 driving for JR Motorsports.
NASCAR Canadian Tires Series star Andrew Ranger will be piloting the No. 53 Dodge for owner Robert Torriere, and also J.R. Fitzpatrick will be in the No. 67 owned by Steve Meehan. Fitzpatrick finished in the top 10 in last season’s event at Road America.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 will be the last event before the first of four “Dash 4 Cash” races, July 1 at Daytona. Introduced in 2009 by Nationwide Insurance and NASCAR, “Dash 4 Cash” is a one-of-a-kind bonus program that rewards the highest-finishing eligible driver in designated races with a $100,000 bonus above and beyond the race purse. Only the top four driver championship contenders in the standings heading into Daytona will be eligible for the bonus. … Ricky Carmichael, the 15-time motocross champion and full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series season debut at Road America, which also will be his NASCAR national series debut on a road course. In 2008, he finished ninth and 12th, respectively, at road courses while driving in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. … NASCAR Nationwide Series road course qualifying procedures: Cars are assigned a qualifying group based on the official practice times. Each qualifying group will be approximately seven minutes. A drivers’ best lap time during his/her group will be the lap time of record.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Starr, Crafton Continue To Chase Elusive Championship
Starr, Crafton Continue To Chase Elusive Championship
For some drivers – think Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards – the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been the cornerstone of NASCAR stardom at the highest level.
Others, however, have made the series a destination as they continue to seek the elusive championship.
David Starr made his 274th series start earlier this month in his native Texas. Starr will become just the sixth competitor with 275 starts when he takes the green flag July 7 at Kentucky Speedway.
Starr, whose NCWTS career began in 1998, has been a fulltime competitor since 2002, winning four times with seven top-10 championship finishes. He sits in the 20th position after nine races.
Equally impressive is the record of Matt Crafton. Crafton made his NASCAR Camping World Truck debut in the final race of the 2000 season and has had perfect attendance ever since. His 255 consecutive starts over 12 seasons ranks No. 3 on the series all-time list. He’s due to eclipse Dennis Setzer’s second most consecutive starts (267) this fall at Talladega Superspeedway.
Terry Cook holds the longest string of consecutive starts – 296 – from January 1998 through November 2009.
Crafton has finished among the top 10 in points in five of the past six seasons, the most recent three among the top five. The Tulare, Calif. native’s closest brush with the title came in 2009 when he was runner up to Ron Hornaday Jr. He’s fifth in current points after leading the standings on three occasions earlier this season.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series Stars Past, Present On Center Stage In Texas
When the checkered flag fell June 10 at Texas Motor Speedway, the finishing order of the WinStar World Casino 400 spotlighted a number of former and current NASCAR K&N Pro Series West drivers past and present.
The winner, Hornaday, was a six-time winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series before joining Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the inaugural 1995 season of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Hornaday, of course, is among the successful graduates of the series winning four NCWTS titles, 48 races and a pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series events.
His team owner, Kevin Harvick, the 1998 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, found success in NASCAR Camping World trucks that propelled him to NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series stardom.
Two other K&N Pro Series West-connected drivers had superlative results in Texas:
• David Mayhew, a three-time K&N winner, last season’s points runner up and fourth in 2011 standings, drove Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 2 Chevrolet to a third-place finish. The performance was Mayhew’s first top five.
• Brian Ickler is Kyle Busch’s go-to driver for 2011 stand-alone events. Ickler, a three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series winner, responded with a fourth-place run that kept the KBM team comfortably atop the NCWTS owners championship standings.
Hornaday isn’t the only NASCAR K&N Pro Series West alumnus to move to NASCAR national series stardom. Two-time NASCAR K&N champion Brendan Gaughan is 10th in NCWTS points and won eight times before stints in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series.
Greg Pursley, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West points leader entering Saturday’s race at Infineon Raceway, could be next. Pursley finished eighth at Iowa Speedway last season and plans several more NCWTS starts later this year.
Points Battle Tips Toward Crowing First-Time Champion
Johnny Sauter has several more weeks to savor his 20-point championship lead – largest this season – before the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series swings back into action July 7 at Kentucky Speedway.
Sauter and his ThorSport teammate Crafton have held the top spot after seven of the season’s nine races.
Hornaday, third behind Sauter and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt, is the only former champion ranked among the current top 10 suggesting the odds are in favor of a first-time title holder emerging in 2011.
Ricky Carmichael and Max Papis will compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200 Presented by Menards at Road America in Wisconsin. Carmichael will be making his first NASCAR road-race start for Turner Motorsports while Papis will return to the seat of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet he drove to a second-place finish last season in Montreal. … Looking ahead to Kentucky: Next month’s UNOH 225 is the first of two races to be held at the 1.5-mile track and the next tripleheader weekend shared with NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series competitors. NCWTS teams return to Kentucky Speedway for a stand-alone date on Oct. 1.
For some drivers – think Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards – the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been the cornerstone of NASCAR stardom at the highest level.
Others, however, have made the series a destination as they continue to seek the elusive championship.
David Starr made his 274th series start earlier this month in his native Texas. Starr will become just the sixth competitor with 275 starts when he takes the green flag July 7 at Kentucky Speedway.
Starr, whose NCWTS career began in 1998, has been a fulltime competitor since 2002, winning four times with seven top-10 championship finishes. He sits in the 20th position after nine races.
Equally impressive is the record of Matt Crafton. Crafton made his NASCAR Camping World Truck debut in the final race of the 2000 season and has had perfect attendance ever since. His 255 consecutive starts over 12 seasons ranks No. 3 on the series all-time list. He’s due to eclipse Dennis Setzer’s second most consecutive starts (267) this fall at Talladega Superspeedway.
Terry Cook holds the longest string of consecutive starts – 296 – from January 1998 through November 2009.
Crafton has finished among the top 10 in points in five of the past six seasons, the most recent three among the top five. The Tulare, Calif. native’s closest brush with the title came in 2009 when he was runner up to Ron Hornaday Jr. He’s fifth in current points after leading the standings on three occasions earlier this season.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series Stars Past, Present On Center Stage In Texas
When the checkered flag fell June 10 at Texas Motor Speedway, the finishing order of the WinStar World Casino 400 spotlighted a number of former and current NASCAR K&N Pro Series West drivers past and present.
The winner, Hornaday, was a six-time winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series before joining Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the inaugural 1995 season of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Hornaday, of course, is among the successful graduates of the series winning four NCWTS titles, 48 races and a pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series events.
His team owner, Kevin Harvick, the 1998 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, found success in NASCAR Camping World trucks that propelled him to NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series stardom.
Two other K&N Pro Series West-connected drivers had superlative results in Texas:
• David Mayhew, a three-time K&N winner, last season’s points runner up and fourth in 2011 standings, drove Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 2 Chevrolet to a third-place finish. The performance was Mayhew’s first top five.
• Brian Ickler is Kyle Busch’s go-to driver for 2011 stand-alone events. Ickler, a three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series winner, responded with a fourth-place run that kept the KBM team comfortably atop the NCWTS owners championship standings.
Hornaday isn’t the only NASCAR K&N Pro Series West alumnus to move to NASCAR national series stardom. Two-time NASCAR K&N champion Brendan Gaughan is 10th in NCWTS points and won eight times before stints in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series.
Greg Pursley, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West points leader entering Saturday’s race at Infineon Raceway, could be next. Pursley finished eighth at Iowa Speedway last season and plans several more NCWTS starts later this year.
Points Battle Tips Toward Crowing First-Time Champion
Johnny Sauter has several more weeks to savor his 20-point championship lead – largest this season – before the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series swings back into action July 7 at Kentucky Speedway.
Sauter and his ThorSport teammate Crafton have held the top spot after seven of the season’s nine races.
Hornaday, third behind Sauter and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt, is the only former champion ranked among the current top 10 suggesting the odds are in favor of a first-time title holder emerging in 2011.
Ricky Carmichael and Max Papis will compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200 Presented by Menards at Road America in Wisconsin. Carmichael will be making his first NASCAR road-race start for Turner Motorsports while Papis will return to the seat of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet he drove to a second-place finish last season in Montreal. … Looking ahead to Kentucky: Next month’s UNOH 225 is the first of two races to be held at the 1.5-mile track and the next tripleheader weekend shared with NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series competitors. NCWTS teams return to Kentucky Speedway for a stand-alone date on Oct. 1.
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES NOTEBOOK
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Graduates Shine In NCWTS
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was created as a stepping stone for competitors - to help bridge the gap between the NASCAR Touring Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
And almost a decade later the ladder system continues to prove successful.
Three of the top four finishers from the NCWTS race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 10 were K&N Pro Series West graduates and/or current competitors.
· Ron Hornaday Jr. (3rd) – Has six wins in 46 starts in the K&N Pro Series West between 1989 and 2001.
· David Mayhew (2nd) – Currently sits fourth in K&N Pro Series West championship standings. He has three wins in 44 starts since 2007.
· Brian Ickler (5th) – Has three wins in 26 starts in 2006, 2007 and 2009. He also competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East were he captured four wins in 17 starts.
In addition, Ricky Carmichael (6th) and Miguel Paludo (8th) competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Justin Lofton – who finished 10th at Texas – was also a graduate of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
Carmichael, Papis Focus On Nationwide During NCWTS Open Weekend
While the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series embarks on its second straight open weekend on the schedule, season regulars Ricky Carmichael and Max Papis will turn their focus to the NASCAR Nationwide Series event this weekend at Road America.
Carmichael will pilot the No. 30 Chevrolet for Turner Motorsports while Papis wheels the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.
It will be the first Nationwide Series start of 2011 and first at Road America for both competitors.
Papis currently sits 11th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings followed by Carmichael in 12th.
Up Next: Kentucky Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to action on Thursday, July 7 at Kentucky Motor Speedway following three open weekends on the schedule.
In 11 races at Kentucky, 10 different winners have visited victory lane, including six (Biffle, Bliss, Hamilton, Benson, Hornaday and Bodine) who went onto win the series championship in the same season.
This season will mark the first time the series has competed at Kentucky Speedway twice in one season. The series will return to the 1.5-mile oval on Saturday, Oct. 1.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Graduates Shine In NCWTS
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was created as a stepping stone for competitors - to help bridge the gap between the NASCAR Touring Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
And almost a decade later the ladder system continues to prove successful.
Three of the top four finishers from the NCWTS race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 10 were K&N Pro Series West graduates and/or current competitors.
· Ron Hornaday Jr. (3rd) – Has six wins in 46 starts in the K&N Pro Series West between 1989 and 2001.
· David Mayhew (2nd) – Currently sits fourth in K&N Pro Series West championship standings. He has three wins in 44 starts since 2007.
· Brian Ickler (5th) – Has three wins in 26 starts in 2006, 2007 and 2009. He also competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East were he captured four wins in 17 starts.
In addition, Ricky Carmichael (6th) and Miguel Paludo (8th) competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Justin Lofton – who finished 10th at Texas – was also a graduate of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
Carmichael, Papis Focus On Nationwide During NCWTS Open Weekend
While the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series embarks on its second straight open weekend on the schedule, season regulars Ricky Carmichael and Max Papis will turn their focus to the NASCAR Nationwide Series event this weekend at Road America.
Carmichael will pilot the No. 30 Chevrolet for Turner Motorsports while Papis wheels the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.
It will be the first Nationwide Series start of 2011 and first at Road America for both competitors.
Papis currently sits 11th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings followed by Carmichael in 12th.
Up Next: Kentucky Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to action on Thursday, July 7 at Kentucky Motor Speedway following three open weekends on the schedule.
In 11 races at Kentucky, 10 different winners have visited victory lane, including six (Biffle, Bliss, Hamilton, Benson, Hornaday and Bodine) who went onto win the series championship in the same season.
This season will mark the first time the series has competed at Kentucky Speedway twice in one season. The series will return to the 1.5-mile oval on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Late surge gives Edwards Nationwide win at Michigan
Late surge gives Edwards Nationwide win at Michigan
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 18, 2011)
BROOKLYN, Mich.—When Carl Edwards saw the Ford of Roush Fenway Racing teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. blow by him with 21 laps left in Saturday’s Alliance Truck Parts 250, he was worried.
Just as crew chief Mike Beam predicted he would, however, Edwards caught Stenhouse in the closing laps, passed his teammate on Lap 117 of 125 and pulled away to win his fourth NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season and the 33rd of his career.
“Ricky drove his heart out—that guy is unbelievable,” Edwards said in victory lane. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to get him, but it was like his car got tightened up. Man, he did a good job. … I thought Ricky was setting sail.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch him. His car, I don’t think, was balanced as well as mine was, and he was somehow making it go that fast. So he’s someone I’m a little nervous about for the future.”
Stenhouse held on to second place, crossing the finish line 1.669 seconds behind Edwards, and took the lead in the series standings by two points over eighth-place finisher Elliott Sadler. Kyle Busch won a heated battle against polesitter Paul Menard for the third position, with Menard rolling across the stripe in fourth and Trevor Bayne fifth.
To Stenhouse, whose car picked up a push after about 15 green-flag laps, the race was instructive. Going forward, Stenhouse plans to place more emphasis on practice.
“We’re right there where we need to be—we’ve just got to cap it off,” said Stenhouse, 23, who picked up his first Nationwide win last month at Iowa. “We’ve got to get a little bit better. I think Carl’s a little bit better at practice, getting his car where it needs to be.
“It takes us a little bit to get it going throughout the race, so we’re going to have to work on that. I think that’s something I’m going to have to do. It’s frustrating running second, but to have Ford running 1-2 up here in Michigan is a good deal for us.”
Edwards had stretched his lead to one second over Stenhouse when NASCAR called a caution on Lap 93 after Aric Almirola spun in Turn 2. Mark Martin, however, was on pit road when the caution flag came out and inherited the top spot when the rest of the lead-lap cars came to the pits under caution.
After the restart on Lap 101, Edwards quickly dispatched Martin, with Busch following into second position. But Stenhouse soon grabbed second from Busch and quickly tracked down Edwards, passing him for the lead on Lap 104.
Alliance Truck Parts 250 Winner: Carl Edwards
Race Fast Facts
Michigan International Speedway
20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, June 18, 2011 @ 05:45 PM Eastern
Race Winner: Carl Edwards
Age: 31
Team : No. 60 - Fastenal Ford
Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Mike Beam
Carl Edwards won the 20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250, his 33rd victory in 226 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his fourth victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in seven races at Michigan International Speedway.
This is Roush Fenway Racing's fifth series win at Michigan, most all-time.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Michigan International Speedway. It is his 11th top-10 finish in 2011.
Kyle Busch (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at Michigan International Speedway.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the point standings by 2 points over Elliott Sadler.
Michigan International Speedway
20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, June 18, 2011 @ 05:45 PM Eastern
Race Winner: Carl Edwards
Age: 31
Team : No. 60 - Fastenal Ford
Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Mike Beam
Carl Edwards won the 20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250, his 33rd victory in 226 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his fourth victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in seven races at Michigan International Speedway.
This is Roush Fenway Racing's fifth series win at Michigan, most all-time.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Michigan International Speedway. It is his 11th top-10 finish in 2011.
Kyle Busch (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at Michigan International Speedway.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the point standings by 2 points over Elliott Sadler.
Nationwide Michigan International Speedway Pole Winner: Paul Menard
Qualifying Fast Facts
Michigan International Speedway
20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, June 18, 2011 @ 12:32 PM Eastern
Coors Light Pole Winner: Paul Menard
Age: 30
Team : No. 33 - Rheem/Menards Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: David Hyder
Paul Menard won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250 with a lap of 39.554 seconds, 182.030 mph.
This is his third pole in 168 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and third top-10 start in 2011. His previous best start this season was fifth at Texas.
This is his first pole in six races at Michigan International Speedway. His previous best start was seventh in 2007.
Sam Hornish Jr. (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2011 and his first in two races at Michigan International Speedway.
Carl Edwards (third) posted his fifth top-10 start at Michigan International Speedway. It is his 15th in 15 races this season.
Michigan International Speedway
20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, June 18, 2011 @ 12:32 PM Eastern
Coors Light Pole Winner: Paul Menard
Age: 30
Team : No. 33 - Rheem/Menards Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: David Hyder
Paul Menard won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 20th Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250 with a lap of 39.554 seconds, 182.030 mph.
This is his third pole in 168 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and third top-10 start in 2011. His previous best start this season was fifth at Texas.
This is his first pole in six races at Michigan International Speedway. His previous best start was seventh in 2007.
Sam Hornish Jr. (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2011 and his first in two races at Michigan International Speedway.
Carl Edwards (third) posted his fifth top-10 start at Michigan International Speedway. It is his 15th in 15 races this season.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Almirola hoping his number is next in victory lane
Almirola hoping his number is next in victory lane
By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 16, 2011)
NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Allgaier have won two of the last three races in the series.
Who's next?
"I'd love for it to be my turn," JR Motorsports driver Aric Almirola said.
Almirola is fifth in the Nationwide points standings, just behind third-place Stenhouse and fourth-place Allgaier. And Almirola, coming off a season-best fourth-place finish at Chicago , was a winner at the site of this Saturday's Alliance Truck Parts 250, Michigan International Speedway, in the Camping World Truck Series in 2010.
"I show up to the racetrack thinking it's going to be my turn," Almirola said. "I feel like we're getting our program better, and we've been working really hard at trying to make our cars better. We started off the year not as good as we wanted to be, and we've seen progression throughout the year.
"I'd love to sit here and tell you I'm going to go win at Michigan . I won there last year in the truck race and I really enjoy racing at Michigan . I would love to go up there and win again, but you just don't ever know."\Almirola is making an honest assessment of his No. 88 Chevrolet team, especially when compared to the stiff competition in the Nationwide Series these days, not only from Sprint Cup drivers, but as we've seen in the last month, Nationwide regulars.
Many considered Almirola to be one of the top non-Cup drivers in Nationwide in 2011, especially after four top-10 finishes in eight races at the end of last year. But most of those races were in the older-generation car, and the switch to the new NASCAR-certified chassis has proved to be a struggle for JRM."At JR Motorsports, we had a lot of success with the old car," Almirola said. "We ran really well with that old car. It just seemed like this new car kind of threw us a curveball."
Even Almirola admitted he needed to work on his driving to suit the new car.
"We're still not there, and we know that," Almirola said. "But we've slowly been getting it better and better. I've been happy to see the progress we've made as a company."
Almirola didn't get his first top 10 in 2011 until the fourth race at Bristol , and he's had 10 finishes between ninth and 15th place.
But he and crew chief Tony Eury Sr. seem to have things going better, as he's been in the top 10 in three of the last four races. And despite the slow start, he's only 46 points behind series leader Reed Sorenson.
"The championship is obviously something we've got our eyes set on," Almirola said. "That's a goal for us. But the reality is we've got to work on getting our stuff to run better before we even worry about that championship."
Fast facts
What: Alliance Truck Parts 250
Where: Michigan International Speedway ; Brooklyn , Mich.
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 90
Track layout: 2-mile oval
Race distance: 125 laps/250 miles
Qualifying: Saturday, 11:10 a.m. ET
2010 winner: Brad Keselowski
2010 polesitter: Brad Keselowski
Points standings: 1. Reed Sorenson, 488; 2. Elliott Sadler, 486; 3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 482; 4. Justin Allgaier, 477; 5. Aric Almirola, 442; 6. Jason Leffler, 437; 7. Kenny Wallace, 417; 8. Steve Wallace, 385; 9. Brian Scott, 366; 10. Michael Annett, 346.
By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 16, 2011)
NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Allgaier have won two of the last three races in the series.
Who's next?
"I'd love for it to be my turn," JR Motorsports driver Aric Almirola said.
Almirola is fifth in the Nationwide points standings, just behind third-place Stenhouse and fourth-place Allgaier. And Almirola, coming off a season-best fourth-place finish at Chicago , was a winner at the site of this Saturday's Alliance Truck Parts 250, Michigan International Speedway, in the Camping World Truck Series in 2010.
"I show up to the racetrack thinking it's going to be my turn," Almirola said. "I feel like we're getting our program better, and we've been working really hard at trying to make our cars better. We started off the year not as good as we wanted to be, and we've seen progression throughout the year.
"I'd love to sit here and tell you I'm going to go win at Michigan . I won there last year in the truck race and I really enjoy racing at Michigan . I would love to go up there and win again, but you just don't ever know."\Almirola is making an honest assessment of his No. 88 Chevrolet team, especially when compared to the stiff competition in the Nationwide Series these days, not only from Sprint Cup drivers, but as we've seen in the last month, Nationwide regulars.
Many considered Almirola to be one of the top non-Cup drivers in Nationwide in 2011, especially after four top-10 finishes in eight races at the end of last year. But most of those races were in the older-generation car, and the switch to the new NASCAR-certified chassis has proved to be a struggle for JRM."At JR Motorsports, we had a lot of success with the old car," Almirola said. "We ran really well with that old car. It just seemed like this new car kind of threw us a curveball."
Even Almirola admitted he needed to work on his driving to suit the new car.
"We're still not there, and we know that," Almirola said. "But we've slowly been getting it better and better. I've been happy to see the progress we've made as a company."
Almirola didn't get his first top 10 in 2011 until the fourth race at Bristol , and he's had 10 finishes between ninth and 15th place.
But he and crew chief Tony Eury Sr. seem to have things going better, as he's been in the top 10 in three of the last four races. And despite the slow start, he's only 46 points behind series leader Reed Sorenson.
"The championship is obviously something we've got our eyes set on," Almirola said. "That's a goal for us. But the reality is we've got to work on getting our stuff to run better before we even worry about that championship."
Fast facts
What: Alliance Truck Parts 250
Where: Michigan International Speedway ; Brooklyn , Mich.
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 90
Track layout: 2-mile oval
Race distance: 125 laps/250 miles
Qualifying: Saturday, 11:10 a.m. ET
2010 winner: Brad Keselowski
2010 polesitter: Brad Keselowski
Points standings: 1. Reed Sorenson, 488; 2. Elliott Sadler, 486; 3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 482; 4. Justin Allgaier, 477; 5. Aric Almirola, 442; 6. Jason Leffler, 437; 7. Kenny Wallace, 417; 8. Steve Wallace, 385; 9. Brian Scott, 366; 10. Michael Annett, 346.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
NATIONWIDE SERIES AT MICHIGAN
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Series Set For Summertime StreakIt may be summer break for some, but for the drivers and teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, this time of year signals a season-long stretch of 14 consecutive race weeks, starting Saturday at Michigan.
Off since June 4 at Chicagoland, the series resumes with a close points race – 11 points separate leader Reed Sorenson from his fourth-place Turner Motorsports teammate (and Chicago winner) Justin Allgaier. Elliott Sadler is second, two points out of first, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in third, six points back.
Stenhouse won at Iowa, giving driver championship contenders victories in two of the last three races.
Better Results On Horizon For BK?
Brad Keselowski, the reigning series champion, has hardly looked the part this year. Following the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami, Keselowski had been running at the finish in a series-record 102 consecutive races. But through this season’s first 14 races, Keselowski has had four did not finish (DNF) results. He was saddled with two straight out of the gate at Daytona and Phoenix. It was more of the same two weeks ago at Chicagoland where an expired engine ended his night.
This week may bring the remedy, however. Keselowski is a “Michigan man” from Rochester Hills, and returns to his home track where he has won the last two races. His consecutive wins have come in two different cars and with two different manufacturers. His 2009 win was in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Last year he won from the pole for Penske Racing in a Dodge Challenger, one of four races for the series’ new car before its full-time introduction this year. He also posted a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating in that race.\
Keselowski can join Tony Stewart (Daytona) and 2009 series champion Kyle Busch (Auto Club) as drivers who have won three consecutive races at the same track over the last three seasons (Stewart has won the last four at DIS). A third straight victory also would make Keselowski the series’ all-time wins leader at MIS. He and four other drivers have two.
Roush Fenway Marches Into Michigan
Roush Fenway Racing has experienced a resurgence in 2011 (not that four wins, three poles and a second-place driver championship finish by Carl Edwards last year was a slouch). But this year, the wealth is being spread around the organization. Through 14 races, Edwards has three wins while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has one and also has been at the top of the points standings. The duo has combined for six poles. And now, RFR brings its high-flying season “home” to Michigan.
Jack Roush’s racing success was built in Michigan, not far from the two-mile speedway. Racing at MIS always carries special meaning for Roush’s teams. Saturday, his three-team NASCAR Nationwide Series stable looks to add to his series-leading four owner wins at the track. Edwards and Stenhouse are joined by Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, who returned to NASCAR Nationwide Series racing after a five-race hiatus due to illness two weeks ago at Chicago to finish third. Bayne will make his return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend in his part-time ride with Wood Brothers Racing.
Busch vs. Martin – Round 3
It’s a competition that can’t get much closer. Mark Martin, the all-time series leader in wins with 49 in 233 starts, has two more races left this season to try and fend off Kyle Busch from matching – and perhaps surpassing – that mark. Saturday at Michigan is one of those events.
A major series milestone is hanging in the balance: who will be the first driver to 50 wins?
Martin added to his total earlier this season with a victory at Las Vegas. Busch finished 30th at LVMS due to an accident. Busch, with 48 victories in 213 starts, took Round 2 at Auto Club with a win while Martin finished eighth.
Neither seems to have an edge over the other at Michigan. Martin is tied with four other drivers for the all-time lead in wins with two, but hasn’t won since 1995. Busch won at MIS in his rookie year in 2004, but hasn’t won since. Martin has an average finish of 5.1 in 11 series races at MIS; Busch’s average finish is 5.2 in four races.
Martin is scheduled to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series once more this year for Turner Motorsports, next month at Kentucky. Busch is expected to compete in that event as well.
Series Set For Summertime StreakIt may be summer break for some, but for the drivers and teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, this time of year signals a season-long stretch of 14 consecutive race weeks, starting Saturday at Michigan.
Off since June 4 at Chicagoland, the series resumes with a close points race – 11 points separate leader Reed Sorenson from his fourth-place Turner Motorsports teammate (and Chicago winner) Justin Allgaier. Elliott Sadler is second, two points out of first, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in third, six points back.
Stenhouse won at Iowa, giving driver championship contenders victories in two of the last three races.
Better Results On Horizon For BK?
Brad Keselowski, the reigning series champion, has hardly looked the part this year. Following the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami, Keselowski had been running at the finish in a series-record 102 consecutive races. But through this season’s first 14 races, Keselowski has had four did not finish (DNF) results. He was saddled with two straight out of the gate at Daytona and Phoenix. It was more of the same two weeks ago at Chicagoland where an expired engine ended his night.
This week may bring the remedy, however. Keselowski is a “Michigan man” from Rochester Hills, and returns to his home track where he has won the last two races. His consecutive wins have come in two different cars and with two different manufacturers. His 2009 win was in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Last year he won from the pole for Penske Racing in a Dodge Challenger, one of four races for the series’ new car before its full-time introduction this year. He also posted a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating in that race.\
Keselowski can join Tony Stewart (Daytona) and 2009 series champion Kyle Busch (Auto Club) as drivers who have won three consecutive races at the same track over the last three seasons (Stewart has won the last four at DIS). A third straight victory also would make Keselowski the series’ all-time wins leader at MIS. He and four other drivers have two.
Roush Fenway Marches Into Michigan
Roush Fenway Racing has experienced a resurgence in 2011 (not that four wins, three poles and a second-place driver championship finish by Carl Edwards last year was a slouch). But this year, the wealth is being spread around the organization. Through 14 races, Edwards has three wins while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has one and also has been at the top of the points standings. The duo has combined for six poles. And now, RFR brings its high-flying season “home” to Michigan.
Jack Roush’s racing success was built in Michigan, not far from the two-mile speedway. Racing at MIS always carries special meaning for Roush’s teams. Saturday, his three-team NASCAR Nationwide Series stable looks to add to his series-leading four owner wins at the track. Edwards and Stenhouse are joined by Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, who returned to NASCAR Nationwide Series racing after a five-race hiatus due to illness two weeks ago at Chicago to finish third. Bayne will make his return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend in his part-time ride with Wood Brothers Racing.
Busch vs. Martin – Round 3
It’s a competition that can’t get much closer. Mark Martin, the all-time series leader in wins with 49 in 233 starts, has two more races left this season to try and fend off Kyle Busch from matching – and perhaps surpassing – that mark. Saturday at Michigan is one of those events.
A major series milestone is hanging in the balance: who will be the first driver to 50 wins?
Martin added to his total earlier this season with a victory at Las Vegas. Busch finished 30th at LVMS due to an accident. Busch, with 48 victories in 213 starts, took Round 2 at Auto Club with a win while Martin finished eighth.
Neither seems to have an edge over the other at Michigan. Martin is tied with four other drivers for the all-time lead in wins with two, but hasn’t won since 1995. Busch won at MIS in his rookie year in 2004, but hasn’t won since. Martin has an average finish of 5.1 in 11 series races at MIS; Busch’s average finish is 5.2 in four races.
Martin is scheduled to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series once more this year for Turner Motorsports, next month at Kentucky. Busch is expected to compete in that event as well.
Nationwide : Hot Standings Battle Has This Summer Blazing
Hot Standings Battle Has This Summer Blazing
After a weekend off, the NASCAR Nationwide Series gets back to work at Michigan International Speedway for the Alliance Truck 250 on Saturday, June 18. For the fourth time this season, the top four in the series driver standings are separated by 11 points or less.
After the first 14 races in 2010, there had been four different driver standings leaders and four different driver standings lead changes; as compared to this season, with the new points system, there have been six different driver standings leaders and seven driver standings lead changes.
On average through the first 14 races this year, six driver championship contenders have finished in the top 10 versus four last year. Also, driver championship contenders have led 457 laps. After 14 events in 2010, series-only drivers led 313 laps through the first 14 races.
Reed Sorenson leads the standings by two points. He has posted five top fives and is tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a series-high 10 top-10 finishes this season. Elliott Sadler is second in the standings, and has posted a series-leading seven top fives, coupled with nine top-10 finishes and a pole this season.
"I love going to Michigan, Sadler said. “It is the manufacturers' backyard, so there are a lot of bragging rights on the line when we head to Michigan. It's a very wide track, with a huge sense of urgency. There are only 125 laps and 250 miles, so you have to qualify good to race good from start to finish.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is third in the standings, six points behind Sorenson; he has posted one win (Iowa), five top fives, 10 top-10 finishes and two poles this season. His season-to-date Driver Rating, 107.6, ranks third in the series – the highest rank and rating of the driver championship contenders. Justin Allgaier is fourth in the driver standings 11 points behind Sorenson; he has posted one win (Chicago), four top-five and eight top-10 finishes this season.
Of the top four in the standings, Justin Allgaier has the best average finish at Michigan with a 5.5.
Michigan Native Brad Keselowski Returns Home For More Success
Hailing from Rochester Hills, Mich., Brad Keselowski, the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion returns to his home track where he’s won the last two races. His consecutive wins have come in two different cars and with two different manufacturers. His 2009 win was in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Last year he won from the pole for Penske Racing in a Dodge Challenger, one of four races for the series’ new car before its full-time introduction this year. He also posted a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating in that race.
“Michigan is a very special place for me, and not just because I have won on it in the past, but obviously because it is my home track,” Keselowski said.
He can join Tony Stewart (Daytona) and 2009 series champion Kyle Busch (Auto Club) as drivers who have won three consecutive races at the same track over the last three seasons (Stewart has won the last four at DIS). A third straight victory also would make Keselowski the series’ all-time wins leader at MIS. He and Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Todd Bodine each have two.
Keselowski has made four series starts at Michigan with an average finish of 6.5 – one of only six active series drivers with an average finish in the top 10. He is ranked first of the drivers entered in the race in the Pre-Race Driver Rating with 109.2.
Roush Fenway Racing’s Hard Work Paying Dividends
Watch for Roush Fenway Racing this weekend. Through 14 races, Carl Edwards has three wins while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has one and also has been at the top of the points standings. The duo has combined for six poles. And now, Roush Fenway Racing brings its high-flying season “home” to Michigan.
Racing at Michigan International Speedway always carries special meaning for Jack Roush’s teams, especially since they enjoy so much success there – he leads the series with four owner wins at the track.
Roush has two NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championships, but only one owner title. When Edwards won the driver title in 2007, Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Chevrolet won the owner championship. Since then, the owner title has been a priority for Roush. This week, his No. 60 Ford leads the owner standings by six points over the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. It’s the first time the No. 60 has led the owner standings in 43 races.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Mark Martin, the all-time series leader in wins with 49 in 233 starts, has two more races left this season to try and fend off Kyle Busch (48) from matching – and perhaps surpassing – that mark. Saturday at Michigan is one of those events. This is the rubber match of sorts. Martin and Busch have driven in the same race twice this season. Martin won the first (Las Vegas); Busch won the second (Auto Club Speedway). Neither seems to have an edge over the other at Michigan. Martin is tied with four other drivers for the all-time lead in wins with two, but hasn’t won since 1995. Busch won at MIS in his rookie year in 2004, but hasn’t won since. Martin has an average finish of 5.1 in 11 series races at Michigan International Speedway; Busch’s average finish is 5.2 in four races. … Mike Wallace’s countdown to 400 starts is underway. He currently stands at 396 starts.
After a weekend off, the NASCAR Nationwide Series gets back to work at Michigan International Speedway for the Alliance Truck 250 on Saturday, June 18. For the fourth time this season, the top four in the series driver standings are separated by 11 points or less.
After the first 14 races in 2010, there had been four different driver standings leaders and four different driver standings lead changes; as compared to this season, with the new points system, there have been six different driver standings leaders and seven driver standings lead changes.
On average through the first 14 races this year, six driver championship contenders have finished in the top 10 versus four last year. Also, driver championship contenders have led 457 laps. After 14 events in 2010, series-only drivers led 313 laps through the first 14 races.
Reed Sorenson leads the standings by two points. He has posted five top fives and is tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a series-high 10 top-10 finishes this season. Elliott Sadler is second in the standings, and has posted a series-leading seven top fives, coupled with nine top-10 finishes and a pole this season.
"I love going to Michigan, Sadler said. “It is the manufacturers' backyard, so there are a lot of bragging rights on the line when we head to Michigan. It's a very wide track, with a huge sense of urgency. There are only 125 laps and 250 miles, so you have to qualify good to race good from start to finish.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is third in the standings, six points behind Sorenson; he has posted one win (Iowa), five top fives, 10 top-10 finishes and two poles this season. His season-to-date Driver Rating, 107.6, ranks third in the series – the highest rank and rating of the driver championship contenders. Justin Allgaier is fourth in the driver standings 11 points behind Sorenson; he has posted one win (Chicago), four top-five and eight top-10 finishes this season.
Of the top four in the standings, Justin Allgaier has the best average finish at Michigan with a 5.5.
Michigan Native Brad Keselowski Returns Home For More Success
Hailing from Rochester Hills, Mich., Brad Keselowski, the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion returns to his home track where he’s won the last two races. His consecutive wins have come in two different cars and with two different manufacturers. His 2009 win was in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Last year he won from the pole for Penske Racing in a Dodge Challenger, one of four races for the series’ new car before its full-time introduction this year. He also posted a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating in that race.
“Michigan is a very special place for me, and not just because I have won on it in the past, but obviously because it is my home track,” Keselowski said.
He can join Tony Stewart (Daytona) and 2009 series champion Kyle Busch (Auto Club) as drivers who have won three consecutive races at the same track over the last three seasons (Stewart has won the last four at DIS). A third straight victory also would make Keselowski the series’ all-time wins leader at MIS. He and Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Todd Bodine each have two.
Keselowski has made four series starts at Michigan with an average finish of 6.5 – one of only six active series drivers with an average finish in the top 10. He is ranked first of the drivers entered in the race in the Pre-Race Driver Rating with 109.2.
Roush Fenway Racing’s Hard Work Paying Dividends
Watch for Roush Fenway Racing this weekend. Through 14 races, Carl Edwards has three wins while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has one and also has been at the top of the points standings. The duo has combined for six poles. And now, Roush Fenway Racing brings its high-flying season “home” to Michigan.
Racing at Michigan International Speedway always carries special meaning for Jack Roush’s teams, especially since they enjoy so much success there – he leads the series with four owner wins at the track.
Roush has two NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championships, but only one owner title. When Edwards won the driver title in 2007, Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Chevrolet won the owner championship. Since then, the owner title has been a priority for Roush. This week, his No. 60 Ford leads the owner standings by six points over the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. It’s the first time the No. 60 has led the owner standings in 43 races.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Mark Martin, the all-time series leader in wins with 49 in 233 starts, has two more races left this season to try and fend off Kyle Busch (48) from matching – and perhaps surpassing – that mark. Saturday at Michigan is one of those events. This is the rubber match of sorts. Martin and Busch have driven in the same race twice this season. Martin won the first (Las Vegas); Busch won the second (Auto Club Speedway). Neither seems to have an edge over the other at Michigan. Martin is tied with four other drivers for the all-time lead in wins with two, but hasn’t won since 1995. Busch won at MIS in his rookie year in 2004, but hasn’t won since. Martin has an average finish of 5.1 in 11 series races at Michigan International Speedway; Busch’s average finish is 5.2 in four races. … Mike Wallace’s countdown to 400 starts is underway. He currently stands at 396 starts.
Sauter-Hornaday Struggles Recall Earlier NCWTS Rivalry
Sauter-Hornaday Struggles Recall Earlier NCWTS Rivalry
You might call it rivalry redux.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ tough driver, tough trucks reputation, in large part, was built on Jack Sprague vs. Ron Hornaday Jr., a pair of hard-nosed competitors who won a combined four championships and 35 races between 1996-99.
Did they like each other? Maybe off the track but when the engines fired there was certainly a rivalry-like intensity between the two.
So here we go again – this time with Hornaday and Johnny Sauter. Both are hard-nosed, no quarter asked or given racers and over the past two seasons they’ve always seemed to find each other on the track.
They’ve traded paint and bumpers as well as harsh words and ill feelings.
And, following Hornaday’s June 10 victory at Texas Motor Speedway – at Sauter’s expense – the action likely will continue to boil when the schedule resumes July 7 at Kentucky Speedway. Sauter blocked Hornaday on the race’s final restart drawing a penalty that left the Wisconsin driver with a 22nd-place finish instead of a likely second victory of 2011.
Sauter, who had his rival down by 56 points (and in sixth place) saw the margin shrink to 33 as Hornaday, seeking a fifth title, climbed to third. The two appear evenly matched, especially in qualifying, putting them head to head when the green flag drops.
Keselowski, Kligerman Returning Dodge To Contending Status
It’s been tough sledding for Dodge since Ted Musgrave won its final driver championship in 2005, ending a five-year run during which the truck builder won three manufacturers’ championships and 50 races. A Dodge has gone to Victory Lane just once – Dennis Setzer in 2008 at Mansfield, Ohio – in the subsequent five-plus seasons.
That drought could be ended by team owner Brad Keselowski and driver Parker Kligerman. It might not yet be a renaissance but Kligerman finished a solid second June 10 at Texas Motor Speedway, matching his team owner’s runner up performance last summer at Gateway International Raceway.
Kligerman has posted seven top-15 finishes in 2011, three among the top 10.
Current Sunoco Rookie Contenders Competing Like Veterans
Led by Cole Whitt, who currently ranks second in NASCAR Camping World Truck standings, this year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year class shapes up as one of the strongest top-to-bottom in series history. Five drivers – Whitt, Kligerman, Miguel Paludo, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Joey Coulter – have posted at least one top-five finish in the first nine races.
• Kligerman became the latest to claim a top five, at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Coulter was fifth in Texas, to match his series-best finish scored the previous week at Kansas Speedway.
• Three Sunoco rookie contenders rank in the top 10 overall after nine races: Whitt (second), Kligerman (eighth) and Coulter (ninth). Whitt is the rookie points leader by 22 over Coulter.
The number of rookies with a top-five finish compares with arguably the top freshman class in series history. In 1997 five rookies scoring at least one top-five finish ranked among the final series top 20. Rookie of the Year Kenny Irwin and Tony Raines each won races during their rookie season. The other three contenders – Stacy Compton, Rick Crawford and Boris Said – later became series winners.
NCWTS
Hornaday’s 48th victory includes 13 wins past the age of 50, matching Joe Ruttman’s series record for the senior citizen set. Hornaday now has won in seven consecutive seasons, 13 overall. Hornaday’s finish marked his 198th top 10. … A Kevin Harvick Inc. truck won for the second consecutive week and 35th time in NCWTS competition. KHI needs one more win to catch Ultra Motorsports for No. 2 all time. … Kligerman (second), David Mayhew (third), Ryan Sieg (seventh) and Johanna Long (11th) posted career-best series finishes in Texas.
You might call it rivalry redux.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ tough driver, tough trucks reputation, in large part, was built on Jack Sprague vs. Ron Hornaday Jr., a pair of hard-nosed competitors who won a combined four championships and 35 races between 1996-99.
Did they like each other? Maybe off the track but when the engines fired there was certainly a rivalry-like intensity between the two.
So here we go again – this time with Hornaday and Johnny Sauter. Both are hard-nosed, no quarter asked or given racers and over the past two seasons they’ve always seemed to find each other on the track.
They’ve traded paint and bumpers as well as harsh words and ill feelings.
And, following Hornaday’s June 10 victory at Texas Motor Speedway – at Sauter’s expense – the action likely will continue to boil when the schedule resumes July 7 at Kentucky Speedway. Sauter blocked Hornaday on the race’s final restart drawing a penalty that left the Wisconsin driver with a 22nd-place finish instead of a likely second victory of 2011.
Sauter, who had his rival down by 56 points (and in sixth place) saw the margin shrink to 33 as Hornaday, seeking a fifth title, climbed to third. The two appear evenly matched, especially in qualifying, putting them head to head when the green flag drops.
Keselowski, Kligerman Returning Dodge To Contending Status
It’s been tough sledding for Dodge since Ted Musgrave won its final driver championship in 2005, ending a five-year run during which the truck builder won three manufacturers’ championships and 50 races. A Dodge has gone to Victory Lane just once – Dennis Setzer in 2008 at Mansfield, Ohio – in the subsequent five-plus seasons.
That drought could be ended by team owner Brad Keselowski and driver Parker Kligerman. It might not yet be a renaissance but Kligerman finished a solid second June 10 at Texas Motor Speedway, matching his team owner’s runner up performance last summer at Gateway International Raceway.
Kligerman has posted seven top-15 finishes in 2011, three among the top 10.
Current Sunoco Rookie Contenders Competing Like Veterans
Led by Cole Whitt, who currently ranks second in NASCAR Camping World Truck standings, this year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year class shapes up as one of the strongest top-to-bottom in series history. Five drivers – Whitt, Kligerman, Miguel Paludo, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Joey Coulter – have posted at least one top-five finish in the first nine races.
• Kligerman became the latest to claim a top five, at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Coulter was fifth in Texas, to match his series-best finish scored the previous week at Kansas Speedway.
• Three Sunoco rookie contenders rank in the top 10 overall after nine races: Whitt (second), Kligerman (eighth) and Coulter (ninth). Whitt is the rookie points leader by 22 over Coulter.
The number of rookies with a top-five finish compares with arguably the top freshman class in series history. In 1997 five rookies scoring at least one top-five finish ranked among the final series top 20. Rookie of the Year Kenny Irwin and Tony Raines each won races during their rookie season. The other three contenders – Stacy Compton, Rick Crawford and Boris Said – later became series winners.
NCWTS
Hornaday’s 48th victory includes 13 wins past the age of 50, matching Joe Ruttman’s series record for the senior citizen set. Hornaday now has won in seven consecutive seasons, 13 overall. Hornaday’s finish marked his 198th top 10. … A Kevin Harvick Inc. truck won for the second consecutive week and 35th time in NCWTS competition. KHI needs one more win to catch Ultra Motorsports for No. 2 all time. … Kligerman (second), David Mayhew (third), Ryan Sieg (seventh) and Johanna Long (11th) posted career-best series finishes in Texas.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES NEWS
6/11
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Hornaday Wins At Texas, Sets Sights On Fifth Title
After a dismal 2010 season the Drive for Five is alive following Ron Hornaday Jr.’s first win of the 2011 season at Texas – his 48th series victory. Hornaday has scored at least one victory before the 10th race of the season in all his championship winning years.
Hornaday – who has led 60 laps this season – currently sits third in the series standings only 33 points out of the lead despite suffering a 25-point penalty for an illegal gear at Charlotte in May.
His biggest challenge in the quest for a fifth title could his biggest rival and current standings leader Johnny Sauter.
Sauter – who was leading at Texas before being black flagged on the final restart has one win (Martinsville) this season. Sauter has finished third or better in the final series standings the last two years.
2011: The Season Of The Rookie
In a field full of veterans, the 2011 Sunoco Rookie class continues to impress nine races into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. At least one contender has finished inside the top five the last five races.
Cole Whitt, Parker Kligerman and Joey Coulter have positioned themselves as front runners – scoring a combined six top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
The 2011 rookie class is currently on track to hold the title as the best overall class in series history with six contenders currently inside the top 25. The 1997 class – who had five finishes inside the top-20 in the final standings – currently holds the bragging rights.
Whitt currently sits second in the series standings followed by Kligerman in eighth and Coulter in ninth.
Up Next: Kentucky Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to action following three open weekends on the schedule at Kentucky Motor Speedway on Thursday, July 7.
In 11 races at Kentucky, 10 different winners have visited victory lane, including six (Biffle, Bliss, Hamilton, Benson, Hornaday and Bodine) who went onto win the series championship in the same season.
This season will mark the first time the series has competed at Kentucky Speedway twice in one season. The series will return to the 1.5-mile oval on Saturday, Oct. 1.
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Hornaday Wins At Texas, Sets Sights On Fifth Title
After a dismal 2010 season the Drive for Five is alive following Ron Hornaday Jr.’s first win of the 2011 season at Texas – his 48th series victory. Hornaday has scored at least one victory before the 10th race of the season in all his championship winning years.
Hornaday – who has led 60 laps this season – currently sits third in the series standings only 33 points out of the lead despite suffering a 25-point penalty for an illegal gear at Charlotte in May.
His biggest challenge in the quest for a fifth title could his biggest rival and current standings leader Johnny Sauter.
Sauter – who was leading at Texas before being black flagged on the final restart has one win (Martinsville) this season. Sauter has finished third or better in the final series standings the last two years.
2011: The Season Of The Rookie
In a field full of veterans, the 2011 Sunoco Rookie class continues to impress nine races into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. At least one contender has finished inside the top five the last five races.
Cole Whitt, Parker Kligerman and Joey Coulter have positioned themselves as front runners – scoring a combined six top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
The 2011 rookie class is currently on track to hold the title as the best overall class in series history with six contenders currently inside the top 25. The 1997 class – who had five finishes inside the top-20 in the final standings – currently holds the bragging rights.
Whitt currently sits second in the series standings followed by Kligerman in eighth and Coulter in ninth.
Up Next: Kentucky Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to action following three open weekends on the schedule at Kentucky Motor Speedway on Thursday, July 7.
In 11 races at Kentucky, 10 different winners have visited victory lane, including six (Biffle, Bliss, Hamilton, Benson, Hornaday and Bodine) who went onto win the series championship in the same season.
This season will mark the first time the series has competed at Kentucky Speedway twice in one season. The series will return to the 1.5-mile oval on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Hornaday wins at Texas when Sauter is black-flagged
Hornaday wins at Texas when Sauter is black-flagged
By John Sturbin
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 10, 2011)
FORT WORTH, Texas—Ron Hornaday Jr. won the Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 400k Friday night when race leader Johnny Sauter was black-flagged for changing lanes on the night’s final restart.
Sauter, who had passed Hornaday for the lead with a powerful run through Turn 4 on Lap 130, was penalized for moving from the outside lane to in front of Hornaday before crossing the start/finish line on a green-white-checkered restart on Lap 166. The race went 168 laps, one beyond its scheduled distance.“Good way to steal one,” Hornaday said. “I think we had a third- or a fifth-place truck, but it worked out for us. On that restart, he was the leader, but he kind of blocked, basically.”
Asked at what point he realized Sauter had broken the restart rule, Hornaday said, “Soon as the green dropped he turned in my lane, and I was yelling, ‘He’s in my lane!’ At that time we had a second-place truck, but it was a (good) call. I spun my tires, he spun his tires, and his spotter must have said, ‘Clear.’ ”The black flag call was made by series director Wayne Auton, who Hornaday said specifically addressed the issue during Friday’s driver’s meeting.
“He said, ‘This is your last warning.’ I think he said it three times,” Hornaday said. “ ‘You go into another guy’s lane, better give it back before you get to Turn 1.’ Sticky call. But you can’t change lanes until you pass the start/finish line. And I hate that rule.”Sauter, the series points leader, was scored 22nd, the last vehicle on the lead lap.
“He’s got a lane to race down there,” Sauter said as he walked to his hauler. “We both spun the tires.”
Asked if he would confront NASCAR officials over the decision, Sauter said, “It’s official, isn’t it?”
Sauter, who led three times for a race-high 56 laps, began the night with a 12-point lead over rookie Cole Whitt. Sauter exited Texas with an eight-point lead over Hornaday with Whitt in third, 20 points out of first.
Hornaday, a four-time series champion, earned his 48th career victory and first of the season. It was his third victory on Texas’ 1.5-mile quadoval. Parker Kligerman finished second for his third top 10 of the season. He is the second-highest rookie, eighth in the standings.
David Mayhew’s third-place run easily eclipsed his previous best series finish of 14th. Brian Ickler and rookie Joey Coulter rounded out the top five.
Contact between Austin Dillon and Matt Crafton—fourth and fifth in the point standings, respectively—ended Crafton’s night after a grinding crash into the outside and infield retaining walls on Lap 90. The two were entering the quadoval off Turn 4 when Dillon hooked the right rear quarter panel of Crafton’s truck and sent it spinning.
Crafton exited uninjured, but rather than head for the ambulance, he proceeded to walk toward Turn 4 to “confront” Dillon as he cycled around. Crafton raised his arms in a “What were you thinking?” pose as Dillon drove past. After reviewing the replay, Crafton was considerably cooler.
“I was a little bit loose and trying to get out of the throttle and turn back to the left,” Crafton said. “But when you get hooked in the rear on the front straight, that’s a tough way to go out at Texas Motor Speedway.”
Earlier, Todd Bodine saw his shot at a seventh victory at Texas end via contact and a crash with David Starr. Their crash on Lap 68 in Turn 2 was the second of the night involving Bodine, who was caught up in another Turn 2 incident with Ickler on Lap 52. Bodine won this event in 2009 and 2010.
By John Sturbin
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 10, 2011)
FORT WORTH, Texas—Ron Hornaday Jr. won the Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 400k Friday night when race leader Johnny Sauter was black-flagged for changing lanes on the night’s final restart.
Sauter, who had passed Hornaday for the lead with a powerful run through Turn 4 on Lap 130, was penalized for moving from the outside lane to in front of Hornaday before crossing the start/finish line on a green-white-checkered restart on Lap 166. The race went 168 laps, one beyond its scheduled distance.“Good way to steal one,” Hornaday said. “I think we had a third- or a fifth-place truck, but it worked out for us. On that restart, he was the leader, but he kind of blocked, basically.”
Asked at what point he realized Sauter had broken the restart rule, Hornaday said, “Soon as the green dropped he turned in my lane, and I was yelling, ‘He’s in my lane!’ At that time we had a second-place truck, but it was a (good) call. I spun my tires, he spun his tires, and his spotter must have said, ‘Clear.’ ”The black flag call was made by series director Wayne Auton, who Hornaday said specifically addressed the issue during Friday’s driver’s meeting.
“He said, ‘This is your last warning.’ I think he said it three times,” Hornaday said. “ ‘You go into another guy’s lane, better give it back before you get to Turn 1.’ Sticky call. But you can’t change lanes until you pass the start/finish line. And I hate that rule.”Sauter, the series points leader, was scored 22nd, the last vehicle on the lead lap.
“He’s got a lane to race down there,” Sauter said as he walked to his hauler. “We both spun the tires.”
Asked if he would confront NASCAR officials over the decision, Sauter said, “It’s official, isn’t it?”
Sauter, who led three times for a race-high 56 laps, began the night with a 12-point lead over rookie Cole Whitt. Sauter exited Texas with an eight-point lead over Hornaday with Whitt in third, 20 points out of first.
Hornaday, a four-time series champion, earned his 48th career victory and first of the season. It was his third victory on Texas’ 1.5-mile quadoval. Parker Kligerman finished second for his third top 10 of the season. He is the second-highest rookie, eighth in the standings.
David Mayhew’s third-place run easily eclipsed his previous best series finish of 14th. Brian Ickler and rookie Joey Coulter rounded out the top five.
Contact between Austin Dillon and Matt Crafton—fourth and fifth in the point standings, respectively—ended Crafton’s night after a grinding crash into the outside and infield retaining walls on Lap 90. The two were entering the quadoval off Turn 4 when Dillon hooked the right rear quarter panel of Crafton’s truck and sent it spinning.
Crafton exited uninjured, but rather than head for the ambulance, he proceeded to walk toward Turn 4 to “confront” Dillon as he cycled around. Crafton raised his arms in a “What were you thinking?” pose as Dillon drove past. After reviewing the replay, Crafton was considerably cooler.
“I was a little bit loose and trying to get out of the throttle and turn back to the left,” Crafton said. “But when you get hooked in the rear on the front straight, that’s a tough way to go out at Texas Motor Speedway.”
Earlier, Todd Bodine saw his shot at a seventh victory at Texas end via contact and a crash with David Starr. Their crash on Lap 68 in Turn 2 was the second of the night involving Bodine, who was caught up in another Turn 2 incident with Ickler on Lap 52. Bodine won this event in 2009 and 2010.
Friday, June 10, 2011
WinStar World Casino 400k Pole Winner: James Buescher
Qualifying Fast Facts
Texas Motor Speedway
15th Annual WinStar World Casino 400k
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Thu, June 09, 2011 @ 07:52 PM Eastern
Keystone Light Pole Winner: James Buescher
Age: 21
Team : No. 31 - Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet
Owner: Steve Turner
Crew Chief: Michael Shelton
James Buescher won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the 15th Annual WinStar World Casino 400k with a lap of 30.160 seconds, 179.045 mph.
This is his first pole in 56 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his first pole and sixth top-10 start in 2011.
This is his first pole in five races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Joey Coulter (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2011 and his first in one races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Austin Dillon (third) posted his third top-10 start at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his eighth in nine races this season.
Joey Coulter (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
Texas Motor Speedway
15th Annual WinStar World Casino 400k
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Thu, June 09, 2011 @ 07:52 PM Eastern
Keystone Light Pole Winner: James Buescher
Age: 21
Team : No. 31 - Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet
Owner: Steve Turner
Crew Chief: Michael Shelton
James Buescher won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the 15th Annual WinStar World Casino 400k with a lap of 30.160 seconds, 179.045 mph.
This is his first pole in 56 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his first pole and sixth top-10 start in 2011.
This is his first pole in five races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Joey Coulter (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2011 and his first in one races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Austin Dillon (third) posted his third top-10 start at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his eighth in nine races this season.
Joey Coulter (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
NASCAR Expands Scope of Series Operations
NASCAR Expands Scope of Series Operations
Touring & Weekly Management Advancements & Staff Additions
Official Release
June 8, 2011 - 4:00am
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced today changes designed to increase support for NASCAR’s developmental racing series, both at the weekly racing and regional touring levels.
The moves reflect a continuation of the corporate strategic initiatives recently announced by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. Those have involved the creation of a consolidated intellectual property effort guided by NASCARs Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Jim O’Connell along with promotions within NASCAR’s executive leadership team including the elevation of George Silbermann to vice president, regional and touring series.
“Under George Silbermann’s leadership, the touring and weekly series department has helped NASCAR develop a solid foundation for our member tracks, sponsors, teams and our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “These new initiatives highlight the emphasis that NASCAR puts on those series that are the heart and soul of our sport, and underscore the importance we see to the weekly and touring series’ growth and evolution.”
Additionally, Bob Duvall will head the newly-created position of NASCAR director, weekly and touring business development. He will be charged with creating and leading the Daytona-based arm of the consolidated intellectual property group, focused specifically on NASCAR’s weekly racing and regional touring series. Duvall will initially be supported by one new sales team member.
Duvall, in his 12th season with NASCAR, has been instrumental in Whelen Engineering’s entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and K&N Engineering’s entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
Also Kevin Nevalainen, senior manager, weekly racing operations, will now directly oversee all marketing, promotion and administration of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR’s North American grassroots weekly racing program. Meghan Miley has been promoted to senior manager, touring series operations, and will now oversee all marketing, promotion and administration of NASCAR’s regional touring series. Both senior managers will report into Duvall, whose new role will encompass both racing operations and sales.
In addition, Brett Tisdale will join the racing operations department beginning next week as coordinator, weekly and touring racing operations to support both important developmental areas of the sport, while also overseeing the day-to-day administration of NASCAR’s international series.
Touring & Weekly Management Advancements & Staff Additions
Official Release
June 8, 2011 - 4:00am
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced today changes designed to increase support for NASCAR’s developmental racing series, both at the weekly racing and regional touring levels.
The moves reflect a continuation of the corporate strategic initiatives recently announced by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. Those have involved the creation of a consolidated intellectual property effort guided by NASCARs Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Jim O’Connell along with promotions within NASCAR’s executive leadership team including the elevation of George Silbermann to vice president, regional and touring series.
“Under George Silbermann’s leadership, the touring and weekly series department has helped NASCAR develop a solid foundation for our member tracks, sponsors, teams and our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “These new initiatives highlight the emphasis that NASCAR puts on those series that are the heart and soul of our sport, and underscore the importance we see to the weekly and touring series’ growth and evolution.”
Additionally, Bob Duvall will head the newly-created position of NASCAR director, weekly and touring business development. He will be charged with creating and leading the Daytona-based arm of the consolidated intellectual property group, focused specifically on NASCAR’s weekly racing and regional touring series. Duvall will initially be supported by one new sales team member.
Duvall, in his 12th season with NASCAR, has been instrumental in Whelen Engineering’s entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and K&N Engineering’s entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
Also Kevin Nevalainen, senior manager, weekly racing operations, will now directly oversee all marketing, promotion and administration of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR’s North American grassroots weekly racing program. Meghan Miley has been promoted to senior manager, touring series operations, and will now oversee all marketing, promotion and administration of NASCAR’s regional touring series. Both senior managers will report into Duvall, whose new role will encompass both racing operations and sales.
In addition, Brett Tisdale will join the racing operations department beginning next week as coordinator, weekly and touring racing operations to support both important developmental areas of the sport, while also overseeing the day-to-day administration of NASCAR’s international series.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Bowyer holds off Yeley for Prelude win
Bowyer holds off Yeley for Prelude win
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 8, 2011)
ROSSBURG, Ohio —Clint Bowyer held off fast-closing J.J. Yeley to win the seventh Prelude to the Dream charity race for Dirt Late Model stock cars Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway.
Bowyer started from the pole and led wire-to-wire in the 30-lap main event after winning the first of four heat races in the same fashion. Yeley was closing fast at the end and finished second, followed by Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier.
Tony Stewart established the Prelude in 2005 to raise money for a variety of charities. This year the beneficiaries were four children's hospitals: Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte , N.C. ; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; St. Louis Children's Hospital; and Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
"Obviously, track position was the key, but bringing good equipment—it takes the same recipe to win these races that it does in our world, the (Sprint) Cup world," Bowyer said. "It takes hard work and dedication, bringing good equipment to the racetrack and adjusting to whatever the condition is.
"Tonight it was dry/slick. Obviously, qualifying well and running well in the heat race led to a good starting spot, and ultimately I ended up winning the race."
After finishing second in 2009 and 2010, Bowyer finally claimed the top prize.
"It feels so good," said Bowyer, who owns his own team and also provided a car for Jimmie Johnson. "I'm really proud of my guys. It was asking a lot of them to make this happen, with two cars on top of what they have going on in their world.
"That's what makes me proud, to be able to do this for them and be a part of it."
Drivers were competing for team as well as individual honors to determine the division of the proceeds raised for charity. Team St. Louis , paced by Allgaier, claimed the top prize—30 percent of the proceeds. Second was Team Atlanta, led by Bowyer, earning 25 percent of the money raised.
Team Dallas , spearheaded by Yeley and Almirola, took third, followed by Team Levine, whose highest finisher was Prelude rookie Austin Dillon in eighth. Dallas and Levine each receive 20 percent of the proceeds.
Ryan Newman won the pole for the seventh Prelude, darting around the half-mile dirt track in 16.364 seconds to edge Carl Edwards (16.429 seconds) and Kyle Busch (16.444 seconds). Kasey Kahne (16.478 seconds) was fourth, and each of the top four qualifiers started third in their respective heats.
That turned out to be a hindrance, as all four heat winners came from the front rows of their respective 8-lappers. Bowyer beat Stewart on the start to win Heat 1. Allgaier led wire-to-wire in the second heat. Marcos Ambrose pulled away from Ricky Carmichael to take Heat 3, and Jason Leffler led all eight laps of the final heat.
That set up a 30-lap main event with Bowyer, Almirola, Ambrose and Yeley lining up in the top four spots. As former winners, Stewart, Kenny Wallace and Jimmie Johnson lined up in the rear, hoping to collect a $50,000 bonus for their respective hospitals by winning from the back.
Edwards, the other former winner in the field, opted to keep his ninth starting spot, but he had a good reason.
"We want to win this race, and we're in a fortunate position that we've won it already, so the pressure's kind of off—just go out there and have some fun," Edwards said before the event. "The pressure I do have, though, comes from my (crew) guys over there sweating right now.
"They told me that the boss man, Stacy Holmes, who owns the car, vowed that, if I win this race, he's getting air conditioning in the shop for the guys. So if I mess this up, there's going to be a lot of really hot, sweaty, mad people—at me—so there's some pressure here."
Though the decision didn't work out for Edwards, who finished 15th, the event accomplished its purpose, with the overriding aim to raise money for the children's hospitals. Integral to the proceedings, too, are the fun and fellowship that keep the top drivers coming back year after year.
"That's what we're here to do, have a good time for a great cause, the children's hospitals," said David Gilliland, who finished 21st in his Prelude debut. "I had Aflac sponsor me in Atlanta one time, and I got to go do a children's hospital tour and meet with some of the kids. It definitely left a lasting impression."
Prelude to the Dream results
Results with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Clint Bowyer, 30
2. (4) J.J. Yeley, 30
3. (2) Aric Almirola, 30
4. (10) Kyle Busch, 30
5. (5) Justin Allgaier, 30
6. (6) Ricky Carmichael, 30
7. (8) Ken Schrader, 30
8. (13) Austin Dillon, 30
9. (12) Ryan Newman, 30
10. (11) Kasey Kahne, 30
11. (21) Denny Hamlin, 30
12. (17) David Reutimann, 30
13. (14) Matt Kenseth, 30
14. (18) Brian Vickers, 30
15. (9) Carl Edwards, 30
16. (27) Kenny Wallace, 30
17. (20) Ron Capps, 30
18. (28) Jimmie Johnson, 30
19. (16) Cruz Pedregon, 30
20. (26) Tony Stewart, 30
21. (19) David Gilliland, 30
22. (22) Bill Elliott, 30
23. (24) Bobby Labonte, 30
24. (3) Marcos Ambrose, 30
25. (25) Ray Evernham, 21, Mechanical
26. (23) Ron Hornaday, 20, Mechanical
27. (15) Tony Kanaan, 18, Lost Wheel
28. (7) Jason Leffler, 16, Accident
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 8, 2011)
ROSSBURG, Ohio —Clint Bowyer held off fast-closing J.J. Yeley to win the seventh Prelude to the Dream charity race for Dirt Late Model stock cars Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway.
Bowyer started from the pole and led wire-to-wire in the 30-lap main event after winning the first of four heat races in the same fashion. Yeley was closing fast at the end and finished second, followed by Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier.
Tony Stewart established the Prelude in 2005 to raise money for a variety of charities. This year the beneficiaries were four children's hospitals: Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte , N.C. ; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; St. Louis Children's Hospital; and Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
"Obviously, track position was the key, but bringing good equipment—it takes the same recipe to win these races that it does in our world, the (Sprint) Cup world," Bowyer said. "It takes hard work and dedication, bringing good equipment to the racetrack and adjusting to whatever the condition is.
"Tonight it was dry/slick. Obviously, qualifying well and running well in the heat race led to a good starting spot, and ultimately I ended up winning the race."
After finishing second in 2009 and 2010, Bowyer finally claimed the top prize.
"It feels so good," said Bowyer, who owns his own team and also provided a car for Jimmie Johnson. "I'm really proud of my guys. It was asking a lot of them to make this happen, with two cars on top of what they have going on in their world.
"That's what makes me proud, to be able to do this for them and be a part of it."
Drivers were competing for team as well as individual honors to determine the division of the proceeds raised for charity. Team St. Louis , paced by Allgaier, claimed the top prize—30 percent of the proceeds. Second was Team Atlanta, led by Bowyer, earning 25 percent of the money raised.
Team Dallas , spearheaded by Yeley and Almirola, took third, followed by Team Levine, whose highest finisher was Prelude rookie Austin Dillon in eighth. Dallas and Levine each receive 20 percent of the proceeds.
Ryan Newman won the pole for the seventh Prelude, darting around the half-mile dirt track in 16.364 seconds to edge Carl Edwards (16.429 seconds) and Kyle Busch (16.444 seconds). Kasey Kahne (16.478 seconds) was fourth, and each of the top four qualifiers started third in their respective heats.
That turned out to be a hindrance, as all four heat winners came from the front rows of their respective 8-lappers. Bowyer beat Stewart on the start to win Heat 1. Allgaier led wire-to-wire in the second heat. Marcos Ambrose pulled away from Ricky Carmichael to take Heat 3, and Jason Leffler led all eight laps of the final heat.
That set up a 30-lap main event with Bowyer, Almirola, Ambrose and Yeley lining up in the top four spots. As former winners, Stewart, Kenny Wallace and Jimmie Johnson lined up in the rear, hoping to collect a $50,000 bonus for their respective hospitals by winning from the back.
Edwards, the other former winner in the field, opted to keep his ninth starting spot, but he had a good reason.
"We want to win this race, and we're in a fortunate position that we've won it already, so the pressure's kind of off—just go out there and have some fun," Edwards said before the event. "The pressure I do have, though, comes from my (crew) guys over there sweating right now.
"They told me that the boss man, Stacy Holmes, who owns the car, vowed that, if I win this race, he's getting air conditioning in the shop for the guys. So if I mess this up, there's going to be a lot of really hot, sweaty, mad people—at me—so there's some pressure here."
Though the decision didn't work out for Edwards, who finished 15th, the event accomplished its purpose, with the overriding aim to raise money for the children's hospitals. Integral to the proceedings, too, are the fun and fellowship that keep the top drivers coming back year after year.
"That's what we're here to do, have a good time for a great cause, the children's hospitals," said David Gilliland, who finished 21st in his Prelude debut. "I had Aflac sponsor me in Atlanta one time, and I got to go do a children's hospital tour and meet with some of the kids. It definitely left a lasting impression."
Prelude to the Dream results
Results with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Clint Bowyer, 30
2. (4) J.J. Yeley, 30
3. (2) Aric Almirola, 30
4. (10) Kyle Busch, 30
5. (5) Justin Allgaier, 30
6. (6) Ricky Carmichael, 30
7. (8) Ken Schrader, 30
8. (13) Austin Dillon, 30
9. (12) Ryan Newman, 30
10. (11) Kasey Kahne, 30
11. (21) Denny Hamlin, 30
12. (17) David Reutimann, 30
13. (14) Matt Kenseth, 30
14. (18) Brian Vickers, 30
15. (9) Carl Edwards, 30
16. (27) Kenny Wallace, 30
17. (20) Ron Capps, 30
18. (28) Jimmie Johnson, 30
19. (16) Cruz Pedregon, 30
20. (26) Tony Stewart, 30
21. (19) David Gilliland, 30
22. (22) Bill Elliott, 30
23. (24) Bobby Labonte, 30
24. (3) Marcos Ambrose, 30
25. (25) Ray Evernham, 21, Mechanical
26. (23) Ron Hornaday, 20, Mechanical
27. (15) Tony Kanaan, 18, Lost Wheel
28. (7) Jason Leffler, 16, Accident
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sauter could pad his points lead at Texas
Sauter could pad his points lead at Texas
By Jared Turner
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 8, 2011)
Johnny Sauter recently looked over the next several races on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule and came to an encouraging conclusion.
It's the kind of supposition a driver can only reach when he's having a year like that being enjoyed by Sauter, who sits atop the series standings heading into Friday night's WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway.
"I just looked at the schedule (Monday) morning actually and looked at the next five or six races and I'm like, 'Damn. We've got a good shot to win all these races,'" Sauter said.
Conventional wisdom indeed holds that—based on his season to date, which features a win and six top-10 finishes—Sauter is a threat just about everywhere the truck series goes these days.
That's bad news for Sauter's championship rivals, who right now consist mainly of a pair of youngsters in unheralded second-place points man Cole Whitt and third-place Austin Dillon out of Richard Childress Racing.
Sauter leads the rookie Whitt by 12 points and Dillon by 30 as the trucks prepare to race at Texas , a fast 1.5-mile track where Sauter finished second in both truck series events last year.
If Sauter runs as well or better at TMS this time around, he's likely to pad his points lead, which, despite being within reach, is significant under this year's point system.
But if you think Sauter, a veteran of 350 starts across NASCAR's three national series, is comfortable with his cushion, think again.
He knows as well as anyone the pitfalls that can beset a team, even one as stout as his No. 13 ThorSport Racing group.
"It's a 12-point advantage right now, which that's nothing," said Sauter, who picked up a win in April at Martinsville . "That's a flat tire in a race or a pit-road speeding penalty. It's just a simple mistake like that and they're right back in it. Don't get me wrong: Having a bigger point lead is better but I'm not going to rest easy till Homestead , and between now and then is a long ways."
So while Sauter is confident that he and his Sandusky, Ohio-based team have the goods to go for victories no matter the track, he's cautious about putting too much stock in his points position.
With just eight of 25 races complete, more than two thirds of the season still remains. And Sauter isn't even ready to write off Ron Hornaday Jr. (sixth in points) and Todd Bodine (ninth in points), two former champions who have endured a rough start to 2011 and would need a major recovery to get in the thick of the title hunt.
"Obviously based on the past, Hornaday has won four championships and Bodine's won a couple. So you're foolish if you don't worry about it," Bodine said. "You say that they're far behind right now, but who's to say that some of the misfortunes that they've had couldn't happen to us and we could find ourselves in the same position. It's just too early to rule anybody out."
Fast facts
What: WinStar World Casino 400k
Where: Texas Motor Speedway ; Fort Worth , Texas
When: Friday, 9 p.m. ET
TV: Speed, 8:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 90
Track layout: 1.5-mile oval
Race distance: 167 laps/250.5 miles
Qualifying: Thursday, 7 p.m. ET
2010 winner: Todd Bodine
2010 polesitter: Austin Dillon
Top 10 in points: 1. Johnny Sauter, 302; 2. Cole Whitt, 290; 3. Austin Dillon, 272; 4. Matt Crafton, 270; 5. Timothy Peters, 255; 6. Ron Hornaday Jr., 246; 7. James Buescher, 243; 8. Parker Kligerman, 228; 9. Todd Bodine, 224; 10. Brendan Gaughan, 215.
By Jared Turner
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(June 8, 2011)
Johnny Sauter recently looked over the next several races on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule and came to an encouraging conclusion.
It's the kind of supposition a driver can only reach when he's having a year like that being enjoyed by Sauter, who sits atop the series standings heading into Friday night's WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway.
"I just looked at the schedule (Monday) morning actually and looked at the next five or six races and I'm like, 'Damn. We've got a good shot to win all these races,'" Sauter said.
Conventional wisdom indeed holds that—based on his season to date, which features a win and six top-10 finishes—Sauter is a threat just about everywhere the truck series goes these days.
That's bad news for Sauter's championship rivals, who right now consist mainly of a pair of youngsters in unheralded second-place points man Cole Whitt and third-place Austin Dillon out of Richard Childress Racing.
Sauter leads the rookie Whitt by 12 points and Dillon by 30 as the trucks prepare to race at Texas , a fast 1.5-mile track where Sauter finished second in both truck series events last year.
If Sauter runs as well or better at TMS this time around, he's likely to pad his points lead, which, despite being within reach, is significant under this year's point system.
But if you think Sauter, a veteran of 350 starts across NASCAR's three national series, is comfortable with his cushion, think again.
He knows as well as anyone the pitfalls that can beset a team, even one as stout as his No. 13 ThorSport Racing group.
"It's a 12-point advantage right now, which that's nothing," said Sauter, who picked up a win in April at Martinsville . "That's a flat tire in a race or a pit-road speeding penalty. It's just a simple mistake like that and they're right back in it. Don't get me wrong: Having a bigger point lead is better but I'm not going to rest easy till Homestead , and between now and then is a long ways."
So while Sauter is confident that he and his Sandusky, Ohio-based team have the goods to go for victories no matter the track, he's cautious about putting too much stock in his points position.
With just eight of 25 races complete, more than two thirds of the season still remains. And Sauter isn't even ready to write off Ron Hornaday Jr. (sixth in points) and Todd Bodine (ninth in points), two former champions who have endured a rough start to 2011 and would need a major recovery to get in the thick of the title hunt.
"Obviously based on the past, Hornaday has won four championships and Bodine's won a couple. So you're foolish if you don't worry about it," Bodine said. "You say that they're far behind right now, but who's to say that some of the misfortunes that they've had couldn't happen to us and we could find ourselves in the same position. It's just too early to rule anybody out."
Fast facts
What: WinStar World Casino 400k
Where: Texas Motor Speedway ; Fort Worth , Texas
When: Friday, 9 p.m. ET
TV: Speed, 8:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 90
Track layout: 1.5-mile oval
Race distance: 167 laps/250.5 miles
Qualifying: Thursday, 7 p.m. ET
2010 winner: Todd Bodine
2010 polesitter: Austin Dillon
Top 10 in points: 1. Johnny Sauter, 302; 2. Cole Whitt, 290; 3. Austin Dillon, 272; 4. Matt Crafton, 270; 5. Timothy Peters, 255; 6. Ron Hornaday Jr., 246; 7. James Buescher, 243; 8. Parker Kligerman, 228; 9. Todd Bodine, 224; 10. Brendan Gaughan, 215.
Germain Teammates Bodine, Gaughan Formidable Duo In Ft. Worth
Germain Teammates Bodine, Gaughan Formidable Duo In Ft. Worth
Todd Bodine has endured his worst start since joining the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fulltime in 2005, but a third-place finish at Kansas last week suggests better times are ahead – especially as the scene shifts to Friday’s WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway. The two-time series champion has won six times at Texas, including four of the past five spring races.
Texas, like Kansas, is a 1.5-mile layout, a configuration on which Bodine’s Germain Racing team has won 13 races. Bodine is the co-leader (with Kyle Busch) in intermediate track wins with 12.
“We always feel like we can go win at Texas anytime we race there,” said Bodine, looking to add a third consecutive victory in the WinStar World Casino 400 and improve on a ninth-place points ranking.
Germain has a formidable arsenal heading to Ft. Worth. Bodine’s teammate is Brendan Gaughan, who swept both Texas races in 2002 as a Sunoco rookie and the following season’s events as well.
Gaughan held the record for Texas Motor Speedway victories until Bodine won his fifth race in 2009. Head-to-head in eight races beginning in 2005, Bodine has come out on top six times.
“Texas is a race I’ve been looking forward to racing with this Germain Racing team, and I hope Todd and I can be there at the end, battling it out for a win between Germain teammates,” Gaughan said.
Buescher Remains Title Contender Despite Phoenix Setback
James Buescher’s headed home to Texas with a brisk tailwind.
Expected to be a championship contender in preseason polling, Buescher failed to qualify at Phoenix International Raceway in February, dropping the Plano, Tex. native to 24th in the standings. Three months later – on the strength of four top-five finishes – the 21-year-old competitor has driven back into the thick of the championship picture to stand seventh behind leader Johnny Sauter.
Sauter retook the points lead with a second-place finish at Kansas Speedway. Sauter’s lead of 12 points over Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt is the largest of the season.
Buescher scored his latest solid finish – fourth – in Kansas while leading for the fourth time in the season’s seven races. “We are really building momentum heading into the meat of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season,” said Buescher, who posted a pair of sixth-place finishes at Texas Motor Speedway in 2010. “If we continue to run in the top five week in and week out the wins will come.”
And so will the points.
“We have had a couple setbacks but have been able to bounce back and continue to move forward,” said Turner Motorsports owner Steve Turner, also a native Texan whose team has a pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series victories in 2011. “The sign of a great team is their ability to handle adversity. I think we handled it well and took the opportunity to refocus and improve as a group. We are knocking on the door of our first win and I hope it comes this Friday night at the Texas Motor Speedway.”
Friday’s race has other Texas connections:
• Houston’s David Starr will make his 26th consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appearance at the 1.5-mile speedway; Starr has seven top-five finishes and made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at TMS in April.
• Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex residents Ron Crosby and Joey Sonntag have entered a pair of Chevrolets with NASCAR Sprint Cup veteran JJ Yeley due to drive Sonntag’s No. 73 County Building Centers/Trans Pecos Trucking truck. The driver of Crosby’s No. 65 truck has yet to be determined.
Four drivers entered in this week’s WinStar World Casino 400 – Bodine, Gaughan, Kvapil and Ron Hornaday Jr. – have won 13 of 26 series races at Texas Motor Speedway. Hornaday swept both Texas races in 2008. … The winner of the Texas spring race has gone on to become series champion four times, Bodine most recently a year ago. … Brian Ickler hopes to become Kyle Busch Motorsports’ third different winning driver of 2011 as he stands in for owner Busch. … Canadian Steve Arpin makes his series debut at TMS. Arpin saw NASCAR Nationwide Series duty a year ago with JR Motorsports finishing 10th at Daytona last July. … David Mayhew takes the wheel of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 2 Chevrolet that Clint Bowyer drove to victory at Kansas Speedway. Mayhew also is due to compete in Saturday’s K&N Pro Series West race at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. … Ricky Carmichael will experience racing at TMS from a different perspective on Thursday with Formula DRIFT rides. Carmichael will receive a crash course on the art of drifting from some pro drifters and possibly even get behind the wheel of a drifting car on the frontstretch quarter-mile layout.
Todd Bodine has endured his worst start since joining the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fulltime in 2005, but a third-place finish at Kansas last week suggests better times are ahead – especially as the scene shifts to Friday’s WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway. The two-time series champion has won six times at Texas, including four of the past five spring races.
Texas, like Kansas, is a 1.5-mile layout, a configuration on which Bodine’s Germain Racing team has won 13 races. Bodine is the co-leader (with Kyle Busch) in intermediate track wins with 12.
“We always feel like we can go win at Texas anytime we race there,” said Bodine, looking to add a third consecutive victory in the WinStar World Casino 400 and improve on a ninth-place points ranking.
Germain has a formidable arsenal heading to Ft. Worth. Bodine’s teammate is Brendan Gaughan, who swept both Texas races in 2002 as a Sunoco rookie and the following season’s events as well.
Gaughan held the record for Texas Motor Speedway victories until Bodine won his fifth race in 2009. Head-to-head in eight races beginning in 2005, Bodine has come out on top six times.
“Texas is a race I’ve been looking forward to racing with this Germain Racing team, and I hope Todd and I can be there at the end, battling it out for a win between Germain teammates,” Gaughan said.
Buescher Remains Title Contender Despite Phoenix Setback
James Buescher’s headed home to Texas with a brisk tailwind.
Expected to be a championship contender in preseason polling, Buescher failed to qualify at Phoenix International Raceway in February, dropping the Plano, Tex. native to 24th in the standings. Three months later – on the strength of four top-five finishes – the 21-year-old competitor has driven back into the thick of the championship picture to stand seventh behind leader Johnny Sauter.
Sauter retook the points lead with a second-place finish at Kansas Speedway. Sauter’s lead of 12 points over Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt is the largest of the season.
Buescher scored his latest solid finish – fourth – in Kansas while leading for the fourth time in the season’s seven races. “We are really building momentum heading into the meat of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season,” said Buescher, who posted a pair of sixth-place finishes at Texas Motor Speedway in 2010. “If we continue to run in the top five week in and week out the wins will come.”
And so will the points.
“We have had a couple setbacks but have been able to bounce back and continue to move forward,” said Turner Motorsports owner Steve Turner, also a native Texan whose team has a pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series victories in 2011. “The sign of a great team is their ability to handle adversity. I think we handled it well and took the opportunity to refocus and improve as a group. We are knocking on the door of our first win and I hope it comes this Friday night at the Texas Motor Speedway.”
Friday’s race has other Texas connections:
• Houston’s David Starr will make his 26th consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appearance at the 1.5-mile speedway; Starr has seven top-five finishes and made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at TMS in April.
• Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex residents Ron Crosby and Joey Sonntag have entered a pair of Chevrolets with NASCAR Sprint Cup veteran JJ Yeley due to drive Sonntag’s No. 73 County Building Centers/Trans Pecos Trucking truck. The driver of Crosby’s No. 65 truck has yet to be determined.
Four drivers entered in this week’s WinStar World Casino 400 – Bodine, Gaughan, Kvapil and Ron Hornaday Jr. – have won 13 of 26 series races at Texas Motor Speedway. Hornaday swept both Texas races in 2008. … The winner of the Texas spring race has gone on to become series champion four times, Bodine most recently a year ago. … Brian Ickler hopes to become Kyle Busch Motorsports’ third different winning driver of 2011 as he stands in for owner Busch. … Canadian Steve Arpin makes his series debut at TMS. Arpin saw NASCAR Nationwide Series duty a year ago with JR Motorsports finishing 10th at Daytona last July. … David Mayhew takes the wheel of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 2 Chevrolet that Clint Bowyer drove to victory at Kansas Speedway. Mayhew also is due to compete in Saturday’s K&N Pro Series West race at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. … Ricky Carmichael will experience racing at TMS from a different perspective on Thursday with Formula DRIFT rides. Carmichael will receive a crash course on the art of drifting from some pro drifters and possibly even get behind the wheel of a drifting car on the frontstretch quarter-mile layout.
Competition Update: NASCAR Nationwide Series
Competition Update: NASCAR Nationwide Series
In January, NASCAR President Mike Helton met the media at Daytona International Speedway to formally introduce the “pick-a-series” format. Effective this season, drivers in each of NASCAR’s national series must select the series in which they will receive driver championship points.
One of the driving forces behind the new process was to assist the NASCAR Nationwide Series in continuing to build its identity, especially in the “new stars” column. That, while also having those up-and-comers race against double-duty drivers as they build on their experience.
Six months (and 14 races) later, those goals are coming to fruition. Double-duty stars continue to compete – and win – in the series. However, the underlying goals of building identity, along with driver experience and confidence has blossomed. Two wins in the last three races by driver championship contenders coupled with three drivers within 11 points of the standings leader Reed Sorenson highlight a resounding start to the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.
Tight Driver Standings Set The Stage For A Great Summer Stretch
For the fourth time this season the top four in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver standings are separated by 11 points or less. Below are highlights of the top four contenders in the driver standings:
• Reed Sorenson (Turner Motorsports) leads the standings by two points, and has posted five top-fives and is tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a series-high 10 top-10 finishes this season. This is the third time Sorenson has led the standings this season – he first did it for two consecutive weeks, Phoenix (2/26) and Las Vegas (3/5). His season-to-date Driver Rating is ranked fifth at 98.8.
• Elliott Sadler (Kevin Harvick Inc.) is second in the standings; he has posted a series-leading seven top fives, coupled with nine top-10 finishes and a pole. He led the standings this season once for three consecutive weeks - Dover (5/14), Iowa (5/22) and Charlotte (5/28). His season-to-date Driver Rating ranks sixth at 97.6.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) is third in the standings, six points behind Sorenson and has posted one win (Iowa), five top fives, 10 top-10 finishes and two poles this season. He led the standings this season for two consecutive weeks – after Auto Club (3/26) and Texas (4/08). His season-to-date Driver Rating ranks third in the series with a 107.6 – the highest rank and rating of the driver championship contenders.
• Justin Allgaier (Turner Motorsports) is fourth in the driver standings 11 points behind Sorenson, he has posted one win (Chicago), four top-fives and eight top-10 finishes this season. He led the standings this season once for three consecutive weeks - Nashville (4/23), Richmond (4/29) and Darlington (5/06). His season-to-date Driver Rating is ranked seventh in the series with a 93.3, and he has an Average Running Position of 11.7.
After the first 14 races last season, there had been four different driver standings leaders and four different driver standings lead changes; as compared to this season, with the new points system, there have been six different driver standings leaders and seven driver standings lead changes. On average through the first 14 races, six driver championship contenders have finished in the top 10 versus four last year. Also through 14 races this year, driver championship contenders have led 457 laps. After 14 events in 2010, series-only drivers led 313 laps through the first 14 races.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings leader Timmy Hill will experience an once-in-a-lifetime event this week. In addition to racing full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (he has run every race this year except Daytona), the 18-year-old also has been finishing up his senior year at North Point High School in Waldorf, Md. Tuesday, he’ll walk across the graduation stage to receive his diploma. He’ll be joined by his mother, father (Jerry, who started 68 combined races across NASCAR’s three national series from 1991-2004), two brothers and other family members for his big night. Also celebrating a high school graduation – Spencer Balash, son of NASCAR Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash. … Eric McClure will be at his local race track in Coeburn, Va., assuming his duty as car owner of his No. 14 Hefty late model, driven by Cody McMahan. McClure was driving home from the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month when McMahan informed him of the team’s first victory. … Mike Wallace’s countdown to 400 starts is underway. Wallace can become only the third driver to reach that number and will join his brother Kenny Wallace at having reached the milestone. Wallace currently has 396 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts.
In January, NASCAR President Mike Helton met the media at Daytona International Speedway to formally introduce the “pick-a-series” format. Effective this season, drivers in each of NASCAR’s national series must select the series in which they will receive driver championship points.
One of the driving forces behind the new process was to assist the NASCAR Nationwide Series in continuing to build its identity, especially in the “new stars” column. That, while also having those up-and-comers race against double-duty drivers as they build on their experience.
Six months (and 14 races) later, those goals are coming to fruition. Double-duty stars continue to compete – and win – in the series. However, the underlying goals of building identity, along with driver experience and confidence has blossomed. Two wins in the last three races by driver championship contenders coupled with three drivers within 11 points of the standings leader Reed Sorenson highlight a resounding start to the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.
Tight Driver Standings Set The Stage For A Great Summer Stretch
For the fourth time this season the top four in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver standings are separated by 11 points or less. Below are highlights of the top four contenders in the driver standings:
• Reed Sorenson (Turner Motorsports) leads the standings by two points, and has posted five top-fives and is tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a series-high 10 top-10 finishes this season. This is the third time Sorenson has led the standings this season – he first did it for two consecutive weeks, Phoenix (2/26) and Las Vegas (3/5). His season-to-date Driver Rating is ranked fifth at 98.8.
• Elliott Sadler (Kevin Harvick Inc.) is second in the standings; he has posted a series-leading seven top fives, coupled with nine top-10 finishes and a pole. He led the standings this season once for three consecutive weeks - Dover (5/14), Iowa (5/22) and Charlotte (5/28). His season-to-date Driver Rating ranks sixth at 97.6.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) is third in the standings, six points behind Sorenson and has posted one win (Iowa), five top fives, 10 top-10 finishes and two poles this season. He led the standings this season for two consecutive weeks – after Auto Club (3/26) and Texas (4/08). His season-to-date Driver Rating ranks third in the series with a 107.6 – the highest rank and rating of the driver championship contenders.
• Justin Allgaier (Turner Motorsports) is fourth in the driver standings 11 points behind Sorenson, he has posted one win (Chicago), four top-fives and eight top-10 finishes this season. He led the standings this season once for three consecutive weeks - Nashville (4/23), Richmond (4/29) and Darlington (5/06). His season-to-date Driver Rating is ranked seventh in the series with a 93.3, and he has an Average Running Position of 11.7.
After the first 14 races last season, there had been four different driver standings leaders and four different driver standings lead changes; as compared to this season, with the new points system, there have been six different driver standings leaders and seven driver standings lead changes. On average through the first 14 races, six driver championship contenders have finished in the top 10 versus four last year. Also through 14 races this year, driver championship contenders have led 457 laps. After 14 events in 2010, series-only drivers led 313 laps through the first 14 races.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings leader Timmy Hill will experience an once-in-a-lifetime event this week. In addition to racing full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (he has run every race this year except Daytona), the 18-year-old also has been finishing up his senior year at North Point High School in Waldorf, Md. Tuesday, he’ll walk across the graduation stage to receive his diploma. He’ll be joined by his mother, father (Jerry, who started 68 combined races across NASCAR’s three national series from 1991-2004), two brothers and other family members for his big night. Also celebrating a high school graduation – Spencer Balash, son of NASCAR Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash. … Eric McClure will be at his local race track in Coeburn, Va., assuming his duty as car owner of his No. 14 Hefty late model, driven by Cody McMahan. McClure was driving home from the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month when McMahan informed him of the team’s first victory. … Mike Wallace’s countdown to 400 starts is underway. Wallace can become only the third driver to reach that number and will join his brother Kenny Wallace at having reached the milestone. Wallace currently has 396 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES NOTEBOOK
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Bodine, Gaughan Battle For Cowboy Hats In Texas
Todd Bodine has won four of the last five June races at Texas Motor Speedway on the way to a track record six wins. Bodine finished third last week at Kansas Speedway for only his second top 10 of the season after four consecutive races with finishes of 14th or worse.
Who could spoil Bodine’s run at an impressive seven victories at the 1.5-mile oval?
None other than his Germain Racing teammate Brendan Gaughan – who has four wins at Texas all coming consecutively from 2002-2003.
Gaughan – who has three top 10s this season – will return to the speedway this Friday after a three-year hiatus from the series.However, current standings leader Johnny Sauter could spoil the party altogether. Sauter finished second in both races at Texas last season.
Buescher Looking For First Win In Hometown State
Since failing to qualify for the second race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway, James Buescher’s season has been rock solid.
In seven of a possible eight races, the Plano, Texas native has finished inside the top 10 six times – four of those finishes coming inside the top five.
Four races ago (Nashville), the Turner Motorsports driver was 16th in the series standings. Following Kansas he moved into the seventh position, only 59 points out of the lead.
Buescher finished sixth in both races at Texas last season.
Rookie Class Making Noise
The 2011 Sunoco Rookie class continues to impress in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with at least one contender finishing inside the top 10 each race this season.
Eight rookie contenders – Cole Whitt, Parker Kligerman, Nelson Piquet Jr., Joey Coulter, Miguel Paludo, Craig Goess and Johanna Long – have competed in all truck series races this season.
Whitt has positioned himself as an easy front runner with one pole, two top-five and five top-10 finishes in eight races.
Coulter, Piquet Jr. and Paludo have all captured at least one top five finish this season.
Whitt currently holds the second spot in the series championship standings, only 12 points out of the lead with Kligerman sitting in eighth.
Bodine, Gaughan Battle For Cowboy Hats In Texas
Todd Bodine has won four of the last five June races at Texas Motor Speedway on the way to a track record six wins. Bodine finished third last week at Kansas Speedway for only his second top 10 of the season after four consecutive races with finishes of 14th or worse.
Who could spoil Bodine’s run at an impressive seven victories at the 1.5-mile oval?
None other than his Germain Racing teammate Brendan Gaughan – who has four wins at Texas all coming consecutively from 2002-2003.
Gaughan – who has three top 10s this season – will return to the speedway this Friday after a three-year hiatus from the series.However, current standings leader Johnny Sauter could spoil the party altogether. Sauter finished second in both races at Texas last season.
Buescher Looking For First Win In Hometown State
Since failing to qualify for the second race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway, James Buescher’s season has been rock solid.
In seven of a possible eight races, the Plano, Texas native has finished inside the top 10 six times – four of those finishes coming inside the top five.
Four races ago (Nashville), the Turner Motorsports driver was 16th in the series standings. Following Kansas he moved into the seventh position, only 59 points out of the lead.
Buescher finished sixth in both races at Texas last season.
Rookie Class Making Noise
The 2011 Sunoco Rookie class continues to impress in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with at least one contender finishing inside the top 10 each race this season.
Eight rookie contenders – Cole Whitt, Parker Kligerman, Nelson Piquet Jr., Joey Coulter, Miguel Paludo, Craig Goess and Johanna Long – have competed in all truck series races this season.
Whitt has positioned himself as an easy front runner with one pole, two top-five and five top-10 finishes in eight races.
Coulter, Piquet Jr. and Paludo have all captured at least one top five finish this season.
Whitt currently holds the second spot in the series championship standings, only 12 points out of the lead with Kligerman sitting in eighth.
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