Kroger 250 Race Winner: Kevin Harvick(i)

Race Fast Facts
Martinsville Speedway
14th Annual Kroger 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics -

 Sat, March 31, 2012 @ 04:26 PM Eastern
Race Winner: Kevin Harvick(i)
Age: 36
Team : No. 2 - Tide / Kroger Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: Marcus Richmond, II
Kevin Harvick won the 14th Annual Kroger 250,

 his 14th victory in 118 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2012.
This is his third victory and ninth top-10 finish in 14 races 

at Martinsville Speedway.
Ty Dillon  (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one races

 at Martinsville Speedway.  It is his second top-10 finish in 2012.
James Buescher (third) posted his second top-10 finish 

in six races at Martinsville Speedway.
Ty Dillon (second) was the highest finishing rookie.
John King # leads the point standings by 1 points over

 Timothy Peters.
Kevin Harvick's 248 laps led is an all-time 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series record.

 The previous record was 246,

 by Mike Skinner at Martinsville on March 31, 2007.

Kroger 250 Pole Winner: Kevin Harvick(i)

Qualifying Fast Facts
Martinsville Speedway
14th Annual Kroger 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, March 31, 2012

 @ 12:19 PM Eastern
Keystone Light Pole Winner: Kevin Harvick(i)
Age: 36
Team : No. 2 - Tide / Kroger Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: Marcus Richmond, II
Kevin Harvick(i) won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the 

14th Annual Kroger 250 with a lap of 19.794 seconds, 95.665 mph.
This is his third pole in 118 NASCAR 

Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2012.
This is his first pole in 14 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Timothy Peters (third) posted his eighth top-10 start at

 Martinsville Speedway.  It is his first in two races this season.
Ty Dillon (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie. 

Past Two Spring Winners Sauter, Harvick Ready To Battle Again

Past Two Spring Winners Sauter, Harvick Ready To Battle Again

Two competitors with victories in the past three spring races at Martinsville Speedway will face off again in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250.
Johnny Sauter, last year’s race winner, returns with his No. 13 ThorSport Racing team hoping to erase the disappointment of a season that could have been. Sauter led the points through much of 2011 before finishing runner-up to now NASCAR Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Dillon.
Sauter, now driving a Toyota, passed Kyle Busch to lead the final two laps a year ago then finished fourth – a spot behind championship rival Dillon – in the track’s fall Kroger 200.
To successfully defend his 2011 victory, Sauter will have to out-race 2009-10 Kroger 250 winner Kevin Harvick. Harvick won in his own Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet but returns to Martinsville to make his debut in a Richard Childress Racing entry.
Harvick finished fourth to Sauter a year ago but is among the top active performers in Martinsville. The Bakersfield, Calif. veteran counts his two wins among six top-five and eight top-10 finishes in his 13 starts. His 2010 victory was among the track’s most dominant performances as Harvick led 187 of 250 laps.
Former series rookie of the year David Reutimann is the only other NASCAR Sprint Cup points-eligible driver entered in Saturday’s race.

Red Horse Racing Hopes To Carry Daytona Momentum To Martinsville

This week figures to be a big one for Red Horse Racing, which hopes to back up its one-two and sixth-place finishes in February’s season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.
Red Horse, jointly owned by Tom DeLoach and Jeff Hammond, has enjoyed an extended celebration of the team’s Daytona Speedweeks performance – and Sunoco Rookie of the Year John King’s race victory and spot atop the NASCAR Camping World Truck points standings.
King will make his second Martinsville appearance Saturday, having previously finished 19th in the track’s 2010 fall race at the wheel of an SS Green Light Racing entry.
Daytona runner-up Timothy Peters is no stranger to Martinsville. It’s Peters’ home track and the site of his first NASCAR Camping World Truck victory in the fall of 2009.
The organization’s third entry is Todd Bodine, who’s chasing a third NASCAR Camping World Truck championship on a race-to-race basis. Bodine, the sixth-place finisher in Daytona, remains winless on series tracks measuring less than a mile. He’d very much like to make his 17th trip to Martinsville the race that ends the streak. Bodine, who went to high school in nearby Rocky Mount, Va., has second-place finishes at the track in 2007 and 2009.

Kroger 250 A Coming Out Party For Series Newcomers

Martinsville Speedway is a great place to start your NCWTS career. The 0.526-mile track is the smallest on the schedule and arguably the most demanding, requiring driver-to-crew chief communication on the truck’s set-up and the patience to keep the emotions in check while ignoring the bumping and banging.
Do well in the Kroger 250 and a driver is well on his or her way to success. Several newcomers hope to make their series debuts on Saturday:
•    Jeb Burton, 19, Halifax, Va., is the latest competitor to join one of Virginia’s most storied families on the NASCAR national series level. His father, Ward, is the 2002 Daytona 500 winner. Burton’s uncle, Jeff, is a 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner.
•    Caleb Holman, 28, Abingdon, Va., made five NNS starts between 2003 and 2007.
•    Brennan Newberry, 22, Bakersfield, Calif., has nine K&N Pro Series West starts under his seatbelt with a best finish of fifth in last year’s race at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
•    Natalie Sather, 27, Shelby, N.C., finished second in NASCAR Whelen late model points at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. The Drive for Diversity graduate, whose nickname is "Speed," is a former Knoxville (Iowa) Speedway 360 sprint car rookie of the year.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Jeff Hensley hails from Ridgeway, Va., and has a knack for finding the right combination at his home track. In addition to winning with Peters in the fall of 2009, Hensley helmed Mike Skinner’s Martinsville season sweep in 2007. He’s bidding for NCWTS win No. 13 with 2010 Martinsville fall winner Ron Hornaday Jr. … Hornaday’s owner, Joe Denette, is from Fredericksburg, Va.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home

Timothy Peters – currently second in the series standings – heads backs to his roots this weekend.

The Providence, NC native grew up approximately 30 miles from Martinsville Speedway. In 2009, the Red Horse Racing driver captured his first ever series victory – at his home track.

But Peters is not the only one in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage to call the famed short track home. 

Jeff Hensley – who wears many hats at Joe Denette Motorsports – hails from nearby Ridgeway, VA.

In addition to serving as the team’s general manager, Hensley calls the shots atop the pit box for Ron Hornaday Jr.

Hensley captured back-to-back wins with Mike Skinner at Martinsville Speedway in 2007.

Sauter Poised To Defend Martinsville Victory; Crafton Holds Qualifying Record

Johnny Sauter is among the favorites to take home the famed grandfather clock trophy at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday.

Sauter led 75 laps en route to victory in the Kroger 250 last spring and returned in the fall to finish fourth in the penultimate truck race of the season.

However, Sauter has not always been the king of the "paperclip" layout. In six previous races, his best finish had been 15th with four finishes outside the top 20.

His ThorSport Racing teammate holds an impressive qualifying record at the Speedway. Matt Crafton broke the track’s qualifying record with a pole-winning lap of 19.653 seconds (96.352 mph) last fall.

Burton Carries Good Luck Charm to Martinsville Debut

Jeb Burton, the 19-year-old son of 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in Martinsville’s Kroger 250 for Hillman Racing.

Burton carries a one dollar bill in the pocket of his driver’s uniform as a good luck charm. It was the change he received back after purchasing a hot dog before a race that he went onto win.

NCWTS, ETC

Kevin Harvick will pilot the No. 2 Chevrolet in the Kroger 250 for Richard Childress Racing. It will mark the first time since 2001 that he has competed in someone else’s equipment other than his own.  

Two-time NCWTS champion Todd Bodine will be back behind the wheel of the No. 11 Red Horse Racing entry at Martinsville. Despite 21 victories in the series, Bodine is still searching for his first short track victory.

A Year In The Life

A Year In The Life

One year ago, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers had won each of the season’s first five races. In fact, it took 12 races – until reigning series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won at Iowa Speedway – for a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver to break through the Cup-centric winners.

Fast forward to the first open week of the 2012 season, which also follows the first five races. The difference is astounding.

Of those first five Nationwide Series races, four – in consecutive fashion – were won by non-Sprint Cup Series drivers. Joey Logano snapped that streak with his win last Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. That stat is amplified even more specific to series history, where the record books show the last time the first four races were won by non-Sprint Cup drivers was 1995.

Elliott Sadler, winner of two of this season’s first five events, also has led the standings since Daytona. That’s a first since 2000, when Matt Kenseth was atop the points for the first seven races. He’s got an 18-point advantage on second-place Stenhouse.

The series is off for the next two weeks, resuming on Friday, April 13 – superstitions, anyone? – at Texas Motor Speedway.

  When racing resumes at Texas, the top 30 automatic qualifiers will begin using 2012 owner points versus 2011 owner points that were in play for the first five races. ML Motorsports and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Johanna Long find themselves in 31st, two points out of the cutoff spot. The No. 70 Chevrolet will have to qualify on time at Texas. … DeLana Harvick, owner of the No. 2 Chevrolet, leads the owner standings by 18 points over the No. 6 Ford of Jack Roush. The series driver and owner championship hasn’t been unified since 2009 when Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing won with the No. 18 Toyota. … On Tuesday, March 27, Austin Dillon, his younger brother Ty who runs in the Truck Series and their team owner – and grandfather – Richard Childress will tour the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and attend the 8th Annual Armed Forces Foundation Congressional Gala in Washington, D.C. They’ll join 200 wounded warriors from the National Capital Region and their families along with more than 60 members of Congress and senior Department of Defense officials in recognition of those who are dedicated to supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces. Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch also are scheduled to attend.

Holding Their Own: Ladder System Doing Its Thing

Holding Their Own: Ladder System Doing Its Thing

The NASCAR ladder system is continuing to churn out new names across its developmental series. Those young drivers are doing themselves a favor in their attempt to get to the top step by winning races and securing finishes that open eyes and gain respect among competitors, media and fans.

In the NASCAR Nationwide Series alone, Austin Dillon, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, and Cole Whitt, who finished ninth in the Truck series standings last year, are third and sixth, respectively in the standings. The average age of drivers in the top 10 in the points is 27.2, but seven of those are 25 or under. Whitt (20), Dillon (21) and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne (21) are the youngest of that group.

Numerous NASCAR Sprint Cup stars made that climb and currently are the majority that makes up the top five in the Cup standings heading to Martinsville. Greg Biffle, the points leader, is a former Truck (2000) and Nationwide Series (2002) champion. Kevin Harvick, second in the standings, is a two-time Nationwide Series champion (2001, 2006) as is third-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998-99) and Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05), who’s in the midst of a breakout Cup season.

Notebook : Jason White Pursues Elusive First Win

Jason White Pursues Elusive First Win As Driver/Owner

Jason White is determined to get it right. Based on his new team’s success in February’s season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, that long-sought-after first victory finally may be just around the corner.

The 32-year-old Virginian can’t predict where or when he’ll finally reach Victory Lane. His next start, at Martinsville Speedway, would be the perfect place to end a 130-race drought.

White, a series regular since 2008, finished fifth in Daytona after leading 16 laps, accomplishing half of the past season’s top-five finishes in the first start of 2012. A decision to go back to the future, so to speak, appears to have put the onetime go-kart champion on the right path.

“We ran our own team a few years ago and we had kept the shop and some of the equipment so that gave us a good start on getting things put back together,” said White, who grew up in the Richmond area.  “After driving for some other teams the last few years, it just seemed to make sense to go back to running our own team.”

White brought in crew chief Doug George, a winner with Kyle Busch, to oversee the organization’s Ford F150 trucks. He’ll definitely head for Martinsville wearing a big smile, along with co-owner and longtime sponsor Steve Urvan. 

“We have a good start to the season and we have used these last few weeks since Daytona to make our team and trucks even stronger, so I am really excited about getting to Martinsville,” White said.

Latest Generation Of Burtons Ready For Martinsville Debut

Jeb Burton has big shoes to fill. The 19-year-old, who will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut March 31 at Martinsville Speedway, is the son of 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton. His uncle, Jeff Burton, is a 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner.

He’ll drive for a new team, Hillman Racing, which started the season with father Ward’s eighth-place finish at Daytona. The younger Burton, with limited experience at the touring level, will have to prove to NASCAR on a race-by-race basis that he’s qualified to move from track to track just as any other rookie.

The team’s owner, Mike Hillman, was a key figure at Germain Racing during both of Todd Bodine’s NCWTS championship seasons. Crew chief Trip Bruce also has a solid background with the series, winning 12 times with Johnny Benson and Kasey Kahne. Bruce was Benson’s championship crew chief at Bill Davis Racing – Ward Burton’s onetime NSCS owner – in 2008.

“To get here has been a lot of hard work, my late model guys have really helped me over the past four years to really develop me as a driver and my dad told me that if I really didn't have the talent I wouldn't be able to do it,” said the younger Burton. “So my dad paid close attention to what he calls natural talent and said I had what it would take to be a racer as long as I dedicated myself to it. I am excited to start my first NASCAR race in the NCWTS and follow in my dad's footsteps. It has been a long time coming.”

Win Is Frosting On The Cake For Moonlighting Piquet

According to Nelson Piquet Jr., a bit of moonlighting can go a long way to filling some gaps in his competitive resume.

Piquet, competing in his sophomore season for Turner Motorsports, took advantage of an open week to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 17. He won both the pole and the race.

 “To achieve my first victory in the USA and my first victory in a stock car is a very special emotion for me,” said Piquet, who formerly competed in the Formula One World Championship. “To carry the Brazilian flag to Victory Lane was part of the dream for me and now I’ve conquered that, it is such a motivation for the rest of the year.”

The bigger picture for Piquet, however, is to step up his performance on NASCAR Camping World Truck Series short tracks – especially Martinsville, which hosts the March 31 Kroger 250. Piquet finished 13th and 30th at the Virginia track last year.

“Seat time, especially on short tracks where you are running close to the other cars, has been something I needed experience in,” Piquet said.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Martinsville is home to the historic half-mile oval, which has hosted a NCWTS event since the inception of the series in 1995. It is also home to the Smithsonian-affiliated Virginia Museum of Natural History.  Championship contenders John King, Timothy Peters and Johnny Sauter on Tuesday previewed the newly created Rocks to Racing display at the museum, which will open to the public on March 24. … Kingsport, Tenn., officials at Bristol presented King the “Key to the City” in honor of his Daytona victory in February. 

Elliott Sadler Leads NASCAR Nationwide Series

I Wish They All Could Be California … Drivers And Crew?

Sunny California is the next destination for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and it happens to be the home state of several drivers and crew members, including Cole Whitt, Jason Bowles, Brad Sweet and Danny Stockman, crew chief for Austin Dillon. With a line-up like that, NNS fans just might be cheering for a California native in Victory Lane this weekend.  

JR Motorsports driver and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Whitt, from Alpine, east of San Diego, leads the Cali contingent. He’s currently fifth in the standings, 41 points behind series standings leader Elliott Sadler. Whitt has posted one top five and two top 10s, with a season-to-date Driver Rating of 86.2 and an Average Running Position of 14th. He is second to Dillon in the rookie standings, just five points from the lead. This weekend will be Whitt’s NASCAR national series track debut at Auto Club Speedway.  

The 2009 K&N Pro Series East Series champion and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate, Bowles, from Ontario, just minutes from the speedway, is in his first full series season with MacDonald Motorsports. Bowles is currently 19th in the series standings, 28 points behind 10th-place Mike Bliss. Bowles is also third in the rookie standings, 29 points behind Dillon.  This weekend, Bowles will attempt to make his NASCAR national series track debut at Auto Club. 

Hailing from Grass Valley near Sacramento, Sweet will be making his series season debut for Turner Motorsports. Sweet is sharing the No. 38 Chevrolet with Kasey Kahne and also is in the running for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. 

Atop the pit box calling the shots for Dillon will be Fontana’s own Stockman. Stockman lived in Fontana until the age of five, then his family moved to nearby Yucaipa. Stockman and Dillon are ranked fourth in the points while also leading the rookie standings. 

Elliott Sadler Leads NASCAR Nationwide Series Eligible Winning Ways

“Blood is in the water!” exclaimed NNS standings leader Elliott Sadler in Victory Lane last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway after winning his second race of the season. Listen to more Elliott Sadler audio here.

It has been 17 years – the 1995 season – since the year’s first four winners were not full-time NSCS drivers. James Buescher, points eligible in the NCWTS, won the season opener at Daytona. Sadler won at Phoenix, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Las Vegas and Sadler again at Bristol. 

Back in ’95, the first four series races were won by Chad Little (two), Kenny Wallace and Johnny Benson, the latter going on to win the championship. David Green and Larry Pearson, full-time NNS drivers, also won the following two races. 

Will the trend continue? It won’t be easy. Not since 2002, when Scott Riggs won, has an NNS-only regular won at Auto Club Speedway. 

Richard Childress Racing’s Sadler might just be the one to answer the call. Sadler’s two wins are complemented with two third-place finishes in the first four starts this season, culminating in an average finish of second. His season-to-date Driver Rating (107.0) leads the series. Sadler has made seven starts at Auto Club Speedway, posting two top-five finishes. He also won the track’s NASCAR Sprint Cup fall race in 2004.

Bliss, Malsam Have TriStar Motorsports In Contention

Large comebacks in the NNS point standings are difficult but Mike Bliss is bucking that trend this season, having gone from 27th to 10th in the three races since Daytona.  Bliss, who drives for TriStar Motorsports, an independent organization in the series, is one of the most versatile drivers in NASCAR. He won the 2002 NCWTS title and is the only driver to count 200 starts in both NNS and Truck. Since 1995, he’s competed full-time in at least one of NASCAR’s national series. 

The season opener at Daytona was unkind to Bliss, he finished 39th after being caught up in an accident, but he followed it up with a 16th-place finish at Phoenix and back-to-back 15th-place finishes at Las Vegas and Bristol. 

Bliss’ rebound isn’t the only highlight for TriStar thus far in 2012. Tayler Malsam, who also has climbed the NASCAR ladder through the NCWTS, is a quiet surprise, holding down the seventh spot in the driver standings. Malsam, 23, finished sixth at Daytona and has ranked in the top 10 through the first four weeks of the season. This is his first full-time season in the NNS. 

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Etc.

Kyle Busch has won five of the last six series races at Auto Club, including sweeping both races in 2010. This will be Busch’s first start at Auto Club as an owner/driver for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch also will attempt to post his 150th NNS top-10 finish. Busch currently is tied with Greg Biffle for 12th on the series all-time top-10 finishes list. … Danica Patrick has improved to 12th in the standings, up three spots from last week, in her first full-time season in the series. She finished 30th in this race last year. … Milestone Watch: Morgan Shepherd will attempt to make his 325th NNS start at ACS. Shepherd has made nine starts at ACS with an average starting position of 35th. Jeremy Clements will attempt to make his 75th series start this weekend. He has made two starts at ACS with an average starting position of 26th. Erik Darnell will attempt to make his 25th NNS start this weekend.  This will be Darnell’s ACS debut in the NNS.

ASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES – SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 5:30 P.M., ESPN  

Hometown Throwdown In Cali

Saturday’s race is a big home game for a few drivers and crew members. Drivers Jason Bowles, Brad Sweet and Cole Whitt are California natives. So is Danny Stockman, crew chief for Austin Dillon. Some of Stockman’s crewmen are also from the Golden State.

Bowles, the 2009 K&N Pro Series East champion, is from Ontario. He’s in his first full series season and will make his NASCAR track debut at Auto Club Speedway. Sweet, from Grass Valley, is making his series season debut. He’s sharing the No. 38 Chevrolet with Kasey Kahne and also is in the running for Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Whitt, a native of Alpine, is having a great start to his rookie season. He’s fifth in the standings and has posted one top five and two top 10s in the first four races. He’s second to Dillon in the rookie rankings too.

Stockman was born in Fontana and lived there until age five, when his family moved to nearby Yucapia. His calls on the box have Dillon ranked fourth in the points while also leading the rookie standings. Stockman led Dillon to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title last year. He also was the truck chief for Ron Hornaday Jr.’s two Truck championships.

Party Like It's 1995

In 1995, Elliott Sadler, then age 20, had made his first two starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. His current crew chief, Luke Lambert, was 13. Joey Gase and Johanna Long, running for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors this season, were two and three years old, respectively.

What’s the 17-year connection? Four consecutive wins to start the season. And that those wins were earned by drivers who were not full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Sadler’s Bristol victory – his second win in three races – upped the record of the non-Cup contingent to 4-0 to start the season. James Buescher, full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, won the season opener at Daytona. Sadler also won at Phoenix, followed by a victory by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Las Vegas.

Back in ‘95, the first four series races were won by Chad Little (two), Kenny Wallace and Johnny Benson, who went on to win the championship that season. David Green and Larry Pearson, full-time series drivers, also won the following two races.

Bliss-ful Return To Top 10

Mike Bliss has gone from 27th to 10th in the standings since Daytona, his first visit to the top 10 since he also was 10th following the 2011 spring race at Texas. Bliss, who drives for TriStar Motorsports, an independent organization in the series, is one of the most versatile drivers in NASCAR. He won the 2002 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title and is the only driver to have 200 starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Since 1995, he’s competed full-time in at least one of three NASCAR’s national series.

Bliss’ rebound isn’t the only highlight for TriStar thus far in 2012. Tayler Malsam, who also has climbed the NASCAR ladder through the Truck series, is a quiet surprise, holding down the seventh spot in the points. Malsam, 23, finished sixth at Daytona and has ranked in the top 10 through the first four weeks of the season. He’s running in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

TRUCK SERIES NOTEBOOK

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES 03/19/12

First NASCAR Victory For Brazilian Piquet

Nelson Piquet Jr., who’ll resume his pursuit of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship March 31 at Martinsville Speedway, prevailed in a green-white-checker finish K&N Pro Series East over the weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Piquet is the first Brazilian to win a race at the NASCAR touring series level. He also won the pole in his X Team Racing car.

"Seat time, especially on short tracks where you are running close to the other cars, has been something I needed experience in so I’m focused on ironing out any place that I need more experience," said Piquet.

Piquet finished 13^th and 32^nd at Martinsville in 2011.

Next Generation of Burtons To Make NCWTS Debut

Jeb Burton, the 19-year-old son of 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, will make his debut in Martinsville’s Kroger 250. His team is owned by Mike Hillman, former competition director for Germain Racing who played a key role in the team’s two NCWTS championships with Todd Bodine.

The elder Burton drove the truck in the season opener at Daytona finishing eighth.

Sauter To Defend Kroger 250 Victory

Johnny Sauter, who narrowly lost the 2011 NCWTS championship to Austin Dillon, figures to be among the drivers to beat when racing in the series resumes at Martinsville. Sauter won the Kroger 250 in the spring and returned to finish fourth in the track’s fall race.

Rocks To Racing

Martinsville is home to the historic half-mile oval which has hosted a NCWTS event since the inception of the series in 1995.  

Did you know it is also home to the Smithsonian Institute affiliated Virginia Museum of Natural History?

Championship contenders John King, Timothy Peters and Johnny Sauter will get the first preview the newly created Rocks to Racing display on Tuesday at the museum, which will open to the public on March 24.  The display features the Life of the Ordovician.

Sauter is the defending race winner of the Kroger 250. It took Sauter awhile to get the hang of racing a truck on Martinsville’s "paperclip" layout. In six previous races, his best finish had been 15^th with four finishes outside the top 20.

Drive For Diversity And Rev Racing Open K&N Pro Series

NASCAR Drive For Diversity And Rev Racing Open K&N Pro Series East Season

Successful NASCAR Initiative Revs Up For Ninth Season

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14, 2012) – NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Rev Racing will open its K&N Pro Series East season at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 17, building off a 2011 season highlighted by unprecedented on-track success.

Four Rev Racing drivers will participate in the season opener of NASCAR’s top developmental series during the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend at Bristol. 

“The NASCAR Drive for Diversity program and Rev Racing set a high bar, winning half the races in the K&N Pro Series East during the 2011 season,” said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR vice president of public affairs and multicultural development. “We are looking forward to focusing our efforts on a strong roster of drivers in the K&N Pro Series East and are eager to see their growth and development.”

The team is coming off the most successful season in the history of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity, which is entering its ninth season as one of NASCAR’s leading on-track initiatives. Rev Racing collected six wins in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and had three drivers finish in the top 10 in series points.

The drivers (Twitter handle in parentheses) who will compete at Bristol Motor Speedway include:

Jorge Arteaga (@JorgeArteaga46) – Arteaga, 25, from Aguascalientes, Mexico, will run his first full season in NASCAR K&N Pro Series. He competed in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models for Rev Racing last season, and also participated in the NASCAR Mexico Series, where he was voted Most Popular Driver by the fans.

Ryan Gifford (@RyanGifford2) – The 23-year-old driver from Winchester, Tenn., will return to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for his third full-time season in the series. He became the first African-American in series history to win a pole award in 2010 and has finished in the top 10 in the standings in each of his two seasons with Rev Racing.

Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) – The 19-year-old open-wheel standout from Elk Grove, Calif., will move into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series ranks after he became the first driver to win a World of Outlaws race and score victories in all three USAC divisions in the same season last year.

Bryan Ortiz (@BryanORacing) – The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native will move up to NASCAR K&N Pro Series from Late Models in his second season with Rev Racing. The 23-year-old has a strong road-racing background and will also compete in select events in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

The Twitter hashtag throughout the season is #D4D2012. Please follow these drivers as they embark on this new season and more exhilarating on-track activities.

Toyota, Sprint and Goodyear are the primary partners supporting Rev Racing and NASCAR Drive for Diversity. Complete information on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is available at NASCARHomeTracks.com or by following @NASCARHomeTrack (hashtags: #KNEast & #NWAAS); Rev Racing’s official website and Twitter is RevRacing.net and @RevRacin; information on the NASCAR Drive for Diversity can be found at NASCARDiversity.com or on Twitter @NASCARDiversity.

Outstanding Competition Giving Series Fans Plenty To Love

Outstanding Competition Giving Series Fans Plenty To Love

In the new era of the ‘select-a-series,’ the 2012 season has kicked off with three winners who haven’t "checked the box" for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points, a first since 1996. The competition levels keep rising and the first three weeks of 2012 have given everyone plenty to talk about.
James Buescher, a full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, won the season opener at Daytona in dramatic fashion, taking the lead on the last lap as a caution came out.
Week two in Phoenix was not to be outdone. Elliott Sadler posted his sixth victory in 166 NASCAR Nationwide Series races, ending a 91-race winless streak that dated to Oct. 31, 1998, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham. Sadler has commanded the series standings since week one. His lead is 15 points over Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate and fellow Richard Childress Racing teamate Austin Dillon.
In week three, in the shadow of the famed Las Vegas Strip, 2011 series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. captured the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, complementing his third career win by moving up two spots in the standings to third, 17 points behind Sadler. 
Meanwhile, Danica Patrick (Daytona) and Sadler (Las Vegas) have captured two of the first three Coors Light poles.
Only three drivers who were in the top 10 in the standings after three events last year are among the current top 10  – Stenhouse, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne, of Knoxville, Tenn.

Stenhouse Proving 2011 Championship Was No Fluke

Some say timing is everything, and this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the time to show his competitors that last season was not a fluke and that he is a serious series contender in 2012.
Las Vegas runner-up Mark Martin gave all the credit to Stenhouse. "That was a serious beat-down he put on me that last run," Martin said, describing how Stenhouse grabbed the lead with just over 50 laps to go en route to winning his first race of the season and first on an intermediate track. "I’m not ashamed to say it wasn’t even close." Click here for the audio.
Stenhouse finished a disappointing 19th in the season-opener at Daytona then rallied to a third-place result at Phoenix. His Las Vegas win escalated him from fifth to third in the standings heading into Bristol. Stenhouse has made four starts at Bristol, where he sat on the pole in last year’s spring race and finished 14th. His pre-race Driver Rating (88.7) is ranked 12th in the series and his average finish at Bristol is 18.0.

St. Patrick’s Day Race Boasts Big Names

Watch for a larger-than-usual number of photo flashes during the driver intros at this year’s NNS race at Bristol, because some of the biggest names in NASCAR are competing on the ‘World’s fastest half-mile’ on St. Patrick’s Day. 
JR Motorsports drivers Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are both entered and will garner much attention. Patrick has made one series start at Bristol, finishing 33rd last spring. This will be Junior’s 11th start at Bristol, making it second only to Daytona (21) as the track on which he’s raced the most in his NNS career. Earnhardt has one win (2004), six top fives and eight top 10s, including a third-place finish in this race last year.  He also leads the series among active drivers in average finish at Bristol with a 6.5.
Richard Childress Racing will have no shortage of prominent names, fielding standings leader Sadler, 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Dillon and Bristol’s all-time NNS winner Kevin Harvick. Harvick has five wins in 21 series starts at Bristol.
Turner Motorsports will have Kasey Kahne behind the wheel of its No. 38 this weekend. Kahne has made 14 series starts at Bristol, posting one win (2007) and four top fives.
Owner/driver Kyle Busch also is entered this weekend. Busch’s four NNS wins rank second to Harvick. Busch leads the series in pre-race Driver Rating with a 113.3.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Joey Logano and Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski round out the remaining NSCS drivers pulling double-duty (six total) this weekend. Of the two, Keselowski has had the most success, posting two series Coors Light poles and one win (2008) at Bristol. 

NASCAR Nationwide, Etc.

Milestone Watch: Morgan Shepherd, 70, will attempt to make his 325th NNS start this weekend at Bristol. Mike Bliss will attempt to make his 250th NNS start and Eric McClure will attempt to make his 175th NNS start. Eric and his wife Miranda welcomed their fourth daughter, Merritt Hetteigh Mae McClure, on March 12. Merritt’s name honors the driver’s paternal grandmother, Hetteigh Mae McClure, who passed away a few days before Daytona. Kyle Busch will attempt his 150th NNS top-10 finish. Busch is currently tied with Greg Biffle for 12th on the NNS all-time top-10 finishes list. … Eleven-time X-Game gold medalist and future NNS driver Travis Pastrana will be making his Bristol Motor Speedway debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series – East following Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide race at 6:15 p.m. He’s targeted for his NASCAR Nationwide debut at Richmond in April. … Two-time NASCAR K&N East champion Ryan Truex will run at Bristol in the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

CAMPINGWORLD TRUCKS NOTEBOOK

3/13/2012

Truck Freshman, Duke Senior Harraka Comments On ‘March Madness’

Pretty much everyone in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage has an opinion about the NCAA men’s basketball tournament – and a bracket? – as "March Madness" gets underway this week. Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Paulie Harraka will have an even more intense rooting interest in the tournament.
Harraka is a graduating senior at Duke University, which is seeded second in the South Region and plays Lehigh University on Friday at Greensboro, N.C.
He won’t be the only driver with ties to a tournament team. Brendan Gaughan played for the Hoyas while a student at Midwest Region’s No. 3 seed Georgetown University, which meets Belmont in Columbus, Ohio, also on Friday.
Harraka answers four questions about Duke and this year’s road to the Final Four:
1. Your impression of fan fervor on Tobacco Road: – "Now is a fun time, for sure! The entire regular season is about preparing for March Madness and it’s definitely the talk of campus."
2. Duke's chances in the tournament: "Duke has shown that we have amazing talent this year. We’ve had a few rough starts, but I believe that as long as we get the game started on the right foot, we’re unstoppable. Go Devils!"
3. Your picks for Final Four: "Duke, Duke, Duke and Duke."
4. Have you ever met coach Mike Krzyzewski: "I have had the opportunity to get to know Coach K through friends that I have on the team. He’s provided some assistance to me in my own career, which I’m grateful for. He’s certainly an amazing guy and a role model of integrity and intensity for all of us. I’ve met a lot of people who had strong feelings about Duke, some positive and some negative, but the one constant is that everyone I’ve met respects Coach K."

Excitement Builds As Rockingham Adds Finishing Touches For NCWTS Debut

    With last week’s Goodyear tire test successfully completed, it’s "bring on the race" at Rockingham Speedway.
    The popular North Carolina sand hills facility, a mile in length, is set to run its inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck event – the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 Presented by Cheerwine – on Sunday, April 15. The race is the first for a NASCAR national series since February 2004.
    Owner Andy Hillenburg said the excitement is palpable and building.
    "Seeing the NASCAR Camping World Trucks out there on the race track, I can’t really imagine where we’re going to be in April because it’s so exciting with only having three trucks (testing) out there," said Hillenburg. "I can’t really imagine multiplying it by more than 10 when we have 36 trucks take the green on April 15."
    Painting continues and the track is completing installation of timing and scoring loops. Hillenburg also has moved Victory Lane to the front stretch "so fans can now participate with the winning team and see the emotion of that driver when they get out of the truck and the emotion of the crew."
    Fans also will be able to attend the drivers’ meeting, walk the track, get autographs signed and have their pictures taken with their favorite drivers.

Gale, Sharp, Crawford Big Winners In ARCA Event

    During a bye week in the NCWTS schedule, Cale Gale made sure to keep his driving skills fresh by competing in a March 10 ARCA race at Mobile International Speedway.
    Oh, and he won, too.
    Gale, who is embarking on his first full truck series season in 2012, led 76 of the race’s 203 laps in a car entered by Eddie Sharp, his NCWTS owner. Sharp also spotted for Gale and told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week, "It’s tough to win in any series and any win is special."
    Gale won before a packed grandstand, a promotional triumph for longtime NASCAR Camping World Truck veteran Rick Crawford. The race was Crawford’s largest to date as the track’s operator.
    A Mobile, Ala., native, who turned 27 last week, Gale will return to the wheel of his No. 33 Rheem Silverado when the series returns to action on Saturday, March 31, at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series, Etc.

    Daytona winner John King hit it big in his hometown of Kingsport, Tenn., as well – his name going up on the marquee of the city’s famous hamburger restaurant Pal’s. … Gaughan had an outstanding performance in his hometown over the weekend, finishing fifth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NCWTS grads and current NNS rookies Cole Whitt and Austin Dillon finished sixth and seventh respectively. Both drivers rank among the top five in series points.

NATIONWIDE SERIES

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES – FORD ECOBOOST 300, ESPN, 1 P.M.

Identity Crisis? Hardly.
A series long known as a steppingstone for young drivers, as a career destination for some of its veterans and as another racing opportunity for established NASCAR Sprint Cup stars is now known for something else: its own identity.

The pick-a-series rule established in 2011 along with the full integration of the new car also last year certainly has been major bricks in the identity foundation. Danica Patrick’s full-time entry this season also has moved the needle.

But the drivers have done their part. Three races into 2012 have resulted in winners who haven’t "checked the box" for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points – James Buescher (full time in Trucks), Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. That’s a first since 1995. Meanwhile Patrick (Daytona) and Sadler (Las Vegas) have captured two of the first three Coors Light poles. Two Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates are ranked in the top five – Austin Dillon (second) and Cole Whitt (fifth). Only three drivers who were in the top 10 in the standings after three events last year are among the top 10 now  – Stenhouse (second), Justin Allgaier (fifth) and Trevor Bayne (sixth) – bringing more new names into the spotlight.

Stenhouse Earns Win – And Martin’s Respect
With the lightning-fast start by points leader Elliott Sadler this season (one win, one pole, two third-place finishes); some began to wonder when – and if – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, would start to surface.

Last Saturday at Las Vegas, Mark Martin had quite the complimentary answer. "That was a serious beat-down he put on me that last run," Martin said, describing how Stenhouse grabbed the lead with just over 50 laps to go en route to winning his first race of the season and first on an intermediate track. "I’m not ashamed to say it wasn’t even close."

Stenhouse finished a disappointing 19th in the season-opener at Daytona then rallied to a third-place result at Phoenix prior to his win. But Sadler’s mojo is in overdrive heading to Bristol. A Virginia native, Sadler loves the .533-mile track. In 10 series starts, he has one win (1998) and has been strong in his last three races with a pole, two top fives – including a fourth-place finish in this race last year – and one top-10 finish.

Is Bristol Kyle’s Remedy?
"Kyle Busch" and "slow start" are rarely used in the same sentence. Since 2009, the year he won the series championship, Busch has won at least one race – actually the second race of the season – among the first three.

Busch is in his first season as a series owner-driver manning his own Kyle Busch Motorsports equipment instead of running for Joe Gibbs Racing, the team for which he’d made all but 11 starts since2008. He’s now sharing the No. 54 Toyota with his brother Kurt with an eye on the series owner championship.

Heading to Bristol, Busch’s team is 15th in the owner standings. He finished 19th at Daytona due to an accident, was 11th at Phoenix and 33rd at Las Vegas, his home track, after an accident forced him to the garage for repairs before returning to finish the race.

But BMS could be the remedy Busch is looking for. He’s the defending winner of this event and has won the last three series races there overall. In 15 starts he has four wins, nine top fives and 12 top 10s.
 

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK S

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Harraka Feeling Good About a Final Four Run for Blue Devils

With March Madness kicking into gear this week, current Duke student and college basketball fan Paulie Harraka joins his fellow "Dukies" in cheering on Coach K and the Blue Devils on their road to the Final Four.

Harraka thinks Duke has a solid shot at making it to the Final Four in New Orleans later this month. "We’ve had a few rough starts, but I believe that as long as we get the tournament started on the right foot, we’re unstoppable. Go Devils!" 

Bristol Supports Hometown Hero
You know a racer has hit the big time when he is not racing this weekend, but is still the biggest story in town.
John King – a Kingsport, Tenn., resident – has his name splashed all over the marquee of the famed East Tennessee burger joint – Pal’s.
The Red Horse Racing driver won the season-opening race at Daytona in only his eighth series start.

Gale Wins At Hometown Track
During an open week in series schedule Cale Gale made sure to keep his driving skills fresh by competing in the ARCA race at Mobile International Speedway this past weekend.
And a good thing he did.
Gale – who is embarking on his first full truck series season in 2012 – captured the checkered flag after leading 76 of the 203 laps.
The Mobile, Ala. native – who turned 27 last week – will be back behind the wheel of his No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet for Eddie Sharp Racing when the series returns to action on Saturday, March 31 at Martinsville Speedway.

Sadler, Dillon Have Richard Childress Racing Out Front Early

Sadler, Dillon Have Richard Childress Racing Out Front Early

Richard Childress Racing teammates Elliott Sadler and Austin Dillon have been setting the standard early this season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series sitting one-two in the driver standings. Ten points separate the teammates after Dillon finished fourth and Sadler captured his first win in seven starts at Phoenix International Raceway to put RCR on top.
"When you are affiliated with a team like Richard Childress Racing that has the simulation program that they have and Chevrolet gives you a ton of backing and a ton of wind tunnel time, a ton of information to make our cars competitive week in and week out, nothing gets lost in translation and it has been that little bit extra to take us over the top," said Sadler.
After winning the series driver title with Clint Bowyer in 2008, Richard Childress Racing scaled back. The organization ran only for the driver championship in 2009 and then sporadically the following two seasons before resurfacing this year after an off-season merger with Kevin Harvick Inc. Needless to say, RCR is back in contention for the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.
Sadler heads to Las Vegas having made five previous starts, posting a series-best finish of seventh in 1999. His pre-race Driver Rating (97.2) is ranked ninth in the series and in his last two starts he has spent 99.8 percent of his laps completed in the top 15. Sadler’s Average Running Position (6.9) is ranked third in the series at Las Vegas. Dillon, now atop of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, will be making his series track debut at Las Vegas this weekend. Dillon has made two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Las Vegas, including his win from the pole in 2010.
Childress is also fielding a third car this season, the No. 33 with drivers Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and, this week, Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan behind the wheel.

Patrick Back in Vegas To Roll The Dice

No one said competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series would be easy, and Danica Patrick is learning that first hand. Patrick’s start of her first full-time season has been slow, but she should be feeling lucky with Las Vegas the next stop on the schedule.
One year ago, Patrick made NASCAR history with a fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That result was her career best and also was the highest finish ever by a female in NASCAR’s three national series.
Two weeks ago, Patrick sat on the Coors Light Pole for the season-opener at Daytona, but was the victim of an accident that involved her JR Motorsports teammate Cole Whitt. She ended up finishing 38th and left Daytona 26th in the standings.
Last week, following a drastic difference in venues, she finished 21st at Phoenix’s new 1-mile configuration, matching the effort she posted last fall. With that result, she gained five spots in the standings from 26th to 21st and is within 12 points of 10th.
Patrick heads to Vegas with a pre-race Driver Rating (73.8) ranked 19th in the series. Her Average Running Position at Las Vegas is 21.9 and in her last two starts she has averaged 20.0 Quality Passes.

NASCAR Nationwide, Etc.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Johanna Long, 19, returns to race this week at Las Vegas after a solid series debut at Daytona, where she finished 21st. Long drives for Indiana-based and female-owned team ML Motorsports. … This is the first season since 1995 that double-duty NSCS drivers have not won the first two races of the year; Chad Little was the last full-time driver in the NNS to win the series’ first two events (1995). … Fourth-generation NASCAR driver Jeffrey Earnhardt will be making his Bristol debut in the No. 15 Sam’s Club Ford for Rick Ware Racing. It will also be the first time an Earnhardt has driven a Ford since 1983, when Dale Earnhardt drove the No. 15 Ford for Bud Moore. … Milestone Watch: Kenny Wallace will attempt to make his 525th NASCAR Nationwide Series start this weekend.

Daytona Winner King An Off-The-Track Field Filler

Daytona Winner King An Off-The-Track Field Filler

You’ll find John King – the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ latest rising star – down on the farm.
Literally.
King, the surprise winner of last month’s 2012 season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, spends his time away from the track on his family’s farm in Fort Blackmore, Va. The Kings raise cattle and horses and grow hay.
The 23-year-old Kingsport, Tenn., native, a NASCAR national series winner in just his eighth start, looks as comfortable with a pitchfork in his hands as attired in a driver’s uniform.
If he’s not on a tractor or out in the fields, King can be found at his favorite restaurant, the Front Porch Store & Deli in Fort Blackmore. That’s if he’s not in the woods with a hunting rifle or on a lake or creek bank with a rod and reel at the ready.
King grew up with three sisters, two older and one younger. "They didn’t give me a whole lot of slack," he said.
In 2009, King was asked to join the Bill Elliott Driver Development program, operated by King’s boyhood racing hero. It landed him a ride in the UARA-STARS Late Model Series, where King won two Virginia asphalt races.
The leap from there and a best truck finish of 15th to the No. 7 Red Horse Racing Toyota and the World Center of Racing’s Gatorade Victory Lane was monumental, to say the least. With several more bye weeks on the schedule, King has plenty of time to savor that victory before heading to historic Martinsville Speedway for the March 31 Kroger 250 – one day before his 24th birthday.

NASCAR Brings ‘The Rock’ Back To Life This Week

Each NASCAR Camping World Truck race is an anticipated event. Next month’s inaugural stop at Rockingham Speedway likely will be even greater than the norm – for competitors and fans alike.
"The Rock," formerly known as North Carolina Motor Speedway, last hosted a NASCAR national series event in February 2004. Matt Kenseth won the last of 78 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races on the storied, one-mile oval in North Carolina’s sand hills region.
Thanks to major infusions of passion and resources, Rockingham’s owner Andy Hillenburg will raise NASCAR’s banner once more on April 15 with the running of the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 Presented by Cheerwine.
Goodyear brought three teams to the track this week for testing that began Tuesday and continued on Wednesday. Turner Motorsports, Red Horse Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports were chosen to test with drivers James Buescher, Timothy Peters and Jason Leffler, respectively.
Leffler has five starts at Rockingham competing in both NASCAR Sprint Cup events in 2001 and five NASCAR Nationwide races from 1999 to 2004.
"This Goodyear tire test is a great opportunity to not only provide Goodyear with feedback on the tire selection for the upcoming race, but to get some laps in behind the wheel of the Dollar General Tundra and continue to get adjusted to working with a new team," Leffler said.
Peters, who wrapped up a karting championship at Rockingham two decades ago, said, "It’s going to be great action for the fans. You’re going to see people [racing] on the bottom, middle and top."

NCWTS TV Viewers Get ‘Cutting Edge’ Upgrade

Sportvision Inc.’s cutting edge digital technology comes to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012, completing its partnership with Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Media Group as the exclusive tracking partner for NASCAR national series events through the 2018 racing season.
The firm’s RACE/f/x technology, the most advanced tracking technology ever created for televised sports, debuted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the 2001 Daytona 500 and was introduced to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2007.
With the addition, SPEED will now highlight a full slate of broadcast graphics during NCWTS broadcasts and the technology will continue to be an integral component utilized by other NASCAR broadcast partners through 2018.
Each truck is equipped with Vector II tracking devices. The patented, state-of-the-art technology tracks cars and trucks at speeds reaching 200 mph to create a complete "digital record" of a NASCAR race in real time.

NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series, Etc.

Austin Dillon, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, posted his second top-five finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign by edging Kevin Harvick for fourth in last weekend’s event at Phoenix International Raceway. … Dillon stands second in championship standings to Richard Childress Racing teammate and Phoenix winner Elliott Sadler. … NCWTS graduate Cole Whitt ranks fourth overall following a 13th-place finish in the Valley of the Sun.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES NEWS

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

 

Goodyear Tire Test on Deck at Rockingham for Select Teams

In advance of NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway, Goodyear will host a tire test on Tuesday (March 6) and Wednesday (March 7) of this week.

 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers James Buescher (Turner Motorsports), Jason Leffler (Kyle Busch Motorsports) and Timothy Peters (Red Horse Racing) are scheduled to participate.

 

Rockingham Speedway will host the third NCWTS event of the season on Sunday, April 15. The Good Sam Roadside Assistance Carolina 200 presented by Cheerwine will mark the first time the series has competed on the famed speedway.   

 

NCWTS Champion, Rookie Contender Holding Strong in Nationwide

Series graduates Austin Dillon and Cole Whitt have climbed the ladder to the NASCAR Nationwide Series and are not looking back. 

 

Dillon – the 2011 NCWTS Champion – currently sits second in the series standings following two top-five finishes in the first two races of the season.

 

Whitt is not far behind.

 

The former series rookie is fourth in the series standings after capturing one top-five and a 13th place finish to start off the season with his JR Motorsports team. 

 

It appears Dillon and Whitt will not only be battling for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Championship, but also the NNS title.

Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on Saturday, March 31 at Martinsville Speedway. Daytona winner John King leads point on both the series championship and Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.

Truck teams will test tires at Rockingham:

Truck teams will test tires at Rockingham: In advance of NASCAR's return to Rockingham Speedway on Sunday, April 15 for the Good Sam Club Roadside Assistance Carolina 200 Presented by Cheerwine, Goodyear will host a tire test for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on March 6-7. Drivers participating will be James Buescher (Turner Motorsports), Jason Leffler (Kyle Busch Motorsports) and Timothy Peters (Red Horse Racing). The grandstands will be open to fans free of charge both days.(NASCAR)(3-4-2012)

Phoenix Pole Winner: Denny Hamlin(i)

Qualifying Fast Facts
Phoenix International Raceway
8th Annual Bashas' Supermarkets 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, March 03, 2012 @ 02:03 PM Eastern
Coors Light Pole Winner: Denny Hamlin(i)
Age: 31
Team : No. 18 - GameStop / MASS3 Effect Toyota
Owner: Joe Gibbs
Crew Chief: Matthew Lucas
Denny Hamlin(i) won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 8th Annual Bashas' 

Supermarkets 200 with a lap of 27.072 seconds, 132.979 mph.
This is his 16th pole in 130 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2012.
This is his third pole in ten races at Phoenix International Raceway.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2012 

and his first in five races at Phoenix International Raceway.
Kenny Wallace (third) posted his fifth top-10 start at

 Phoenix International Raceway.  It is his first in two races this season.
Austin Dillon (ninth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.