Busch Brothers Battle In Trucks For First Time

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Busch Brothers Battle In Trucks For First Time

Siblings Kurt and Kyle Busch will face off in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the first time in Friday night’s Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 200. The elder Busch will be driving the No. 51 Chevrolet owned by Billy Ballew, who last competed full-time in the series in 2010. Ironically, Kyle Busch won 16 times in Ballew’s equipment – four of them coming at Atlanta in 2005 and 2007-09.

Kyle Busch will drive his own No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, in which Kurt Busch finished ninth earlier this month in Michigan. He has not competed in the series since Nov. 4, 2011, at Texas Motor Speedway, a race in which an incident with Ron Hornaday Jr. resulted in Busch’s suspension from competition for the remainder of the NASCAR weekend.

Opportunity For Bonus Points Winding Down

As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series closes in on the second half of the season, the championship contenders yearn for the opportunity to collect bonus points when it matters most. James Buescher has collected three wins this season, all on a 1.5-mile track. Timothy Peters, the most recent truck series winner, has yet to collect a 1.5-mile victory in his career. Peters holds a 17-point lead over Buescher after leading all 200 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway.

But who else could be part of the equation this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway? Nelson Piquet Jr. and Justin Lofton both collected their first truck series win at Michigan and Charlotte, respectively. But what about Red Horse Racing’s newest member, Parker Kligerman? Kligerman has posted two top-five finishes in the past two races, moving up two positions in the championship points standings, tied for fourth. With 10 different winners in 13 races, the field might be looking at a new contender in Victory Lane.

Atlanta-Based Sponsor Brings Excitement For Gale

After capturing his first career truck series pole at Bristol, Cale Gale and his Rheem Chevrolet are full steam ahead. The Atlanta-based company is a full-time primary sponsor for the rookie of the year contender at Eddie Sharp Racing. The Mobile, Ala., native will make his first truck series start at the 1.54-mile race track of Atlanta. His best finish this season came on a 1.5-mile at Chicagoland Speedway, where he brought home a sixth-place finish.

Multi-Dimensional Tracks, Tight Points Race

Multi-Dimensional Tracks, Tight Points Race – Need We Say More?

In one of the season’s most difficult stretches, coming off back-to-back road courses and heading to a reconfigured short track makes this championship battle one that proves a driver’s mettle. Four drivers are still jockeying for the season-ending spoils and out front sits Richard Childress Racing’s Elliott Sadler with a lead of 22 points over second-place Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and third-place Sam Hornish Jr. Sadler’s teammate, Austin Dillon, is fourth in the standings, 35 points off the lead but still a contender. 

Crew chiefs this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway can toss out their notes from the season’s previous race there because the speedway has partially removed the progressive banking in the corners and this is the first race back at the 0.533-mile track since the change. 

Of the contending four, Sadler has logged the most laps at Bristol having made 11 starts, posting one Coors Light pole, two wins – including earlier this season – four top fives and five top 10s. Of the four drivers, Sadler also has the best pre-race Driver Rating (106.0) and Average Running Position (8.128).

Roush Fenway Racing’s Stenhouse has made five starts at Bristol, posting one Coors Light pole and a best finish of sixth earlier this season. His Food City 250 pre-race Driver Rating is second-best among the four contenders with a 94.6. Stenhouse has rallied back into contention over the last nine races, posting an average finish of 6.4.  

Penske Racing’s Hornish has found his stride and is marching right into this championship battle. Late-season momentum is key to a championship run and Hornish has plenty: Ten straight top-10 finishes. In his last nine NNS races, he has averaged a finish of 4.7, including finishing in the top three in the last four races. Hornish has made two series starts at Bristol, posting an average finish of 13.5 with a pre-race Driver Rating of 80.8.  

Dillon welcomes the return to a short track having cut his teeth on them in the NASCAR K&N Pro East and West Series. The Sunoco Rookie of the year candidate has one series start at Bristol, posting a 12th-place finish, which is the best first-start finish of any of the contending four. Dillon’s Food City 250 pre-race Driver Rating is 90.2.

Bayne Returns Home In Race Car Honoring Tennessee’s Summitt

Tennessee native Trevor Bayne (Knoxville) returns to his home state for this weekend’s NNS Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway with a paint scheme honoring one of the state’s biggest icons, University of Tennessee Head Women’s Basketball Coach Emeritus Pat Summitt.

Bayne will be driving the Roush Fenway Racing-owned No. 60 Yourracecar.com Ford Mustang sporting the phrase “We Back Pat.” The Volunteer-orange race car is part of a promotion to raise awareness for The Pat Summitt Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for the battle against Alzheimer’s.   

“Growing up in Knoxville, I’ve always been a big UT fan and an even bigger fan of Pat Summitt,” said Bayne, who has one top-five finish in five starts in the series this year. “I have always respected what she stood for. … I am excited she is going to be a part of our team at Bristol.”

Summitt will serve as Grand Marshal of the Food City 250 on Friday night.

In 38 years at UT, Summitt led the Lady Volunteers to eight NCAA titles. 

Will Patrick’s Solid Outing At Montreal Continue At Bristol?

After a solid performance in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, where she led 20 of 81 laps, Danica Patrick is hoping her success continues this weekend in Bristol. Despite running strong, she finished in 27th place after running over a shoe.

The race-high 20 laps Patrick spent at the front of the event are the most laps a female race car driver has led in a race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 2012, she has also led in four other races (spring Daytona, Talladega, Michigan, summer Daytona) for a total of 38 laps.

 This weekend, Patrick will be pulling double-duty by competing in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide races. She won’t be alone. Kyle Busch, Sam Hornish Jr., Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs and Josh Wise will also attempt to run both races.

Brad Keselowski is the only driver slated to pull triple-duty in all three national series races.

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Etc.

Turner Motorsports became only the sixth team in history and first non-Cup affiliated team to win two NASCAR national series races (NNS, NCWTS) on the same day (8/18/2012). Turner Motorsport’s driver Justin Allgaier is fifth in the standings, 68 points behind the standings lead following his win last weekend at Montreal. … Milestone Watch: Danny Efland Racing’s Danny Efland will attempt to make his 50th NNS start; Austin Dillon will be making the No. 3 car’s 350th start in the NNS; and Brad Keselowski will attempt to post the No. 22 car’s 200th top-10 finish in the NNS. … Food City will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its sponsorship of the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) this Friday. Food City is BMS’ longest-running sponsor.

Nelson Piquet Jr. rallies at Michigan for breakthrough truck win

Nelson Piquet Jr. rallies at Michigan for breakthrough truck win

Aug. 18, 2012 (EDITORS: Updates with results, quotes)

NASCAR Wire Service

BROOKLYN, Mich -- Spin to win.

What looked like a disaster early on for Nelson Piquet Jr. -- a spin on lap 56 -- turned fortuitous as green flags clicked by to close the VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

Piquet and crew chief Chris Carrier employed a brilliant -- and race-winning -- strategy to capture the Brazilian's first victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The duo chose to stay out on the race track while the front-runners pitted under green, and milked a huge lead that ballooned to over 15 seconds with seven laps remaining.

"Me and Chris have been fighting for this win since the beginning of last year and we finally made it," Piquet said. "It came in a dramatic way, but it came. It doesn't matter how, but we did it and I'm really happy that the whole team stayed behind me this whole time. It is a little weight off my back and for the whole family. I am just living to do what our family always did, win races and win championships."

Piquet, whose father Nelson is a three-time Formula One champion, led the first 13 laps, stalked by Kurt Busch early on. Busch, the 2000 truck series rookie of the year, had not started a NASCAR Camping World Truck race since June 30, 2001. Busch eventually took the lead on lap 17, and led a race-high 57 laps.

On lap 56, Piquet was racing Busch hard coming out of Turn 2. The two trucks tapped, with Piquet the victim -- or so it seemed at the time. The spin forced Piquet to pit road, which put him on a different pit cycle than the rest of the field. That allowed the Brazilian to run the remainder of the race without a pit stop, a side effect that eventually led to Victory Lane.

Piquet is the first Brazilian to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and only the second driver born outside the United States to win a truck race (Canadian Ron Fellows is the other). Piquet joined the series in 2010 after a two-year stint in F1. This 2012 season has been by far his most successful, with victories coming in the K&N Pro Series East, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and, now, the trucks.

"I want to prove to fans that I can win in any car that they put me into," Piquet said.

Jason White (second) and Dakoda Armstrong (third) each posted career-best finishes. Parker Kligerman, who ran his first race with Red Horse Racing, and James Buescher rounded out the top five.

Piquet's truck, from the outset, looked like a winning one -- until the fateful spin.

"After they revived me," Carrier joked, "we just had to push reset and take the situation at that moment. [I said] we're going to regroup here. All the decisions at that point were no-brainers."

After the spin, Piquet entered the pits for new tires and a tank full of fuel. Carrier deciphered that if Piquet went full-throttle for the remainder of the race, he'd be a lap and a half short on gas.

In other words, Piquet was forced to practice something quite foreign to a race-car driver: slow down. That's exactly what he did. On lap 90, Piquet turned a lap of 184.952 mph. On lap 100, the final lap, he was going 158.580 mph.

"I knew that Nelson is very good at saving fuel," Carrier said. "It comes very natural to him."

The difficult decision -- whether to pit or not to pit -- did not come easy. With eight laps remaining, Carrier waved off the call for Piquet to enter the pits.

"We kind of just rolled the dice," Carrier said. "We changed our minds three times in one lap."

The win moved Piquet up to eighth in points. Timothy Peters, who finished 13th, remains the standings leader, but in a points tie with rookie Ty Dillon. Peters wins the tie-breaker thanks to his victory at Iowa in July. 

VFW 200 Race Winner: Nelson Piquet Jr.

Race Fast Facts
Michigan International Speedway
13th Annual VFW 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - 

Sat, August 18, 2012 @ 02:36 PM Eastern
Race Winner: Nelson Piquet Jr.
Age: 27
Team : No. 30 - AutoTrac Chevrolet
Owner: Steve Turner
Crew Chief: Chris Carrier
Nelson Piquet Jr. won the 13th Annual VFW 200,

 his first victory in 42

 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races

. His previous best finish was second at 

Nashville on April 22, 2011.
Piquet is the fifth first-time winner of the 

2012 season.

 There have now been 10 different winners in the 

12 races this season.
Piquet is the first Brazilian driver to win in th

 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is only the

 second driver born outside United States to win a truck series race.

 The first was Canadian Ron Fellows, who has two NCWTS wins.
This is Piquet's second top-10 finish in three races 

at Michigan International Speedway.
Jason White (second) posted his third top-10 finish in six races at

 Michigan International Speedway. 

 It is his fifth top-10 finish in 2012.
Dakoda Armstrong  (third) posted his first 

top-10 finish in two races at Michigan International Speedway

. It was his career-best finish.

NAPA AUTO PARTS 200 Pole Winner: Alex Tagliani

Qualifying Fast Facts
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
6th Annual NAPA AUTO PARTS 200 presented by Dodge
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - 

Fri, August 17, 2012 @ 06:48 PM Eastern
Coors Light Pole Winner: Alex Tagliani
Age: 39
Team : No. 30 - Oasis/Motegi Racing Chevrolet
Owner: Harry Scott, Jr.
Crew Chief: Trent Owens
Alex Tagliani won the Coors Light Pole Award 

for the 6th Annual NAPA AUTO PARTS 200 presented

 by Dodge with a lap of 100.865 seconds, 96.687 mph.
This is his first pole in four 

NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2012.
This is his first pole in three races at 

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Sam Hornish Jr. (second) posted his

 14th top-10 start of 2012 and his 

first in one races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Jacques Villeneuve (third) posted his

 fifth top-10 start at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. 

It is his second in two races this season.
Cole Whitt  (seventh) was the fastest qualifying rookie. 

Jesse Little Joins Coulter Motorsports K&N Pro Series East Team

Jesse Little Joins Coulter Motorsports K&N Pro Series East Team

 

Sherrills Ford, N.C. (August 17, 2012)-Third generation NASCAR driver, Jesse Little, has been signed to drive for Coulter Motorsports in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The high school sophomore will make his debut on Labor Day weekend at the historic Greenville-Pickens Speedway as the half-mile hosts the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140.

 

Little has made selected starts in the series in 2012 including Richmond International Raceway in April where he became the youngest driver to ever take the green flag in NASCAR's premier development series. Posting an 11th place finish in the Blue Ox 100 gave Little his highest finish in his brief K&N Pro Series career.

 

While the focus will be on the upcoming Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 at Greenville-Pickens, Little will be building for a run towards the 2013 K&N Pro Series East championship and Rookie of the Year honors, he explained.

 

“I like to set high goals for myself. I feel personal goals should be difficult to attain, something you have to work very hard for. My goals next year are to qualify well for each race, top-10 at most races and on the pole at two events. In addition my goals are to finish every race, including the top-10 at most events and the top-five in five of the races on the schedule. We will also focus as a team on building towards winning my first K&N Pro Series event in my first full-season of competition.”

 

Leading Little's team at Coulter Motorsports is Kris Bowen, a veteran crew member of the organization.

 

“Jesse Little is a proven racer who I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with," Bowen said. “He has excelled at every level to date and I know with our (Coulter Motorsports) guidance and mentoring Jesse will be a strong force in the NASCAR K&N Series. Our racing family grew with the addition of Jesse and his family and we look forward to developing his young career."

 

Little has had Bowen's leadership in the past and sees a reuniting of the pair as a positive step towards his entry into full-time K&N Pro Series competition, he added.

 

“I've known Kris Bowen for many years. He helped me when I first started Limited Late Models and he works closely with Harold Holly, who has also been a big part of my growth as a NASCAR driver. This is a good opportunity for me and I'm excited to run all of the K&N Series East events the remainder of this season and into the future with this team. Coulter Motorsports have won on many racing circuits including the ARCA Racing Series and I want to bring them a victory on NASCAR's K&N Pro Series.”

 

With confidence in the team and his ability to compete at any level, Little was a natural choice to join Coulter Motorsports, according to team owner Joe Coulter.

 

“Coulter Motorsports is pleased to welcome Jesse Little into our driver development program,” Coulter said. “Jesse is an esteemed young racer who has proven to deliver himself maturely not only on the track but in life itself. He and his family are a natural fit and a welcomed addition to our NASCAR K&N Pro Series stable. We look forward to taking Jesse to the track and the success that follows.”

 

Little will continue to race out of the Team Little Racing shop with his NASCAR Whelen All-American Series late model as time allows. The late model experience gained since joining the series in 2010 has been beneficial to Little's approach to racing on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, he explained.

 

“Racing on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series has given me experience in the heavier and bigger cars from where I started in Legends and Midgets. This year I've learned a lot about how to save a car and how to make sure you're around at the end of a race to finish strong. I've also learned that if the car's handling is off on a given day then take what the car will give you, try different lines and see if it helps. Most importantly I have gained the knowledge that you need to finish races to learn and be better for the next event.”

 

Owners Putting Forth Effort To Showcase ‘Young Guns’

Owners Putting Forth Effort To Showcase ‘Young Guns’

Everything points toward the crowning of a first-time champion in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The top seven – and nine of the top 10 – in current standings have yet to win a title.
It’s also possible the champion will be an under-30 driver for just the third time in series history and a year after Austin Dillon became the series’ youngest champion at 22. Dillon’s younger brother Ty, 21, is eight points out of the lead and four of the top six in the standings have yet to celebrate their 25th birthdays.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series director Wayne Auton isn’t surprised at the turn of events pointing to owners like Richard Childress, Steve Turner and Eddie Sharp having faith in future stars.
"A lot of it has got to do with the owners," Auton said. "They’re putting forth all the effort to make these ‘young guns’ look so good. This is unbelievable how they race and take care of their equipment."
Dillon, James Buescher and Justin Lofton count a combined four wins, 12 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes.
"Their talent has to be the one thing you look at," Auton said.
This isn’t the first time that the series has identified NASCAR’s future stars.
"Jack [Roush] was a perfect example. He used the series to find his next best talent and used it for everything – crew chiefs and drivers," Auton said.
Roush’s farm system produced NSCS champion Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Biffle’s current NSCS crew chief Matt Puccia.

Points Leader Peters Gets Help At Red Horse Racing

Veteran Timothy Peters is looking for a bounce-back at Michigan. Collected in a late-race incident at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 4 that virtually erased his sizeable points lead, Peters is facing a pack of challengers. Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Ty Dillon is eight points behind entering the season’s second half. Only 35 points separate Peters and sixth-place Parker Kligerman.
Peters, who finished second a year ago in Michigan behind Kevin Harvick, won’t be alone. He’ll again have two teammates – Todd Bodine and Kligerman, the latter making his debut with Red Horse Racing after 11 races with Brad Keselowski Racing.
Red Horse had fielded three Toyotas during the early season, including the No. 7 now assigned to Kligerman that carried John King to victory at Daytona in February.
Dillon will make his Michigan truck debut; however, he won an ARCA event at the 2.0-mile track a year ago. Justin Lofton, who led the points earlier in the season and now stands fourth, also has an ARCA victory at MIS. James Buescher, in third, finished fourth in last year’s NCWTS race.

Michigan A Cloudy Crystal Ball

Michigan’s races have been just about anybody’s game.
Three series champions – Greg Biffle, Travis Kvapil and Johnny Benson – are former winners.
There have been seven consecutive different winners of the VFW 200, beginning with Dennis Setzer in 2005. Setzer is the only former winner expected to compete.
Front-row starters have won just twice: Biffle in 2000 and Kvapil in 2007, the only Keystone Light Pole winner to reach Victory Lane. Nine of the 12 winners have come from a top-10 start, with Colin Braun the deepest-starting winner (12th in 2009).
Last year’s pole winner, Matt Crafton, led the race’s first 20 laps but failed to finish due to accident. His fast lap of 177.489 mph likely will be eclipsed by most or all qualifiers since Michigan was repaved following last year’s race. Crafton is seeking his 150th top-10 finish in the series.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Kurt Busch will make his first NCWTS appearance in 11 years at the wheel of the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Busch made just one start after his four-win, rookie of the year season, finishing fifth at The Milwaukee Mile in 2001. … A victory this weekend would make Michigan-native Brad Keselowski and his father, Bob Keselowski, the first father and son to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck race. The elder Keselowski won at Richmond in 1997. … Jennifer Jo Cobb bids to become just the second female to start 50 NCWTS races when she competes in Saturday’s race. Kelly Sutton is the all-time leader with 54. … Ford has five Michigan victories but none thus far in 2012. Jason White is the highest ranked among Ford drivers in points (10th) and finished sixth in last year’s VFW 200.

Saturday’s Montreal Race To Have Strong Canadian Presence

Saturday’s Montreal Race To Have Strong Canadian Presence

As the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads north of the border this weekend, the locale isn’t the only aspect of the weekend that will have a Canadian flavor to it. Currently, there are nine drivers from Canada on the entry list vying for a spot in Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Leading the Canadian contingent at Montreal is former winner Ron Fellows, who won in the series’ second trip to the track in 2008. Fellows will be piloting the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.
     Canadian drivers also include Patrick Carpentier (No. 99 Toyota), Louis-Phillipe Dumoulin (No. 08 Ford), Kenny Habul (No. 75 Toyota), Daryl Harr (No. 4 Chevrolet), Dexter Stacey (No. 23 Chevrolet), Alex Tagliani (No. 30 Chevrolet), Jacques Villeneuve (No. 22 Dodge) and Derek White (No. 24 Toyota).
     Fellows (Toronto) also has more experience in the series than the other Canadian drivers. In 13 seasons, he has competed in 23 races, winning four of them. Besides his win at Montreal in 2008, he has also claimed the checkered flag at Watkins Glen three times (1998, 2000 and 2001). 
     Carpentier (Joliette) is the next most experienced driver among the nine with 15 starts. Harr (Alberta) and Villeneuve (St. Jean-sur-Richelieu) are next with 10 and eight starts, respectively. Tagliani (Montreal) has made three series starts and Habul (Etobicoke) two. Dumoulin (Trois-Rivieres) and Stacey (Kahnawake) have both made one series start, while this would be White’s (Kahnawake) first.

Annett Making Run At Championship Title

Michael Annett’s strong second half could propel him into title contention as well as his best career points finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Annett’s best final points standing was last year when he finished ninth on the strength of seven top 10s.
After 21 races in 2012, Annett sits sixth in points standings, 109 points behind first-place Elliott Sadler. He already has eight top-10 finishes.
In the past seven races (beginning at Kentucky on June 29), he has chalked up four top-five and five top-10 finishes. His lowest finish was 11th at New Hampshire and Watkins Glen. His best finish was at Daytona in July, when he placed third. His average finish over that time period is 6.3.
If Annett is to successfully usurp the points lead from Sadler, he would have to continue his stellar performance as of late buoyed by a victory or two. In addition, there are four other drivers he would have to overtake: Justin Allgaier (35 points ahead of Annett), Austin Dillon (80), Sam Hornish Jr. (85) and reigning series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (96).

Bowles Returns To Montreal In Search Of First Top-10 Finish

Last year in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Jason Bowles finished a career-best 13th. Bowles, currently in 13th place in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, has been trying to eclipse that mark ever since.
Over the past 12 races, he has come close by posting seven finishes between 14th and 17th place. This weekend, Bowles will strap in into the No. 81 American Majority Toyota Camry for MacDonald Motorsports.
Through the first 21 races of the NASCAR Nationwide season, Bowles has posted 11 top-20 finishes with his two best finishes at another road course, Road America, and Daytona International Speedway (both 14th-place performances).
MacDonald Motorsports and owner Randy MacDonald, a native of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, made their first NASCAR Nationwide start in 1986 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine, where they finished 26th. This is the first year Bowles has driven for the long-standing team, which has competed in 279 series races under the MacDonald family banner. Prior to this season, Bowles had five starts in the series for three different teams.

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Etc.

Kyle Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. will both pull double-duty this weekend by appearing in the NAPA Auto Part Parts 200 Presented By Dodge at Montreal on Saturday and the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan on Sunday. … Dillon, Timmy Smith, Dexter Stacey and Derek White will all pull double-duty by appearing in both the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series races. … Also, Alex Tagliani will pull double-duty competing in both the NASCAR Nationwide and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series races at Montreal with Starworks Motorsport. He was the runner-up in the NASCAR Nationwide race last year. … Danica Patrick will make her 50th NASCAR National Series start (three in NASCAR Sprint Cup, 46 in NASCAR Nationwide). … Blake Koch will attempt to make his 50th NASCAR Nationwide start this weekend.

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

 

Points Gap Closes At Halfway Mark on the Season

Pocono marked the halfway mark in the 22-race schedule for the truck series, a perfect time for the frontrunners to close in on the championship points battle. Only 35 points separate the top-six drivers with Red Horse Racing’s Timothy Peters leading the field over Ty Dillon, James Buescher, Justin Lofton, Matt Crafton and Parker Kligerman. Peters heads Dillon by eight points. The battle for fifth position between Crafton and Kligerman is the closest for the contenders, with only two points separating them.

Championship Contender Switches Team Mid-Season

After starting his season with Brad Keselowski Racing, Parker Kligerman will begin the second half of the season this weekend at Michigan with a new team, Red Horse Racing. Kligerman joins the stacked driver lineup of Timothy Peters and Todd Bodine. Already a championship contender sitting sixth in points, the 22-year-old will embark on a new venture aiming to capture his first NCTWS championship and first win. In 11 races, Kligerman has collected two top-five and seven top-10 finishes and has completed all but one lap of competition.

Buescher dominating the 1.5-mile program

As the NCWTS heads to Michigan this weekend, all eyes are on James Buescher and his Turner Motorsports team. Buescher is the only driver that has collected more than one NCWTS win this year, with all of his three victories (Kansas, Kentucky, Chicago) coming at a 1.5-mile track. The driver has collected each of those three wins with the same chassis in which he will race this weekend at MIS. On top of three wins, Buescher has earned six top-five and seven top-10 finishes, currently sitting third in the championship point standings only 15 points out of the lead.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES Montreal: History Proves it’s One of the most Exciting Races of the Season In its short, five-year history the NASCAR Nationwide Series stop at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal has become one of the most anticipated and unpredictable races on the schedule. The inaugural event in 2007 had three drivers doing burnouts on the frontstretch after the race with only one taking home the coveted trophy. The following year, Canadian Ron Fellows won the race in historic fashion as NASCAR ran its first points race in the rain. The excitement continued in 2009 with Carl Edwards taking home the victory. The race started in dry conditions, then a switch to rain tires before a finish on a dry track that featured Edwards clearing Marcos Ambrose on the final turn of the last lap. The next year provided an even closer finish with Boris Said edging Max Papis in a photo finish for his second national series win with a margin of victory of just .012 seconds in 2010.In 2011, Marcos Ambrose took home the victory after vowing earlier that year that he would keep returning to Montreal until he won. Who will take home bragging rights in the series last road course race of the season? Buckle up because if the past foreshadows the future we are in for a ride. Bragging Rights on the Line for Canadian Drivers Ron Fellows is back for his third and final NASCAR Nationwide race this season with JR Motorsports to defend his victory at Montreal in 2008. He is the only former winner entered in the Napa 200. However, he will have a full field of fellow Canadian drivers looking to take over bragging rights. Among the Canadian entrants joining Fellows are Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Tagliani. More To Watch: Standings leader Elliott Sadler leads the charge for series regulars followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-13), Sam Hornish Jr. (-24), Austin Dillon (-29) and Justin Allgaier (-74). Stenhouse earned his first top-five finish at a road course last weekend at Watkins Glen. Hornish – who won his first NNS pole last weekend- is the only driver inside the top five in the series standings to score top-five finishes at both Road America and Watkins Glen. Danica Patrick returns to the site of her stock car debut (on a road course) at Montreal. She had a solid run at Road America in June before a late race spin resulted in a 12th-place finish. Double-duty drivers include Hornish and Kyle Busch, still looking to score his NNS first victory in his own equipment for Kyle Busch Motorsports

Quartet Of First-Time Winners Have Youth In Common

Quartet Of First-Time Winners Have Youth In Common

They just keep on coming.
Joey Coulter, last season’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year, went to Victory Lane on Saturday at Pocono Raceway. The Miami Springs, Fla., driver became the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season’s fourth first-time winner. That’s the most first-time winners since 2009.
He joins James Buescher, the series’ only three-time winner, John King and Justin Lofton.
Coulter is just 22 years of age – a number he carries on the door of his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
This has been a banner year in the NCWTS for drivers under the age of 30. Four – Buescher, Coulter, King and Lofton – are the most twenty-somethings to grace Victory Lane since 2004 when five from that age group won races.
Coulter stands seventh in current points, the same place he finished in his rookie season. With the Pocono victory, he’s looking to move forward when the season’s second half begins Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway.
"This feels so amazing. There's no way to describe it," said Coulter, who passed Keystone Light Pole winner Nelson Piquet Jr. on a lap 44 restart. "I've struggled on restarts for a long time and we've put a lot of effort toward making them better and better."
The victory was the first in the series for crew chief Harold Holley, who won the 2000 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship with Jeff Green.

Points Race Tightens Moving To Season’s Second Half

Like an accordion, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings expand and contract.
Timothy Peters enjoyed the music last month in Chicago, exiting with a 35-point championship lead – largest of the season to date.
The tune went decidedly off-key at Pocono where Peters, running in the top five, was collected in a multi-truck accident and finished 22nd. He had finished among the top 10 in nine of 10 previous races with a worst run of 11th.
"The guys will put our truck back together brand new and we'll go get 'em at Michigan," Peters said.
Peters held onto the point lead – but just barely. Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Ty Dillon scored his 10th top-10 finish and stands just eight points back entering the season’s 12th of 22 races.
Eighteen points covers the current top 10 with Buescher and previous standings leader Justin Lofton trailing Peters and Dillon.
Ron Hornaday Jr. remains the only previous series champion ranked among the top 10. Hornaday, with four titles, is eighth, 59 points out of first.

After Rocky Start, Pendulum Swinging In Crafton’s Favor

At one point earlier this season, Matt Crafton looked to be down for the count. Now don’t count him out.
With an average finish of 15.4 through the season’s first five races, Crafton stood 11th in the standings, 56 points behind then-leader Lofton. Posting his fifth consecutive top-five finish – and sixth straight top 10 – Crafton is in fifth. He also cut the points deficit to 33.
Crafton admits the switch to Toyota after ThorSport Racing’s 16 years as a Chevrolet team presented challenges not immediately met. "We had to learn all the things that the Toyota trucks need as opposed to what we were running last year," he said. "We’ve made a lot of progress and we’ve also just seen our luck turn around since we raced in Texas (finishing second)."
The trick, of course, is to keep the momentum – and to start scoring some bonus points.
"We need to focus hard on getting rid of that goose egg we have in the win column this year," said Crafton. "We need the wins in there so we can get the bonus points and we need to lead more laps every race."

NCWTS, Etc.

Brad Keselowski Racing has announced that Parker Kligerman, sixth in points, has been released from its No. 29 RAM. Owner Brad Keselowski will drive the truck in the Aug. 18 VFW 200 at Michigan and announce additional driver assignments at a future date. … There have been seven consecutive different winners at Michigan. … Each manufacturer has won at least twice in Michigan. Chevrolet, Toyota and Ford have a victory in the last three races. RAM last won in 2003.

International Competitors, Former Champs, Open Wheel Stars To Strap In

International Competitors, Former Champs, Open Wheel Stars To Strap In

Seven high-speed turns await the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend, but what is most surprising is Watkins Glen International will see its first different winner since 2001 – guaranteed.
None of the subsequent winners including Kurt Busch, last year’s Glen champion, are entered. To become a first-time Glen winner, however, will require vanquishing Canadian Ron Fellows. The international road-racing star is the only previous winner in the field and will be behind the wheel of the JR Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet.
Fellows has made 11 series starts at Watkins Glen, posting two poles, three wins (1998, ’00, ’01), five top fives and eight top 10s.
Fellows is not the only international competitor this weekend. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Miguel Paludo, from Nova Prata, Brazil, is in the Turner Motorsports No. 30 Chevrolet that won earlier this year at Daytona and Road America. Victor Gonzalez Jr., from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is in the RAB Racing No. 99 Toyota this weekend.
Making his much anticipated return to the series, Carl Edwards (2007) is one of five former series champions entered this weekend. Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Green and Joe Nemechek are the others.
Edwards’ last series start came nearly nine months ago on Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Edwards has made seven series starts at Watkins Glen, posting two top fives including his third-place finish last season. Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne are a few other NSCS competitors scheduled to pull double duty this weekend.
Last but not least, Danica Patrick and Sam Hornish Jr. look to pull from their former open wheel days to make for a successful weekend at The Glen. Hornish finished fifth with Patrick 12th at Road America, the series’ first road course race of the season in June.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Returns To The Road

The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Watkins Glen this Saturday for the second of three road races.
On June 23, Nelson Piquet Jr. won at Road America. The third road race is at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on Aug. 18. The ZIPPO 200 and the next two races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are wild-card races in the championship title hunt and might come down to road-course experience.
Points leader Elliott Sadler has the most experience of the four contenders. He has a combined 31 road-course starts in the top two series with one top-five and nine top-10 finishes. 
Last year, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 15th at Watkins Glen. In six road-course races, he has one top-10 finish. Stenhouse placed 11th at Road America earlier this year. Sam Hornish Jr. finished fifth at Road America in June. In nine starts between the top two series, he has one top-five and one top-10 finish. Austin Dillon, however, has limited experience on road courses. Saturday’s race will only be his second road-course start. In his first road-course race he finished 18th.

Sadler Cushions Points Lead With Strong Outing In Iowa

After securing his fourth win of the season in the U.S. Cellular 250 Presented by Enlist Weed Control System, Sadler extended his lead to 18 points over Richard Childress Racing teammate Dillon. Sadler also became the first points-eligible driver in the three national series to earn four wins in his "home" division.
Sadler came to Iowa Speedway clutching a one-point lead over Dillon after finishing 15th in the inaugural Indiana 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With a strong finish at Watkins Glen in the ZIPPO 200, Sadler can further pad his lead. In three series starts at Watkins Glen, Sadler’s best finish is 10th (2011). He has one top-10 finish in 12 visits to the road course with the premier series. In the first road-course race of the season, Sadler finished 15th.
Luke Lambert, Sadler’s crew chief, is also competing for his first national series championship.
Reigning series champion Stenhouse is currently third in the standings, 21 points behind Sadler. Hornish, who also will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, is 34 points off the lead. 

NNS, Etc.

Milestones Watch: 2007 series champ Edwards is 24 laps led away from 6,000 laps led. He is fourth on the all-time NNS lap led list with 5,976. … Timmy Hill will attempt to make his 50th NNS start this weekend driving for Rick Ware Racing. … Pending Streak: Kyle Busch, 2009 series champ and all-time NNS wins leader, is in the midst of the fourth-longest NNS winless streak of his career (12 starts). But what is most in jeopardy is his eight-year pending streak of at least one NNS victory a season – the longest active wins streak in the series (2004-11).  …  For all the Ron Fellows fans, the Fellows 5 promotion begins this weekend. Five questions related to Fellows will be posed to the fans online. One grand-prize winner will be selected for each race (Watkins Glen and Montreal). More details are at JRMracing.com.

Super Bounce-Back For Points Leader Sadler

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Super Bounce-Back For Points Leader Sadler

Elliott Sadler erased the disappointment of Indianapolis in the best possible way, a victory in Saturday’s U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. Sadler extended his championship lead over Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon to 18 points and became the first points-eligible driver to score four wins in his "home" national series. Sadler finished 10^th a year ago at Watkins Glen International where racing resumes on Saturday. He was 15^th in June’s first road course event at Road America in Wisconsin.

Reigning series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. currently sits in third place 21 points off the lead. Sam Hornish Jr., who will do double-duty at the Glen, is fourth, 34 points behind Sadler.

Road Racing Kicks Into High Gear At The Glen

The Glen represents the second series "wild card" race on road courses. Road America in Wisconsin ran in June with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series "visitor" Nelson Piquet Jr. racing to Victory Lane. The third road race of the season comes Aug. 18 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. How this plays out in the championship remains to be seen. Leader Sadler has the most experience at turning right and left – notably in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as well as in NASCAR Nationwide. Stenhouse logged finishes of eighth, 15^th and 26^th on the three road courses a year ago and was 11^th this year at Road America. Saturday’s event marks just the second road race for points runner up and leading Sunoco Rookie of the year Dillon. Dillon was 18^th at Road America. Fourth-place Hornish posted the top performance among current championship contenders at Road America finishing fifth.

Glen-Master Fellows, Former Series Champs In The Field

Watkins Glen International will see its first different winner since 2001 - guaranteed. None of the subsequent winners including Kurt Busch, last year’s Glen champion, are entered. To become a first-time Glen winner, however, will require vanquishing Canadian Ron Fellows. The international road racing star won three out of four NASCAR Nationwide starts from 1998 to 2001. He also won a pair of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2.45-mile track. Fellows will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

Carl Edwards, the 2007 series champion, will make his first start of the year in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 60 Ford. Other NASCAR Sprint Cup competitors entered are former champions Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard and Joey Logano.

Coulter Becomes First Fourth Time Winner

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Coulter Becomes First Fourth Time Winner

It has been a season of firsts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  Joey Coulter – the 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year - became the fourth different driver to earn his first series victory this season, becoming the ninth different winner in 11 races. He joins John King (Daytona), James Buescher (Kansas), and Justin Lofton (Charlotte) as first time winners in 2012. This is the first time since 2009 that four NCWTS drivers have captured their first victory.

Timothy Peters continues to lead the championship standings heading for the series’ next event Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway. Eighteen points spans positions one through four entering the season’s second half.

Paludo stays busy during open weekend

Miguel Paludo will take his road racing driving talent to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race this weekend while the NCWTS embarks on another an open weekend. He will pilot the wheel of the No. 30 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet, for Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Paludo will make his second start in the series after making his NASCAR Nationwide debut on June 23 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway in the VFW 200. Kevin Harvick is the defending race win

Stenhouse Going for Four at Iowa

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Stenhouse Going for Four at Iowa

The pressure is building for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the NASCAR Nationwide Series returns to Iowa for the second and final time this season. The Mississippi native is going for his fourth consecutive win at the Speedway this Saturday, a victory could give him the leap he needs to regain the series standings lead. As if that were not enough, this could potently be the last time he will compete at the .875-mile track, since he will be moving to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season for Roush Fenway Racing.

Will he be able to seal his NASCAR Nationwide legacy as a four-time Iowa champion? The last driver to win four consecutive races was Kyle Busch at Texas Motor Speedway (2008-09, adding a fifth straight in 2010).

Championship Battle Gets Tighter Between Teammates

Elliott Sadler’s perch at the top of the standings is shrinking. A once-comfortable lead is now just one point ahead of his Sunoco Rookie teammate Austin Dillon. This weekend’s U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway is crucial for Sadler as a finish outside the top five could considerably shake up the points rankings.

Stenhouse sits in third at 13 points behind Dillon and Sam Hornish Jr. hangs in there, 28 points away from first. Dillon won his first NASCAR national series race at the Speedway in 2010 while competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Iowa Homecoming for Annett and Others

Michael Annett is headed home with an extra $100,000 in his pocket. That’s not a bad place to be. The Des Moines native is on a career-best streak and comes back to his home track as the most recent NASCAR Nationwide Series "Dash 4 Cash" $100,000 winner. He’s had three top-five finishes in his last five races—for the first time in his career—and he finished sixth at Indiana 250 last Saturday. Annett won’t be the only driver with state pride this weekend. Joey Gase of Cedar Rapids will run for Go Green Racing and Brett Moffitt of Grimes will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut. Moffitt is currently the standings leader in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

Big Weekend on Tap for Wallace Jr. and Blaney

NASCAR’s future stars are running with the powerhouse teams this weekend in Iowa. Darrell Wallace Jr. – a former member of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program - returns to the series for the first time since his impressive top-10 debut at Iowa Speedway in May. He returns to the seat of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Ryan Blaney will make a pair of debuts: at Iowa Speedway and with Penske Racing. This weekend will be the first of at least three races the North Carolina native will run for the premier organization’s in the No. 22 Dodge.

New Asphalt Among Challenges Of Pocono Raceway

New Asphalt Among Challenges Of Pocono Raceway

When the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hits the asphalt at Pocono Raceway in the Pocono Mountains 125 on Saturday, it will be the third time the series has competed at the 2.5-mile track, but the first time on the newly repaved surface.
The new surface has potential to throw a wrench in the competition and shake up the championship hunt. However, statistics show the hunt for the win could come down to the front runners in the points battle.
Three drivers inside the top-five in the championship standings – Timothy Peters, Justin Lofton and James Buescher – all have top-10 finishes at the famed Tricky Triangle. Peters increased his championship standings lead following Chicagoland to 23 points over Ty Dillon, Lofton, Buescher and Parker Kligerman.
Dillon and Lofton are both former winners at the track in the ARCA series.
ThorSport Racing teammates Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter also are likely to figure in the equation. Crafton, who’s moved from 21st to sixth in points on strength of four straight top-five finishes, finished third at Pocono in 2010. Sauter, winner in Texas in June, took fourth in last year’s Pocono Mountains 125.

Hamlin Ready To End Busch’s Winless Drought

Six top-10 finishes in 10 races would be considered a pretty solid record – unless you’re Kyle Busch Motorsports. For the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ owner champion in its debut season, that’s just on the north side of unsuccessful.
KBM, a 16-time series winner, still looks to crack Victory Lane as the mid-point of the season looms.
Saturday’s race, which will see four-time NSCS Pocono winner Denny Hamlin at the controls of the No. 18 Toyota, may be the icebreaker. Hamlin won at Martinsville last October and was poised to nab a second victory when weather prematurely ended the 2011 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"I really enjoyed driving the No. 18 Tundra for KBM the couple of races I did last year and I’m looking forward to working with Rick [Ren], Eric [Phillips] and all the guys over there again," said Hamlin, who finished ninth in the inaugural Pocono Mountains 125 in 2010. "Pocono is obviously one of my better tracks, so I think that we’ll have a good shot at adding another banner to the rafters at Kyle’s shop."
"Visitors" from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series won both previous truck races at Pocono – Elliott Sadler in 2010 and Kevin Harvick a year ago. Neither is entered in Saturday’s race, although the track’s defending NSCS winner Brad Keselowski will be in the lineup. Keselowski bids to become the 24th driver to win in each of NASCAR’s three national series.

Trucks Readied Dillon For Some Indianapolis Hard Driving

In a word, "awesome" pretty much describes Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Ty Dillon’s NASCAR Nationwide Series performance last weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dillon upstaged just about everyone except race winner Keselowski – and his older brother, 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck champion Austin – in qualifying and finishing third in the NNS debut at the Speedway.
Dillon, 20, was quick to praise his home series for preparing him for a strut on a very big stage.
"I think a lot of the credit is to the truck series. Every time you unload, you’re wide open for the first 20 laps and you have to drive as hard as you can in that series," Dillon said. "Just having that attitude … it sounded like we were really going to have to hustle these Nationwide cars."
Dillon continues to pursue his first truck victory with a best finish of second at Martinsville Speedway. He opened the season with nine consecutive top-10 finishes, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year record. He’s 51 points ahead of Cale Gale in rookie points standings.
He’s the third points-eligible driver to taste success while venturing into one of NASCAR’s other national series. Buescher won the season-opening NNS race at Daytona Beach while Nelson Piquet Jr. was the Nationwide winner in June at Road America.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Todd Bodine is taking his talents off the track this weekend in advance of Saturday’s Pocono Mountains 125. The former series champion will host the Third Annual ‘Onion Slice Open’ on Thursday, Aug. 2. The golf tournament will be held at the Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club. Proceeds from the event will benefit the pediatric patients suffering from traumatic brain injury at Allied Services Rehabilitation in Wilkes Barre, Penn. … Pocono completes the first half of this year’s 22-race campaign. Four of the final 11 races are on tracks visited earlier: Iowa, Kentucky, Martinsville and Texas Motor speedways.

Will Stenhouse Continue Dominance At Iowa Speedway?

Will Stenhouse Continue Dominance At Iowa Speedway?

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. should be excited about returning to Iowa Speedway this weekend. In his last three trips to the Speedway with the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Stenhouse has left victorious.
On May 22, 2011, in only his third trip to the track in the series, Stenhouse led 41 laps and beat Carl Edwards to the finish line by 0.435 seconds. Three months later, he followed up with another victory at Iowa, once again besting Edwards to the checkered flag, after leading 25 laps.
     Earlier this year, in the series’ first visit to Iowa, Stenhouse led 209 of the 250 laps to run away with the victory by 1.465 seconds over Elliott Sadler. He now goes for four wins in a row. Kyle Busch most recently won five consecutive series races at Texas Motor Speedway between 2008 and 2010
A winning performance in Iowa will not only continue Stenhouse’s streak at the track but, more importantly, place him in a better position to make a serious run at his second NASCAR Nationwide title. He also sits in third in the standings, 13 points behind leader Sadler and 12 points behind Austin Dillon.
The U.S. Cellular 250 could be Stenhouse’s last hurrah at the Midwest track as he steps up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to pilot a Roush Fenway Racing Ford next season.

Future Stars Getting Opportunities With Powerhouse Teams

Ryan Blaney, whose mother is from Iowa, Brett Moffitt and Darrell Wallace Jr. will all be behind the wheel of a NASCAR Nationwide Series car this weekend at Iowa Speedway. All three are drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, but have an opportunity to prove their mettle driving for strong NASCAR Nationwide teams.
Blaney will compete for Penske Racing in the U.S. Cellular 250. Racing a partial schedule in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this season, he has made three starts with two top-five finishes and is currently 22nd in the standings. This will be his fifth start in Nationwide with a best finish of seventh at Richmond earlier this year.
Moffitt, who currently sits atop the standings in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, will be piloting a race car for RAB Racing. He has two wins, seven top fives and eight top 10s in nine starts in the regional series. This will be Moffitt’s first NASCAR national series start. 
Wallace returns to Iowa Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR Nationwide team. His trip to Iowa earlier this year where he finished ninth is his only start in the series. He sits in 10th in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings with one win, three top fives and four top 10s in nine starts.

Dash 4 Cash Wraps Up At Iowa

It all comes down to Dillon, Stenhouse, Sam Hornish Jr. and Michael Annett as they make one final attempt to grab an additional $100,000 bonus.
Annett, a Des Moines native, is on a career-best roll as the NASCAR Nationwide Series stops at his home track. In the last five races, Annett has three top-five finishes and a sixth-place performance in last week’s inaugural race at the Brickyard. The Indianapolis finish was good enough to earn him the $100,000 bonus for Round 3 of the Nationwide "Dash 4 Cash."
Dillon also has seen success on the track recently. In his last five races his finishes are first, fourth, third, sixth and fifth. Hornish had a runner-up finish at Indy last week and has posted seven straight top 10s. In the last five races, Stenhouse has posted five top-10 finishes with two runner-up performances.
As in years past, the four drivers will each be paired with a fan for the last leg of the "Dash 4 Cash." In addition to the highest-placing driver receiving a $100,000 bonus, the fan paired with that driver will also win a $100,000 prize.

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Etc.

Kurt Busch will pull double-duty this weekend by appearing in the U.S. Cellular 250 for brother Kyle’s No. 54 team and in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for Phoenix Racing at Pocono Raceway. … Jason Leffler makes his return to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in the No. 30 for Turner Motorsports. … Iowa native Joey Gase of Cedar Rapids will run for Go Green Racing. … Jeremy Clements and Travis Pastrana are both coming off career days at Indianapolis after finishing third and 10th, respectively.