Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Angie Campbell

  • A Conversation with Jeremy Clements

    A Conversation with Jeremy Clements

    I spent a few minutes with Jeremy Clements Friday afternoon before the Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway. Arriving a few minutes early, I sat down to wait and noticed the crew working on his No. 51 Chevrolet in the garage. I was not surprised when one of the crew members turned out to be Jeremy.

    When you drive for a family owned team, everyone has to do their part. Each week is a struggle. Winnings are usually poured right back into the car in a never ending battle to keep the car on the track every week.

    Jeremy scored a ninth place finish at Talladega Superspeedway last Saturday, earning his first top-10 this season. It was a tremendous result for a team that prides itself on achieving the most with limited resources.

    “It’s been a rough year,” he told me. “We’ve had motors fail and parts failures. We’ve been involved in wrecks where we got wrecked by another driver so it was good to go to Talladega and get a top ten. It made us remember how good it feels to get a good finish. It was an energy boost. It revitalized us.”

    We continued the interview, talking about everything from racing to music to pets and more.

    Do you prefer old school or new school racing?

    “I’m a dirt track driver. I come from the dirt late model world. I like the short tracks like Bristol and Richmond. I love Darlington so I’d say old school for sure.”

    Are you a cat person or dog person?

    “Definitely dogs; I’ve always had a dog. I have a cocker spaniel named Abbey right now. She’s nine years old.”

    Do you listen to country music or rock and roll?

    “Rock and roll; I’m not a country man at all, don’t really like it. I’m a hard rock guy. I like Evans Blue, Three Days Grace, Pop Evil, stuff like that.”

    Would you rather go hunting or fishing?

    “I’m not into hunting and I haven’t fished in years. I don’t have one particular hobby. I like all kinds of things. I like movies and I like playing sports. I’m pretty good at basketball; anything active. I love going to the lake and getting on the tube and the Jet Ski. I love going to amusement parks and riding roller coasters.”

    Would you rather go to the beach or to the mountains?

    “I like both. I went to the mountains this past year in October and then went on a cruise in January. We went to the beaches at some of the islands we stopped at. I love them both.”

    I couldn’t believe he didn’t have a preference so he finally went with “beach in the summertime and mountains in winter.”

    Do you prefer football, basketball or baseball?

    “I keep up with football and basketball more than I do baseball but I love going to a baseball game. I’ve been to see the Cardinals, in St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves. I love going to baseball games lives but don’t really like watching it on TV. I keep up with football, mostly professional. But being from South Carolina I keep up with Clemson and the Gamecocks but I’m more of a Tigers fan.”

    My last question brought us back to racing.

    What has been the proudest moment of your career?

    “I look back to when I raced ARCA and we won at Nashville and absolutely dominated the race. We beat a lot of top notch teams like Ganassi and Roush. That was really fulfilling for me. There were only four guys on the crew that weekend, including myself, and knowing what we did it with, which was barely nothing; it was cool.”

    Be sure to like the Jeremy Clements Racing Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @JCR_Clements51 for a chance to win the ‘Fan of the Week’ contest.  The winner will have their name displayed on his car in the next race. The contest alternates each week between Facebook and Twitter.

  • A Jeff Gordon story – Sometimes the little things mean the most

    A Jeff Gordon story – Sometimes the little things mean the most

    A few times a year, I’m privileged to be able to go to a NASCAR race as part of the media. It’s a unique experience that allows me to be a small part of something that has an enormous impact on so many.  What may surprise you is that it is often the little things that make it a special experience.

    One of the most enjoyable aspects is the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. During several conversations with one of the women who helped prepare our food at the media center, she talked about being a lifelong NASCAR fan and proudly told me, “I’m a huge Dale Jr. fan but my Dad likes Kasey Kahne. Can you believe that?” The look on her face was priceless.

    The young man who stood watch at the door to the media center told me how he begged a friend to switch assignments with him so that he could work the race at Darlington.

    My favorite moment was shared with a photographer at Darlington Raceway who has been working the NASCAR circuit for over 30 years. I was surprised to hear he drove all the way from Canada to cover the Darlington race. He was accompanied by his daughter.

    He began talking about how it was in the “old days’’ when drivers like David Pearson and Richard Petty would spend hours signing autographs for their fans. “I don’t know why,” he said “but they had such an appreciation for the fans, especially the kids. You don’t see that much anymore.”

    But then he related a story about his daughter. She has been his constant companion since she was old enough to travel with him. “She grew up in NASCAR,” he told me.

    When his daughter was a small girl, she had a Jeff Gordon Pepsi trading card and desperately wanted it autographed. When the opportunity arose, they approached Gordon who was surrounded by fans. It was beginning to rain but they were determined to wait. When Gordon saw the girl, he politely told the rest of the crowd; “children first.”

    “Gordon took the card from her, placed it face down on his pants leg, covered it with his hand so it wouldn’t get wet, and told us to follow him to his hauler. He signed the card and spent several minutes talking with my daughter and me.”

    The photographer’s eyes were glistening as he looked at me and said, “Signing autographs, that’s business. But this, (he pantomimed covering up the card on his leg), this was from the heart.”

    You never know who you will meet at a NASCAR race. It could be a famous driver, a celebrity, or just the guy next door. But, one thing is certain; you’ll come home with some stories to tell.

  • Matt Kenseth Wins at Darlington Raceway and Captures his Third Victory of 2013

    Matt Kenseth Wins at Darlington Raceway and Captures his Third Victory of 2013

    Matt Kenseth won the 64th annual Bojangles’ Southern 500, taking the lead from Kyle Busch in the final moments of the event. It is his 27th victory in 483 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and his third win this season. This is his first Sprint Cup win in 20 races at Darlington Raceway and one of special significance.

    Kenseth radioed his crew after crossing the finish line and told them, “This is a dream come true.”

    When asked to describe how he felt about winning at Darlington Raceway, he said, “I don’t know that I’ve had a win that feels bigger than this at this moment. This is just obviously a really historic racetrack. The Southern 500 is one of the most storied and historic races that there is anywhere. It’s pretty cool to be able to stand in victory lane in this place on the same spot where a lot of great drivers have stood. It’s a pretty neat race to win, for sure.”

    Kyle Busch had the most dominant car during the race, leading a total of 265 laps. But late in the race, his car began fading. With only 13 laps to go, Kenseth swept past Busch for the lead and cruised to victory lane. Busch finished in sixth place.

    Denny Hamlin finished second in his first full race since his back injury in March, scoring his second top-10 finish this season.

    Jeff Gordon finished third in his 700th consecutive start.  This was his 300th top-five finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He is only the fourth driver to accomplish this and joins an elite club which includes David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Richard Petty.

    Jimmie Johnson finished fourth increasing his lead in the standings to 44 points. Kevin Harvick placed in the fifth position.

    Johnson leads the point standings followed by Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Bojangles’ Southern 500, Darlington
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/race.php?race=11
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 7 20 Matt Kenseth Toyota 47
    2 6 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 42
    3 8 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 42
    4 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 40
    5 10 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 39
    6 3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 40
    7 17 99 Carl Edwards Ford 37
    8 12 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 36
    9 16 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 35
    10 21 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 34
    11 13 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 33
    12 5 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 32
    13 9 16 Greg Biffle Ford 31
    14 1 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 31
    15 20 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 29
    16 25 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 28
    17 4 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 27
    18 14 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Ford 26
    19 15 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 25
    20 18 43 Aric Almirola Ford 24
    21 11 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 23
    22 30 22 Joey Logano Ford 22
    23 28 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 21
    24 27 51 Regan Smith(i) Chevrolet 0
    25 22 55 Mark Martin Toyota 19
    26 23 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 18
    27 37 7 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 17
    28 40 10 Danica Patrick # Chevrolet 16
    29 29 38 David Gilliland Ford 15
    30 32 33 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 14
    31 43 87 Joe Nemechek(i) Toyota 0
    32 26 2 Brad Keselowski Ford 12
    33 41 32 Timmy Hill # Ford 11
    34 24 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 10
    35 42 36 JJ Yeley Chevrolet 9
    36 33 83 David Reutimann Toyota 8
    37 19 13 Casey Mears Ford 7
    38 34 35 Josh Wise(i) Ford 0
    39 31 34 David Ragan Ford 5
    40 39 30 David Stremme Toyota 4
    41 36 95 Scott Speed Ford 3
    42 35 98 Michael McDowell Ford 2
    43 38 19 Mike Bliss(i) Toyota 0
  • Denny Hamlin is back Full-time for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

    Denny Hamlin is back Full-time for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

    Denny Hamlin is scheduled to return to racing full time Saturday evening at Darlington Raceway. He has no backup plan for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 and is determined to run the entire race.

    Hamlin has not competed in a full race since March 24th when he suffered a compression fracture in his lower back. He has missed four races and drove only 23 laps last week at Talladega. Hamlin is currently 31st in the Sprint Cup point standings.

    “I don’t think there’s any doubt we’ll go the whole way,” Hamlin said. “I stayed in the car for about an hour and a half straight with no issues during practice. Nothing was uncomfortable, nothing hurt or nothing was sore, so I’m pretty comfortable I can make it the three or three and a half hours that it’s going to take to run the race.”

    He has no illusions about the difficulties he will face in his first full race since March.

    “It will be a challenge,” Hamlin admitted, “because this is one of the toughest, physically challenging races that we have; not only by distance but the amount of mental focus that you have to have during this race is tough. You’re running right next to the wall and the margin for error is zero.”

    Hamlin also believes that with a couple of wins and a little luck that that he can get into the top-20 before the Chase begins.

    “There’s nothing that wins can’t fix,” he insists. “That’s the bottom line. If we put ourselves in position and win a race here and there, more than likely if we win a couple of races then we’re going to be top-20 in points, I would think.”

    Hamlin continued, “You’ve got to have things go your way; that’s the bottom line to it. A lot of this sport is based on luck and we’re going to need some.”

    Hamlin has already made a good start with a strong qualifying lap and will begin the race in the sixth position. NASCAR pre-race coverage starts at 6 p.m. on Fox. The green flag for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is scheduled to drop at approximately 7 p.m.

  • Busch Dominates at Darlington Claiming his Fifth Win of the Season

    Busch Dominates at Darlington Claiming his Fifth Win of the Season

    Kyle Busch won the 31st annual VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 in dominant fashion. It was his fifth win out of 9 races run this season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). He started on the pole and led 107 of the 147 laps. There have been 13 NNS races won from the pole at Darlington Raceway. Busch was the last driver to do so in May 2011.

    This was Busch’s 56th victory in 252 NNS races and his 112th win across the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series combined.

    After the final caution of the evening, Logano led the field to green with Austin Dillon in second and Busch in third. Busch quickly passed Dillon and on lap 129 sailed past Logano to take the lead.

    “It starts with having a really good race car,” Busch said. “We unloaded really well and were fast off the truck.”

    All the Joe Gibbs Racing entries were strong, placing in four of the top five spots. Elliott Sadler finished second, earning his fourth top-10 finish in 10 races at Darlington Raceway and his fifth top-10 finish this season.

    Brian Vickers, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five in the finishing order. It was the fifth top-10 finish in nine races at Darlington Raceway for Vickers. Kenseth led the second most laps with 27 and Logano led the third most with 8.

    The top finishing rookie of the race was Kyle Larson. The sixth place finish brings his total of top-10s this season to four.

    Regan Smith, who finished seventh, is the points leader by 28 points over Sam Hornish Jr. Sadler, in third place, trails the leader by 42 points. Justin Allgaier and Vickers are fourth and fifth in the standings.

    Unofficial Race Results
    VFW 200, Darlington Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=9
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 1 54 Kyle Busch(i) Toyota 0
    2 2 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 42
    3 4 20 Brian Vickers Toyota 41
    4 14 22 Joey Logano(i) Ford 0
    5 3 18 Matt Kenseth(i) Toyota 0
    6 7 32 Kyle Larson # Chevrolet 38
    7 11 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 37
    8 9 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 36
    9 6 5 Kasey Kahne(i) Chevrolet 0
    10 5 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 34
    11 8 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 33
    12 18 16 Chris Buescher Ford 32
    13 15 33 Ty Dillon(i) Chevrolet 0
    14 26 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 30
    15 12 77 Parker Kligerman Toyota 29
    16 21 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. # Chevrolet 28
    17 13 99 Alex Bowman # Toyota 27
    18 16 43 Reed Sorenson Ford 26
    19 19 19 Mike Bliss Toyota 25
    20 27 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 25
    21 22 40 Josh Wise Chevrolet 23
    22 24 0 Blake Koch Toyota 22
    23 20 4 Landon Cassill(i) Chevrolet 0
    24 28 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 20
    25 25 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 19
    26 37 14 Eric McClure Toyota 18
    27 38 74 Danny Efland Chevrolet 17
    28 17 60 Travis Pastrana Ford 16
    29 34 44 Hal Martin # Toyota 16
    30 30 92 Dexter Stacey # Ford 14
    31 35 23 Harrison Rhodes(i) Ford 0
    32 10 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 12
    33 39 70 Tony Raines Toyota 12
    34 33 79 Kyle Fowler Ford 10
    35 40 52 Kevin Lepage Toyota 9
    36 36 24 Bryan Silas(i) Toyota 0
    37 31 10 Jeff Green Toyota 7
    38 23 42 JJ Yeley(i) Chevrolet 0
    39 32 46 Chase Miller Chevrolet 5
    40 29 17 Tanner Berryhill Toyota 4
  • Kurt Busch Wins the Pole for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 and Sets a Track Record at Darlington Raceway

    Kurt Busch Wins the Pole for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 and Sets a Track Record at Darlington Raceway

    Kurt Busch won the Coors Light Pole Award with a qualifying lap of 181.918 mph. His time set the track record previously held by Kasey Kahne in 2011 with a lap speed of 181.254. It is his 16th pole in 446 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

    This is Busch’s second pole in 17 years at Darlington Raceway. In September 2001 he won the pole and became the youngest pole winner at the legendary track. He was 23 years and 29 days old at the time.

    Jimmie Johnson qualified second giving him his seventh top-10 start in 2013. In 15 races at Darlington Raceway, Johnson has scored eight top-10 starts. That number includes his 2012 win which gave Hendrick Motorsports its 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup victory.

    Kyle Busch will begin the race from the third position. This is Busch’s fourth top-10 start at Darlington Raceway and his eighth top-10 start this season.

    Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. will start the race in positions four and five, respectively. Denny Hamlin qualified in sixth place and will compete in his first full race since March.

    Please visit nascar.com for the complete starting line-up. http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/standings/results/2013/bojangles-southern-500.html

    NASCAR pre-race action starts at 6 p.m. on Fox for the 64th annual Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Saturday, May 11th. The green flag is scheduled to drop at approximately 7 p.m. The drivers will once again race under the lights for 501.3 miles (367 laps) to determine who will tame the ‘Lady in Black.’

  • Kyle Busch Captures Nationwide Series Pole Award at Darlington Raceway

    Kyle Busch Captures Nationwide Series Pole Award at Darlington Raceway

    Kyle Busch won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 31st annual VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200 Friday afternoon with a speed of 172.584 mph.

    This marks Busch’s 29th pole in 262 NASCAR Nationwide Series races and his second pole in nine races at Darlington Raceway. It is his third pole and sixth top-10 start this season. Busch has a total of 52 poles between all three of the NASCAR touring series.

    Elliott Sadler will start in second place making this his sixth top-10 start of 2013. It is his eighth top-10 start in 10 races at Darlington Raceway.

    Matt Kenseth will begin the race in the third position. This is Kenseth’s tenth top-10 start at the track. Brian Vickers and Justin Allgaier will start the race in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

    Kyle Larson was the fastest qualifying rookie and will begin the race in the seventh position.

    Please visit nascar.com for the complete starting line-up.

    http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/standings/results/2013/vfw-sport-clips-help-a-hero-200.html

    Tune in to ESPN2 for coverage of tonight’s race, beginning at 7 p.m. The green flag is set to drop at approximately 7:45 p.m. for 200.8 miles (147 laps) under the lights at historic Darlington Raceway.

  • Kyle Larson Wins in a Dash to the Finish at Rockingham Speedway

    Kyle Larson Wins in a Dash to the Finish at Rockingham Speedway

    Kyle Larson held off a hard charging Joey Logano to capture the win at the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock Sunday afternoon. This was his first NASCAR national series win in five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts and his first top-ten finish in 2013. Larson currently drives full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

    Larson was dominant all afternoon, leading 187 laps, but the biggest threat came in the last 25 laps of the race.

    Logano had dropped to 18th after he had to pit under green to fix loose lug nuts. But a caution on lap 180 gave Logano the lucky break he needed to make a final pit stop and put on four fresh tires. He methodically made his way to the front and was in second place when the last caution fell.

    “I was passing a ton of cars on the newer tires,” Logano said. “That’s Rockingham for you. That’s what makes this race track so cool, because you can play a strategy like that. When we got the last caution, I thought it was playing out perfect for us.”

    Larson was apprehensive, but determined.

    “I was pretty nervous on that last restart because Joey was on a lot newer tires than me, and I’m not normally the best on restarts.”

    It was the veteran Logano, however, who made the mistake on the green-white-checkered start.

    “I just got beat. I spun my tires, so it was all my fault. I was so mad at myself. I felt like we should have won this race. We might not have had the truck to win, but we had the strategy to win.”

    Larson was all smiles after the race.

    “It was a great day,” he said. “We didn’t make any changes to the truck; it was perfect from the start. It was a lot of fun today.”

    Joey Logano finished in second place. Brendan Gaughan, Johnny Sauter and Chase Elliot rounded out the top five.

    Johnny Sauter remains the unofficial points leader. Jeb Burton is 16 points behind in second place. Matt Crafton is third followed by Ron Hornaday Jr. in fourth and Ryan Blaney in fifth.

    Hornaday met with NASCAR after the race and may face further sanctions for wrecking Darrell Wallace Jr. under caution during the final laps of the race.

    Wallace finished a disappointing 27th.  Hornaday was penalized at the time of the incident for aggressive driving and sent to the rear of the field. He finished the race in 15th place.

    Unofficial Race Results
    N.C. Edu. Lottery 200 at The Rock
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=3
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 3 30 Kyle Larson(i) Chevrolet 0
    2 7 19 Joey Logano(i) Ford 0
    3 9 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 41
    4 11 98 Johnny Sauter Toyota 41
    5 4 94 Chase Elliott Chevrolet 39
    6 5 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 38
    7 1 4 Jeb Burton # Chevrolet 37
    8 6 29 Ryan Blaney # Ford 36
    9 36 51 Erik Jones # Toyota 35
    10 18 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 34
    11 26 7 John Wes Townley Toyota 33
    12 14 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 32
    13 17 18 Joey Coulter Toyota 31
    14 2 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 31
    15 16 9 Ron Hornaday Jr. Chevrolet 29
    16 15 8 Max Gresham Chevrolet 28
    17 8 60 Dakoda Armstrong Chevrolet 27
    18 30 5 Tim George Jr. Ford 26
    19 23 77 German Quiroga # Toyota 25
    20 25 81 David Starr Toyota 24
    21 24 14 Brennan Newberry # Chevrolet 23
    22 12 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 22
    23 31 99 Bryan Silas Ford 21
    24 22 6 Tyler Young Chevrolet 20
    25 28 92 Clay Rogers Chevrolet 19
    26 20 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 18
    27 10 54 Darrell Wallace Jr. # Toyota 17
    28 32 7 Johnny Chapman Chevrolet 16
    29 21 75 Caleb Holman Chevrolet 15
    30 13 52 Tyler Reddick Toyota 14
    31 34 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb 13
    32 19 13 Todd Bodine Toyota 12
    33 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 11
    34 29 93 Chris Jones Chevrolet 10
    35 27 27 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 9
    36 33 84 Mike Harmon(i) Ford 0
  • Jeb Burton Wins the Pole and Sets New Track Record at Rockingham Speedway

    Jeb Burton Wins the Pole and Sets New Track Record at Rockingham Speedway

    Jeb Burton continues the momentum at Rockingham Speedway by winning the Keystone 21 Means 21 Pole Award in today’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. This is his second consecutive pole and also set a new track record with a speed of 146.909 mph in the No. 4 Arrowhead Chevrolet.

    This is the same truck that Kasey Kahne drove to victory last year in the inaugural North Carolina Education Lottery 200.

    James Buescher will start on the outside pole.  Last spring, he finished the race in second place and is hoping to capture his fifth win today.

    Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton complete the top five in the starting lineup.

    Today’s race will be Crafton’s 297th consecutive start and will replace a record previously held by Terry Cook.

    Ryan Blaney will begin the race from the sixth position, followed by Joey Logano in seventh place. Dakoda Armstrong, Brendan Gaughan and Darrell Wallace Jr. will round out the top ten starting positions.

    The green flag will wave at 2:18 p.m. for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock when track president, Andy Hillenburg, gives the command, “Drivers, start your engines.”

    Starting Lineup
    N.C. Edu. Lottery 200 at The Rock
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/qual.php?race=3
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 4 Jeb Burton # Chevrolet 146.909 24.505
    2 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 146.58 24.56
    3 30 Kyle Larson(i) Chevrolet 146.336 24.601
    4 94 Chase Elliott Chevrolet 146.068 24.646
    5 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 145.408 24.758
    6 29 Ryan Blaney # Ford 145.191 24.795
    7 19 Joey Logano(i) Ford 145.033 24.822
    8 60 Dakoda Armstrong Chevrolet 144.66 24.886
    9 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 144.549 24.905
    10 54 Darrell Wallace Jr. # Toyota 144.532 24.908
    11 98 Johnny Sauter Toyota 144.3 24.948
    12 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 144.092 24.984
    13 52 Tyler Reddick Toyota 144.017 24.997
    14 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 144 25
    15 8 Max Gresham Chevrolet 143.908 25.016
    16 9 Ron Hornaday Jr. Chevrolet 143.644 25.062
    17 18 Joey Coulter Toyota 143.586 25.072
    18 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 143.581 25.073
    19 13 Todd Bodine Toyota 143.558 25.077
    20 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 143.524 25.083
    21 75 Caleb Holman Chevrolet 143.403 25.104
    22 6 Tyler Young Chevrolet 143.341 25.115
    23 77 German Quiroga # Toyota 143.329 25.117
    24 14 Brennan Newberry # Chevrolet 143.289 25.124
    25 81 David Starr Toyota 143.215 25.137
    26 7 John Wes Townley Toyota 142.823 25.206
    27 27 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 142.733 25.222
    28 92 Clay Rogers Chevrolet 142.495 25.264
    29 93 Chris Jones Chevrolet 142.445 25.273
    30 5 Tim George Jr. Ford 141.939 25.363
    31 99 Bryan Silas Ford 141.66 25.413
    32 7 Johnny Chapman Chevrolet 140.603 25.604
    33 84 Mike Harmon(i) Ford 134.665 Owner Points
    34 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb 133.924 Owner Points
    35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 130.336 Owner Points
    36 51 Erik Jones # Toyota 141.465 25.448
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice at Rockingham Speedway

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice at Rockingham Speedway

    Kyle Larson led the first practice session for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Rockingham Speedway with a top speed of 144.31. Ryan Blaney was a close second at 144.127. Ty Dillon, Timothy Peters and Ron Hornaday Jr. completed the top five.

    Larson will have to qualify his No. 30 Chevrolet on time tomorrow. Hornaday Jr. will also have to qualify on time in the No. 9 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet.

    Joey Coulter, Max Gresham, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter and Jeb Burton rounded out the top ten.

    Final practice was led by Chase Elliott. David Starr had the second best time followed by points leader Johnny Sauter in third place. Ryan Blaney and Matt Crafton were fourth and fifth respectively. Darrell Wallace Jr. was sixth in the afternoon session. Erik Jones, Jeb Burton, Kyle Larson and Todd Bodine completed practice in positions seven through ten.

    Sauter, who won the first two races of the season, will be going for a record three consecutive victories.

    “This is a great way to start the year off with two in a row and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Sauter.

    Burton claimed his first pole last week in Martinsville and captured a career best third place finish. He’s hoping to keep the momentum going with another single digit finish at The Rock.

    Qualifying will be held Sunday at 11:05 a.m. followed by the ‘North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock.’  Track president Andy Hillenburg will give the command, “Drivers, start your engines,” at 2:10 p.m. The green flag is set to drop at 2:18 p.m.