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Author: Briar Starr

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Darlington

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Darlington

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series visited Darlington Raceway Saturday afternoon on Labor Day weekend for race No. 23 of the 2020 Xfinity Series season. 

    All eyes were on Ross Chastain and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing entry, after the incident the week before at Daytona when he made contact with his teammate A.J. Allmendinger in the final turn of the final lap.

    It was almost a repeat story at Darlington but this time it was just hard racing and two veterans going for the victory. Inside 20 laps to go, Denny Hamlin, who makes one Xfinity Series start a year, and Chastain, were racing each other for the top spot. Both drivers were beating and banging off one another, and not one letting the other get ahead. It seemed as though no one could contend with these two with no other driver in sight. 

    However, Hamlin and Chastain made contact with each other with about two laps to go. Due to the contact, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones was able to go right on by and pick up his third victory of the season. When the battle was said and done, Chastain held on to finish second, while Hamlin limped his damaged No. 54 Sports Clips machine home to a sixth-place finish. 

    With the thrilling battle over in what was quite possibly the best Xfinity Series race to date, there are now three races left before the Playoffs start. And with three races left, many had a solid outing at Darlington and hope to carry that momentum to the Richmond doubleheader this weekend. 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Sports Clips Haircuts 200 at Darlington Raceway. 

    1. Ryan Sieg – Sieg avoided what could have been a disastrous day at Darlington. It started early on Lap 3 when the Georgia native got involved in an accident on the backstretch after trying to avoid it. But he had nowhere to go and received some damage to the No. 39 RSS Racing Chevy. Despite the incident, Sieg worked the entire race to put his team back in position for a top-five finish. However, when Hamlin and Chastain were battling with each other, Sieg, at one point, was in the third position. Had both of those drivers wrecked, Sieg could have capitalized and brought home his second career win. Sieg remained in the third position and gained his fourth top-five of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    2. Chase Briscoe – Looking for his seventh win of the year and that magic goal of eight wins this season, the Indiana native would, unfortunately, spin while leading the race. Up until that point, Briscoe had led most of the laps with 55, and placed fourth and third respectively in both stages. Even with the help of the late-race caution, Briscoe narrowly missed out on the top 10 by finishing 11th. Still, it was a disappointing finish after what could have been another victory for the No. 98 camp.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    3. Harrison Burton – It was a sixth-place finish for Burton after earning a Stage 2 finish of fifth. Burton was quiet for most of the day but was in contention for the win if a late-race caution had occurred. The late-race caution did fly with 21 to go, but Burton was still mired in mid-pack. Nonetheless, Burton continued his strong 2020 season by picking up his 16th top-10 of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    4. Brandon Jones – It only took two laps for Brandon Jones to get the victory in Saturday’s race. But before taking the lead after the Hamlin/Chastain battle, Jones had a consistent race throughout the 147- lap event. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver placed sixth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. The victory marked Jones’s third of the season and his first since Kansas in July. The 2020 season has been up and down for Jones, who has three wins, eight top five’s and 12 top-10 finishes, along with five DNFs. If Jones can keep the top five and 10 finishes going, and of course the victories, he’ll be an easy pick for the Xfinity Series championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Ross Chastain – Chastain had the race in his hands inside not only 20 laps to go, but also five to go. However, a hard-charging Denny Hamlin kept Chastain from stretching out the lead and running away with the victory. Unfortunately, after leading 43 laps, Chastain once again came one spot short of gaining his first victory of the season and ending his one-year plus winless streak in the Xfinity Series. His last victory was in July at Daytona last year. With the help of finishing second in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2, Chastain has now clinched a spot in the 2020 Xfinity Series Playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked 

    Fell Out 

    1. Riley Herbst – Herbst placed in the fourth position and overall had a quiet day without making too much noise, which sometimes is a good thing. He is still winless through 23 races and will need a win in the regular season or a win in the Playoffs if Herbst wants to be a threat for the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Austin Cindric – It has been a whirlwind of a week for Austin Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske entry and it all started on social media. Twitter began to light up Wednesday night when race fans quickly assumed Cindric was out of a ride after what looked like his merchandise was pulled from every website, including the NASCAR.com website. Though Cindric posted a video the day after and cleared the air. He let everyone know that he is still racing with Penske through the end of the year and that they were only temporarily sold out of merchandise. Switching to the race, Cindric disappointingly finished 12th after being strong early in the stages, where he finished third and seventh, respectively.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Justin Haley – One week after his Daytona victory, Justin Haley was looking forward to carrying that race winning momentum to Darlington on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for Haley, his race was pretty much forgettable after he made slight contact with Justin Allgaier off Turn 4, which gave Haley right-front damage on his No. 11 Chevrolet. Ultimately, the damage ruined a good race car and the Indiana native could only manage a 13th place result after leading seven laps. In addition, Haley did not earn any stage points for his efforts. Certainly, a forgettable Darlington outing following his big Daytona victory just a week ago.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth 
  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Ranking – Darlington

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Ranking – Darlington

    The last time the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited Darlington Raceway was 2011, nine-years ago. And the last driver to win the Truck race prior to Sunday was former Cup Series star Kasey Kahne, who piloted the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota to victory lane that day. 

    Fast forward to nine years later and the Truck Series returned to Darlington amid the COVID-19 pandemic and state restrictions. The Darlington event was supposed to be the annual Canadian Tire Motorsports Park race. But, with strict travel restrictions to other countries or continents, NASCAR decided to return to Darlington to replace the CTMP event. 

    Speaking of returns, Ben Rhodes returned to victory lane this past Sunday after taking advantage of an overtime restart and fending off rookie Derek Kraus to snap a winless drought. The victory marked the first time in two years since Kentucky where Rhodes collected a race-winning checkered flag. 

    While some fans may look at the victory as a fluke due to race leaders Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt electing to come to pit road prior to the final restart, Rhodes had a consistent day in his No. 99 Tenda Ford F-150.  

    We’ll take a look at Rhodes’s day and others in this week’s Power Rankings following the Truck Series race at Darlington. 

    1. Ben Rhodes – The victory was finally a weight lifted off of Rhodes shoulders, who has had an up and down season through the mid portions of the schedule. Leading up to Sunday’s victory, Rhodes had six top fives and 10 top 10s. By scoring the victory, he upped his average finish to a solid 9.1 and has a spot in the Playoffs. In both stages, Rhodes finished fourth before leading four laps en route to victory. If Rhodes can continue this momentum throughout the Playoffs, he easily could be a dark horse or championship favorite.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Sheldon Creed – It was what could have been for Creed had he not elected to come down pit road for fresh tires. Though the No. 2 team really didn’t have any choice as his tires were eaten up, and the team elected to pit. Once Creed was mired in the back of the field, the spots he lost prior to the restart were too much to make up in a short amount of time. While finishing 18th may not look like a great outing, the Californian dominated the majority of the race by leading 82 laps and winning Stage 2. Had it not been for pitting with two to go, or for the late yellow, Creed easily could have ended up in victory lane.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Brett Moffitt – Like Creed, Moffitt had a great shot of challenging his teammate for the win late or finishing in the runner up spot, if the caution hadn’t come out late in the race. Unlike Creed, Moffitt was one of the few that could rebound in just two laps to a 10th place finish, earning him his 10th top 10 of the season. Excluding the finish, Moffitt won Stage 1 and placed second in Stage 2. In addition, the Iowa native led 63 laps.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    4. Austin Hill – It was a good day for Austin Hill, all things considered, after finishing in the third position. The Georgian was runner up in Stage 1 and wound up third in Stage 2. There were a few moments throughout the race when Hill contended for the victory but ultimately, third place was all Hill could do in his No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota. The top-five finish was his eighth of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    5. Todd Gilliland – From first to seventh in a week for Todd Gilliland, who finished seventh after 152 laps in an overtime finish. He didn’t score any points during Stage 1 but the Front Row Motorsports driver did gain points in Stage 2 by finishing ninth. Gilliland currently sits 10th in the last playoff spot. If he has a good race on Thursday and a new driver does not win a race, Gilliland would be a part of the 2020 Truck Series Playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking – First 
  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Race at Darlington

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Race at Darlington

    Darlington Raceway marked race No. 15 of the 2020 Truck Series season. The race certainly had some storylines, both going into and coming out of the event. 

    It looked as though GMS Racing was once again going to dominate with drivers Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt. But a late yellow and a pit stop took these two drivers out of contention for the win. After that, Ben Rhodes found an opportunity after staying out to assume the race lead. Eventually, the Kentucky native brought home the No. 99 Ford to victory lane, giving ThorSport Racing their second win of the year. 

    While Rhodes enjoyed victory lane once again after a two-year drought. There was somewhat of a Roush reunion with drivers Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan all returning to the cockpit for their one-off start. Biffle finished the highest of the bunch with a 19th place effort. 

    However, there were some other interesting stories that you may have missed. We’ll analyze them in this week’s Four Takeaways following the Truck Series race at Darlington. 

    1. Matt Noyce Gains First Win – After 49 starts in the Truck Series, crew chief Matt Noyce finally picked himself up a victory with assistance from Rhodes. The first time Noyce and Rhodes worked with each other was at Daytona last year. Since then, the duo has enjoyed some success, scoring solid finishes. Their first second-place finish together came at Martinsville last year. Before Sunday afternoon, the duo had three second-place finishes. Now that Rhodes has a win in the bank and is locked in the Playoffs, we will have to see if the driver and crew chief combination can continue to work well together and advance through the rounds.
    2. Kyle Busch Motorsports Sees Successful Day – Both Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers. Christian Eckes and Raphael Lessard, had quiet outings finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the running order. At times, it looked as though the Canadian Lessard was going to have a chance to win and potentially finish ahead of his teammate Eckes. He ran as high as third in some portions of the race but after the checkers flew, it was Eckes who placed one spot higher than Lessard after the 152-lap event. Nonetheless, it was a good outing for the KBM team, especially for Eckes, as he was able to clinch a playoff spot due to his result on Sunday.
    3. Timmy Hill Scores Top 10 Finish – Timmy Hill, in his dad’s inspired throwback No. 56 machine, enjoyed his third career top-10 outing following the Darlington race. It’s rare these days to see a small team finish inside the top 10 while competing against the larger teams. But Hill continues to work hard with limited resources and brought home a ninth-place finish after leading two laps. The top 10 result marked his first since Martinsville of last year, where he finished fifth. His other top 10 finish came seven years ago at Talladega, where Hill claimed sixth place.
    4. Johnny Sauter in a Must-Win Situation – The Darlington return for veteran Johnny Sauter wasn’t one to remember. Engines woes made it a forgettable race for the Wisconsin native as he was unable to finish and was credited with 31st place. Now, with just one race to go before the Playoffs start, Sauter, like many others outside the 10th position, is in a must-win situation in order to be a part of the playoff grid. Though only one driver can win you have to make it into the Playoffs to contend.
  • Rhodes ends winless drought at Darlington

    Rhodes ends winless drought at Darlington

    Ben Rhodes and the No. 99 ThorSport Racing team broke through at Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon after taking advantage of an overtime restart with two laps to go. Rhodes lined up alongside rookie Derek Kraus, who was the control truck coming to the restart line. However, Kraus got loose off Turn 2 and couldn’t block Rhodes due to the looseness of the No. 19 Truck. From there, the Kentucky native used the high side and held on to snap a two-year winless drought dating back to 2018 at Kentucky.

    “Gosh, that was such a tough win,” Rhodes said. “We weren’t the best truck all day. I was actually really disappointed when the [final] caution flag came out because I thought fourth place is a good finish for us, we’ll get in the Playoffs.

    “But I’m not letting this checkered flag go,” he said grinning at the turn of events. “It’s been a long time coming.”

    For the first time in nine years, the Truck Series returned to the famed Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Most of the drivers have never raced at the track “Too Tough To Tame” with the exception of veterans Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter. Additionally, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan returned to the Truck Series as well and were among the few who had experience by racing in the Cup or Xfinity Series. Stages 45-45-57 made up the 147-lap event.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 45

    The caution flew early on Lap 6 when the No. 33 of Bryant Barnhill slammed the Turn 3 wall and came to a stop. Unfortunately for Barnhill, he would be credited with a last-place finish.

    A few other notable incidents occurred in the early laps of Stage 1, especially for 2016 Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter. He had smoke coming out of the back end of his truck but he was able to keep on going well past the Lap 20 competition caution that was scheduled for Lap 15.

    After the competition caution, 21 laps of green-flag racing ensued and GMS Racing was once again back out front to continue their recent dominance of the Truck Series. However, just five laps before the stage ended, returning competitor Trevor Bayne had suspension issues on his No. 40 Niece Motorsports entry. The handling of the truck continued to get worse throughout the day and he was never able to rebound.

    When the green-checkers flew on Lap 45 for the completion of Stage 1, it was all Brett Moffitt in his Bobby Allison inspired throwback scheme who claimed the stage victory. Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed, Rhodes, Ragan, Crafton, Tyler Ankrum, Raphael Lessard, Christian Eckes, and Zane Smith rounded out the top 10. By winning the stage, Moffitt was able to clinch a playoff spot ahead of the final race of the regular season at Richmond.

    Stage 2: Lap 50 – Lap 90

    Only one minor incident occurred during the second stage when the No. 41 of Dawson Cram bounced off the backstretch wall, causing damage to the right-side of his Chevrolet.

    Miraculously, no yellows were seen for Stage 2, which saw a 40-lap green-flag run with Sheldon Creed collecting the stage win. Moffitt, Austin Hill, Rhodes, Ragan, Lessard, Ankrum, Crafton, Gilliland, and Zane Smith completed the top 10 stage finishers.

    Stage 3: Lap 97 – Lap 152 (Overtime Finish)

    The third and final stage saw numerous cautions on the final run to the checkered flag. In fact, there were three cautions that occurred when the laps began to wind down.

    The fifth yellow was flown on Lap 124 after Tyler Ankrum went spinning sideways through Turn(s) 1 and 2 immediately after he made contact with his teammate Zane Smith. Fortunately for Ankrum, he saved his truck from further contact, but Smith received minimal damage to the No. 21 machine.

    Bad luck continued for rookie Smith as he was involved in the sixth caution when the No. 15 of Tanner Gray made contact with him in Turn 1.

    Despite the two cautions slowing down the action, there was a 16-lap run from Laps 130 – 145. Before the final yellow flew, it looked as though Sheldon Creed was on pace for another dominating victory. However, a wreck on the backstretch that involved Josh Reaume, Matt Crafton, and David Ragan changed the entire complexion of the race for the front runners, Creed and Moffitt.

    When the yellow flew with two laps to go, Creed and Moffitt were left with a tough choice of whether to pit. The two teams eventually made the decision to pit for fresh rubber and fuel, as their tires were worn out. Unfortunately, Creed’s day went from bad to worse, as he was caught with a penalty for too fast entering which ended any chances of him pulling off a consecutive win.

    With Creed and Moffitt out of the picture, there was an overtime restart with Rhodes and Kraus making up the front row. Despite the last attempt with Kraus trying to hold Rhodes off, Rhodes eventually claimed the checkered flag for the third time of his Truck Series career with the rookie Kraus finishing runner up.

    “[Crew chief] Kevin [Bellicourt] up on top of the box made a really good call at the end and I got a good restart and did everything I needed to do, and off of [Turn] two got really loose,” Kraus said about being passed by Rhodes.

    “You’ve got to be aggressive to make the Top 10 and the Playoffs,” Kraus added of his door-to-door racing with Gilliland throughout the day.”

    There were seven cautions for 35 laps with 11 lead changes among five different leaders.

    Official Results following the South Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Darlington Raceway.

    1. Ben Rhodes, led four laps
    2. Derek Kraus, led one lap
    3. Austin Hill
    4. Grant Enfinger
    5. Christian Eckes
    6. Raphael Lessard
    7. Todd Gilliland
    8. Stewart Friesen
    9. Timmy Hill
    10. Brett Moffitt, won Stage 1, led 63 laps
    11. Tyler Ankrum
    12. Bayley Currey
    13. Ty Majeski
    14. Matt Crafton
    15. Tate Fogleman
    16. Zane Smith
    17. Austin Wayne Self
    18. Sheldon Creed, won Stage 1, led 82 laps
    19. Greg Biffle
    20. Danny Bohn
    21. Clay Greenfield
    22. David Ragan
    23. Chandler Smith, 1 lap down
    24. Jordan Anderson, 1 lap down
    25. Codie Rohrbaugh, 2 laps down
    26. Spencer Boyd, 2 laps down
    27. Trevor Bayne, 3 laps down
    28. Josh Reaume, 3 laps down
    29. Tanner Gray, 4 laps down
    30. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 5 laps down
    31. Johnny Sauter, OUT, Engine
    32. Norm Benning, OUT, Handling
    33. Dawson Cram, OUT, Crash
    34. Bryant Barnhill, OUT, Crash

    Playoff Standings with 1 race to go

    1. Sheldon Creed (3 wins), 20 playoff points
    2. Zane Smith (2 wins), 14 playoff points
    3. Grant Enfinger (2 wins), 11 playoff points
    4. Austin Hill (1 win), 7 playoff points
    5. Ben Rhodes (1 win), 5 playoff points
    6. Matt Crafton (1 win), 5 playoff points
    7. Brett Moffitt (Clinched with virtue of Stage 1 victory), 5 playoff points
    8. Christian Eckes (Clinched with virtue of Darlington finish), No playoff playoff points
    9. Tyler Ankrum, +14 above the cut line
    10. Todd Gilliland, +10 above the cut line

      Below the cut line
    11. Derek Kraus, -10
    12. Raphael Lessard, -66
    13. Tanner Gray, -93
    14. Stewart Friesen, -100

      Any driver below the cut line will have to win in order to make the playoffs.

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will head to Richmond International Raceway for a Thursday night event on September 10th live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. The Richmond event will be the last race of the Truck Series season, before the playoffs begin at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday, September 17th.

  • Sam Mayer gets hat trick at I-44 Speedway

    Sam Mayer gets hat trick at I-44 Speedway

    When it was announced that I-44 Speedway would replace Elko Speedway in Minnesota on the schedule due to COVID restrictions, the speedway was fairly new to everyone in the field. Most drivers had never competed at the .375-mile race track located in Lebanon, Missouri.

    But when the checkered flag flew at the end of Lap 200, the race winner wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone as GMS Racing Developmental driver Sam Mayer earned his third checkered flag of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season.

    As it has been since the ARCA Menards Series returned from the pandemic break, three segments made up the 200 lap race at I-44 Speedway. The first segment ended on Lap 75, the second segment at Lap 150 and the final at Lap 200. Bret Holmes was on the pole after setting the pace in practice earlier in the day.

    The race was action-packed from the get-go when the green flag flew. Through the first 35 laps of the Zinnser Smart Coat 200, Holmes stretched his lead over second-place driver Ty Gibbs by nearly four seconds. However, the first yellow flew on Lap 36 when Venturini Motorsports driver Chandler Smith got turned sideways going into Turn 1, after contact with the No. 4 of Hailie Deegan. Right before the next restart, another Venturini driver suffered issues when the No. 15 of Drew Dollar came to pit road for battery issues under caution. By taking his No. 15 to pit road, the battery problem really took Dollar out of the race as he returned to the track numerous laps down.

    More contact would come at Laps 48 and 70. At Lap 48, Gibbs’ No. 18 made slight contact with the No. 25 of Michael Self. The contact gave Self some right-side damage to his No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota. Meanwhile, the second caution flew at Lap 70, after pole-sitter Holmes got spun by Deegan going into Turn 1. The move sent Holmes up the track and caused more right-side damage to Deegan’s No. 4 Ford.

    With the yellow coming so close to the first segment break, ARCA officials decided the break would come at Lap 71. Deegan, Mayer, Gibbs, Gray, Self, Wright, Holmes, Basham, Smith, and Richmond were the top 10.

    The green flag flew for the second segment on Lap 71. Though just 20 laps later, another yellow came out as Holmes got into the No. 20 of Smith after Smith slightly came down when Holmes was already there.

    Smith’s night continued to go downhill on Lap 120 when he made contact with the No. 22 of Kris Wright, bringing out the fourth caution of the night.

    Prior to the segment ending on Lap 150, Wright again would end up in trouble, as he got into Self’s No. 25 Toyota in Turn 3. After the contact, Self’s car was severely damaged when he hit the wall. Once the cars were brought down for pit road due to the break, Deegan, Mayer, Holmes, Gibbs, Gray, Self, Wright, Smith, Basham, and Dollar made up the top 10 running order.

    The turning point of the race occurred after the Lap 156 restart after Mayer shot to the lead when Deegan didn’t get going well enough to keep her lead. Mayer had a better restart and continued to check out with the race lead.

    By the time the checkered flag flew, it was all Mayer as he grabbed his third ARCA Menards Series victory of the year with Holmes coming in second and Taylor Gray third to round out the top three.

    Even though Holmes closed the championship points gap to one point behind Michael Self, the Alabaman was frustrated with how his race went.

    “It’s really frustrating when you have the best car and you don’t win the race,” Holmes said. “We really did all we could. The last 15 to 20 laps, I kind of lost my cool there, with being so frustrated with the car. You know, it just sucks. People can’t race clean. I know for some people it doesn’t matter (racing clean) just because of who they are, but for people like me, it’s a lot tougher to have a good reputation and keep that fan base behind you. Just the lack of respect overall. I’ve never had to race the car that way, but they’ve got it coming.”

    Despite Holmes being frustrated with a second place finish, one rookie Taylor Gray, enjoyed a career best night of placing third.

    “We finished third by just being there at the end and racing everyone clean as much as I possibly could,” Gray said. “It’s really hard to pass here and not the greatest racing side-by-side. We came out with a good finish tonight. I can’t thank everyone at DGR-Crosley and Ford enough. They gave me a good Ford Fusion tonight and we’ll go on to Toledo next weekend.”

    Mayer led one time for 46 laps en route to victory.

    There were five cautions for 28 laps and two lead changes among three different leaders.

    Official Results following the Zinsser Smart Coat 200 at I-44 Speedway.

    1. Sam Mayer, led 46 laps
    2. Bret Holmes, led 69 laps
    3. Taylor Gray
    4. Ty Gibbs
    5. Hailie Deegan, led 85 laps
    6. Michael Self, 1 lap down
    7. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
    8. Chandler Smith, 2 laps down
    9. Drew Dollar, 6 laps down
    10. Mike Basham, 7 laps down
    11. Tim Richmond, 11 laps down
    12. Owen Smith, OUT, Brakes
    13. Brad Smith, OUT, Handling
    14. Tim Monroe, OUT, Brakes

    Up Next: The ARCA Menards Series is scheduled to compete at Toledo Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 12.

  • NHRA releases revised 2020 schedule, additional events canceled

    NHRA releases revised 2020 schedule, additional events canceled

    The NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) announced on Wednesday afternoon the full 2020 schedule, along with cancellations to three events including the NHRA Auto Club Finals originally planned for the Nov. 13-15 weekend.

    This week, the NHRA is back on track for the scheduled U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend, taking place from Sept. 3-6. From there, the circuit will travel to Gainesville, Florida for the Gainesville Nationals, scheduled for Sept. 25-27. The Gainesville Nationals was supposed to take place back in March but was previously postponed due to COVID concerns.

    Then, the 2020 schedule will include three events for the month of October. From Oct. 2-4, the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals will be seen in St. Louis, followed up with a trip to the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals in Dallas, Texas slated for Oct. 14-18 and the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals in Houston on the Oct. 23-25 weekend.

    The 2020 season will wrap up early this year by concluding in Las Vegas for the Dodge NHRA Finals, planned for Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The Dodge Nationals will crown this year’s series champions for the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, as well as Pro Stock Motorcycle.

    As a reminder, the Countdown to the Championship (NHRA’s Playoff Style Format) was scrapped earlier this year due to the pandemic.

    “We are grateful to the loyal NHRA fans who have stuck with us during these trying times,” said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. “NHRA plans to hold these next six national events to conclude the 2020 season. Thank you to our fans, racers, and partners for your continued support and cooperation.”

    Unfortunately, three events were canceled on the 2020 schedule. Those events were the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota and the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kansas. In addition, two other events were removed from the scheduled including the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina and the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.

    As previously mentioned, the NHRA Auto Club Finals, which was scheduled to be the last event of the season is now canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. It will mark the first time since the 1980s the California track will not host an NHRA event.

    “We are disappointed that we will not be hosting the Finals here at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona for the first time since the mid-80s,” said Dale Coleman, Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. “Under the current circumstances, we totally understand. We wish all the folks at NHRA well in Las Vegas and we look forward to the return of the Finals to Pomona in 2021.”

  • Interview: First Seasons-Bob Tasca

    Interview: First Seasons-Bob Tasca

    In this edition of “First Seasons” Speedway Media caught up with NHRA Top Fuel driver Bob Tasca III.

    Tasca joined the professional ranks of the National Hot Rod Association in 2008 where he first competed full-time in the Funny Car division. Since then, the Motorcraft Quick Lane driver has notched six wins and has enjoyed success.

    During the interview, Tasca spoke about what it was like making his debut during that time period of NHRA as compared to now, his thoughts on the very first NHRA race in which he competed, his first win and if he would do anything differently if time travel was possible.

    SM: You began racing Funny Car in 2008, not that long ago, at the age of 33-years-old. Can you talk about what it was like making your debut in NHRA during that time period? It only may be 12 years ago but seemingly a lot has changed since then. What differences are there in today’s sport compared to when you started racing?

    BT: “It doesn’t seem like that long ago,” Tasca said. The time has gone pretty fast. By 2008, I’d already raced for years in the sportsman classes. It felt like my work had finally paid off because during those years, I was always working toward making it to Funny Car (highest class division in NHRA) and once I did, it felt like ‘Okay, I made the first goal. Now let’s go after the next one.’ And the next one was a Funny Car win.”

    SM: It seems as though 33-years-old is kind of a late start for someone wanting to make it in NHRA as a full-time driver. Did you feel as though it was the right time to break into the sport? Kind of explain what you were doing prior to making your NHRA debut.

    BT: “NHRA is a little different than other sports and that you can race for years as a sportsman to get plenty of time under your belt and then enter the pro ranks when the budget looks good or a ride opens up, whatever the scenario is,” Tasca said. “And when you do, as long as you have the right people behind you, and you’ve done the work preparing as a driver, you’re on the same playing field as the rest of the pros. It’s not like IndyCar or NASCAR racing, where if you don’t start as a young kid, you can’t get there. So in that way, I felt completely at home when I made my pro debut.”

    SM: When entering the 2008 season, do you remember having any high expectations for that year? Was a win on the radar despite being a rookie? What were your expectations as the season began and did they ever change as the season went along? 

    BT: “I’m realistic, but of course, I always wanted to win,” he said. “I think you have to go in expecting you have what it takes to do it with as much time away from your family and effort it takes to do this full-time. So, I knew I had what it took, it was just a a matter of time.”

    SM: Your first Top Fuel start came at the famous Pomona nationals. What was it like in the weeks leading up to that event? Were you starting to feel anxious or nervous about getting to the track? Kind of talk about what you were doing to help prepare for your debut?

    BT: “My everyday job in the family (car) dealership comes with a lot of pressure, so I was pretty used to operating under that anyway (laughs),” Tasca said. “Of course, it’s a bigger show when you show up in Pomona, but I wouldn’t say I was really nervous. Maybe excited.”

    SM: Your first win wouldn’t be until 2009 at the Gainesville Nationals, where you scored your first Wally. What does that victory still mean to you to this day and have you ever had a chance to go watch that race back? Did that victory sort of help you break through and put you on the map?

    BT: “I can remember every moment of that day,” Tasca said about his first victory in NHRA, Every moment. You never forget a big win like that and the feeling always comes back when I get back there. The NHRA world is pretty small so people are always aware of each other, but I’m sure the win helped me on the fan side.

    SM: Before that 2009 win, were there any turning points when you and the team started to click with each other where you felt like you were capable of winning races? Was not winning starting to get frustrating?

    BT: “While you go into a career like this expecting you have what it takes to win, you know there are 15 other very talented drivers starting every Sunday, so you never know when it (winning) will happen,” he said. “Every driver I know wants to win every race, but like I said, with a talent field this deep, you just never know when it’ll be your turn (to win). I had faith that with my team behind me, we’d get there.”

    SM: Looking back on your rookie years, what races in your mind do you wish you had another chance at?

    BT: “I guess if I had to answer this question, I’d say all of them (laughter),” Tasca said. “As a driver, I’d love to get another shot and put our team in a position to win, but not one (race) in particular.”

    SM: I’m sure a lot of seasons are a blur to you but are there any fond memories that you still remember to this day or always will remember about your rookie year in Top Fuel? If so, what memory sticks out the most?

    BT: “There’s so many memories about my rookie season,” he said. “It’s always a dream of mine to compete in the Nitro Funny Car ranks and to actually have been able to do it (race in Funny Car), and go out there and compete with the icons in the sport, it’ll be a year I’ll never forget.”

    SM: Some racers have a memorabilia collection and some don’t. Are you a driver that collects your own merchandise? If so, what do you have in your collection that reminds you of your rookie season?

    BT: “I don’t collect much (merchandise), however, I have every helmet (other than the one I gave to Jay Leno) and every fire suit that I ever wore in my collection.”

    SM: It’s been 12 years since your rookie season in NHRA. What would a 45-year-old Bob Tasca tell a 33-year-old Bob Tasca? Is there anything you would do differently? 

    BT: “Yeah, there would be a whole bunch of things I would tell a 33-year-old Bob Tasca, however, a 45-year-old Bob Tasca wouldn’t have gotten to where I’ve gotten today without all the lessons learned along the way,” Tasca said. “I would have told him to keep going and don’t look back.”

    Tasca has raced professionally in the NHRA Funny Car division for 12 years now, ever since making his first start in 2008. His highest championship points standing finish was fifth, which occurred twice in 2010 and most recently in 2019. In addition, the Rhode Island native has a total of 27 semi-final round appearances, 10 runner-ups, 67 quarter rounds, and four playoff appearances.

    Fans wanting to learn more information or follow Bob Tasca on Social Media at Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona II

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona II

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series visited the famed Daytona International Speedway Friday night for an unusual August outing, a race normally held in July for the last several years. 

    And as always, the superspeedway race did not disappoint. The Wawa 250 was a caution filled race with 28% of the race ran under yellow and only 8% under green. Nonetheless, despite the numerous yellows, a frantic finish broke out on the last lap when Kaulig Racing teammates Ross Chastain and A.J. Allmendinger collided with each other, as Chastain went to make a move for the win. Unfortunately for the two drivers, they were left disappointed with finishes of sixth and 15th, respectively after running up front for the majority of the race. 

    Even though Kaulig’s Racing plan did not work out to their liking, one of their drivers, Justin Haley was the fortunate one to break through and dodge the melee on the last lap, with the Indiana native taking home his second victory of the 2020 Xfinity Series season. The victory marked his first since Talladega back in June. 

    However, there were a few more notables from Friday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway, and we’ll take a look at them in this week’s Xfinity Series Power Rankings. 

    1. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe was strong throughout the 100 laps but not strong enough for the win. He tried to make something work in the final 30 laps and hoped to get his Ford Performance teammate, Austin Cindric, to work alongside him. However, with the power and dominance of three Kaulig Racing cars in front of him, Briscoe couldn’t make anything happen. As the race neared its end, he actually ended up stuck between A.J. Allmendinger, Chastain, and Haley, leaving him helpless. Though when all was said and done, Briscoe earned a third-place finish (stage finishes of fifth in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2), his 13th top-five of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Riley Herbst – The Las Vegas native had to start in the back and serve a pass-thru penalty for an improperly mounted ballast found during inspection. Thankfully for Herbst, luck fell in his favor as Daytona is 2.5 miles in length and he didn’t lose a lap while serving his penalty. Herbst had a solid night placing sixth in both stages, not only gaining points but dodging multiple wrecks. Ultimately, He rebounded to a fourth-place finish after starting in the back. The finish marked his third top-five of the year. Despite the rebound, Herbst will be docked 10 driver points for the ballast infraction. 

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    3. Austin Cindric – An unfortunate circumstance found Cindric caught up in the last lap wreck coming out of Turn 4. The Team Penske driver was in contention to win but received damage from the Allmendinger and Chastain incident. Even though the incident might have done him in, Cindric was running strong all night through the first two stages, finishing third and ninth, respectively,  as he was up there trying to work with Briscoe for a potential Ford manufacturer win. But as it normally goes at superspeedways, plans don’t usually don’t work out for the most part. However, Cindric brought his No. 22 Odyssey Battery Ford to an eighth-place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    4. Justin Haley – This is an obvious one, but for good reason since he won Friday night’s race. Haley hasn’t had the best finishes over the last few weeks (38th on the Daytona Road Course, 12th in Race 2 at Dover), but he got redemption at the superspeedway by leading nine laps en route to his second career win. Using Kaulig’s team strategy of working together with all three cars, Haley won the opening stage and finished third in Stage 2, right behind his other two teammates. At this point, Haley sits fifth in the point standings and if the Kaulig team can keep the momentum going through the last half of the season, Haley could be a dark horse in the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Harrison Burton – A quiet fifth-place run in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing camp of Harrison Burton. Burton stayed out of trouble and did what he needed to do in order to finish the race. In fact, the 19-year-old was among the few that brought home a clean race car when the checkered flag flew. As far as stages go for Burton, he finished 12th in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked 

    Fell Out 

    1. Justin Allgaier – After scoring the Dover win the week prior, Allgaier looked to carry that momentum to Daytona, and was seeking another victory to solidify his championship chances. Unfortunately, the Illinois native got caught up in a wreck twice, one on Lap 41 and the other caused by himself, when a tire went flat in Turns 3 and 4 at Lap 47. One positive notable in Allgaier’s race was the eighth-place finish in Stage 1.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Noah Gragson – Just 24 hours before the Wawa 250, Noah Gragson signed a contract extension with JR Motorsports to drive the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2021 Xfinity Series season. After getting that out of the way, he had high hopes of coming to Daytona after winning here in February. Unfortunately, after placing seventh in Stage 1, Gragson was involved in the Lap 41 incident and credited with a 31st place outing. Certainly not a good night for JR Motorsports, who had all but one driver (Michael Annett who finished seventh) crash out, including Gragson, Allgaier, and Daniel Hemric.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
  • Colin Braun open to more Stock Car starts

    Colin Braun open to more Stock Car starts

    Former NASCAR star and now IMSA Sports Car Series driver Colin Braun briefly returned to the Stock Car world a few weeks ago at the Daytona Road Course event, competing in the ARCA Menards Series competition.

    Braun helped GMS Racing driver Sam Mayer bring home the No. 21 Chevy to a third-place finish that night. The Texas native received the opportunity to split the driving duties with Mayer (something that normally doesn’t happen in ARCA/NASCAR), as the Wisconsin had a hairline fracture on his right wrist following a TransAm accident at Road America, the week prior.

    The Daytona Road Course race was the first time in nine years that Braun has competed in the NASCAR/ARCA world. However, after his third-place run, he was satisfied with the outing and is open to doing more starts in the future, should the opportunity arise.

    “For me, I really enjoyed myself,” Bruan said about the ARCA experience. “It was really a last minute deal (to drive). Sam Mayer unfortunately, had an incident at Road America the weekend before. Going to a road course with a lot of shifting, they (GMS) were worried about Mayer not being able to successfully finish that race.”

    “So they called me up and I took the opportunity. They wanted to me jump in at the first yellow. Well, unfortunately or fortunately, there was no yellows through the first few laps, and I had to wait until the halfway break to jump in the car. That was the challenge for me, as the race was sort of a mixed conditions race and jumping in there, and sort of having to figure it halfway through the race, of what the racetrack was going to be like. I really enjoyed my experience though. Got those guys (GMS) a good finish and kept them strong in the points.”

    “As far as doing more (races), I would love to do more of that racing. I enjoyed it back years ago when I did it, and jumping back in that ARCA car got me excited about Stock Car racing in general. It’s just the timing has to be right and everything else has to be right. However, I would definitely be interested.”

    Braun currently competes in the LMP2 class driving in the No. 18 Era Motorsports entry and won the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona event back in January. In addition, Braun is mostly known for competing in the Truck and Xfinity Series from 2007-2011. He only has one victory to his name in the NASCAR world, which came in the 2009 Michigan Truck Series race.

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Gateway

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Gateway

    The hunt to the Truck Series Playoffs continued this past Sunday with a trip to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. 

    All eyes were on rookie stand-out Zane Smith, who has been strong as of late and is making a considerable bid to be a championship favorite. Meanwhile, his GMS Racing team-mates Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt and Tyler Ankrum continue to chase him for wins. 

    Smith shone in the first 45 laps of the event. But it was ultimately his teammate Sheldon Creed who got the victory after some controversial contact with then race leader, Todd Gilliland, who dominated the majority of the event. 

    Things may get tougher for the Californian as things progress late into the season as Creed noted that Gilliland “owes him one,” meaning payback from Gilliland could potentially happen. 

    Nonetheless, Creed scored the victory, and picked up an additional $50,000 thanks to the “Triple Truck Challenge” and now is a threat for the championship with three wins to his name. 

    Yet, there were other drivers who needed a solid run and did just that. 

    We’ll analyze them in this week’s Power Rankings following the CarShield 200 at Gateway. 

    1. Todd Gilliland – It was a great day gone bad for Gilliland after sweeping both stages and leading the most laps in a Truck Series race in his career but then getting together with eventual race winner Sheldon Creed in Turns 1 and 2 when Creed accidentally made Gilliland slide up the track and pound into the wall. The incident left a damaged No. 38 Ford F-150 and dashed Gilliland’s hopes of winning the race. His day got even worse when the Front Row Motorsports driver got caught two laps down as the yellow flew during his pit stop. Despite the negative outcome, there are some positives to take away from this race. Gilliland was on the outside looking in coming to Gateway but with two stage victories, he now sits 10th, the last position in the playoff grid, 15 points above the cut line.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    2. Brett Moffitt – A solid outing in Moffitt’s No. 23 GMS camp after he came home in the runner-up position. The Iowan placed third in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2. It’s still disappointing that Moffitt has not yet won this year when everyone expected him to but he’s got a comfortable points lead, +118, and five playoff points. Should Moffitt avoid any bad mishaps in the next two races, he can easily lock himself into the Playoffs at Darlington this weekend.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Sheldon Creed – It went from worst to first in one week for the Californian. The week prior at Dover, he placed 22nd, four laps down. Now, Creed was back in victory lane again just a couple of weeks following his Daytona Road Course win. I would like to see a little more consistency out of this camp as some of his finishes have been up and down. When Creed won at Kentucky earlier in the season, he finished 16th a week later at Texas, a few laps down. In the Kansas doubleheader, he placed eighth in race 1, but wrecked out and was credited with a 26th place finish in the second race. He finished 30th at Michigan, one lap down, won the Daytona Road Course but finished 22nd at Dover. If the No. 2 team can find a little consistency in the Playoffs, there’s no doubt Creed can end up in the Championship 4.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Austin Hill – Hill and the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises seem back on track after scoring finishes inside the top 10 in the past three races. Hill earned a finish of third in Sunday’s race, his best finish since winning at Kansas in July. The Georgian made a bid late in the race to challenge for the win but ultimately settled for his seventh top-five finish of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Ben Rhodes – Overall, it was a quiet day for Rhodes as he finished 11th in the running order. Despite placing outside the top 10, Rhodes earned stage finishes of seventh and ninth, respectively. However, he’ll need to pick it up a notch, if he wants to be a strong contender for the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

    Fell Out 

    1. Matt Crafton – After experiencing an unusual issue in Crafton’s No. 88 Menards Ford F-150, he finished an uncharacteristic 14th place. After finishing fifth in Stage 1, Crafton’s Truck started to have some issues when he came down pit road during the stage break as his truck shut off prior to entering his pit box. There was some radio chatter from the crew that the truck could have run out of gas, but a full diagnosis was not discovered. It was an unfortunate day for Crafton who was strong early.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second