Same song, second verse for Antonio Felix da Costa and DS Teechetah who won two in a row at Berlin after once again qualifying on the pole with a time of 1.06.442, nearly beating Nissan e.Dams driver Sebastien Buemi who placed second.
The race wasn’t all that easy for da Costa, with three full course yellows for debris throughout the 45-minute event. However, despite the field being bunched back up again for a brief period of time, da Costa kept the lead and was consistent with his race pace to take home another victory for DS Teechetah.
‘Today was very hard,” da Costa said. “We were quicker but there wasn’t a moment Seb (Buemi) didn’t have me looking in my mirrors. The first ATTACK MODE was a bit tight especially in the exit but I knew I had the gap – Seb was fair and left me the space. The team was giving me the right information on the battery temperature. Days like this are rare, I know how hard it is to get here and I’m happy to be living this now. Day by day everyone will get close to each other, the next few races will be very tough!’
As the second race got underway, BMW i Andretti driver Alexander Sims started from the pit lane for a battery change prior to the green flag. Rene Rast driving for Audi SportABT Schaeffler had to start from the pit lane as well.
Da Costa led the first lap by 0.878 seconds over Sebastien Buemi. With Da Costa leading the way, many drivers were pushing hard to keep up with his impressive race pace, but some saw trouble along the way. On lap 2 early in the race, Alexander Sims in the No. 27 had to serve a drive-thru penalty and by doing so, lost some track position. Though for Sims, the day only got worse and wound up placing 20th in the final running order, one day after earning points by finishing 10th.
On lap 9, Maximilian Günther’s Berlin experience continued to go downhill, as he was forced into the pits by pitting for a new front wing and a left front tire after contact in the wall and battling hard with Envision Virgin’s Sam Bird. Günther would rejoin the race 24th, one lap down. Eventually, the German’s day would be cut short and retired from the race.
Quickly after his misfortune, race director Scot Elkins called for a full course yellow for debris on the racing circuit. The yellow was brief without having to deploy a safety car, but another full course yellow had to be called again just a few laps later. This time, for Sam Bird’s Envision Virgin Racing’s No. 2 machine. It appeared Bird lost a missing wheel shroud, which was left on the track, and prompting race officials to throw the yellow.
Even though Bird lost the wheel shroud, he kept going and was running in the seventh position.
The final full-course yellow was caused by Nyck de Vries, who was out of his Mercedes-Benz EQ entry due to the car stalling on the track. De Vries had been slowing laps prior to the yellow. Meanwhile, his teammate Stoffel Vanndorne was making moves in his Mercedes-Benz entry, when the German made a thrilling move which put him three-wide with Sam Bird and Oliver Rowland.
As is normally the case in Formula E, once the time remaining starts to wind down, the action intensifies. That was the case for Lucas di Grassi and Robin Frijns, who began battling for a podium position.
Fortunately for da Costa, he didn’t have to worry about the battle behind him and scored his third consecutive victory of the 2019/20 season.
However, da Costa’s closest competition Sebastien Buemi came home in second and recorded his second podium of the year, his first since Mexico City.
“The race was closer than I thought,” Buemi said. “I was unlucky with the first ATTACK MODE as there was Full Course Yellow and I lost its advantage – that would have probably changed things. I had to overtake Lucas and wasted some time there, but in terms of pace, we weren’t too far off. DS TECHEETAH are extremely quick, hopefully, on Saturday we’ll have more pace during Qualifying. Today we have made a big improvement, on Saturday we’ll be racing on the original track and we hope to do even better ahead of the next race and maybe challenge them.”
Final Classification Results
Antonio Felix da Costa
Sebastien Buemi
Lucas di Grassi
Robin Frijns
Stoffel Vandoorne
Sam Bird
Oliver Rowland
Edoardo Mortara
Andre Lotterer
Jean Eric-Vergne
Alex Lynn
Mitch Evans
Rene Rast
Nico Mueller
Neel Jani
Daniel Abt
Sergio Sette Camara
Oliver Turvey
Alexander Sims
James Calado
Not Classified
Felipe Massa
Maximilian Günther
Nyck de Vries
Disqualified
James Calado
Up Next: FIA ABB Formula E drivers and teams will get one-day off before returning to on-track action Saturday for race No. 3 at Berlin, scheduled for 6:30 p.m./local Berlin time.
Following a five-month shutdown, the FIA ABB Formula E returned to action Wednesday at the Berlin Templehof Airport located in Berlin, Germany.
Hoping to pick up where he left off was DS Techeeta driver Antonio Felix da Costa, who qualified on pole with a time of 1.06.799. Following in his footsteps was Costa’s teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne as he qualified on the outside pole, giving DS Techeeta a front-row start.
Da Costa was able to lead the field into turn 1 and pull away ever so slightly. While the Portuguese driver checked out on the field, the action picked up behind him. In fact, two safety cars were deployed early in the going. One for Robin Frijins for crashing into the wall and a full course caution for Felipe Massa, as Massa slammed into one of the wall cushions leaving the Brazilian stuck on the track.
“I just tried to overtake and I locked everything,” Massa said about the crash. “When I brake, I lock everything in the car, I couldn’t turn and the car couldn’t stop. I went straight and I crashed (into the wall).”
As for the Robin Frijins incident, Edoardo Mortara caused the collision for Frijin’s which saw him receive major damage to his vehicle after being pushed out by the No. 20 of Mitch Evans. By doing so, Mortara received two penalty points for the incident.
Despite the two quick stoppages, da Costa continued his pace and led wire to wire in Formula E’s first race back following the coronavirus pandemic.
“With six races to go, the fight for the title is on and the pressure is rising,” da Costa said about the victory. “I do want to win it and if we keep doing things as we did today, we have a good shot at it. Hats off to the team not only for what they did today, but for the hard work they put into the build-up to this moment. I moved here because I wanted a quicker car since I want to put myself in a position to win races. We’re going to have bad days just like everyone else, but it’s how we come back from those that defines us.”
Even though da Costa was in a zip code of his own. There was plenty of action that occurred throughout the 45 minute event.
Prior to the start of the race, Formula E held a moment of silence, paying tribute to coronavirus victims and racism that is occurring all around the country currently.
With racing back in action, that also meant fan boost was back as well (giving drivers extra energy to their cars). Those receiving fan boosts were Daniel Abt, Stoffel Vandoorne, race winner Antonio Felix da Costa, Sergio Sette Camara, and Rene Rast.
As the lights went out, Nissan e.Dams driver Oliver Rowland and Panasonic Jaguar’s Mitch Evans were both posted for component changes. Both drivers served a drive-thru penalty. More news came out of Rowland’s camp, as the team requested for an inverter change. As a result, Rowland will start at the back of the grid, should the team go on to do so. The same can be said for James Calado in the Panasonic Jaguar Racing entry, with the team requesting to change inverter and the battery pack.
By lap 15, drivers were already trying to use the attack mode (which gives them four additional minutes of power to their cars) but proved tricky to do so. For instance, Sebastien Buemi in the Nissan entry tried using the attack mode, but missed the section completely and had to try again a lap later. Other drivers had the same situation, but for the most part, all were able to use the mode to their advantage.
As the race began to wind down, so didn’t Jean Eric-Vergne. Eric-Vergne began to lose power to his car and started to fall back in hopes of a podium. By falling back and the corners so tight, this created a long jam for drivers behind Eric-Vergne trying to pass him. Unfortunately for Eric-Vergne, the issue would get only worse, for when he finished the even unclassified (i.e. not finished). However, with Eric-Vergne not being able to finish, Andre Lotterer picked up momentum late in the going and made some moves to finish second, thus earning a podium finish.
Even though Lotterer had momentum late, it wouldn’t have made a difference as most cars ran out of power crossing the finish line including race winner da Costa. Still, the podium finish was Lotterer’s best since the race of the season back in Riydah.
“P2 is good starting point, but I have some mixed feelings about missing the first ATTACK MODE as it put me in a difficult position,” Lotterer said regarding his podium finish. “I had a good car and maybe without that slip, I could’ve challenged Antonio. We’ll keep working hard and hopefully, the car will be as good as it was today.”
Sam Bird also gained his best podium result since winning the season opener at Riydah.
“I am very pleased with the team and the result,” Bird said. “It’s been a bit of a rocky year for us, hopefully, today will mark a restart of the season. I am a bit disappointed for not finishing in P2, but I was low on energy in the last couple of laps. There is still some work to do on the car, but we have a good base ready for tomorrow.”
Though for some drivers, they received penalties and disqualifications from the race. The disqualification especially goes for BMW i Andretti’s Maximilian Guenther, who was disqualified by series officials for using too much power. Guenther had used over 45kWh (the maximum any race driver can use). Gunther originally finished eighth in the running order.
Meanwhile, Sergio Sette Camara was disqualified for using power over 45kWh as well. Sette Camara received the fan boost prior to the start of the race.
Daniel Abt in the NIO 333 entry was penalized during the full-course caution for speeding. Therefore, he was given a five-second time penalty.
Official Results following Race No. 1 at Berlin
Antonio Felix da Costa, 30 points
Andre Lotterer, 18 points
Sam Bird, 15 points
Nyck de Vries, 12 points
Jereome D’ Ambrosio, 10 points
Stoffel Vandoorne, 8 points
Sebastien Buemi, 6 points
Lucas di Grassi, 4 points
Alexander Sims, 2 points
Rene Rast, 1 points
Edoardo Mortara
Neel Jani
Alex Lynn
Mitch Evans
Oliver Rowland
James Calado
Oliver Turvey
Daniel Abt
Sergio Sette Camara
Maximilian Guenther, OUT, Disqualified
Jean Eric-Vergne, OUT, Driver Excluded From Race
Nico Mueller, OUT, Driver Excluded From Race
Felipe Massa, OUT, Did Not Finish
Robin Frijins, OUT, Did Not Finish
Up Next: The FIA ABB Formula E will remain in Berlin for race No. 2 Thursday at 1 p.m./EDT USA time, 6:30 p.m./local Berlin time live on Fox Sports 2.
158 days. That’s the last time Formula E teams and drivers were last on track for season six at the Marrakesh E-Prix back in February.
The season looked to be on track afterward and had originally planned to race at the Sanya E-Prix. However, COVID-19 changed those plans when the virus flared up in March all across the United States and internationally. COVID, unfortunately, caused numerous lockdown and stay at home orders, which canceled not only the Sanya E-Prix, Rome E-Prix, Paris E-Prix, Seoul E-Prix, New York E-Prix but the two championship doubleheaders at the London E-Prix.
With those races canceled, the schedule and season looked in doubt. The FIA ABB Formula E Series officials could have given up and moved on to season seven. However, there was a light at the end of the tunnel and officials started looking at ways to restart the season. Then, in July, officials made the announcement that Formula E would have six races in nine days at the Berlin Tempelhof Airport. Additionally, all six of those races will be doubleheader events with different track layouts.
Courtesy of FIA ABB Formula E
During the downtime with no racing, there was a slew of announcements from many different teams. For starters, Audi released former driver Daniel Abt, as he was fired from the team during the virtual races that took place through the summer. Abt had someone race for him in one of the races as part of what was supposed to be a joke. But, once Audi found out about the circumstances, the manufacturer/team let Abt go.
However, Abt was able to find a replacement ride with the NIO 333 Team for the final few races. This is due to NIO driver Ma Qing Hua being unable to travel to Berlin with travel restrictions in place.
Mahindra Racing made a few changes as well. On an Instagram post back in June, former team driver Pascal Wehrlein announced he was done with Mahindra immediately. As a result, Wehrlein will be sitting out the races since he does not have a ride lined up. British racing driver Alex Lynn and Mahindra announced that Lynn would replace Wehrlein after his departure. Lynn previously competed in a Formula E race two years ago for Panasonic Jaguar Racing.
Envision Virgin Racing also had some shocking news not too long ago. Longtime team driver Sam Bird announced his departure from the team at the end of the Berlin races. Bird had been with the team since the inception of Formula E back in 2014. The Englishman will instead drive for Panasonic Jaguar Racing starting next year. Replacing Bird for season seven is Nick Cassidy. Bird though will look to finish season six strong in the final remaining races.
The Envision Virgin team will look to resume winning when the season resumes Wednesday. Bird opened up the season by winning the first race at Riyadah. Since then, however, he’s had a mixed bag of results. He finished 22nd in the second Riyadh race after crashing and was unable to score any podiums before the long break. The highest Bird would finish was 10th at Santiago and the previous event at Marrakesh. At Berlin, Bird will have six chances to get momentum back on his side. He currently has zero wins in five races, but does have respectable finishes inside the top 10. The British driver commented on the 2019/20 season so far.
“I’ve had quite a mixed season so far but winning in Diriyah proved we’ve got the capabilities to fight at the top and I’m looking forward to getting back out in the car again,” Bird said. “I’ve continued to work hard on my fitness in the break and have spent a lot of time working with the team on the simulator and learning the new configurations. I think the final track could pose some different challenges, as it looks to be more technical, so I think they could be very interesting races to watch.”
Bird’s teammate, Robin Frijns hasn’t had much success at the Tempelhofring circuit. He has three starts with an average finish of 16.0 and a best finish of 13th, nearly two years ago. Frijns notes the doubleheaders will be difficult but he is also optimistic that he can score major points.
“For sure, it’s definitely going to be challenging but I’m really excited to see what happens in Berlin,” Frijins said. “There are 180 points up for grabs across the six races, and we’ve seen time and time again that anyone can win in Formula E, so I think we’re going to see some really exciting racing! Competing behind closed doors will definitely add another element to the event but as a team, we’re doing all we can to continue to interact with our loyal fans at home.”
Envision Virgin also will be running a ‘Thank You NHS’ slogan on both entries to say thanks to the important workers throughout the COVID pandemic. In addition, the team will be using a hashtag called #PositivelyCharged for the discrimination campaign.
The Mercedes-Benz EQ camp has been keeping busy through the pandemic. As the season looks to restart Wednesday, the rookie team will have a hashtag, #EndRacism.’ With the concept, two of their entries (Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries) will carry a black livery (i.e. paint scheme) with the hashtag appearing on the halo. Not only will the team have a different livery, but they also have a new technical director in the paddock area.
Nick Chester, who is 51-years-old comes in as the new technical director. Chester is from the United Kingdom and previously worked at Renault’s Formula 1. He will bring tons of experience after being in motorsports for three decades.
There are some changes for Mercedes-Benz EQ also as the team has promoted former rookie Daniel Juncadella as a Reserve driver after a successful test completion at the Marrakesh E-Prix.
Mercedes-Benz EQ McerSilver Arrow 01 – Berlin
Though the focus will be on current drivers, Vandoorne and de Vries, who are looking to capture victories. Only Vandoorne has experience with one start coming two years ago (where he placed fifth after starting second). The German hopes to lean on those experiences in this year’s events.
“First of all, I’m really looking forward to racing again,” Vandoorne said. “I almost can’t remember the last time out. It’s definitely been a good while and feels a bit weird that we can finally go racing again. It’s crazy to think that we’ll have completed six races in just less than two weeks and everything in the championship will be decided. It’s going to be a super intense time, but there’s everything left still to play for. I feel optimistic about the finale because we’ve been able to reset as a team and improve one or two details. Thanks to these bits of progress, I can feel confident about the upcoming races.
“We achieved good results in Berlin last year. We qualified second and ended the race in P5, which gives us a good basis on which to build. Along with the progress made this year, we should hopefully be well placed to fight up front, but let’s wait and see. We have a week packed with emotion ahead of us, some positive and some maybe not quite as positive, but it will be the same for everyone, and we will all have to deal with these different scenarios. We’ll see very soon how things work out.”
Out of the group, de Vries does not have prior experience to use to the best of his advantage. But, he hopes that staying focused and ready will help prepare him for the grueling schedule ahead.
“Of course, I’m really looking forward to racing again,” de Vries said. “It’s been a while since I last lined up for the team in Formula E, and I’m pleased that the people in charge have found a good compromise so that we can end our season. It’s going to be a very intense nine days with a lot of points to be scored. After all, we’ll be contesting more races in the next few days than we’ve had all season. I hope that we as a team are well prepared for it, but then probably, no one really can be a hundred percent, as we will be facing many challenges and everyone will experience some ups and downs during these nine days. That is why it is important to stay calm and take everything one step at a time. And then, hopefully, we can score a decent haul of points and end the season with a good outcome.”
BMW i Andretti drivers Alexander Sims and Maximilian Günther hope to have strong outings, especially Günther as he will be headed to his home racetrack.
“After the long break, I’m very excited to get back to racing – particularly in such a short space of time now, with six races in nine days, Günther said. “In Berlin, unfortunately not in front of a home crowd, but at least driving in my home country to finish the second half of the season is really special. We are really motivated after the long break. We’re also aware that we had a good first half of the season with strong results, but everything is starting from zero again now. I think that, as previously, we will try to focus only on ourselves and getting the best out of the car and us as a team. There will be some huge challenges, but we’re very well positioned, we used the past few months wisely and now I am just really looking forward to things starting up again.”
Sims is also ready to get back to racing.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing in Formula E after such a long break. I think the track layout changes look exciting. They all look very different, so it certainly won’t feel like six races in the same place. Berlin was pretty good for us last year, so hopefully we will have a similar strong pace again and try to have some clean race days. Our main target has to be to score some good points and to fight for the title. I can’t wait.”
Sims and Günther both have one start each coming in 2018, with Sims placing seventh and Günther 14th, in his former GEOX Dragon entry.
Both NIO 333 drivers Daniel Abt and Oliver Turvey have a solid chance of winning in the six races. Even though Abt previously had starts with the Audi team, the German scored one win in 2017 after earning pole position and leading all 45 laps.
“Going back to racing is making me extremely excited after all these months,” Abt said. “At the same time, doing six races in this short amount of period is a huge challenge, which I have never experienced in my career. I think the team and I have done good preparation, our aim is clear, and that is to perform at our best. If we can reach that target, good results will soon come. I hope my wishes will come true at my favorite circuit.”
Oliver Turvey has four starts to his credit with a best finish of fifth in 2017. Overall, he has an average finish of 10.5, which makes him look forward to the upcoming races.
“I am really excited to go back racing. It is going to be intense competing in six races over nine days especially with three different layouts, but I feel well prepared and ready for the challenge having spent a lot of time training in the past months as well as preparing with the team in the simulator,” Turvey added. “I know the team has been working hard with the engineers making a number of updates since the beginning of the season so I can’t wait to get back out on track. I aim to maximize the potential in qualifying and to achieve the best result possible in the race so I will be giving my best to score points for the team.”
As mentioned previously, Mahindra Racing will have a new look aboard one of their entries for Alex Lynn. He has two starts at Berlin with a best finish of 16th in 2017. Lynn notes he is excited about the new team, giving him hope for better finishes.
“Berlin is going to be totally different,” Lynn said. “It’s going to be heading into the unknown for all of us with a few different track changes that will spring up a few surprises. I think you’ve got to prepare knowing it’s going to be intense, there’s no other way around it. You want to build momentum, start on the right foot. These are all things that are easy to say sitting here but difficult to perform because everyone will be aiming to do the same thing. Without a doubt, no one is going to have been sitting still during this period but I’m definitely with a team that is putting in every effort to achieve results.
His teammate Jerome D’Ambrosio loves the Berlin circuit and understandingly so. He picked up a win back in 2014 (7-years ago). After ‘14 however, D’Ambrosio’s results have not been kind to him, placing outside the top 10 four times. In the most recent outing for Mahindra, he started ninth but finished 17th.
“I feel great about going to Berlin, I love the track,” D’Ambrosio said. “Having said that, it’s going to be a challenge. We have three double-headers in nine days so it will be a mental and physical challenge for every member of the team. And that’s going to make a difference; the guys that can keep up the pace over the days are the guys that going to do well. Given the circumstances, it’s great that Formula E have put this together and we’re going to be able to finish the season. I want to be back in the top five, fighting regularly for those positions in every race. And look to get some podiums as well.”
Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans and James Calado hope to gain several points through the six remaining races.
“This season we’ve tasted success and I am really proud of my performance, particularly in the last three races,” Mitch Evans said. “We achieved Super Pole and a Podium in Santiago, we won in Mexico City and we made history in Marrakesh by gaining 18 places and finishing P6 after starting from the back of the grid. Being second in the drivers’ championship puts me in a good position heading into Berlin but I know I can’t underestimate the challenge that we have ahead. Our Jaguar I-TYPE 4 is incredibly quick so I’m hoping to show everyone that we can be in the fight by 13 August.”
“I’m looking forward to getting back into the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 at the Tempelhof circuit,” Caldo added. “I started in P10 in Marrakesh and felt like I had made some solid progress. I want to give my best performance in Berlin. My role is to support Mitch and the team and secure as many points as possible. I’m sure it will come with its challenges and this break has definitely added the pressure but I’m ready for the lights to go green and finish the season on a high.”
The Audi team of Lucas di Grassi and Rene Rast are feeling optimistic and recharged after a five month shutdown.
“The break also had some positive aspects, because I had a lot of time with my son and my family,” di Grassi said. “I also did a lot of sports, ate a healthy diet and spent many days with the data of the first rounds of the season. But at some point, you’ve had your fill of it and finally want to race again,” says the Brazilian. Although di Grassi clinched just one podium in the first five races, he shows a fighting spirit.
“We’re going to Berlin to claim the title. That’s clearly my goal.”
“I did everything I could. In addition to testing, I analyzed data for hours on end, watched videos and spent an enormous amount of time with the engineers,” says Rast. “It’s difficult to express expectations for my debut with Audi, but one thing is clear. I’d like to arrive in Berlin perfectly prepared and deliver a good result.”
Other teams fielding entries are GEOX Dragon, Nissan e.dams, and RokiT Venturi Racing.
In addition, the JAGUAR I-Pace eTrophy Series looks to wrap up what will be their final races in Formula E before closing down for good.
Track facts regarding the different Berlin layouts.
All photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz EQ
Fans hoping to catch the remaining six races can click here for more info regarding start times in different countries.
In this week’s interview, Speedway Media caught up with Travis Pastrana who recently made a Truck Series start at Kansas Speedway with Niece Motorsports. The Maryland native discusses what brought him to Niece for his latest NASCAR run. We also discussed his first NASCAR run in 2012 and 2013 and whether Pastrana would ever be open to doing a full-time schedule again.
SM: Let’s talk about your previous experience in NASCAR in what was then the Nationwide Series from 2012-2013. What drew you to NASCAR back then and made you want to give the sport a try? Was it difficult to try and find a ride?
TP: “Yeah, I mean for sure,” Pastrana said. “I won four off-road rally championships. It’s (the series) basically like off-road racing and I had plans on going to the WRC Championship and Subaru had pulled their funding from the WRC and that was the car I had kind of been in.”
“I had the chance to talk to Trevor Bayne and a couple of other guys. I went and hung out with Jimmie Johnson at Auto Club and he had won that day. I said to myself, ‘This is awesome. What would it take to get there?’ We just started talking. Rob (Benton) and Michael Waltrip (Team Owner who gave Travis a chance) were just awesome and asked me, what do you want to do? I said, ‘I would love to drive the Daytona 500 one day.’ They said, ‘well you just can’t jump in and drive the Daytona 500, but let’s start talking about a plan that will help get you there.’ I then started doing K&N Series, Late Models. I didn’t really know a lot about NASCAR. One of my friends (Irish Sanders) who was friends with Tony Stewart had got hurt and asked me if I wanted to race a Silver Crown car in two weeks. I said, ‘Sure. Sign me up.’ I showed up and got my butt handed to me. Despite that, I wanted to give racing a try and thought it was fun.”
SM: Your first start came at Richmond in 2012 where you started 25th and finished 22nd, two laps down. There seemed to be a huge learning curve for you as you adjusted to NASCAR. Can you explain the challenges of this type of racing and how it was different than what you had done before?
TP: “I think if you look at it, my qualifying results were significantly better than my race results and that was complete opposite than what I was in Motocross,” he said. “In motocross, you could find out how to take chances and do stuff no one was going to do. But in vehicles, it didn’t come down to how much time you were willing to put in, like prep and training (which made you a good motocross racer). In NASCAR, success came to research. Literally working with your crew chief. Going over all the notes and learning about the different aspects of the sport. Some of that was very foreign to me.”
“So for me, I think Chase Elliott is a great example. At age 15 or 16-years-old, he won his first K&N race in a race where I felt like Waltrip and the guys were the best car. It was the one time I got to a race (maybe one other time at Kentucky in Nationwide), where I was like, ‘Holy crap, we could win this race.’ I drove dead last all the way to second and then bumped Sergio Pena for the lead. It took all the air out of my car. And I was like, ‘I cannot believe this!’ All I had to do was relax. To sum it up, it comes down to how much you can work with your team. How you don’t use your tires up, etc.”
SM: Did you lean on any drivers when you first entered the sport?
TP: “Definitely, Brett Moffitt,” Pastrana said. “He took me under his wing. He (Moffitt) was getting in his Truck (at Kansas), gets out and runs to the back of the grid and he was like, ‘Hey when you’re doing restarts here, it’s not like an initial start. Seven to eight laps in, you will spin the tires.”
SM: Later on in 2012, you started driving for Jack Roush to race in the No. 60. What was it that brought you to Roush?
TP: “It wasn’t an offer, he said. “It was me going to him. I funded all of my own stuff. I took most of my savings and put it into NASCAR. People questioned me, ‘why did you quit?’ I just realized I wasn’t good enough. I was never good with pavement to be quite honest. For me, it was about making the best out of every situation.”
“Though, I loved (Greg) Biffle. Even Carl Edwards, one of my all-time heroes. Same thing with Trevor Bayne. I wanted to be under Trevor and learn from those guys. The 60 at the time was victorious in Nationwide. We did a test run and I was fastest in practice and we qualified fifth at Richmond, mI y first race with those guys (Roush). We ran up front and I was respectable in the race. That’s why I signed a contract with those guys.”
SM: At Talladega, you won your first career NASCAR pole. Was that a special moment for you knowing that you were still somewhat new to the sport?
TP: “The restrictor plate really came down to, you have to hit your marks, but if your team has a good car, that (qualifying on the pole) proved we had the best motors, Pastrana said. “So for me, it (winning the pole) was awesome. To be able to run up front, lead some laps was awesome. But I honestly think qualifying second at Kentucky was my most proudest moment even though I missed my lap.”
SM: Before the Kansas weekend, your first connection with Al Niece was the Las Vegas event back in 2017. What drew you to Niece and what sparked your interest in NASCAR again?
TP: “In 2017, I kept it (NASCAR) in the back of my mind and wanted to make a real effort,” he said. “I didn’t necessarily know when or how, but I knew what it took to be the best in the sport. I’m not saying I could be the best in the sport, I’m just saying I knew what you had to do to be successful. In my first year of the sport, I had my first kid and had another one (kid) on the way. I just thought to myself, I wanted to be a father and wanted to be sure, we were (my family) financial enough to do that. So, I went back to my regular job.”
“(However), I still wanted to give it (NASCAR) a shot. My car chief at Roush (Cody Efaw, now General Manager of Niece Motorsports) was starting a new team. He asked me, could you help us bring some sponsorship? I was able to do that and we had so much fun. Unfortunately, we did something stupid on the Truck, and couldn’t really get going. The race was pretty much close to their first start as a team. Al Niece (Team Owner) said to me, ‘Hey when we get ourselves a winning team and get a winning driver, you’ve got to come back. We wanted to thank you for helping put us on the map.’
“So Ross Chastain nearly won the championship last year. I literally got a call (last Wednesday afternoon) and the team (Kaulig Racing) said Chastain couldn’t drive both races because it’s hot and they were focusing on Xfinity efforts. He (Cody Efaw) told me that they (Niece) wanted to repay you and want you to drive our Truck. I said, ‘Yeah, I’m in, in a heartbeat.’
SM: What it was like being back in NASCAR that weekend and the race itself? Did you enjoy racing trucks?
TP: “Yeah, I did,” Pastrana said about racing in the Trucks at Kansas. “It was disappointing we had a tire go down in the first run. I was like alright, just don’t get lapped. We were super free. We would work our way up to 20th and then they (NASCAR) would put the lead cars back on the lead lap. What I really wanted to do was get behind some of the top guys and figure out what I was doing.”
“When we were tight on the second stage, I was right around 10th place. So, I was three tenths off of where I needed to be to run up front. I still was pretty happy with that. I know Kansas was pretty dirt track, if you will. It’s not a dirt track pavement, but you’re slipping and sliding. You have to be perfect.”
SM: Are you open to more NASCAR opportunities in the future such as a full-time ride in the Truck Series and the chance to compete for a championship?
TP: “I really love to race,” he said. “But knowing right now where I am at with life, I don’t have time to take this seriously enough where I deserve a full-time ride or take a ride away from an up and coming kid or a driver of any kind. I would step into that role in a heartbeat, but also understand, I’m not good enough at the moment without putting in a lot more time. (NASCAR) takes a lot of time and passion. If it was just the races on the weekend, then no problem.”
“In order for me to be the driver I want to be, it would be every waking second of the day of trying to figure it out. I love that challenge, I love NASCAR. I was thankful enough for Cody (Efaw) and Al (Niece) to give me another opportunity. I’m not expecting more opportunities (in the future). Unless, it’s a mile and a half, or helping younger prospects.”
SM: With that in mind, where would you like for your last NASCAR start to be?
TP: “The Daytona 500,” Pastrana said. “That race has always been on my bucket list.”
SM: Wrapping it up, when you look back on your NASCAR career, what’s one moment or memory that will stick out to you?
TP: “I think it’s the comradery,” he said. “To have Joey Logano step in my car one time because he was following me and he thought he was loose. He jumped in my car at New Hampshire during practice. The same thing can go for Denny Hamlin at Richmond. He waits for me to go out. I wasn’t even ready to go out and he was like, ‘Hey, You about ready to go out?’ I said, ‘no.’ Denny responds, ‘I’ll wait for you at the exit.’ I was blown away by that moment of Denny wanting to see me succeed. For me, that really meant a lot. That was very cool.”
In Pastrana’s NASCAR career, the Maryland native has a total of 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts with four top 10 finishes and one pole, with a best finish of ninth at Richmond. In addition, Pastrana has four Truck Series starts and 11 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Starts (earning a best finish of fourth at Iowa in 2012).
Special thanks to Travis Pastrana for taking time out of his busy schedule to do the interview and special thanks to Michelle Brachowski for coordinating the interview.
In addition, those who are interested in Niece Motorsports can like them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and visit their website for additional information.
The Xfinity Series drove to the heartland this past weekend in an unexpected trip to Kansas Speedway in the middle of July. The series is normally used to racing there in the fall on a normal schedule. However, due to rising cases in Chicago, Saturday’s race replaced the canceled Chicago race.
While it was unexpected for Xfinity Series drivers, the slick track conditions and hot temperatures allowed series regulars to have a great showing. Even though Austin Cindric led the most laps, consistent battles took place behind him, and numerous pit strategies were all over the place. But a late race caution flew that jumbled the field. At one point it looked as though Harrison Burton would come home with the checkered flag, but the win actually went to his teammate Brandon Jones who passed Cindric on a late race restart.
With Jones earning his second win of the season, he now has some solid points to push him through at least the first couple of rounds of the Playoffs. As Jones celebrates, we’ll highlight other Xfinity Series regulars in this week’s Power Rankings.
Austin Cindric – A late race caution ruined his chance of winning for the fourth consecutive time this season but you can’t overlook the effort. The Team Penske driver dominated by leading a race high of 131 laps and sweeping both stages. Had it not been for the late caution or getting passed by Harrison Burton, Cindric could very well have his fourth win of the season. He’ll have another chance to get a checkered flag in his wheelhouse at Road America in a couple of weeks.
Previous Week Ranking – First
Harrison Burton – Once the final round of green flag pit stops cycled out, Burton chased down Cindric for the lead and more than likely could have taken home the checkered flag if it wasn’t for the late caution. Still, Burton wound up third on the leaderboard at the end of the day after leading eight laps, and a solid outing of third and second in both stages, respectively.
Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
Ryan Sieg – Sieg played pit strategy by staying out when the caution came late. He was scored as the race leader when the overtime restart occurred. By not having new tires, the cautions saved the team and allowed them to achieve their third top five of the year. In addition, the Georgia team led 25 laps. Not bad for Sieg and the No. 39 team.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Ross Chastain – Chastain came home with his seventh top five of the 2020 Xfinity Series season last Saturday. The Floridian couldn’t win a stage but gained points by finishing second and fourth in both stages. Chastain had a couple of chances to score the victory but was unsuccessful in doing so.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Justin Allgaier – A 10th place finish might be disappointing for Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports entry but the effort was there throughout the race. He was pretty much quiet and didn’t make much noise, however, Allgaier capitalized on the stages with finishes of fifth and third before winding up with his ninth top 10 of the year.
Previous Week Ranking – Third
Fell Out:
Noah Gragson – Gragson had a forgettable 15th place finish following his run at Kansas. He was only able to earn a stage finish of 10th in Stage 2 before pit strategy and late yellows ruined any chances of gaining a respectable finish. The last two weeks have not been kind to the Las Vegas native after crashing at Texas and placing 30th.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
Chase Briscoe – It was a disappointing finish for Briscoe who came home in the 14th position due to slightly brushing the Turn 3 and 4 wall with just a few laps remaining in Saturday’s event. On the upside, the Stewart-Haas driver did gain stage points by placing seventh in Stage 2.
Kansas Speedway was the site of the first doubleheader in NASCAR Truck Series history and the first for the track itself and featured some great racing action across the two races.
After three years, Matt Crafton finally got it done and piloted the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 to his third Kansas win. Crafton punched his ticket into the Playoffs and will be able to chase for his fourth Truck Series title. The Californian led the final 23 laps after an eventful third stage in the E.P.T. 200.
Before Crafton picked up the victory in Saturday’s event, Austin Hill and his No. 16 Hattori Racing team grabbed the checkers in Friday night’s outing for his first victory of the 2020 Truck Series season. Hill led a race-high of 65 laps before the Georgian took home the fifth win of his career.
With Hill and Crafton picking up victories in the doubleheaders, many Truck Series regulars had solid outings in the first race, while the same ones didn’t have as much luck in race No. 2.
Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 and the E.P.T 200 at Kansas Speedway.
Matt Crafton – A no-brainer here. The ThorSport driver notched his first win after a thrilling battle with Christian Eckes late in the going. Crafton managed stage finishes of third and second before getting the victory. In Friday’s race, he came home in the fourth position after randomly drawing 17th via owner points. His stage finishes weren’t quite as strong. Crafton finished fifth in Stage 1 and barely missed out on the top 10 in Stage 2, placing 13th. All in all, not a bad weekend for the No. 88 Menards team who finally snapped a three-year winless streak. Now it will be interesting to see if Crafton and company can be a strong contender for the championship once again.
Previous Week Ranking – Second
Christian Eckes – Eckes followed through with another top-five finish at Kansas, at least in the second outing, when he fell just .324 seconds short of winning his first NASCAR race. The New York native was somewhat quiet in the second race of the weekend, only leading six laps, and finishing fourth and ninth in the stages. However, the result was a much better finish than Friday’s race, as Eckes would struggle after drawing first and bringing the No. 18 machine home in the 13th position. Regardless, Eckes made up for the disappointing finish on Friday night and earned his third top-five of the season.
Previous Week Ranking – First
Zane Smith – Smith once again had a great weekend at Kansas, notwithstanding his run-in with his teammate (more on that later). The Californian shined in both events leading 17 laps in Friday’s event (finishing eighth and third in both stages) and sweeping the stages in Saturday’s race. Unfortunately, Smith would be the cause of the accident on Lap 95 when he got loose off Turn 4 and made contact with the two GMS Racing teammates (Brett Moffitt and Tyler Ankrum), thus ending their day early. Smith would also receive slight front end damage to his No. 21 machine. Despite the incident, he was able to bring the truck home to a top 10 (Smith’s sixth of the year), but his teammates might make it tough on him as the season wears on.
Previous Week Ranking – Third
Ben Rhodes- Rhodes overall had a consistent weekend after finishes of seventh and fifth in the doubleheader. Following the two races, the Kentucky native led just four laps but picked up some much needed points when Rhodes finished ninth and second in the stages of Friday’s race. Unfortunately, he would not pick up any points in either stage for Saturday’s outing but was able to manage track position and get the No. 99 Tenda Heel Ford F-150 to a top-five finish. Though, there is still some work to be done in the No. 99 team as they still do not have a win.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
Derek Kraus – Kraus showed great promise and speed this weekend at Kansas Speedway. In the Blu-Emu 200, he placed sixth and fifth in both stages, respectively, and gained stage finishes again in Saturday’s race. Overall, the Billy McAnally driver earned finishes of fifth and seventh following the two events. Not bad for missing your high school graduation.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Fell Out
Brett Moffitt – The Iowan would have had a good run at the 1.5-mile speedway, but a crash involving three teammates dashed his hopes on Lap 95 in Saturday’s E.P.T. 200. Up until that point, Moffit won Stage 1 in Friday’s showing and placed third in the second stage for Saturday’s efforts. While he did bring home the No. 23 Destiny Homes Ford second in the first race, Moffitt was credited with a 27th place finish in Saturday’s race.
The Truck Series put on two great races this past Friday and Saturday in the heartland of the Midwest at Kansas Speedway. The track made some history by hosting two back-to-back Truck Series races, the first in its 19-year span.
Nobody knew what to expect from the two races since 1.5 milers can sometimes be uneventful, but Kansas put on a great show. Sure, in Friday’s race, there was more green flag action than yellows, but no driver was really ever able to check out over second place. Hill only led 65 of the scheduled 167 laps in Friday’s effort, while Crafton led just 23 laps before getting his first win of the season. While the results may show a driver leading the most laps of the two races, there were consistent battles for the lead. And of course, rookie Christian Eckes made the veteran Crafton work for his victory.
While Hill and Crafton enjoyed their victories, there were some notables in the field such as Travis Pastrana making his first NASCAR return in years. The Maryland native replaced Ross Chastain in the No. 40 for the Saturday race. Hoping for a strong outing, Pastrana had a difficult showing after having a flat tire ending his day.
After a historic doubleheader, two Truck Series regulars punched their ticket into the Playoffs and took two more spots in the playoff grid.
With those stories to focus on as the season wears on and the Playoffs inching closer, we take a look at four things we might have missed or need to revisit following this weekend’s Truck Series action.
Travis Pastrana Returns – We may have already noted this, but Travis Pastrana making his return to NASCAR was special. He last made a start in 2017 at the Las Vegas race driving for Niece Motorsports. Pastrana had high hopes of potentially being the story at the end of the day in victory lane. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to shine, due to having a right-rear tire go down with 10 to go in the first stage. The day would only get worse for Pastrana, as he would go sliding through the grass off Turn 4 after his teammate Natalie Decker took the air off of him. Pastrana came home in the 22nd position, two laps down.
Austin Wayne Self Gets Best Finish of the Season – The AM Racing team continues to fly under the radar after a couple of weeks of finishing inside the top 20. After securing a best finish of 14th at Texas a week ago, Wayne Self and the No. 22 team had momentum on their side and looked to carry that through Kansas. While Friday’s event didn’t go so well (finishing 17th), the Texan earned his best finish of the 2020 season Saturday afternoon, placing 13th. Leaving the team somewhat satisfied, they will now focus on trying to get their first top 10 of the season when the Truck Series rolls into Michigan a couple of weeks from now.
Brennan Poole Has Consistent Effort – It’s not very often you talk about Poole and the No. 30 OnPoint Motorsports team, but after this weekend the team has a right to be mentioned in your conversation with a race fan. Poole obtained two 12th place finishes after the two races at Kansas, collecting his best finishes of the season as well. Before this weekend, Poole only had a season-best of 17th. However, the Steven Lane owned team can have a little confidence after placing sixth in Stage 1 for Saturday’s race, and being consistent after such a tight turnaround following Friday.
Ryan Huff Grabs Respectable Finish – The Virginia native saw a respectable 19th place finishing position after a crazy hectic race on Saturday. Huff stayed out of trouble and kept pace in the field with the No. 00 Reaume Brothers Racing Toyota. Sure, while the finish came a lap down, the 19-year-old brought the Josh Reaume entry home with a clean truck.
Matt Crafton held off rookie Christian Eckes in the 20 laps to score his first victory of the season, thus snapping a three-year winless streak dating back to his last victory at the Eldora Dirt Derby. Crafton grabbed the lead off a restart with 22 to go and kept a manageable pace to secure his spot in the playoffs.
“It feels like a monkey off my back with all the weight we’ve been carrying,” Crafton said about the victory. “That’s all everybody wanted to talk about, is how we’ve not won in three years. (We) just kept our heads down and keep focus, and not worry about that, and keep doing what we’re doing. It’s all about these guys (ThorSport Racing). I know we won the championship last year and won it without winning a race, but at the end of the day to all the naysayers, I still have that trophy in my living room. We started picking up the speed this time last year and got to Homestead. A lot of hard work by these guys (pit crew).”
Saturday was race No. 2 of the doubleheader race weekend for the Truck Series at Kansas Speedway.
Many trucks were going to the rear prior to the start of the event. Of those headed to the back were Sheldon Creed, Jordan Anderson, Spencer Davis, and Stewart Friesen for a backup. Ty Majeski for a transmission change. Kevin Donahue, Ryan Huff, Travis Pastrana, and Tyler Hill for a driver change.
The top 15 was also inverted based on Friday night’s running order. This meant, Chase Purdy (after finishing 15th) started on pole and Friday’s winner Austin Hill (started 15th).
Stages were once again 30-30-74, which made up an eventful 134 lap race.
Stage 1 Lap 1 – Lap 30
Stage 1 got off to a solid start, but that was not the case for Majeski and Tyler Ankrum. The Niece Motorsports driver would slightly make contact with Ankrum off Turn 4. Majeski later pitted due to left front damage.
Meanwhile, Texas runner up Christian Eckes, took the lead in the early stages but had troubles of his own. A trash bag of some sort got stuck to his hood and caused him to lose the lead to Zane Smith. Eckes however eventually lost the debris and continued to run without further incident.
The same cannot be said for Pastrana, who was making his first NASCAR start in three years. Replacing Chastain in the No. 40 entry, the Annapolis, Maryland native slid through the glass with 10 to go in the first stage. It appeared a flat right-rear tire caused him to spin.
With those incidents taking place, there would be no yellows for the first stage, and Zane Smith went on to take the stage victory. Brett Moffitt, Matt Crafton, Christian Eckes, Brandon Jones, Brennan Poole, Chase Purdy, Todd Gilliland, Raphael Lessard, and Derek Kraus rounded out the top 10.
Under the stage break, Johnny Sauter (who placed 15th in the stage), was caught speeding on pit road and therefore, sent to the rear for the restart.
Stage 2 Lap 36- Lap 60
Ben Rhodes, Austin Hill, Zane Smith, Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen, Christian Eckes, Brandon Jones, Brett Moffitt, Todd Gilliland, and Brennan Poole set the top 10 for the Stage 2 restart order.
As laps started clicking in Stage 2, Smith was back in the lead on lap 41, after Hill held the lead shortly. Smith started checking slightly, but a caution slowed the pace on lap 44 when Bryan Dauzat spun off Turn 2, bringing out the caution flag.
No more yellows were seen in the remaining laps and once again, rookie Zane Smith swept the first two stages. Crafton, Moffitt, Creed, Kraus, Ankrum, Hill, Purdy, Eckes, and Gilliland were the top 10.
Stage 3 Lap 67- Lap 134
Friesen would restart as the leader in the third and final stage by taking fuel only under the stage break. However, those behind him like Crafton, Moffitt, Smith would fly right past him with fresher tires and adjustments. Not only did Friesen fall on back, he and Enfinger almost crashed in Turn 2.
A battle for the lead pursued between teammates Moffitt and Creed from laps 68 to 72. But, a trend race fans would see late in the stage, a caution came again on lap 74 for Pastrana. He spun off Turn 4 through the grass after getting the air taken off of him by his teammate Natalie Decker.
Four more yellows slowed the E.P.T. 200 including a big accident with 51 to go on the fronstretch. Tanner Gray in the No. 15 DGR-Crosley camp, accidentally made contact with Clay Greenfield in the No. 68 before the entrance of Turn 1. The incident collected many drivers such as Johnny Sauter, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Natalie Decker, Stewart Friesen, Ty Majeski, Pastrana, Codie Rohrbaugh, Spencer Davis, Robby Lyons among a few others were involved. The accident caused a five minute and seven second red flag.
Another crash happened with 41 to go. This time, the accident involved GMS Racing teammates Brett Moffitt, Tyler Ankrum, and Zane Smith. Smith got loose off the exit of Turn 4 and slid up in front of his teammates, thus causing the accident. Smith was able to limp away albeit with left front damage, while Moffitt and Ankrum saw their day end early, and be credited with finishes of 27th and 28th, respectively.
By having multiple yellows late in the going, this allowed the drivers taking their mind off of having to make a final pit stop, or worry about running out of gas.
The last restart came with 22 to go, which saw Austin Hill, Crafton, Jones, and Eckes make up the top four. Crafton was able to get a push from behind one of the drivers and eventually, the race lead. The California native was unable to check out with Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Eckes stalking behind him. However, regardless of Eckes making a last lap effort, Crafton picked up his 15th career Truck Series victory.
“I’m excited, very excited for the playoffs,” Crafton continued regarding his playoffs chances. “The tracks in the playoffs are going to be very good for us, aside from Talladega that’s always the unknown. All in all, looking forward to the playoffs, and these guys building fast trucks every week. There’s no doubt we can go and get a fourth championship.”
Crafton led twice for 23 laps and picked up five additional playoff points.
There were nine cautions for 38 laps and 15 lead changes among nine different drivers.
Inspection was clear without only minor incidents. Brandon Jones and Derek Kraus had a missing or loose lug nut, which is only a monetary fine.
Official Results following the E.P.T. 200 at Kansas Speedway
Matt Crafton, led 23 laps
Christian Eckes, led six laps
Grant Enfinger
Tanner Gray, led three laps
Ben Rhodes, led one lap
Austin Hill, led 19 laps
Derek Kraus
Brandon Jones
Zane Smith, won both stages, led 50 laps
Chase Purdy
Raphael Lessard
Brennan Poole
Austin Wayne Self
Spencer Davis
Jordan Anderson
Tyler Hill
Tate Fogleman
Spencer Boyd
Ryan Huff, 1 lap down
Todd Gilliland, 1 lap down
Robby Lyons, 1 lap down
Travis Pastrana, 2 laps down
Kevin Donahue, 4 laps down
Ray Ciccarelli, 4 laps down
Norm Benning, 5 laps down
Sheldon Creed, led 18 laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
Brett Moffitt, led 11 laps, OUT, Accident
Tyler Ankrum, OUT, Accident
Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
Ty Majeski, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
Clay Greenfield, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
Johnny Sauter, OUT, Accident
Stewart Friesen, led three laps, OUT, Accident
Natalie Decker, OUT, Accident
Cory Roper, OUT, Accident
Bryan Dauzat, OUT, Electrical
Up Next: The Truck Series takes a couple of weeks off before visiting Michigan International Speedway Friday August 7.
It took 69 starts, but Munford, Alabama native Bret Holmes notched his first career ARCA Menards Series victory Friday night at Kansas Speedway.
Holmes started fourth based on owner’s points but didn’t waste any time getting to the front. He took the lead after the segment two restart on Lap 19 and led the rest of the race for a total of 82 laps. No one proved a match for his No. 23 machine as Holmes easily took the checkered flag by 14.458 seconds over Venturini Motorsports driver Ryan Repko.
“We’ve been working so hard for this,” said Holmes. “I’ve been working my whole life for this. My team did this for me. It’s been a long tough road. I just thank my family and my friends. They believed in me when I didn’t.”
There were three segment breaks that made up the Dawn 150. The first segment break was on Lap 30, the second was on Lap 60 with the race ending on Lap 100.
The first segment was relatively caution free with just one incident slowing the field on Lap 13. Russ Lane in the No. 8 had a scary moment off Turn 2 when the Overland Park, Kansas native got loose and smashed the inside wall hard.
Besides the incident involving Lane, there were a couple of other close moments during the second segment as Drew Dollar and Hailie Deegan almost wrecked in Turns 3 and 4. However, both of them somehow saved their vehicles without incident.
The only driver that could battle for the lead was Corey Heim who was making his first ARCA Menards start of 2020. Helm ran in the second position, just two seconds back from Holmes. But, Holmes’ car was so dominant that he began to check out from the field and his lead continued to climb.
The victory was a long time coming for Holmes, as he would claim the first checkered flag of his ARCA career.
Holmes led 82 laps with Riley Herbst being the only other driver to lead laps with 18. There were three cautions for 10 laps. Two of those were for stage breaks and the other for the Russ Lane incident.
With the victory, Holmes has decreased Michael Self’s points lead down to nine.
Official Results following the Dawn 150 at Kansas Speedway.
In a historic doubleheader weekend at Kansas Speedway, Austin Hill and his No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises team grabbed the checkered flag after leading a race-high 65 laps. The Georgian led the last 39 laps en route to his first win of the 2020 Truck Series season.
“This is awesome and we’ve been working so hard for this,” Hill said. “Last week was a bummer having engine troubles and I told the guys before coming here, let’s go finish three spots better and I’ll be dang if we didn’t do it. Can’t thank everybody enough at HRE, Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and the guys, they work their tails off week in and week out. First win with the United Rentals paint scheme and that’s awesome, they’ve been a tremendous partner for me throughout my career. I’ve been wanting to get a win with these colors on and I’m so glad I was able to do it. That last pit stop, I tried to brake check a little bit and got out in fourth because I wanted to be in the high lane. I got tagged from behind, that was my fault and I apologize to Brett (Moffitt) when he hit me. I had it for Scott and the guys, they now have to replace the bumper to get ready for tomorrow. But I think the win was worth it.”
Stages consisting of 30, 30 and 74 laps made up the 134-lap event, which is shorter than last year’s event by about 33 laps. Christian Eckes was on the pole via a random draw based on owner points.
Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 30
Early on in the going Brett Moffitt and Todd Gilliland both led laps before Moffitt broke away from the battle. However, the first caution of the night flew on Lap 18 when Robby Lyons spun off Turn 4. Just before the yellow, Tyler Ankrum in the No. 26 experienced trouble with his brakes. Ankrum would return to the race, albeit 22 laps down, but eventually finished 33rd in the running order.
A restart came on Lap 23 with about eight to go in the first stage. Despite early battles and a couple of cautions, Moffitt held on to win the first stage. Hill, Ross Chastain, Gilliland, Matt Crafton, Derek Kraus, Eckes, Zane Smith, Ben Rhodes and Sheldon Creed were the top 10 finishers.
Stage 2: Lap 36- Lap 60
Just 25 laps would make up the second stage and it was caution-free. There were, however, multiple battles for position including a close moment between Crafton and Kraus off Turn 2 at Lap 39.
The lead swapped three times between Rhodes, Eckes, and Hill throughout the 25 lapper in Stage 2. Hill would eventually maintain the lead on Lap 41 and led for 23 laps. Right around 10 to go, Stewart Friesen, in his No. 52 Halmar Racing Toyota, had a right-rear tire go down which forced him to make a pit stop. Unfortunately, Friesen’s night continued to get worse and he would wind up placing in the 27th position.
When the green-checkered flew on Lap 60, it was Hill in the No. 16 who got the stage victory. Rhodes, Smith, Majeski, Kraus, Eckes, Chastain, Creed, Jones, and Moffitt wrapped up the top 10.
Stage 3: Lap 66 – Lap 134
Stage 3 provided a little more action than the first two stages.
With 53 to go, Korbin Forrister in the No. 7 machine, wrecked off Turn 4 slowing the field for the fourth and what would be the final time of the night. As the caution flew, this allowed race teams to take advantage of strategy as they chose to come down pit road for fresh tires. However, Gilliland who had a great run early got busted on pit road for an uncontrolled tire resulting in a penalty and was sent to the rear for the restart.
The restart came with 48 to go and once the field got going again, a great battle for the lead was seen. Moffitt, Hill, Crafton, and the No. 98 of Enfinger challenged for the top spot. During that initial battle, Chastain experienced difficulty with a flat right rear tire. The troubles continued to get worse for the No. 40 Niece Motorsports entry as Chastain pulled the truck behind the wall.
Out of the four drivers that swapped the lead, Moffitt led four laps and Crafton only one, but ultimately it was Hill that checked out on Lap 96. And just like Atlanta, Hill hoped there would not be any cautions late in the going. But a close moment between Spencer Davis and Jordan Anderson came with five to go when the two collided off Turn 4. Fortunately for Hill, the yellow would not fly and he could keep his three-second lead over second-place Moffitt.
In the end, Hill proved unbeatable as he piloted the No. 16 Toyota to victory lane for the first time this year and the fifth time of his career.
“Really, those last 20 laps felt like they went on forever,” Hill said about the last closing laps. “I started thinking, what am I going to do when a caution comes out. Am I going to choose the outside or inside lane and how hard do I drive it into the corner on old tires, just a lot of things were going through my head. I’m glad we didn’t have to do a green-white-checkered and finish it just ended like it did. The United Rentals Toyota Tundra was really fast tonight. We do have some work for tomorrow. It felt like on the long run we were just way too free. I had to really pedal it through the corner, but were good enough tonight.”
The victory snapped a six month winless streak for Hill and company. Hill led four times for 65 laps and picked up six playoff points.
There were four cautions for 19 laps and 17 lead changes among eight different leaders.
Official Results
Austin Hill, won Stage 2, led 65 laps
Brett Moffitt, won Stage 1, led 21 laps
Grant Enfinger
Matt Crafton, led two laps
Derek Kraus
Zane Smith, led 17 laps
Ben Rhodes, led three laps
Sheldon Creed
Johnny Sauter
Todd Gilliland
Ty Majeski
Brennan Poole
Christian Eckes
Brandon Jones
Chase Purdy
Raphael Lessard
Austin Wayne Self
Tanner Gray
Timmy Hill, 1 lap down
Cory Roper, 1 lap down
Natalie Decker, 1 lap down
Tate Fogleman, 1 lap down
Spencer Boyd, 1 lap down
Codie Rohrbaugh, 1 lap down
Dawson Cram, 1 lap down
Robby Lyons, 2 laps down
Stewart Friesen, 2 laps down
Clay Greenfield, 2 laps down
Spencer Davis, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
Jordan Anderson, 5 laps down
Jennifer Jo Cobb, 6 laps down
Ray Ciccarelli, 13 laps down
Tyler Ankrum, 22 laps down
Ross Chastain, OUT, Brakes
Korbin Forrister, OUT, Crash
Norm Benning, OUT, Handling
Bryan Dauzat, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
Kevin Donahue, OUT, Power Steering
Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series stays at Kansas Speedway for race No. 2, with a green flag scheduled for 1:45 p.m./ET live on Fox Sports 1.
