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Author: Briar Starr

  • NHRA Gatornationals Postponed Due To Coronavirus

    NHRA Gatornationals Postponed Due To Coronavirus

    Announced today via NHRA Series Officials is the postponement of the Florida Gatornationals due to the the ongoing Coronavirus.

    Despite many sports leagues and other Motorsports canceling this weekend or perhaps suspending game play, NHRA follows suit due to the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. This weekends Gatornationals will be rescheduled for a later date. Below is an official release from the NHRA regarding their third race of the season.

    “In consideration of the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with the recommendation of the Florida governor, NHRA officials are postponing a portion of the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. The sportsman categories contested on Thursday will complete competition this weekend without ticketed spectators. Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Mod, Factory Stock Showdown, Top Fuel Harley, Top Alcohol Dragster, and Top Alcohol Funny Car will compete at a later date to be determined. Current tickets will be honored at the rescheduled event or ticketholders may opt to use their tickets as a credit toward the 2021 Gatornationals. NHRA will determine next steps for moving forward as additional information becomes available. We appreciate the patience of our competitors and fans.”

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Atlanta/The Bounty Part 1

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Atlanta/The Bounty Part 1

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series return to on-track action this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. While you may have looked at this as just another race prior to the 2020 season, all eyes will be watching this Saturday.

    Last time out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch stole the show and went to victory lane in the Truck Series once again. This caused another round of outrage from some NASCAR fans about Busch winning in the lower series.

    The outrage got the attention of the 2014 Cup Series champion and future Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick who finally had enough of it. The day after Busch’s win, Harvick took to Twitter and issued what was originally a $50,000 bounty to any full-time Cup driver that can beat Busch. Not only did it get the attention of Harvick but the bounty that Harvick offered also got the attention of the CEO and sponsor of the series, Marcus Lemonis. Lemonis took to Twitter and matched Kevin’s bounty to equal $100,000. Of course, this got the attention of several Cup Series drivers who right away tried putting plans together with Truck Series teams.

    While it would have been interesting to see a Cup vs. Truck field at Atlanta this weekend, the realization came into play on how tough it actually would be to get a ride in the Truck Series, as there would be many sponsor and manufacturer conflicts in some instances. However, a couple of Cup drivers were able to get a deal worked out. Those drivers include Chase Elliott who will drive the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevy, Brennan Poole who will pilot his own No. 29 Toyota entry and John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports entry. Whether or not, one of these three can beat Kyle by finishing ahead of him remains to be seen but the bounty will certainly put on a good show.

    Before we get to The Bounty, let’s take a look at five other drivers that have shot to win in this weekend’s Vet Tix Camping World 200 at Atlanta.

    Currently, there are 38 Trucks on the preliminary entry list, meaning six trucks will go home after qualifying.

    1. Kyle Busch – Anytime Kyle Busch is in the field, it will be really tough to beat him head-to-head on his good days and that has been the case here at Atlanta for at least nine of 11 starts. In last year’s race, Busch swept both the stages and won in his second straight Truck start of the season after leading 92 laps. In total, the Las Vegas native has an average finish of 6.1 with an average start of 3.4. He has five wins to his credit with eight top fives, nine top-10 finishes and 479 laps led. Busch’s stats at Atlanta are impressive as he won three in a row in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Had he not finished eighth in 2008, Busch could have won five in a row which is really impressive, to say the least. Despite his success at the 1.54-mile speedway in Atlanta, the KBM owner has also faced some adversity at one point or another. In 2017, he started second and finished 26th, three laps down while in 2018, Busch was on the pole but finished 21st after having a wheel come off under a pit stop. It’s rare for Busch to have a problem in the Truck Series, but it’s also rare for anyone to beat him. The KBM owner will be pretty tough to beat on Saturday for the bounty.
    2. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt has yet to find victory lane this season in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevy. Though it has not been the start Moffitt has been looking for, that could all change this weekend at a track where he has had limited success. The Iowa native won here back in 2018 after starting 10th and only led two laps after a late-race restart with two to go. To date, that has been Moffitt’s only victory in the Truck Series at Atlanta. In last year’s outing for GMS, he finished fourth after starting third but only registered a fifth-place stage finish in the second stage. Overall, Moffitt has an average finish of 5.3.
    3. Grant Enfinger – Quite simply put, Atlanta has been one of the best tracks that Grant Enfinger has not won at yet. Since making his first start there in 2016, the Alabama native has had consistent finishes in the top fives and 10s with a best finish of third coming in 2019. He’s managed to lead eight laps and earned an average finish of 6.2. In total, Enfinger has two top-fives and four top-10 finishes. He was able to finish third in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2 in the 2019 race. Surprisingly, the ThorSport driver has not won yet at Atlanta, but that could change this weekend.
    4. Ben Rhodes – Another driver who has had some success at Atlanta is the driver of the No. 99 Carolina Nut Company Ford, Ben Rhodes. Rhodes has four starts dating back to 2016. His best finish was fourth (twice, 2017 and 2018). In those four starts, he’s also led 20 laps which came in last year’s race. All in all, the ThorSport driver has completed all the laps since his first race, which is really remarkable. Rhodes has yet to grab a stage win in this race, but that may very well come this weekend along with a win.
    5. Ross Chastain – Chastain is back for another race in the Niece Motorsports entry for 2020. At Atlanta, he has three starts in 2012, 2017 and 2019. Chastain’s best finish of those three starts was sixth in last year’s race after starting 21st. He didn’t make a lot of noise, but still got the job done by earning a top-10 finish. Chastain also finished 10th and seventh in both stages in the 2019 race.

    As for the bounty hunters, Chase Elliott has one start at Atlanta that came in 2017 driving for GMS. Elliott finished fifth after starting ninth. He also managed to finish eighth in the second stage of that race. For Brennan Poole, his only start was in last year’s race where he finished 13th. John Hunter Nemechek has two starts at Atlanta in the Truck Series. Nemechek won this race in 2016. Though, his last Truck start was three years ago in 2017, where Nemechek was credited with a 29th place finish due to an accident.

    There will be a few somewhat new faces in the field this weekend making their start of 2020. T.J. Bell returns to drive the No. 12 Youngs Motorsports Truck, while Danny Bohn is scheduled to pilot the No. 30 of On Point Motorsports, J.J. Yeley will pilot the No. 33 of Reaume Brothers Racing, Ryan Truex will compete in the No. 40 Niece Motorsports entry and Jeb Burton will be in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy.

    A couple of drivers will be making their first at-track debut. Those include Zane Smith, Tate Fogleman, Raphael Lessard, Tanner Gray, Derek Kraus, Tyler Ankrum, Stefan Parsons, Danny Bohn, and Angela Ruch.

    Since 2004, Atlanta Motor Speedway has seen 18 Truck Series races. The winners include Bobby Hamilton, Ron Hornaday Jr., Kyle Busch, Todd Bodine, Mike Bliss, Mike Skinner, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Ty Dillon, Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, and Brett Moffitt. Kyle Busch has the most wins with five occurring in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2019.

    As for manufacturers, Chevrolet has nine wins with Toyota directly behind with eight. Toyota has won the last three races. Dodge only has one victory which came in 2004 while Ford has zero wins throughout the 18 race span.

    The race winners starting positions have been a mixed bag as well. At least seven times a race winner has come from outside the top-10, while four times a race winner came from the top five and only two times the winner has come from the top-10. The lowest a winner has ever started was 18th (twice) set by Hornaday in 2005 and John Hunter Nemechek in 2016. The winner has started from the pole only five times by drivers Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner, Kyle Busch, Ty Dillon, and previously Christopher Bell in 2017. There have been zero races dating back to 2004 that have not ended under yellow.

    As far as stage wins go, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson, and Busch have been the only stage winners so far since stages were implemented in 2017. Twice the stages have been swept by Bell and Busch, as both went on to victory lane later that day.

    The most lead changes that took place was 21 in 2006. The least amount of lead changes were six (twice) in 2015 and 2017. The most cautions occurred in 2007 with nine for 45 laps. The least amount of cautions took place in 2015, where only three caution flags were flown for 13 laps.

    The first time the Truck Series drivers will get on-track is slated for 1:35 p.m. ET for their first practice with no live TV. Final practice is scheduled for 4:32 p.m. ET with live coverage on Fox Sports 1. Truck Series qualifying is set for Saturday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1. The Vet Tix Camping World 200 is set for Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages will be 30/60/40 to make up the 130-lap race.

  • Brandon Jones set to compete for four races with Kyle Busch Motorsports

    Brandon Jones set to compete for four races with Kyle Busch Motorsports

    NASCAR Xfinity Series regular and last week’s winner at Phoenix Raceway, Brandon Jones, is set to return to Kyle Busch Motorsports to compete in four Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series races this season.

    Jones’ schedule will open at Iowa Speedway on June 12. He then will compete at Pocono Raceway on June 27, Kentucky Speedway July 9 and his final race will be at Martinsville Speedway on October 30. During the four-race span, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will have sponsorship by Barracuda Pumps, DuPont Air Filtration, Delta Faucet Company and Magick Woods. As always, Jones will have Menards as the associate sponsor for those races as well.

    Jones has had limited success in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series. He made his first series start at the age of 16 in 2013, where he competed in three races that year. The best finish of that year for Jones was 19th at Martinsville. However, the first outing with Kyle Busch Motorsports was May of 2018 when he started 13th and finished ninth. Jones has yet to grab a win in the Truck Series, but came close to doing so by finishing second twice, which came last year at Chicago and at Phoenix last fall.

    Because of his success last year in the series, Jones wanted to come back for another round of races.

    “After ending last year in the Truck Series on such a high note with almost winning Phoenix, it gives me great confidence to come back and compete at KBM,” Jones said. “Based on the tracks that we have scheduled, I feel that my chances are very strong to put the No. 51 Tundra in victory lane at all of them and check off my first truck win in the 2020 season. I am pumped to have Danny Stockman as my crew chief since we have worked together in the past and have had multiple successful runs in my early years in the XFINITY series. And, I feel that running a limited truck schedule with KBM helps have dialogue with Kyle on a weekly basis.

    “The main reason we are participating in the selected truck schedule is so that I can have some on-track laps before getting in the XFINITY car. This will be especially important when we run Martinsville Speedway since the XFINITY series has added that back to the 2020 schedules. I am really excited to have PPA/Dupont and Delta Faucets back on the truck; while pleased to be bringing on two new sponsors to the track, Barracuda Pumps and Magick Woods Vanities. Sponsors play a very important role in our sport and I believe we have a great chance to take them all to victory lane. I especially appreciate my longtime sponsor Menards for supporting me in both the XFINITY and Gander Outdoors Truck Series; I couldn’t do it without them.”

    Team-Owner Kyle Busch says Jones has been a special part of building the No. 51 Toyota Tundra team.

    “Brandon was an integral part of the 51 team bringing home the owner’s championship last year and we’re excited to have him back in the driver lineup as we try to repeat that feat this year,” owner-driver Kyle Busch said. “He was so close to victory a couple of times last year in the Truck Series and in the XFINITY Series was able to pick up a win late last year and has carried that momentum over to another win and a strong start to the season. We’re looking forward to getting him his first Truck Series victory this year.”

  • Don Schumacher Racing aims for milestone in NHRA

    Don Schumacher Racing aims for milestone in NHRA

    One of the historic teams in NHRA drag racing, Don Schumacher Racing, is aiming high this weekend when NHRA competes at the Gatornationals. If all goes to plan, DSR could very well have 350 overall wins by the time Sunday evening rolls around and if that happens, the team will be one of the select few to reach that number.

    It’s been a long time coming for Don Schumacher who started the race team back in 1998. His son, Tony, joined him in the very first race at the U.S. Nationals. From 1998 to present, DSR has notched 347 race victories in the NHRA. A couple of notables include Tony Schumacher grabbing win 100 in 2007 at the Pacific Raceways event, Antron Brown getting the 200th win at Gainesville seven years ago back in 2013, Tommy Johnson Jr. scoring win No. 299 and Brown accomplishing the feat of 300 wins in 2017 at Las Vegas for DSR.

    Schumacher’s son, Tony, was able to grab 84 victories for the team. As the team approaches this historic achievement, whether it happens at the Gatornationals this weekend or later this year, team owner Don Schumacher says it’s something to be proud of.

    “It’s truly an amazing accomplishment, and I’m in awe when I think about how far this team has come since opening our doors in 1998,” said Don Schumacher as he reflected on his team’s myriad of triumphs. “Of course, none of this would be possible without the driving force behind this team’s success, and that is the incredible group of people at DSR and DSM. ‘It takes a village,’ as they say. Everyone from the drivers to the crew chiefs and crew, the machine and fab shops, our entire front office, and hospitality staff; this whole operation of 130+ people, everyone contributes. And of course, a big thank you goes out to our partners; they keep us out there racing week after week, and we couldn’t accomplish any of this without them.”

    This weekend race fans will see DSR field eight cars. Those drivers include Antron Brown, Leah Pruette in the Top Fuel class, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan and Tommy Johnson Jr. in the Funny Car Class while Mark Pawuk and Pruett will hope to grab wins with the Factory Stock Showdown.

    Overall, DSR has 161 wins in the Top Fuel category with Tony Schumacher having 84 wins, Antron Brown with 43, Spencer Massey with 16, Leah Pruett with seven, Cory McClenathan with five, Shawn Langdon four, and Melanie Troxel having two wins for DSR. In the Funny Car category, legendary racer Ron Capps has 50 wins with the team, Matt Hagan 33, Jack Beckman 31, Whit Bazemore 13, Gary Scelzi 12, Tommy Johnson Jr 11, Johnny Gray seven and the team owner himself Don Schumacher has five wins.

    As for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, Angelle Sampey has 10 wins, Brown has six while Craig Treble and Chip Ellis have one each. In the Pro Stock division, Richie Stevens has two wins while Jeg Coughlin Jr. has one. Finally, Leah Pruette is the sole driver in the Factory Stock Series to have three wins.

    Don Schumacher has five wins that came in 1970 when he defeated Leroy Goldstein at Indianapolis, 1971 when he won against Kelly Brown at the Springnationals, 1972 against Al Marshall at Grandnationals and Ed McCulloch at Englishtown. Schumacher’s final win came back in 1973 when he won against NHRA legend Kenny Bernstein at Pomona.

  • David Ragan will return to Truck Series for one race at Richmond

    David Ragan will return to Truck Series for one race at Richmond

    Announced today via DGR-Crosley retired Cup Series star David Ragan will make his return to the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series on Saturday, April 18 at Richmond International Raceway. Ragan is scheduled to drive the No. 17 Ford Performance F-150 Ford out of the DGR-Crosley stable. This will be the first time since 2006 that Ragan has competed in the Truck Series and will be the first time he’s competed in a Truck at Richmond.

    “I’m really looking forward to racing one of DGR-Crosley’s F-150’s at Richmond,” said Ragan. “I’ve been friends with David [Gilliland] for a long time, and I see how much work he’s putting into this team and the success they’ve had early on. They have a shop full of great people and I’m glad that we could make all this happen.”

    The last time Ragan raced in a Truck was 2006 at Phoenix, where the Georgia native finished 17th after starting 20th. Ragan notes that this is something he’s planned on ever since retiring from full-time competition last year in the Cup Series.

    “It’s been a long time since I’ve raced in the Truck Series, and I’m incredibly thankful to Select Blinds for supporting me and allowing me to do this,” remarked Ragan. “This is what I wanted to do when I decided to stop racing full-time at the end of last season; I want to race in different series, with different teams. Obviously, we want to be competitive, and I have no doubt that DGR-Crosley will bring me a great truck. Richmond has always been one of my favorite tracks that we race at; hopefully, we can get the folks from Select Blinds another good finish this year and put on a good show for the fans.”

    Ragan will carry sponsorship with Select Binds.

  • Four Takeaways from the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway

    Four Takeaways from the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway

    The ARCA Menards Series visited Phoenix Raceway this past weekend for their series debut. A total of about 25 cars made the field with no one going home. Only one car withdrew from the entry list and that was the No. 48 of Brad Smith. As expected in the ARCA Series, the Venturini Motorsports teams are tough to beat, even when they faced some adversity throughout the General Tire 150. Despite Chandler Smith (No relation to Brad) not dominating the whole race as Ty Gibbs did, he found himself with an opportunity to win with a one-lap to go restart. With the Venturini teams taking the top two spots, there were some stories race fans might have missed in the second race of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season. 

    1. Chandler Smith Scores Surprise Win At Phoenix – As mentioned, Smith didn’t dominate the whole race and didn’t seem to even have the car to win. But, a late-race yellow saw the Venturini cars come down pit road and Smith got the two-tire call. After one final caution, the Talking Rock, Georgia native found himself P1 on the last lap restart. There were some final hard charges from Ty Gibbs and teammate Michael Self in the last turn, but Smith held them off to score his eighth career ARCA Menards Series win.

    2. Armani Williams Places 17th In Series Debut – Probably one of the most unique stories of the night was Detroit, Michigan native Armani Williams finishing 17th in the first race of his career. What makes it an interesting story is that Williams was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 5. Despite being diagnosed, that does not slow down the Michigan native as he is living his dream of being a racecar driver. Williams had a partnership from Centria Autism, a nationally known provider that does therapy and provides varied services, as well as injury services. Nonetheless, this was one of the stories overlooked. Williams has six NASCAR Pinty Series starts, two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East Series starts. His best finish in his young NASCAR career so far is ninth in the Pinty Series that came in 2018 at New Hampshire.

    3. Bret Holmes Black Flagged After Restart Confusion – Late in the race following a caution, there was some confusion regarding the restart order as to who was restarting where. As a result, several laps were wasted in trying to figure out the restart order. One driver, unfortunately, caught the backlash and that was the No. 23 of Bret Holmes. Holmes was penalized for a restart violation and relegated to a disappointing 15th place finish, four laps down. A forgettable night for sure for the family owned team.

    4. Sam Mayer Has Disappointing Season Opener – Anytime Sam Mayer is entered in the field whether it is the ARCA East or ARCA West Series, he is a fan favorite to win the race. Mayer was making his first start of the season at Phoenix Raceway and had hoped to make some noise as he had done in the first two races of the season falling under the East and West category. Mayer qualified fourth and was in contention for a top-five finish in the mid-stages of the race. However, a mechanical issue took out the GMS Racing driver late in the race on Lap 87. Mayer was credited with a 20th place finish. 
  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings- Phoenix I

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings- Phoenix I

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series came to play at Phoenix International Raceway this past weekend for race No. 4 of the 2020 season. All-time win-list leader Kyle Busch was back in the field and while everyone expected him to run away and dominate the field, he didn’t as his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones passed Busch for the lead with 20 laps to go. Jones built a sizable lead and played his cards right for the second Xfinity Series victory of his career. While Jones was the story of the day, there were some other drivers who had some great runs as well.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. 

    1. Brandon Jones – Jones is making a leap from fifth to first this week in the rankings after scoring the victory. The Georgia native qualified eighth, finished 10th in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2. He didn’t lead a lot of laps but was up there at the end when it counted. By scoring the victory, Jones can now worry about focusing on the Playoffs and trying some different things as the season goes on. It won’t be surprising if the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is able to score more wins before the Playoffs begin.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

    2. Harrison Burton – Burton continues his solid 2020 season by having another top-five finish. The North Carolina driver finished second to teammate Jones after passing Kyle Busch for the second position late in the going. Burton wasn’t much of a factor all day, but had a car capable of winning the race should a late-race caution had come out. He placed ninth in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2 before earning his fourth consecutive top-five finish. So far, Burton has not finished outside the top five throughout the first four races giving him an average finish of 2.5.

      Previous Week Ranking – First

    3. Chase Briscoe – Chase Briscoe and the No. 98 team of Stewart-Haas Racing team quietly earned a top-10 finish after a battle with Kyle Busch earlier in the day. In fact, Briscoe’s mid-race run was averaging a second-place position and he spent 92% of the day in the top-15. The Indiana native finished third in both stages, respectively, before ultimately finishing sixth. Despite the results not showing the good run, Phoenix was more than likely a disappointment for Briscoe and the No. 98 crew who ran in the top five for most of the day.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third

    4. Noah Gragson – Coming back into the Power Rankings this week is the No. 9 JR Motorsports driver of Noah Gragson. After being called into the NASCAR hauler for his recent incidents over the last couple of weeks (see Myatt Snider, Las Vegas), Gragson was able to put that behind him by earning a seventh-place finish after leading 27 laps and winning the second stage. Gragson started the day in the seventh position and consistently remained in the top-10, as he only ran as low as 11th. The JR Motorsports driver made some noise by leading laps 90-116. At the end of the day, however, it’s what could have been as Gragson earned his third top-10 finish of the 2020 season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    5. Austin Cindric – A disappointing Phoenix outing for Austin Cindric and the No. 22 Team Penske crew, who finished eighth after qualifying second. Cindric led nine laps early on after a short-lived battle with Kyle Busch. Unfortunately, those laps would be the only laps that Cindric led of the day as he would wind up with an eighth-place finish with what could have been a race-winning car. Cindric placed fifth in Stage 1 and ninth in Stage 2.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

    Fell Out 

    1. Ryan Sieg – Sieg, the Atlanta, Georgia native had somewhat a disappointing 11th place run this past weekend at Phoenix after having a string of top-five and top-10 finishes early this season. He was able to place sixth in the second stage, but that was about it. Sieg and the RSS Racing team will hope to turn it around next week at their hometown race track Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

  • Chase Elliott wins pole for Sunday’s race at Phoenix

    Chase Elliott wins pole for Sunday’s race at Phoenix

    Continuing the Hendrick Motorsports momentum in 2020, Chase Elliott qualified on the pole at Phoenix Raceway for the NASCAR Cup Series FanShield 500 with a time of 26.06 seconds/138.116 mph, edging out nine-time Phoenix winner, Kevin Harvick by 0.045 seconds.

    “The line through Turns 1 and 2 was a lot different,” Elliott said. “Kevin (Harvick) kind of made the top line work and then I think after that, everyone saw that and moved up. So, it’s great to get a pole. We’re in a little bit different colors this week with Unifirst on our Camaro. So, I’m excited to grab them a pole. It’s always a good thing when you can put down a fast lap. Hopefully, I just hope tomorrow goes good. That’s always the challenge. We’ll see, and I’m looking forward to it.”

    Meanwhile, last week’s Auto Club 400 winner and Elliott’s teammate, Alex Bowman, qualified in the eighth position for Sunday’s race. Though, this weekend might prove a little bit of a challenge for the hometown native of Tuscon, Arizona.

    “I didn’t expect more,” Bowman said. “I really felt like we’ve been off since we unloaded. We really struggled here in the fall with just being really tight and when we unloaded, we were still really tight. In between practices, we made some changes and got it really loose. It didn’t really necessarily get much faster, but I feel like it’s going to be better that way than when it’s tight. The first lap, I probably over-did it a little bit in turn one there. The second lap, to be eighth, I don’t think that’s the end of the world. I would have liked to be a little better, but as bad as we’ve been here in the fast and as bad as were in practice, we’ll take it. If we could come out of here with a top-ten, I would be high-fiving people after the race. Our short track program, this is the area we need to work on. Our intermediate program is phenomenal and it ended that way last year. Our short track program is the area we need to work on the most.”

    Official Qualifying Results

    1. Chase Elliott
    2. Kevin Harvick
    3. Denny Hamlin
    4. Kyle Larson
    5. Ryan Blaney
    6. Aric Almirola
    7. Kurt Busch
    8. Alex Bowman
    9. Matt DiBenedetto
    10. Kyle Busch
    11. Erik Jones
    12. Martin Truex Jr. (Will start in the rear due to engine change prior to qualifying)
    13. Joey Logano
    14. Brad Keselowski
    15. Christopher Bell
    16. Cole Custer
    17. William Byron
    18. Clint Bowyer
    19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    20. Ryan Preece
    21. Jimmie Johnson
    22. Michael McDowell
    23. Chris Buescher
    24. Ross Chastain
    25. Ty Dillon
    26. John Hunter Nemechek (Will start in the rear for a radiator change)
    27. Bubba Wallace
    28. Corey LaJoie
    29. Tyler Reddick
    30. Austin Dillon
    31. Daniel Suarez
    32. Brennan Poole
    33. J.J. Yeley
    34. Quin Houff
    35. Reed Sorenson
    36. Garrett Smithley
    37. Joey Gase
    38. Timmy Hill

    The Fan Shield can be seen on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET live on regular FOX. The stages are 75-115-122 equaling 312 laps.

  • Chandler Smith holds off teammate Michael Self for General Tire 150 victory at Phoenix

    Chandler Smith holds off teammate Michael Self for General Tire 150 victory at Phoenix

    It wasn’t easy as Chandler Smith had to battle through adversity, a caution filled race, and hard-charging Ty Gibbs and teammate Michael Self to win the first-ever ARCA Menards Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

    “Give it to this man (Billy Venturini, Crew Chief) right here,” Smith said to Fox Sports 1. “This combination is one of a kind. If we wouldn’t have made that call, we wouldn’t have won the race. We made a gamble and this is why we’re in victory lane. Can’t thank JBL, Toyota enough for all they gave me. Billy (Venturini) gave me a handful tonight with this JBL Toyota, but look where we ended up, all came down for a reason!”

    Qualifying was held earlier in the day before the race and Ty Gibbs qualified on the pole with Michael Self on the outside pole.

    The cautions didn’t take long to start flying as the first one fell on Lap 10 of the General Tire 150. The No. 06 of Tim Richmond spun out of Turn 4 after hitting the wall. A second caution took place on Lap 31 for the No. 22 for Christian McGhee who spun in Turn 4 after contact with the No. 16 of Gio Seclzi.

    During a restart on Lap 36, Self had issues getting going as he either missed a shift or was having some sort of electrical problem. Self lost a ton of spots after restarting in the second position. But it didn’t take long for the caution to fly again, as this time the No. 16 of Seclzi once again spun around in Turn 2. And with that, it seemed as though there would only be a few laps of green flag racing until another caution occurred. A couple of more cautions flew, one for Self on Lap 52 and one for the No. 99 of Gracie Trotter.

    Howie DiSavino III in the No. 32 was involved in an incident on Lap 78 sending him into the wall after contact from the No. 15 of Drew Dollar. Just a few laps after a restart with 64 to go, GMS Racing driver Sam Mayer was on pit road due to radiator problems.

    Finally, after the cautions slowed down, the General Tire 150 saw a small green flag run with Ty Gibbs still dominating the race. Then, late in the race, a caution was seen with 23 to go as the No. 46 of Thad Moffitt hit the wall in Turn 3 when a right-front tire went down. The impact was hard enough that this relegated Moffitt to an 18th pace finish. Under the yellow, Gibbs and the rest of the top five came down to make their modified live pit stops.

    Due to the late-race pit stop, Gibbs lost the lead and it was assumed by former ARCA champion Zane Smith. However, before the restart with 11 to go, there was a lot of confusion between the top runners on who was starting where, as many drivers had differing opinions. One driver, Bret Holmes, was black flagged for violating the restart order. Shortly after the restart, the yellow slowed the pace with eight to go, as Dollar and Jesse Love made hard contact with each other in Turn 4.

    Since the incident occurred so late in the race, the race was put into a green-white-checker finish. Chandler Smith was the leader on the restart and despite hard charges by Gibbs and Self, the Talking Rock, Georgia native held on to score the eighth win of his ARCA Menards Series career.

    “I lied,” Smith continued to Fox Sports 1. “We weren’t the car to beat, we just happened to win the race. We weren’t the best car tonight. There was at least one maybe or two better. I knew if we had track position, he’s (Michael Self) is so tough to beat. He’s a racecar driver. We led with a couple to go and won the race.”

    After leading most of the race, Ty Gibbs came home to a frustrating third place.

    “I have no words to summarize it or I’ll get in trouble,” Gibbs said to Fox Sports 1. “I can’t thank Joe Gibbs Racing, Monster Energy, everybody that’s apart of this deal. That’s all I can really say. I’m just really frustrated with what happened (restart confusion). This is just really embarrassing to the sport. Otherwise, I just can’t thank everybody enough.”

    Smith led twice for 12 laps en route to victory. There were eight cautions for 56 laps and five leaders among six lead changes.

    Official Results

    1. Chandler Smith, led 12 laps
    2. Michael Self, led one lap
    3. Ty Gibbs, led 122 laps
    4. Tanner Gray, led eight laps
    5. Zane Smith, led seven laps
    6. Nick Sanchez
    7. Hailie Deegan
    8. Chase Cabre
    9. Lawless Alan
    10. Gio Scelzi
    11. Dawson Cram
    12. Christian McGhee
    13. Takuma Koga, one lap down
    14. Drew Dollar, one lap down
    15. Bret Holmes, four laps down
    16. Jesse Love, OUT
    17. Armani Williams, 20 laps down
    18. Thad Moffitt, OUT
    19. Tom Berte, 42 laps down
    20. Sam Mayer, OUT
    21. Howie DiSavino III, OUT
    22. Gracie Trotter, OUT
    23. Tim Richmond, OUT
    24. Ryan Huff, OUT

    Up Next: The next time the ARCA Menards Series will be on-track again is April 19 at Salem Speedway.

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Phoenix

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Phoenix

    After well over a month off, the ARCA Menards Series makes its debut at Phoenix International Raceway this Friday night for the second race of the season. Even though the track will be new to ARCA, many drivers who are entered in this race have already competed on this circuit in some sort of fashion. Currently, just 25 cars are on the ARCA Menards preliminary entry list.

    Despite Phoenix being a new track to the ARCA Series, Venturini Motorsports has four starts here including a start in the NASCAR Southwest Tour and one start in what was then, the NASCAR SuperTruck Series 25-years ago. The most recent start for the team came in 2011 when Auto Club winner Alex Bowman had a seventh-place effort that year.

    However, this year, VMS drivers Chandler Smith, Drew Dollar and Michael Self will try to tackle the one-mile speedway located in Avondale, Arizona.

    VMS driver Drew Dollar has one start under the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Series that came last year. Dollar started fifth and finished 18th due to a crash on Lap 95. The result may not show it, but Dollar claims this track is to his liking.

    “I am ready to get out to Phoenix Raceway this weekend and get back into my No. 15 Toyota Camry,” Dollar said. “I was able to race there once last season in the ARCA West Series and learned a lot about the track. Phoenix (Raceway) is definitely one of my favorite tracks and one of the races that I have really been looking forward to.”

    One driver, however, is making his 2020 racing debut and that’s Talking Rock, Georgia native Chandler Smith. Smith has just one start at Phoenix that came in the Truck Series last year, where he finished third last November.

    “I am really looking forward to Phoenix this week and kick-starting my 2020 race season,” Smith said. “Running the truck race there last year helped prepare me for Friday night’s race and I am excited to get back in my No. 20 JBL Audio Toyota Camry and start back with my Venturini Motorsports team.”

    Rounding out the VMS stable is veteran Michael Self. It’s been since 2013 that Self made his last start there. That year, he finished ninth after starting third. Although he does have a win which came in 2012.

    “Phoenix is such a special track to me for so many reasons,” Self said. “It’s not just a track that I’ve won at, it’s the track where I learned how to big-track race. Early in my stock car career I really struggled there because I just didn’t know what to do on an oval that size. I specifically remember sitting down with my old West crew chief Steve Portenga after a bad run there during the 2012 spring race and talking through the technique of driving there.

    “After he explained how he used to drive the track it seemed like things started to click for me. My driving style changed everywhere, and I won my first K&N West Series race not long after that and followed it up with my win at Phoenix (Raceway) in the fall of that same year. After that, I loved it and couldn’t wait to get back. I really have been waiting seven years to race there again.”

    Ryan Huff is back in the No. 10 Fast Track Racing Team owned by Andy Hillenburg. Huff made his series debut at Daytona last month with a respectable 21st place finish. This weekend will be another new challenge for the Virginia native, but Huff is just lucky to be there.

    “I’m very thankful for this second opportunity to race with Fast Track Racing this weekend at Phoenix,” said Huff. “We were making good strides during the race at Daytona before mechanical issues sidelined us during the race. This weekend, I want to go to Phoenix, continue to learn these cars and finish what we started at Daytona.”

    With Friday being his first start at Phoenix, Huff will have practice time but he has noted that he’s watched footage to gain more knowledge about the track.

    “Of course, we’ll utilize practice on Friday to our ability to get us a good setup for qualifying and then the race,” Huff said. I think we’ll see a difference the way the car handles – practicing and qualifying during the race and running the race under the lights. We just have to do a good job on keeping up with the balance of our car and hope when it comes to the closing laps we’re contending for a strong finish.”

    Not new to Phoenix is upcoming star, Hailie Deegan. Deegan has one start at the track that came last year where she finished fourth after starting 17th. The Arizona native hopes to have another stellar performance this time around but says you have to keep your eye on restarts.

    “Phoenix is really fun,” Deegan said. “I’d say the restarts are the most fun. You can be four-wide going into turn two and it gets sketchy sometimes. It’s a place where a driver can make up for what the car is doing and kind of technique it a little bit, which I think with DGR-Crosley having a good run there last year they had a fast car. I know they didn’t get the finish they wanted, but I’m excited to go back there with a good Toter Ford Fusion, a good setup and a good team. Hopefully, all that leads to a good finish.”

    Deegan’s teammate Tanner Gray is also back in the field for his second ARCA start of the season. His only career start came last November, where Gray finished 17th, one lap down in the DGR camp.

    “I’m excited to be back in the ARCA car and working with Blake (Bainbridge) and the 17 team again this weekend,” Gray said. “We have a couple of weeks off on the truck side, so it’s always nice to be able to stay in the car and get some experience at tracks that we will be visiting later in the season. I raced at Phoenix last fall in the Truck Series, and we really struggled as a whole. I feel like I have a better handle and more success on the mile-and-a-half tracks right now. It’s definitely a good thing that I can pick up some extra track time and get some more experience on the shorter tracks, especially knowing that Phoenix is the season finale in the Truck Series this year.”

    Sam Mayer has been on a roll this season under the ARCA brand, winning on the West and East side. Even though this will be his first ARCA start this year, the GMS Racing driver made one start last year at Phoenix where he had a solid run by winning the pole and finishing second after leading 63 laps.

    “I feel really confident heading into Phoenix with GMS,” Mayer said. “Last time we were there we had the fastest car, and I feel like we’re going to be like that again. I’m excited to have the opportunity to go three-for-three in 2020.”

    Mayer also has one Truck start to his name as he finished 19th.

    On Friday night, there will be many new drivers making their first-ever start. This rings true for Chad Bryant Racing driver Christian McGhee who will pilot the No. 22 in his first ARCA start.

    “What an unbelievable opportunity for me to be apart of the Chad Bryant Racing team this weekend at Phoenix,” said McGhee. “This is a great chance for me to make some noise in the ARCA Menards Series with one of the strongest teams in the series. I’m hoping that we can have a strong performance together on Friday night in what is expected to be a very stacked field of race cars.”

    McGhee continued, saying that the team had some great performances at Phoenix last year.

    “The Chad Bryant Racing cars were fast last fall at Phoenix and most recently dominated the ARCA Menards Series East race at New Smyrna, so I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel and driving some of the best equipment out there,” he said. “I do realize that there is going to be a learning curve for me a little bit – at least at first getting used to the car but hopefully with guidance of Paul (Andrews) and Chad (Bryant team owner) we can get up to speed quickly and keep ourselves in the headlight throughout the race.”

    “Obviously, we’re going to Phoenix to win but I think if we leave there with a top-five finish – no one would complain about that either. I just can’t wait to get to the race track.”

    With all that said, other drivers trying to compete this Friday night include Armani Williams, Chase Cabre, Tim Richmond, Nick Sanchez, Tom Berte, Lawless Alan, Gio Scelzi, Zane Smith, Ty Gibbs, Jesse Love, Bret Holmes, Howie DiSavino III, Thad Moffitt, Takuma Koga and Gracie Trotter.

    Friday’s race is scheduled to be the first under the Sioux Chief Showdown championship. The rest of the schedule includes Iowa, Gateway, Bristol, Memphis, Salem, Elko, Lucas Oil Raceway, Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen.

    It will be a one day show as normal for the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The one and only practice session takes place at 10 a.m. MT/Noon ET, with no live TV coverage. Qualifying is set for 2:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. ET. The General Tire 150 is scheduled to get underway shortly after 5 p.m. MT/6 pm. CT/7 p.m.ET, live on Fox Sports 1. More coverage throughout the day can also be found on arcaracing.com.