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Author: Briar Starr

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-ISM Raceway

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-ISM Raceway

    After 21 races and six races in the Playoffs, it is time for the regular-season finale at ISM Raceway. With just one round to go for the Truck Series, six drivers still have a shot to punch their ticket to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway next Friday night. However, only one driver gets to win the race, while others will have to settle for pointing their way in with a lot of help.

    Bur first let’s take a look at the action when the Truck Series last raced a couple of weeks ago at Martinsville Speedway. In the end, Todd Gilliland broke through for his first-ever Truck Series career win. With Gilliland scoring his first win, several playoff drivers had their own troubles in the Hall of Fame 200.

    Current playoff series points leader Brett Moffitt had issues of his own. On Lap 124, Moffitt was involved in a big accident on the backstretch. As a result, the GMS Racing driver had to settle for a 29th place finish after leading 80 laps and winning Stage 1. Austin Hill was also involved in this wreck and finished 26th. The big incident also collected rookie playoff driver Tyler Ankrum, which gave the DGR-Crosley driver a 25th place finish. Finally, Matt Crafton had some electrical issues which prevented him from having a strong run and he had a disappointing 23rd place finish.

    Only two playoff drivers, Ross Chastain and Stewart Friesen, were able to survive the carnage. Chastain was the highest playoff driver, finishing in the runner-up spot with 68 laps led. On the other hand, Friesen wound up with a sixth-place finish after a quiet day.

    Moving forward, all four spots are still up for grabs heading into IMS Raceway. This means nothing is set in stone, though, should a driver win a stage, it could be beneficial in clinching a spot throughout the race. While nothing is guaranteed, the current top four need to bring their A-game if they want to be the ones heading to Homestead next week racing for the championship.

    With that in mind, let’s take a look at who just might pull off the victory in Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150.

    There are 34 Trucks on the preliminary entry list for Friday night’s race, meaning two will go home after qualifying is settled.

    1. Johnny Sauter – With two races to go in the 2019 Truck Series season, ThorSport driver Johnny Sauter would like to end it on a high note and Phoenix just might help him do that. The Wisconsin native has competed in every race since his first track start back in 2009. Since then, he’s collected one win (2017), five top-fives and eight top-10 finishes with 16 laps led and one pole. Barring a crash in 2015, Sauter has an average finish of 8.9. The 2019 season hasn’t been the best for Sauter, only collecting four top-fives and nine top-10 finishes compared to a year ago where he had six wins, 14 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes. By having a good track record at Phoenix, Sauter could very well pull off the victory Friday night.

    2. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt only has one start at Phoenix, which dates back to last year. However, it was the most important start to his career as he wound up winning the race and punched the ticket to the Championship 4. Moffitt led 19 laps en route to victory and won the first stage. While one start at a track with a victory might not mean much, the Grimes, Iowa native could not have been racing this year if it wasn’t due to this victory. He still doesn’t have a spot yet in the Championship 4, but Moffitt is the current points leader over his technical teammate Stewart Friesen by 10 points.

    3. John Hunter Nemechek – Speaking of weird circumstances, it’s been a questionable season for Nemechek who entered back into the Truck Series at Bristol in August. It hasn’t been the best of starts with three of the four starts listed as DNFs. One of those DNFs came at Vegas, where the NEMCO driver didn’t get to start the race and was credited with a last-place finish. Though, with his recent start at Martinsville a few weeks ago, Nemechek broke through with a seventh-place finish. Looking at Phoenix, he has six starts and has competed in every race since 2013, earning a best finish of second twice (2015, 2017). Overall, Nemechek has scored two top-fives and four top-10 finishes with 31 laps led. If anything, Friday night might be a proving ground with the possibility of getting another Truck Series victory, since Martinsville of last year.

    4. Harrison Burton – Like his teammate Gilliland, Burton might continue the winning streak and get his first victory for Kyle Busch Motorsports in Friday night’s race. In just one start, the 19-year-old started third and finished third after leading 46 laps. Burton also gained top-10 finishes in both the stages, winning Stage 1 and finishing eighth in Stage 2. By announcing an Xfinity Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2020 a couple of weeks ago, Burton would like nothing better than to collect his first win with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    5. Stewart Friesen – Phoenix might provide a victory opportunity for playoff driver Stewart Friesen who currently sits second just 10 points behind his technical teammate Moffitt. In three starts, the Canadian has one top-five and top-10 finish at ISM, earning a best finish of fifth in last year’s race. On top of those finishes, Friesen has an average finish of 9.7.

    Playoff drivers

    Ross Chastain – Chastain has two starts at Phoenix, but the last one came six years ago for the defunct Brad Keselowski Racing team. In that race, the now Niece Motorsports driver started on the pole, led 63 laps and finished second. Chastain’s other finish was a DNF in 2012, finishing 33rd. The Florida native will have to use all the practice time he will get Friday morning in preparation for Friday night’s race.

    Austin Hill – Hill has two starts here at ISM, with a best finish of 23rd two years ago, though that was with his former team Young’s Motorsports. Even with the 23rd place finish, Hill has two DNFs in two of his starts. If this happens again, the Hattori Racing driver would be missing the Championship 4.

    Matt Crafton – Crafton currently is below the cut line as far as points go. However, his Phoenix starts have been up and down and are somewhat mind-boggling. The California native has no wins and a finish of second just once that occurred in 2014. Since then, it’s been crash or finish in the top-10. In 2015, he had a DNF, finishing 23rd, third in 2016, a DNF again in 2017, finishing 21st and he finished 11th in last year’s race. If Crafton wants to compete for another championship, he will have to eliminate mistakes and avoid any catastrophic failures.

    Tyler Ankrum – Ankrum has just one start which came in 2018. The DGR-Crosley driver finished sixth after starting 15th. If everything goes to plan, Ankrum just might be the one that surprises us all by heading to the Championship 4 as a rookie.

    Other drivers entered in the field include Dylan Lupton in the No. 5 DGR-Crosley Toyota, Tanner Gray in the No. 7 for DGR-Crosley, Anthony Alfredo in the No. 15 for DGR-Crosley, Derek Kraus in the No. 19 for Bill McAnally, Colby Howard making his Truck Series debut for the No. 20 of Young’s Motorsports, Danny Bohn continues his ride with the No. 30 of On Point Motorsports, Carson Ware attempts to make his Truck debut for Reaume Brothers Racing, while Kyle Plott also hopes to do the same with the same entry in the No. 34.

    Ty Majeski is back in the field, competing with Niece Motorsports in the No. 44. Rookie sensation Chandler Smith is back in the field for Kyle Busch Motorsports for the first time since Bristol in August. Kansas Xfinity Series winner, Brandon Jones, is slated to make his last Truck Series start of the season driving the No. 51 KBM entry. Portage, Michigan native Carson Hocevar hopes to make his second Truck start for the No. 56 of Hill Motorsports. Rounding out the entry list is the return of Jesse Little and the No. 97 team owned Ford. Little attempts his first start since Bristol in August.

    ISM Raceway has hosted 28 Truck Series races since its first race back in 1995. The list of winners is stacked with names like Mike Skinner, Jack Sprague, Joe Ruttman, Ron Hornaday Jr., Mike Bliss, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, David Starr, Todd Bodine, Johnny Benson Jr., Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Brian Scott, Erik Jones, Timothy Peters, Daniel Suarez, Johnny Sauter and Brett Moffitt.

    On the manufacturer’s side, Chevrolet has the most career victories with 15, Toyota with nine wins, Ford with three wins and Dodge has one win.

    For stage wins, Christopher Bell swept the stages in 2017 before heading to Homestead the week after and winning his first NASCAR championship. In 2018, it was Moffit and Harrison Burton who collected the stage wins.

    The Truck Series drivers get on-track early Friday morning with first practice slated for 8:05 a.m Pacific time. The final practice is set for 9:35 a.m. Pacific time with no live TV coverage. Fox Sports 1 picks up qualifying Friday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. ET/3:05 p.m. Pacific time.

    The Lucas Oil 150 is scheduled to get underway shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. Pacific time live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages are 40/40/70 to make up the 150 lap race.

    Playoff standings

    1. Brett Moffitt
    2. Stewart Friesen, -10
    3. Ross Chastain, -25
    4. Austin Hill, -36
      Below the cut line
    5. Matt Crafton, -45
    6. Tyler Ankrum, -51
  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race at Martinsville II

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race at Martinsville II

    The Truck Series was back in action at Martinsville Speedway for the Round of 6. The Hall of Fame 200 saw many accidents and was quite possibly the most action-packed race since its season opener at Daytona back in February. While there were many drivers had a solid day, rebounded from troubles, race fans were left frustrated at the telecast missing the final two laps of Todd Gilliland’s first career win. 

    Here are four takeaways from the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 at Martinsville Speedway. 

    1. Gilliland Breaks Through -It was a long time coming for Todd Gilliland who has faced some criticism from team owner Kyle Busch throughout the season. 2019 has not been too kind to the youngster. Gilliland, so far this season, has collected six top fives and 13 top-10 finishes along with three DNFs. The win is an important victory in his career considering that Gilliland does not have anything for 2020. Hopefully, this win will boost some confidence in him and just might turn some heads in the garage area.
    2. Playoff Drivers Find Trouble at Martinsville – Several Playoff drivers found themselves in trouble following the playoff race at Martinsville with some of them collected in at least one incident throughout the afternoon. Brett Moffitt had the dominating truck, leading 84 laps, winning Stage 1 and finishing seventh in both stages before getting collected in a wreck on Lap 124, leaving him with a disappointing 29th place finish. Stewart Friesen was also involved in a wreck on Lap 150 off Turn 4 after a bump from behind which sent him spinning though, the Halmar driver rebounded to a sixth-place finish. Matt Crafton also had his share of troubles with engine issues. A 23rd place finish left the California native disappointed and frustrated following Martinsville. Rookie Tyler Ankrum saw himself involved in the same incident as Moffitt and sends him heading into Phoenix in a must-win situation.
    3. TV Coverage – Race fans and many people in the NASCAR community were left frustrated Saturday afternoon when the Fox Sports 1 feed cut off toward the very end of the race fans were only able to hear the audio as the race finished. Once the race ended the feed came back on and switched to another game event and we did not get to experience the excitement of Gilliland’s first career win. It was one of the worst things imaginable for Gilliland who has been trying so hard to get that win. I for one, have been frustrated with Fox Sports 1 coverage of the Truck Series in 2019. The coverage has not been the best and at times, we have missed restarts and cautions that take place during commercials. I understand the need for commercial breaks but after this Saturday, it could be the line for many race fans that might call it quits when it comes to watching Truck Series races on Fox Sports 1. Imagine if this happened in the championship race or in the final four races of the Cup season? Hopefully, whatever happened will not ever happen again.
    4. Small Teams Shine in Top 10 – Like Talladega, Martinsville is known to have some surprise finishes for the small underdog teams who call the track an equalizer. First, Timmy Hill brought home his No. 56 Hill Motorsports team truck to a fifth place finish, the best of the team’s career. NASCAR Whelen Modified driver, Danny Bohn, finished eighth in his first ever Truck Series race, competing in the No. 30 On Point Motorsports entry, not too bad in your first career Truck Series race but it might be expected when Bohn competes in the Modified tour on a couple of short tracks. Finally, Codie Rohrbaugh earned himself a career-best finish of 10th for his own No. 9 team. It’s his best finish in over 10 races of Rohrbaugh’s career where his previous best finish was 14th at Kentucky earlier this year. 
  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Martinsville II

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Martinsville II


    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series was back on-track this past weekend for the continuation of the Round of 6. There was a lot of action in the 2019 Hall of Fame 200 as many of the Playoff drivers faced problems throughout the day. Some were involved in wrecks and others were facing must-win situations heading forward to Phoenix in two weeks. However, there were a few surprises in the finishing order and one driver scored his first career victory. 

    Here’s a look at this week’s Power Rankings 

    1. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt had the truck to beat all day long, especially in the first stage. The Grimes, Iowa native was out front for 84 laps and remained consistent in the early portions. But troubles plagued the No. 24 team after having such a strong truck. On Lap 117 the GMS driver was caught up in an accident in Turn 4 leaving the truck with some left-side damage. Just a couple of laps later, his day was done when Moffitt was once again caught up in a wreck that collected many others. Despite calling it quits early, the No. 24 driver still leads the championship playoff points standings heading into the penultimate race at Phoenix. If Moffitt and company can avoid disaster, then they should have no worries making it to the Championship 4.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland finally earned that elusive first career victory that he’s been needing for so long. He only led 11 laps but they were the ones that counted as this victory might be the most important to Gilliland’s career. As noted in his post-race press conference, he has nothing set in stone yet for 2020. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver did not gain any stage points after not finishing in the top-10 but that did not matter as Gilliland wheeled the No. 4 machine into victory lane and earned the historic Grandfather clock.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    3. Ross Chastain – From wrecking out at Talladega to finishing third at Martinsville, Chastain had the truck to win and he was trying everything he could to get to victory lane. The Niece Motorsports driver roughed up a couple of fenders while he was out there and even found himself in contention to win at one point. Chastain had the second most laps led with 68 to Moffitt’s 84. Chastain finished 10th and fourth in Stage 1 and 2, respectively, before bringing home a second-place finish. Looking back, it’s what could have been for Chastain and his No. 45 Niece Chevy. If he had scored the victory, the team would have been going to their first Championship 4. However, it was still a solid finish for the team.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Timmy Hill – A tip of the cap to Timmy Hill and his No. 56 Hill Motorsports team after earning their career-best finish of fifth so far in the team’s young history. They stayed out of trouble, avoided the major wrecks and brought home a clean top-five finish, the first in the stable’s history.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger was involved in a big wreck off Turn 2 on Lap 124. That still did not stop him and the No. 98 ThorSport as they fought to get a fourth-place finish. The Truck was beaten to pieces and was all used up. If you looked at it, you would think the truck went to a demolition derby or it was another night at Bowman Gray Stadium. With those efforts, Enfinger also placed ninth and second in both stages. It was a strong outing for the No. 98 ThorSport team at the paperclip.

      Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

      Fell Out

      1. Riley Herbst – Did not compete in this week’s race.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

      2. Austin Hill – Hill and the No. 16 team was also caught up in the big wreck off Turn 2 on Lap 124. With the damage too severe to be fixed, the team could not repair the truck which resulted in a 26th place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

      3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen had a separate incident of his own on Lap 150, accidentally getting wrecked off Turn 4. The team was able to rebound, however, to a sixth-place finish after starting seventh. The Candian managed one stage point, finishing 10th in Stage 2.

      Previous Week Ranking- Third

  • Kraus dominate in fifth win of the season

    Kraus dominate in fifth win of the season

    Derek Kraus and the No. 16 Bill McAnally team earned their fifth win of the 2019 season Saturday night at Kern County Raceway Park. Though, it didn’t come all that easy for Kraus, as a late race caution flew on lap 148 for the No. 7 of Brad Kossow. This eventually set up a Overtime finish, but Kraus fielded off Jagger Jones and teammate Hailie Deegan to get the victory.

    “I really like this place,” he said. “It’s fast, you gotta stay right on the bottom of the race track and I kind of like places like that. It’s got a lot of grip. It’s a really great race track. I really enjoy coming here in a late model of K&N car.”

    Kraus started first and finished first, leading all 155 laps along the way en route to victory. However, there were a few cautions that were seen throughout the NAPA/ENEOS 150. In fact, the race saw six cautions Saturday night.

    The first caution flew on lap 40 for the No. 9 of Trevor Huddleston, who had a flat tire in Turn 4. The Sunrise Racing team had more trouble, as the night grew long. Huddleston’s teammate, Jagger Jones also faced the same issues on lap 56 in Turn 2. Though out of the two, Jones rebounded to a second place finish, while Huddleston placed eighth after starting second.

    Then, the halfway break came on lap 77, which allowed teams to make adjustments to their cars on pit road. When the green flag flew on lap 80, there was a long green flag run that saw 37 laps ran before a caution on lap 117 slowed the pace once more. The final yellow was on lap 147 of the No. 7 of Brad Kossow who went for a spin in Turn 2.

    With that late caution, a three lap dash to the finish was set up on lap 153. The caution bunched the field up again and it gave Jones and Deegan a chance to challenge Kraus for the victory. Despite the restart, the Stratford, Wisconsin native pulled off the fifth win of what has been a strong season for Kraus and his No. 16 Bill Mcanally team.

    Jagger Jones, Hailie Deegan, Brittney Zamora and Todd Souza rounded out the top five finishers for the second to last race of the season.

    “There were definitely a lot more nerves going into that last one for sure,” he said. “I feel like whenever I’m leading a race, there’s a yellow within the last five laps, and I just had a stinky feeling something was gonna happen […] feel like I executed that restart really well. Was able to get the lead back, pull away by two car lengths and bring it home with a victory.”

    With the championship in sight at ISM Raceway in just a couple of weeks, all Kraus really has to do is start the race to claim his first NASCAR Series title. In the past two years, he has finished third and fourth, respectively in points.

    Official Results

    1. Derek Kraus, led all 155 laps
    2. Jagger Jones
    3. Hailie Deegan
    4. Brittney Zamora
    5. Todd Souza
    6. Travis Milburn
    7. Dylan Garner
    8. Trevor Huddleston
    9. Brad Kossow, two laps down
    10. Zach Telford, two laps down
    11. Takuma Koga, five laps down
    12. Taylor Canfield, seven laps down
    13. Jack Wood, OUT, Electrical

    Up Next: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West wraps up their 2019 season in just a couple of weeks at ISM Raceway on Saturday November 9.

  • Moffitt and Creed back at GMS for 2020

    Moffitt and Creed back at GMS for 2020

    GMS Racing officials announced Friday afternoon that 2018 Truck Series Champion and current Playoff contender Brett Moffitt will return to the team for a second season to compete for the Truck Series title once again. Sheldon Creed will also be back in the No. 2 GMS Truck for a second season.

    Moffitt has earned four wins, 12 top fives and 15 top-10 finishes and is currently looking for his second bid for the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month.

    “I can’t thank Mike (Beam, team president) and Mr. Gallagher (team owner) enough for the opportunity to compete full-time with GMS Racing in 2020,” said Moffitt. “It’s been awesome to work with this organization this year and we’ve been competitive each and every week. We’ve earned four wins so far this season and held a steady lead throughout the Playoffs. Having next year locked down allows us to focus completely on competing for a championship this year. Returning with the same teammates as well will be really cool. We already know how to work together and help each other while maintaining a bit of that competitive edge. I can only imagine what we will be able to accomplish in 2020 building off the momentum from this season.”

    After a rocky start to the 2019 season, Sheldon Creed has had some great runs as of late. Currently, the Alpine, California native has notched four top fives and 10 top-10 finishes along with three DNFs but he does have 164 laps led and a best finish of second twice, at Eldora and Michigan.

    “I feel very confident going into next season with GMS Racing. I know I have the best group of people around me and the best organization to go out next year and compete for wins and hopefully the championship,” Creed stated. “I’m thankful to Mike (Beam, team president) and Maury (Gallagher, team owner) for the opportunity and continued support. The beginning of this season was a bit of a learning curve for me but we found our groove and I’m excited to go out and compete for wins and build momentum for next year. It’ll be great to have my teammates back with me as well.”

    Not to be overshadowed by the two returning drivers is NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion, Sam Mayer. Mayer, who has piloted the No. 21 GMS Chevy also returns but with more races scheduled compared to two races that he has done this year. The Franklin, Wisconsin native will now have six races on his schedule in 2020, but those have yet to be announced. Mayer will also compete for the ARCA Menards East championship.

    “I am excited to be returning to GMS Racing in 2020,” said Mayer. “We are being very aggressive with my schedule next year and I think that will help challenge me and help me grow even more in my career. We are doubling the number of Gander Trucks races from what I am running in 2019 and once the ARCA series is finalized, I should be running more races than the entire truck schedule. I’ve been able to accomplish a lot this season with the support from GMS and I can’t wait for next season.”

    GMS Racing Team President, Mike Beam, is excited about the 2020 season.

    “To have all three of these talented young men back with our organization is a blessing,” said Mike Beam, team president. “They have all brought a lot to the table for GMS in 2019. Mayer winning the K&N East Championship, Moffitt being in the hunt for GMS’ second Truck championship and Creed with multiple runner-up finishes. Needless to say, that they have represented GMS well in 2019 and I have no doubt that success will continue in 2020.”

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Martinsville II

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Martinsville II

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series returns on-track this weekend at the “Paperclip” known as Martinsville Speedway. It’s the continuation of the Round of 6 for the Truck Series drivers that began a couple of weeks ago at Talladega Superspeedway and, which also featured an exciting race.

    Flashing back, the Truck Series raced at Talladega to begin the Round of 6. In what looked liked it was a going to be a Johnny Sauter victory, it was found that he had accidentally forced Spencer Boyd below the yellow line which is out of bounds. In this case, Boyd was determined the winner and Sauter who had originally won, wound up a disappointing 14th place finish after being dominant late.

    Talladega saw some troubles arise for the playoff drivers as well. Ross Chastain was leading before he went down to make a block and ended up being in a wreck, which sees the Niece Motorsports driver two points below the cut line should the Championship 4 start now. Still, the Florida native can point his way in if he ends up winning a couple of stages between now and ISM Raceway next month in November.

    Looking ahead to this weekend, no driver can’t afford a bad break with the points being so tight. Here are five drivers to keep an eye on in Saturday’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

    There are currently 32 Trucks on the preliminary entry list with 32 spots available which means all of the drivers will make the field no matter what happens during their qualifying run on Saturday.

    1. Johnny Sauter – With the Talladega disappointment behind him, Sauter will be as hungry as ever to win this weekend at Martinsville and he very well could do so. The Wisconsin native has 23 starts, four wins, nine top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 11.8. In the last five fall races, Sauter won in 2018, finished third in 2017, won in 2016, placed ninth in 2015 and seventh in 2014. With the Playoffs not on his mind anymore, the ThorSport driver has nothing to lose and can play any strategy he wants when it comes race time on Saturday.

    2. Brett Moffitt – The current NASCAR Truck Series championship Playoffs points leader would also be hard to count out of a victory this weekend. While Moffitt might be in a play it safe mode, if the opportunity arises you can expect him to be at the front. In all four of his starts dating back to 2017 in his first start at the track for Red Horse Racing, Moffitt has finished inside the top five every race since the spring of 2018. The Grimes, Iowa native also finished runner up last fall after starting 17th. Be sure to keep an eye on the No. 24 GMS Racing team as they try to lock themselves into the Championship 4 this weekend.

    3. Christian Eckes – Fresh off his 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship, Christian Eckes will be back in a racecar once again this weekend. But this time, it will be in the famed No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra. The New York native only has one start but it came with a top-10 finish back in spring of this year when Eckes finished ninth driving for Busch. One start may not be much to base his hopes on but Eckes has earned two top-fives and three top-10 finishes along with two poles in just six starts this year in the Truck Series. Don’t be surprised if the New York native wheels the No. 51 Toyota into victory lane Saturday afternoon.

    4. Matt Crafton – Martinsville might be an equalizer for Crafton and his No. 88 ThorSport team who have been lacking in victories over the past two years. The ThorSport driver is currently the last driver in the Championship 4 by just one point over rookie Tyler Ankrum. However, the experience Crafton has might play into his favor as well. The California native has the most starts of any active driver of 35, dating back to 2001. Since then, Crafton has earned two wins, nine top-fives and 29 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 10.6. This weekend might be the weekend we can look back on if Crafton and his team can pull something out of the hat and score the victory on Saturday.

    5. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek has been hot and cold at Martinsville in his 11 starts. It’s either been a crash or a top-five finish for the NEMCO Motorsports driver. There is some light for Nemechek, however, as he has four top-five and top-10 finishes with a victory here in the spring of 2018 after leading 31 laps. If the team can keep out of trouble and not get caught up in an incident, you could easily find Nemechek in the top five.

      Playoff drivers
    1. Stewart Friesen – Friesen currently sits second in the Playoff standings, just 22 points above the cut line. The Halmar Racing driver has five starts with a best finish of fifth after starting on the pole back in the spring and leading 18 laps. Other finishes include 11th, 20th, sixth and 25th.

    2. Austin Hill – Hill sits third in the standings and is 12 points above the cut line. He has eight starts at Martinsville with a best finish of ninth which came in last year’s race while driving for Youngs Motorsports. When it comes to his latest ride with Hattori Racing, Hill started ninth and finished 16th after leading five laps back in the spring.

    3. Tyler Ankrum – Ankrum and his No. 17 DGR-Crosley team will be looking to improve from his previous two starts at Martinsville, with finishes of 18th and 19th. He sits just one point below the cut line in the fifth position.

    4. Ross Chastain – Chastain is last in the Playoff standings and is currently facing elimination but is just two points below the cut line. The Niece Motorsports driver has amassed seven starts with a best finish of fourth earlier this year when Chastain led 53 laps and won Stage 2.

    New on the entry list this week includes rookie Sam Mayer competing in the No. 21 GMS Racing entry, Danny Bohn in the No. 30 On Point Motorsports Toyota, Dawson Cram in the No. 34 Reaume Brothers Racing machine, Jeb Burton in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Truck, Ray Ciccarelli in his own No. 49 and Timmy Hill with their Hill Motorsports No. 56 Chevrolet. The No. 0 of Jennifer Jo Cobb, the No. 15 of DGR-CROSLEY and the No. 33 of Josh Reaume entries have yet to be announced.

    Martinsville Speedway has seen 41 races since the Truck Series first season back in 1995. Since then, there has been a long list of drivers who have gone to victory lane. The list includes Joe Ruttman, Mike Skinner, Rich Bickle, Jay Sauter, Jimmy Hensley, Bobby Hamilton, Scott Riggs, Dennis Setzer, Jon Wood, Rick Crawford, Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte, Ricky Craven, David Starr, Jack Sprague, Johnny Benson, Kevin Harvick, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter, Ron Hornaday, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Matt Crafton, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Noah Gragson and John Hunter Nemechek.

    Toyota has the most manufacturer wins with 16, followed by Chevrolet with 15 while Ford and Dodge are tied with five wins apiece.

    Truck Series drivers will get on-track Friday afternoon with two practice sessions. The first practice session is at 12:05 p.m. ET and their final practice takes place at 2:05 p.m. ET with no live TV coverage. Qualifying is set for Saturday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

    The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 is slated to get underway shortly after 1:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages are 50/50/100 laps to make up the 200 lap race.

    Playoff Standings

    1. Brett Moffitt, +45
    2. Stewart Friesen, +22
    3. Austin Hill, +12
    4. Matt Crafton, +1
      Below the cut line
    5. Tyler Ankrum, -1
    6. Ross Chastain, -2
  • Formula W Series sets grid for 2020

    Formula W Series sets grid for 2020

    Announced on Monday afternoon by the W Series officials was the starting grid for the 2020 season.

    Eighteen drivers will get to compete in 2020 and have their shot at a championship for the second year in the W Series. The announcement comes as many drivers took to the track for a test at Almeria in southern Spain in an attempt to qualify and get to race in season two.

    Overall, there will be six new drivers that are coming to the grid and 12 drivers who were already selected, thanks in part to their points finishing position in last year’s championship.

    They include last year’s champion Jamie Chadwick, Beitske Visser who finished second in points, Alice Powell third in points, Marta Garcia fourth in points, Emma Kimilainen fifth in points, Fabienne Wohlwend sixth in points, Miki Koyama seventh in points, Sarah Moore eighth in points, Vicky Piria ninth in points, Tasmin Pepper 10th in points, Jessica Hawkins 11th in points and Sabre Cook who finished 12th in last year’s standings.

    The new drivers that are coming over to the series are Ayla Agren from Norway, Abbie Eaton from the UK, Belen Garcia and Nerea Marti both from Spain, Irina Sidorkova from Russia and Bruna Tomaselli from Brazil. There will be two additional drivers that will be added to the grid, which will round it out to 20 drivers officially. However, that will come much later.

    Catherine Bond Muir, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the W Series commented on looking ahead to the new season.

    “Almost as soon as the sun had set on Brands Hatch, scene of the 2019 W Series championship finale, on Sunday, August 11, we at W Series began preparing for our 2020 season. More than 40 new drivers applied to race with us in 2020 and, after a three-day on-track test at Almeria [southern Spain] last month, and a rigorous lap-time and data-analysis program thereafter, we’re now able to announce the first 18 of the 20 drivers who’ll compete in the 2020 W Series championship.

    “It’s an impressive list, including the top 12 from our 2019 season and six new drivers, who all performed well at Almeria. The result is a varied and international group, comprising 18 drivers from 12 countries, ranging in age from the super-experienced Finn, Emma Kimilainen, 30, to the very promising young Russian, Irina Sidorkova, 16.  

    “Our commiserations go to those whom we haven’t selected, but sadly their disappointment is simply an example of the jeopardy inherent in any athlete’s life at the higher levels of competitive sport. The more you can win, the more you can lose.”

    Dave Ryan, the Racing Director for the W Series was also excited to see the new crop of drivers entering the series second season.

    “I was generally impressed by the 14 drivers whom we tested and appraised at Almeria [southern Spain] last month, and making our selection was correspondingly difficult. But we’ve crunched all the data to the best of our ability, and I’m therefore confident that the 18 drivers whom we’ve selected so far represent an excellent line-up. But we’ve left two spaces available, to allow us a little more time to select the final two drivers who, together with the 18 drivers we’ve already selected, will make up the 20 drivers who’ll contest the 2020 W Series championship.

    “However, all the stars of our 2019 season will race again with us in 2020 – including Jamie [Chadwick], who’ll be defending her crown, as well as Beitske [Visser], Alice [Powell], Marta [Garcia] and Emma [Kimilainen], who all won races with us last year – but some of the new drivers on our 2020 entry list are clearly very good too. I’m consequently hoping our 2020 season will be even better than our 2019 season.”

  • ARCA season finale sees rating increase

    ARCA season finale sees rating increase

    Looking back almost one-week removed from the ARCA Menards Championship season finale, we saw a ratings increase during the exciting finale from Kansas Speedway last Friday night. The event featured a battle between two Venturini Motorsports teammates, Michael Self and Christian Eckes.

    With the ARCA race precluded by the postponed Major League Baseball ALCS Game 5, an immediate replay was shown on Fox Sports 1 shortly after. There were 420,000 fans who watched the ARCA Menards Series Championship battle Friday night. There was also a live stream set up on nascar.com that saw roughly 13,600 fans who tuned in and watched it live on the internet.

    With that in mind, at least 19,000 plus also saw the last few laps of the race on Twitter.

    “What a great way to close out our 2019 season,” said Mark Gundrum, ARCA vice president of corporate partnerships. “Mother Nature threw MLB a curveball and everyone at FOX Sports and NASCAR did what they could to hit it out of the park. We had a great championship battle decided in an exciting race that went down to the wire.

    “Our partners at FOX Sports did a great job throughout their part of the 2019 broadcast schedule and we look forward to kicking off 2020 with them at Daytona next February.”

    While the 2019 season was an exciting season for the ARCA Menards Series, series officials are already looking ahead to 2020. The season opener will once again begin at Daytona International Speedway in just a few months in February. With the new schedule announced a few weeks back, the new TV schedule has yet to be announced but should be coming within the next few weeks. As expected, NBC Sports will carry the ARCA Menards East and West Series.

  • Exclusive- Hailie Deegan taking her time rising through the ranks

    Exclusive- Hailie Deegan taking her time rising through the ranks

    Kansas City, KS – Many have probably already heard the name of the rising superstar Hailie Deegan who currently competes full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series driving the No. 19 for Bill McAnally Racing. She also drove part-time in the No. 55 Venturini Motorsports Toyota this season for five races.

    Deegan is the daughter of Brian Deegan who had a historic career in the Supercross ranks back in the day. The Temecula, CA native broke through in NASCAR last season making her first career start at Bakersfield in the K&N West Series. Since then she has risen to stardom and taken the NASCAR world by storm. Many claim she is “the next big thing.” Deegan’s fan base is growing race by race, season by season and that has come with a lot of success.

    In this week’s interview, we talk with Deegan about how successful 2019 has been for her, how she got connected with the Venturini’s to drive for them in the ARCA Series, her debut and the criticisms she faced growing up.

    As mentioned, 2018 was a breakout year for Deegan who scored a popular victory at Meridian. Since her success in 2018, she has brought a lot of momentum into the 2019 season. The California native explains why she thinks she is having success for 2019.

    “I think after 2018, everything was going really good,” Deegan explains. “I’ve had some bumps in the road in 2019 but I think we had a really strong program building at the beginning of the year and it not only gave us high hopes but a nice pace that we were setting. Every season is not perfect, you’re not going have to a perfect season.”

    “There’s always a middle point in the season where everything gets a little rocky and it comes back up. So, I think we’re on that come back up point right now. We’ve had some good finishes these last couple of races. I’m happy with how everything is going on.”

    Deegan talks about how scoring her first career victory at Meridian was a big turning point in her young career.

    “I think it was cool because no other girl has done that before,” she explained. “It was in my first season and it was just a good program we had going with those team guys for a while. I think we had a strong program that I was confident in my abilities. Not like being cocky, but I was confident in my team, like confidence all the way around that I could do it. That race showed we definitely had our stuff together.”

    Deegan also earned another big win at the beginning of the 2019 season at the Las Vegas Dirt Track. She chooses what win is her favorite so far.

    “The first career victory is still the biggest one,” Deegan added. “The dirt track was cool because being a dirt racer, I wanted myself to win that last year but it just didn’t work out, I got second. Sheldon (Creed) is a good dirt racer so I’m not mad about that. The dirt race is cool because that’s where my background came from. That’s where I showed where I excel.”

    Before getting those victories to prove her doubters wrong, Deegan faced criticism growing up and details how she puts the noise behind her.

    “I think I just focus on my racing, focus on my driving,” she said. “I look at all the comments. I look at stuff on everything on social media. Like, I see every single thing on social media. If I don’t see it, it gets sent to me. I do see it all but at the end of the day, I know there has been no other girl in my position and have people supporting me. I’m in a good opportunity to make a lot happen but I’m still learning here.”

    “The people kind of set you to the expectation of Cup guys, like, Erik Jones and stuff like that. When in all reality, I haven’t made it to the top three series yet.”

    While competing full-time in the K&N Series, Deegan got connected with the Venturini’s to give her a shot in the ARCA Menards Series.

    “It’s really the TRD Program that put it together,” she describes. “Being with Toyota, having them support me in the K&N West with Bill McAnally. The next step would pretty much be in an ARCA car which came through with Venturini.”

    She made her debut at Toledo earlier this year where Deegan started 12th but wound up with a disappointing 18th place finish due to a crash. Other than an oil leak at Madison, she has finished in the top-10 in three starts and has a best finish of fifth which came at IRP.

    “I think that I could always do better,” Deegan said. “I am happy with the starts that we have had the past couple of races. Just because I know being another added car on the team, it’s hard being a part-timer compared to the full season guys. Even on the BMR program, there are part-time guys and if you are full-time, you can spread the attention out on how many people you have for the full-time guys. It’s always harder on the team having a part-time driver, which I think they’ve done a great job with me.”

    “So, with our last race, we are getting better and better as we get to know everyone. I am happy with it.”

    By competing in the K&N Series and driving the ARCA Series, Deegan explains the differences between the two and if it provides any challenges to her.

    “I think the ARCA Series is a lot harder than the K&N Series, especially the West Series,” she explains. “The cars are a lot slower on the West Series, less horsepower. I think the ARCA Series has a lot more heavy hitter drivers. There are about five to eight drivers that could win every week and on the West Series, there’s like three.”

    Even though the California native has had tons of success driving in stock cars, Deegan wishes she would have started in them sooner.

    “The only thing different I would do is start in stock cars earlier,” Deegan says. “I didn’t start racing pavement until I was 15 (years old). So, it was pretty late.”

    By rising through the ranks and being successful in stock cars, she faces the pressure of other young drivers and that’s moving up too quickly. The Toyota Development driver says it’s important to take the time before leaping to the next step.

    “People have to understand with a girl in racing, it’s hard to get funding,” Deegan said. “That’s the biggest thing. A lot of people think my dad (Brian Deegan) has a lot of money just to put on racing but he does not at all. It’s still hard being a girl racer trying to get funding. At the end of the day, it’s doing it the best way possible and to have the most success.

    With facing that pressure, she believes that she could be one of the lucky ones to be racing in Cup when the opportunity comes at the right time.

    “Yeah, I think racing in Cup is a realistic expectation,” she said. “That’s obviously the goal. I think whether it’s in a few years, eight years, who knows. It just depends on everything in between.”

    Though, she explains she needs the experience before moving up to the top three tier series.

    “I need to gain all the experience in the next year of my career before I head to the Truck Series or Xfinity Series in the next couple of years. I need to get that experience now so I am prepared when I get there.”

    The 2019 racing season is just about all wrapped up for the 18-year-old. And Deegan is already looking forward to the 2020 season and areas where she needs to improve.

    “I believe next year it’s finding a solid program with people that believe in me and are confident and where we can have success,” she said. “2020 is going to be a pivotal year for me in my abilities.”

    While she is enjoying a lot of success right now in her career that has just barely started, Deegan points out something she’ll always think of when her racing career is all said and done.

    “I think it’ll be that first win (Meridian),” she describes. “Just the first win, nothing is going to really compare to that one.”

    Deegan has amassed six starts in the ARCA Menards Series, earning one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth that occurred at Lucas Oil Raceway a couple of weeks ago. The California native has 26 starts in the K&N West Series with three victories, 11 top fives and 21 top-10 finishes.

    You can follow Deegan on Twitter @HailieDeegan and on Instagram @hailiedeegan.

    Many thanks to Charles Krall for making this interview happen and special thanks to Hailie Deegan for taking the time out of her busy schedule on race day.

  • Kurt Busch remembers favorite moment racing with Dale Earnhardt

    Kurt Busch remembers favorite moment racing with Dale Earnhardt

    Kansas City, KS – At the Charlotte Roval this year, Kurt Busch surpassed the career total starts that Dale Earnhardt had at 676 in his NASCAR Cup Series career. After this weekend, Busch now has 680 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    Busch is one of the few active drivers in today’s sport that was lucky enough to race against Dale Earnhardt back in the day. In fact, the Las Vegas native raced with Earnhardt for seven races in the year 2000, Busch’s partial rookie season in the Cup Series. Those races were at Dover, Martinsville, Charlotte, Rockingham, Phoenix, Homestead and what was then the season finale at Atlanta.

    “It was fun to have and intimidating with those races against Dale Sr.,” Busch said. “I raced against him seven times and it was amazing. You could feel his presence on the track and the intimidator factor was there.”

    Busch even recalls a moment that has always stuck with him throughout his career.

    “My favorite moment with him was my first qualifying attempt at Dover. I qualified 10th. As I walking back to the garage, he came up to me and said, “Son, I didn’t think you were ever going to lift.”

    “At the time, I didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or if I was doing something wrong, because Dale Sr. would intimidate you every time he saw you.”

    Kurt Busch only finished ahead of Earnhardt one time in his Cup Series career, which came at Homestead-Miami Speedway back in November of 2000 when Busch finished ahead of
    Earnhardt in 19th while Earnhardt placed 20th.