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Author: Briar Starr

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Texas

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continued their playoff run last Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. A few drivers shined while others had problems. It was a jam-packed race with tons of pressure on these drivers.

    Here are four takeaways from the JAG Metals 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    1. GMS Team One To Beat For Championship – On Friday night, GMS Racing locked in one more driver, Justin Haley. Haley and Johnny Sauter are teammates and GMS and now have a 50 percent chance of winning the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Both drivers have put up stellar numbers this year and either one will be worthy of a championship. For Sauter, it would be his second championship in two years. For Haley, if everything goes to plan, it will be his first championship for the young rising star coming through the ranks.

    2. One Race Left For Four Drivers With Two Spots Left – This is it. On Friday night at ISM Raceway, the two final spots will be locked up. There are just four drivers who have one more chance to secure a championship spot. Those drivers are Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt, Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton. Gragson and Moffitt are comfortably in right now, but nothing is guaranteed. As seen a couple of years ago, then Truck Series driver William Byron set a win total of six, but late in the race, he blew a motor that took him out of championship contention. Two other driver’s that are in must-win situations include Enfinger and Crafton unless something catastrophic happens to Gragson and Moffitt.

    3. Turns 1 and 2 Trouble Spot – Throughout most of the race Turns 1 and 2 were the trouble spots. At least four cautions came from those turns, while the others occurred in Turn 4. It continued to be a trouble spot for the Xfinity Series race as well.

    4. Austin Hill Shines With Top Five – Hill and the No. 02 Young Motorsports team had a quiet night but finished with a strong top five. He finished second in Stage 2 after starting 15th and ultimately finished fifth. It was his first top five of the year along with having six top 10 finishes. Without a doubt, it would be interesting to see what Hill could do with top tier equipment such as GMS, or Kyle Busch Motorsports. Never say never.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings- Texas II

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings- Texas II

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to Texas Motor Speedway this past weekend in the Lone Star State for race number 21 of the season and the second race in the Round of 6. With one driver already locked in, another driver also locked himself into the Championship 4.

    Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.

    1. Justin Haley – Coming into Texas, Haley was just two points below the cutline. He didn’t necessarily have to win, but a strong points finish was needed in the next two races to make him a championship contender. What becomes someone’s misfortune can often become another’s good fortune. That’s what was said Friday night when race leader, Todd Gilliland, had fuel issues, which saw him slow on the backstretch. This gave the eventual race winner, Justin Haley, the opportunity to grab the win and he is now locked into the Championship 4 with his teammate, Johnny Sauter. Haley won Stage 1 and finished third in Stage 2. It was the third win of the season for the GMS Racing driver.

    Previous Week Ranking: 2nd

    2. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt ran a quiet race for the most part. The Hattori Racing driver finished fifth and sixth in both stages. In the middle part of the race, Moffitt ran in the top 15 but was back in the top 10 on lap 59. Throughout the final stage, the team reported “chattering the right front tire.” With late-race pit stops occurring, Moffitt recycled in the sixth position. Ultimately, the No. 16 team finished third and now sits comfortably 22 points ahead of the cutline. Moffitt needs one more solid race to be locked into the Championship 4.

    Previous Week Ranking: 3rd

    3. Johnny Sauter – Last weeks winner at Martinsville fought adversity all night long. He has a great qualifying lap that put him on the pole. From the start, Sauter fought a loose-handling truck all night and was involved in a wreck on Lap 40 which set the team back a bit. They were eventually back in the top 10 and top five late in the going, but ended up finishing 11th. Not the best day for the No. 21 GMS Racing team, but they’re able to breathe as they’re locked into the Championship 4. That’s what the championship is all about. Fight through the bad days to get the good days.

    Previous Week Ranking: 1st

    4. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland had the truck to beat Friday night in the Lone Star State. He qualified 12th and raced his way into the top 10 to finish 10th in Stage 1. In Stage 2, Gilliland finished one spot better in ninth. On Lap 71, the No. 4 team took the lead and led for 37 laps until he pit with 33 to go. Gilliland retook the lead as the leader on Lap 124. It looked liked he had the race won, but fuel issues prevented him from winning and he was relegated to a fourth-place finish. It’s only a matter of time before Gilliland starts winning numerous races.

    Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

    5. Myatt Snider – It seems as though the No. 13 team is getting one step closer to leading races, and eventually finding victory lane. Last week at Martinsville, Snider took the lead for a brief moment, but still finished in the top five. Before Stage 2 started at Texas, Snider and six other drivers stayed out, which saw Snider taking the lead. He led for 35 laps before handling started to go away and he reported, “the Truck was not turning.” Snider and company finished 13th, one lap down. However, it was enough to keep him in the top five power rankings.

    Previous Week Ranking: 5th

    Fell Out

    1. Noah Gragson – Gragson was involved on a Lap 40 wreck and collected damage on the side of his truck. He came back to finish 10th and is now 18 points above the cutline.

  • Noah Gragson Sets his Sights on a Win at Phoenix

    Noah Gragson Sets his Sights on a Win at Phoenix

    The 2018 season has been a stellar year so far for Noah Gragson, the young Las Vegas native, who has posted six top fives and 15 top-10 finishes, along with a win at Kansas in May, to put him in championship contention.

    Stage wins and finishing in the top 10 for most stages gave him enough points to carry him from round to round. Since the Playoffs started, however, circumstances haven’t been too kind to the No. 18 Safelite Toyota driver.

    Gragson was in contention to win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park before making contact with his teammate relegating him to a ninth-place finish. At Las Vegas, he won the pole, but issues caught him one lap down to finish 18th. In Talladega, Gragson was leading on the last lap before getting turned around and making some airtime before settling back down to finish 13th.

    Martinsville was a better showing for the Kyle Busch Motorsports team as he was up front and finished seventh. However bad luck caught Gragson again Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

    On Lap 40, Gragson was involved in a big wreck that involved several others on the track. This saw him collect damage on the side of his truck leaving it tough to handle. However, he was able to rally back and finish in the top 10, but he wanted more and was somewhat disappointed with the finish. But, Gragson knows what to do next week at ISM Raceway.

    “Just rough,” Gragson said to MRN Radio, describing his race. “Got set back on a pit stop and took fuel only. I could never get the balance right in traffic and just really struggled tonight. Got some damage on the right side. No excuse. I’m going to work my ass off this week and next week, and do whatever we have to do. Just unacceptable. Just got to get out there to Phoenix and go win that one.”

    “Win,” the No. 18 driver told MRN Radio. “That’s it.”

    With the 10th place finish at Texas, his 15th top 10 this season, Gragson sits fourth in the standings, just 22 points to the good.

     

  • Ben Rhodes Places A Quiet Second At Texas

    Ben Rhodes Places A Quiet Second At Texas

    After qualifying for the Playoffs with his win at Kentucky earlier this season, Ben Rhodes and the Camping World Truck Series No. 41 Thorsport team were looking to compete for their third championship. Unfortunately, Rhodes got caught up in an incident at Talladega which left him eliminated from the Playoffs.

    However, NASCAR is a sport like any other where you can still compete even after being eliminated from competing for the championship. Rhodes and company were determined to finish the season strong and hoped to collect more wins. Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway almost saw them do just that.

    After race leader Todd Gilliland had fuel issues on the last lap of the Jag Metals 350 and fell off the pace, eventual race winner Justin Haley drove by to pick up the win. But lurking close by was Rhodes who finished second after all the craziness.

    “Yeah, we pretty much had to start last after scruffing the wall in qualifying,” Rhodes told MRN Radio. “Disappointed in that, but very proud of how the team has rallied and put this Carolina Nut F150 up in second place. I feel like overall this race was run on track position and managing restarts, and pit stops. The disappointing part for us is I feel like we were even better than where we finished tonight.”

    “We just burn the tires up. A lot of people were blocking tonight and you know, blocking was the name of the game it seemed like for everybody, except us. It was just a weird race on how that all played out. Congrats to the 24 getting the win and to Homestead. We’ll continue to do our best to compete for the owner’s championship.”

    Rhodes’s second place was his eighth top five of the season.

  • Victory Eludes Stewart Friesen Once More

    Victory Eludes Stewart Friesen Once More

    Stewart Friesen and the No. 52 team of Halmar Racing are still searching for their first win. Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway looked promising until a late pit stop resulted in a penalty.

    Friesen started the race in third after a strong qualifying effort and ran in the top 10 for most of the stages, staying out of trouble. Then, with 40 to go, he passed Todd Gilliland for the race lead. Just a few laps later, both went in to pit with 33 to go but misfortune came for Friesen as he was penalized for speeding during that final pit stop.

    He could never catch the break he wanted in hopes of a caution but ultimately finished eighth after leading 12 laps.

    “Just blew the green flag stop, Friesen told MRN Radio. “Got in there and wheel hopped, I don’t know, there was a little confusion on when we were actually going to pit. They called me into the pits in Turn 3 outside of a guy and I screwed up. I should have just made another lap and came in to take my time. It is what it is, just thanks to Halmar and Chris Larsen, everybody. They work so hard and bust their ass. They deserve to win more than I did.”

    This was Friesen’s 14th top 10 of the year.

  • Johnny Sauter Salvages 11th Place Finish At Texas

    Johnny Sauter Salvages 11th Place Finish At Texas

    After a week removed from being locked into the Championship 4 with his win at Martinsville Speedway, Johnny Sauter took on the Lone Star State at Texas Motor Speedway in hopes of carrying the momentum with him.

    It started out well in qualifying as he ended up winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole for the seventh time in his career. Unfortunately, his night went sour as soon as the race started.

    His truck was loose from the get-go and he slipped back several spots. Sauter ended up bringing out the caution on Lap 7 due to a right rear flat going down. Throughout Stage 1, he continued to report on his truck, saying it was “loose center off 1 and 2” and pitting for chassis adjustments.

    Sauter continued to fight his truck as it continued to get loose and made his way up to 19th after a caution. Ultimately, this is where he would finish for Stage 1. Sauter made adjustments for his loose handling truck during the pit stop.

    On Lap 40, he was involved in the multi-truck crash that occurred and Sauter collected damage. His night continued to go south as he had another tire go down, this time occurring with a flat left rear. He continued to battle an ill-handling truck for the rest of Stage 2, and wound up 17th.

    Even with the truck Sauter had, he managed to make it into the top five and ran in the top 10 for part of the final stage. The No. 21 GMS Racing team and Johnny Sauter did the best they could, and he salvaged an 11th place finish.

    After the race, Sauter told MRN Radio, “That’s why last week was so important. Just proud of everybody at GMS on our ISM Connect Chevy. I got a flat rear tire right there at the beginning of the race and got a lap down, and the lucky dog or whatever they call it nowadays.”

    “We were getting ready to back to green again and I was like, hey the left rear tire is flat. So we came and changed left sides, and from there I don’t even know what happened. We didn’t have any tires left obviously because we were out of tires at that point. We ran the last however many of laps on 10 set of tires. A night like tonight and you still finish 11th, that’s just persevering.”

    “All in all, not the day we wanted,” he said, “but that’s the way it goes in racing.”

     

  • Justin Haley Wins Action Packed Race at Texas, Punches Ticket to Championship 4

    Justin Haley Wins Action Packed Race at Texas, Punches Ticket to Championship 4

    Justin Haley passed Todd Gilliland on the last lap of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race to win at Texas Motor Speedway after Gilliland ran out of fuel on the backstretch. It was his third trip to victory lane this season as he advances to the Championship 4.

    Haley will join his GMS Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, who won at Martinsville Speedway last week, in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    “Yeah, we had a really fast truck where we were closing in there and I was hoping there would be a teammate that would kind of block him (Todd Gilliland),” Haley told MRN Radio. “You know we don’t want to win like that, but it’s the playoffs man, you got to go for it. Todd stuck with me and I kept my faith in it, and I just had an amazing year. You know, Fraternal Order of Eagles, GMS Fabrication, it’s been amazing. Third win of the season, I just wanted one.”

    Playoff drivers Johnny Sauter and Noah Gragson started on the front row for this race.

    Stage 1 began and it saw cautions from the get-go. On Lap 2, Bo LeMastus hit the wall off Turn 2 ending his night. Sauter had issues with a flat right rear on Lap 7, David Gilliland had a flat right front on Lap 13 and Codie Rohrbaugh brought out two cautions on Lap 20 (flat tire) and on Lap 31 for an incident.

    The first stage ended under yellow on Lap 35 and it saw GMS driver, Justin Haley, pick up the stage win.

    Six drivers stayed out and it was Myatt Snider who picked up the lead for Stage 2 on Lap 40. And just like Stage 1, Stage 2 saw numerous incidents.

    On the restart, there was a big wreck in Turns 3 and 4 with several drivers involved. These included Cory Roper, Joe Nemechek, Tyler Young, Noah Gragson, Tanner Thorson, and Sauter. Throughout Stage 2, Jordan Anderson’s motor blew up, and he went behind the wall.

    On lap 59, 10 laps after the restart, ARCA champion Sheldon Creed spun out off of Turn 2 to bring the yellow out once more. Then on Lap 66, debris came from Creed’s truck which brought out another caution with Stage 2 ending under caution. Myatt Snider won Stage 2.

    The final stage resumed with 73 to go with race leader, Todd Gilliland. With 40 to go, Stewart Friesen closed in and made the pass for the lead. Pit stops began with 33 to go, as Friesen and Gilliland pit with each other. Unfortunately, Friesen received a speeding penalty for too fast entering.

    As green-flag stops cycled through, Gilliland resumed with the race lead with 22 to go. He was maintaining his pace until the last lap when low fuel caused him to slow on the backstretch and Haley was able to go by him for the lead.

    With that last lap pass, Haley wound up winning the race and has now punched his ticket to the Championship 4 along with his teammate, Johnny Sauter.

    “I’m relieved,” he told MRN Radio. ” That was good. That was I wanted to do. Texas isn’t always our best track, so to finally cap it off is amazing.”

    This is Haley’s third win of the year and his first since Mosport in Canada.

    Playoff Point’s

    1. Johnny Sauter (W, Clinched)

    2. Justin Haley (W, Clinched)

    3. Brett Moffitt +22

    4. Noah Gragson +18

    Below The Cut Line

    5. Grant Enfinger -18

    6. Matt Crafton -23

  • Todd Gilliland’s Night Ends with Disappointing Fourth Place Finish

    Todd Gilliland’s Night Ends with Disappointing Fourth Place Finish

    In what could have been the night for his first victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it quickly turned into a night of disappointment for the 18-year-old rookie, Todd Gilliland.

    Gilliland was just a half lap away from taking home his first ever truck series victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, fuel issues with his truck on the backstretch denied him his first win and relegated him to a fourth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night.

    “We were in position to win that race … it sucks, it’s horrible. We were just a touch short on fuel,” said Gilliland. “I didn’t know there was anything happening (on fuel). I’m incredibly disappointed … but I’m super-proud to be in position to be fighting for wins.

    “It’s just heartbreak and kind of disbelief. You’re a half-lap away from my first win at a place like this that’s so special and after everything we did today coming from the back, I felt like we executed a perfect race, honestly. Besides lacking a little bit of speed to beat some of those guys straight-up. With what our cards were dealt for the race, we ran 100 percent perfect, I felt like, minus the last half-lap. That’s all we can do is look forward now. It’s over and just need to move on.”

    Gilliland finished 10th and ninth respectively in both stages and led for a race-high 60 laps while Justin Haley took home the winner’s trophy for his third victory of the season at Texas.

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview- Texas II

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview- Texas II

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continues their Round of 6 playoff run in the Lone Star State in Fort Worth, Texas for the annual running of the Jags Metals 350. Three spots are still up for grabs in the Championship 4 and five drivers have just two more chances. There is a great chance of another driver locking himself into the Championship 4 race at Homestead Miami.

    Here’s a look at who could punch their way into victory lane Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Currently, there are 35 trucks entered on the preliminary entry list. There are also some familiar faces in different rides.

    These include Reed Sorenson in the 49, Baley Currey in the 83, Bo LeMastus in the 54, Parker Kligerman in the 35, Timmy Hill in the 87, David Gilliland in the 17, Corey Roper in the 04, Mike Harmon in the 15, Reid Wilson in the 7, Codie Rohrbaugh in the 9, Tyler Young in the 12, Camden Murphy in the 0, and Ross Chastain in the 38.

    1. Johnny Sauter – It’s hard to beat a man who is just on a roll this year in the Truck Series. That person just happens to be six-time winner and 2016 champion, Johnny Sauter. In the last five fall races, he has won twice,  finished 13th in 2015, 16th in 2014, and second in 2013. The 2016 race saw him advance to the Championship 4, and he ultimately won the championship that year. Last fall Sauter finished second and ninth respectively and led 21 laps. He finished fifth here in the spring race. Sauter has won at Texas overall five times giving him 20 starts, 10 top five and 16 top 10 finishes, with 360 laps led, an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 6.0. He’ll be tough to beat as he a man on a mission looking to collect his second championship.

    2. Matt Crafton – It’s hard to believe that the two-time champ does not have a win this year and he could go winless. However, much more is on the line than just a win – a spot in the Championship 4. Crafton is currently 10 points below the cutline, but this weekend could be the site for his first win of the season. He has a best finish of second that came in the fall of 2016. In the previous fall race, Crafton finished ninth after finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, in both stages. Overall, he has 35 starts with two wins, 429 laps led, 14 top fives and 24 top 10 finishes, giving him three DNF’s and an average start of 12.5 with an average finish of 9.1. In the spring race, Crafton finished fifth after placing second and 10th in both stages. This weekend could be the site where Crafton once again locks himself into the Championship 4 at Homestead and looks to be a three-time champion.

    3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen only has one start in the fall race which came last year where he finished 14th. In the spring race, Friesen finished third after winning Stage 1 and finishing second in Stage 2 but came up short of winning. Overall in his career, he has just three starts with 13 laps led, one top five and one top 10 finish, giving him an average start of 11.7 and an average finish of 12.7. He might be out of the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean it stops Friesen from winning. Look for Friesen to be a strong contender Friday night.

    4. Grant Enfinger – Like Crafton, Enfinger is on the bubble with just two points to the good. He’ll need two more good runs if he wants a shot at the championship.  He has three overall starts with eight laps led, two top fives and three top 10 finishes. This gives Enfinger an average start of 10.7 and an average finish of 4.7. He has just one fall start that came last year where he finished seventh and led one lap. In the spring race, Enfinger finished fourth after he won Stage 2.

    5. Justin Haley – Haley could be the next GMS truck driver that makes the Championship 4. He has three overall starts that gave him 28 laps led, two top fives and three top 10 finishes. This gives Haley an average start of 7.0 and an average finish of 4.7. He won the pole last fall and wound up fifth. The spring race saw Haley third on the scoring pylon.

    Other notables and stats – Johnny Sauter has won five times at Texas. If he wins this weekend, Sauter will tie Todd Bodine who has six wins at the 1.5-mile track in Fort Worth. Brendan Gaughan is the only one to have won four in a row. Ron Hornaday is a three-time winner.

    Since 1997, the Truck Series has competed at Texas Motor Speedway 41 times with just 19 fall races. Jay Sauter won the first fall race in October 1999. Five drivers have won from the pole with the last time in 2007 by Todd Bodine. The lowest a race winner has come from to win was 22nd in 2004, also set by Bodine.

    The truckers get on track Thursday afternoon with the first practice slated for 4:05 p.m. ET and the final practice scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET. Qualifying takes place Friday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 2.

    The JAGS Metal 350 race coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio with stages of 35/70/147 laps.

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series- Martinsville

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series- Martinsville

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Round of 6 began this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway in Southern Virginia. Six drivers are still fighting for a shot at the championship and only four spots are up for grabs. One of those spots has already been taken by a former champion.

    Here’s a look at four takeaways from the Texas Roadhouse 200.

    1. GMS Continues To Be The Team To Beat – GMS Racing has been the team to beat this year and are championship contenders, at least for Justin Haley, (who has been quietly consistent) and Johnny Sauter who has dominated the 2018 season. Timothy Peters has also competed in four races and won at Talladega. Sauter clinched a spot in the Championship 4 Saturday after winning the race,  leading 148 laps and winning both stages. Haley earned another top 10 finish and Peters scored a 10th place finish. They continue to be the team to beat and unless something catastrophic happens to them at Homestead, they could be bringing home another championship.

    2. Kyle Benjamin Gets Top Five Finish – Benjamin competed in his second start of the season for DGR -Crosley in the No. 17. He didn’t miss a beat and had a quiet day after starting fifth, finishing fifth in Stage 1. Benjamin stayed out late in the race in hopes to challenge for the win. However, he slipped back and finished where he started. Benjamin has competed part-time throughout the Xfinity Series and has made one Truck Series start prior to Martinsville. He hopes that good runs will land him a full-time ride in the future, but spots are limited. Nonetheless, a great effort by Benjamin and the No. 17 team.

    3. Kyle Busch Motorsports Has Solid Day – Three KBM trucks finished inside the top 10 including Noah Gragson, Harrison Burton, and Christian Eckes. Gragson finished seventh after earning second in both stages. He is 24 points to the good in hopes of making it to the Championship 4. Burton claimed eighth place in the race after finishing ninth and 10th, respectively, in both stages, while ARCA driver Christian Eckes finished ninth.

    4. Relatively Calm Race At Martinsville For Trucks  – When coming to Martinsville, you normally expect an action-packed event with a lot of incidents and accidents. The last time we came here there was a photo finish at the line. However, for a playoff race especially, it was pretty quiet. Almost too quiet. Sauter controlled most of the race and even got out to a five second lead at one point. A good race doesn’t have to include a lot of wrecks or cautions, but for Martinsville, it is normally expected. The race saw six cautions for 43 laps and five lead changes,  an uncharacteristic-like race at the paperclip.