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  • Five Of The Six Truck Series Playoff Drivers Have Solid Day At Martinsville

    Five Of The Six Truck Series Playoff Drivers Have Solid Day At Martinsville

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicked-off its Round of 6 this past Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, thus setting off a four-race stretch to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Five of the six drivers all placed in the top 10.

    The first of the five was Matt Crafton. Crafton started second and finished second after leading 102 laps and winning the first stage. He lost the lead on the final restart to eventual race winner, Noah Gragson, who passed him on the outside after the restart. Crafton now sits third -15.

    Johnny Sauter finishing third shouldn’t be a surprise in the truck series, especially at Martinsville where his team was the defending race winner. He started the race out strong by qualifying fourth. In Stage 1, he placed second. Stage 2 was basically flip-flopped as Sauter won it and Crafton finished second. Sauter would challenge for the win multiple times but settled for third. He is only three points behind in the playoff standings.

    “We had a good day, just didn’t execute when we needed to,” Sauter said. “It’s unfortunate, but we had a fast ISM Connect Chevy. Joe did a good job; all the guys at GMS did a great job. We had a fast truck on that first run but that adjustment we made just wasn’t the right one I guess. Nonetheless, I still think track position is king. You get out in clean air and it’s dominant. I feel like anymore, everyone runs the same speed, so when you give up seven spots it’s pretty tough to overcome. But with that being said I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself, it happens, I can’t be mad about it. Despite it all, it was a good points day and we’re just getting started in what I believe is the part of the schedule that really plays into our strengths.”

    Next up on the list is a driver who has been dominant all year long and in the Round of 8, Christopher Bell. He had somewhat of a decent showing by finishing eighth after getting spun earlier in the race on lap 123, bringing out the fourth caution. The Norman, Oklahoma driver scored another top 10 finish and is currently leading the playoff standings.

    “I don’t know, our JBL Tundra was really, really strong throughout the second stage,” Bell said. ” I don’t know, other than that second stage we struggled to get going, but I’m not really sure what happened getting into (turn) three there. I thought I left Matt (Crafton) enough room, but overall it was not the day we wanted, but we were able to salvage a good finish out of it and got some stage points in the second stage. We’ll move on to Texas (Motor Speedway) and hopefully be a lot better than we were today.”

    The Las Vegas winner, Ben Rhodes, scored his 12th top 10 finish of the year and is fourth in the standings, -34 points. He is certainly not out of it yet, but will most likely have to get a few more stage wins and a victory to get to Homestead.  Rhodes had a solid showing of ninth after starting third, but it was earned the hard way.

    “Yeah, we survived, but just barely,” Rhodes said. ” I didn’t survive in the position that I wanted to survive in. I wish we were a little bit further up. The whole race was a little bit frustrating. We had a top-five truck, I felt like. We ran up there the whole day. I feel like we made a bad call on pit strategy because we came in, and everybody else stayed out. Then that just put us in the back, and we just got knocked into the wall – bounced around like a pinball. All-in-all, our Safelite Tundra was fast, we just didn’t get back up through the field like we wanted to, and we saw that with a lot of trucks today. I feel like maybe we missed it on pit strategy, just a little bit. We probably could have had a little bit better day, but overall still an okay day for points. Just always wish it could be a little better.”

    Austin Cindric rounds out the five playoff contenders having a decent showing at Martinsville. The Columbus, Ohio driver earned his 13th top 10 finish of the year by finishing 10th. He now sits fifth, -45 from first. Cindric placed seventh in Stage 1, did not finish in the top 10 in Stage 2 but came home in the top 10.

    “It was a solid finish by our Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford F-150 team and we moved up one spot in the championship standings,” Cindric said. “I’m happy with it. We have a pretty clean truck, all things considered. I think we got the most out of it today and we need to keep having races like this.”

    The Camping World Truck Series heads to the mid-west this Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway for the JAGS Metals 350.

     

  • NASCAR: 3 To Watch Sunday At Martinsville

    NASCAR: 3 To Watch Sunday At Martinsville

    Sundays First Data 5oo at Martinsville Speedway will kick off the Round of 8 this weekend. Most of the eight drivers remaining in the Playoffs have had wins in the past or good finishes.

    Sunday’s race will be crucial because if any of the eight Playoff drivers win the event, they will automatically punch a ticket to the championship-deciding race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Below are three Playoff drivers to look out for on Sunday.

    1. Jimmie Johnson

    Johnson celebrates victory at Martinsville Speedway. Photo: Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images

    When it comes to Martinsville, no other playoff driver has had the success that Jimmie Johnson has had in recent years. In 31 starts at Martinsville, Johnson has compiled nine wins, 19 top fives and 24 top-10 finishes. Martinsville played a key factor in Johnson’s seventh championship last year as winning last October gave Johnson a lock for Homestead and he would go on to capture his seventh championship.

     

     

    2. Denny Hamlin

    Hamlin posted the fastest time in first practice at the Indianapolis. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

    Denny Hamlin, who grew up in Chesterfield, Virginia used to come to the Martinsville short-track hoping one day he would be the name everyone talked about. Thus far, Hamlin remains one of the favorites when the series heads to the paperclip. In 23 starts, Hamlin has compiled five wins and 12 top-five finishes in his career at Martinsville.

     

     

     

     

    3. Brad Keselowski

    Brad Keselowski celebrates victory at Martinsville Speedway. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

    Keselowski heads to Martinsville hoping to start right where he left off. In 15 starts he has one win which came in April of 2017, five top-five finishes, and nine top-10 finishes.

     

     

    The First Data 500 from Martinsville Speedway kicks off at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

  • This Will Bring Fans Back to the Races

    This Will Bring Fans Back to the Races

    Stephen Cox Blog Presented by McGunegill Engine Performance

    The past few years have brought every gimmick imaginable to auto racing. NASCAR holds races that three people can win. The ever-changing playoff system (a gimmick in itself) functions like an automotive version of musical chairs.

    Indycar’s gimmicks are even worse. They tried mandating overpriced “body kits” to make their field of 33 identical Dallara chassis look like something other than a field of 33 identical Dallara chassis. Their “Fast Nine” and “Fast Six” qualifying gimmick hasn’t revived interest in pole day although it’s proven very effective at totally confusing fans.

    Instead of trying to out-gimmick the competition with Disney-style entertainment to attract a generation of I-gadget slaves who can recite the Starbucks menu by heart but can’t drive a straight stick, perhaps we should be asking why gimmicks are necessary in the first place.

    After all, Indycar needed no gimmicks to draw global attention in 1985 when Danny Sullivan spun trying to pass Mario Andretti for the Indianapolis 500 crown. NASCAR needed no gimmicks to shock the world when The King passed the spinning cars of Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison to win the 1979 Daytona 500.

    So why now? Yes, the plague of I-gadgets has certainly had an impact. But it can’t be the entire problem because Atari’s 2600 home video gaming system brought digital entertainment to the masses back in 1977, yet race tracks had full grandstands and little need for gimmicks.

    It’s true that the economy has not been our friend. But the economy was awful in the late 1970s as well, yet people still turned out in droves to see Larry Rice and Pancho Carter and Gary Bettenhausen battle it out on dirt tracks every weekend. So that’s not it, either.

    The problem is that fewer people care about cars today. The auto racing industry needs to get this, and get it good; people who don’t care about automobiles will never, ever care about watching anyone else race them. If public interest in the automobile falters, then auto racing is doomed. And that is precisely what’s happening right now.

    226 million Americans bought about 10 million new cars per year from 1976 through 1988. But over the past decade, 323 million Americans have bought between five and seven million new cars per year and that number is dropping precipitously. Americans just aren’t buying cars like they once did.

    For most of the 20th century, grandstands were filled at racetracks across America. Beverly Hills Speedway, 1910 (University of Southern California, California Historical Society

    Why? Because getting a driver’s license is a creepy, invasive, Soviet-like experience that everyone hates. Because the price of mandatory insurance policies is skyrocketing and if you dare use your insurance for its intended purpose, they’ll gouge you even more. Because even if you have a great sports car, you can’t have much fun driving it because the penalties for the most minor speeding infractions are insanely high and surveillance cameras watch every move you make at stoplights around the country. Because we make cars with proximity warnings and rear view cameras and a mountain of gadgets that enable lousy drivers to think they’re competent.

    So long as this situation continues, it really doesn’t matter what auto racing does. There aren’t enough gimmicks in the world to fix that. Remember, people who don’t care about automobiles will never, ever care about watching anyone else race them.

    America was once in love with the automobile because the automobile represented freedom. The enthusiasm Americans had for their automobiles directly translated into enthusiasm for automobile racing, which gave birth to a golden era of American motorsports.

    The goal of the motorsports industry must be to restore the liberty, freedom and fun that was once synonymous with the automobile. When that enthusiasm returns, we won’t need three winners at every race or multiple rounds of qualifying to con them back to the race track. They’ll show up by themselves.

    Stephen Cox

    Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions

    Driver, Super Cup Stock Car Series and Electric GT Championship

    Co-host, Mecum Auctions on NBCSN

  • Emotions Overwhelm Martin Truex Jr. After Overtime Win at Charlotte

    Emotions Overwhelm Martin Truex Jr. After Overtime Win at Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — The dark clouds overhead seemed to foreshadow what would be an emotional day at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    It began with a tribute to the late Robert Yates as Dale Jarrett paced the field prior to the green flag to honor his friend and beloved NASCAR icon.

    “He taught a lot of us about how to race, how to compete, how to win and do it all the right way,” Jarrett said.

    It ended with Martin Truex Jr. in Victory Lane, his voice breaking, at a loss for words, as his emotions overwhelmed him. His girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, was noticeably absent. Pollex has been undergoing chemotherapy after a recurrence of ovarian cancer.

    When asked how he handles the uncertainty, “You try to hold it all in all the time but you can’t, you just can’t. She’s at home right now…I love you,” he said, as he turned and walked away to celebrate with his team.

    It was Truex’s sixth win of the season but it didn’t come easily. He qualified 17th and struggled with the car’s handling, finishing 12th in the first stage. It was the first time he had failed to finish in the top 10 of Stage 1 since July at Daytona.

    “We weren’t even close to being able to win at the beginning of the race. The car actually wasn’t that bad on that first run, but when we put the second set of tires on, the balance completely changed in a way that we didn’t expect it to, so then we had to play catch‑up,” he explained.

    With help from his pit crew, Truex continued to improve, finishing fourth in Stage 2.

    “It was tough out there today, the car was a handful. Man, just thanks to my guys. We kept digging. The pit crew was flawless.”

    In the final stage, Truex led 91 laps and persevered through two late-race restarts, the final one in overtime, to capture the checkered flag. With this win, he is guaranteed a spot in the next round of the Playoffs. Truex leads the standings with a 34 point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

    While the pressure is off Truex for the next couple of races, his rivals for the championship should not be ignored. Playoff contenders claimed eight of the top 10 positions. Chase Elliott finished second followed by Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Jamie McMurray, rounding out the top five. Jimmie Johnson placed seventh, Ryan Blaney was eighth and Kyle Larson finished 10th.

    And then there’s Kyle Busch, a perfect example of how quickly things can change. He entered the Bank of America 500 second in the Playoff standings with a 41 point cushion after winning two consecutive races in the previous round. His troubles began on Lap 135 when he hit the wall in Turn 3 and damaged the right-rear of his No. 18 Toyota. During the race he spun three more times, finishing 29th and dropping from second to sixth in the Playoff standings.

    It’s a lesson Truex has learned the hard way, to appreciate the highs and not dwell on the lows, because change is inevitable.

    “Dealing with the ups and downs and keeping that kind of even keel and keeping your head on straight and understanding the things that are truly important, all those things,” he said, “are what I’ve really learned.”

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     

  • Alex Bowman Drives to Victory at Charlotte in First XFINITY Start This Season

    Alex Bowman Drives to Victory at Charlotte in First XFINITY Start This Season

    CONCORD, N.C. — Alex Bowman claimed his first NASCAR national series victory Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the rain-delayed XFINITY Series race.

    In his first XFINITY start this season, he led 32 laps in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Chevrolet, capturing the Drive for The Cure 300 checkered flag on his way to Victory Lane. Next year, Bowman will take over the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement.

    “It’s a dream come true,” said Bowman, who admitted to being slightly rusty in his return to competition. “I’ve got to thank Mr. Hendrick and Chip and everybody that made this possible. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced, so to come here and be as competitive as we were all night, even until that last restart, I was really pleased with how competitive we were.”

    Sam Hornish Jr. finished second for Team Penske in his fifth XFINITY start this season while Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon and Brennan Poole rounded out the top five finishers. The race was also the final event in the Playoff’s Round of 12, eliminating four drivers from the post-season championship Playoffs.

    William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Elliott Sadler, Daniel Hemric and Cole Custer secured their spots in the Round of 8 when points were awarded after the first two stages of the XFINITY race. They were joined by Poole, Matt Tifft and Ryan Reed, who earned one point more than Brendan Gaughan, at the completion of the Drive for The Cure 300.

    Reed spoke about going “all-in” during the Playoffs to gain that extra point by going three-wide with Gaughan and Byron at a critical point of the race.

    “I ran a pretty conservative race,” he said, “tried not to make too many radical moves and then there at the end I think in these Playoff races you have one or two moments where you have to lay it all out on the line and you have to go all-in so to speak. That was my moment to go all-in and it worked out. I’m glad.”

    Gaughan was eliminated as a championship contender along with Michael Annett, Blake Koch and Jeremy Clements.

    The next XFINITY Series race will be held at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 21.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Charlotte-NXS-results-N1729_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Charlotte NXS results N1729_UNOFFRES”]

  • NASCAR Star Elliott Joins TCU Students for Lesson In Sports Marketing and NASCAR

    NASCAR Star Elliott Joins TCU Students for Lesson In Sports Marketing and NASCAR

    FORT WORTH, Texas (October 4, 2017) – At 21 years old, NASCAR star Chase Elliott can relate to college students.
    Elliott, the 2016 NASCAR Cup rookie of the year, will take on the role of professor with 30 TCU students at Smith Hall and provide an athlete’s perspective of sports marketing and NASCAR beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT.
    His discussion will serve as the impetus for an interactive NASCAR marketing project for these students that entails producing a comprehensive marketing strategy for his students-only tailgate party known as Chase U. The event will be held Sunday, Nov. 5, prior to him competing in the AAA Texas 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway.
    Chase U. is a program developed by Elliott to attract college students to the sport of NASCAR and who is better than knowing those minds than college students themselves. Students will then collectively create a marketing strategy to share with Texas Motor Speedway representatives, who will then move forward in taking their ideas to promote the event to other Dallas/Fort Worth area universities.
    The University of North Texas also has committed to a sports marketing class taking part in this program and creating their own marketing plan to share with the speedway.
    Chase U is the official collegiate tailgate party of the AAA Texas 500 with tickets at a college-friendly price. Elliott and Hooters Restaurant will play host to the student-only tailgate that includes free Hooters food, visit and Q&A with Elliott, and a ticket to the AAA Texas 500 for just $24. A university e-mail address and student ID are required to purchase a ticket to Chase U.
    Texas Motor Speedway is the fifth track to host a Chase U event, joining Charlotte Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.
    Tickets for Chase U may be purchased online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com or by calling the ticket office at (817) 215-8500.
  • Keselowski Kicks off Bank of America 500 Race Week with ‘Laps around Uptown’ Parade

    Keselowski Kicks off Bank of America 500 Race Week with ‘Laps around Uptown’ Parade

    • Brad Keselowski drove his No. 2 Alliance Trucks Parts Ford Fusion along with Charlotte Motor Speedway pace cars, a Bojangles’ Legend Car, Richard Childress Racing show cars and NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Garrett Smithley in a speedway show car during a “Laps around Uptown” parade through Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday
    • Fans can buy tickets to the Bank of America 500 – which includes access to the Oct. 7 Brad Paisley concert at zMAX Dragway presented by Wrangler and Nationwide and saluting the JR Nation Appreci88ion Tour – by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or by visiting online at charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets

    CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2017) – Brad Keselowski roared into uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday for Charlotte Motor Speedway’s “Laps around Uptown” parade of race cars, show cars and Legend Cars previewing Sunday’s Bank of America 500. The spectacular parade leads into a full weekend of NASCAR fun, including Bojangles’ Pole Night and the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.

    Keselowski, the 2013 Bank of America 500 winner, drove his No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion behind Toyota Camry pace cars for Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Sunday’s Bank of America 500. Keselowski – whose wife, Paige, drove her Bandolero in the parade to preview Friday’s Better Half Dash– wasn’t shy about putting the bumper of his Ford to a pace car as the colorful line of cars circled through uptown Charlotte.

    “It’s always an interesting feeling of trying to put on a show but trying to not get arrested,” Keselowski said of his active involvement in the parade. “We had some fun on the streets of Charlotte. Seeing everybody’s faces as you go by is pretty incredible.”

    NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Garrett Smithley also took part. Smithley will compete in the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina on Sunday.

    “It was super fun,” Smithley said. “Anytime you get to drive a race car on the street, it’s a weird feeling but it’s a good feeling. It’s kind of like we’re ‘unleashing the beasts’ in these race cars.”

    TICKETS:
    Fans can buy tickets to this weekend’s Bank of America 500 by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267), visiting the ticket office or accessing http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets/. Adult Bank of America 500 tickets are also good for admission to Saturday night’s Brad Paisley concert at zMAX Dragway presented by Wrangler and Nationwide and saluting the JR Nation Appreci88ion Tour.

    KEEP TRACK:
    Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

  • Robert Yates Through the Years

    Robert Yates Through the Years

    Robert Yates, a name known around the garage for decades sadly lost his battle with cancer Monday.

    Many of the sports biggest stars drove for the iconic engine builder and owner, names like Dale Jarrett, Bobby Allison,  Ricky Rudd, and Davey Allison each drove for Yates during their career in Nascar.

    In the photo, Ricky Rudd, driver of the No. 88 Snickers Ford, speaks with team owner Robert Yates, prior to practice for the Allstate 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, 2007, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Travis Lindquist/Getty Images for NASCAR.

     

     

     

    1967: The Beginning

     

    In the year 1967, Robert Yates joined with Holman-Moody Racing. He started off as the manager in the team’s air gauge department. He worked hard building state of the art engines for the Wood Brothers and Junior Johnson. Yates would soon partner up with Junior Johnson.

     

     

     

    1976 -1985: Golden Years

    From the years 1976 to 1985 Yates became a well-known name in and around the garage. His expertise and determination compelled him to succeed with Ricky Rudd, Darrell Waltrip, and Bobby Allison. Yates also built the engines in which Richard Petty scored his 199th and 200th win in the sport. Later on, Yates would start his own team.

    Photo Caption – DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JULY 3, 1986: NASCAR race team owner and engine builder Robert Yates checks the gap on a set of spark plugs destined for driver Bobby Allison’s car prior to qualifying for the 1986 Firecracker 400 at the Daytona International Speedway on July 3, 1986, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

     

    1988: The Building of a Dynasty

    Robert Yates started his own race team, Robert Yates Racing, in 1988. Davey Allison was Yates first driver and throughout the late 80s and early 90s, Allison would dominate the sport and quickly rose to fame. However, the team and sport were struck with the passing of Davey Allison in 1993 in which hit Yates and his team hard.

     

     

     

    1996-1999: Championship Performances

    Dale Jarrett opened the 1996 season with a win in Nascar’s most iconic race, the Daytona 500. Jarrett would go on to battle for the championship but came up short. Going into the 1999 season, Jarrett, in his third year with the team, would go on to earn Robert Yates Racing their first championship.

    Dale Jarrett on working with Robert Yates:

    “From the very first day I walked into the Robert Yates Racing Shop I learned that Robert knew every aspect and detail of his shop from the broom handle to (the) boardroom. Robert Yates was the smartest person in the racing industry from being the premier engine builder to aerodynamics, to chassis knowledge. He was the every and all of NASCAR racing competition and racing operations. And tremendously respected as such.”

     

    2017: Hall of Fame Status

    In May of 2017, Robert Yates was given the news that he would indeed be the newest member of the Nascar Hall of Fame. Battling cancer Yates attended the announcements for 2018 class and hearing his name called brought a tremendous joy in the room for a man that has worked so hard finally have his success pay off. While he may not be there in person next January his legacy will live forever in this sport.

     

  • NASCAR: Dover Cup Series Race Recap

    NASCAR: Dover Cup Series Race Recap

    Yesterday’s Apache 400 at Dover International Speedway seemed to be Chase Elliott’s big break. Or so we thought. We all have waited for the moment that the iconic number 24 rolls back into victory lane with rising star Elliott aboard. With 40 laps remaining we all thought this would finally be the moment that he scored his first victory in the Monster Energy Cup Series.

    But, second place Kyle Busch quickly emerged at Elliott’s back bumper as they both approached lap traffic. Ryan Newman who was battling to transfer into the Round of 12 battled Elliott and allowed Busch to pass and score his second consecutive victory in the Round of 16.

    After Sunday’s victory, Busch spoke to the media about his win and also his battle with Elliott in the closing laps.

    “Man, I saw that carrot out there, and I wanted to go and get it,” said Busch, who won for the fourth time at Dover and the 42nd time in his career. “I got within five lengths and I stalled out and I was like, ‘Oh, man, I think that was it,’ you know? But I got back to the top and got enough momentum back rolling. Chase was kind of plugged up with the lapped cars in front of him, so I think the lapped cars actually helped us with that one.

    What was probably the most talked about incident after the race was Jeff Gordon and Newman’s post-race conversation in which Gordon said to Newman, ”Thanks for the help,” referring to Newman racing Elliott a little too hard. The two would exchange words and that was that. Newman would not make the Round of 12.

    The four drivers eliminated from the next round include Newman, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Austin Dillion.

    The Round of 12 kicks off this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on your local NBC channel.

     

  • Ben Rhodes Holds Off Christopher Bell to Win in Last Lap Thriller at Las Vegas

    Ben Rhodes Holds Off Christopher Bell to Win in Last Lap Thriller at Las Vegas

    Ben Rhodes claimed his first career victory in the Camping World Truck Series race Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, holding off Christopher Bell in the final laps to win by a margin of 0.066 seconds.

    The ThorSport Racing driver took the lead on the final restart with seven laps to go in his No. 27 Toyota, leading twice for a total of 20 laps, on his way to Victory Lane. With this win, Rhodes is locked into the Round of 6.

    “I used every play in my playbook,” said Rhodes said after the race. “I knew if I could keep him (Bell) close to me, he couldn’t break the (air) bubble. This is the biggest high of my life.

     “So many things have gone wrong and now here I am in Victory Lane.”

    Chase Briscoe finished third in his No. 29 Ford while Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala rounded out the top five.

    On Saturday afternoon, Ryan Truex and Johnny Sauter set the front row spots in qualifying for the Las Vegas 350 Truck Series race. Stage 1 and 2 were 35 laps each with a final stage of 76 laps.

    The first stage got off to a wild start. There was a pack of trucks that were three wide down the backstretch and unfortunately, Myatt Snider was bumped from behind by Stewart Friesen and was sent sideways in Turn 3.

    After that, the action calmed a bit as Briscoe jumped out to the lead and was able to go on to win Stage 1. Sauter, Bell, Truex, Matt Crafton, Rhodes, Grala, Cindric, Friesen and Noah Gragson rounded out the top 10.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 41 and just like the beginning of the race, there was tons of action on the first lap of the stage. Sauter missed a shift and got tapped from behind by Cindric which caused a chain reaction crash that involved Grala, Friesen, Austin Wayne Self and Justin Haley. Grala and Sauter were the only ones with major cosmetic damage.

    On Lap 47, Bell went to the lead. The action didn’t stop there as Briscoe, Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Rhodes and Truex had a tight battle for the lead. However, on Lap 55, Cindric went sideways through the grass after a side-draft gone wrong with Grant Enfinger.

    With a restart on Lap 61, Rhodes took the lead and never looked backed as he went to take Stage 2.

    The third final stage went underway on Lap 77. After varying pit strategies, Cindric, who pitted for fuel only and Gragson, who stayed out, were marked as the leaders for a short while.

    On Lap 81, playoff contenders, Crafton, Sauter and Cindric made contact with each other on the backstretch. Due to the contact, Sauter had a flat tire. As he went to pit, Sauter was deemed too fast entering pit road and again was caught for speeding.

    Bell regained the lead on Lap 87. With 40 to go, Gragson began to pit for his scheduled pit stop but was caught speeding twice and ended up doing a stop-and-go penalty.

    Green flag pit stops began with 25 laps to go. This saw most of the leaders pit, except for Playoff contender John Hunter Nemechek who was trying to stretch it to the finish on fuel. The final caution came out with 15 to go as Austin Wayne Self had a tire go down and slammed the outside wall hard. Unfortunately, Nemechek ran out of fuel and stalled his truck on pit road, ending his hopes at a shot for the win.

    There were six cautions for 32 laps and seven leaders among 11 lead changes.

    Playoffs Points
    1. Christopher Bell (W)
    2. Ben Rhodes (W)
    3. Matt Crafton -51
    4 . Johnny Sauter -54
    5. Chase Briscoe -68
    6. Austin Cindric -70
    Below the cut line
    7. Kaz Grala -78
    8. John Hunter Nemechek -84

    Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes a week off before heading to Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 12, for the Fred’s 250, the final race in the Round of 8.