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  • Chandler Smith nabs eight races with Kyle Busch Motorsports

    Chandler Smith nabs eight races with Kyle Busch Motorsports

    Announced today via Kyle Busch Motorsports, Chandler Smith will drive the famed No. 51 Toyota Tundra in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series with sponsorship from JBL. The Georgia native made a lot of noise early on in his Truck Series career by having outstanding performances.

    Last year Smith competed in four races and will add four more in 2020 for a total of eight races with KBM. Those eight races include Richmond International Raceway on April 18 and Dover International Speedway on May 1. During those two races, he will be a part of the annual “Triple Truck Challenge.” Then the next time Smith will be on-track in the truck will be August 8 at Michigan International Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on August 21, Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 25, Talladega Superspeedway on October 3 and his final race of the year will be at Phoenix International Raceway on November 6.

    While some of these tracks may be new to Smith, he competed in four races last year and had stellar performances by achieving three top fives and four top-10 finishes with a best finish of second at Bristol last August. The KBM driver made his first start at Iowa Speedway last June and led 55 laps. During that time, the Georgia native was able to learn quickly in those four races.

    “I learned a lot about racing in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series last season in my four races and I’m thankful to everyone at KBM, JBL, Toyota and TRD for the opportunity to have an expanded schedule this year,” Smith said. “Danny Stockman (crew chief) and all the guys on the No. 51 team are already off to a great start getting a win with Kyle (Busch) at Las Vegas and having a strong run with Riley (Herbst) at Daytona. I know they are going to provide me with fast JBL Tundras every week. If I do my job and we execute as a team, I’m confident that we’ll be able to rack up a few wins and put ourselves in position to bring home another owner’s championship for KBM.”

    Team-Owner Kyle Busch says Smith reminds him a lot of former drivers Erik Jones and most recently driver Christian Eckes.

    “Chandler is one of those young drivers that come along and are able to produce speed and run up front at every level as they progress up the ladder and it was no different for him last year in the Truck Series,” owner Kyle Busch said. “He was fastest in practice for his first truck race and went out and led a bunch of laps. Although he had just four races on his schedule, he was in the mix for the win a couple of times and we feel that his first of many wins at KBM is just around the corner.

    While running a part-time schedule this year, Busch says it’s intended to prepare Smith for running full-time in 2021.

    “Much like some of the younger guys before him, Erik Jones and most recently Christian Eckes, we feel that the schedule he is running for his second year in trucks is a mix of different types of tracks and with a good portion of his races coming during the Playoffs it will help to prepare him for running for rookie of the year and competing for a championship next season.”

  • Episode 7: Bowman dominates, Fontana ranting, and I need more coffee

    Episode 7: Bowman dominates, Fontana ranting, and I need more coffee

    On this episode of News and Views from SpeedwayMedia.com, we discuss the results from the weekend, the appearance of Auto Club Speedway in literally every television show/movie about racing imaginable, and I seriously NEED MORE COFFEE!

  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series at Las Vegas

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series at Las Vegas

    While there was still buzz around the Daytona finish last week, the Truck Series drivers had to turn their focus on what many call the first real race of the season last Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch was back in the field and completely dominated the race by sweeping the stages and leading the most laps. Throughout the Strat 200, there were some dicey moments, but for the most part, it was almost a caution-free race as there were only five cautions for 25 laps. Two of them were for stages, while three of them were for incidents. 

    However, there may have been other notes of interest that racing fans might have missed or the broadcast did not cover it. Here are this week’s four takeaways from the Strat 200. 

    1. Kyle Busch Back In Victory Lane – About a week ago, Busch and the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports team announced its five-race schedule for the 2020 Truck Series season. Those races were Las Vegas, Atlanta, Charlotte, Kansas, and Chicago. It is crazy to bet against him in those races but anything can happen in the racing world. Busch was back in the field Friday night at his hometown racetrack. He didn’t qualify on the pole but had the best truck out of anyone in the race. Busch swept both stages, led 108 laps and picked up his first win of the 2020 season.
    2. Bounty Out For Busch Win – After the win, on Saturday morning, former Cup Series champion and former Truck Series owner Kevin Harvick issued a $50,000 bounty to any full-time Cup driver that can beat Busch in the next four Truck Series races. After Harvick tweeted that out, Social Media literally blew up with all kinds of comments (mainly offers from Cup drivers). Cup drivers and Xfinity drivers chimed in wanting to take Harvick’s offer. This got so much attention that the owner of the sponsor in the series Marcus Lemonis chimed in and said, “Hey Kevin, I’ll match that… I’m that comfortable Kyle Busch can’t be beat.” With that said, the bounty now has gone up to $250,000 courtesy of Lemonis who wants the event to take place on FOX. It will be interesting to see if this comes to fruition as I’m sure there will be sponsor and manufacturer conflicts for any driver that wants to take the offer. Still, this is one of the most intriguing stories that has taken place in the last 10-years in the Truck Series. It is just one of the many reasons why I love the Truck Series. It deserves more attention then it gets right now.
    3. Stewart Friesen Rallies To Ninth Place Finish – It was a difficult night for Friesen and his No. 52 team who struggled most of the night. The Canadian had a poor qualifying effort of 17th and really did not make up that much ground during the race. Friesen’s mid-race run was averaging 20th place throughout the night. He spent zero laps in the top-10 and did not collect any stage points. Friesen even was handed a penalty for improper fueling which set him back even more. However, his truck seemed to come to life late in the going and he was able to finish ninth.
    4. Off-Week – With two races under the belt, the Truck Series will have three-weeks off until the next race that takes place on Saturday, March 14. After a couple of exciting races, race fans can catch their breath as the season will really start to pick up after the Atlanta race. The Truck Series 2020 season has been off to a great start so far this year with just two races in.
  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas I

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas I

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series headed out west this past weekend for their first of two races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. To no one’s surprise, the all-time series wins leader, Kyle Busch, dominated the race and won his seventh consecutive Truck Series race.

    However, it wasn’t all that easy for Busch as he did have some challengers throughout the race who, if the opportunity presented itself, could beat Busch in the end. But the Las Vegas native was unbeatable Friday night and went to victory lane. For the rest of the field, some flew under the radar and had a great run, while others had a difficult night at the 1.5-mile speedway. 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Strat 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    1. Austin Hill – Hill followed up a strong run at Daytona with another solid finish Friday night at Vegas. The Georgia native started sixth, ran top five for most of the night and ended up passing Matt Crafton for third coming to the checkered flag. He was penalized after a pit stop but still rebounded for his ninth career top-five finish. Hill was able to place fifth in Stage 1.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

    2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter had one of the best races in his career at Vegas Friday night. The ThorSport driver qualified on the pole and was never really out of contention. Sauter only led seven laps early but that doesn’t show how well his truck ran all night. Despite not leading a lot of laps, the Wisconsin native finished third and 10th in both stages, respectively. It was almost a flawless race for Sauter but he fought handling issues as well. Still, Sauter found himself with a shot to win late as he was trying different lines but ran out of time to catch Busch. All in all, not a bad outing for him as Sauter’s 2020 is off to a good start.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third

    3. Sheldon Creed – You could very well say that Creed also had the truck to challenge Busch for the win. There were a couple of restarts that occurred late in the going where Creed battled side-by-side with Busch for several laps before settling into second. The GMS Racing driver had a close moment with race leader Busch as Creed got loose off Turn 4 but he was able to save it and continued racing. However, it cost him a lot of spots and eventually a great finish. Creed was relegated to a 10th place finish after having a great truck early and qualifying on the outside pole.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    4. Todd Gilliland – It was a quiet night for Gilliland who was in the top three at one point in the race. However, at one point, he almost made contact with Christian Eckes, as Eckes was behind him and got into the wall, which cut his tire down. Gilliland avoided that incident and continued on racing. It wasn’t all that easy for the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports driver as he qualified 25th, but Gilliland made his way up to the front early on. He finished ninth in the second stage before winding up in the seventh position.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    5. Matt Crafton- Like Gilliland, Crafton also flew under the radar but showed his potential by competing in the top five and 10. He wasn’t able to place at all in Stage 1 but finished fifth in the second stage. Crafton had to fight tire management throughout the night which probably prevented him from getting up front to challenge Busch but he still came home with a fourth-place finish. It easily could have been a third-place finish but he was passed by Hill coming to the finish line on the last lap. A nice rebound for Crafton this week after he finished 15th last week at Daytona.

      Fell Out

      1. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger was caught up in a crash on Lap 89 and received significant damage to the left-front. He did have a great truck early, finishing fourth in the second stage. It was a disappointing night for the Alabaman as he finished 31st after winning Daytona the previous week.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

      2. Jordan Anderson – It was a tough outing for Anderson who finished 20th this past weekend at Vegas after so much attention surrounding him about his Daytona finish. While winning most certainly wasn’t the expectation, a top-10 or top-15 would have been. But Anderson finished two laps down in the final running order.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth 

  • Mayer dominates ARCA Menards Series West in first race back at Bullring

    Mayer dominates ARCA Menards Series West in first race back at Bullring

    After leading 138 of the scheduled 150 laps and sitting on the pole, Mayer was once again victorious for the second consecutive time this season, earning his first ARCA West Series win at the Bullring. The victory was an emotional win for Mayer and company.

    It’s been over eight years ago (2012) since the ARCA Menards Series West (previously NASCAR K&N Pro Series West) last raced at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring. One of the names making early headlines so far in the 2020 season is standout Sam Mayer for GMS Racing. Mayer also competed in the ARCA East race last week at New Symrna and scored the victory. As for the Bullring, he was looking to once again go to victory lane for the second time in a row this season.

    Mayer was driving a Spencer Clark tribute car. Clark, who got his start at Las Vega, was killed in an automobile accident in 2006 when he was only 19-years-old.

    “Yeah, this is so special,” Mayer said to NBCSN. “I’ve never had a connection to Spencer (Clark) being with the team. I actually feel that connection, so it’s really special to have him on the car and it’s really emotional. Even before the race, we were feeling the emotions of it, now we’re going to feel it after a victory like that. We definitely would have done what Spencer would have done. Go out and wax the field. I can’t thank GMS enough for bringing the best car out here today and we’re going to enjoy this one for sure.”

    “I don’t want to pinch myself because I hope I’m not dreaming,” Mayer said after the win. “This is a heck of a way to start a year for sure. New era, new freakin’ everything. Obviously it’s a new me too. Hopefully, we can continue this grind of getting wins left and right and hopefully get into Victory Lane all the time.”

    As noted, once the Star Nursery 150 got underway, Mayer’s car was like a rocket leading almost every single lap. However, it wasn’t that easy for him to get the victory. Jesse Love in the No. 19 took the lead for 14 laps before Mayer was able to get it back. It seemed like nothing could stop the Franklin, Wisconsin native, even the few cautions that fell in the quick race.

    It seemed as though the cautions were few and far between. The first fell on Lap 25 when the No. 12 of Lawless Alan made slight contact with the No. 16 of Gio Scelzi who went around off Turn 4. Then, 39 laps later, the second caution came out for the No. 7 of Austin Reed as he spun in Turn 2. Reed had some help from Scelzi. On Lap 80, the third yellow of the night came for the No. 17 of Zach Telford. Telford lost his brakes on the frontstretch and came to a stop. Telford would wind up in 16th place.

    After these few quick cautions, Mayer continued to set the pace at blistering speeds by lapping up to seventh place at one point. Then one final caution stacked the field up one more time for a restart with eight to go with Mayer as the leader. In the end, it was basically the story of the night for the GMS driver as he picked up his second win of the 2020 season.

    Despite the dominating win, a few drivers, including Mayer, had brake rotor problems. But, he says one of the cautions helped him with that issue.

    “About halfway through the race, my brakes pretty much went away,” Mayer added to NBCSN. “Thank god that caution came out because I was able to cool them down a little bit again. It was a tough race and this place is a lot harder on the brakes than I thought it was going to be, but that’s what makes a race team and racecar driver, perseverance through some adversity.”

    Just four cautions slowed the pace in the 150-lap race and only one lead change occurred.

    Official Results

    1. Sam Mayer, led 138 laps
    2. Jesse Love, led 13 laps
    3. Blaine Perkins
    4. Gracie Trotter
    5. Trevor Huddleston
    6. Lawless Alan
    7. Jack Wood
    8. Todd Souza
    9. Austin Reed, one lap down
    10. Gio Scelzi, two laps down
    11. Takuma Koga, three laps down
    12. Holley Hollan, three laps down
    13. Bobby Hillis Jr, 13 laps down
    14. Joey Iest, 45 laps down
    15. Chirs Lowden, 52 laps down
    16. Zach Telford, 71 laps down
    17. Bridget Burgess, 110 laps down

    Up Next: The ARCA Menards West Series’ next race is Saturday night, March 28. at Irwindale Speedway.

  • Newman’s Daytona 500 accident nothing more than that – an accident

    Newman’s Daytona 500 accident nothing more than that – an accident

    It’s difficult to believe that we’re constantly in a position in the sport where we have to reiterate certain things that should be obvious. Accidents happen. The loss of Dale Earnhardt on February 18, 2001 was an accident. The losses of Blaise Alexander, Tony Roper, Kenny Irwin, and Adam Petty were all accidents. Carl Edwards being launched into the fence at Talladega in 2009 was an accident. Ryan Newman’s accident in Sunday’s Daytona 500? Also an accident.

    I went into work tonight expecting some talk about Newman’s accident as I’m the lone racing guy on our staff. Sure enough, my coworkers were approaching me to talk about what they heard about Newman’s crash. Most were facts about Newman that come as obvious to those who follow racing and who have been following the news of the crash, but there were others who heard the same obnoxious nonsense from social media – that Ryan Blaney turned the No. 6 Ford while trying to win the 500.

    Rarely has such news solicited such a groan-worthy reaction out of me. Just hearing that brings back memories of how obsurd things got for Sterling Marlin when Earnhardt died, how he received death threats and hate mail following the 2001 Daytona 500. I don’t understand – in the post-race shots on pit road, Blaney looks as distressed and upset as he could be without falling into absolute hysterics. Not the reaction expected of someone who had punted Newman into the wall.

    What’s the logic here? Do people actually think that the drivers aren’t aware of the risks of malicious intent at 200 mph? Do people really think that Blaney is the type of driver that would punt a guy for a win? This sentiment ranks up there with the idiots (I use that word deliberately) who said Newman deserved his fate for being a Trump supporter or the people who tried to call attention to themselves by “knowing somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody who knew Newman’s conditon.”

    Racing brings out the comraderie in it’s fans regardless of political or religious leanings, but it brings out the less-than-savory folks too. Then, it brings out the people who tend to act without thinking – especially the folks who assumed that the bump from Blaney was some sort of ruthless, calculated smack designed to move Newman out of the way.

    If anything, Blaney is the most mellow guy on the track – when he’s not racing for the win he’s usually hosting his podcast, making television and movie cameos, or tormenting William Byron for dating his little sister. He takes time for his fans and seems to be an all-around fun and respectful guy. In this instance he was going to try to push another driver who raced for Ford to the win after realizing he wasn’t going to win the race. That doesn’t come across as a guy who’d gleefully dump a guy a la Chick Hicks on the way to winning a Piston Cup.

    The Daytona 500 is the Mecca of NASCAR. It’s the be-all-end-all for the sport. The drive to win it is bigger than winning a title for some. But if guys like Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, and Kyle Busch can lose the race gracefully again and again, then it just goes to show that there isn’t some inherent curse among the drivers that causes them to act out horrible urges in order to win this race. This isn’t the literal Holy Grail and they aren’t Indiana Jones.

    When all is said and done, Blaney should be commended for a race well run. Denny Hamlin should be commended for winning his third 500. The NASCAR Safety R&D center should be commended for making durable equipment. The Safety Team should be commended for a swift and appropriate response to Newman’s aid. Even the NASCAR Media should be commended for keeping their mouths shut and their thumbs still until official word on Newman’s condition was released.

    As for those who were quick to blame Blaney for “deliberately” turning Newman, to paraphrase the great 20th century poet Phife Dog, they can take that garbage to St. Elsewhere.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings- Daytona

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings- Daytona

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series kicked off their 2020 season opener at Daytona International Speedway on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon in central Florida. It was the first race of the season and it sure didn’t disappoint. Xfinity Series regular, Noah Gragson was finally able to pick up the first win of his Xfinity Series career, which more than likely will be the biggest of his young career. Though there were some other drivers who also had great runs. 

    Here is the first installment of this week’s Power Rankings for the NASCAR Xfinity Series following the NASCAR Racing Experience 300. 

    1. Noah Gragson – No surprise here as Gragson dominated the last 20 laps after the final pit stops. He lost the lead briefly to Chase Briscoe for five laps, but was able to take the lead back with two to go before a caution ended the race. The JR Motorsports driver started 12th, finished fourth and ninth in both stages respectively, en route to victory. He led just 15 laps but they were the most important 15 laps of his career.

    2. Chase Briscoe – Despite not having a teammate to work with, Briscoe was strong throughout the whole race, finishing 10th in both stages. The Indiana native only led five laps but remained consistent in the top five or 10. Briscoe had no issues and had a flawless race. Sure, he probably wished he could have finished second or won the race as he was in the lead but a top-five finish is still a solid day, especially at a place like Daytona where a big crash can take you out of a good finish late.

    3. Harrison Burton – While it’s not his first rodeo in the Xfinity Series, rookie Harrison Burton had a strong first outing at Daytona finishing second. There was a lot of hype with the Burton name having a presence Saturday afternoon and certainly, high expectations in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Burton was able to finish eighth in Stage 1 before missing out on some points in the second stage. He also led nine laps before the race ended. Had the race not ended under caution or if he had a teammate to work with, we most likely would have been talking about a different story right now. Still, not a bad finish for Burton in his first race at Daytona. It will be interesting to watch how Burton progresses throughout the year.

    4. Myatt Snider- New year, new ride for Myatt Snider who is racing part-time in the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Even though Snider is a rookie in the Xfinity Series, this was not his first Daytona race as he has had previous starts in the Truck Series. The Charlotte, North Carolina racer looked like a seasoned veteran in this race. Snider started on the pole, led the first 13 laps and laps 15 to 23 before Jeb Burton took the stage win. Unfortunately, it would be the only laps led of the day as Snider was caught up in a Lap 61 accident which took him out of contention. The Richard Childress Racing driver wound up a disappointing 33rd place finish after a strong run early on.
    5. Timmy Hill – The underdog Timmy Hill came out of nowhere on the last lap, similar to what Jordan Anderson did on Friday night in the Truck Series race. The Maryland native finished third, earning his best career finish with the Carl Long owned No. 66 Toyota. Hill didn’t place in the top-10 in either stage but had the caution not ended and tandem drafting was allowed, Hill could have been the upset winner and a story we could have been talking about for ages.

  • Hamlin wins second consecutive Daytona 500

    Hamlin wins second consecutive Daytona 500

    It took two overtimes and a 24-hour delay, but Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive time of his career. This is the first time a driver has won back to back 500s since Sterling Marlin in 1994-1995. Hamlin narrowly edged Ryan Blaney to the line to notch his 38th career Cup Series win.

    “I just feel like I’m a student of the game,” Hamlin said. “I never stop learning and trying to figure out where I need to put myself at the right time.

    “It doesn’t always work [but] we’ve defied the odds here in the DAYTONA 500. I just trust my instincts and so far they’ve been good for me. I can’t do it without the car. That’s [enabling me] to make those race-winning moves.”

    The Daytona 500 was originally scheduled to run on Sunday but only 20 laps were completed before rain showers came through the area and postponed the race for the second time in the event’s history. Pole sitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led all 20 laps before the race was moved to Monday.

    Then came Daytona 500 x2 a little after 4 p.m. ET.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 65

    The race was restarted on Lap 25 after a few drivers made their pit stops. Brad Keselowski took the lead for a couple of laps before Aric Almirola took the lead and then eventually Chase Elliott. The field was in fuel conservation mode for most of Stage 1 before an accident on Lap 60 that involved William Byron and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the backstretch derailed that plan. Byron’s car was totaled in the aftermath and finished in 40th place.

    There was a three-lap dash at the end of Stage 1 which saw Georgia native Elliott pick up the stage win. Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney, Stenhouse, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher and Ty Dillon were the top-10 finishers.

    Stage 2: Lap 71- Lap 130

    After staying in the back for all of Stage 1, the Toyota’s of Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. were at the front for the start of the second stage. A 19-lap run to start the second stage was stopped after a wreck on Lap 90 that involved Quin Houff and Reed Sorenson. Kevin Harvick also had some damage to his right-rear and was forced to pit under yellow. Several other leaders also pitted.

    Then, there was a long green-flag run of 36 laps to the end of Stage 2. Hamlin was the victor for the second stage after leading the last 42 laps of that stage. Kyle Busch, Stenhouse, Truex, Ross Chastain, Johnson, Elliott, Blaney, Logano, and Buescher completed the top-10 finishers for Stage 2.

    After Stage 2 was done pit stops came and there were some mishaps during the stops. Elliott took a gas can with him outside the box, which fell off of the car and onto pit road. Truex then hit the gas can on pit road. Following the incident, Elliott was penalized for removing equipment from the pit box. Harvick was also penalized for pitting too soon.

    Stage 3: Lap 135- Lap 209

    As we saw in Stage 2, another long green-flag run of 49-laps broke out. During this run, Stenhouse was penalized with 39 to go as he dove below the yellow line while passing someone. He had to serve a stop and go penalty which eventually took him out of contention for the win after having such a strong run early.

    Then as in most cases, once the laps wind down, intensity increases and we saw that on Lap 183 where a multi-car wreck happened on the backstretch. A bump draft from Logano to Almirola sent Keselowski’s car spinning into the wall collecting several others. Drivers involved included Johnson, Bubba Wallace, Truex, Blaney, Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, Bowman, Chastain, David Ragan, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick, Buescher, DiBenedetto, Brendan Gaughan, Logano, and Ty Dillon. Due to the incident, a red flag of 12 minutes and five seconds was seen.

    Not much later after a restart with 10 to go, the No. 27 of Sorenson and the No. 66 of Timmy Hill collided with each other bringing out the seventh caution of the night.

    Another big wreck occurred with two laps to go. Chastain went to make a move on the inside but came up the track and made contact with Ryan Preece in Turn 1. Logano, Elliott, Reddick, Ty Dillon, Almirola, Bell and McDowell were collected in this one.

    Since the wreck happened with two to go, this sent us to NASCAR Overtime where it would be a green-white-checker finish, meaning, once the field takes the last lap, the next flag ends it. But, Bowyer went spinning shortly after the restart because of slight contact with Haley and McDowell.

    Then came another overtime and the final restart on Lap 208 with a two-lap dash to the finish. Hamlin had a strong run on the outside coming to the checkered flag. Blaney was also in contention to win but Hamlin narrowly edged out Blaney to win his second Daytona 500.

    “I’m the odd man out there,” Hamlin said to MRN Radio about winning his second Daytona 500. “I don’t belong with any of those guys names, those are legends of our sport obviously, Hall of Famers. I’m just the student of the game and those guys are the teachers.”

    Hamlin led three times for 79 laps, won Stage 2 and picked up six playoff points following this win.

    There were nine cautions for 39 laps and 23 lead changes among 13 drivers.

    The end of the race, however, was overshadowed by a wreck on the last lap. Ryan Newman’s car took several hard hits and was engulfed in flames. He was taken to the Halifax Medical Center where he was later reported to be in serious condition but with injuries that were not life-threatening.

    1. Denny Hamlin, won Stage 2, led 79 laps
    2. Ryan Blaney, led four laps
    3. Chris Buescher
    4. David Ragan
    5. Kevin Harvick
    6. Clint Bowyer
    7. Brendan Gaughan
    8. Corey LaJoie
    9. Ryan Newman, led 15 laps
    10. Kyle Larson
    11. John Hunter Nemechek
    12. Austin Dillon
    13. Justin Haley
    14. Michael McDowell
    15. Bubba Wallace
    16. Brennan Poole
    17. Chase Elliott, won Stage 1, led 23 laps
    18. Erik Jones, one lap down
    19. Matt DiBenedetto, two laps down
    20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, three laps down
    21. Christopher Bell, OUT, Crash
    22. Aric Almirola, four laps down
    23. Joey Gase, six laps down
    24. Alex Bowman, six laps down
    25. Ross Chastain, OUT, Crash
    26. Joey Logano, OUT, Crash
    27. Timmy Hill, OUT, Crash
    28. Tyler Reddick, OUT, Crash
    29. Ryan Preece, OUT, Crash
    30. Ty Dillon, OUT, Crash
    31. Reed Sorenson, OUT, Crash
    32. Martin Truex Jr, OUT, Crash
    33. Kurt Busch, OUT, Crash
    34. Kyle Busch, OUT, Engine
    35. Jimmie Johnson, OUT, Crash
    36. Brad Keselowski, OUT, Crash
    37. Cole Custer, OUT, Rear end
    38. B.J. McLeod, OUT, Crash
    39. Quin Houff, OUT, Crash
    40. William Byron, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Cup Series heads out west to Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, live on FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET.

  • Busch set for five-race schedule in the Truck Series

    Busch set for five-race schedule in the Truck Series

    Kyle Busch Motorsports announced today that the all-time winningest driver in the Truck Series, Kyle Busch, will once again be back in the Truck Series field for 2020. The Las Vegas, Nevada native is set to do a five-race stint in his famed No. 51 Toyota Tundra. That’s the most Busch can do due to the five-race rule limit set by NASCAR.

    Busch is scheduled to compete at the following races. His first race will be February 21 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 14 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Homestead Miami Speedway on March 20, Texas Motor Speedway March 27 and his final Truck Series race will be at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night May 30.

    Last season, Busch was able to go five for five, winning in all five of his starts including three tracks that are on his schedule this year as well, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Texas. However, you’ll have to go back to 2014 almost six years ago when Busch last competed at Homestead. In that race, he started fifth and finished fourth after six laps led. As for Kansas Speedway, it will be the first time in over two years since Busch last raced in the Truck Series there. He came up just shy of winning the race that night, finishing second to then KBM teammate, Noah Gragson.

  • Episode 4: We talk, ramble, and rant about the weekend’s Busch Clash and Daytona 500 qualifying

    Episode 4: We talk, ramble, and rant about the weekend’s Busch Clash and Daytona 500 qualifying

    This week we discuss Busch Clash craziness, Stenhouse takes Daytona 500 pole, Deegan almost delivers and more with host Joseph Shelton and Speedway Media Staff Writer, John Willoughby.