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  • Logano has issues early, finishes 34th at Dover

    Logano has issues early, finishes 34th at Dover

    It was a strange race for Joey Logano and his No. 22 Team Penske team. In fact, Logano did not even make a lap before he suffered his own problems. Just as soon as he rolled off pit road, he had a broken axle and had to take it behind the wall.

    However, Logano would return to the track several laps down. All he could do at this point was salvage the best finish he could and avoid a DNF which would hurt him in the points. The Team Penske driver managed to stay out there on the track. While doing so, Logano did receive some criticism from other drivers for holding them up, but he stayed in his lane.

    In the end, it wasn’t the day Logano was looking for and he finished a disappointing 34th at Dover.

    “Bummer,” Logano said to MRN Radio describing his day. “Things happen, I guess. I don’t know, something broke back there and I’m not sure what it was. We fixed it and got back out there, and rode around 20 something laps down all day. It’s a long day to run around and hopefully have a few guys fall out and gain a couple of spots. We may gain two or three by being out there. I think we’re the last one in right now. We’ll press on from here, we’re not out.”

    Logano is tied with William Byron in the playoff points standings heading into Talladega Superspeedway for the next race in the Round of 12.

  • Allgaier, Cindric have strong day at Dover

    Allgaier, Cindric have strong day at Dover

    It was almost a picture-perfect day for Justin Allgaier and his No. 7 JR Motorsports team at Dover International Speedway. Allgaier qualified eighth for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race and worked his way up early taking the lead on Lap 27.

    His No. 7 Northeastern Supply Chevy was strong enough to win both the stages. However, pit strategy and late-race cautions cost him late in the going. In the end, Allgaier finished runner up to race winner Cole Custer.

    “Disappointing,” Allgaier told MRN Radio. “I feel like we give Cole (Custer) a gift there. Our Northeastern Supply Camaro was really strong today. I felt like we made decent changes throughout the course of the race. We got track position. Obviously points are what they are and we maximized the points in the stages and that’s all we really could do. But at the end there, I feel like we made the right pit strategy. Those guys went five laps further than what I thought we could on fuel.”

    “Just disappointing to come out first for the cars that had pitted and to be able to show for it. It’s disappointing, but to get Northeastern Supply in their first race under the hood a good finish and moving on to the next round is a big deal.”

    Austin Cindric and his No. 22 Team Penske team had a quiet day for the most part. He raced with Allgaier for parts of the race before racing on his own. Cindric finished third and second in both stages, before coming home third.

    “You feel like when you run all three races and you run 12th, we were the best car,” Cindric described to MRN Radio. “Worst finish is third. Really proud of our MoneyLion team. I don’t think we had a car capable of winning today. In clean air, we could hold our own but once we got behind, we were a third-place car and that’s where we finished. I’m proud of that and proud of that effort. Definitely proud of the recovery we made from practice. Trying to keep bringing this momentum into the next round.”

  • Chase Briscoe earns fifth at Dover after starting in the back

    Chase Briscoe earns fifth at Dover after starting in the back

    It was quite the day for Chase Briscoe and his No. 98 team at Dover International Speedway. Briscoe had qualified on the pole for the race, however, they experienced electrical problems during his qualifying run. Therefore, due to unapproved adjustments, the Stewart-Haas driver had to go the rear prior to the start of the Xfinity Series race.

    Briscoe didn’t take long to get to the front during the first stage and finished seventh in Stage 1. In Stage 2, he improved his finishing position with a third place. It wasn’t until the final stage that began on Lap 96 when Briscoe would take the lead two laps later. He led for 71 laps before making his final pit stop of the day.

    However, late-race cautions and varying pit strategies by everyone else in the field shuffled them back a little. In the end, Briscoe finished fifth for his 11th top five of the season.

    “I think it was certainly a really good day as far as our speed goes,” Briscoe said to MRN Radio. “When you’re in the lead, it’s so tough under green. You never know if the caution is going to come or not.” He continued, “Overall, really proud of our SHR guys. We had a really good Ford Mustang. Like I said, we were able to drive through the field multiple times.”

    “It’s one of those situations where it’s all about when the cautions come and we just missed it today. Going to Kansas, I feel like we got as good a racecar than anybody right now, which is encouraging. I hate how we have the best car and run fifth with it. Kind of the same thing we had last week at the Roval, but hopefully, at Kansas, we can put it all together.”

  • Michael Annett survives and advances to Round of 8

    Michael Annett survives and advances to Round of 8

    Michael Annett and his No. 1 JR Motorsports team started in the back in the Xfinity Series race at Dover International Speedway after an engine change. It resulted in a nerve-wracking start for Annett especially after he had to avoid all the carnage that came within the first few laps.

    However, after the early chaos, it was Annett’s playoff hope to lose. The team ran their race and played strategy hoping to go onto the next round. At one point, all seven drivers were locked into the Round of 8 except Annett.

    Annett’s luck came late as he and his team stayed out during the last round of green-flag pit stops hoping for a caution. His wish came true with a late-race caution with less than 20 to go. During that caution, the team brought the JR Motorsports driver down pit road for fresh tires and fuel.

    Despite another caution toward the end and other playoff drivers up front needing to win to advance to the next round, Annett held on to finish sixth after having a little bit of luck at the end.

    “It’s Dover, you never know what’s going to happen,” Annett said to MRN Radio. “I think we stayed out there, besides the 11 (Justin Haley) and the 00 (Cole Custer), we stayed out there the longest. We never have gone that long on tires without them blowing. We did 40 laps in practice and 45 in the segment, so the second you get past 45, it’s an unknown and you see people blow right fronts.”

    “You start coming on the radio and say, hey when are we coming. I saw that 23 (John Hunter Nemechek) come down pit road so I knew that next lap we would probably come and sure enough the caution came out. It worked out perfect for us. There at the end, you want to be aggressive, you want to go for the win, you’re also realistic knowing how good the 00 was and you’re kind of a 10th place car all weekend. Don’t do anything stupid to not make it to the next round of the playoffs.”

    Annett placed 10th and ninth respectively in both stages, and advances to the Round of 8.

  • Nemechek falls short in advancing to next round

    Nemechek falls short in advancing to next round

    Despite finishing eighth at Dover International Speedway Saturday afternoon, pit stop mistakes prevented John Hunter Nemechek and his No. 23 GMS Racing team from making it to the next round of the playoffs.

    Nemechek qualified the No. 23 Chevy 17th for the Xfinity Series race and had some ground to make up in the beginning. Like other drivers though, it didn’t take him too long to get up there in the top-10 before Stage 1 finished. For the first stage, Nemechek finished ninth and he finished seventh in the second stage. Unfortunately, having to make a few extra pit stops at the end hurt his chances of making it to the next round of the playoffs.

    However, Nemechek was still upbeat even though failing to make the Round of 8.

    “It’s awesome to make the playoffs for Maury Gallagher and the GMS Racing team,” Nemechek said to MRN Radio. “It came down to mistakes. We had a guy down on pit road making a mistake and had a loose wheel. It is what it is, had to pit there again. Came out third or fourth, we were going to be in great shape. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview- Lucas Oil Raceway

    ARCA Menards Series Preview- Lucas Oil Raceway

    With just two races remaining, the ARCA Menards Series drivers are back on track this weekend for race No. 19 of the 2019 season at Lucas Oil Raceway. After this weekend, there is just be one race left to decide the 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion.

    At this point, it will be decided between the two Venturini Motorsports drivers, Christian Eckes and Michael Self. This weekend, the two drivers and the other series drivers look to tackle the famous short track in Indianapolis.

    Speaking of Venturini Motorsports, they have been the team to beat all season long winning most of the races, leaving everyone in the dust, and they plan to do the same again on Saturday night. The Venturini’s will bring four cars to the track driven by Self, Eckes, Hailie Deegan and Chandler Smith.

    Beginning with the series championship points leader Michael Self, the Utah native has two starts at LOR with a best finish of second in his first outing two years ago. However in last year’s race, Self finished two laps down in 11th. With two races left until the championship, Self notes that Lucas Oil isn’t one of his greatest tracks.

    “Lucas Oil has been a bit difficult for me. I’ve raced there twice and it’s been a little hit or miss. In ‘17 I about had the race won but got beat late in the race by someone who came in and took tires. Last year we had a ton of issues that unfortunately ended our night early so I guess there’s a little bit of limited base knowledge when It comes to this track. On the other hand, Kansas has always been one of my favorite tracks. I’ve won at Kansas. I love going to any intermediate track in general. My confidence is high because I’ve had success there in the past,” added Self.

    His teammate Eckes, sits second and still has a shot, but he will have some work to do if he wants to win the championship in a couple of weeks.

    “I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Michael and all the guys on that team,” said Eckes. It’s going to be a lot of fun racing against each other the final two races. I feel like I’ve been in ARCA so long and this is the first time I’ve been able to compete for a championship. It would be very cool to win a championship in my first full-time season for everyone at Toyota Racing, JBL Audio and Venturini Motorsports. Venturini Motorsports has had such a storied history. I would love to add my name alongside past series champions racing for this team.”

    “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish so far but we still have a lot of work to do. Lucas Oil falls into one of our strengths for sure. We dominated the race last year and led a bunch a laps to get the win, looking forward to going back. Kansas might be a little bit of a weakness but at the same time our mile and half program really stepped up at Pocono and we were able to win. We’ll have to see. I’m feeling good about our chances.”

    While two of the Venturini Motorsports drivers are fighting for the championship, one driver will try to win the race for herself and that’s Hailie Deegan. Deegan will be making her first Lucas Oil Raceway start this Saturday night.

    “There’s a lot of good cars at the top of the field in the series including three of my Venturini Motorsports teammates. I’ve got a lot of confidence right now. Last week we had a really good test. Lucas Oil (Raceway) reminds me of tracks like Evergreen and Irwindale out west, kinda gives me a good baseline going into this weekend’s race. There’s no reason we can’t expect to run top-five.”

    Hoping to put his name back in the spotlight after making some positive news earlier this season is rookie sensation Chandler Smith. The young upstart will be making his second LOR start and final start this season.

    “Bitter sweet feeling knowing this is my final ARCA race of the season,” said the 17-year-old Smith. “It’s been a good year. But we’re not done yet. We’ve still got unfinished business and I plan on finishing strong. I realize and respect that the focus is on my teammates (Self and Eckes) going into Indianapolis but this 20 team still has a lot on the line. ”  

    With Venturini Motorsports most certainly the powerhouse team, there’s always one team that is looking to spoil the party and that’s Chad Bryant Racing drivers Joe Graf Jr. and Corey Heim.

    Graf comes into the race weekend with 11 top-10s this season and hopes to add another on Saturday. The Chad Bryant driver has one start that came in last year’s race where he finished 13th, a few laps down. Graf hopes to overcome that this weekend.

    “Lucas Oil isn’t your typical short track. You really need to hustle the car,” added Graf. “It’s a relatively flat surface but tire wear is so important which makes track position crucial. I think we have a good game plan for Saturday, just need to see what happens between the green flag and the checkered flag.”

    Hoping to make a last good impression on Saturday night is Graf’s teammate Corey Heim. The Marietta, Georgia native will be making his last ARCA start of the season and it has been a solid year for the No. 22 driver. Heim has earned seven top fives and 11 top-10 finishes, with a best finish of third (twice) at DuQuoin and Salem. Heim makes his first LOR start Saturday night.

    We’ve had a few good finishes in a row now and I’m excited to carry the momentum into my final ARCA start of the year,” said Heim who is ninth in the championship standings despite running a limited schedule this season. “I feel like we’ve had an up and down year, some bad luck here and there, but I feel like I’ve improved in several ways and hope to showcase that in a huge way on Saturday night. The goal this year was to get better and learn and I feel that I’ve done that this year.”

    “Hopefully, we can end the year in style with another win for the No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing team.” 

    Despite not having any previous start at Lucas Oil Raceway, Heim tested the No. 22 Ford a couple of weeks ago to gain some experience.

    While it is just another track for Venturini Motorsports and Chad Bryant Racing, it’s a home game for the family owned Travis Braden No. 27 machine. It also marks a great moment a few years back when Braden took home the victory.

    “Having a home track race is really a foreign concept to me and I have had a lot of fun being able to call Lucas Oil Raceway my home track for the past few years,” Braden said. “RFMS Racing’s shop is just a few minutes from the track. Growing up in West Virginia, I was used to at least a two-hour drive to even the nearest track typically much further. While the short drive is extremely convenient, probably my favorite part about this home track race is that I get to race in front of a lot of my peers from my daily life here in Indiana. That’s something I’ve never experienced before, and it’s adrenaline-filling. I now know why they call it the home-field advantage.”

    Another family owned team looking to make headlines is Bret Holmes and the No. 23 machine. Holmes brings in two starts with finishes of sixth and seventh but will be making his first start in over two years.

    “Lucas Oil Raceway is a tough track. You’re running a lot harder and faster there than you are at a track like Salem Speedway. The corners are so flat, you almost have to talk yourself out of lifting going into the corner. It’s your first instinct when it’s that flat to lift. I think this weekend will be a solid race for us. This team has really improved our short-track program over the course of the season. It’s going to be hard racing with it being the second-to-last-race of the season and a short track. The fans will enjoy it for sure.”

    With it being a home game for Braden and his No 27 team, it will be a busy weekend for Sam Mayer and the GMS Racing team. Mayer will first head to Dover on Friday afternoon to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season finale with hopes to win the championship. Then he will get on a plane that night and fly to Indy for Saturday’s race at Lucas Oil.

    “We have had so much success this year but always came short from a win in the ARCA Menards Series,” Mayer said. “I hope that the momentum we have now, and hopefully after Dover that can rocket us into victory lane Saturday. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and I have been working really hard to get better and better and we both are confident in what we will bring to the racetrack to close out our ARCA season.”

    Mayer has just one start but did a test run a few weeks back at the track.

    “Coming back to a place I’ve been to always helps me as a driver,” Mayer said. “I don’t have to go through an entire learning curve at the track again. The team and I tested at Lucas Oil Raceway a few weeks ago and had a really solid Chevy Accessories Chevrolet. I feel like we have an amazing shot to go get a win.”

    Despite having no starts at Lucas Oil, Ty Gibbs hopes to end on a high note in the 2019 ARCA season after being solidly strong earlier this season scoring wins at Gateway and Salem.

    “It was really cool to get the win at Gateway. You work so hard to get a win and I’ve finished second so many times this year, to finally break through and get the win felt really good,” Gibbs said. “That last-lap pass for the win was awesome and our Camry was so good from the start of the weekend. I feel like we had the fastest car from when we unloaded. We actually blew up in practice and had to start from the back in the race and came through the field for the win. To be able to do that just shows how strong our team is.”

    Being back in the ARCA field this weekend is Chesterfield, Virginia native Howie DiSavino. DiSavino is making his first start in the No. 32 Chevy since his first career ARCA race at Elko back in July, where he finished 10th.

    I’m really looking forward to seeing how the ARCA car goes around the track at LOR because it’s so much heavier and has more horsepower than the pro late model does,” DiSavino said in regards to the upcoming race. “We ran good and were up front all race, and I feel like we should have a good race there in the ARCA car. The biggest challenge will be to save tires and to avoid the wall because the groove is up high next to the wall. I’ve never raced anywhere like this but I’m really looking forward to getting another opportunity to race there with Win-Tron.” 

    Other names looking to be strong at Lucas Oil this weekend are Benjamin Peterson, Darrell Basham, Bobby Gerhart, Eric Caudell, Tommy Vigh Jr., Dick Doheny, Carson Hocevar, Mike Basham, Brad Smith, Scott Melton and Tim Richmond.

    Lucas Oil Raceway has seen various winners in its track history. Names like Ramo Stott, Ralph Latham, Bruce Gould, Marvin Smith, Bob Schacht, Davey Allison, Ty Dillon, Frank Kimmel, Brandon Jones, Travis Braden, Chase Briscoe, Dalton Sargeant and Christian Eckes have all visited victory lane at the famous short track in Indianapolis.

    It will be a busy Saturday for the ARCA Menards Series drivers with it being a one day show. The only practice session takes place at 2 p.m. ET and ends at 3:30 p.m.

    General Tire pole qualifying is slated for 5 p.m. ET with no live TV coverage but can be followed on arcaracing.com.

    The Herr’s Potato Chips 200 will get underway shortly after 8 p.m. ET live on MAVTV.


  • Changes announced for 2020 ARCA season

    Changes announced for 2020 ARCA season

    2020 will be a big season for the ARCA Menards Series with changes to the sanctioning body that will be run by NASCAR.

    Announced on Wednesday afternoon were the changes that will be seen next season. What was originally known as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West Series will now become the ARCA Menards Series East and West. The schedule will consist of six to eight races and the crowning of the champion at the end of the season.

    As for the ARCA Menards Series, nothing major will change. The season will consist of a 20 race schedule as it has been the past few years. Tracks like Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Madison International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, among others, will be on the schedule. Kansas Speedway will still be the season finale ending race for the series.

    Then there is the ARCA Racing Series Showdown between the East, West and the major series. With the Showdown, there will be 10 races to see who is the best among the series competing with each other. There will also be a Showdown champion crowned as well.

    Also unique to the series is a rules package that will allow ARCA Menards Series team owners to race in the East or West Series, should their car meet the required rulebook.

    “We cannot be more excited about 2020,” said Brandon Thompson, Managing Director, NASCAR Touring Series. “Both NASCAR and ARCA have worked extremely hard over the last year to provide a rules package and schedule that will serve as the foundation for the preeminent series for racing at this level. It was important for us to move the series forward while creating an environment inclusive for both the current long-term owners and drivers in the series as well as aspiring competitors.”

    “What first started as a friendship between Bill France Sr. and John Marcum nearly 70 years ago took a momentous step forward today,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “The amount of history and tradition these series are bringing together to form four elite championships for drivers is an amazing testament to the strength of this sport.

    “We are proud and honored to be able to bring the ARCA sanction to the East and West Series and we are looking forward to working with the race teams, tracks, media partners, fans, and sponsors that have helped those series achieve their long term success.”

    Also announced is the TV package for next year. The regular ARCA Series can be seen on Fox Sports 1 or 2, while the East and West Series will continue to be on NBCSN.

    The Showdown schedule that sees a 10-race schedule has tracks like Salem Speedway, Lucas Oil Raceway, Elko Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway and the return of Memphis Motorsports Park.

    It’s an exciting time for the series that was founded by John Marcum in 1953 and will mark a new era beginning in 2020.

  • Byron earns top-10 finish at Charlotte after leading early

    Byron earns top-10 finish at Charlotte after leading early

    Coming into the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte, William Byron and his No. 24 team were below the cut line and needed a strong day to advance. It all started out well on Friday when he put his No. 24 Chevy on the pole. At this point, all he needed to do was either win the stage or have a decent stage finish to move him forward.

    Byron led the first 21 laps before being passed Kyle Larson and finishing second in Stage 1 under yellow. In Stage 2, he finished 10th. Mid-race Byron drove back up front but was only able to lead one more lap before settling in the top five. There were a couple of more chances for Byron and the No. 24 team to make something happen but in the end, he finished sixth.

    “It was great,” Byron told PRN Radio. “For us to advance to the next round is awesome for our team. I didn’t really know what to expect going into these Playoffs. Chad (Knaus, Crew Chief) just handled the day really well. He was super calm, didn’t really have any criticism. He had some advice, we just kind of bantered back and forth. It was a really good day for us. We knew what the goal was and we accomplished the goal. Would have loved to have won that first stage but it was a great day overall.”

    Byron will now be seeded in the 11th spot heading into the Round of 12 Playoffs, 45 points behind.

  • Keselowski and Larson salvage strong finishes at Charlotte, advance to Round of 12

    Keselowski and Larson salvage strong finishes at Charlotte, advance to Round of 12

    It was an up and down day for Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Team Penske team. Keselowski qualified 11th and led three laps before having to settle for a fifth-place finish. At one point, he had to pit after he locked up the tires in the front stretch chicane. With the help of late-race cautions, Keselowski rallied to a top-five finish and advances to the Round of 12.

    “It was a pretty miserable day,” Keselowski said to PRN Radio in describing the conditions. “I joked with the boss on the radio, I’m not running black cars on a day like today. It is what it is, the red flag was pretty brutal. That’s part of being a racecar driver is dealing with that. The car was okay today, just made the most with what we had. The 9 car was just flying, no one could touch him all day. We did the best we could and got a decent finish out of it.”

    Keselowski finished sixth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. He will be seeded seventh when the Round of 12 begins at Dover, 22 points behind Kyle Busch.

    Kyle Larson had a decent day as well. He got lucky toward the end of Stage 1 passing William Byron before the caution came out to end the stage under yellow. Larson wound up winning the stage. He didn’t get a top-10 stage finish in the second stage but came home with a somewhat disappointing 13th place finish after being strong early.

    “I felt like myself, William (Byron) were the next best,” Larson told PRN Radio. “We won the first stage then after that pit stop, I didn’t wait on them to pull tape and kind of drug the crew member out of the pit box. Got a penalty there, pretty stiff one and had to lose a lap. Got the lucky dog, thought we were going to be okay.”

    “There at the end, we were on older tires, we had a slow stop because we had damage and couldn’t get the right front out. So ended up 13th, but felt like we could easily have been in the top three. Just disappointed with our finish to show how good our car was.”

    Larson moves to the Round of 12 seeded eighth, 40 points behind Busch.

  • Nemechek earns top-10 finish at Charlotte

    Nemechek earns top-10 finish at Charlotte

    Normally at the Charlotte Roval, you expect chaos and an action-packed race for most of the drivers. For John Hunter Nemechek, it was an uneventful day although he did have a few close calls in the No. 23 Fire Alarm Services Chevrolet.

    Nemechek qualified 14th, placed sixth in Stage 1 and 11th in the second stage. Hoping to do a little better than last week’s finish at Richmond, the GMS Racing driver was able to come home in the seventh position in his first-ever Charlotte Roval race.

    “First time at the Roval, it was a fun experience, good day for us,” Nemechek told PRN Radio. “Battle back from adversity and ended up seventh. Every point matters in this situation. Didn’t have a very good second stage, but had a decent first stage. The last stage we ended up fairly well. Proud of the guys, proud of the effort, Fire Alarm Services and everyone involved.”

    “The owner of Fire Alarm actually texted me today, asked me where I thought we could run and I said, I hope we get a top-eight today and we did it, finished seventh. Huge shout out to them for being a huge supporter of mine and Maury Gallagher (Owner) for the opportunity, I’m blessed to be able to come out here and run full time.”

    With the conclusion of the Round of 12 at Dover Motor Speedway next Saturday, Nemechek and the No. 23 currently sit ninth, 11 points behind the cut-off.