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  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Kentucky

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Kentucky

    After a week off for the Fourth of July holiday, the real fireworks get back on track Thursday night for the Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

    The Truck Series was at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago where we saw last year’s champion take home the trophy. It was Moffitt’s second win of the 2019 season, which occurred on the 1.5-mile speedway, the same as Kentucky.

    The Playoffs continue to be on the horizon and with five races left, there are some drivers who continue to be winless in the series. Believe it or not, only four series regulars have taken home a trophy. Other than Moffitt, Austin Hill won at Daytona and Johnny Sauter won at Dover. Ross Chastain had victories at Kansas and Gateway but sits 10 points out of the top-20. Chastain should easily make it into the Playoffs, but we’ve seen crazier things happen.

    Despite only having four series regulars winning this year, there are other big names who have not won yet. Those include series points leader Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland and Sheldon Creed, who are all on the outside looking in. With that said, however, those names could break through at Kentucky this Thursday night.

    There are currently 34 Trucks entered on the preliminary entry list for 32 spots.

    Here are five drivers to keep an eye on in Thursday night’s Buckle Up in Your Truck 225.

    1. Matt Crafton – Kentucky could be the place where Crafton breaks his long two-year winless streak. He is the most experienced driver with the most active starts at 20, ever since the first race here in 2001. The No. 88 ThorSport Racing driver has just one win here that occurred in 2015 when he started on the pole and led 43 laps that night. Otherwise, he has six top fives and 15 top-10 finishes with one DNF. Crafton’s average finish is 9.9 with 79 laps led overall. The Tulare, California driver has finishes of third in 2018, eighth in 2017 and 2016, a win in 2015 and sixth in 2014. He doesn’t have any stage wins, but Crafton finished sixth in Stage 1 and ninth in Stage 2 in the 2018 race. Keep an eye on the No. 88 Menards driver who hopes to snap his winless streak Thursday night.

    2. Ben Rhodes – The ThorSport train continues with Ben Rhodes. Rhodes is the previous race winner at Kentucky after leading 38 laps last year. It was a hometown win for Rhodes, as he resides in Louisville, Kentucky just 57 minutes away from Kentucky Speedway. However, prior to his win, Kentucky Speedway had not been too kind to Rhodes. He crashed out of the race in 2017, finishing 27th, and finished 13th in his first race in 2016. The Kentucky native has an average finish of 13.7 with an average start of 5.7. It will mark one year since Rhodes has not won a race in the Truck Series. He currently sits somewhat comfortable in the standings, in fifth, 98 points behind first. He’ll need a win or a finish in the top 10, or top five, to contend in the Playoffs.

    3. Stewart Friesen – Speaking of being close to winning, Friesen has a decent chance of getting his first win Thursday night. He finished second to Rhodes in last year’s race after leading 37 laps. He has Stage finishes of seventh and fourth in the 2018 race, but no stage top-10 finishes in 2017. The Canadian finished 12th in his first outing two years ago. Look for Friesen and his No. 52 Halmar Racing team to be a contender in Thursday night’s race at Kentucky.

    4. Brandon Jones – The Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series regular returns to the famed No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck this week. The Atlanta, Georgia native has four starts at Kentucky Speedway and has finished in the top-10 in every start since 2015. Jones has had great results with a best finish of second in 2017. His other finishes include fourth in 2018, seventh in 2016 and 10th in 2015, which equal an average finish of 5.8. The No. 51 truck has not seen victory lane since Texas last month when Greg Biffle earned a popular victory. At Kentucky, the truck has not been to victory lane since 2014 when team owner Kyle Busch brought it to victory lane. Jones will try to put that No. 51 truck back in the winner circle this weekend.

    5. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland has just one start which came in last year’s race. The No. 4 KBM driver finished seventh after starting second and led just one lap. Gilliland has a stage finish of third and sixth in both stages that came in the 2018 race.

    Other drivers on the entry list include Codie Rohrbaugh in the No. 9, Spencer Davis in the No. 11, Dylan Lupton in the No. 15, Tyler Ankrum in the No. 17 and Brennan Poole returns with his No. 30 machine. Josh Bilicki will compete in the No. 34, Chad Finley returns to the track in the No. 42, Jeb Burton in the No. 44, Ray Ciccarelli in the No. 49, Tyler Hill in the No. 56 and Clay Greenfield in the No. 68.

    Ben Rhodes and Noah Gragson are the only stage winners since 2017.

    Kentucky Speedway has seen 21 races and counting since their first race back in 2000. A list of winners include Greg Biffle who won the first race 19 years ago, Scott Riggs, Mike Bliss, Carl Edwards, Bobby Hamilton, Dennis Setzer, Ron Hornaday Jr (2006, 2009, 2011), Mike Skinner, Johnny Benson Jr, Todd Bodine, James Buescher (2012 and 2013), Ty Dillon, Kyle Busch, William Byron and Christopher Bell.

    The race winner has come from the pole three times set by Matt Crafton in 2015, Kyle Busch in 2014 and Ron Hornaday Jr in 2009. The lowest a race winner has ever come from was 22nd by Ty Dillon in 2013 and Hornaday Jr in 2006.

    It will be an all-day show for the Truck Series with first practice at 9:35 a.m. ET and final practice at 11:05 a.m. ET with no TV coverage. Qualifying is scheduled to take place at 4:05 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

    The Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 can be seen live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio with the green flag flying shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET. Stages will be broken up into 35/70/150 laps to make up the 225-mile race.

  • Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes compete in IMSA IMPC race

    Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes compete in IMSA IMPC race

    In hopes of getting some extra track time in preparation for the Chevrolet Silverado 250 Truck Series race in August, ThorSport Racing drivers took to the track by competing in an IMSA IMPC race this past weekend at Bowmanville.

    Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes had a couple of practice sessions on Friday, July 5. After the practice session, the teammates placed 17th overall and 16th in the GS Class.

    Similar to the Truck Series, it was mostly a one day show with qualifying and the race taking place Saturday afternoon. Rhodes qualified the No. 15 Motorcraft Quality Parts Ford Mustang in the third position.

    When the race started, Rhodes and Enfinger were splitting the driver duties and at one point, Rhodes took the lead. Unfortunately, things went downhill for the teammates as Enfinger finished the final stint and wound up 13th. But even with the unfortunate finish, the ThorSport drivers were able to learn something for next month’s race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

    Enfinger had this to say on Twitter, “Had a great time @CTMPOfficial with @Multimatic and @FordPerformance,” Enfinger said. “Learned a ton to help us when we come back here. @benrhodes did great on the first stint. I lost track position twice then made it back to finish P13. Now to continue the 10 day road trip with the wife.”

    Rhodes even had a few notes that he posted on Twitter as well.

    In response to Enfinger, Rhodes said, “You did good coming back from that penalty!’ #GoodJobTeammate.

    “Man, I really enjoyed it,” Rhodes added on Twitter. This was a huge learning experience for me. You and Tyler (Mcquarrie, IMSA IMPC driver) are super talented and strong competitors. I wish you both the best of luck in the rest of the season! Maybe one day I can rub doors with you guys in the @NASCAR_Trucks!”

    Race day here @ctmpofficial! @benrhodes will qualify and run the first stint, then I’ll finish the race this afternoon. Thanks for the opportunity @fordperformance @Multimatic pic.twitter.com/LhrZQEGU9u—Grant Enfinger (@GrantEnfinger) July 6, 2019

    Our #FordMustang is fast! Qualified P3 for today’s race. Had pole speed but got held up on both fast laps? Make sure to tune in!#MustangNeedsRoomToGallop ?? pic.twitter.com/r9vSkX96lp— Ben Rhodes (@benrhodes) July 6, 2019

    The Chevy Silverado 250 for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series will take place on Sunday, August 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET. It will be the second race in the Truck Series Playoffs.

  • Austin Hill disappointed with top-five finish at Chicago

    Austin Hill disappointed with top-five finish at Chicago

    Austin Hill and his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series No. 16 Hattori Racing team were hoping to come out of Chicagoland Speedway Friday night with a win.

    Hill and company had a great start to their day, qualifying the No. 16 SiriusXM Toyota Tundra on the pole, the first pole of his Truck Series career. But, he was only able to lead twice for 10 laps and had to settle for running in the top five or top 10 for most of the night. Hill finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in Stage 1 and 2.

    Despite strong stage finishes, a long green-flag run ensued after a caution on Lap 80. With less than 35 to go, the last round of green flag pit stops began to take place. Hill pitted with 30 to go from the top five. However, the adjustments weren’t quite enough for Hill and the Hattori Racing team, as they would have to settle for a disappointing fifth-place finish after starting on the pole.

    “We’re definitely disappointed with fifth place,” Hill said to MRN Radio in his post-race interview. “We thought we had the speed to possibly win tonight, it just wasn’t there. We really thought the track was going to free up throughout the night and our truck just kept tightening up and tightening up. We could never just get on the other side of it.”

    “That last pit stop under green, we put a dent in it, but we still needed some more to be able to run with the top three. All in all, it was a great effort. I think we only fell back to sixth one time. For majority of the time, we ran inside the top five. Can’t thank HRE enough, Scott (Zipadelli, Crew Chief), they put a lot of work into these trucks and we want to win. So top five is okay but still frustrated. We’ll work on it.”

    This was Hill’s third top five of the 2019 season.

  • Ty Majeski Puts On Dominating Performance At Chicago

    Ty Majeski Puts On Dominating Performance At Chicago

    Ty Majeski returned to the Chad Bryant Racing No. 22 Ford Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway and to no ones’ surprise, returned to victory lane for the third time this season.

    The turning point came when Majeski made a gutsy call at the end to stay out on a late race pit stop.

    “I’ll be honest, I was real nervous,” Majeski said in his post race interview with Fox Sports 1. “We had such a deficit or a gap on the field lap time wise. That was the same call by Paul (Andrews, Crew Chief) especially if we would have gotten a late caution, we would have set left lane.”

    The Bounty 150 was delayed due to lightning in the area for well over an hour and a half.

    When the race got started, Michael Self was on the pole. Christian Eckes and Travis Braden didn’t get to qualify due to mechanical issues, and both were forced to start in the back. Joe Graf Jr. also started in the rear due to being in a backup car.

    As the green flag flew, the race was action-packed from the get-go. Morgen Baird was off pace early but then stalled on the bottom of Turn 4 to bring out the first caution of the night. The No. 1 of Jason Miles also had a flat left front tire go down on the lap eight restart which brought the caution out again.

    Majeski started to come in to play on Lap 13, as he and Michael Self battled side-by-side for the lead. However, Majeski would have to wait a little bit before he could run away with the lead, as another caution came out on Lap 17 for the No. 7 of Eric Caudell who spun on the frontstretch grass.

    Majeski would go on to lead until the caution flew once more on Lap 52, just past halfway for the No. 54 of Tanner Gray, who hit the wall in Turn 3 after having a flat tire go down. This would set up a round of pit stops and it would see Self stalling on pit road, but eventually got the car re-fired. Unfortunately for Gray, his night was done early.

    After the pit stops, Harrison Burton was able to gain the lead and led for a little bit until the fourth caution came out on Lap 65 for Christian Eckes, as he would go spinning around after his left rear tire went down off Turn 2.

    One more caution would occur on Lap 76, as Majeski’s teammate, Joe Graf Jr. had his tire go down and spinning on the backstretch. Self would also suffer another issue on his pit stop under caution, as he tried taking off when his left rear tire was not on properly. However, he escaped with any major damage and was able to get back on track.

    While Self pitted, so did other racers who were in contention to win the race. However, one did not. Majeski stayed out in hopes of getting the track position he needed to propel him to the win.

    Despite staying out and a late race restart, a five-car battle occurred for second, allowing Majeski to run away for his third win of the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season.

    “This thing was so dominant, it’s cool,” Majeski added in his post-race interview. “We ran four times already and had different scenarios every race. You know, Charlotte, where we won on a late race restart, Pocono we won on a green flag pit stop and Michigan, we almost won on fuel strategy. This one, we straight up smoked them. I hope people are paying attention, realize that and find different ways to win races. Just a testament to everybody on my team, Paul Andrews (Crew Chief), Chad Bryant Racing, this Crestliner Ford Fusion was really fast tonight.”

    This was Majeski’s third win of the season, which also marked his third of his career in the ARCA Menards Series.

    There were six cautions for 31 laps, along with four leaders among six lead changes. Majeski led three times for 72 laps en route to his third career victory of the season. His next scheduled ARCA race is the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October.

    Official Results

    1. Ty Majeski
    2. Harrison Burton, 9.179 seconds
    3. Bret Holmes, 9.566 seconds
    4. Michael Self, 10.528 seconds
    5. Travis Braden, 10.607 seconds
    6. Riley Herbst, 10.641 seconds
    7. Christian Eckes, 12.104 seconds
    8. Austin Wayne Self, 15.125 seconds
    9. Thad Moffitt, 30.228 seconds
    10. Scott Melton, One lap down
    11. Joe Graf Jr., One lap down
    12. Tim Richmond, Six laps down
    13. Morgen Baird, 18 laps down
    14. Eric Caudell, Out
    15. Tanner Gray, Out
    16. Brad Smith, Out
    17. Tommy Vigh Jr., Out
    18. Con Nicolopoulos, Out
    19. Jason Miles, Out
    20. Stefan Parsons, Out

    Up Next: After a few weeks of racing in the summer stretch, the ARCA Menards Series will take a couple of weeks off before returning on track at Elko Speedway on Saturday night July 13 on MAVTV.

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Chicago

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Chicago

    Last week gave us an exciting ending to the race at Gateway as Ty Gibbs, grandson of Joe Gibbs, took the checkered flag in the last corner of the race. This week the ARCA Menards Series stays in the Illinois state as it heads north to Chicagoland Speedway.

    It’s been an electrifying ARCA season so far and we are one race past of the halfway point. Believe it or not, Chicago will mark eight races left until the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October.

    Chicagoland Speedway is somewhat of a home game for the Venturini’s who originate from the city and look to be successful every time they visit the 1.5-mile racetrack located in Chicago, Illinois.

    The same can be said for Michael Self, the previous race winner who won last year’s race. Self visited victory lane two races ago at Michigan (another 1.5-mile track). Since then, his up and down season has continued. At Madison, he followed his win at Michigan to finish second the week after, then finished a disappointing 13th last week at Gateway.

    Despite the finish outside the top-10 last week, Self is looking forward to getting to Chicago, as he lists it as one of his favorite tracks and hopes to relive last years special victory for the Venturini team.

    “Chicagoland is definitely one of my most favorite tracks on the schedule,” says Self. “It’s such a unique track with so much character. I’ve been fortunate to race there a handful of times now, and every time has been a lot of fun, and last year was definitely cool to bring home a win. It’s a special place for Venturini Motorsports with Chicago being their home town, that definitely adds some excitement and emotion to race day.”

    After being out of the car for the last couple of races, as upcoming racer Corey Heim took over, Ty Majeski climbs back into the No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing machine Thursday night for what will be his final ARCA start until his final start in the season finale at Kansas in October.

    “I feel really good about heading into Chicago,” said Majeski. “I feel like it is my best 1.5-mile track. It has a ton of character and you’re able to move around and find speed. We went for it in my last ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway and were just a corner short of our third win of the year. I think we can go to Chicago this weekend and look to finish what we started there.”

    Majeski has won two races this year and almost has a possible third at Michigan but ran out of gas coming out of Turn 4 and got passed by eventual race winner Michael Self. Heim has piloted the machine the last two races, finishing 10th at Madison and fourth at Gateway. Majeski has two starts at Chicago, both coming in the top-10. His last start came two years ago, driving the Cunningham Motorsports machine where he finished seventh after starting second and leading 50 laps.

    The Seymour, Wisconsin driver has one other ARCA start, competing in the Roulo Brothers No. 17 Ford, in 2016 where Majeski finished eighth after leading three laps.

    Like Majeski, his teammate Joe Graf Jr. is looking for a top-10 this week after finishing 11th at Gateway last Saturday. Graf Jr. has one start, which came in a Chad Bryant Racing car last year where he finished 13th.

    “I’ve learned a lot since last year,” added Graf. “Just about how to handle these cars, move them around the air by myself or around other cars. You are always learning. We’ve shown that our Chad Bryant Racing cars have speed on the bigger tracks this year, I’m hoping to earn our second top-five of the year on Thursday night.”

    Another driver who has experience is Bret Holmes, who drives the family owned No. 23 Chevrolet. Holmes has one start, that came in 2017 where he earned a top-10 finish.

    This weekend, Holmes will have an exciting sponsorship with Techworks Trailer Sales, a company located in Elkhart, Indiana. Holmes is excited about having the company aboard his No. 23 machine and hopes to celebrate with them in victory lane Thursday night.

    “I’m honored to have Techworks Trailer Sales on our Chevrolet this week for Chicagoland Speedway,” said Holmes. They’re a great group of people and are loyal to their Elkhart, Indiana base. It’s really cool to be able to bring them into the sport, and I hope our fans will show them as much support as they show us. I know we’re going to unload a fast Techworks Trailer Sales Chevrolet this week. Our intermediate track program is strong this year. What better way to welcome Mr. Barnes and Techworks Trailer Sales to the BHR family than with a win.”  

    One driver, Christian Eckes, however, does not have any starts at Chicago and will be making his first one on Thursday night with Venturini Motorsports. Eckes is looking forward to visiting the city, but also realizes his job comes first and that’s to win.

    “I wish we had more time to go out and spend some more time in the city,” he said. “For the most part it’s hard to go see the scenes of whatever city we are in. At the very least we’ll go have a good time with the team and go out to dinner but sometimes that’s it. I’d like to go into town and see some of the buildings, go see the lake, go to Navy Pier and all of that. But at the same time we need to stay focused on why we’re here.”

    While he knows winning is always a possibility and the expectation going into races like this, Eckes is focused on winning the ARCA championship at the end of the season.

    “The biggest thing for the next half of the season is to start putting races together. We have had the speed, we have just lacked in execution. Whether it’s mechanical failures or me dialing out the car, we need to execute better.”

    There are 20 drivers entered on the entry list for the annual Bounty 150.

    Other drivers entered in the race include Eric Caudell, Jason Miles, Con Nicolopoulos, Tim Richmond, Scott Melton, Tanner Gray, Brad Smith, Thad Moffitt, Austin Wayne Self, Travis Braden, Harrison Burton, Riley Herbst, Morgen Baird and Tommy Vigh Jr.

    Chicagoland Speedway has seen 18 ARCA Series races since the track opened up in 2001.

    The list of winners include Ed Berrier, Chad Blount, Frank Kimmel, Kyle Krisiloff, Dawayne Bryan, Steve Wallace, Michael McDowell, Scott Lagasse Jr, Justin Lofton, Patrick Sheltra, Ty Dillon, Kevin Swindell, Mason Mitchell, Ryan Reed, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and the defending race winner, Michael Self.

    Qualifying is important at Chicago, where only three times, the winner has come from the back. Berrier won this race in 2001 after starting 34th, Krisiloff won after starting 11th in 2004 and Reed in 2015 after starting 28th.

    Surprisingly, there has been no repeat winners since the track opened in 2001.

    Race day activities will get underway with the only practice session at 1 p.m. ET. General Tire Pole Qualifying is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. ET. Practice and qualifying will air live on arcaracing.com.

    The Bounty 150 race will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 with a scheduled start time shortly after 8 p.m. ET.


  • Stewart Friesen and Christian Eckes tangle late at Gateway

    Stewart Friesen and Christian Eckes tangle late at Gateway

    Christian Eckes had a great race truck all night long, started on the pole, finished fifth and fourth in both stages and led 57 laps. But he was accidentally taken out by Stewart Friesen on the last lap of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series while Eckes was running third.

    When the melee finally ended at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway settled, Eckes did not hit anything but wound up with a disappointing 14th place finish after having such a strong truck.

    “I’m really not sure what happened exactly, but probably just got turned again for the second year in a row by Stewart (Friesen),” Eckes described to MRN Radio in his post race interview. “It’s unfortunate. Had a really fast Sirius XM Tundra tonight. I made a mistake, kind of lost to second there, but we had a really fast truck and that’s all you could really ask for.”

    Friesen apologized for the late race incident with Eckes.

    “We had a good (Chevy) Silverado,” Friesen said in his post-race interview. “Got to apologize to that 51 or whoever is in that thing, I guess it’s Eckes. Drove down in there, tried to cross up. Hard racing, I feel bad for turning him around, I wasn’t trying to do that. Good hard racing, I know he’s from Middletown, New York. If he ever wants to come run a Modified, we’ll gladly bring one for him to repay the favor there. He’s a good hard racer.”

    Friesen finished third in the overall results, while finishing second in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2. He sits second in the points standings, 54 points behind current championship leader Grant Enfinger.

  • Kyle Larson will lead the field into the carousel at Sonoma

    Kyle Larson will lead the field into the carousel at Sonoma

    SONOMA, Calif. – Kyle Larson sweeps both qualifying sessions and will start on pole for the third straight year for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway with a time of 94.784 seconds at 95.712 mph.

    “I guess the trend with my three poles is winning a pole and then struggling in the race,” said Larson who claimed his first Busch Pole Award of the season. “Hopefully, we’ll have something different for tomorrow. I feel good.”

    Larson bested the improving Hendrick driver of William Byron (95.669 mph) in his No. 24 Hertz Chevrolet.

    “We did a mock (qualifying) run yesterday in practice and ran a good lap,” said Larson who ran the fastest time in Friday’s practice session. “I kind of over-drove the first session and then the next session I said, ‘I’m going to calm down and not make any mistakes,’ and I probably under-drove just a little. In the carousel, I think I gave up a little speed, but I feel like I made up some time in other areas, too. It’s cool to get a third pole in a row here at my home track.”

    Joey Logano qualified third at 95.618 mph, but believes he knows exactly where he lost the time he needed for a pole speed run.

    “I feel like my lap was pretty good,” Logano shared as his team was less than a tenth behind Larson’s pole-setting speed. “I was just a little loose. I feel like I got through it mainly pretty decent. I got a little loose off of (Turn) 10. If I could find one spot, I got too loose off 10 trying to throttle up too aggressively and stuck half my left sides up in the dirt and got loose and knocked a few mile an hour off on the exit, compared to what I would have been.

    Larson claims his first Busch Pole Award for the 2019 season at his home track at Sonoma Raceway. Photo courtesy of Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.
    Larson claims his first Busch Pole Award for the 2019 season at his home track at Sonoma Raceway. Photo courtesy of Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.

    “Maybe that’s a tenth (of a second), maybe a half a tenth. I don’t know. I have to go back and look. All I needed was nine-hundredths, so that’s probably the spot I’m looking at.”

    Chase Elliott qualified fourth, ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Daniel Suarez. Denny Hamlin was the top Toyota in the qualifying order, ahead of Kyle Busch who spun off Turn 4 multiple times in Friday’s practice sessions. Defending race winner Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman also made the second qualifying round and will start Sunday’s race eighth through 12th, respectively.

    The first road course race of the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway will start coverage at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    RankDriverNumberMakeTimeSpeed 
    1   Kyle Larson42Chevrolet1:34.784   95.712    
    2   William Byron24Chevrolet1:34.827   95.669    
    3   Joey Logano22Ford1:34.878   95.618    
    4   Chase Elliott9Chevrolet1:34.898   95.597    
    5   Daniel Suarez41Ford1:35.260   95.234    
    6   Denny Hamlin11Toyota1:35.287   95.207    
    7   Kyle Busch18Toyota1:35.367   95.127    
    8   Martin Truex Jr.19Toyota1:35.399   95.095    
    9   Ryan Blaney12Ford1:35.507   94.988    
    10   Chris Buescher37Chevrolet1:35.668   94.828    
    11   Jimmie Johnson48Chevrolet1:36.156   94.347    
    12   Alex Bowman88Chevrolet1:36.374   94.133    
    13   Michael McDowell34Ford1:35.449   95.046    
    14   Clint Bowyer14Ford1:35.485   95.010    
    15   Aric Almirola10Ford1:35.624   94.872    
    16   Kurt Busch1Chevrolet1:35.746   94.751    
    17   Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.17Ford1:35.749   94.748    
    18   David Ragan38Ford1:35.821   94.677    
    19   Matt DiBenedetto95Toyota1:35.926   94.573    
    20   Ryan Preece47Chevrolet1:36.070   94.431    
    21   Ryan Newman6Ford1:36.106   94.396    
    22   Brad Keselowski2Ford1:36.118   94.384    
    23   Kevin Harvick4Ford1:36.130   94.372    
    24   Paul Menard21Ford1:36.281   94.224    
    25   Daniel Hemric8Chevrolet1:36.294   94.211    
    26   Austin Dillon3Chevrolet1:36.457   94.052    
    27   Corey LaJoie32Ford1:36.484   94.026    
    28   Matt Tifft36Ford1:36.781   93.737    
    29   Parker Kligerman96Toyota1:37.006   93.520   *
    30   Bubba Wallace43Chevrolet1:37.020   93.506    
    31   Ty Dillon13Chevrolet1:37.040   93.487    
    32   Erik Jones20Toyota1:37.530   93.018    
    33   Justin Haley77Chevrolet1:37.911   92.656    
    34   Cody Ware52Chevrolet1:38.432   92.165    
    35   Landon Cassill00Chevrolet1:38.719   91.897    
    36   J.J. Yeley51Chevrolet1:39.161   91.488    
    37   Kyle Weatherman15Chevrolet1:42.283   88.695    
    38   Reed Sorenson27Chevrolet     *

    * – had to qualify on time

  • Noah Gragson Survives a Wild Procore 200 at Sonoma

    Noah Gragson Survives a Wild Procore 200 at Sonoma

    SONOMA, Calif. ⁠— With a mixture of Cup and Xfinity Series regulars and one of the largest fields in the season, Noah Gragson wins a wild Procore 200 at Sonoma Raceway in the NASCAR K&N Pro West Series after three overtime attempts.

    On a restart just before halfway through the race, Noah Gragson gained a large lead going into the first set of turns climbing the hill. Officials declared he jumped the start, and Gragson had to serve a pass-through penalty. However, that seemed to only light a fire in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular as he began to charge through the field.

    “I was trying to not leave anything on the table,” said Gragson after recovering from the mid-race restart violation.

    Gragson not only returned with a team that helped get his national exposure, but took them to victory lane in his old school fashion of ‘pitching’ the car better than the competition.

    “That new Carousel section is definitely a challenge,” said Gragson. “It feels good to be able to meet that challenge.

    “It’s like running a mile. If I’m throwing up, hopefully it’s not like I’m sick. I’m all right. But if I’m throwing up after the race, I guess that means that I did a good job because I’ll be in Victory Lane hopefully. The only times I’ve thrown up after the races were when I’ve won, so it feels good.”

    Ryan Preece (left) and Daniel Hemric (right) lead the field during one of the three overtime restarts. Photo courtesy of Patrick Sue-Chan for Speedway Media.
    Ryan Preece (left) and Daniel Hemric (right) lead the field during one of the three overtime restarts. Photo courtesy of Patrick Sue-Chan for Speedway Media.

    Ryan Preece officially restarted all overtime attempts in the lead, as the K&N Series do not have timing loops around the road course. All restarts were set by the running order of the last officially timed lap. Gragson was technically second to cross the line when the checkered and yellow flew. However, there was a third flag covered in black; Preece was penalized after NASCAR officials declared the No. 47 Chevrolet jumped the green flag on the final overtime restart.

    “To get robbed like that, it’s just (expletive),” Preece declared as he walked away after a short interview. “I just like to win.”

    Preece wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Hemric, who started alongside him during all the overtime attempts, felt the restarts were all fair.

    “I felt it was fair,” Hemric shared with reporters after being asked about Preece’s violation. Hemric started alongside Preece in all the overtime restarts.

    Gragson bested a couple Monster Energy Cup Series regulars, as Hemric was posted second with Cup series teammate Austin Dillon finishing third. Xfinity Series regular Cole Custer took fourth with David Mayhew fifth. Preece was dropped to 20th place in the 31-car field, scored as the final driver on the lead lap.

    Earlier in the race, points leader Derek Kraus suffered a fuel pump failure. The crew was able to get the part replaced and the No. 16 Napa Auto Parts Toyota was only three laps down. Kraus was able to get the Lucky Dog free passes he needed to get back on the lead lap with roughly 10 laps to go.

    The major concern for their team was with the field double the size, there were more points to be lost where a DNF would become the amount of two when comparing the points. Kraus realized this and fought his way to fighting for a top 10 finish. As he was climbing through the field, he was caught up in a spin by Jack Wood, which set up the race for an overtime finish. Kraus would also get caught up in yet another incident during the final overtime attempt, and officially finished in the 19th position.

    Kraus currently still leads the NASCAR K&N Pro West Series points standings by just one point over Hailie Deegan.

  • Ross Chastain And Niece Motorsports Lose Appeal

    Ross Chastain And Niece Motorsports Lose Appeal

    On Sunday what would have appeared to be a big win for Chastain and the No. 44 Niece Motorsports team, who won every stage and led a dominating 141 of the scheduled 200 laps, Chastain’s truck was found too low following post-race inspection, thus his win was taken away along with the $50,000 courtesy of The Triple Truck Challenge.

    After the decision was made by NASCAR officials, Chastain and his team had until noon eastern to appeal the penalty. Thus, Niece Motorsports chose to appeal the penalty.

    Al Niece stated this on Sunday following the post race failure inspection.

    “Our Niece Motorsports team works hard to ensure that our race trucks are within the confines of NASCAR’s rules,” Niece said. “Both of our Chevrolets passed opening and pre-race inspections. We believe that the No. 44 Truck sustained minor damage during the event, which left the truck too low following the race. We will appeal NASCAR’s decision. Regardless of the outcome, this team will be prepared to go to Gateway and win again.”

    With that said, the penalty appeal hearing was held on Wednesday morning and a decision was made early afternoon. Despite all efforts by Chastain and Al Niece, they lost the appeal, therefore will not be able to get the win back and will receive a last-place finish along with five points.

    “Although our team disagrees with the decision, we have exhausted our options for recourse and must move on,” Al Niece (Team Owner) added following the appeal hearing. “Our sights will remain set on the obstacle in front of us which is making the playoffs. I firmly believe that Ross and this Niece Motorsports team are capable of rising to the challenge, no matter what gets in our way.”

    Cody Efaw, General Manager of Niece Motorsports also added to the statement.

    “I’m proud to work with every single member of this Niece Motorsports team,” Efaw said. “This team is all heart- we aren’t going to let anyone or anything get in our way. We have one goal. We’re incredibly thankful to our owner who continues to believe in us and invest in this team. We are looking forward to Gateway.”

    Chastain also chimed in on the statement and gave his side.

    “It’s actually very simple- Sunday is in the past,” Chastain added. “I’m focused on getting to Gateway and putting this Niece Motorsports Truck in Victory Lane for the third time this year.”

    Up until the post race failure at Iowa this past Sunday, Chastain and his No. 44 Niece Motorsports team had finished inside the top-10 in every race dating back to the season opener at Daytona.

  • Tyler Ankrum recovers from spin and finishes third at Texas

    Tyler Ankrum recovers from spin and finishes third at Texas

    Just when you thought that the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race couldn’t get any wilder, it did. Tyler Ankrum, the recent high school graduate, went for a wild slide down pit road after a restart Lap 74 but still managed to score a top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

    The San Bernardino, California native started the race in the eighth position. While he did not earn any stage points, the No. 17 DGR-Crosley driver was able to avoid all the crashes and the melee that took place throughout the night for a third-place finish.

    “I had it sideways because (Stewart) Friesen got off my door and I saw pit road, and I gunned it,” Ankrum said to MRN Radio about his wild pit road slide. “I was like alright, we’ll either hit the grass or pit road, and I thought I had it semi saved and we started heading toward the wall. I thought this was going to hurt. So just slammed on the brake and turned left, pushing the clutch just thinking to myself, this is going to hurt. It eventually stopped, spun back but man, it was a nerve-wracking moment for me. At that point, I thought our night was done because we were coming back from two laps down. We were two laps down again at that point because when you go down pit road at 190 mph, they kind of don’t like that, so they penalize you for that. And also going a lap down because we blew all four tires. It was definitely an eventful night for us.”

    Despite finishing in the third position and earning his best career finish since his sixth-place finish at this track earlier in the year, Ankrum doesn’t know if he’ll be racing the next two races.

    “We really don’t know for the next two races for money,” Ankrum said. “You know, struggling to find sponsorship, I don’t know if we will or not. Altogether, our season has been escalating tremendously. I felt our No. 17 DGR truck, our No. 17 Railblaza Toyota Tundra could win a race. I think tonight proved it. We led laps and actually passed for the lead, and maintained the lead and maintained a solid gap. I think this DGR-Crosley team could do it, but it’s going to take a lot of resources to do it to pull it together. I think going forward, we can do it.”

    It was a memorable night for Ankrum who graduated high school on stage tonight during driver intros. He led nine laps during the race to capture his first Truck Series top five.