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  • Sheldon Creed goes back to back with Truck Series playoff win at Darlington

    Sheldon Creed goes back to back with Truck Series playoff win at Darlington

    Sheldon Creed made it two for two, winning the second race in Round 1 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs at Darlington Raceway Sunday afternoon.

    Creed, the series’ current champion, started on the pole for the In It To Win It 200 and led 104 of the 147 laps to claim the checkered flag for his third victory and ninth top-10 finish of the year.

    “We’ve had a tough season, but we’re finding it at the right time,” Creed said. “It feels so good to go back-to-back wins … Got to put the pressure on the other guys. I had really nothing to lose coming in, and we’ve got fast trucks.”

    It was a repeat of the first race in the series Playoffs on August 31 at World Wide Technology of Racing, with the same result – Creed celebrating in victory lane.  

    John Hunter Nemechek won Stage 1, led 39 laps and earned a second-place finish. It was his 13th top-10 result this season. He also scored enough points to lock him into the next round of the Playoffs.

    “Overall, a solid performance, Nemechek said. “Our Toyota Tundra was fast. Just needed a little bit more. It definitely stings knowing we had the dominant truck here in the spring, gave that one away. Then to come back and run second, it hurts. We’ll take the momentum, not going to dwell on this. Just one race of the Playoffs and now we’re focused on the next round.”

    Stewart Friesen, Todd Gilliland and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top-five finishers as Grant Enfinger placed sixth followed by Chandler Smith, Johnny Sauter, Zane Smith and Matt Crafton, in sixth – 10th.

    “Great day for the Halmar team – thanks to Chris Larson for everything. He’s always been there for me in my career. It was cool –- our best run for HFR, proud of that. Another good day for us,” said Friesen.

    The series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway on September 16th for the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at 9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race Number 17
    Race Results for the 2nd Annual In It To Win It 200 – Sunday, September 5, 2021
    Darlington Raceway – Darlington, SC – 1.366 – Mile Paved
    Total Race Length – 147 Laps – 200.802 Miles

    FinStrNoDriverLapsS1PosS2PosS3PosPtsStatus
    112Sheldon Creed (P)14741057Running
    264John Hunter Nemechek (P)14713053Running
    3452Stewart Friesen (P)14758043Running
    4838Todd Gilliland (P)14767042Running
    53475Parker Kligerman14799036Running
    61298Grant Enfinger14700031Running
    7918Chandler Smith # (P)14782042Running
    81313Johnny Sauter14700029Running
    91021Zane Smith (P)14736041Running
    10288Matt Crafton (P)14724043Running
    11542Carson Hocevar # (P)14775036Running
    12716Austin Hill (P)14700025Running
    13299Colby Howard(i)1470000Running
    141622Austin Wayne Self14700023Running
    151723Chase Purdy #14700022Running
    161819Derek Kraus14700021Running
    172025Josh Berry(i)1470000Running
    182526Tyler Ankrum14700019Running
    193868Clay Greenfield14600018Running
    202730Danny Bohn14600017Running
    212620Spencer Boyd14600016Running
    223611Spencer Davis14600015Running
    232841Dawson Cram14600014Running
    242215Tanner Gray146010014Running
    253034Josh Reaume14600012Running
    26333Jordan Anderson14500011Running
    273145Lawless Alan14500010Running
    28232Kris Wright #1440009Running
    29141Hailie Deegan #1440008Running
    301524Jack Wood1430007Running
    311151Dylan Lupton1430006Running
    322156Tyler Hill1410005Accident
    331940Ryan Truex1410004Running
    34399Ben Rhodes (P)14010004Running
    35376Norm Benning860002Too Slow
    363510Jennifer Jo Cobb750001Too Slow
    373233Ryan Ellis(i)280000Transmission
    382412Tate Fogleman220001Rear Gear

  • Sheldon Creed dominates wild playoff-opener at Gateway

    Sheldon Creed dominates wild playoff-opener at Gateway

    Despite a late-race overtime restart and a 48-minute red flag due to a power outage at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the 2020 Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed held onto the lead and navigated to his second win of the 2021 Truck Series season.

    “My guys put together such a great truck,” Creed told Fox Sports 1 in victory lane. “My guys have been working hard all year. Obviously, we haven’t had the speed at times and I’ve made mistakes. We just built this brand new truck and I felt like we’ve taken everything we learned this year and applied it. My teammate showed me a couple of things when he got to the lead. The bottom was good on restarts, but the top started coming in there at the end. I love late-race restarts,” he joked. “I didn’t want it but thought to myself, just focus and execute.”

    World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway served as the first race of the 2021 Truck Series Playoffs Friday evening. Austin Hill received the pole via the qualifying metric system.

    Throughout the first stage, there were three cautions that occurred on Lap 26, 33 and 42. Most notably, the caution on Lap 26 flew for playoff contender Chandler Smith. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver brought the No. 18 to pit road as he had a right-rear hub issue.

    Creed showed his dominance early and won Stage 1, his second stage win of the season. Stewart Friesen, Ben Rhodes, Zane Smith, Ty Majeski, Todd Gilliland, Matt Crafton, Austin Hill, John Hunter Nemechek and Derek Kraus were the Top 10.

    During Stage 2, on Lap 60, a power outage occurred at the track knocking out the power, including the electronic timing and scoring and brought out the red flag. This caused a delay that lasted 48 minutes and 38 seconds before the race could resume with backup power and temporary lighting.

    Following the lengthy delay, the race went back green on Lap 67. Playoff drivers experienced more trouble as the race continued. Zane Smith was on pit road inside 10 laps to go in the second stage. Eventually, Smith drove the No. 21 truck behind the wall and was done for the night.

    Creed once again went on to win the second stage and was followed by Rhodes, Crafton, Nemechek, Friesen, Majeski, Kraus, Ankrum Eckes and Austin Hill.

    Stage 3 went green on Lap 111, but shortly thereafter, there was a huge wreck on the frontstretch. Playoff contender and regular-season champion, John Hunter Nemechek, had an issue as his truck shut off coming off Turn 4, which caused a huge stack up behind him. Multiple drivers were involved including Austin Hill, Todd Gilliland, Tyler Ankrum, Carson Hocevar, Chandler Smith and others.

    Unfortunately, more problems arose for Nemechek with 32 laps to go, as the North Carolina driver had a brake rotor that broke in half. He was able to resume the race but in the 34th position.

    The final stage was relatively calm in nature compared to the first two stages. However, a caution with four laps to go for the No. 15 of Tanner Gray who crashed in Turn(s) 3 and 4 brought out an overtime finish.

    Creed, Rhodes, Crafton, Friesen and Sauter were in the top five for the restart.

    Even with the late-race restart, there was no stopping Creed as he took the checkered flag for the seventh time of his career, and his first since Darlington earlier this year.

    2019 Truck Series champion Matt Crafton finished second and earned his third top-five finish of the season and the first since Darlington as well.

    “Definitely, a good points night, all in all, they knew we were here,” Crafton said about his runner-up finish to Fox Sports 1. “We drove from 10th to get to second, we just needed a little bit more since the 2 (Creed) was a little better. These guys (ThorSport) have worked hard lately. They’ve worked their butts off. Went back and threw all the notebooks away from 2019 and 2018. We went back to the old school stuff and I guess it still worked.”

    There were eight cautions for 37 laps and one red flag that lasted 48 minutes and 38 seconds. There were five lead changes among three different leaders.

    Race winner Creed led three times for 142 laps and gained seven playoff points and locked himself into the next round of the Playoffs.

    Playoff Standings following Round 1 at Gateway:

    1. Sheldon Creed, 1 win, Advanced
    2. John Hunter Nemechek, +55
    3. Ben Rhodes, +52
    4. Matt Crafton, +33
    5. Stewart Friesen, +31
    6. Austin Hill, +21
    7. Carson Hocevar, +13
    8. Todd Gilliland, +10
      Below the cut line
    9. Zane Smith, -10
    10. Chandler Smith, -18

    Official Results for the Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway:

    1. Sheldon Creed, won both stages, led 142 laps
    2. Matt Crafton
    3. Ben Rhodes
    4. Stewart Friesen
    5. Johnny Sauter
    6. Chase Purdy
    7. Hailie Deegan
    8. Carson Hocevar
    9. Austin Wayne Self
    10. Jack Wood
    11. Tyler Hill
    12. Taylor Gray
    13. Ryan Truex, 1 lap down
    14. Tate Fogleman, 1 lap down
    15. Josh Berry, 1 lap down
    16. Spencer Boyd, 2 laps down
    17. Cory Roper, 2 laps down
    18. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
    19. Tanner Gray, 2 laps down
    20. Derek Kraus, 3 laps down
    21. Armani Williams, 4 laps down
    22. John Hunter Nemechek, 5 laps down
    23. Austin Hill, led two laps, 6 laps down
    24. Roger Reuse, 6 laps down
    25. Grant Enfinger, 9 laps down
    26. Derek Griffith, 9 laps down
    27. Chris Hacker, 23 laps down
    28. Chandler Smith, 40 laps down
    29. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    30. Dawson Cram, OUT, Accident
    31. Christian Eckes, OUT, Accident
    32. Tyler Ankrum, OUT, Accident
    33. Ty Majeski, OUT, Accident
    34. Jake Griffin, OUT, Accident
    35. Zane Smith, led 19 laps, OUT, Rear Gear
    36. Danny Bohn, OUT, Engine
    37. Jordan Anderson, OUT, Engine
    38. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Engine

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head to Darlington Raceway Sunday, September 5, to continue their Round of 10 playoffs run, live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Weekend schedule for Michigan and Gateway

    Weekend schedule for Michigan and Gateway

    This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series travel to Michigan International Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series will compete at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for the first race in their Playoffs.

    There are five regular-season races left in the Xfinity Series.

    Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Jeb Burton and Myatt Snider have already clinched a spot in the Xfinity postseason 12-driver field.

    Xfinity Series drivers who can secure their spot with a win include Brandon Brown, Harrison Burton, Jeremy Clements, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg.

    Landon Cassill, Alex Labbe, Tommy Joe Martins and Josh Williams could clinch a spot in the Xfinity Playoffs with a win and some help.

    There are only two open spots in the Cup Series postseason. Aric Almirola, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell and Martin Truex Jr. have each qualified for the Playoffs.

    Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Darrell Wallace Jr., Chase Briscoe, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Ryan Newman, Ryan Preece, Cole Custer, Corey Lajoie, Anthony Alfredo can clinch with a win.

    Harvick, the defending race winner, can also earn a spot in the Playoffs with 44 points.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, August 20 – Michigan

    4 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series practice – No TV
    6 p.m.: ARCA Series Henry Ford Health System 200 at Michigan
    100 Laps/200 Miles
    Trackpass/MRN

    Friday, August 20 – WWT Raceway at Gateway

    8:50 p.m.: Driver Intros
    9 p.m.: Truck Series Toyota 200 presented by CK Power at Gateway
    Stages 55/110/160 laps = 200 Miles
    Pole: Austin Hill
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, August 21 – Michigan

    3:05 p.m.: Driver Intros
    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series New Holland 250 at Michigan
    Stages 30/60/125 Laps = 250 Miles
    Pole: Austin Cindric
    NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/TSN

    Sunday, August 22 – Michigan

    2:30: Driver Intros
    3 p.m.: Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan
    Stages 60/120/200 Laps = 400 miles
    Pole: Kyle Larson
    NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/TSN

    Michigan Intl. Speedway Data

    Track Size: 2-miles
    Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 18 degrees
    Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 18 degrees
    Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
    Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
    Frontstretch Length:  3,600 feet
    Backstretch Length:  2,242 feet

    Michigan Qualifying Data

    Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet (206.558 mph, 34.857 secs.) on August 17, 2014.
    2020 Michigan pole winner: Qualifying canceled due to COVID-19.  The starting lineup was decided by a random draw.

    • Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active NCS drivers in Michigan starts with 40 each.
    • Tyler Reddick leads all active NCS drivers in average starting position at with an 8.500 in two starts.
    • Seven of the 50 NCS Michigan pole winners are active this weekend.  Joey Logano (4), Kurt Busch (3), Brad Keselowski (2), Denny Hamlin (1), Kevin Harvick (1), Kyle Larson (1), and Ryan Newman (1).
    • Joey Logano (2013, 2016 sweep, 2019) leads all active NCS drivers in poles at Michigan with four; followed by Kurt Busch (2010, 2011 and 2018) with three.
    • The youngest series Michigan pole winner is Joey Logano (August 16, 2013 – 23 years, 2 months, 23 days).
    • Nine different manufacturers have won a pole at Michigan in the NCS.  Ford leads the series in poles at Michigan with 31, followed by Chevrolet (27), Mercury (10), Dodge (nine), Pontiac (eight), Toyota (six), Buick (three), Plymouth (two) and Oldsmobile (one).

    Michigan Race Data

    Track race record: Dale Jarrett, Ford (173.997 mph, 2:17:56) on June 13, 1999.
    2020 Michigan race winner: Kevin Harvick, Ford (124.712 mph, (02:34:55) on August 8, 2020.

    • A total of 38 different drivers have won in the NCS at Michigan with seven of the 38 race winners are active this weekend.  Kevin Harvick (5), Joey Logano (3), Kurt Busch (3), Kyle Larson (3), Denny Hamlin (2), Ryan Newman (2), and Kyle Busch (1).
    • Kurt Busch (2003, 2007, 2015), Matt Kenseth (2002, 2006, 2015), Joey Logano (2013, 2016, 2019) and Kevin Harvick (2010, 2018, 2019) lead all active series drivers in wins at Michigan with three each.
    • The youngest series Michigan winner id Joey Logano (August 18, 2013 – 23 years, 2 months, 25 days).
    • Martin Truex Jr. (30), and Michigan native Brad Keselowski (23) lead all active drivers in the series in starts without a win at Michigan.
    • The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (22 of 103, 21.36%) than any other starting position at Michigan.
    • The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Michigan is 24th, by Kurt Busch in the June of 2015.
    • Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in wins at Michigan with 13.  Mark Martin (four), Greg Biffle (four), Carl Edwards (two), Matt Kenseth (two) and Kurt Busch (one).
    • Eight different manufacturers have won in the NCS at Michigan.  It’s led by Ford with 41 victories, followed by Chevrolet with 26, Mercury (12), Dodge (nine), Toyota (five), Buick (four) Pontiac (four) and Oldsmobile (two).

    Top 12 Michigan Driver Ratings

    Kevin Harvick……………………… 102.5
    Joey Logano………………………… 99.1
    Chase Elliott…………………………. 99.1
    Brad Keselowski……………………. 97.3
    Kyle Larson………………………….. 96.1
    Denny Hamlin……………………….. 92.6
    Ryan Blaney…………………………. 92.5
    Kurt Busch…………………………… 91.8
    Kyle Busch…………………………… 90.7
    Christopher Bell…………………….. 89.6
    Martin Truex Jr……………………… 89.3
    Erik Jones……………………………. 86.6
    Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (32 total) among active drivers at Michigan International Speedway.

  • Austin Hill wins rain-shortened Truck Series race at Watkins Glen

    Austin Hill wins rain-shortened Truck Series race at Watkins Glen

    For the first time in 20 years, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came back to Watkins Glen International Raceway for the final race of the 2021 regular season. Knoxville race winner, Austin Hill, claimed the victory, as the race was called just 11 laps short due to lightning in the area.

    “It was nerve-wracking that’s for sure, I didn’t know if we were going to go back green or not,” Hill said to Fox Sports 1 about the victory. “It feels so good to win on a road course. I’ve been wanting to win on a road course for a very long time, even back in the (NASCAR) K&N Pro Series days. I felt like, I always get around the road course very decent and finally, we have a race where everything went our way.”

    “I was biting my nails a little bit when that rain came. I didn’t know what was going to happen with the lightning and all that. Everybody at United Rentals, HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) they gave me a really good piece today and we were able to get it done.”

    Following the two-week hiatus due to the Olympic break, the NASCAR Truck Series was back in action Saturday afternoon as part of a doubleheader feature with the NASCAR Xfinity Series following the event shortly thereafter.

    Stages 20-25-27 originally made up the 72-lap event before lightning and rain came to the area late in the final stage.

    Austin Hill was on the pole via the metric qualifying system.

    There were multiple incidents in Stage 1. The No. 99 of Ben Rhodes and the No. 18 of Chandler Smith spun around in the first turn, however, no caution was thrown as both trucks were able to get fired back and going.

    One caution occurred in the stage on Lap 9 for the No. 45 of Chad Chastain who wheel-hopped into Turn 1 and crashed into the tire barrier.

    While there would be more spins including Rhodes spinning on Lap 10 and Matt Crafton on Lap 15, no more yellow flags were seen and Circuit of the Americus winner Todd Gilliland took the Stage 1 victory. Sheldon Creed, Derek Kraus, Josh Berry, Austin Wayne Self, AJ Allmendinger, Paul Menard, Stewart Friesen, Ben Rhodes and Ryan Truex completed the Top 10.

    Stage 2 had the least amount of incidents and remained caution-free. Austin Hill was strong throughout the stage and nabbed the Stage 2 victory. Nemechek, Allmendinger, Zane Smith, Creed, Ankrum, Hocevar, Gilliland, Rhodes and Mayer were the Top 10 finishers.

    As the final stage began with 23 laps to go, rain and lightning started to move into the area. On Lap 53 with 19 laps to go, the yellow flew once more for playoff-hopeful Derek Kraus who spun on the backstretch and came to a stop. Unfortunately, due to the incident, Kraus’s playoff chances were eliminated.

    The field went back green with around 16 to go but the racing continued for only four more laps. Due to lightning, the trucks were brought down to pit road and after a long delay, the race was eventually called, giving the checkered flag to Austin Hill.

    Regular-season champion John Hunter Nemechek finished second and will lead the playoff grid just 28 points above Hill heading into the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for the first race in the Round of 10.

    “Possibly, it’s hard to say with the high downforce package that we have on these trucks, dirty air is really bad,” Nemechek said about finishing runner-up. “You get super aero-tight behind other trucks and it kind of gives you a disadvantage being the second guy compared to being in clean air. Overall, we had a really fast Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra today. I feel like Austin (Hill) had the dominant truck all day. I do feel like we were better in certain spots, and he was better in other spots on the racetrack. Who knows what would have happened, he could have made a mistake, I could have made a mistake. It’s part of racing. I felt like if he would have slipped a little bit or if I could have gotten side-by-side with him, I feel like we probably could have made the pass and possibly drove off. I don’t know how fast, but I felt like we were playing cat and mouse with trading back who was faster on certain laps.”

    Official Playoff Standings for Round of 10:

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, 2,049 points
    2. Austin Hill, -28
    3. Ben Rhodes, -30
    4. Todd Gilliland, -34
    5. Sheldon Creed, -58
    6. Zane Smith, -40
    7. Matt Crafton, -45
    8. Carson Hocevar, -47
    9. Chandler Smith, -48
    10. Stewart Friesen, -48

    Tracks in the Round of 10 consist of Gateway, Darlington, and Bristol.

    There were five cautions for 10 laps and six leaders among seven different lead changes. Hill led three times for 35 laps en route to victory.

    Official Results following United Rentals 176 at Watkins Glen International Raceway:

    1. Austin Hill, won Stage 2, led 35 laps
    2. John Hunter Nemechek, led two laps
    3. Sheldon Creed
    4. Todd Gilliland, won Stage 1, led 18 laps
    5. Parker Kligerman
    6. Zane Smith, led four laps
    7. Tyler Ankrum
    8. Paul Menard
    9. Sam Mayer
    10. Carson Hocevar, led one lap
    11. Josh Berry
    12. Kaz Grala
    13. Christian Eckes
    14. Tanner Gray
    15. Ben Rhodes
    16. Austin Wayne Self
    17. Ryan Truex
    18. Corey Heim
    19. Hailie Deegan
    20. Stewart Friesen
    21. Derek Kraus
    22. Matt Crafton
    23. Johnny Sauter
    24. Timmy Hill
    25. Jack Wood, led one lap
    26. Tate Fogleman
    27. A.J. Allmendinger
    28. Danny Bohn
    29. Roger Reuse, 1 lap down
    30. Josh Reaume, 1 lap down
    31. Lawless Alan, 1 lap down
    32. Spencer Boyd, 2 laps down
    33. Chad Chastain, 3 laps down
    34. Taylor Gray, 8 laps down
    35. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 16 laps down
    36. Norm Benning, OUT, Too slow
    37. Grant Enfinger, OUT, Transmission
    38. Will Rodgers, OUT, Transmission
    39. Chandler Smith, Disqualified

    Note – Chandler Smith was disqualified from his finishing position for failing post-race heights. As a result everyone moves up a position. However, Smith still qualifies for the Truck Series playoffs despite losing points and finishing position in the process.

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will begin their playoffs run at World Wide Technology Raceway on Friday, August 20, live at 9 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Austin Hill wins inaugural Truck Series race at Knoxville

    Austin Hill wins inaugural Truck Series race at Knoxville

    Two hours, three minutes and four overtime restarts after the race began, Austin Hill fended off Chandler Smith to win the first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Knoxville Raceway.

    “I kind of thought we were out of it (winning the race) there for a little bit,” Austin Hill said to Fox Sports 1.

    “I had that restart on the outside of the 38 (Todd Gilliland) and I fell all the way back to 20th (in the running order). I didn’t think we were going to make it back up, track position was huge. It was really hard to get around people. I just kept my head down.

    “This team at HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) never quit. That’s the thing I like about this group. We never stop, we never quit. Even when we think we’re down and down, we just keep coming back. If you would have told me we would win a dirt race this year, I would have told you, you’re lying.”

    The Georgia driver didn’t become a contender for the win until the final stage when Hill restarted in the top three. Yellow after yellow, Hill stayed in contention and did not let the 18 of Chandler Smith pull away. Eventually, right before the final yellow on Lap 172, Hill pulled slightly ahead of Smith at the previous timing/scoring loop, putting him in the lead. Despite Smith having the most dominant truck during the final 10 laps, he came up short, finishing second to Hill, and will have to wait another week for a chance at his first career victory.

    “First of all, just have to thank Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 18 JBL Toyota Tundra team. They worked their tails off on this thing and we got it really good in practice. We fell back there in the race, and I couldn’t run the top, but we were able to make it work on the bottom. We needed track position, but we were able to lead a bunch of laps. I don’t think the call was right (at the end with regard to line-up) that they (NASCAR) made to be honest, but it is what it is and that’s part of it.”

    Prior to the main event feature, there were four 15-lap qualifying heat races to set the field. The driver who gained the most points in the heats would start on the pole. Josh Berry, Kyle Strickler, Tyler Ankrum, and Carson Hocevar all won their heat races. However, the pole position went to Derek Kraus who gained the most points of 17.

    Throughout the first stage, there three cautions that slowed the event. The yellow flag was brought out when Johnny Sauter was spun by Chase Briscoe in Turn 4 and again when dirt regular, Brian Brown, was spun by Chase Purdy in Turn 3. The final caution of the stage occurred when Jessica Friesen spun on Lap 37.

    NASCAR ended Stage 1 under yellow and Kraus took home the stage victory. Todd Gilliland, Josh Berry, Carson Hocevar, Tyler Ankrum, Sheldon Creed, Stewart Friesen, Brett Moffitt, Chandler Smith and Austin Hill rounded out the top 10 finishers.

    There were only a couple of incidents in Stage 2. Jessica Friesen brought out the yellow for the second time on Lap 66 after getting spun by Kraus and collected by Morgan Alexander in Turn 3. Another caution resulted when the No. 51 of Brown spun in Turn 4.

    Prior to the yellow, Gilliland had led the majority of the stage before being passed by Kraus for the Stage 2 victory.

    The action really heated up in the third and final stage of the night. There were nine cautions and a 14-minute red flag during the stage. The major incident included a big pileup on Lap 155 when most of the field wrecked in Turn 1. The drivers involved included Rohrbaugh, Gray, Deegan, Benning, Berry, Ankrum, Zane Smith, Purdy, Erickson, Briscoe, Jake Griffin, Schatz, Creed and Windom, creating the red flag situation.

    There were two more overtime restarts as more yellows flags were flown for incidents in Turn 1.

    After the multiple cautions, the final restart came at Lap 177 with Austin Hill and Chandler Smith battling it out for the win. However, on Lap 179 (29 laps over the scheduled race distance), Austin Hill scored his first victory of the 2021 Truck Series season.

    Chandler Smith, Grant Enfinger, Gilliland, Kraus, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Brian Brown, Tate Fogleman and Danny Bohn completed the Top 10.

    There were 14 cautions for 80 laps and seven leaders among 20 lead changes. Hill led twice for 11 laps en route to his seventh career Truck Series victory.

    Playoff Points Standings with one race to go until the Playoffs begin:

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, five wins, 34 playoff points
    2. Ben Rhodes, two wins, 11 playoff points
    3. Todd Gilliland, one win, 7 playoff points
    4. Sheldon Creed, one win, 6 playoff points
    5. Austin Hill, one win, 5 playoff points
    6. Zane Smith (clinched playoff spot), +140
    7. Matt Crafton (clinched playoff spot), +119
    8. Stewart Friesen, +61
    9. Carson Hocevar, +53
    10. Chandler Smith, +40

      Below the cut line
    11. Johnny Sauter, -40
    12. Austin Wayne Self, -44
    13. Tyler Ankrum, -51
    14. Derek Kraus, -71

    Official Results following the Corn Belt 150 at Knoxville Raceway:

    1. Austin Hill, led 11 laps
    2. Chandler Smith, led 71 laps
    3. Grant Enfinger
    4. Todd Gilliland, led 61 laps
    5. Derek Kraus, won both stages, led 10 laps
    6. Matt Crafton, led one lap
    7. Ben Rhodes
    8. Brian Brown
    9. Tate Fogleman
    10. Danny Bohn
    11. John Hunter Nemechek
    12. Jake Griffin
    13. Ryan Truex
    14. Zane Smith
    15. Chris Windom
    16. Carson Hocevar, led 17 laps
    17. Tyler Ankrum
    18. Devon Rouse
    19. Norm Benning
    20. Johnny Sauter, led eight laps
    21. Hailie Deegan
    22. Cody Erickson, 2 laps down
    23. Kyle Strickler, 2 laps down
    24. Andrew Gordon, 2 laps down
    25. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 3 laps down
    26. Jessica Friesen, 4 laps down
    27. Stewart Friesen 9 laps down
    28. Josh Berry, OUT, Accident
    29. Parker Price-Miller, 19 laps down
    30. Austin Wayne Self, OUT, Accident
    31. Tanner Gray, OUT, Accident
    32. Donny Schatz, OUT, Accident
    33. Chase Purdy, OUT, Accident
    34. Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Accident
    35. Sheldon Creed, OUT, Accident
    36. Chase Briscoe, OUT, Accident
    37. Jett Noland, OUT, Accident
    38. Brett Moffitt, OUT, Accident
    39. Jack Wood, OUT, Accident
    40. Morgan Alexander, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take nearly a month off before heading to Watkins Glen International Raceway on Saturday, August 7, live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 12:30 p.m./ET.

  • Nemechek holds off boss man Busch for Pocono victory

    Nemechek holds off boss man Busch for Pocono victory

    In a late-race duel following a restart with six laps to go, John Hunter Nemechek, with help from a push by Todd Gilliland, got past team owner Kyle Busch to take the lead and win at Pocono Raceway.  

    Busch tried to rally back within the closing laps, but Sheldon Creed got underneath Busch which caused both trucks to get loose and slide up the track. Nemechek pulled ahead to a two-second lead and won for the fifth time this season.

    The Mooresville native spoke to FOX Sports 1 after the race in victory lane.

    “These guys just work so hard,” Nemechek said of his team. “We never gave up. We weren’t very good the first stage. Without this opportunity—without Kyle and Toyota, I wouldn’t have had it. Five wins this year and beat Kyle—three for five against Kyle is pretty good odds.”

    This was the last Truck Series race of the 2021 season for Busch and his last race with sponsor Cessna/Beechcraft. He led 20 laps and challenged for the win late, but after the incident with Sheldon Creed, Busch had to settle for his fifth top-five of the season.

    Meanwhile, Busch was in his last race of the 2021 Truck Series season where he led 20 laps and challenged for the win late. But after the incident with Sheldon Creed, Busch had to settle for his fifth top-five of the season.

    “I don’t know (what happened there),” Busch said about the incident with Creed to Fox Sports 1. “The Cessna Tundra was pretty good. We were up front there leading, the caution came out at the end and just bunched us up back together.

    “We got, not a great restart, but a decent restart. We were all even getting into (Turn) 1, and John Hunter just slid me and got the lead. I was trying to figure out what I could do to fight back and get the lead back, and I got drilled in the left rear. That basically handed the win to the 4 truck.

    “That’s our year and that’s what it is. I guess we’ll be back in 2022 sometime.”

    Prior to the green flag, Busch announced that the Pocono race would be the last race for sponsor Cessna/Beechcraft and stated he is working on plans for the 2022 season. The partnership between Busch and Cessna began in 2017 at Kansas. Since then, the duo has enjoyed 14 victories with each other when Cessna was the main sponsor.

    Stages 15-15-30 made up the 60-lap race and Todd Gilliland was on the pole via the qualifying metric system.

    An early caution was brought out on Lap 1 when series newcomer Jack Wood, in the No. 24 GMS truck, missed a gear on the initial start and caused the field to stack up. Unfortunately for Johnny Sauter who needs a win to get into the playoffs, he was collected in the incident.

    The early caution was the only caution in the stage and Zane Smith went on to win the stage that ended on Lap 15. Busch, Creed, Gilliland, Chandler Smith, Rhodes, Friesen, Austin Hill, Eckes, and Crafton completed the Top 10 for Stage 1.

    In Stage 2, there were no yellows but multiple strategies caused various lead changes. On Lap 20, Busch closed in on race leader Zane Smith in the tunnel turn but got loose slightly tapped the wall off Turn 3 one lap later.

    On Lap 27, near the end of the stage, there were numerous race leaders who pitted including Busch, Creed, and Chandler Smith. Zane Smith also chose to make a pit stop but the GMS driver didn’t make it to pit road in time and had to restart at the rear of the field for the final stage.

    Nemechek did not pit and took the lead during the green-flag pit stops, going on to win Stage 2. Rhodes, Friesen, Austin Hill, Crafton, Berry, Majeski, Purdy, Enfinger, and Wright were the Top 10.

    As the final stage began with 25 to go, Busch and Carson Hocevar restarted as the leaders.

    Busch looked as if he was going to set sail with the lead, but a late caution with 10 to go came out for Friesen who crashed in Turn 2. This bunched the field up again which set up a restart with six laps to go.

    Busch was inching in on Nemechek and it appeared as though there would be a battle for the win late. However, with three laps to go, Sheldon Creed challenged for second and slid both he and Busch up the track.

    All Creed and Busch could do was watch as Nemechek drove away with the victory for his 10th career Truck Series victory. Kyle Busch, Sheldon Creed, Tyler Ankrum, Austin Hill, Matt Crafton, Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, Ryan Preece, and Derek Kraus was the Top 10 finishers.

    There were four cautions for 13 laps and eight lead changes among seven different drivers.

    Playoff Standings with two races left in the regular seasaon.

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, five wins, 34 playoff points
    2. Ben Rhodes, two wins, 11 playoff points
    3. Todd Gilliland, one win, seven playoff points
    4. Sheldon Creed, one win, six playoff points
    5. Austin Hill, +183
    6. Zane Smith, +142
    7. Matt Crafton, +106
    8. Stewart Friesen, +65
    9. Carson Hocevar, +49
    10. Chandler Smith, +28

      Below the cut line
    11. Johnny Sauter, -28
    12. Tyler Ankrum, -33
    13. Austin Wayne Self, -41
    14. Derek Kraus -55

    Official Results following the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway.

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, won Stage 2, led 12 laps
    2. Kyle Busch, led 20 laps
    3. Sheldon Creed, led three laps
    4. Tyler Ankrum
    5. Austin Hill
    6. Matt Crafton
    7. Todd Gilliland, led four laps
    8. Zane Smith, won Stage 1, led 18 laps
    9. Ryan Preece
    10. Derek Kraus
    11. Josh Berry
    12. Christian Eckes
    13. Carson Hocevar
    14. Ty Majeski
    15. Chase Purdy
    16. Tanner Gray
    17. Ben Rhodes
    18. Ryan Truex
    19. Austin Wayne Self
    20. Lawless Alan
    21. Tate Fogleman
    22. Howie DiSavino III
    23. Ray Ciccarelli
    24. Tyler Hill
    25. Chandler Smith, 1 lap down
    26. Hailie Deegan, 1 lap down
    27. Spencer Boyd, 1 lap down
    28. Josh Reaume, 1 lap down
    29. Todd Peck, led one lap, 1 lap down
    30. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
    31. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 2 laps down
    32. Norm Benning, 2 laps down
    33. Stewart Friesen, 2 laps down
    34. Bryan Dauzat, 3 laps down
    35. Johnny Sauter, 5 laps down
    36. Grant Enfinger, OUT, Engine
    37. Bayley Currey, OUT, Mechanical
    38. Danny Bohn, OUT, Mechanical
    39. Jack Wood, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take a few weeks off before heading to the inaugural series race at Knoxville Raceway Friday night, July 9, live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 9 p.m. ET.

  • Ryan Preece makes late charge for Truck Series debut victory at Nashville

    Ryan Preece makes late charge for Truck Series debut victory at Nashville

    For the first time since 2011, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to Nashville Superspeedway. And for the first time in his career, Ryan Preece made a late-race pass on Grant Enfinger with six laps to go to take home the victory in his Truck Series debut.

    “Chad (Johnston, Crew chief on the No. 17), he did an awesome job calling the race, great adjustments, awesome car with DGR-Crosley,” Preece said to Fox Sports 1 about his victory. “This Ford F-150 was pretty stout. Thank you to Kevin Harvick, KHI Management, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Morton Buildings for stepping up for allowing me to come out here and do this. This is why I love to race, I love winning.”

    Preece‘s teammate, Todd Gilliland rebounded to finish second after starting at the back due to a pre-race violation.

    “It stings not to get that last spot, especially because I was under the 17 (Preece) and got too loose, but that‘s racing,” Gilliland said, after the race.

    Enfinger finished in third place after leading 39 laps.

    “It was fun running with him,” he said. “It was extremely tough racing out there. We had a good truck, just not enough to hold of those [fresher] tires at the end.”

    Zane Smith, Friesen, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Austin Hill and Nemechek rounded out the Top 10.

    Qualifying was held earlier in the day and we saw the No. 19 of Derek Kraus qualify on the pole. Meanwhile, the No. 4 of John Hunter Nemechek’s qualifying time was disallowed as he went backward after spinning during his initial attempt and he was forced to start in the rear.

    Stage 1 was caution-free while Kraus led all 40 laps to score his second career stage win. Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Grant Enfinger, Jack Wood, Preece, Zane Smith, Johnny Sauter, William Byron and Tyler Ankrum were the Top 10 finishers.

    The first yellow of the night flew in the second stage on Lap 79 when the engine of Byron’s No. 27 expired. During the caution, there were a couple of drivers who made a pit stop. Unfortunately, two drivers were penalized. Todd Gilliland received a penalty for a commitment line violation and Josh Berry was penalized for an uncontrolled tire.

    As Stage 2 ended on Lap 95, Chandler Smith scored his first stage win of the season. Zane Smith, Kraus, Sauter, Crafton, Rhodes, Wood, Gray, Enfinger and Preece completed the Top 10. Under the stage break, Sauter was penalized for speeding and Tanner Gray was penalized for an uncontrolled tire. Both drivers had to start from the rear of the field for the final stage. Enfinger and Stewart Friesen stayed out and assumed the lead to play a different strategy.

    The final stage began with 42 laps to go and saw intense battles and two yellows flew with 46 to go for Sauter who spun after contact with Gray. The final yellow flag was thrown with 39 to go for Stage 1 winner Kraus who spun off the front bumper of Josh Berry on the backstretch.

    Following the restart with 33 to go, Enfinger stretched the lead while trying to save fuel at the same time. However, the battle for the lead heated up with Todd Gilliland and Ryan Preece with 13 to go. Enfinger kept Preece at bay for a couple more laps until Preece made the move with six to go and took the lead and went on to win NASCAR’s first race back at Nashville Superspeedway.

    There were eight lead changes among six different leaders and five cautions for 29 laps. Preece led twice for eight laps en route to victory.

    Playoff leaderboard with three races to go until the Playoffs start:
    1. John Hunter Nemechek, 4 wins, 28 playoff points
    2. Ben Rhodes, 2 wins, 11 playoff points
    3. Todd Gilliland, 1 win, 7 playoff points
    4. Sheldon Creed, 1 win, 6 playoff points
    5. Austin Hill, +146
    6. Zane Smith, +108
    7. Matt Crafton, +73
    8. Stewart Friesen, +53
    9. Carson Hocevar, +30
    10. Chandler Smith, +15
      Below the cut line
    11. Johnny Sauter, -15
    12. Austin Wayne Self, -41
    13. Tyler Ankrum, -48
    14. Derek Kraus, -61
    Official Results following the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway:
    1. Ryan Preece, led eight laps
    2. Todd Gilliland
    3. Grant Enfinger, 39 laps
    4. Zane Smith
    5. Stewart Friesen, led five laps
    6. Matt Crafton
    7. Ben Rhodes
    8. Ty Majeski
    9. Austin Hill, led two laps
    10. John Hunter Nemechek
    11. Jack Wood
    12. Johnny Sauter
    13. Chandler Smith, won Stage 2, led 48 laps
    14. Sheldon Creed
    15. Chase Purdy
    16. Carson Hocevar
    17. Parker Kligerman
    18. Tanner Gray
    19. Josh Berry
    20. Tate Fogleman
    21. Hailie Deegan
    22. Ross Chastain
    23. Tyler Ankrum
    24. Drew Dollar
    25. Spencer Davis
    26. Ryan Truex
    27. Austin Wayne Self
    28. Dawson Cram
    29. Timmy Hill
    30. Danny Bohn, 1 lap down
    31. Cory Roper, 2 laps down
    32. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
    33. Trey Hutchens III, 4 laps down
    34. Lawless Alan, 8 laps down
    35. Derek Kraus, won Stage 1, led 48 laps, OUT, Crash
    36. William Byron, OUT, Engine

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head to the northeast for the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, June 26, live at 12 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • John Hunter Nemechek nabs fourth win of the 2021 Truck Series season at Texas

    John Hunter Nemechek nabs fourth win of the 2021 Truck Series season at Texas

    John Hunter Nemechek dominated Texas Motor Speedway on a hot Saturday afternoon in the Lone Star state to take home the victory in Saturday’s Speedycash.com 220. It was his fourth win of the 2021 Truck Series season and his first at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Nemechek leads the driver standings with four races remaining in the regular season.

    Nemechek started on the pole based on the qualifying metric system, won Stage 1, and cycled out as the leader once again in the final stage with 21 laps remaining to score the victory.

    Stages 35-35-77 laps made up the 147-lap event at Texas.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 35

    Three cautions slowed the first stage and two of those cautions came out for the 2020 Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed. Creed brought out the first yellow on Lap 6 when the California native spun in Turn 2 and brushed the wall causing damage to the back end of the No. 2 machine. Then, on Lap 21, he caused the yellow again after spinning the same area.

    The final yellow for the stage was caused by the No. 49 of Ray Ciccarelli, who came to a stop off of Turn 2 at Lap 33. With the yellow coming out so late in the stage, Stage 1 would end under yellow and Nemechek grabbed the stage victory. Austin Hill, Ben Rhodes, Chandler Smith, Stewart Friesen, Brennan Poole, Austin Wayne Self, Derek Kraus, Todd Gilliland and Josh Berry rounded out the Top 10 finishers.

    Stage 2: Lap 40 – Lap 70

    Stage 2 was similar in terms of the number of cautions. On Lap 52, the No. 52 of Friesen was sent spinning sideways into Turn 2 after a bump from the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar. Then, on Lap 59, the No. 10 of Jennifer Jo Cobb came to a stop, and finally, with two to go in the stage (Lap 69), the No. 51 of Drew Dollar crashed in Turn 2 seeing an early end to his day.

    Zane Smith took the stage victory as Tanner Gray, Kraus, Poole, Ross Chastain, Berry, Chase Elliott, Chandler Smith, Nemechek and Grant Enfinger completed the Top 10.

    Stage 3: Lap 77 – Lap 147

    The final stage saw teams using various strategies. On Lap 78, Elliott took the lead from Chastain and led through Lap 108 (39 to go) when Elliott made his final pit stop. Nemechek stayed out longer than others hoping to build a large gap between Elliott and himself.

    Nemechek made his final stop 10 laps later than Elliott. He lost the lead briefly during his stop to Zane Smith but Nemechek recycled back to the lead with 21 to go. From there, he held on to a sizable lead over Elliott and won in his sixth track start at Texas Motor Speedway. Elliott, Chastain, and Austin Hill were the top five finishers.

    Nemechek led five times for 64 laps en route to victory. There were seven leaders among 15 different lead changes and six cautions for 38 laps.

    *Note: Niece Motorsports’ driver, Ross Chastain, who was originally scored with a third-place finish, was disqualified by NASCAR following post-race inspection. It was determined that the No. 45 entry had violated Section 20.6.2.13.a in the NASCAR Rule Book: “The throttle body must be used as supplied by the NT1 engine supplier without modification.”

    As a result of the infraction, Chastain was scored with a last-place finish of 36th.

    Official Results following the SpeedyCash.com 220 at Texas Motor Speedway:
    1. John Hunter Nemechek, won Stage 1, led 64 laps
    2. Chase Elliott, led 45 laps
    3. Grant Enfinger
    4. Austin Hill
    5. Chandler Smith
    6. Zane Smith, won Stage 2, led 12 laps
    7. Todd Gilliland, led eight laps
    8. Tyler Ankrum
    9. Tanner Gray, led seven laps
    10. Josh Berry
    11. Carson Hocevar
    12. Johnny Sauter
    13. Derek Kraus, 1 lap down
    14. Brennan Poole, 1 lap down
    15. Austin Wayne Self, 1 lap down
    16. Ryan Truex, 1 lap down
    17. Chase Purdy, 2 laps down
    18. Cory Roper, 2 laps down
    19. Tyler Hill, 2 laps down
    20. Matt Crafton, 3 laps down
    21. Dawson Cram, 3 laps down
    22. Kris Wright, 3 laps down
    23. Howie DiSavino III, 4 laps down
    24. Hailie Deegan, 5 laps down
    25. Tate Fogleman, 5 laps down
    26. Ben Rhodes, 6 laps down
    27. Spencer Boyd, 6 laps down
    28. Jesse Iwuji, 6 laps down
    29. Keith McGee, 7 laps down
    30. Norm Benning, 13 laps down
    31. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 16 laps down
    32. Ray Ciccarelli, OUT, Brakes
    33. Drew Dollar, OUT, Crash
    34. Stewart Friesen, OUT, Crash
    35. Sheldon Creed, OUT, Crash
    36. *Ross Chastain, led five laps – Disqualified, relegated to a last-place finish

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since 2011 on Friday, June 18, live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 8 p.m. ET.

  • John Hunter Nemechek gets KBM back on track with Charlotte win

    John Hunter Nemechek gets KBM back on track with Charlotte win

    After finishing fifth, eighth, and 12th during the last three races, John Hunter Nemechek brought the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck back to victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway with their first win since Richmond this past April.

    “Started today, hitting the fence in the third lap of practice and having to fix our truck and luckily we were able to fix it,” Nemechek said. “I didn’t hit the fence too hard, I don’t know how I didn’t pancake the right side. Overall, the team did an awesome job repairing it.”

    “You couldn’t really pass during that first stage, the PJ1 wasn’t really run in yet and everybody was kind of bottom hunting. Pit crew did an awesome job during the first stop, which helped us gained track position, and led from there on out. We had a dominate truck I feel like. We got damage there when the 13 (Johnny Sauter) ran into someone who was stopped on the top. Knocked our camera off that created a big hole in the roof. Overall, a solid victory, and nice to get our third win.”

    Nemechek started fourth based on the metric system after qualifying was canceled due to afternoon rain showers. From there, the Mooresville, North Carolina native finished third in Stage 1, took the lead on Lap 39 to win Stage 2 and regained the lead on Lap 72. He went on to win his third Camping World Truck Series win of the 2021 season.

    Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports truck were given the pole position.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 34

    Stage 1 was relatively caution-free as the 2020 Truck Series champion, Sheldon Creed, dominated the stage and took home his first stage victory of the year. Gilliland, Nemechek, Austin Hill, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Derek Kraus, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes and Hailie Deegan completed the Top 10 finishers for Stage 1.

    Stage 2: Lap 38 – Lap 60

    Nemechek shone in the second stage when he gained the lead one lap after the restart. Two cautions would slow the stage. The first one occurred on Lap 49 when the No. 15 of Tanner Gray and the No. 32 of Bret Holmes both made hard contact in Turn 4 causing damage to both trucks. The second caution came on Lap 55 as Stage 1 winner, Creed, wrecked in Turn 4. It appeared as though Creed was going to save the truck but he was collected by the No. 23 of Chase Purdy, eventually ending Creed’s night due to too much damage.

    During the caution, race leader Nemechek came down pit road for a pit stop.

    A one-lap dash restart ended Stage 2 and this time, the No. 21 of Zane Smith took the green-checkered flag followed by Austin Hill, Majeski, Kraus, Truex, Crafton, Hocevar, Friesen, Enfinger and Nemechek to round out the top 10. Unfortunately for Smith, he was penalized for having pit crew members over the wall too soon.

    Stage 3: Lap 68 – Lap 134

    On Lap 72, Nemechek retook the lead and had a comfortable advantage heading into the final pit stops with 33 laps to go when he pitted. However, things got interesting with 20 to go, when the No. 13 of Johnny Sauter and the No. 14 of Trey Hutchens had a scary accident on the frontstretch. Sauter had nowhere to go when Hutchens was slowed on the fronstretch and he hit the back of the No. 14 hard, causing major damage to both trucks. Sauter suffered extensive damage as the entire right side of his truck was torn off with the chassis of the truck exposed.

    Meanwhile, Nemechek was leading the race and had some minor damage above the windshield. After the late yellow, there was a restart with 10 laps to go. His only challenger during the final laps was the youngster, Carson Hocevar, who was trying to chase down Nemechek for his first win.

    But ultimately, Nemechek hit his marks as the race wound down and brought home Kyle Busch Motorsport’s third win of the season.

    Carson Hocevar, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Todd Gilliland, Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, Derek Kraus, Austin Hill, and Zane Smith completed the Top 10.

    Nemechek led three times for 71 laps en route to victory. There were five cautions for 31 laps and 12 lead changes among nine different leaders.

    Official Results of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
    1. John Hunter Nemechek, led 71 laps
    2. Carson Hocevar, led five laps
    3. Ben Rhodes
    4. Stewart Friesen, led one lap
    5. Todd Gilliland, led five laps
    6. Chandler Smith
    7. Ty Majeski
    8. Derek Kraus
    9. Austin Hill
    10. Zane Smith, won Stage 2, led 13 laps
    11. Christian Eckes, led three laps
    12. Ryan Truex, led one lap
    13. Hailie Deegan, 1 lap down
    14. Grant Enfinger, 1 lap down
    15. Jack Wood, 1 lap down
    16. Tyler Ankrum, 1 lap down, led two laps
    17. Austin Wayne Self, 1 lap down
    18. Timmy Hill, 1 lap down
    19. Bayley Currey, 1 lap down
    20. Drew Dollar, 1 lap down
    21. Dawson Cram, 1 lap down
    22. Tanner Gray, 1 lap down
    23. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
    24. Danny Bohn, 3 laps down
    25. Cory Roper, 5 laps down
    26. Spencer Boyd, 6 laps down
    27. CJ McLaughlin, 7 laps down
    28. Akinori Ogata, 9 laps down
    29. Keith McGee, 11 laps down
    30. Matt Crafton, 20 laps down
    31. Johnny Sauter, OUT, Accident
    32. Trey Hutchens III, OUT, Accident
    33. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Suspension
    34. Chase Purdy, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    35. Sheldon Creed, OUT, won Stage 1, led 33 laps
    36. Bret Holmes, OUT, Accident
    37. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Rear Gear
    38. Timothy Peters, OUT, Steering

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head to Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday June 12 live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 1:00 p.m./ET.

  • Gilliland wins the inaugural Camping World Truck Series race at the COTA

    Gilliland wins the inaugural Camping World Truck Series race at the COTA

    Todd Gilliland took the lead from Tyler Ankrum with six laps to go and won Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Toyota Tundra 225. This was the NCWTS inaugural race at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn Austin, Texas, road course, called The Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

    This was Gilliland’s first win of the season, second of his NCWTS career, and his first with Front Row Motorsports.

    “I definitely did a lot of stuff wrong but that’s what I love about road course racing, there’s 20 turns here, 20 opportunities to pass but also make mistakes,’’ Gilliland said.

    Kaz Grala finished second, Ankrum third, Grant Enfinger fourth and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top-five finishers.

    Gilliland won stage one but the jackman went over the wall too soon and he had to start from the tail of the field for stage two. Ben Rhodes won stage two, his first stage win of the season.

    The NCWTS heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway next Friday for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at 8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Circuit of The Americas
    Austin, Texas
    Saturday, May 22, 2021
    (5) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 41.
    (2) Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, 41.
    (1) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 41.
    (23) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 41.
    (3) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 41.
    (21) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 41.
    (17) Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 41.
    (15) Zane Smith, Chevrolet, 41.
    (9) Austin Hill, Toyota, 41.
    (11) Ben Rhodes, Toyota, 41.
    (26) Paul Menard, Toyota, 41.
    (6) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 41.
    (13) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 41.
    (28) Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 41.
    (4) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 41.
    (29) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 41.
    (16) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 41.
    (8) Parker Chase, Toyota, 41.
    (24) Camden Murphy, Chevrolet, 41.
    (12) Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 41.
    (19) Derek Kraus, Toyota, 41.
    (27) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 41.
    (32) Lawless Alan, Toyota, 41.
    (22) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 41.
    (30) Tate Fogleman, Chevrolet, 41.
    (14) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 41.
    (31) Chase Purdy #, Chevrolet, 41.
    (33) Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 41.
    (25) Michele Abbate, Toyota, 41.
    (34) Cory Roper, Ford, 41.
    (36) Tanner Gray, Ford, 40.
    (18) Timothy Peters, Chevrolet, 40.
    (20) Chandler Smith #, Toyota, 39.
    (35) Roger Reuse, Chevrolet, 38.
    (10) Christian Eckes, Toyota, Suspension, 36.
    (7) Cameron Lawrence, Chevrolet, 34.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 70.79 mph.
    Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 58 Mins, 30 Secs. Margin of Victory: 7.941 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 2 for 2 laps.
    Lead Changes: 8 among 6 drivers.Lap Leaders: K. Grala 1-11;T. Gilliland 12-13;S. Creed 14-23;B. Rhodes 24-26;M. Crafton 27;S. Creed 28-31;T. Ankrum 32-35;T. Gilliland 36-41.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Sheldon Creed 2 times for 14 laps; Kaz Grala 1 time for 11 laps; Todd Gilliland
    2 times for 8 laps; Tyler Ankrum 1 time for 4 laps; Ben Rhodes 1 time for 3 laps; Matt Crafton 1 time for 1 lap.
    Stage #1 Top Ten: 38,02,26,88,99,32,52,4,2,56
    Stage #2 Top Ten: 99,88,19,2,26,02,45,32,38,11