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  • Ben Rhodes powers by Cory Roper for thrilling Daytona victory

    Ben Rhodes powers by Cory Roper for thrilling Daytona victory

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to action to kickstart the 2021 season at the famous Daytona International Speedway.

    Ben Rhodes, who started 23rd, made a thrilling move to the outside of Cory Roper coming off Turn 4 and claimed the season-opening win at Daytona as multiple trucks wrecked behind the leaders. The victory would mark the Kentucky native’s first superspeedway victory in 120 starts.

    “This is so special, the biggest win of my career,” Rhodes said. “I can’t even believe this. As a driver, you’re always asked about what your biggest accomplishment is. This is it. This is hands-down it. This is the place to be. I can’t even believe it.”

    Prior to the first race of the season, qualifying was held earlier today. Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 ThorSport team qualified on the pole. The pole marked Sauter’s first superspeedway pole position in his career.

    Only one driver moved to the back, which was the No. 19 of Derek Kraus. Stages of 20/20/60 laps made up the original 100 lap event, before going into overtime, as a caution flew with six laps to go and extended the event by one lap.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

    When the green flag flew, there were already sparks flying on the frontstretch. The No. 15 of Tanner Gray did not get going as the truck stalled somewhat on the initial start, which caused a stack up in the back. James Buescher in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy had major damage to his front bumper and was credited with a last-place finish. Kraus and Gus Dean were also involved in the incident.

    Despite the early caution, the rest of the stage remained green from Lap 5 to 20. Pole sitter Sauter dominated through the early portions before getting passed late in the stage by eventual Stage 1 winner, Raphael Lessard. Lessard, with the help of his teammate Sheldon Creed, drove right on by Sauter and Enfinger to win the first stage. Enfinger, Sauter, Nemechek, Rhodes, Chandler Smith, David Gilliland, Stewart Friesen and Timothy Peters rounded out the Top 10 in Stage 1.

    During the stage break, Creed was penalized for being too fast on pit road while Codie Rohrbaugh was sent to the rear for a crew member being over the wall too soon. Meanwhile, Matt Crafton was penalized for one lap for pitting outside the box.

    Stage 2: Lap 26 – Lap 40

    Just one caution slowed the second stage when the No. 19 of Kraus spun in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 35 after Kraus’s left-rear tire went flat. With the late caution, the restart came with two laps to go in the stage. John Hunter Nemechek edged out Lessard for the victory. Sauter, Creed, Rhodes, Chandler Smith, Hill, Peters, Enfinger, and Ankrum were the Top 10 finishers in Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 46 – Lap 101

    In the final stage, there were six cautions that took place in the final 55 laps. One of the notable yellows in the final stage was for the No. 1 of Hailie Deegan. Deegan was making her first Truck Series start at Daytona and ran solidly before spinning on the backstretch and hitting the inside wall causing a yellow with 20 to go.

    The next restart came with 15 to go and the intensity picked up with drivers pushing hard for the win. Unfortunately, the big one occurred with six laps to go with multiple drivers involved. John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Ankrum, Timothy Peters, Drew Dollar, Raphael Lessard, Austin Hill, Johnny Sauter, Tate Fogleman, Bryan Dauzat and Carson Hocevar were collected in the incident.

    With the late yellow, NASCAR Overtime was called and there was a two-lap dash to the finish. Rhodes got shoved out to the front with the help of his teammate, Matt Crafton, coming off Turn 4, following directly behind Roper who was leading the race. Rhodes had momentum and made the pass to the outside to win by .036 seconds over Roper and Jordan Anderson while another big one occurred behind the leaders.

    By finishing third, Roper earned the first-ever top-five finish of his Truck Series career in 28 starts over a span of four years, dating back to 2018.

    “We took the white flag, and I think it (field) just kind of got jumbled up and I think the 2 (Sheldon Creed) got in the wall a little bit, put me in the wall, flattened the right side and I pulled down to the bottom,” Roper said. “I was able to clear them and come off of (Turn) 2 with the lead. So, it was pretty exciting about that time and I just calmed down and try to stay, listen to my spotter, do what I needed to do. When I pancaked the right side, we got tight off of (Turn) 4 and I couldn’t pull down and got clogged in.”

    There were 10 cautions for 43 laps and 31 lead changes among 12 different leaders.

    Official Results
    1. Ben Rhodes, led seven laps
    2. Jordan Anderson
    3. Cory Roper
    4. Ryan Truex
    5. Carson Hocevar
    6. Sheldon Creed, led one lap
    7. John Hunter Nemechek, won Stage 2, led 14 laps
    8. Codie Rohrbaugh
    9. Chandler Smith, led 22 laps
    10. Drew Dollar
    11. Grant Enfinger, led 13 laps
    12. Kris Wright
    13. Spencer Boyd
    14. David Gilliland, led eight laps
    15. Matt Crafton
    16. Zane Smith
    17. Danny Bohn
    18. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    19. Bryan Dauzat, led two laps
    20. Jason White
    21. Austin Wayne Self, one lap down
    22. Austin Hill, two laps down
    23. Raphael Lessard, won Stage 1, led 12 laps, two laps down
    24. Hailie Deegan, three laps down
    25. Brett Moffitt, led one lap, five laps down
    26. Timothy Peters, led three laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    27. Johnny Sauter, led 12 laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    28. Tyler Ankrum, led six laps, OUT, Crash
    29. Chase Purdy, OUT, Electrical
    30. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    31. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Crash
    32. Stewart Friesen, OUT, Crash
    33. Derek Kraus, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    34. Gus Dean, OUT, Crash
    35. Tanner Gray, OUT, Drivetrain
    36. James Buescher, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will stay in the Daytona area as the trucks will next race on the Daytona Road Course on Friday night. February 19. live on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 7:30 pm. ET.

  • Chandler Smith paces Truck Series practice at Daytona

    Chandler Smith paces Truck Series practice at Daytona

    In the only Camping World Truck Series practice session, now full-time Kyle Busch Motorsports driver, Chandler Smith, led the way Thursday night, posting a time of 47.45 seconds and 189.641 mph.

    Smith is coming off a partial schedule in 2020 for Kyle Busch Motorsports after running 12 races. The Talking Rock, Georgia native posted a best finish of third (twice) last year at Talladega and the season finale race at Phoenix last November.

    There were also new some faces in new places. Drew Dollar, piloting the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra on a part-time schedule, was third quickest on the speed charts. Dollar will compete in eight races this year for the team. Another KBM newcomer is John Hunter Nemechek. Nemechek recently competed in the Cup Series last year as a rookie, but now is full-time once again in the Truck Series and was fifth fastest.

    Other notables include Brett Moffitt, who is now in the No. 45 Niece Motorsports machine. Moffitt posted a time of 47.66 seconds, good enough for 12th on the speed charts. Speaking of Niece Motorsports, James Buescher, the 2012 Truck Series champion, will compete at Daytona in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy. Buescher was 14th on the charts, the last of the Niece Motorsports trio.

    Last year’s Truck Series champion, Sheldon Creed, was 25th fastest with a time of 49.058 seconds, and 183.456 mph.

    The practice session was slowed a couple of times by a red flag, due to the No. 3 of Jordan Anderson stalling on track and for the No. 68 of Clay Greenfield who also stalled near Turn 1.

    Qualifying will take place Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern live on FOX Sports 1. There are 45 trucks that will attempt to qualify for the race which means that 10 of the trucks will go home.

    The NextEra Energy Resources 250 season opener can also be seen on FOX Sports 1, with the green-flag scheduled shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET. MRN Radio will also have live coverage.

    Truck Series Practice Results:
    1. Chandler Smith
    2. Austin Hill
    3. Johnny Sauter
    4. Drew Dollar
    5. John Hunter Nemechek
    6. Matt Crafton
    7. Stewart Friesen
    8. Grant Enfinger
    9. David Gilliland
    10. Ben Rhodes
    11. Ryan Truex
    12. Brett Moffitt
    13. Carson Hocevar
    14. James Buescher
    15. Bryan Dauzat
    16. Zane Smith
    17. Raphael Lessard
    18. Spencer Davis
    19. Tyler Ankrum
    20. Austin Wayne Self
    21. Chase Purdy
    22. Cory Roper
    23. Tanner Gray
    24. Spencer Boyd
    25. Sheldon Creed
    26. Todd Peck
    27. Derek Kraus
    28. Hailie Deegan
    29. Kris Wright
    30. Norm Benning
    31. Gus Dean
    32. Jordan Anderson
    33. Tate Fogleman
    34. Danny Bohn
    35. Todd Gilliland
    36. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    37. Parker Kligerman
    38. Codie Rohrbaugh
    39. Timothy Peters
    40. Jesse Iwuji
    41. Dawson Cram
    42. Jason White
    43. Ray Ciccarelli
    44. Clay Greenfield
    45. Timothy Viens, Did Not Take Time

  • Daytona Speedweeks schedule

    Daytona Speedweeks schedule

    NASCAR is back and the season kicks off with the 43rd running of the Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway Tues., Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. But this year will feature a special twist as the Clash will be run on Daytona’s road course for the first time.

    The lineup for the 21 eligible drivers was held via a virtual draw Monday night at Daytona and Ryan Blaney will start on the pole. This year’s event will consist of 35 laps with a scheduled caution at Lap 15.

    Other highlights include NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Wed. night. The fastest two cars will make up the front row for the Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon. The Duels at Daytona will run Thursday evening and will determine the remaining lineup. The Duel 1 drivers will line up on the inside row in order of their finish while the Duel 2 drivers will line up on the outside row according to their finish.  

    The ARCA Menards Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series will also take to the track this week in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series prestigious Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon.

    All times are Eastern.

    Tuesday, Feb. 9                             

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – (35 laps, 126.35 miles)

    Wednesday, Feb. 10

    12:05 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – FS1/MRN

    7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1/MRN

    Thursday, Feb. 11

    5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m. Truck Series First Practice – FS1

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (60 laps, 150 miles each race)

    Friday, Feb. 12

    1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: ARCA Practice

    3:10: Truck Series Qualifying – FS1

    4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1

    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 20/40/100)

    Saturday, Feb. 13

    8:30 a.m.: ARCA Qualifying

    9:30 a.m.-10:20 a.m.: Cup Series Second Practice – FS2/MRN

    10:40 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying FS2/FS1*
    *Broadcast coverage starts on FS2 then switches to FS1 at 11 a.m.

    12:05 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1/MRN

    1:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire – FS1/MRN (80 laps, 200 miles)

    5 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 – FS1/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 30/ 60/120)

    Sunday, Feb. 14

    2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 – FOX/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 65/130/200)

  • Sheldon Creed wins 2020 Truck Series Championship after a wild restart

    Sheldon Creed wins 2020 Truck Series Championship after a wild restart

    After a quiet first two stages, a late-race caution gave Sheldon Creed the opportunity to drive from eighth place to the front and take the lead to win the Truck Series championship.

    “I can’t believe it, thank you so much,” the 23-year-old Californian, Creed, screamed into his team radio as he crossed the finish line. “The caution came out and we were like, ‘we’ve got nothing to lose’,” Creed said of the decision to pit for tires. “I pride myself on my restarts week in and week out and just nailed the restart right there. I was just driving as hard as I can, I wanted this thing so bad.”

    Stages 45-45-60 laps made up the scheduled 150 lap race, but an overtime restart extended the race to 156 laps. No Trucks were sent to the rear and Championship 4 driver Grant Enfinger was on the pole based on the metric system. Brett Moffit, Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger and Sheldon Creed made up the Championship 4 contenders.

    Stage 1: Laps 1 – 45

    Early on in the stage, rookie Zane Smith had the lead over teammates Creed and Moffitt with no challenge from either driver until late in the stage. Surprisingly, no cautions fell in the stage and with a dominant truck, Zane Smith grabbed the stage victory with Creed in second, Moffitt third and Enfinger fourth.

    After the stage break, it was Creed who would win the race off pit road and maintain his top position.

    Stage 2: Laps 53 – 90

    Stage 2 was a carbon copy of the first stage with 8 green-flag laps of racing with no yellows in sight. However, multiple battles for the lead would pursue in the middle of this stage. Creed led from laps 50 – 74 for 25 total laps. His teammate Brett Moffitt came into the picture and made a pass on Lap 75 with just 19 laps to go in the stage. After making the pass for the lead, the Iowan native held on and took home the Stage 2 win. Zane Smith finished second, Creed was third and Enfinger managed fifth.

    Under the yellow, Niece Motorsports driver Trevor Bayne was penalized for being too fast on pit road and Moffitt held on to the lead.

    Stage 3: Laps 98 – 156

    With Enfinger battling a tight truck, GMS Racing made up the top three spots. However, their effort was slowed at Lap 104 when a caution flew for the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar who backed his Niece Motorsports Chevrolet into the Turn 2 wall. In the middle of the caution cycle, Enfinger came down to pit road and took four tires to help with the handling of the truck. Meanwhile, the No. 19 of Derek Kraus stalled, having no power in his Toyota Tundra.

    When the green flag flew again at Lap 119, Enfinger made the most of his pit stop by climbing to fifth in the running order. However, the four-tire call for Enfinger wouldn’t come into play until late in the race. The Alabaman started making moves with 19 to go, passing Smith for fourth and moving up as high as second with 12 to go.

    As the race started to wind down, race leader Moffitt held off Enfinger with a 4.340-second advantage. Getting closer to the checkered flag, the race looked as though it would go to the 2018 Truck Series Champion, Moffitt. Unfortunately for Moffitt, a late yellow flew for the No. 41 of Dawson Cram, setting up an overtime restart with seven laps to go.

    The caution would prove costly for Moffitt, as Champ 4 drivers Creed and Zane Smith came to pit road and took four fresh tires. Moffitt and Enfinger stayed out to assume the lead with hopes of holding off the field for a classic finish.

    The restart on Lap 154 with 2 laps to go would look like this for the championship drivers; Moffitt was in first, Enfinger was second, Creed restarted in eighth with Smith in ninth.

    Following the green flag, Enfinger, on the outside, spun his tires and both Creed and Smith made dive bomb moves to the bottom of the track in Turns 1 and 2. Moffitt ended up sliding up the track and falling back in the running order. As the checkered flag flew, the victory and championship went to Creed who won his fifth race of the 2020 season.

    Zane Smith finished second with Moffitt 10th and Enfinger rounding out the Championship 4 in 13th position.

    After leading the most laps (78) and winning Stage 2, Moffitt was understandably disappointed after finishing 10th.

    “It’s frustrating losing like that,” Moffitt said. “It would have been an honor to win with this paint scheme in honor of (seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion) Jimmie Johnson,” said Moffitt, adding, “I guess if broken legs isn’t enough of a handicap, race strategy is.”

    There were four cautions for 28 laps and seven lead changes among five different drivers.

    Items to note – Chevrolet won the Truck Series Manufacturers Championship, while GMS Racing’s Maury Gallagher won his first ever Truck Series Owners title. Champion Sheldon Creed ends the season with the most stage victories of 11, while he and Austin Hill end up in a tie with the most playoff points of 28 each.

    Final Championship 4 Standings

    1. Sheldon Creed
    2. Zane Smith
    3. Brett Moffitt
    4. Grant Enfinger

    Final Championship 4 Owner Standings

    1. GMS Racing No. 2
    2. GMS Racing No. 21
    3. GMS Racing No. 23
    4. ThorSport Racing No. 98

    Official Results following the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    1. Sheldon Creed, led twice for 27 laps
    2. Zane Smith
    3. Chandler Smith
    4. Christian Eckes
    5. Raphael Lessard
    6. Stewart Friesen
    7. Ben Rhodes
    8. Tyler Ankrum
    9. Todd Gilliland
    10. Brett Moffitt, won Stage 2, led 78 laps
    11. Johnny Sauter
    12. Austin Hill
    13. Grant Enfinger, led two laps
    14. Matt Crafton
    15. Tanner Gray
    16. Dylan Lupton
    17. Sam Mayer
    18. Trevor Bayne
    19. Tate Fogleman
    20. Austin Wayne Self
    21. Ryan Truex, 1 lap down
    22. Jordan Anderson, 2 laps down
    23. Spencer Davis, 2 laps down
    24. Derek Kraus, 3 laps down
    25. Tyler Hill, 3 laps down
    26. Danny Bohn, 3 laps down
    27. Spencer Boyd, 4 laps down
    28. Dawson Cram, 4 laps down
    29. Robby Lyons, 4 laps down
    30. Akinori Ogata, 6 laps down
    31. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 9 laps down
    32. Carson Hocevar, OUT, Accident
    33. Josh Reaume, OUT, Brakes

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will now enjoy their much deserved offseason and start focusing on the 2021 schedule. The 2021 Truck Series season begins Friday night, Feb. 12 at Daytona International Speedway with the annual NextEra Energy Resources 250.

  • Grant Enfinger scores Martinsville victory, locks into Championship 4

    Grant Enfinger scores Martinsville victory, locks into Championship 4

    Despite a bundle of late-race cautions in the final 20 laps on Friday night at Martinsville, Grant Enfinger, who was in a must-win situation, held off his ThorSport teammate Ben Rhodes to claim his spot in the Championship 4 by winning the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200.

    “It was tough; we knew we were going to have to take our gloves off and fight for this one,” Enfinger said after celebrating with his team. “It’s been an up and down season for us, but we tended to peak when we needed to. And now I feel really good about our chances at Phoenix.”

    No Trucks were sent to the rear following prerace inspection and Sheldon Creed was on the pole based on the metric system. Stages of 50-50-100 made up the 200-lap event.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 50

    When the green flag flew, the battle for the lead was between GMS drivers Sheldon Creed and Zane Smith with Creed taking the lead on Lap 12 and leading through the early portions of the race. Three cautions would slow the first stage. The first yellow came on Lap 14 with a major stack up on the frontstretch. Tanner Gray was spun after contact from the No. 02 of Tate Fogleman. Others involved included Ray Ciccarelli, Danny Bohn, Trevor Bayne and Codie Rohrbaugh.

    During the pit stops, Bayne was penalized for removing equipment while Rohrbaugh was penalized for pitting too soon.

    Another yellow flew on Lap 49 when the No. 44 of Natalie Decker was bumped from behind by the No. 3 of Jordan Anderson. From there, a 19 lap green-flag run occurred before Clay Greenfield in the No. 68 spun in Turn 3, bringing out a late-stage yellow and ending the first stage under caution. Sheldon Creed took the stage victory with Crafton, Sauter, Zane Smith, Rhodes, Moffitt, Eckes, Enfinger, Lessard, and Friesen completing the Top 10 stage finishers.

    Stage 2: Lap 59 – Lap 100

    A lot of action was seen throughout Stage 2 including problems for Austin Hill in the No. 16. Hill, who recently announced his return to Hattori Racing in 2021, began experiencing engine-related issues as his truck began shutting off and on.

    Meanwhile, two drivers had tire issues. On Lap 72, Parker Kligerman in the No. 75, had a left-front tire go down after contact with Austin Hill, while the race leader, Sheldon Creed, experienced a left-rear flat.

    Fortunately for Kligerman and Creed, both drivers caught a break a few laps later when the No. 68 of Greenfield would once again bring the caution out in Turn 3. During the caution, problems continued to get worse for Hill as the team attempted to diagnose his engine problem. The issue was found during a Lap 90 caution, as it was reported that Hill had a dead cylinder.

    Unfortunately for the Georgia native, the truck quit running on Lap 117 and he was credited with a 35th place finish which ended any chance of making it to the Championship 4.

    The stage would restart with two to go on Lap 98 and featured exciting action as Stewart Friesen in the No. 52 picked up his first stage win of the 2020 season. Crafton, Enfinger, Lessard, Moffitt, Ankrum, Eckes, Sauter, Hocevar, and Rhodes were the Top 10.

    it was at this very moment, we would see Enfinger’s first glimpse at the lead, as the No. 98 team used a different pit strategy during the stage break, staying out to assume the lead for the Stage 3 restart.

    Stage 3: Lap 112 – Lap 200

    As in most cases, Stage 3 saw the most action and the most yellows with six yellows flown through the remaining 88 laps.

    It would seem as though once a restart took place, another yellow would ensue which created a couple of harrowing moments for Enfinger who was trying to race his way in for a Championship 4 spot. On a Lap 161 restart, his teammate Johnny Sauter spun his tires and fell back to 18th with Enfinger right on his back bumper. Enfinger wrestled the lead away but was once again involved in a caution with 25 to go when Sheldon Creed, who was battling with Enfinger, got spun in Turn 4 after contact by the No. 98 truck.

    Things weren’t looking so great for Enfinger with the restart that came with 10 to go, as he restarted in the fourth position with some stronger trucks in front of him, including Raphael Lessard and Brett Moffitt. But the Alabaman caught a lucky break just one lap later when the No. 4 of Lessard wrecked in Turn 2 with contact from the No. 99 of Rhodes after Rhodes was caught from behind by the No. 23 of Moffitt.

    Following the yellow, the restart came with two laps to go with Enfinger and Rhodes making up the front row and both needing a victory to advance to the Championship 4. As fate would have it, Enfinger fended off Rhodes and got his fourth win of the year.

    Rhodes, unfortunately, finished second and would miss out on making the Championship 4 by just one position.

    “We had a shot, but first off, congrats to Grant they worked their butts off all year,” Rhodes said of his teammate. “They have three wins, this is their fourth, they deserve it. We were racing as hard as we can. Didn’t have the speed we needed but we hung around and my team had good strategy all day long. It’s just unfortunate.”

    There were 11 cautions for 82 laps and 16 lead changes among nine different leaders.

    Those racing for the championship include Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, Grant Enfinger and Zane Smith. The driver who has the has the best finish of these four contenders next week at Phoenix International Raceway will win the Truck Series championship.

    Official Results following the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

    1. Grant Enfinger, led 49 laps
    2. Ben Rhodes, led one lap
    3. Zane Smith, led 20 laps
    4. Christian Eckes
    5. Matt Crafton, led six laps
    6. Stewart Friesen, won Stage 2, led five laps
    7. Danny Bohn
    8. Sheldon Creed, won Stage 1, led 65 laps
    9. Austin Wayne Self
    10. Derek Kraus
    11. Trevor Bayne
    12. Tyler Ankrum
    13. Carson Hocevar, led five laps
    14. Timmy Hill
    15. Spencer Boyd
    16. Dawson Cram
    17. Brandon Jones
    18. Sam Mayer, OUT, Crash
    19. Jordan Anderson, 1 lap down
    20. Raphael Lessard, 1 lap down
    21. Clay Greenfield, 2 laps down
    22. B.J. McLeod, 2 laps down
    23. Johnny Sauter, 3 laps down
    24. Parker Kligerman, 4 laps down
    25. Ray Ciccarelli, 4 laps down
    26. Norm Benning, 4 laps down
    27. Natalie Decker, 5 laps down
    28. Brett Moffitt, OUT, Crash
    29. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 26 laps down
    30. Ryan Truex, 31 laps down
    31. Tanner Gray, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    32. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Overheating
    33. Spencer Davis, OUT, Brakes
    34. Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Overheating
    35. Austin Hill, OUT, Engine
    36. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Crash
    37. Josh Reaume, OUT, Transmission

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will head to their final race of the season to decide a champion at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday, Nov. 6 live on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Weekend schedule for Martinsville Speedway-2

    Weekend schedule for Martinsville Speedway-2

    NASCAR heads to Martinsville Speedway this weekend to determine who will advance to the Championship 4 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

    Joey Logano is the only Cup Series driver already locked into the Playoffs, leaving three open spots. In the Xfinity Series Chase Briscoe is the only driver that has clinched a spot with his win at Kansas Speedway. Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt have secured their place in the Truck Series, leaving two available spots for the Playoffs.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Oct. 30

    8 p.m.: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 Race (Stages 60/120/200 Laps = 175 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Sheldon Creed

    Saturday, Oct. 31

    3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Draft Top 250 race (Stages 70/140/250 Laps = 131.5 Miles) NBC/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Austin Cindric

    Sunday, Nov. 1

    2 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 (Stages 125/250/500 Laps = 266.5 Miles) NBC/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Brad Keselowski

  • Sheldon Creed locks into Championship 4 with Texas Victory

    Sheldon Creed locks into Championship 4 with Texas Victory

    With just three races left in the 2020 Truck Series season, Texas Motor Speedway was the site for race No. 2 in the Round of 8 Playoffs.

    Sheldon Creed won in an overtime restart after fending off a hard-charging Austin Hill late in the going. Creed had one of the dominate trucks throughout the race, winning Stage 1, before taking the lead once again inside 15 to go and claiming the third victory of his career.

    “Two trucks locked in for the organization, that’s awesome and hopefully we can get the other two (Zane Smith and Tyler Ankrum) or at least one more next weekend,” Creed said. “Hard racing today. Man, it’s crazy. We’ve just been working for this all year, and I feel like I’ve improved so much and put so much work into this. Man, going to Martinsville stress-free is so nice.”

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 35

    The first stage was relatively calm until two laps to go. The No. 49 of Timothy Viens brought out the first accident of the day when Viens hit the Turn 4 wall. With the caution coming out so late in the stage, NASCAR officials decided to end the stage under yellow, which gave Creed the stage victory. Austin Hill, Moffitt, Rhodes, Crafton, Chandler Smith, Eckes, Zane Smith, Enfinger, and Gilliland completed the Top 10.

    Stage 2: Lap 40 – Lap 71

    After the restart for Stage 2, the No. 40 Niece Motorsports truck of Ryan Truex was penalized for a restart violation. Truex would later be out of the race due to a broken trackbar.

    A few moments later on Lap 42, the No. 68 of Clay Greenfield had hard contact with the Turn 2 wall following an incident with the No. 56 of Tyler Hill. One more caution would fly on Lap 53 when the No. 02 of Tate Fogleman crashed off the exit of Turn 4.

    The restart came on Lap 57 with playoff driver Matt Crafton passing Creed for the lead on Lap 65. Crafton hung onto the top spot and won the second stage over Creed. Rhodes, Zane Smith, Kraus, Chandler Smith, Eckes, Austin Hill, Enfinger, and Moffitt wrapped up the Top 10.

    Stage 3: Lap 77 – Lap 152

    The third and final stage had the most incidents of the afternoon with six cautions during the last stage.

    The first of those yellows occurred at Lap 93 as the No. 98 of Grant Enfinger was in a must-win situation going into Martinsville. The No. 98 ended up blowing up with smoke down the backstretch creating the fifth yellow of the day.

    As the race wore down, tempers started to heat up between drivers, especially Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith who were involved in incidents. First, on Lap 107, Rhodes blocked Gilliland’s strong run going into Turns 1 and 2 causing Gilliland to crash hard in the Turn 2 wall. Then later in the race on Lap 146, the Kentucky native intentionally turned the No. 18 of Christian Eckes on the frontstretch creating the second to last yellow of the race.

    Meanwhile, Chandler Smith was involved in an accident with the No. 15 of Tanner Gray at Lap 118. Smith’s day went from bad to worse when the left-rear tire fell off the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra machine following a pit stop for repairs.

    When the yellow flew for the Rhodes and Eckes accident, it brought out the 11th overtime restart in Texas Motor Speedway Truck Series history.

    The late-race yellow would necessitate a restart on Lap 151, past the scheduled distance of 147 laps.

    Nonetheless, Sheldon Creed was able to punch his Championship 4 ticket by holding off Austin Hill for the victory and joining his GMS Racing teammate Brett Moffitt at Phoenix.

    There were 10 cautions for 49 laps and 14 lead changes among six different drivers.

    Creed led eight times for 131 laps en route to victory and picked up six playoff points.

    Official Results following the SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    1. Sheldon Creed, won Stage 1, led 131 laps, Advanced Championship 4
    2. Austin Hill (Playoff driver), led one lap
    3. Zane Smith (Playoff driver)
    4. Raphael Lessard
    5. Brett Moffitt (Playoff driver), Already advanced to Championship 4
    6. Matt Crafton (Playoff driver), won Stage 2, led 13 laps
    7. Austin Wayne Self
    8. Dylan Lupton
    9. Derek Kraus, led two laps
    10. Tanner Gray
    11. Tyler Hill
    12. Chase Purdy
    13. Jordan Anderson
    14. Spencer Boyd
    15. James Buescher
    16. Tyler Ankrum (Playoff driver)
    17. Danny Bohn
    18. Dawson Cram
    19. Josh Bilicki, OUT, Crash
    20. Ben Rhodes, led one lap, 1 lap down
    21. Chandler Smith, 1 lap down
    22. Ray Ciccarelli, 1 lap down
    23. Johnny Sauter, 2 laps down
    24. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 3 laps down
    25. Christian Eckes, OUT, Crash
    26. Norm Benning, 9 laps down
    27. Josh Reaume, OUT, Brakes
    28. Stewart Friesen, OUT, Crash
    29. Trevor Bayne, OUT, Engine
    30. Natalie Decker, OUT, Vibration
    31. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Crash
    32. Grant Enfinger, OUT, Engine
    33. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Crash
    34. Ryan Truex, OUT, Suspension
    35. Clay Greenfield, OUT, Crash
    36. Trey Hutchens, OUT, Ignition
    37. Tim Viens, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will continue their playoff schedule with the last race in the Round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway Friday night, Oct. 30th, live on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Brett Moffitt punches ticket into Championship 4 following Kansas victory

    Brett Moffitt punches ticket into Championship 4 following Kansas victory

    Despite an overtime restart and making contact with his teammate Zane Smith, Grimes, Iowa native Brett Moffitt held on to win his first race of the 2020 season at Kansas Speedway and is now one of four drivers eligible for the Championship 4.

    “Definitely relief, Moffitt said following the Kansas victory. “It’s go time in the season, and we’ve had a pretty rough one on our No. 23 (GMS) team, so it’s a lot of relief to get back to victory lane to do it in a such high-pressure situation and knowing now we have a shot to win the championship.”

    Kansas Speedway was the opening round for the Round of 8 Playoffs for the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, which began on Saturday afternoon on a windy day in Kansas City, KS. Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Chandler Smith was on the pole with Hailie Deegan making her first Truck Series appearance starting 34th in the No. 17 DGR-Crosley Ford F-150. Stages 30-30-74 laps made up the 134-lap race but an overtime restart caused the race to go three laps longer than the advertised distance.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 30

    The action was intense from the get-go with playoff driver Ben Rhodes brushing the Turn 2 wall early on. The Kentucky native fell in the running order as far back as 20th when the first stage ended.

    Meanwhile, GMS Racing’s Sheldon Creed swiped the lead at the start of the race and held on to win the first stage. Following Creed were Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Zane Smith, Matt Crafton, Christian Eckes, Grant Enfinger, Johnny Sauter, Moffitt, and Todd Gilliland completing the Top 10.

    Stage 2: Lap 37 – Lap 60

    After the restart on Lap 37, a major wreck occurred off Turn 4 causing a seven-minute red flag. Multiple drivers were involved in the accident including some playoff drivers. Tyler Ankrum’s truck caught on fire after breaking a fuel line and we saw his No. 26 truck go up in flames. Other involved were Talladega winner Raphael Lessard, David Gravel, Parker Kligerman, Tanner Gray, Clay Greenfield, Ben Rhodes, Dawson Cram, and Trevor Bayne.

    During the red flag, Rhodes’ team was penalized for having too many crew members over the wall as they were repairing the truck during the damaged vehicle policy. The penalty ultimately ended Rhodes’s shot of winning the race, and he eventually wound up 20th, three laps down. With just two races left before the championship race at Phoenix, the Kentucky native faces a must-win situation moving forward at Texas and Martinsville.

    Following the red flag, a few battles for the lead ensued. Zane Smith grabbed the lead from Austin Hill on Lap 48 but Creed was back out front (Lap 54) for the Stage 2 victory, sweeping both of the stages. Zane Smith, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Eckes, Crafton, Gilliland, Sauter, Moffitt, and Enfinger rounded out the Top 10.

    Prior to the conclusion of Stage 2, playoff drivers Christian Eckes and Austin Hill made major contact after Eckes tried avoiding the lap truck of Jennifer Jo Cobb on the frontstretch which caused Hill’s team to have a long pit stop to fix the damage during the Stage 2 break.

    Stage 3: Lap 67 – Lap 139

    With 52 laps to go, Zane Smith passed teammate Sheldon Creed for the lead. Smith maintained the lead for the longest time until the final round of the green-flag pit stops occurred with 34 laps to go. Following Smith’s, and Moffitt’s pit stops, both GMS Racing teammates battled each other on the apron. Smith held Moffitt briefly before Moffitt had the top spot.

    However, during the initial cycle, Moffitt was unable to check out which allowed Smith to close back in and take the lead again with 10 laps to go. Smith looked as though he had the race in the bag but Moffitt came back and challenged again. Unfortunately for Smith, Moffitt came down to block for the lead, but it was a little too much as Smith ended up sliding sideways into Turn(s) 3 and 4 causing an overtime restart.

    Even with the overtime restart, Moffitt scored his 12th career victory and is now locked into the Championship 4 for the third consecutive year since 2018. Zane Smith finished in the 11th position after the contact.

    “I think that was our ticket to Phoenix right there,” Smith said after the contact with Moffitt. “I felt like, I’ve really been stepping it up at the track for sure. I don’t know if that showed at the track today, but it was just whoever could work through lap traffic at the end. I got him (Moffitt) and pulled away a little bit, then he (Moffitt) got to me and did a slider. I had a big run down the hill and he (Moffitt) hit my right-front pretty hard. Luckily, I was able to save the truck off the fence.”

    There were four cautions for 24 laps and 13 lead changes among nine different drivers.

    Moffitt led twice for 15 laps en route to victory.

    Updated Playoffs standings

    1. Brett Moffitt, Locked into the Championship 4
    2. Sheldon Creed, +26 above the cut line
    3. Austin Hill, +19 above the cut line
    4. Zane Smith, +7 above the cut line
      Below the cut line
    5. Grant Enfinger, -7
    6. Matt Crafton, -15
    7. Ben Rhodes, -33
    8. Tyler Ankrum, -56

    Official Results following the Clean Harbors 200 at Kansas Speedway.

    1. Brett Moffitt, led 15 laps, locked into Championship 4
    2. Sheldon Creed, (Playoff driver) led 61 laps, won both stages
    3. Austin Hill, (Playoff driver), led 13 laps
    4. Grant Enfinger, (Playoff driver), led one lap
    5. Chandler Smith, led one lap
    6. Christian Eckes, led seven laps
    7. Timothy Peters
    8. Matt Crafton, (Playoff driver)
    9. Derek Kraus
    10. Trevor Bayne
    11. Zane Smith, (Playoff driver), led 37 laps
    12. Ryan Truex, 1 lap down
    13. Todd Gilliland, 1 lap down
    14. Tyler Hill, 1 lap down
    15. Parker Kligerman, 1 lap down
    16. Hailie Deegan, 1 lap down
    17. Tate Fogleman, 1 lap down
    18. Johnny Sauter, 1 lap down, led one lap
    19. Austin Wayne Self, 2 laps down
    20. Ben Rhodes, (Playoff driver), 3 laps down
    21. Danny Bohn, 3 laps down
    22. Spencer Boyd, 4 laps down
    23. Dawson Cram, 4 laps down
    24. Colin Garrett, 4 laps down
    25. Clay Greenfield, 5 laps down
    26. Ray Ciccarelli, 6 laps down
    27. Josh Bilicki, 7 laps down
    28. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 9 laps down
    29. Jordan Anderson, 12 laps down
    30. Norm Benning, OUT, Vibration
    31. Tim Viens, OUT, Fuel Pump
    32. Raphael Lessard, OUT, Crash
    33. Tyler Ankrum, (Playoff driver) OUT, Crash
    34. David Gravel, OUT, Crash
    35. Tanner Gray, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will visit Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 25 scheduled for noon ET on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Weekend schedule for Kansas 2

    Weekend schedule for Kansas 2

    This week the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series travel to Kansas Speedway to begin the Playoffs Round of 8.

    The ARCA Series will begin the weekend activities Friday night with the Speediatrics 150. Saturday will feature both the Truck and Xfinity Series while the Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 is set for Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Oct. 16

    6 p.m.: ARCA Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation – 100 laps/150 miles – FS1, MRN

    Saturday, Oct. 17

    4 p.m.: Truck Series Clean Harbors 200 (Stages 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles) FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Chandler Smith

    7 p.m.: Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles) NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Noah Gragson

    Sunday, Oct. 18

    2:30 p.m.: Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 (Stages 80/160/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles) NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Chase Elliott

  • Raphael Lessard scores first career Truck Series victory at Talladega

    Raphael Lessard scores first career Truck Series victory at Talladega

    Albeit a last-lap crash that ended the Chevrolet Silverado 250 under caution, Raphael Lessard and Kyle Busch Motorsports utilized strategy to ride around the back of the filed before coming through to the front to collect his first Truck Series checkered flag in only his 24th start.

    “Oh my gosh, that was awesome,” Lessard said. “First of all, I just want to thank everyone at home, my team, Kyle Busch Motorsports. I can’t believe it. It’s just my second superspeedway race. To get my first Truck series win here is amazing. I don’t know who was behind me but he gave me a heck of a push. I can’t thank him enough. He pushed me as hard as I could and I was just along for the ride.

    “The caution came out at the right time. I’m so happy. I got to do a burnout after the win. I’m hoping I can do some more.” 

    Prior to the final race in the Round of 10 for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs race, two crew chiefs were ejected for a violation regarding vent holes in pre-race inspection. Those crew chiefs were the No. 52 of Trip Bruce for Stewart Friesen and the No. 9 of Doug George for Codie Rohrbaugh. Bruce was replaced by former Cup Series crew chief Jonathan Leonard, as Mark Huff, the General Manager for CR7 Motorsports, replaced George in the role.

    Meanwhile, Kaz Grala subbed in for Natalie Decker in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports entry after Decker was not cleared to participate, due to medical reasons. Stages 20, 20 and 54 made up the 94-lap event.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

    Through the first 10 laps or so of the first stage, the race was relatively calm. Unfortunately for playoff contender Grant Enfinger, the Alabaman suffered a left-rear tire rub on Lap 8, which forced him to pit as the tire eventually went flat. Though, the first caution flew on Lap 14, when several trucks were involved in a big crash in Turns 3 and 4. Those collected in the accident were Tate Fogleman, Joe Nemechek, Korbin Forrister, Zane Smith, Austin Wayne Self, Chase Purdy, Danny Bohn, Dawson Cram, Clay Greenfield, and Stewart Friesen.

    Playoff driver Zane Smith would be out of the race early and had to wait and watch for the duration of the race to see if he would advance to the Round of 8.

    The restart came with two to go but no more incidents were seen in the stage, which saw Las Vegas race winner Austin Hill take the stage victory. Gilliland, Eckes, Rhodes, Creed, Chandler Smith, Dean, Ankrum, Moffitt, and Tanner Gray completed the Top 10.

    During the stage break, Eckes was penalized for being too fast on pit road and Creed clinched a playoff spot in the next round with help of his points cushion.

    Stage 2: Lap 25 – Lap 40

    The majority of the second stage was green until Lap 38, just two laps before the stage ended. Gus Dean in the No. 56 had his race end early when the No. 15 of Tanner Gray came down on Dean too soon off Turn 4 which caused Dean to go sliding and hitting the inside wall.

    The stage ultimately ended under caution and Derek Kraus in the No. 19 Toyota grabbed the stage win. Sauter, Chandler Smith, Hill, Moffitt, Rhodes, Gilliland, Creed, Ankrum, and Crafton rounded out the Top 10 stage finishers for Stage 2.

    By virtue of his finishing position through the first two stages, Moffitt clinched a playoff spot in the Round of 8.

    Before the final stage restart, the Kyle Busch Motorsports trucks of Smith, Eckes, and Lessard came back down pit road to ride in the back for a little while.

    Stage 3: Lap 44 – Lap 94

    Another accident was seen on Lap 47 when the No. 15 of Gray crashed on the backstretch. Playoff driver Todd Gilliland blew up as well, which ended his championship hopes, and was out of the Playoffs. Fox Sports 1’s replay showed that Gray had some small help from the No. 16 of Austin Hill. Meanwhile, the No. 98 of Enfinger was finally back on the lead lap by receiving the free pass, after spending most of the race two laps down.

    During the caution flag, Lessard was penalized for being too fast on pit road.

    As the 250-mile race neared its end, race teams started to make their final pit stops with 30 laps to go with Austin Hill being the first to pit. Unfortunately for Hill, the Georgia native was too fast on pit road and had to serve a penalty.

    While most of the lead lap trucks had pitted, two drivers, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Bryan Dauzat, were playing pit strategy by staying out and hoping for a late caution flag. However, as normally happens in racing, plans don’t always go according to plan. The lead pack caught up to Jo Cobb with 12 laps to go and Sheldon Creed was back up front.

    Creed’s lead was short-lived, however, as the Californian had a right-rear tire go flat, leaving debris on the racetrack and causing a yellow flag with eight laps to go.

    The final restart came with two to go, with Stewart Friesen and Tyler Ankrum restarting on the front row. Eventual race winner, Lessard, restarted in the third position.

    Once the drivers entered the backstretch on the final lap, the trucks started to wiggle back and forth due to the bump drafting, including Lessard’s. But the drafting became too much for some as a crash broke out behind the race leaders and the race ended under yellow due to the crash.

    There was some confusion as to who the winner was based on the timing of the yellow, and whether it was Trevor Bayne or Lessard out front. After a few moments, NASCAR determined that Raphael Lessard was the winner of the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    There were five cautions for 24 laps and 14 lead changes among 10 different leaders.

    Unfortunately for drivers Christian Eckes and Todd Gilliland, both drivers were eliminated from the Playoffs.

    Round of 8 Playoff Standings

    1. Austin Hill, +12
    2. Sheldon Creed, +12
    3. Zane Smith, +6
    4. Grant Enfinger, +4
    5. Brett Moffitt, -3
    6. Ben Rhodes, -3
    7. Matt Crafton, -10
    8. Tyler Ankrum, -16

    Official Results following the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    1. Raphael Lessard
    2. Trevor Bayne, led one lap
    3. Chandler Smith, led one lap
    4. Ben Rhodes (Playoff driver)
    5. Codie Rohrbaugh
    6. Jordan Anderson
    7. Brett Moffitt (Playoff driver), led 13 laps
    8. Matt Crafton (Playoff driver)
    9. Kaz Grala
    10. Derek Kraus, won Stage 2, led 19 laps
    11. Johnny Sauter, led 11 laps
    12. Sheldon Creed (Playoff driver), led 10 laps
    13. Grant Enfinger (Playoff driver)
    14. Clay Greenfield
    15. Bayley Currey
    16. Tyler Ankrum (Playoff driver)
    17. Stewart Friesen, led six laps
    18. Christian Eckes, led six laps, Eliminated from Playoff contention, OUT, Accident
    19. Austin Hill (Playoff driver), led 11 laps, OUT, Accident
    20. Austin Wayne Self, 1 lap down
    21. Bryan Dauzat, 1 lap down
    22. Norm Benning, 1 lap down
    23. Josh Reaume, 1 lap down
    24. Jennifer Jo Cobb, led 16 laps, 2 laps down
    25. Jason White, 2 laps down
    26. Robby Lyons, 2 laps down
    27. Ray Ciccarelli, 6 laps down
    28. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Engine, Eliminated from Playoff Contention
    29. Tanner Gray, OUT, Accident
    30. Gus Dean, OUT, Accident
    31. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Accident
    32. Chase Purdy, OUT, Accident
    33. Zane Smith (Playoff driver), OUT, Accident
    34. Danny Bohn, OUT, Accident
    35. Dawson Cram, OUT, Accident
    36. Korbin Forrister, OUT, Accident
    37. Joe Nemechek, OUT, Accident
    38. Spencer Boyd, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will take a week off before returning to Kansas Speedway for the third time this season to mark the beginning of the Round of 8 Playoffs.