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  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continued their championship stretch Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. It wasn’t a surprise as to who the winner was, clinching a spot in the Championship 4.

    Here’s a look at the power rankings from Texas.

    1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter continued his recent success at Texas Friday night by winning and advancing to Homestead-Miami for another shot at the championship. He placed second and ninth, respectively, in Stages 1 and 2. Sauter regained the lead on Lap 135 and held off a hard charging Austin Cindric for his 16th career Truck Series win and fourth career track win at Texas.
    2. Austin Cindric – Cindric had another strong showing Friday night by placing in the second position. After starting sixth, he was consistently in the top 10 most of the night when finishing third and seventh in both stages. Cindric even led once for 36 laps, but ultimately finished .170 seconds behind race winner Johnny Sauter. Currently, he sits fourth, -50 points behind first and is right on the cutoff line for advancing to Homestead. Nonetheless, a great showing by the No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing team, who is closing their doors at the end of the season.
    3. Justin Haley – Haley only had one previous start at Texas, which came in the June race and finished sixth. On Friday afternoon, he qualified on the pole, securing his first ever career pole position in the Truck Series. He did not place in the top 10 at all during both stages, but with pit strategy, Haley worked his way up and finished fifth, giving him his third top five of the season.
    4. Christopher Bell – Somewhat of a decent showing for Bell and the No. 4 JBL Tundra team. After winning the June race, it was expected for him to be up front and challenging for the win, however, Bell came up just two spots short. Bell dominated the first stage by winning and placed third in the second stage. He led twice for 20 laps and finished third.
    5. Chase Briscoe – The other BKR teammate was also in the top five Friday night, finishing in the fourth position. Briscoe started 10th but had a difficult truck to work with after not scoring in the top 10 in both stages. With the help of his crew and adjustments made during pit-stops, Briscoe rallied to a fourth-place finish, earning his eighth top-five finish in 2017.
  • Johnny Sauter Earns Hendrick Motorsports Engine Department’s 400TH NASCAR Victory at Texas

    Johnny Sauter Earns Hendrick Motorsports Engine Department’s 400TH NASCAR Victory at Texas

    FORT WORTH – (November 3, 2017) – With tonight’s victory in the JAG Metals 350 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS), Johnny Sauter, piloting the ISM Connect GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado, earned Hendrick Motorsports Engine Department’s 400th NASCAR victory. This is Sauter’s 16th Career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) victory and fourth trip to Winner’s Circle at TMS.

    “I’ve just got to thank everyone at GMS on our ISM Connect Chevrolet,” said Sauter. “This marks Hendrick horsepower’s 400th win tonight. Now we look to Homestead to try and win another championship.”

    Since the first engine was built at Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and the architects in the Hendrick Engine Department have worked together to create quality, reliable and dependable powerplants that have carried a bevy of drivers to poles, wins and championships in all of NASCAR’s elite divisions.

    “Congratulations to Rick Hendrick and everyone in the engine shop on their 400th NASCAR win,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles, and Motorsports. “Four hundred trips to Victory Lane is an incredible accomplishment. It serves as a testament to all of the hard work by Rick and the team at Hendrick Motorsports Engine Department over the years. They have been consistently great day-in and day-out for a long time. We are very proud that all of those 400 wins have been in Chevrolets.”

    Connect with Team Chevy on social media. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TeamChevy, follow us on Twitter @TeamChevy, add +TeamChevy into your Google+ circles and follow us on Instagram TeamChevy.
    Team Chevy racing photos are available at:

    About Chevrolet:
    Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Texas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs continues this Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway for the second race in the Round of 6. It’s crunch time for the drivers who are in the Playoffs.

    With Noah Gragson winning last weekend, a non-playoff driver, no one is locked in yet this weekend, so everyone will be on their game because as we’ve seen in previous years, anything can happen.

    Let’s breakdown on who’s hot and who might lock themselves into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami.

    There are 32 trucks on the preliminary entry list for Friday night’s JAG’s Metal 350.

    In the past five fall races, there have been four different winners and one repeat winner, Johnny Sauter in 2012 and 2016.

    Starting position is crucial to stay up front all night. The lowest a winner has ever come from at Texas is 16th done by Sauter in the previous fall race.

      1. Matt Crafton – Crafton is looking for a little redemption after coming up one spot short to race winner Gragson at Martinsville. In five races, he has posted one win, four top fives and five top 10 finishes, with 258 laps led and an average finishing position of 3.6. This could be the race that propels Crafton to the Championship 4. He is the best among active drivers stat wise.
      2. Christopher Bell – Texas is a great track for Bell. He is the previous June winner of the race. However, in the fall race, he finished 11th. Other stats include one top five and two top 10 finishes in four races, leaving him with a 13.0 average finish.
      3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter is another driver to look out for at the 1.5-mile track. In 2012 and 2016, he won the fall races. By winning last year’s race, Sauter was able to go the Championship 4 at Homestead. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he claims the race win Friday night.
      4. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes might be a surprise in the Lone Star State this weekend. In the 2016 fall race, he finished 15th, however, not to be denied is the fact that he has one top five and top 10 finish. Rhodes ended up in victory lane earlier this season at the 1.5 mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Look for him to be a contender Friday night.
      5. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe only has one start here, but in that one start, he finished second on a last-lap pass in June. He finished sixth and second in Stages 1 and 2, respectively. After being knocked out of the Round of 8, Briscoe is looking to end the year strong with wins for Brad Keselowski Racing before they end up closing their doors for good at the completion of the 2017 season.

    The trucks will hit the track for final practice on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET with no television coverage. Qualifying is slated for Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET on FS1 with race coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET, both on FS1 and MRN Radio. The green flag is scheduled for 8:18 p.m. ET.

  • Austin Wayne Self ready for Texas-sized performance in Lone Star State

    Austin Wayne Self ready for Texas-sized performance in Lone Star State

    FORT WORTH, Texas – Just days after being announced as a full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver for Niece Motorsports next season, Austin Wayne Self (@AustinWSelf) heads to Texas Motor Speedway for this Friday night’s JAG Metals 350 with confidence on his side.

    Self, a native of Austin, Texas is hoping that confidence carries from the garage to inside his No. 45 United Sorghum Checkoff Program / Don’t Mess with Texas Chevrolet.

    “I’ve been waiting to get back to Texas Motor Speedway,” said Self. “We had a really good truck there in the Spring and got tangled in a last lap accident and finished 12th. I wasn’t sure what kind of race that new asphalt would permit, but it really turned into a fun and competitive race.

    “For me, there’s a lot of good things happening and I’d like to go back to Texas and finish what we started and see if we can get our Niece Motorsports Chevrolet inside the top-10 at the end of the night.”

    Feeling confident about his race truck for the penultimate intermediate track of the season, Self is proud to bring a new marketing partner to his Truck Series team for the 147-lap race.

    The Texas Grain Sorghum Board and the United Sorghum Checkoff Program will serve as the primary marketing partners for Self’s fourth trip to Texas Motor Speedway.

    In the ethanol industry, the United Sorghum Checkoff Program is focusing on developing direct awareness of the benefits of using sorghum as a fuel and feedstock.

    Renewable fuel, which includes ethanol, serves as the foundation of demand for the sorghum industry. Ethanol producers typically use about one-third (approximately 120 million bushels) of the sorghum crop to produce clean-burning, high octane fuel.

    The Sorghum Checkoff’s renewables program is focused on expanding and developing opportunities for sorghum growers within the renewables space through a combination of research and market development.

    Last year, sorghum was planted across about 1.9 million acres in Texas with millions of bushels harvested. Texas was second in the top-five sorghum-producing states in 2016.

    “As we work harder to provide a healthier environment, I’m proud to have the support of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program and the Texas Grain Sorghum Board for Friday night’s race at Texas,” said Self.

    “They are doing so much to help fuel America by creating jobs and trying to preserve the world we live in, along with its resources, for future generations to come. I plan to try to educate my fans as much as possible, so they know just how much sorghum has been an influence to make ethanol a clean-burning, high octane fuel and its connection to NASCAR.

    “I’ve learned a lot the last few weeks and I never realized all of the uses for sorghum.  I’m especially impressed that sorghum uses 1/3 less water and produces the same amount of ethanol per gallon compared to other ethanol producing plants.

    “It’s all very neat and I look forward to promoting its use.”

    Knowing that under the right circumstances, Friday night’s Truck race has the opportunity to become a fuel mileage race – his new association puts everything into perspective.

    “You never know what kind of race you’re going to get at Texas,” said Self. “You can have a fast-paced race with hardly any cautions or you can have a very active race where cautions wave frequently.

    “It’s anyone’s guess.”

    Looking for his fourth career top-10 finish in Truck Series competition, Self says it’s important to stay in the spotlight, especially at his hometown race.

    “In a way, this is like my Daytona 500,” he explained. “We have a bunch of guests, friends and marketing partners who come to the track and root for us. I’m very fortunate to have a great group of Texas-based marketing partners who would like to see us deliver a top-10 run, and believe me that’s on our agenda!”

    In addition to The Texas Grain Sorghum Board, Don’t Mess with Texas, AM Technical Solutions, GO TEXAN, B&D Industries Inc., Superior Essex and Accu-Tech will serve as associate marketing partners for Self’s 38th career NCWTS race.

    In 15 races this season driving for AM Racing, Martins Motorsports and Niece Motorsports, Self earned a career-best second place performance in the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and earned an additional top-10 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, both finishes driving for AM Racing. Overall, Self has earned one top-five, two top-10, seven top-15 and 11 top-20 finishes respectively.

    The JAG Metals 350 (147 laps / 220.5 miles) is the 21st of 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2017 schedule. Practice begins on Thurs., Nov. 2 from 2:00 p.m. – 2:55 p.m., with a final practice session set for 4:00 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Nov. 3 beginning at 3:00 p.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are Central (CT).

    To learn about the Texas Grain Sorghum Board and the United Sorghum Checkoff Program and its benefits, please visit sorghumcheckoff.com

    For more information on Don’t mess with Texas and how you can become involved in the program, visit dontmesswithtexas.org.

    For more on Niece Motorsports, please visit niecemotorsports.com.

    To learn more information on AM Racing please visit amracingteam.com.

    For more on Austin Wayne Self and AM Racing, please visit awsracing.com, like his Facebook page (Austin Wayne Self) or follow him on Twitter @AustinWSelf.

    About Don’t mess with Texas:

    TxDOT’s Don’t mess with Texas litter prevention campaign has been educating Texans about litter prevention since 1986. For more information, visit dontmesswithtexas.org. Don’t mess with Texas is a registered trademark and service mark owned by the Texas Department of Transportation.

    About the Texas Grain Sorghum Board and The United Sorghum Checkoff Program:

    In the ethanol industry, the United Sorghum Checkoff Program is focusing on developing direct awareness of the benefits of using sorghum as a fuel and feedstock.

    Sorghum is truly a versatile crop that can be grown as a grain, forage or sweet crop. The United States is the world’s largest producer of grain sorghum, having produced 480 million bushels in 2016.

    The United Sorghum Checkoff Program commits to efficiently invest checkoff dollars to increase producer profitability and enhance the sorghum industry.

    About Niece Equipment:

    For over 30 years, Niece Equipment has provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Their reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability.

    Each of their water and fuel/lube trucks are engineered with quality and durability in mind. Niece Equipment’s capability ranges from 2,000 gallon water trucks to 12,000 gallon water towers. The fuel/lube trucks they offer range from 600 to 4,000 gallons.

    Niece Equipment has three locations in Fort Scott, Kansas, Irving, Tex. and Buda, Tex.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    NASCAR heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend with all three national series as the Playoffs continue. The Truck Series hits the track Friday for the JAG Metals 350 followed by the XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Saturday night. The Cup Series closes out the action Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBCSN with the AAA Texas 500.

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Nov. 2

    On-Track:
    3-3:55 p.m.: World Truck Series Practice (Follow Live)
    5-5:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice (Follow Live)

    Friday, Nov. 3
    On-Track:
    1-2:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    3-3:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    4 p.m.: Truck Series Texas Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    5-5:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App
    6:15 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBC Sports App (Will air tape delayed on NBCSN at 11:30 p.m.)
    8 p.m.: Truck Series JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief (147 laps, 220.5 miles) – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    12:30 p.m.: Cup Series
    2:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    11 a.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appreci88tion
    11:30 a.m.: Erik Jones
    11:45 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    Noon: Ryan Blaney
    12:15 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    12:40 p.m.: Cole Custer, Brennan Poole, Matt Tifft
    3:15 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    3:45 p.m.: Richard Petty Motorsports announcement
    7:15 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, Nov. 4

    On-Track:
    3-3:55 p.m.: Cup Series Second Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    5-5:50 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    6:05 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    8:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    11 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    Sunday, Nov. 5

    On-Track:
    2 p.m.: Cup Series AAA Texas 500 (334 laps, 501 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.)

    Complete TV Schedule

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Race Details:

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 
    Race: JAG Metals 350
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Friday, Nov. 3
    Time: 8 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 220.5 miles (147 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 147)

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
    Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    Race: AAA Texas 500
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
    Time: 2 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio                   
    Distance: 501 miles (334 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 334)

     

  • Four Takeaways From the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Martinsville

    Four Takeaways From the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Martinsville

    It was quite the action-packed race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this past weekend at Martinsville. Here are four takeaways from that event before they head off to Texas this weekend.

    1. Noah Gragson breaks through at Martinsville – The young 20-year-old finally broke through at the famed Martinsville Speedway. Gragson had a quiet race for the most part by finishing in the top 10 in both stages. As the final restart happened with 10 to go, he made a power move on the outside of Matt Crafton to win his first ever career Truck Series win. Gragson now looks to continue that momentum at Texas Friday night, where he previously finished seventh there in June.
    2. Mason Diaz Gets An A for Effort – Diaz made his first ever career truck series start Saturday afternoon after qualifying a solid ninth. The truck owned by Jerry Brown played some various strategies throughout the race as he finished eighth in Stage 1. However, Diaz would wind up finishing 23rd after having a strong truck earlier in the day. Still, not a bad day for his first start at Martinsville.
    3. Cale Gale Returned – It was great seeing Cale Gale back in the truck series driving the No. 99 for Matthew Miller. The last time he made a start was four years ago at Homestead where he finished 10th. Gale finished 10th in Stage 1, before ultimately finishing 18th.
    4.  Chase Briscoe Finished A Disappointing 19th – After finishing ninth and fifth in Stages 1 and 2, respectively, Briscoe was caught up in an accident with Justin Haley in Turn 1 on Lap 138. He went a lap down after the incident and never could fight his way back to the lead lap and challenge for the win. Briscoe wound up 19th when the checkered flag flew.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Martinsville

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Martinsville

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was back in action this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway to kick off the Round of 6 and the final stretch for the championship run at Homestead-Miami.

    Here’s a look at who did well.

    1. Noah Gragson – The 19-year old finally scored his first career win this weekend in style. He qualified fifth and did well in the first stage by placing fifth. In the second stage, Gragson wound up third behind Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton. On the final restart, Gragson restarted second on the outside of Crafton and passed him with a power move to lead the final 10 laps to score win number one at the famous half-mile track.
    2. Matt Crafton – The 2015 winner fell one spot short on the final restart, to eventual race winner, Noah Gragson. Before that, however, Crafton dominated Stage 1 by winning and leading the most laps. In Stage 2, it was the other way around as he finished second. Crafton had the lead until Gragson passed him on the outside with 10 to go for the restart and settled for second. He wound up leading the most laps with 102 and earning one playoff point.
    3. Johnny Sauter – It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Sauter in the top five or top three at Martinsville. He placed second and first, respectively, in Stages 1 and 2. He battled for the lead late, but at the end of the day, the 2016 champion finished third after leading 33 laps.
    4. Stewart Friesen – The Canadian driver had another solid run this season by finishing sixth. It’s great to see this out of a team that doesn’t normally compete regularly for the win. It was Friesen’s third-best finish of his career. He placed ninth as well in Stage 2.
    5. Kaz Grala – Just because you’re eliminated from competing for the championship, it doesn’t mean that you’re done competing for the race win. This was shown Saturday afternoon as Grala started eighth and finished sixth in Stage 1, and 13th in Stage 2 after pit stops. By the end of the checkered flag, Kaz placed seventh to score his ninth top 10 of the year.
  • Five Of The Six Truck Series Playoff Drivers Have Solid Day At Martinsville

    Five Of The Six Truck Series Playoff Drivers Have Solid Day At Martinsville

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicked-off its Round of 6 this past Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, thus setting off a four-race stretch to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Five of the six drivers all placed in the top 10.

    The first of the five was Matt Crafton. Crafton started second and finished second after leading 102 laps and winning the first stage. He lost the lead on the final restart to eventual race winner, Noah Gragson, who passed him on the outside after the restart. Crafton now sits third -15.

    Johnny Sauter finishing third shouldn’t be a surprise in the truck series, especially at Martinsville where his team was the defending race winner. He started the race out strong by qualifying fourth. In Stage 1, he placed second. Stage 2 was basically flip-flopped as Sauter won it and Crafton finished second. Sauter would challenge for the win multiple times but settled for third. He is only three points behind in the playoff standings.

    “We had a good day, just didn’t execute when we needed to,” Sauter said. “It’s unfortunate, but we had a fast ISM Connect Chevy. Joe did a good job; all the guys at GMS did a great job. We had a fast truck on that first run but that adjustment we made just wasn’t the right one I guess. Nonetheless, I still think track position is king. You get out in clean air and it’s dominant. I feel like anymore, everyone runs the same speed, so when you give up seven spots it’s pretty tough to overcome. But with that being said I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself, it happens, I can’t be mad about it. Despite it all, it was a good points day and we’re just getting started in what I believe is the part of the schedule that really plays into our strengths.”

    Next up on the list is a driver who has been dominant all year long and in the Round of 8, Christopher Bell. He had somewhat of a decent showing by finishing eighth after getting spun earlier in the race on lap 123, bringing out the fourth caution. The Norman, Oklahoma driver scored another top 10 finish and is currently leading the playoff standings.

    “I don’t know, our JBL Tundra was really, really strong throughout the second stage,” Bell said. ” I don’t know, other than that second stage we struggled to get going, but I’m not really sure what happened getting into (turn) three there. I thought I left Matt (Crafton) enough room, but overall it was not the day we wanted, but we were able to salvage a good finish out of it and got some stage points in the second stage. We’ll move on to Texas (Motor Speedway) and hopefully be a lot better than we were today.”

    The Las Vegas winner, Ben Rhodes, scored his 12th top 10 finish of the year and is fourth in the standings, -34 points. He is certainly not out of it yet, but will most likely have to get a few more stage wins and a victory to get to Homestead.  Rhodes had a solid showing of ninth after starting third, but it was earned the hard way.

    “Yeah, we survived, but just barely,” Rhodes said. ” I didn’t survive in the position that I wanted to survive in. I wish we were a little bit further up. The whole race was a little bit frustrating. We had a top-five truck, I felt like. We ran up there the whole day. I feel like we made a bad call on pit strategy because we came in, and everybody else stayed out. Then that just put us in the back, and we just got knocked into the wall – bounced around like a pinball. All-in-all, our Safelite Tundra was fast, we just didn’t get back up through the field like we wanted to, and we saw that with a lot of trucks today. I feel like maybe we missed it on pit strategy, just a little bit. We probably could have had a little bit better day, but overall still an okay day for points. Just always wish it could be a little better.”

    Austin Cindric rounds out the five playoff contenders having a decent showing at Martinsville. The Columbus, Ohio driver earned his 13th top 10 finish of the year by finishing 10th. He now sits fifth, -45 from first. Cindric placed seventh in Stage 1, did not finish in the top 10 in Stage 2 but came home in the top 10.

    “It was a solid finish by our Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford F-150 team and we moved up one spot in the championship standings,” Cindric said. “I’m happy with it. We have a pretty clean truck, all things considered. I think we got the most out of it today and we need to keep having races like this.”

    The Camping World Truck Series heads to the mid-west this Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway for the JAGS Metals 350.

     

  • KBM Drivers Gilliland and Burton Earn Top Five Finishes at Martinsville

    KBM Drivers Gilliland and Burton Earn Top Five Finishes at Martinsville

    Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates Todd Gilliland and Harrison Burton both had a great day in the Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway and even had some fun racing with each other, as well.

    First off, Burton qualified in 10th place, his best career starting position, for the second time. By having a strong truck contending for the win, he finished 10th in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2. After various pit strategies and stops, the Huntersville, North Carolina scored a career-best finish of fourth.

    ““I just want to say how proud I am of my whole team,” Burton said. “We unloaded on Friday with a fast truck, we qualified well and we raced even better. Martinsville has given me trouble in the past, but I think I learned a lot from my previous races here and it showed today. Everyone at KBM worked hard to bring me a fast No. 51 DEX Imaging Tundra for my final race of the season and I’m happy with my fourth-place finish.”

    In just his fifth race, Gilliland had scored his second career-best finish. He fell behind in Stage 1 when he made a pit stop to allow the crew to fix his truck and finished 15th in the first stage.

    Stage 2 was much better for the 17-year-old. After restarting ninth, he would quietly finish in the seventh position. When all was said and done, the scoring pylon showed Gilliland fifth right behind his teammate, Burton. It was Gilliland’s second-best career finish.

    “It was a good day for our Pedigree Toyota Kyle Busch Motorsports team,” Gilliland said. “We struggled really bad in the beginning and then made some really good changes to be able to battle up there into the top five. I’m really proud of this whole KBM team – Pedigree, Toyota coming on board and helping to get us here. It’s fun racing teammates up there. I just wish we were a little further ahead but really happy to get a fifth-place finish here at Martinsville.”

  • Tyler Young Eyes Big Performance in Lone Star State

    Tyler Young Eyes Big Performance in Lone Star State

    FORT WORTH, Texas – Saddling up for his eighth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start of the season, veteran Tyler Young (@TylerYoung02) is aiming for his second consecutive top-10 performance in Friday night’s JAG Metals 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Young, a native of Midland, Texas heads to the Lone Star State on the heels of his best finish of the season two races ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where despite being collected in a massive last-lap pileup, he was credited with a 10th place finish.

    Knowing that his Young’s Motorsports team brought their best superspeedway truck to the plate for Talladega, he’s leaning on crew chief Chad Kendrick to do the same with a brand-new truck for Friday night’s penultimate intermediate race of the season.

    “I always enjoy going back to Texas,” said Young. “It’s a big race for me and my family. We’ve been fortunate to have some good runs there – but we’ve raised the stakes a little bit this weekend knowing we’re bringing a new truck.

    “I know we’ll probably have to work some of the bugs out during the first practice, but that final practice session – a little closer to qualifying and race time will be crucial for our team to get steered in the right direction. I feel like we can leave Texas with a strong finish.”

    For the second consecutive weekend, Young’s Motorsports will field two trucks in Truck Series competition. Austin Hill will remain buckled in the team’s flagship No. 02 truck, while Young is set to pilot the No. 20 Young’s Building Systems / Randco Industries Chevrolet.

    Last weekend Hill joined Jeb Burton in his Truck Series return at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Both trucks ran consistently in the top-20 before Burton suffered a mechanical failure late in the Texas Roadhouse 200.

    Hill went on to log a 16th place finish.

    “Experimenting with two teams is making our program more sound,” offered Young. “Long-term, we’d like Young’s Motorsports to become a more viable outlet for customers. “We’ve been able to make some gains during the season, but we’re not there yet.

    “Everyone is working hard and I’m very pleased with the shop atmosphere not only at the track but at the race track too. The time is here to hammer down and try and get ahead for 2018 and I’m hoping this new truck will lead us in that direction.”

    This weekend’s JAG Metals 350 will be the 26-year old’s 10th start at the 1.5-mile speedway.

    In his previous nine races, the Texan has earned a best finish of 14th twice, but Young is hoping to sway a recent string of bad luck at TMS and earn his sixth-career top-10 finish.

    “The repave has made the track a little sketchy at times,” sounded Young. “I think you’ll see this weekend that it may take a little while for the groove to widen out – but once it does, it should produce some great racing.

    “For me, we need to have a good run at Texas. It’s been a little bit since we’ve left there satisfied. For one reason or another, it just hasn’t worked in our favor. We were running pretty good in the spring – with my best qualifying effort at Texas, but had an engine failure shortly after halfway and that put a damper on our night.

    “I realize it’s still the Playoffs and I’m going to be respectful of my friends and competitors who are a part of that championship case – but we need to go out there and do our dance too. We definitely have the momentum to have a good show at Texas, I’m just hoping we can contend for another top-10 run when it’s all said and done.”

    In 77 career NCWTS starts, Young holds five top-10 finishes to his credit with a career-best sixth at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2016. A sixth-place qualifying effort at Eldora Speedway in July 2015 is his best time trials effort to date. Young’s Motorsports has competed on the tour since 2012.

    For more on Tyler Young, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com or click on his Facebook page. Young is also active on Twitter. You can follow and tweet with him @TylerYoung02.

    The JAG Metals 350 (147 laps / 220.5 miles) is the 21st of 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2017 schedule. Practice begins on Thurs., Nov. 2 from 2:00 p.m. – 2:55 p.m., with a final practice session is set for 4:00 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Nov. 3 beginning at 3:00 p.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are Central (CT).

    No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Texas Motor Speedway Fast Facts:

    Driver: Tyler Young (@TylerYoung02)

    Owner: Randy Young (Young’s Motorsports)

    Crew Chief: Chad Kendrick

    Truck Chief: Andrew Abbott

    Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado

    Engine Builder: Collins Engine Works