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Category: Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

  • Byron Punches Ticket to Truck Chase Second Round with Win at NHMS

    Byron Punches Ticket to Truck Chase Second Round with Win at NHMS

    LOUDON, N.H — Dominating doesn’t begin to describe the performance of William Byron at the UNOH 175 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    The 18-year-old rookie from Charlotte led 161 of the 175 laps on the way to his sixth Camping World Truck Series win of the season. With the victory in the first race of the Truck Series Chase, Byron advances to the second round.

    The only laps that Byron didn’t lead came after a caution for John Hunter Nemechek’s spin on lap 52. A different pit strategy put Byron, who took four tires, in sixth place for the restart behind the leader Cody Coughlin who stayed on the track to inherit the lead. Coughlin held the lead for three laps before Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Christopher Bell overtook him for the top spot. Eleven laps later, Byron recaptured the lead and held it throughout the rest of the race.

    Bell mounted a charge as Byron was negotiating lap traffic and cut the lead to a half second when they received the white flag, but Byron held on for the victory.

    Byron, Bell and Coughlin all drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    “We had a great truck all weekend,” said Byron. “We were fortunate enough to test here a couple months ago and came with the right mindset on what changes to make. Practice was really important to us. We executed well today and I’m just proud of this KBM team and Liberty University.”

    Team Owner Kyle Busch shared his advice for Byron as he headed into the first Truck Series Chase.

    “Go fast and turn left,” Busch joked in the media center. “William has done a good job with all the different obstacles that have been put in front of him. This is win number six, so it’s not anything new for this team to go to victory lane. ”

    Matt Crafton finished third, Tyler Reddick took home fourth and Timothy Peters rounded out the top-five.

    “Everyone at KBM did an awesome job this weekend,” Bell said after his second place finish. “The test we did here proved very helpful and I am proud of that. We tested at three racetracks that we have raced at so far and all three of them the KBM trucks have been excellent at. We were the second best truck here, but we needed a lot more to race for the win.”

    Crafton isn’t focusing on the Chase.

    “I raced this race like it was any other race,” said Crafton, a two-time Camping World Truck Series Champion. “If you go out there and do your job and all the ducks line up you have a shot. You can’t over-analyze it and over think it and make mistakes. We’re trying to take it one race at a time.”

    Cole Custer brought home sixth, Kaz Grala was seventh, Brett Moffitt came in eighth, John Hunter Nemechek was ninth and Johnny Sauter rounded out the top-1o.

    The Truck Chaser who had the worst day was Daniel Hemric who blew a tire on lap 25 which broke the brake line and put the Brad Keselowski Racing driver 48 laps down in 28th place.

    The Chase Standings after the UNOH 175

    1. William Byron
    2. Matt Crafton -16
    3. Christopher Bell -17
    4. John Hunter Nemechek -22
    5. Timothy Peters -24
    6. Johnny Sauter –26
    7. Ben Kennedy -27
    8. Daniel Hemric -47

    Following the race, the truck of John Hunter Nemechek failed post-race inspection for height requirements. Any penalties will probably be announced on Wednesday.

    The Camping World Truck Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the DC Solar 350 Saturday, Oct. 1.

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  • Byron Captures Pole for UNOH 175 at New Hampshire

    Byron Captures Pole for UNOH 175 at New Hampshire

    LOUDON, N.H — The way 2016 has gone for William Byron, there are few firsts that he has left to cross off of his list. But Saturday, the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver put his Liberty University Toyota Tundra on the pole for the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motorspeedway, scoring his first Camping World Truck Series career pole.

    Byron, who won five races during the Truck Series regular season and comes in as the points leader, is joined on the front row by fellow truck chaser Timothy Peters

    The rest of the top-12 include Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick in row two. Row three is held down by non-chasers Ben Rhodes and Brett Moffitt. Former series champion Matt Crafton is joined by Cameron Hayley on the fourth row. In row five it’s Kaz Grala and Johnny Sauter and in row six it is Austin Hill and Ben Kennedy.

    Two chasers didn’t make the final round of qualifying. Daniel Hemric rolls off 13th and John Hunter Nemechek starts 15th.

    Nemechek’s struggles started in round one when he was in the middle of his run and Stewart Friesen spun coming off of pit road and caused Nemechek to run an extra cycle of heat through his tires.

    Hemric was loose throughout his second round qualifying effort.

     

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  • Four Gears: Trucks and XFINITY, Hendrick Motorsports, Post-Race Inspection and Race Sponsors

    Four Gears: Trucks and XFINITY, Hendrick Motorsports, Post-Race Inspection and Race Sponsors

    Time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

    This week, our resident NASCAR analysts are asked to rate the regular season’s of both the Camping World Truck Series and XFINITY Series, if any of the Hendrick drivers will win in the remaining races, what their takeaways were from the post-race inspection failures this past weekend at Chicagoland and what are their thoughts on NASCAR and tracks bringing in children’s shows to sponsor races.

    FIRST GEAR: With the regular season’s for both the Truck and XFINITY Series in the books, how would you rate the racing in each series this season on a scale of 1 to 10?

    For the Truck Series, I give it an 8/10. The racing in the series has been truly amazing this season and only three of the events were won by Cup drivers. I won’t say every race was a barn burner, but they were few and far between. I would’ve given this season a 9/10 if not for the stupid caution clock.

    As for the XFINITY Series, I give it a 3/10. The series has been lackluster for many years now and it was at its worst this season. We saw some truly abysmal racing this season considering only three XFINITY Series regulars won a race this season. The rest were won by Sprint Cup Series drivers and Justin Marks at Mid-Ohio. The only reason it’s not a 1/10 is because of the five-race stretch from Iowa in July to Road America in August.

    With only one real standalone remaining this weekend at Kentucky Speedway, I don’t see it improving. — Tucker White

    The truck series has been good to great so far and was an 8. It’s a bunch of young guys fighting to get into the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series, and Matt Crafton is there too.

    XFINITY Series gets a 2. The Chase has too many people in it and the battle to get into it wasn’t really that dramatic, JGR has a complete stranglehold on the series and wins all of the races and all of the poles. The racing is boring and half the field has half the budget the other half does. It’s a mess of a series that desperately needs an overhaul. — Michael Finley

    SECOND GEAR: Three of the four Hendrick Motorsport cars finished in the top-10 this past Sunday and Jimmie Johnson had a strong car before a speeding penalty cost him a great finish. Will any of the Hendrick drivers win a race in the final nine races of the season?

    I’ll keep my answer short. History says Jimmie Johnson will win a race in the Chase. He’ll win a race before the season is over. — Tucker White

    If Hendrick comes out this weekend and is as strong as they were in Chicagoland, no question multiple Hendrick cars will win the next nine races. I’m not convinced yet either on this being a one race deal or a sign of things to come. — Michael Finley

    THIRD GEAR: The cars of Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson failed post-race LIS inspection, but neither were considered “encumbered” and won’t result in a P4 penalty or “loss of finishing benefits.” What’s your takeaway from this?

    I went into much greater detail about this following Sunday’s race, so I’ll just give you the cliff notes. I thought NASCAR inadvertently incentivized cheating with the wording in the rulebook regarding post-race LIS failure.

    Alas, this is definitely moot now, hopefully, with NASCAR announcing yesterday that LIS failures will now result in a P4 penalty. — Tucker White

    It’s NASCAR’s world and we live in it. If NASCAR’s rule book was a Wikipedia article, it would overtake the page on George W. Bush as the most edited page on the site in a couple of year’s time. — Michael Finley

    FOURTH GEAR: The last two years in the Sprint Cup Series has seen two races with entitlement sponsors of kids shows (the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway in May of 2015 and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway this past weekend). What are your thoughts on NASCAR and tracks doing this and what other ideas for race sponsors for attracting children would you suggest?

    Oh, I’m going to have so much fun with this one.

    Since we’re on a kick of sponsoring races based on products that were big in the 90’s, the next few should be the Pokémon 3oo at Suzuka, the Animaniacs 400 at Auto Club Speedway and my personal favorite, the Disney Afternoon 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

    We missed the boat on doing this in the early 2000’s. We could’ve had races like the Kim Possible 400 at Kansas Speedway, the Teen Titans/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway and the King of the Hill 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    At this point, I’m just waiting for the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    As to my thoughts on it, we got to get the kids in the seats somehow and this could be a great way to do so. I mean I got into NASCAR via a show called NASCAR Racers. — Tucker White

    One thing I love about those two sponsors that nobody brings up is their willingness to step up and partially sponsor cars on one race deals. It’s great that the small No. 95 team got some much-needed publicity at both races by featuring popular characters from the two franchises, and also probably received a nice little check for their efforts. As far as other race sponsors, I’d love to see a brand like Pokemon sponsor a race. Plenty of people of all ages like and play Pokemon, and they have literally hundreds of recognizable characters to market the brand with. — Michael Finley

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for New Hampshire and Kentucky

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for New Hampshire and Kentucky

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend while the XFINITY Series will compete at Kentucky Speedway. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Sept.23:

    On-Track at New Hampshire:
    11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    1:45-2:40 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice – FS1
    3:30-4:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    4:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Garage Cam at New Hampshire:
    11a.m.: Sprint Cup Series (Watch live)
    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series (Watch live)

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    10:15 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10:30 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    11 a.m.: John Hunter Nemechek
    11:15 a.m.: William Byron
    1:05 p.m.: Carl Edwards
    3 p.m.: Austin Dillon
    5:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post Qualifying (time approx.)

    On-Track at Kentucky:
    3:30-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    6-7:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Saturday, Sept. 24:

    On Track at New Hampshire:
    9-9:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Second Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    10:10 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175 (175 laps, 185.15 miles) – FS1

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    3 p.m.: Post Truck Series Race

    On Track at Kentucky:
    4:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    8 p.m.: XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Sunday, Sept. 25:

    On-Track at New Hampshire:
    2 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 (300 laps, 317.4 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conferences at New Hampshire: (Watch live)
    5 p.m.: Post Sprint Cup Race

     

     

  • Kyle Busch Puts on Clinic in Trucks in the Windy City

    Kyle Busch Puts on Clinic in Trucks in the Windy City

    Kyle Busch put on a dominant show in the Windy City as he scored the victory in the Truck Series regular season finale.

    Spencer Gallagher led the field to the green flag at 8:45 p.m. It only took until the third lap for William Byron to slam the wall and bring out the first caution of the race.

    After the race restarted on the ninth lap, Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez spent time in the lead before the caution clock expired and brought out the second caution on lap 46.

    After this, the caution started coming out more frequently without the aid of the caution clock. The third caution flew on lap 67 for William Byron slamming the wall a second time in Turn 3 and the fourth flew with 45 laps to go for Josh Berry going for a spin through the frontstretch grass.

    Ben Kennedy led the field to the restart with 41 laps to go but immediately lost the lead to Suarez. Busch took the lead with 39 laps to go before a multi-truck wreck brought out the fifth caution and a red flag. Kennedy got loose in Turn 2, came down the track, hit Ben Rhodes, bounced off Matt Crafton, turned back up the track and slammed the wall.

    The race restarted with 33 laps to go with Suarez retaking the lead as Grant Enfinger was sent spinning through the frontstretch grass.

    Busch controlled the rest of the race through Rhodes slamming the wall in Turn 2 with 26 to go, Tommy Joe Martins hitting the wall with 14 to go and John Wes Townley getting turned into the wall with six to go, to score the victory in Chicago.

    Busch, however, failed post-race inspection after measurements showed his No. 18 Toyota was too low in the rear. Any penalties will be announced next week.

    Daniel Hemric finished second in his No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford. Cameron Hayley overcame being penalized for removing equipment from his pit box near the beginning of the race to round out the podium in his No. 13 ThorSport Racing Toyota.

    Christopher Bell finished fourth in his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Johnny Sauter rounded out the top-five in his No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet.

    Enfinger overcame spinning out with just over 30 laps remaining to finish sixth in his No. 24 GMSR Chevrolet. Gallagher led eight laps on his way to a seventh-place finish in his No. 23 GMSR Chevrolet. Timothy Peters finished eighth in his No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota. Cole Custer overcame an early speeding penalty to finish ninth in his No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Tyler Reddick rounded out the top-10 in his No. 29 BKR Ford.

    The race lasted two hours, five minutes and five seconds at an average speed of 108.648 mph. There were 10 lead changes among five different drivers and 10 cautions for 41 laps.

    With the points reset, Byron will start the Truck Series Chase next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway as the points leader.

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  • Four Gears: Post-Race Inspection, Cole Custer, Ryan Newman and RCR

    Four Gears: Post-Race Inspection, Cole Custer, Ryan Newman and RCR

    Time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

    This week, our crack NASCAR analysts are asked if the recent changes made to post-race inspection are a good or bad thing and discuss whether Cole Custer can make his way into the Truck Series Chase with a win this weekend. We also discuss if Ryan Newman was out of line with his comments about Tony Stewart at Richmond and what the driver lineup will be next season at Richard Childress Racing.

    FIRST GEAR: NASCAR on Wednesday made some updates to its rule book just in time for The Chase. As per Kenny Bruce on NASCAR.com this week, “The updates allow NASCAR officials to strip race-winning teams of the benefits associated with a Chase victory, which include the automatic advancement into the next elimination round and any tiebreaker implications, should those teams fail the post-race lug-nut check or the post-race Laser Inspection Station (LIS) platform.” Is this a good thing or a bad thing for the sport?

    I think there need to be punishments for breaking the rules. These new rules are fair in my book. — Michael Finley

    I’m totally fine with the changes because now the rule actually has teeth with which to do damage. Just look at this past week with Martin Truex Jr. getting “docked” 10 points from his regular season total and not his Chase total. It made no difference that NASCAR might as well not have bothered even handing out the penalty. — Tucker White

    This is overkill. They should have left the lug nuts alone in the first place instead of making them the absolute most mundane story of 2016. Now they’re talking about stripping win benefits if the lug nuts are messed with again. The cheek of it all. — Joseph Shelton

    SECOND GEAR: Cole Custer enters Chicagoland needing a win to get into the Camping World Truck Series Chase. Can he throw the Hail Mary and win to get in after being so close at Mosport?

    No. The No. 00 truck just hasn’t shown a lot of speed this season overall. Don’t think that’s going to change this weekend. — Michael Finley

    Can he? Yes. Will he? No. It will probably be one of the KBM trucks winning tonight. — Tucker White

    Custer’s niche circles smaller or flatter tracks. Take his two wins (Loudon 2014, Gateway 2015) into consideration, along with Mosport. He’s proved he can win, and he’s had a few close calls this season. That said, he’s had a sub-par 2016 that’s put him in a hole, and he’s going to have to dig deep to put that JR Motorsports truck in Victory Lane. I’m doubtful, but at the same time, I think his chances are pretty high. — Joseph Shelton

    THIRD GEAR: Ryan Newman, after being effectively taken out by Tony Stewart at Richmond, called Stewart “bipolar” and said that “(Stewart) thought he was in a sprint car”. Assuming Newman’s sprint car comment was referring to the Kevin Ward Jr. incident as some have speculated, did Newman take a step too far in his comments?

    He probably did, and he made a mistake, to begin with by talking to the media ASAP. Stewart was angry as well but he took the higher road and calmed down in  his hauler rather than say something so stupid. — Michael Finley

    It was heat of the moment. Don’t read too much into it. — Tucker White

    Folks were quick to jump the gun in associating Newman’s comments with the Kevin Ward accident. By referring to Stewart as a guy who gets angry easily, and by noting that Googling Stewart would prove his point, he’s just pointing out that many of his accidents and rage-outs are well documented online. Heat of the moment from both drivers, and I wouldn’t read too much into this. — Joseph Shelton

    FOURTH GEAR: Speaking of RCR, one interesting exchange on this week’s Radioactive was an angry Paul Menard complaining about how teammate Austin Dillon was racing him. It led to Richard Childress himself getting on the radio to attempt to calm the typically mild-mannered Wisconsin driver. With Ty Dillon repeatedly saying that he will be racing full-time next season in Cup, Newman’s contract running out, and the occasional rumors of Menard jumping to another team (i.e. Penske), what do you think their driver lineup will be next season?

    The No. 3 is going to probably stay the exact same. I think Ty Dillon jumps into the No. 31 and Menard will hint at leaving but end up staying at the end. — Michael Finley

    I’ll keep it short with this one: Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon and Paul Menard. — Tucker White

    You ask me what do I think their driver lineup will be in 2017. Simply put, inadequate. Sure, Newman made the Chase in 2014 and 2015, and almost won the 2014 championship. But when has he won? Never. Not winning puts added stress on a team and 2014 was just a lucky draw for the 31. I don’t think he’s going anywhere, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he left.

    I feel bad for Menard. I wouldn’t blame him for going elsewhere considering he’s not getting what he needs to contend as often, and honestly, I think he should. Childress has already pooled his resources into his grandboys, and I don’t think that’s changing.

    That said, in 2016 I’ve tried hard to work on my objectivity to the Dillon brothers. If this were the WWE they’d be getting the Roman Reigns push, underwhelming performance despite being crammed down everyone’s throats. Austin has worked for some good runs this season and has earned some decent, consistent results. He earned his spot in the Chase, I will concede that. But however, he needs to realize that nobody is going to give him an inch out there on the track, and that includes his teammates. Ergo, he needs to man up and take his bumps, maybe work harder to prove that he can get a win.

    As for Ty joining the Cup ranks? I laugh. He’s got quite the little ego on him despite the fact that he’s only earned one XFINITY win in three full-time seasons. He’s never been a serious championship contender, yet he thinks he’s good enough for a Cup ride? What a joke. He constantly shifts blame on other drivers (Regan Smith cleared that up at Watkins Glen in 2015, if only briefly) for his own mistakes and very, very rarely accepts blame for his own mistakes (MoSport 2013, Phoenix 2015, et al.). He needs to mature a lot before he sets foot in a Cup car because let’s be honest…he can’t hang. — Joseph Shelton

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series will all compete at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Sept. 15:

    On Track:
    4-4:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice
    6:30-7:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice

    Chase Media Day: (Watch live)
    3:05 p.m.: Live Driver Interviews

    Friday, Sept. 16:

    On Track:
    12:30-1:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    1:30-2:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBC Sports App
    3-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App
    4:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    6:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    Noon: XFINITY Series
    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    11 a.m.: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Race Team Introduction
    11:15 a.m.: Blake Koch, Ryan Sieg and Dakoda Armstrong
    11:30 a.m.: Daniel Hemric, Timothy Peters and Cole Custer
    11:45 a.m.: Justin Allgaier
    12:30 p.m.: Matt Tifft
    1:15 p.m.: Joliet Township Announcement
    7:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, Sept. 17:

    On Track:
    10:30-11:25 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Second Practice – CNBC
    11:45 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    1:30-2:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    3 p.m.: XFINITY Series Drive for Safety 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBC/NBC Sports App

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

    Sunday, Sept. 18:

    On-Track:
    2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    5:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race (time approx.)

     

  • Ray Black Jr. to Pull Double Duty at Chicagoland Speedway

    Ray Black Jr. to Pull Double Duty at Chicagoland Speedway

    FLAGLER BEACH, Fla.  (September 14, 2016) – This weekend will be a busy one for NASCAR driver Ray Black Jr., as he will be doubling the amount of racing for himself and SS Green Light Racing at Chicagoland Speedway while they compete in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and XFINITY Series (NXS) races. The 25-year-old driver will pilot the No. 07 RTFT All Star Racing League Chevrolet Silverado in the American Ethanol E15 225 Friday night before jumping into his No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet Camaro for the Drive for Safety 300 on Saturday.

    “I’m really excited to be returning to the truck series this weekend and pulling double duty for Bobby (Dotter)!” said Black. “I had a lot of fun in the trucks last year and wanted to do one or two races this year if I could, and this is the first chance we’ve gotten. I got to do double duty once last year at Texas and having that extra track time helped a lot throughout the weekend, so I’m hoping it’ll help out this time too!”

    Black competed full-time in the NCWTS during the 2015 season. He recorded 11 Top-15 finishes, including a career-best fifth place result at Daytona International Speedway before finishing 11th in the championship points. During last year’s NCWTS event at Chicagoland Speedway, Black finished 11th after gambling on a fuel mileage strategy.

    “We had a solid race last year at Chicagoland,” Black stated. “We were so close to a Top-10 finish that weekend but our fuel mileage strategy was off just a little bit! I really liked racing this track in the truck – it’s fast and fits my driving style, so I’m hoping coming back to it with all this experience I have now will put us in contention for a great finish.”
    Black will be coming off his fourth consecutive Top-25 finish in the NXS after finishing 25th at Richmond International Raceway last Friday night. He has seven Top-20 finishes this season, with a career-best result (14th) coming a couple of weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway. He’s now looking to use this double duty opportunity to propel himself into a Top-10 finish.

    “We’ve been running really well lately in the XFINITY Series and have a lot of momentum right now,” explained Black. “Running two races in one weekend has really helped a lot of drivers this year, so I’m hoping this extra track time will help us find that little bit more we need. This track is fun – it’s fast and bumpy and you really have to wheel it around, so I’m really excited for this weekend.”

    Fans can catch Black’s first race of the weekend, the American Ethanol E15 225, on Friday, September 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET via FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Black’s second race of the weekend, the Drive for Safety 300, can be seen on Saturday, September 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBC or MRN Radio.

    Fans can keep up with Ray Black Jr. by following him and his sponsor, ScubaLife, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @RayBlackJr and @TeamScubaRacing. Learn more about Ray Black Jr. and Team Scuba by visiting www.rayblackjr.com and www.teamscuba.com.

    About Ray Black Jr.
    Ray Black, Jr. grew up in Florida after relocating from Montgomery, Alabama at age 9. It was here that Black fell in love with deep sea diving after a couple of scuba trips with his father. His passion for motorsports came later at age 14 after playing some racing video games. He began competing in the Florida Mini Cup Racing Association (FMCRA), where finished in the Top-5 in every race and secured the FMCRA Junior All Star Championship. In 2013 Black moved up to racing pro late models and then into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2014. During that year, he got his first taste of true NASCAR racing when he competed in seven races for SS Green Light Racing. In 2015, Black competed in his first full season of NASCAR in the Camping World Truck Series, where he finished 11th in the championship standings with one Top-5 and 11 Top-15 finishes. Black will compete in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for the 2016 season. Learn more at www.rayblackjr.com.

    About ScubaLife
    ScubaLife is more than a website; it is a comprehensive resource for those who are passionate about the water.  Members receive access to a wealth of information that helps guide them to plan the best water sport experience. ScubaLife provides members with world-class support, affiliate resources, Professional Liability insurance, educational programs and access to our worldwide partner network. Members can also now receive discounts on general insurance rates for their homes, automobiles and more. ScubaLife can help you find new ways to relax, discover new recreational opportunities and explore the infinite possibilities of a water lifestyle through promotional savings to help you save on hotels, water activities and much more.  ScubaLife helps you discover the unknown, which at times is a place, but more commonly, and importantly, a state of mind. Check out ScubaLife’s all-new website today at www.scubalife.com.

  • Four Gears: Kevin Harvick, John Hunter Nemechek, Winston Millon/No Bull 5 and Toyota

    Four Gears: Kevin Harvick, John Hunter Nemechek, Winston Millon/No Bull 5 and Toyota

    It’s time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

    This week, our resident NASCAR journalists were asked if other drivers should be as up front as Kevin Harvick was about his pit crew to affect change. They also considered whether John Hunter Nemechek deserves all the flak he’s gotten for his last lap move at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and if he could’ve handled his last turn differently.  Another topic up for discussion was what programs like the old Winston Million and the No Bull 5 NASCAR could do to put emphasis on the crown jewel events and the odds of another Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota title victory at Homestead.

    FIRST GEAR: Kevin Harvick was blunt in his criticism of his pit crew at Darlington. Now there’s going to be a big change in the pit crew of the No. 4. In order to affect proper change, should more drivers be as up front and critical as Harvick was?

    Yes. Too much “toeing the line” in the sport, and to speak up and affect change on any level in NASCAR is a must. — Joseph Shelton

    It all depends on the situation. When it happens once, there’s no need to make a stink about it. After a couple of times, maybe it’s time to talk to the team in private. When it’s a constant thing, it needs to be addressed in public. Harvick has thrown away at least two wins this year because of terrible pit stops and didn’t get a major change until he made it public. — Michael Finley

    I would say yes, but I don’t think anyone could match Kevin Harvick’s bluntness from this past week. Sitting in the media center at Darlington Raceway, I had a front-row seat for the show or one question show. When he was asked if he would considering swapping pit crews with another one of his teammates, he got up and left.

    But in all seriousness, sometimes you need to chastise someone to get results. If this doesn’t serve as a wake-up call to his crew, then they need to be replaced. — Tucker White

    SECOND GEAR: John Hunter Nemechek was subjected to a ton of hate on social media following his MoSport win. Was it justified? Could he really help what happened in that final corner?

    Nemechek drove in over his head a bit, but he aggressively went for a win and got it. That’s what a driver is supposed to do, and considering NEMCO doesn’t have the financial cushion of JR Motorsports he’s fighting to keep the team competitive.

    As for the hate he was subjected to, it was ridiculous. It was a double-standard among peers and fans for sure. — Joseph Shelton

    When you are a young, hungry driver, you do anything to win. Nemechek didn’t just straight up dump Custer like he could have. And unlike a lot of kids coming up today, Nemechek knew when and where to be aggressive like that. It’s smarter when it’s for the win and dumber when it’s for 11th. — Michael Finley

    I’m not going to be hypocritical and say the hate wasn’t justified. I also took John Hunter Nemechek to task for his move on the final lap.

    But being just two years older than him, I also understand that he’s young and he’s going to make mistakes. I believe it was a heat of the moment decision that he’ll learn from and not be as over the line going for the win again. — Tucker White

    THIRD GEAR: With Martin Truex Jr.’s win Sunday, he now has two wins in 2016, both in two of the sport’s crown jewel events. What could NASCAR do to resurrect the Winston Million/No Bull 5 programs of the ’90s and 2000s?

    It’d be neat to have a similar program make its return, especially something like the No Bull 5, where a fan also won a cool million. Let’s see what the next series title sponsor has in mind. — Joseph Shelton

    A better title sponsor next season could be awesome. The No Bull was dumb to me (Although I did like the fan component of it) but the Winston Million was amazing. Just make the tracks Daytona, Charlotte, Indy, and Darlington and you’ve made important races even more so. — Michael Finley

    I’ve always wanted NASCAR to reboot the Winston Million and put more emphasis on the crown jewel races. Other than the Daytona 500, the other three crown jewel events are usually just another race.

    Other than a name change, just bring back the Winston Million as it was with the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Brickyard 400 (although it’s hard to consider it a crown jewel event when only 30-50,000 people are in attendance at a track that sits over 200,000) and the Bojangles’ Southern 500. — Tucker White

    FOURTH GEAR: What are the odds of another JGR Toyota winning the championship at Homestead?

    92 percent. Stewart-Haas Racing has been in the picture, and Team Penske is still right on JGR’s bumper, but as successful as Toyota has been this year I could see a JGR championship again at Homestead. — Joseph Shelton

    50/50. Yeah, they have run great all season. But Brad Keselowski has been strong, Joey Logano has been tough. After Dover last season, you cannot count out Kevin Harvick at any time. And all three are higher in driver points right now than any one Gibbs driver. — Michael Finley

    According to Las Vegas, Kyle Busch is 5/1, Carl Edwards is 10/1, Denny Hamlin is 10/1 and Matt Kenseth is 12/1 (odds are from Vegas Insider).

    What odds I’d give JGR to win? I’d say they’re pretty good. But I’m not going to rule out Team Penske or Stewart-Haas Racing. — Tucker White

  • MoSport Finish Highlights Double Standard Set By Fans, Drivers

    MoSport Finish Highlights Double Standard Set By Fans, Drivers

    I have three words to describe yesterday’s Camping World Truck Series finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park: It. Was. Awesome.

    Plenty of beating and banging, with the No. 8 of John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 00 of Cole Custer leaning on each other coming to the checkered flag, smoke flying, metal crunching as both trucks were hooked together unable to pull apart. Then, for an added bonus, Custer straight up sacked Nemechek as he was going to grab the checkered flag. Don’t let anyone tell you differently; that’s usually the best way to settle any racing issue when you’re not in the mood for talking and explaining. Face-to-face or hand-to-hand is how all disagreements should be settled at the race track.

    Now, do I understand why Custer was upset? Absolutely. The incident was, in fact, Nemechek’s fault. On top of that, in his first full season, Custer has yet to score his third career CWTS win, and his JR Motorsports truck has not been operating up to par in 2016. He isn’t solidly in the Chase and with one race left before it begins, he’s under a lot of pressure. So yes, of course, he’d be furious after seeing his best shot at a Chase spot go up in a cloud of smoke and dirt because of a guy who has already won this season.

    That said, has Nemechek deserved the hate and vitriol he’s been getting over social media? No. Absolutely not. He did what he was paid to do, and he wanted that win just as badly as Custer did. It’s a racer’s prerogative to go for the win; why should we hate on that? Yes, he was at fault for the incident. He drove a little over his head, had a rare lapse in car control, and both he and Custer ended up in the grass. Keep in mind there, they were in the grass. With slicks. Hooked together coming to the checkered flag. Going for a win, it would have been stupid to let off the gas to regroup, but even if he did do that it would have taken a little longer to get their trucks unstuck.

    Yet after the race, people made it as if Nemechek was a dirty, soulless driver with a habit of wrecking others. It makes no sense, honestly. Nemechek races other drivers as respectfully and clean as possible. Sure, he’s slipped, he’s had issues, but which driver hasn’t? Kyle Larson let loose with this tweet following the race:

    I find it funny Larson showed a bit of savagery with this tweet, considering Larson dumped C.E. Falk at Daytona in 2013 for a win.

    Other tweets from the NASCAR contingent include these:

    I love how some of these guys plus plenty of other drivers were quick to bash Nemechek like they were bastions of clean, respectful racing and had never pulled a similar stunt on a race track.

    I bring all that up because I want to point out a few things regarding this latest blatant example of a double standard. All this outrage, all this anger, where was it when Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch were beating and banging for the win at Darlington in March of 2003? They were leaning, turning into each other, bumping each other, rubbing each other, and to this day we as fans eat that up. That was as big an event to us as the 1979 Daytona 500.

    What about the 2012 CWTS season finale at Homestead when Cale Gale squeezed Kyle Busch into the wall to score his first career win in the series? Where was the outrage there? Where was the seething hatred for Gale? Does anyone have any idea? I don’t.

    What about a personal favorite, last year’s fall Sprint Cup race at Martinsville where the lapped car of Matt Kenseth crashed then-leader Joey Logano in the first-turn wall? I don’t recall this much outrage for Kenseth’s actions. Instead, I hear nothing but cheers for Kenseth handling Logano. Never mind the fact that they weren’t going for the checkered, but were still several laps away and Kenseth had already been involved in a crash. That only goes to further accentuate the double standard. When it came to a lapped car taking out the leader, everyone was overjoyed. But yesterday, when two hungry drivers slammed and banged for the win, everyone was ready to crucify Nemechek.

    It makes no sense.

    The finish at MoSport is exactly what the CWTS needs. Gripe and complain now, but years from now this finish will be remembered fondly. That was good racing in a season full of great finishes. This has been a banner year for the trucks, as only two non-regulars have won this season, race quality has been spectacular, and on top of that, we’re seeing the rise of stellar young drivers like William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Daniel Hemric.

    Instead of dropping the hammer on a driver for doing nothing more than racing hard for a win, accept the fact that MoSport was a heck of a race with a fun finish. Accept that, and leave it at that. Don’t go harebrained and take to social media to bash Nemechek for doing his job.