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  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Darlington (Updated) and Canadian Tire

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Darlington (Updated) and Canadian Tire

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Darlington Raceway this weekend as the Camping World Truck Series travels to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Sept. 2: – All At-Track Activity and Press Conferences for Darlington Canceled Due to Anticipated Inclement Weather

    Friday grandstand ticket holders may bring their ticket to the ticket office on Saturday and receive $5 off an admission to the NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 race.

    Saturday, Sept. 3:

    Qualifying Canceled for the Sprint Cup Series and the XFINITY Series – The lineup will be set per the rulebook which states that the current year owner’s points determine the starting positions if qualifying is canceled. As a result, Kevin Harvick will start from the pole for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Sunday. Paul Menard will lead the field to green in the XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 race Saturday afternoon.

    On-Track at Darlington:
    9-9:55 a.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – Live Leaderboard
    11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC, Simulcast on NBCSN from 11:30-12:30
    1:30 p.m.-2:50 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice –  NBCSN
    3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 (147 laps, 200.8 miles) – NBC
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR)

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

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    9:30 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    12:35 p.m.: Carl Edwards
    12:50 p.m.: NMPA/Sprint Most Popular Driver announcement
    5:15 p.m..: Post-XFINITY Race (time approx.)

    On-Track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park:
    9:30-10:25 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice – Live Leaderboard
    11:35 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – Live Leaderboard
    5:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS2

    Sunday, Sept. 4:

    On Track at Darlington:
    6 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 (367 laps, 501.3 miles) -NBC/NBC Sports App (Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR)

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    2:30 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, and Dr. Micky Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program
    3 p.m.: Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR Hall of Fame member
    3:15 p.m.: Mark Martin, Bojangles’ Southern 500 Grand Marshal and 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee
    3:30 p.m.: Barry Williams, Bojangles’ Southern 500 National Anthem Performer
    10:30 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Race (time approx.)

    On Track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park:
    2:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (64 laps, 157.37 miles) – FS1 (Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR)

     

    Find NBCSN in your area | Watch live online at NBCSports.com

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

     

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Starting-lineup-for-Southern-500-2016.pdf” title=”Starting lineup for Southern 500 2016″]

  • Four Gears: Lower Downforce, Young Guns, XFINITY Series and Darlington

    Four Gears: Lower Downforce, Young Guns, XFINITY Series and Darlington

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

    This week, our resident NASCAR analysts rate the three races that used the lower downforce package and  give their takeaways from it. We also consider what three first-time winners this past weekend says about the level of talent with the young guns in the Truck, XFINITY and Cup Series as well as rate the quality of racing in the XFINITY Series over the last five races given the mix of tracks in those five races. Finally, we discuss whether the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is still among the crown jewel events of NASCAR.

    FIRST GEAR: How would you rate each of the three races – Michigan 1, Kentucky and Michigan 2 – that were run with the lower downforce package on a scale of 1-10 and what are your takeaways from the package?

    Michigan 1, I’d rank it 7/10. Although the racing at times was decent, the race itself was average for Michigan. Joey Logano just had the field in check that day, although Chase Elliott had the lead going into the final quarter of the race. He botched the restart, however, and Logano retook the lead and won the race.

    Kentucky, 7/10: Having been on assignment for this entire race weekend, the lower downforce package saved this race. Hard as rock tires and a freshly paved surface made passing extra difficult. But even with the new surface, the lower downforce made these cars a handful to drive. I remember watching a whole mess of cars spinning out and slamming the wall because of the lack of downforce.

    Michigan 2, 7/10: It was another average race for Michigan. Kind of like the first time around, the racing could be decent at times, but it was so hard to pass too. It seemed like clean air proved real key for the race leader on the long green runs. In the end, it had a nice finish that saw Kyle Larson finally earn his first trip to victory lane. Or in his case, burnout through victory lane. — Tucker White

    Michigan 1, I’d rank a 6/10 because although the racing was decent at best, this package is normally supposed to host good racing. Logano dominated that show and although it was good for him, ultimately, the race wasn’t fun to watch.

    Kentucky, 7/10. Racing was a little bit more fun to watch and the best car won the race.

    Michigan 2 was 8/10. There were multiple race leaders, close racing, and it does help that Larson finally got that first win. — Joseph Shelton

    Michigan 1: 6

    Kentucky: 7

    Michigan 2: 8

    It seems like the more this package is run, the better the racing gets. That’s a pretty good deal there. — Michael Finley

    SECOND GEAR: This past weekend, all three national series had first-time winners. What does a weekend like this say about the level of talent with the young guns, be it in the Truck, XFINITY or Sprint Cup Series?

    It says two things: This sport is in no danger of talent saturation when the elder statesmen hang up the helmet for at least the next 25 years and corporate America should really consider attaching themselves to one of the available young guns who’s looking for a sponsor. — Tucker White

    NASCAR has gotten a lot of grief for being a playground for rich kids with connections in recent years, but considering these winners it’s clear to see that you have to have a modicum of talent in order to succeed in this sport. Moffitt, McDowell, and Larson are all talented drivers whose persistence paid off. That tends to happen when drivers are doing something right. — Joseph Shelton

    There is so much young talent in this sport, but sponsors really do need to start taking chances for the good of the industry. After a decent rookie campaign in Cup last season (for the level of equipment he was in), Brett Moffitt has struggled to find work since and was well on his way to becoming just another promising driver that flamed out before this last weekend. I think Brett Moffitt deserves a big shot in the XFINITY or Truck series more than certain ride buyers who only have big team rides because Daddy wrote a check. — Michael Finley

    THIRD GEAR: Since the last weekend of July, the XFINITY Series has raced a standalone event at Iowa, a companion event with the Sprint Cup Series at Watkins Glen, a standalone at Mid-Ohio, a companion event with the Sprint Cup Series at Bristol and a standalone event at Road America. What’s been your take on the quality of racing from this five-race stretch and should NASCAR make the XFINITY schedule more like this?

    I’ve given the XFINITY Series so much grief this season and for good reason. This season has showcased some abysmal, lackluster racing. It’s often been Sprint Cup Lite. That’s nothing compared to making the schedule more and more a mirror image of the Sprint Cup Series schedule instead of making it more unique to the XFINITY Series itself, which illustrates my biggest problem with the XFINITY Series today.

    But with that said, this five-race stretch has been quite awesome to watch. The only lackluster race during the stretch was Watkins Glen, and even that was more meh than bad.

    The best race of that stretch was Bristol. Watching the race from the press box, the first half anyway, I was blown away seeing guys run the bottom groove at Bristol again. It was also fun to see these guys try and run around the entire turn through the night to see what groove was faster. I was even outside the media center in Turn 4 to photograph the finish when Kyle Busch and Larson wrecked right in front of me.

    To answer the last part of the question, not just yes, but Hell Yes! NASCAR should make the schedule more like this five-race stretch. — Tucker White

    This stretch has held some of the best racing in the series. I hope NASCAR sees this stretch as something that defines what the fans want in the XFINITY Series, not the same song, different dance. It has been an enjoyable month for the division, so not looking forward to it going back to the Kyle Busch show. — Joseph Shelton

    I’ve always thought that going to a more balanced, half road course, half oval series, would do the XFINITY Series wonders. It would make a niche for the series that isn’t there now and would deter Cup teams from putting huge budgets into full-time rides because there wouldn’t be nearly as big a technical advantage. Part of the reason Gibbs has been great the last couple of seasons is because it’s much easier to transfer data from the XFINITY Series to Cup after the Cup cars reduced their horsepower a couple of seasons ago. — Michael Finley

    FOURTH GEAR: The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is this weekend. Is it still among the crown jewel events of NASCAR? If so, where would you rank it?

    To put it simply, the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is still a crown jewel event in NASCAR. If you had asked me a few years ago, I would’ve put the Coca-Cola 600 ahead of the Southern 500. But it’s prestige, to a degree, has been tarnished by lackluster racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the last few years. The combination of returning Darlington Raceway to its rightful place on Labor Day weekend and the low downforce package not only produced the best race of the 2015 season but shot the prestige of the Southern 500 back up a few notches. The biggest race in NASCAR will always be the Daytona 500, but the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is a clear second. — Tucker White

    The Southern 500 at Darlington will always be a crown jewel in NASCAR. Before Daytona and the 500, Darlington was the be-all, end-all of the sport. It has the history and the levity; it’ll always be a sacred place for stock car racing. — Joseph Shelton

    It’s the second biggest race in the sport. Daytona is Daytona and the Coca-Cola 600 has had some boring-to-bad races the past few years that has hurt the prestige of the race just a little bit. Meanwhile, only people actively working in the industry think Indianapolis is still a special race for the most part, as evidenced by all the empty grandstands every year. Finally, Homestead puts on some great races, is in a great location, and crowns the Sprint Cup champion but just doesn’t have the history yet of the other four tracks I talked about. The Southern 500 is almost always a great race, has a great theme, and has more history than any other race on the calendar. — Michael Finley

  • Roger Curtis leaving post as president of MIS

    Roger Curtis leaving post as president of MIS

    The Irish Hills will be looking for a new commanding officer in the coming days.

    International Speedway Corporation (ISC) announced today that Roger Curtis is leaving his post as president of Michigan International Speedway to pursue new opportunities. ISC’s Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood will take over as president of the speedway on an interim basis until a new track president is named.

    Curtis had been at the helm of the two-mile D-shaped oval located in Brooklyn, Michigan since 2006.

    ISC released a statement reading “We want to thank Roger Curtis for his many years of service with ISC, and the last 10 years, specifically, as the face of Michigan International Speedway,” stated Chitwood. “We wish him much future success.”

  • Toyota NCWTS Michigan Post-Race Notes & Quotes

    Toyota NCWTS Michigan Post-Race Notes & Quotes

    Toyota NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes
    Michigan International Speedway
    Race 14 of 23 – 200 miles, 100 laps
    Saturday, August 27, 2016

    TOYOTA NCWTS DRIVER FINISHING POSITIONS at Michigan International Speedway
    1st, BRETT MOFFITT
    2nd, TIMOTHY PETERS
    4th, WILLIAM BYRON
    5th, CAMERON HAYLEY
    6th, BEN RHODES
    7th, MATT CRAFTON
    13th, RICO ABREU
    16th, AUSTIN WAYNE SELF
    20th, CODY COUGHLIN
    23rd, RYAN TRUEX
    24th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

    TOYOTA DRIVER NCWTS POINT STANDINGS following Michigan International Speedway (race 14 of 23)*
    1st, WILLIAM BYRON 379 points
    3rd, TIMOTHY PETERS 335 points
    5th, MATT CRAFTON 322 points
    7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL 305 points
    9th, CAMERON HAYLEY 288 points
    12th, BEN RHODES 264 points
    13th, RICO ABREU 245 points
    16th, AUSTIN WAYNE SELF 179 points
    *unofficial point standings

    TOYOTA NOTES
    · Tundra driver Brett Moffitt earned his first career victory in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Michigan International Speedway.
    · Moffitt led only one the final lap of the race – his first career lap led in a NASCAR national touring series race.
    · Tundra driver and Moffitt’s Red Horse Racing teammate Timothy Peters finished second and led the most laps in the race with 42 at the two-mile speedway.
    · The victory marked the 10th Tundra victory this season.
    · In addition to Moffitt and Peters, fellow Tundra drivers William Byron (fourth), Cameron Hayley (fifth), Ben Rhodes (sixth) and Matt Crafton (seventh) also earned top-10 finishes.

    TOYOTA QUOTES
    BRETT MOFFITT, No. 11 Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
    Finishing Position: 1st
    What does this win mean to you?
    “This has been huge. At the beginning of the year we didn’t have anything on the schedule. Coming here and these guys give me such good race trucks week in and week out. I knew it was just a matter of time. Honestly, during the race I didn’t think it was going to be our day. It was just tough out there with the draft, but what an amazing finish. It couldn’t have worked out any better for us. I can’t thank Tom DeLoach (team owner) and everybody at Red Horse Racing enough and Camping World for putting this on.”

    Were you concerned about the fact that Timothy Peters needed to win to get locked into the Chase?
    “I’m here to win – I said it earlier and I’ll say it again, I’m not going to wreck him for it. I’m going to race him clean because I know he needs to get in the Chase, but this team needs to win and these guys deserve to win. That’s what we come to do and our partners at Toyota want to do the same and we got it.”

    What were your thoughts on the white flag lap?
    “Honestly, I was just hoping to hold onto third there for a while. I didn’t really think it was going to be our day to win. I knew we were going to be competitive and when the 9 (William Byron) got to the inside of him, I knew it would slow them both down and I thought this couldn’t be any more perfect. Barely got to the inside of him going into (turn) one and from then on I was just hoping and praying that it was enough to hold him off down the backstretch.”

    What does this win do for your career?
    “I needed this. I had no races on my schedule this year and to get picked up by Tom DeLoach and everyone at Red Horse Racing is amazing and our partners at Toyota have been really good at backing us and giving us the technology we need. This is everything I needed to have happen and it couldn’t happen at a better finish streak there – three-two-one. This is amazing.”

    What can you say about this being the only NASCAR national series lap you’ve ever led?
    “It’s the only one you have to lead, that’s when the pay window is open and that’s when the checks are getting wrote.”

    How were you able to make that pass on the final lap?
    “I went wide open and go where they aren’t. That’s all you can do. I knew it might be sketchy because I knew Timothy (Peters) would try to move up a little bit, but we had such a run on him and we were rolling about 10 miles an hour faster going into turn one and I knew if there was room to get to the outside then I didn’t care if it would stick or not, I’m here to win races and luckily we were able to drive right by them.”

    How important is this win for you moving forward?
    “Winning is awesome, no matter what the circumstance is. Last week finishing second was really frustrating for me because I have a short timetable to get the job done and I knew everyone was impressed with the runs we were having and happy, but for my sake I needed to go out there and win. This was our job to get the 11 truck in the owner’s championship and we did that and hopefully we can get another win next week and hopefully some more doors open down the road. All in all it’s been a great opportunity and a lot of fun racing when you have the right tools for the job and our partners with Toyota and Tom (DeLoach, team owner) give us those tools and me and Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) are just able to make the most of it.”

    How did this opportunity come about?
    “I was sitting on my couch and riding bikes. Every year my career has kind of been like that. I’ve always been kind of not knowing where I was going to go and I thought I had a three-year deal with Michael Waltrip Racing and they closed down and that kind of put me right back in the same situation. Every time when I start getting comfortable, it seems like the rug gets pulled out from under me. For Tom and everyone to give me this opportunity, it’s really special that they took the chance and I guess everything happens for a reason. I didn’t see the light of day when MWR shut down, but God put me in this place and this is a great place to be and everything with this team is phenomenal and everyone works really hard and they’re able to run really well. It just makes racing fun again. Last year it was becoming a job when you’re not competing for wins and all you’re doing is counting the money coming in. This year we’re competing for wins again and it’s putting a fire under my butt and it’s just fun.”

    SCOTT ZIPADELLI, crew chief, No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
    How were you dealing with the closing laps of the race?
    “Just kind of the same as every other lap really. Just wondered if it was going to work out really. Just watching like everyone else. Not a lot I could do from my vantage point. It looked like we had a good, solid run and I didn’t see anyone that was going to challenge that at that point.”

    TOM DELOACH, team owner, Red Horse Racing
    What was going through your mind in the closing laps?
    “On the restart, the idea was that Brett (Moffitt) would get behind Timothy (Peters) and get out front. The two of them got out, Timothy got the lead and the 9 (William Byron) was still kind of running really well and beside Timothy and we told them that you get out front and you guys settle it between the two of you. It’s one of those things that as a team owner you’re thrilled for one of them and you’re feelings are hurt for the other one, but it’s very nice to come in for a one-two finish, it’s kind of hard when you have a one-two to say you’re disappointed. It’s not there at all, it’s a fantastic day for Red Horse, the guys worked so hard to get this stuff done. I kidded the entire 11 team this week, at Eldora we had driver in his first dirt race and we finished fourth and then we had Brett in at Pocono and finished third and then we had a second-place finish at Bristol. I said, you know what the progression is – four-three-two and here’s one. It worked out well.”

    TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
    Finishing Position: 2nd
    How difficult is it to finish second knowing the importance of a victory for the Chase?
    “Good day for Red Horse Racing – congrats to Brett Moffitt with our one-two finish. I wish I would have won, but all in all the company brings a trophy back. The 9 (William Byron) locked onto our bumper there and pushed us really hard down into turn three, but we had to do all we could do to stay in front, but good effort by everybody at Red Horse Racing, Shane Huffman (crew chief), the pit crew, Toyota, Triad Engines – just tough to swallow right there, but it felt good to run like we did all day.”

    Is this frustrating for you to finish second today?
    “Not really frustrating from a company standpoint. Personally, it’s very frustrating, but you have to look at it – we’ve been consistent all year long and the Lord had a plan today and we finished second and that’s the way we look at it. Leading the most laps, that’s fine and dandy and wish we could have capped it off for sure. Again it goes back to a good company finish – one-two for Red Horse Racing. It hasn’t been done in a while, it’s been done before, but we had a great truck all day and it’s all about execution. It goes back to what Daniel (Hemric) was talking about with the outcome of the race – he gives him a good push, the 9 (William Byron), in my opinion gives his move to early so that drug down he and I drug the pace down, which gave the 11 (Brett Moffitt) a chance to catch up like that with the run that Daniel gave him. All in all, great for the company and from a personal standpoint, a little frustrating, but we’re still alive. It doesn’t affect us, it doesn’t knock myself out of the Chase so we still have a couple more shots. Hopefully we can get a win and if not, hopefully we can make it through on points.”

    How much do you think about the Chase scenarios?
    “You’re always thinking about different scenarios. It’s just like there at the end, it all comes down to restarts. Everything is won on these restarts. You get so aggressive on these tracks where you’re drafting like we are here, I thought it was funny that Chris Lambert (spotter) came on and said that I was going to talk to you like we were at Daytona or Talladega. It’s just part of it. Also, three-quarters of the field probably spent more of the race looking out the rearview mirror rather than the windshield, I know I did. With that said, it’s different strategies and different scenarios, who’s lining up fourth? Do you put teammates together or do you split them up? As you can see, nobody really ran away with the race. All in all, everybody did their homework and I’m glad that we’re still alive.”

    WILLIAM BYRON, No. 9 Liberty University Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
    Finishing Position: 4th
    How was the race?
    “It was pretty good, I think we just had to go there when we got side-by-side with the 17 (Timothy Peters) so had to try to make that work and we were side drafting really hard. Fourth is good and I’m happy for Brett (Moffitt), that was a great win. With the drafting out there, it’s pretty crazy. I had a fast Liberty University Tundra and hopefully we can get a win at MoSport.”

    CAMERON HAYLEY, No. 13 Ride TV/Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
    Finishing Position: 5th
    What happened in the closing laps of the race?
    “Our three ThorSport trucks were lined up and we were trying to stay lined up because we knew that was the only way we could catch that lead pack and challenge. We got pretty aggressive at the end – a lot of drafting and a lot of side-drafting. Overall a great run for our RideTV Tundra, but came up a little short on the setup. Top-five is great, but we need a win right now.”

    BEN RHODES, No. 41 Carolina Nut Co. Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
    Finishing Position: 6th

    MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Great Lakes Flooring/Menards Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
    Finishing Position: 7th

    RICO ABREU, No. 98 Safelite Auto Glass/Curb Records Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
    Finishing Position: 13th

    AUSTIN WAYNE SELF, No. 22 AM Technical Solutions Toyota Tundra
    Finishing Position: 16th

    CODY COUGHLIN, No. 51 JEGS/AFCO Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
    Finishing Position: 20th

    RYAN TRUEX, No. 81 Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing Enterprises
    Finishing Position: 23rd

    CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 4 JBL Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
    Finishing Position: 24th
    Are you okay and what happened in the accident?
    “I’m fine, just really bummed for everybody that works on this JBL Toyota No. 4 team. We had a really fast Tundra today and I felt like I did a really good job all race just biding my time, I knew I had a really good Tundra. Just trying to take care of it and I got the opportunity there late in the race and still had a lot of race left and probably should have waited a little bit. I had the opportunity, tried to take it and it didn’t work out.”

  • Last-lap pass leads to first win for Brett Moffitt in Careers For Veterans 200

    Last-lap pass leads to first win for Brett Moffitt in Careers For Veterans 200

    BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 27, 2016) – The Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday featured a last-lap pass that led to a Brett Moffitt victory.

    Moffitt went three wide with Timothy Peters and William Byron into Turn 1 on the last lap in order to capture the top spot and his first ever win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Moffitt had only competed in six career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races before earning his first win. Peters and Byron had been in or near the top five for most of the race until Moffitt made his way towards the front after the sixth caution of the race.

    “Honestly, I was just hoping to hold onto third there for a while,” Moffitt said. “I didn’t really think it was going to be our day to win. I knew we were going to be competitive and when the nine (William Byron) got to the inside of him, I knew it would slow them both down and I thought this couldn’t be any more perfect. Barely got to the inside of him going into (turn) one and from then on I was just hoping and praying that it was enough to hold him off down the backstretch.”

    The race saw a solid performance by the Red Horse Racing Toyota Team with Moffitt finishing first and Peters finishing second. Daniel Hemric rounded out the top three.

    The race featured multiple lead changes and plenty of tight racing in the corners.

    Matt Crafton started the race second and found himself in the top five for the first half of the race while Peters was a mainstay at the top throughout the day. In total, Peters led 42 laps and Crafton led 23 laps while Moffitt only led one lap, but it was the most important lap.

    “It’s the only one you have to lead, that’s when the pay window is open and that’s when the checks are getting wrote,” Moffitt said.

    For Moffitt, this is his third top 10 finish in 2016 and his first top 10 finish in only two career races at Michigan International Speedway. Without a doubt, this win was incredibly important for Moffitt in his young NCWTS career.

    “I needed this,” Moffitt concluded. “I had no races on my schedule this year and to get picked up by Tom DeLoach and everyone at Red Horse Racing is amazing and our partners at Toyota have been really good at backing us and giving us the technology we need. This is everything I needed to have happen and it couldn’t happen at a better finish streak there – three-two-one. This is amazing.”

    Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is NASCAR’s fastest track and the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike for nearly 50 years

  • Toyota NCWTS Michigan Cameron Hayley Notes & Quotes

    Toyota NCWTS Michigan Cameron Hayley Notes & Quotes

    ThorSport Racing driver Cameron Hayley was made available to the media at Michigan International Speedway:

    CAMERON HAYLEY, No. 13 Ride TV/Cabinets By Hayley Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
    What does it mean to race so close to Canada these next two weeks?
    “It’s a big deal racing close to home obviously. Canada definitely doesn’t have the motorsports involvement that Americans do in the U.S. so for me to come from Canada was definitely a tougher journey than most American drivers take growing up through the ranks so it’s really cool that the Camping World Truck Series goes to Canadian Motorsports Park in Canada and obviously Michigan being so close as well. It’s really cool that they go there because that’s the couple times a year that my Canadian fans come out and really see me and support me. Really looking forward to going there and hopefully we can have a good run in Michigan and focus on the road course in Canada next week.”

    How do you feel about your Chase chances?
    “Anything can happen and I think we’ve seen that already this year. I had the worst luck possible this year between broken parts, blown tires and running out of gas – everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. We were sitting 12th going into Pocono and came out with a second-place finish and right then ended up eighth in the Chase spot. That definitely tells you that anything can happen on a given weekend. Where we’re at right now, it still tells us that these next three races we need to get a win. Obviously Ben Kennedy winning at Bristol definitely took a Chase spot away and now we only have two left on points. We’re definitely going to take some chances and go for the win.”

    How did the fire at ThorSport Racing impact the organization?
    “At the beginning of last year when I signed with ThorSport Racing, I moved to Sandusky, Ohio and I’ve been living there for about a year and a half now. The fire started around kind of midnight or one o’clock and I was at the shop at five in the morning. I got the call and saw it burning. I’ve been part of the whole deal ever since it started. To be able to get this team where we’re at – I finished second at Pocono and third at Iowa the week after we had the fire. This team, we definitely had our struggles and we weren’t able to build our new trucks to keep developing. We’re a little bit behind obviously where we’re still trying to catch KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), they’re definitely kind of taking off from us. Obviously Toyotas have pretty much been dominant so it’s between ThorSport and KBM and we’re still trying to catch KBM, but we’re working really hard and it put us back a little bit, but at the same time it brought us together more as an organization. We’re all working closer to be able to develop quicker so we can catch up.”

    Is there a similar NASCAR Series in Canada?
    “NASCAR does have the NASCAR Pinty Series, formerly the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Personally, I didn’t take that route. I raced two races on the west coast in that series years ago, but I immediately started racing in the U.S. pretty much when I turned 11 years old. I never really got to experience the Canadian Series or the NASCAR Pinty Series, but it is a great series to allow Canadians to get into the sport of NASCAR and we’re definitely seeing a couple more come up through it.”

    What is your new sponsor and how do you feel about the caution clock this season?
    “Ride TV is our new sponsor that came on board last race and hopefully they’ll be on for the rest of this year. They’re a 24 hour equestrian TV show on DirecTV, but looking to expand. They’re just a great fit between ThorSport Farms that my owner Duke Thorson owns. The whole race team, the two guys, the owners or Ride TV are big races fans. They came to the race and I had some of the most fun I’ve had in a while with them so it’s cool to have Ride TV on board. In terms of the caution clock, lately we haven’t been experiencing much of it. The beginning of the season we had more of the experience, especially at Atlanta and that got us introduced pretty quickly. Definitely tracks coming up, Michigan being one of them and Chicago being a fuel mileage race last year, that’s when we’re really going to see it come into play. Obviously there’s still potential within the last 20 laps of it being shut off so we could still potentially have a fuel mileage race, but it’s going to limit that so much more. You’ll see at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park next week that we’re going to race backwards so we’re not going to wait for the caution clock, you’re going to see guys pitting a lap before the caution clock if we get to it so it just adds a whole other strategy to it. I’m still kind of on the fence with it, but I think it could be a good thing in the future.”

    Does the Chase format help give you a better chance at staying in even when you’re not having a good season?
    “That’s the funny part about this Chase format, in the past our season really as ThorSport as a company has not gone as we wanted it to, but there is potential to stay in. It puts a whole new stress and everything on drivers and now gives us a chance if we do have a bad season, these next few races we have the chance to go out and win and hopefully we can do that and definitely the Chase format gives us that.”

    What all have you been able to learn this season?
    “More just being comfortable in these Tundras. It’s something that definitely takes time coming up through the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and Late Models, they’re all short race tracks and under a mile. When you come to these mile-and-a-half and two-mile ovals, it presents a totally different thing than we’ve ever been used to driving on. Aerodynamics is something we’ve never had to deal with and now you have to deal with aerodynamics. Really this year it’s been learning that and learning the higher competition level. Obviously there’s amazing drivers in this series, especially this year I think the series is one of the top competition levels that it’s ever been in terms of depth of field. It’s just been a lot of learning and a lot of confidence building in the Tundra.”

  • Ford Performance NASCAR: MIS 2 (Tyler Reddick)

    Ford Performance NASCAR: MIS 2 (Tyler Reddick)

    Ford Performance NASCAR Notes and Quotes
    Pure Michigan 400 – Michigan International Speedway
    Friday, August 26, 2016

    Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 29 Cooper Standard Career for Veterans Ford F-150 met with media members prior to opening Truck Series practice Friday at Michigan to discuss his season to date, a huge sponsor weekend and more.

    TYLER REDDICK, No. 29 Cooper Standard Career for Veterans F-150 – BIG WEEKEND FOR YOU AND YOUR SPONSOR AS YOU LOOK FOR A WIN TO GET INTO THE CHASE. “Yeah, obviously as I am sure a lot of you know it is the Careers for Veterans 200 so it is a really big deal for Cooper Standard and the Careers for Veterans program. We have a lot on our shoulders and we will have over 3,000 people here on behalf of Cooper Standard and over 40 Veterans that will do the invocation for us. Yeah, we need to go out there and win this race. That would be great for our guys. We just have to go get it done.”

    BRAD SEEMED PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE WEEKEND, WHAT IS IT LIKE TO DRIVE FOR BRAD? “He had taught me a lot at a lot of these tracks, especially the first time around picking up on little things and little areas that you can use. Obviously here, the bottom is a little flatter than the top half of the race track and a lot of times you can use that to your advantage. The more technical tracks he helps me with little things everywhere. He really cares about this team and this race obviously. It means a lot to him and he wants to make sure we do everything we can to win this race Saturday. We just have to get it done. I think we have had pretty good vehicles in the past here and we had a pretty good truck here last year. We have to do our part and make sure everything is good. Obviously qualifying is important but I would rather have a truck that races good instead of qualifying good. Sometimes here you can have a truck that qualifies good but isn’t good in traffic. Hopefully we find the happy medium and find something we are really comfortable in.”

    DO YOU FEEL YOU ARE COMPETING WITH YOUR TEAMMATE FOR AN XFINITY SPOT NEXT YEAR? “It is hard to say. I haven’t put that much thought into it at all. I have really just been trying to focus on what is ahead of us right now, directly ahead of us. Obviously the year hasn’t gone great for us points wise with a few DNF’s and things not going our way. It seems like last year everything went our way and we were good in points. Right now we really have to win a race. That stuff for next year and beyond I don’t worry about. Right now it is most important to take care of what is right ahead of us and what is important right now.”

    WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A SPOTTER AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR SPOTTER? “He has done a really good job with helping me pick up on the race tracks almost everywhere we go. He has a lot of races under his belt and he does a really good job with Dale Jr. as well but he has helped me a lot just about anywhere when it comes to working the air to my advantage around other people at the bigger tracks to where I need to get better on my line in the race or practice. He is spot on about that. He is good at giving out information like if I run the bottom and someone is coming on the top if someone is coming or going and if I need to be better or what I need to do to pick up some speed. He is helpful in helping us find all the speed out there on the track that we can find in the truck. In the race he does a great job of helping me learn and grow and understand all the air out there and working it to my advantage. He has helped me in a lot of aspects. It has been great to have him on board since I have become a part of the team. He has helped my learning process immensely as well.”

    HOW MUCH TALKING DO YOU LIKE TO HAVE FROM HIM? “When I first started racing, coming from dirt racing I didn’t have anyone in my ear. At first I think it kind of bothered me a little and I was used to clearing myself a lot of times but now I am not worried about it. I do look in the mirror quite a bit but have gotten more comfortable with the whole deal. The more he talks the better. It keeps me better informed of what is going on on the race track and around me. At first I was probably more toward the side of not as much but now as much information as he can give me is all good information and something I can absorb and take in while I am doing the race.”

    WHERE DO YOU THINK YOUR BEST CHANCE IS TO GET A WIN BEFORE THE CHASE? “I think we have a really good opportunity at each of the next three for sure. If I could pick the three I want to win, this is the one I want to win the most. It is the next race and a really big deal for Cooper Standard and the Careers for Veterans program and our whole team. This is the race of the three that I want to win the most. It would be great to win the last three. We could find something. The road course is different for all these guys. I felt like we were pretty good off the truck there last year. Chicagoland was a track we were good in practice; we just didn’t have things go our way in the race. We ended up running second. I think we have really good speed at these next three tracks. We have to take advantage of what we have and put ourselves in the right position. This could be a fuel mileage race, all three could be. Dough Randolph and all the guys on the pit box do a great job calling the race and picking out what is going to happen and sticking with a strategy to the end of the race and a lot of times it works out.”

    WITH THAT WIN OUR BUST MENTALITY, DOES THAT PUT MORE PRESSURE ON YOU OR DOES IT FREE YOU UP TO GO FOR IT? “I have really tried to have the win or bust mentality all year long, understanding that if we win it is easier than worrying about points all year long. We have had opportunities to win but not had things fall our way. It seems like we have had things go against us every way they can. Getting wrecked or having a caution come out or whatever it may be. I feel like there is not a lot of pressure on us. This is something our team knows how to do. We have done it before. We did it last year twice. There is really no pressure, we just have to go out and do what we normally do and have a good weekend and make no mistakes. We have done that before. It is no pressure. We are doing something we know how to do, we just go out and do our normal deal.”

    IS THIS HARDER FOR YOU HAVING ALL THIS ACTIVITY IN ONE DAY? “No, we usually qualify and race on the same day. Obviously it is a little bit of a curve ball to me when the first time on the track for the day is qualifying when you have to be your fastest. But like I said, Doug and the guys do a really good job with the truck and having it close when we fire off for qualifying. Here we have the single lap qualifying, not the rounds, so the one lap we do will be very important and getting up to speed will be very important. It is not a lot of pressure really. We have been getting better and better with qualifying. It is kind of up to what we have package wise and how good we are today after practice to feel out what we have with the truck for the other guys.”

    HOW DO YOU COMPARE THE DRAFT HERE TO SOMEWHERE LIKE DAYTONA OR TALLADEGA? “As I kind of said earlier I think you are going to have people with trucks that qualify really good and some that will race better than they qualify. Obviously qualifying is great but it only puts you up there for the start. It seems like here at Michigan, the draft really comes into play and being able to have a vehicle that drives well in dirty air will be very important for us so that is what we are shooting for. Practice will be important today. We will put ourselves in the best position we can to figure out our vehicle and how it drives in traffic. I am sure there will be a lot of people out there as well doing the same thing, trying to figure out how the truck will handle in traffic and how to make it better.”

    HAS BRAD SAID ANYTHING TO YOU GUYS ABOUT HOW BIG A WEEKEND IT IS FOR HIM AND THE ORGANIZATION OVERALL? “I don’t think he really has to. We all know how important it is. Every one of us do at the shop. Cooper Standard has been a part of the team for a long time and the Careers for Veterans has been as well. This is my first year driving their truck but I have been a part of this team long enough to know how important it is to everybody. It goes unsaid. Everyone understands and knows what this race means to Brad and Cooper Standard and all the veterans that will be here and all the ones watching at home that couldn’t make it. We all understand what we have to go do and hopefully we can go do just that.”

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Michigan and Road America

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Michigan and Road America

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series travel to Michigan International Speedway this weekend as the XFINITY Series heads to Road America. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Aug. 26:

    On-Track at Michigan:

    Noon-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    1:30-2:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice – FS2
    4-4:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS2
    5:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    11:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series
    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series

    Press Conferences:  (Watch live)
    11:30 a.m.: Tyler Reddick
    11:45 a.m.: Cameron Hayley
    2 p.m.: Austin Dillon
    2:15 p.m.: Greg Biffle
    3:45 p.m.: Alex Bowman
    6:30 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Coors Light Pole Qualifying (time approx.)

    On-Track at Road America:
    10-10:55 a.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice
    Noon-1:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice
    6:35 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Saturday, Aug. 27:

    On-Track at Michigan:

    8:30-9:25 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC
    9:45 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
    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Careers for Veterans 200 Presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation (100 laps, 200 miles) – FS1

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    3 p.m. approx.: Post-Truck Race (time approx.)

    On-Track at Road America:
    3 p.m.: XFINITY Series Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (45 laps, 182.16 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Sunday, Aug. 28:

    On-Track at Michigan:
    2 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

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

     

     

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

     

     

  • Former NASCAR Driver Facing Lawsuit

    Former NASCAR Driver Facing Lawsuit

    Former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and five-time NASCAR XFINITY Series race winner Bobby Hamilton Jr. is currently faced with a lawsuit regarding accusations of being unable to pay his drivers. Hamilton, who previously drove for Roger Carter in 10 ARCA events in 2015, has made 19 career starts since 1998.

    Court documents dated March of 2016 show that driver Kevin Hinckle of Kansas, filed a lawsuit against Hamilton, after Hamilton allegedly breached a contract that he and Hinckle had previously agreed to. According to Hinckle, the two met in 2015 while Hamilton was racing the Carter 2 Motorsports entry. After a deal between Hinckle and Carter 2 fell through, Hinckle says that Hamilton contacted him with plans to start his own ARCA team for the 2016 season.

    According to Hinckle, after meeting with Hamilton in August of 2015, he and Hamilton signed a letter of intent for 18 races in 2016, excluding Daytona and Talladega. Under this letter of intent, Hinckle was to pay a total of $60,000 to compete. The first payment of $3,000 was to take place upon the signing of the letter of intent, with the remaining $57,000 paid in installments that Hamilton and Hinckle both agreed on, with Hamilton allegedly signing the letter of intent as “HMI President.”

    “I asked Bobby about HMI and he said it was just a standard contract that he had and that it would be fine with the sponsor,” said Hinckle. “He also said High Performance Motorsports was him and Jack (Hughes) was more of a silent partner which he was with Roger (Carter) as well.”

    A car accident lawyer from Queens shares: “The legal issues surrounding Bobby Hamilton Jr. and his alleged failure to fulfill contractual obligations with his drivers, including Kevin Hinckle and Cassie Gannis, are concerning and warrant a thorough examination. Such cases raise questions about contractual agreements, financial transparency, and ethical conduct within the racing industry.

    According to the court documents, based on information and belief, “HMI” is neither a formed and an existing entity under Tennessee law, nor is it an entity registered to do business in the state of Tennessee.

    Hinckle states that Hamilton sent him instructions via text message on how to wire the payments on the new contract. Hinckle would go on to send payments by wire and one personal check for a total sum of $17,000. The personal check, says Hinckle, was endorsed by High Performance Motorsports.

    In September of 2015, Hinckle alleges that Hamilton contacted him with a new proposal to replace the previous letter of intent signed by both parties. This new proposal, per Hinckle, would put him in the car in Daytona as well as the events at Iowa and Berlin. Hinckle further alleges that he and Hamilton both agreed to this new proposal and Hinckle obtained a sponsor for the Daytona event.

    In December of 2015 Hinckle says that Hamilton texted him regarding his availability for the pre-race testing being held at Daytona, which Hinckle traveled to and was on hand for. According to Hinckle, Hamilton stated that he was bringing multiple cars down for testing. Hinckle was also bringing two sponsors to Daytona to watch him during testing and to meet with Hamilton.

    However, the Monday before testing, Hinckle asserts that Hamilton contacted him to inform him that he wasn’t going to attend the Daytona test, and afterwards both sponsors canceled their plans with Hinckle. Upon arriving in Daytona Hinckle said that he found only one car with a seat that was unable to fit Hinckle. Due to the seat not fitting, Hinckle was unable to test.

    The next morning Hinckle said he texted Hamilton about putting their verbal agreement in writing, as Daytona was coming up as well as his final payment. Hamilton allegedly called and began berating Hinckle for being “difficult to work with” because he didn’t trust him and then told Hinckle that he was cancelling his contract and that he would be getting the money back to Hinckle.

    According to court documents Hamilton reaffirmed through several texts that Hinckle would be getting his money back and then told Hinckle that his lawyer would contact him regarding a plan to set up getting his money back.

    The lawyer then contacted Hinckle by text, but Hinckle says that when he attempted to contact the lawyer they would not answer the phone when called and the number would not permit him to leave a voicemail. Hinckle asked the lawyer to call him, but the lawyer never did.

    Hinckle further explained that Hamilton’s lawyer then communicated with him in a series of texts, which, according to Hinckle, were filled with grammatical and spelling errors similar to mistakes found in Hamilton’s texts. According to Hinckle, the lawyer then stated he wanted records of the wire transfers, but afterward, the texts began changing tone from working with Hinckle on getting his money back to Hinckle supposedly being under the initial contract, suggesting that he owed money and if he didn’t appear at Daytona he would be a breach of contract, upon which legal recourse would be taken.

    Hinckle said that he then researched the lawyer’s number only to find out that it was a fake number.

    Hinckle then sought legal action against Hamilton for fraud, and although Hamilton was served the summons, he never showed up for the court date.

    Attempts to reach Hamilton regarding this story weren’t met with a response from him or a representative.

    Hinckle isn’t the only driver pursuing legal action against Hamilton. Cassie Gannis, the 2012 K&N Pro Series West’s Most Popular Driver, was to make some starts in ARCA for Hamilton in 2016 as well. According to legal documents, an agreement was entered on January 11, 2016, for Gannis to drive a Hamilton-Hughes entry for two events, Talladega on April 29, and Lucas Oil Raceway on July 22. In consideration for Cassie’s exclusive racing rights, the Gannis family was to pay a $12,000 fee, which was paid in two installments on January 11 and February 1.

    According to a statement by Cassie’s mother Kathy Gannis, Hamilton suggested the possibility of running a full season because he had an interested U.S. contractor that needed to show diversity in his audits with the government. Hamilton allegedly stated that this potential sponsor would bring in $200,000 if the Gannis family brought in $60,000 showing that they were vested in the agreement. Also, according to the statement by Kathy Gannis, Hamilton wanted $20,000 upon signing of the contract with $40,000 due by April 1 for a total of four races minimum or a full season with the new sponsor.

    After discussing race options via an alleged Google Hangout session between Hamilton, a team consultant, and Kathy Gannis, it was decided the team could not financially come up with $60,000 and would stick to the original option of racing at Talladega and Lucas Oil Raceway.

    On February 1, the Gannises once again wired $7,000 on time,as per the contract to Hamilton and High Performance Motorsports for the two events. On February 18 a press release was released via Hamilton-Hughes Racing that an agreement was signed with Cassie Gannis.

    As Talladega was approaching Hamilton contacted the Gannises with the possibility of changing the Talladega and Lucas Oil Raceway dates to four races in September because the contractor had brought another sponsor to the table that was interested in Cassie specifically because they felt she would relate to their clientele, according to Kathy Gannis. However, they needed to be in the Chicagoland, Kansas, and Kentucky markets.

    According to Kathy Gannis, Hamilton also expressed the possibility of competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Homestead-Miami Speedway as an added bonus. The Gannis’ allege they entered into the exchange in good faith.

    In April, Kathy Gannis stated that Hamilton withdrew from competing at the Nashville event to focus on his team. The Gannises alledge they called Hamilton to check in, however Hamilton never returned their calls. They saw Hamilton compete at Talladega, however, he still didn’t contact the Gannises or return their phone calls. According to Kathy Gannis, Hamilton would occasionally send texts saying, “call you later” or “in a meeting,” but by June those texts stopped.

    After noticing that Hamilton-Huges Racing stopped fielding cars in the 2016 ARCA campaign, they looked into High Performance Motorsports and noted that it was an LLC in the name of Charles Adcock, who was Hamilton’s brother-in-law.

    In July the Gannises were notified that Hamilton had been locked out of his shop. After not receiving any correspondence from Hamilton, the Gannises decided to pursue legal action.

    Kathy points out that the ordeal has been difficult on Cassie, who sold her Super Late Model to help the deal with Hamilton transpire.

    “Along with working full-time, she is working two other jobs to get back into racing,” says Kathy. “She recently bought another Super Late Model and is slowly getting the parts to put it together to race in Tucson. She’s still looking for sponsors and appreciates all the fan support.”

    Cassie remains positive despite the setback.

    “There are good teams and people out there, so I’m not giving up on my dream,” she says. “I want to race, grow as a driver, and win a championship for my fans and sponsors.”

  • After Break, Tyler Young Pumped For Michigan Return

    After Break, Tyler Young Pumped For Michigan Return

    BROOKLYN, Mich. – It seems like an eternity since Tyler Young has competed in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race, but that wait will come to an end in Saturday’s Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

    Young returns to the No. 02 Young’s Building Systems / Randco Chevrolet Silverado after a two-race hiatus when close friend Austin Hill wheeled the truck at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and last weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, where he notched his fifth top-20 effort of the season.

    Looking to build on that performance from an owner’s perspective, the Midland, Texas native heads back to the Motor City looking for his second top-10 finish of the season.

    “Austin did a great job for us the last couple weeks, but I’m ready to be back in a truck and I can’t wait to get to Michigan this weekend,” said Young. “We’ve been working hard on our intermediate program over the last month or so. We’re hopeful it pays off on Saturday.”

    Scheduled to make his 10th start of the season in the 14th race of the year, Young heads to the Irish Hills of Michigan looking for his eighth top-20 performance of 2016. At Michigan, the 25-year-old aims for his third start at the 2.0-mile oval on the strength of two strong top-15 finishes including a 15th place run in last year’s Careers for Veterans 200.

    From the drivers’ seat, Young looks at Michigan’s high speed track as a mini-restrictor plate track, where downforce is pivotal and the draft instrumental. Those two elements combined have the Texas thinking back to his career-best sixth place run in the season-opening race at Daytona in Feb., a restrictor plate race.

    “Michigan is a lot of fun,” added Young. “You’re never out of the gas and it really is like a mini-Daytona or Talladega. You just have to look at making sure the truck gets off the corner and you can hold it wide open all while staying in the draft of the truck in front of you. You get a big tow with the draft at Michigan, which makes it a lot of fun.

    “I’ve run at Michigan twice in 2014 and 2015 and we’ve been competitive both times. This weekend, we hope that strategy and speed will play into our hands.”

    With the Chase for the Truck Series on the horizon, Young won’t have the opportunity to vie for the championship, but his Young’s Motorsports team will still be at every race focused on finishing and building their platform for this season and next.

    “We had to take a step back to make two steps forward,” said Young of running a limited schedule this season. “The good news is that I’ll be running a majority of the rest of the season and I’m anxious to see what kind of performances we can deliver between now and Homestead.”

    Young aboard the No. 02 Young’s Building Systems / Randco. Chevrolet Silverado will make his 66th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Michigan International Speedway. In 65 previous races, Young has earned a best finish of sixth at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2016.

    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 Careers for Veterans 200 (100 laps / 200 miles) is the 14th of 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on the 2016 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, Aug. 26 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:55 p.m., while a final session has been etched in from 4:00 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, Aug. 27 beginning at 9:45 a.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All time Eastern.

    Young’s Motorsports Michigan International Speedway Fast Facts:

    Driver: Tyler Young (@TylerYoung02)
    Owner: Randy Young (Young’s Motorsports)
    Crew Chief: Andrew Abbott
    Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado
    Engine Builder: Collins Automotive