Veteran Racing Executive Oversaw Numerous Racing Enhancements
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 1, 2015) – NASCAR announced today that Senior Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton will leave the organization at the end of 2015.
With a racing career that has spanned five decades, Pemberton joined the sanctioning body in August of 2004. Since that time, he has overseen all areas of NASCAR competition and been credited as a key component in bridging the gap between the sanctioning body and the racing community.
“Robin has left an indelible mark on the sport while at NASCAR,” said NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton. “He joined us at a critical time and very quickly gave our highly visible competition group the credibility and confidence it needed to be successful with the industry. He traded a successful career as a competitor to help lead the sport for 12 seasons. We’re extremely grateful for his many contributions.”
During Pemberton’s tenure, NASCAR has seen a great number of technical and safety advancements. Against the backdrop of the massive NASCAR Research & Development Center, Pemberton’s Competition teams overhauled the inspection and rules process and procedures for all vehicles racing in the national series. He oversaw the transitions of NASCAR to Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) and to race fuels with blended Sunoco E15.
Among the largest undertakings under his purview was the launch of the acclaimed Generation 6 style car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2013. That style just completed its third season of on-track racing.
“I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish during my time at NASCAR,” Pemberton said. “This sport has been my entire professional career and working with all the competitors and the auto manufacturers for the last 12 seasons has been a thrill. I feel good knowing that the work this team has done has had a positive impact on the sport.
“I look forward to the next challenge.”
Pemberton will help in the transition to a new competition lead for the balance of the year.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com and follow NASCAR at www.Facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.
As strong as he was in winning Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200, Matt Crafton was already looking ahead to 2016.
Crafton, whose hopes for a third consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship were dashed by a crash at Phoenix last week, won his sixth race of the season, holding off John Hunter Nemechek and Tyler Reddick in the season finale.
Although Crafton’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra finished 2.9 seconds ahead of Nemechek and more than six seconds ahead of Reddick, the 39-year-old veteran still wound up third in the point standings, 15 behind 19-year-old Erik Jones.
“I was having so much fun there at the end of this race,” said Crafton after his first career victory at HMS. “Six wins with as many laps as we’ve led–it’s been awesome this season. We just made too many mistakes. I made too many mistakes. … I promise one thing: It’s going to make us stronger in 2016.”
Crafton said he was happy to be able to “take the gloves off” and go all out for a win at HMS. “That was a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s amazing what Junior (crew chief Joiner) can do with these trucks. On that last run, we hit a home run there.”
Ultimately, Kyle Busch’s eye for youthful talent paid off as Jones did what he needed to in becoming the youngest driver ever to claim a CWTS title (19 years, 5 months, 21 days) and first NASCAR Next alum. He also became the first to win a driver’s title for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
“He put it to me when he beat me in a Super Late Model race,” recalled Busch, who will race for the Sprint Cup title on Sunday. “I tend to pick up on the talent of younger kids. Actually, the first time he raced against me, he blew my doors off, then blew up 40 laps later. I said, ‘Good. I don’t have to race (against) this one.’”
There was no blowing up Friday night.
Jones entered the race 19 points ahead of Reddick, his nearest competitor, and 32 points ahead of Crafton, the Keystone Light Pole-sitter. Making his first HMS start, Jones needed only to avoid trouble and finish 15th or higher to claim the series crown.
Erik Jones becomes the youngest driver ever to claim a CWTS title. Photo by Noel Lanier
Jones, who notched three wins this season and has seven career CWTS victories, finished sixth in the race behind Ben Kennedy and Timothy Peters. He qualified fifth and was content to race safely and efficiently, remaining in the top 10 for most of the race and avoiding any calamity on the track.
“I can’t think of a better way to repay these guys. I can’t think of a better ending than that,” said Jones, who expects to drive full-time in the XFINITY Series for Joe Gibbs Racing next year after parts of three seasons with Kyle Busch Motorsports.
“Eric’s done a lot of growing up in a short period of time,” Busch said. “I’m glad he stuck with me and our plan. I think he has a lot of bigger and greater things ahead on his plate.”
NASCAR Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next alum Daniel Suarez appeared to have the strongest truck early in Friday’s race, charging from sixth to the lead. But Suarez slid up the track into the truck of Dexter Stacey on Lap 61, falling back to 15th, then found the wall again on Lap 83.
That left Crafton in position to dominate the race. He led 93 of the 134 laps, leaving NASCAR Next driver Nemechek (Chevrolet) and Reddick (Ford) in his wake to battle for second.
Reddick, driving for Brad Keselowski Racing, started fourth and advanced to second behind Crafton with 40 laps to go. But by then, Jones, who briefly slid back to 14th after a caution flag shuffle, had rallied to seventh, keeping Reddick, also a 19-year-old driver, at bay in the chase for the title.
“We were very consistent this year. I’m proud about that,” Reddick said. “We just have to move on to next year. I know what second place feels like and I really don’t like it too much. If I didn’t have enough reasons to win a championship, I’ve got one more.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Ford EcoBoost 200
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
Friday, November 20, 2015
Average Speed of Race Winner: 126.725 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 35 Mins, 10 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.942 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 18 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M. Crafton 1-30; J. Nemechek # 31-48; T. Reddick 49; J. Townley 50; D. Suarez(i) 51-60; J. Nemechek # 61-62; M. Crafton 63; J. Nemechek # 64-65; M. Crafton 66-67; J. Nemechek # 68; M. Crafton 69-78; J. Nemechek # 79; M. Crafton 80-83; C. Bell 84-88; M. Crafton 89-134.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Crafton 6 times for 93 laps; J. Nemechek # 5 times for 24 laps; D. Suarez(i) 1 time for 10 laps; C. Bell 1 time for 5 laps; J. Townley 1 time for 1 lap; T. Reddick 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 899; T. Reddick – 884; M. Crafton – 877; J. Sauter – 809; T. Peters – 804; C. Hayley # – 766; D. Hemric # – 733; J. Townley – 730; B. Kennedy – 690; S. Gallagher # – 677.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the season finale races. The on-track action for the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series will be televised on NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and NBC Sports Live Extra, as indicated below. FS1 will broadcast events for the Camping World Truck Series. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR will provide radio coverage.
2:45-5 p.m.: Championship 4 Live Chat: Inside Access with Miss Sprint Cup
Schedule for Live Chat
2:55-3:05 p.m.: Kyle Busch
3:10-3:20 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
3:30-3:40 p.m.: Tony Stewart
3:40-3:50 p.m.: Rick Hendrick
3:50-4 p.m.: Joe Gibbs
4-4:10 p.m.: Joe Garone
4:25-4:35 p.m.: Kevin Harvick
4:40-4:50 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:
5 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
Friday, Nov. 20:
On Track:
9-11:25 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
Noon-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
1:30-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra
4:10 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Qualifying – FS1
6:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
8 p.m: Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 (134 laps, 201 miles) – FS1 (Green flag 8:18 p.m. approx.)
10:30 a.m.: Chris Buescher
11:30 a.m.: Brian France, NASCAR Chairman & CEO
1:30 p.m.: Ford with the Wood Brothers
3 p.m.: Richard Petty Motorsports Announcement
7:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Championship 4 drivers
9:45 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race
TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:
5:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Live –NBCSN
7:30 p.m.: NCWTS Setup – FS1
Saturday, Nov. 21:
On Track:
10-10:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
11:15 a.m.: XFINITY Series Qualifying – CNBC/Live Extra
1-1:50 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
2:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBC/Live Extra (Green flag 3 p.m. approx.)
TOYOTA NASCAR NOTES & QUOTES
November 16 – 22, 2015
TOYOTA TIDBITS
KYLE COMPETES FOR CUP CHAMPIONSHIP: Camry driver Kyle Busch is one of four drivers set to compete for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) championship this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch finished fourth in Sunday’s race Phoenix International Raceway and earned his way into the season-finale championship field via points. With four eligible participants racing for the championship at Homestead, the first to the finish line will win the 2015 title. Toyota is looking for its first NSCS driver’s championship after winning seven combined drivers titles in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). In 10 career starts at Homestead, Busch has three top-10 finishes and top-10 results in two of the last three seasons at the 1.5-mile Florida track.
TOYOTA TALLY: Busch has been an integral part of the Toyota’s NASCAR success since 2008, having won more races than any other driver across the three NASCAR national series. Busch is responsible for 132 of Toyota’s 330 NASCAR triumphs, having collected the most wins in each series in a Camry or Tundra race vehicle with 29 NSCS, 65 NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) and 38 NCWTS victories to his credit. He also claimed the inaugural NSCS Camry points victory when he took the checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2008.
TUNDRAS CLINCH MANUFACTURER CROWN: Toyota clinched its eighth NCWTS manufacturer’s championship with Timothy Peters’ win at Phoenix International Raceway last Friday. It marked the eighth NCWTS manufacturer’s title in 12 years for Toyota and third consecutive by Tundra drivers after also securing five-straight from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2015. Heading into Friday’s season-finale at Homestead, Tundra drivers have combined for 13 wins, 11 pole positions, 56 top-five results, 114 top-10 finishes and 2,239 laps led in NCWTS competition this season. Since joining NCWTS competition in 2004, Toyota has won 143 races and captured 111 poles in 289 races.
ROOKIE READY: Toyota driver Erik Jones heads into the NCWTS finale at Homestead with a 19-point lead in the championship point standings over second-place Tyler Reddick. The 19-year-old Michigan native would become the youngest driver in series history to win the NCWTS title. Jones is also looking to earn NCWTS Rookie of the Year honors and would become the first driver to clinch both titles in the same season. In 22 starts this season, Jones has collected three wins, five pole positions, 11 top-10 finishes and 19 top-10 results in the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 4 Tundra.
NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS): Camry drivers have won 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races this season … Toyota needs one more victory in 2015 to tie its most wins in a single NSCS season (14 victories in 2013) … Camry driver Denny Hamlin has won twice at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009 and 2013 … Matt Kenseth also won at Homestead in 2007 prior to driving a Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing.
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What has the journey been like for you this season from your injury now to the championship finale?
“It was tough to be at home and lying in bed and watching other guys race my race car first of all, but I can’t say enough about Adam Stevens (crew chief) and the teamwork and everything that went through this season of being able to keep everyone together and keep everyone focused and motivated for my return to get back in that car. Since then, to go on and win some of these races and to get ourselves Chase eligible and with the rules the way the rules are, it was fortunate for us to be in this position and I feel really good about things.”
What do you need to focus on in Homestead to win the championship?
“I think the biggest thing is just being able to go to Homestead, a place where I feel like I’ve run well at in the past, and get an opportunity to race for a championship. I think that you try to limit your distractions getting into that race and just try to do the right things in practice and qualifying and everything. I’m really going to have to lean on my teammates. They’re all really good at Homestead. So, I feel like as a whole, everybody can hopefully help me and give me everything I need to have the tools necessary to go into the race and perform to our best and hopefully race for a championship. We know we have to win that thing. There’s a slight chance that you might be able to finish second, but you better just plan on winning.”
ADAM STEVENS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How much have the 18 team and Kyle Busch overcome this year to compete for the NSCS championship?
“It’s been a wild year, starting with Kyle’s (Busch) accident. That’s not something that any of us had planned or prepared for, and it was such a devastating crash that none of us knew if he was going to recover this year at all. Due to his perseverance and determination, he was able to get back in a timely schedule that was even not predicted by his doctors, and certainly not predicted by any of us, and get himself in a spot where he at least had the potential to score enough points to get Chase eligible. To battle back from that and all the wins that we’ve had along the way and good runs in competitive cars is remarkable at this stage.”
NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS): Camry drivers Daniel Suarez (sixth) and JJ Yeley (12th) currently rank in the top-15 in the NXS point standings … Suarez leads the NXS Rookie of the Year standings by 40 points over Darrell Wallace Jr. leading into the season-finale NXS race at Homestead … Suarez is on a current streak of five consecutive top-10 results.
DANIEL SUAREZ, No. 18 ARRIS Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Are you pleased with your rookie season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series?
“It’s hard to believe this is the final race weekend of 2015. I have learned a lot this year and I feel like I’ve learned more in 2015 than I did in the past three years combined. I’ve gotten a lot of great support from everyone at ARRIS, Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing. We have one more chance to finish the season strong and get our first checkered flag. I’ve been studying Homestead and I’m really looking forward to running there.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS): Tundra drivers Erik Jones (first), Matt Crafton (third), Johnny Sauter (fourth), Timothy Peters (fifth), Cameron Hayley (sixth) and Ben Kennedy (ninth) are in the top-10 in the NCWTS point standings … The Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 4 Tundra leads the NCWTS owner standings by 19 points and is looking to earn the team’s fourth owner’s title in the past six seasons.
ERIK JONES, No. 4 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
What is your strategy for Homestead with a 19-point lead in the point standings?
“It’s nice to have a cushion for sure. It’s way better than going into the race and leading by three points or five points. So it’s fortunate we are in a situation where we don’t have to win the race, we don’t have to run top-five and we don’t even really have to run top-10. I think it’s going to be somewhat conservative of an approach, but I don’t think we need to change our approach by a whole lot. Obviously, Homestead the big risk for anybody is getting up into the fence the way you get around that place, but I think most of the day we’ll just concentrate on not ever really getting up by the wall. I think as long as we don’t do that, we can probably run seventh or eighth and be pretty comfortable most of the day and close this deal out.”
What would it mean to you to become the youngest NCWTS champion?
“I think it’s definitely a pretty cool accomplishment, let alone winning the championship, but being the youngest to do it. All along our goal at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) has been for me to run for a driver’s championship and be able to get KBM its first driver’s championship, so to be able to put ourselves in this position to have a great shot to go and get it, that’s just a big accomplishment in itself. I’d be really, really happy if we can bring that back to KBM – for everything they’ve done for me and for everything Kyle (Busch) has done for me. To be the youngest to do it would be a bonus for me.”
TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER – Homestead-Miami Speedway (NSCS, NXS and NCWTS)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Camry
Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Camry
Carl Edwards, No. 19 Camry
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Camry
Jeb Burton, No. 23 Camry
JJ Yeley, No. 26 Camry
David Ragan, No. 55 Camry
Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Camry
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Blake Koch, No. 8 Camry
Derek White, No. 13 Camry
Mike Bliss, No. 14 Camry
Daniel Suarez, No. 18 Camry
Jeff Green, No. 19 Camry
Erik Jones, No. 20 Camry
Eric McClure, No. 24 Camry
TJ Bell, No. 26 Camry
JJ Yeley, No. 28 Camry
David Starr, No. 44 Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 54 Camry
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Erik Jones, No. 4 Tundra
Ben Kennedy, No. 11 Tundra
Cameron Hayley, No. 13 Tundra
Timothy Peters, No. 17 Tundra
Daniel Suarez, No. 51 Tundra
Christopher Bell, No. 54 Tundra
Matt Crafton, No. 88 Tundra
Jesse Little, No. 97 Tundra
Johnny Sauter, No. 98 Tundra
Tundra Drivers Success Secures Eighth Championship in 12 Seasons
AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 13, 2015) – Toyota clinched its eighth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) manufacturer’s championship when Timothy Peters crossed the finish line first in Friday night’s race at Phoenix International Raceway.
This is the eighth NCWTS manufacturer’s title in 12 years for Toyota and third consecutive by Tundra drivers after also securing five-straight from 2006 to 2010 and again in 2013 to 2015. Overall, Toyota drivers have earned 11 NASCAR manufacturer’s trophies since the start of the 2004 season. Toyota previously claimed three consecutive NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) manufacturer’s crowns from 2008 to 2010.
Three teams fielding Tundras – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM), Red Horse Racing and ThorSport Racing – all contributed to the NCWTS manufacturer’s title this season. After 22 of 23 races, Tundra drivers have combined for 13 wins, 11 pole positions, 56 top-five results, 114 top-10 finishes and led 2,239 laps in NCWTS competition this season.
“Toyota is proud to collect our eighth manufacturer’s championship in the Truck Series following yet another successful season by our Tundra drivers,” said Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing, performance and guest experience for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. “Toyota’s commitment and dedication to the sport of NASCAR is apparent by the consistency of our team partners and our unwavering support of all NASCAR series. Our partnership with championship-caliber race teams, and a solid combination of veteran drivers and young talent, has resulted in earning the title in eight of the last 12 seasons participating in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.”
Since joining NCWTS competition in 2004, Toyota has won 143 races and captured 111 poles in 289 races. Kyle Busch (38) has the most victories driving a Tundra.
The NCWTS schedule will come to a close next Friday, Nov. 20 at the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
# # #
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than 2.35 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.
Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. (TMS), based in Torrance, CA, is the U.S. sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm for Toyota, Scion and Lexus.
About TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development)
TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Salisbury, N.C. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyota’s factory racing engines and chassis. TRD powers Toyota’s racing activities in NASCAR, NHRA and USAC, among other series.
Driver held off late challenge to capture first-career win at Phoenix
PHOENIX – For the first 80 percent of Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix International Raceway, Timothy Peters, driver of the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, looked like he had no chance to win. But on Lap 120, the two leaders crashed into each other during a restart and took themselves out of contention, giving first place to Peters, who battled off a last lap attack to claim his first-career win at the one-mile oval in the Arizona desert.
With just 30 laps to go, points leader Erik Jones, driver of the No. 4 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota, held the lead from Matt Crafton, second in points and on the track. Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota, aggressively tried to grab the advantage with a daring move to shortcut the dogleg, but the tail of his truck slid out and hit Jones, who made contact with the outside wall. Crafton spun towards the inside wall but he collided with his teammate Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 98 Smokey Mountain/Curb Records Toyota, before both trucks hit the inside wall.
“I just got loose under him and I tried to chase it and when I chased it, I got into him,” said Crafton, who finished 23rd and saw his hopes of repeating as series champion disappear as he fell to third in the 2015 standings – 32 points behind Jones. “I hate it for my (crew) guys, and I didn’t want to do that to the No. 4 (of Jones).”
Peters took the lead during the ensuing caution period when Jones came into the pits for repairs on the right rear of his truck. Jones was able to complete the race, but struggled to a ninth-place finish.
“I think he (Crafton) was just trying to get a good run off of Turn 4,” said Jones, who can clinch the title with a finish of 15th or better next week. “It’s unfortunate. We definitely had the two fastest trucks. I wish we could have raced for the win side by side.”
Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 19 Draw Tight Ford, finished fifth despite trouble during a pit stop on lap 107 that cost him track position. He battled back the rest of the way and now sits 19 points behind Jones.
Up front, Peters had to hold off a late challenge of John Hunter Nemecheck, driver of the No. 8 Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup Chevrolet, who was just 0.310 of a second behind as Peters swept beneath the checkered flag on lap 150.
Peters win on Friday was his second of the season and his first at PIR in eight career tries; his best previous result in Arizona was fourth in November 2012. His first win this season came at Talladega Superspeedway in October.
“We had a top-five truck for sure,” said Peters after his win. “I love that the tires are burned off it and I’m looking forward to Homestead-Miami Speedway. You’ll see me there with a big ol’ smile on my face.”
Nemechek finished second and felt he could have competed for the win if he had clean air.
“It paid everything there to have clean air out front out there,” said the 18-year-old Nemechek. “Well take it, It’s definitely some motivation going to Homestead for the final race of the year.”
There were seven cautions during the race. Rising star Rico Abreu, driver of the No. 31 AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet, made his series debut but was involved in a crash on lap 46.
About Phoenix International Raceway
Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has been the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Founded as an open-wheel racing mecca, PIR will host the Phoenix Grand Prix Verizon IndyCar Series race under the lights on Saturday night, April 2. Phoenix is the only track in the West to have two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends a year and will kick off its 2016 NASCAR season with the Camping World 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend in March followed by the semifinal race for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in November.
TOYOTA NCWTS DRIVER FINISHING POSITIONS at Phoenix International Raceway
1st, TIMOTHY PETERS
4th, DANIEL SUAREZ
8th, MATT TIFFT
9th, ERIK JONES
11th, CAMERON HAYLEY
19th, DALTON SARGEANT
23rd, MATT CRAFTON
24th, BEN KENNEDY
25th, JOHNNY SAUTER
31st, WILLIAM BYRON
TOYOTA DRIVER NCWTS POINT STANDINGS following Phoenix International Raceway (race 22 of 23)*
1st, ERIK JONES 861 points
3rd, MATT CRAFTON 829 points
4th, JOHNNY SAUTER 772 points
5th, TIMOTHY PETERS 765 points
6th, CAMERON HAYLEY 731 points
9th, BEN KENNEDY 650 points
*unofficial point standings
TOYOTA NOTES
· Tundra driver Timothy Peters was victorious in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Phoenix International Raceway.
· Peters started from the 10th position and led 28 laps (of 150) at the one-mile speedway to capture his second checkered flag of the 2015 NCWTS season.
· With the victory, Toyota has clinched the eighth NCWTS manufacturer’s championship since entering the series in 2004.
· Tundra driver Erik Jones started from pole and led a race-high 106 laps, but was involved in an incident with fellow Toyota driver Matt Crafton relinquishing Jones to a ninth-place finish and Crafton to the 23rd position.
· Other Toyota drivers with top-10 finishes in Friday night’s race include Daniel Suarez (fourth) and Matt Tifft (eighth).
TOYOTA QUOTES
TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
How did you win this race?
“Chris Lambert (spotter) kept me alert and was integral to see what was going on. How about Toyota clinching the manufacturer championship tonight – that’s awesome. Thank you Toyota for what you do for Red Horse Racing. Thank the good Lord, thank this team, Toyota, Triad Horsepower. We were a top-five truck tonight and we earned this one – this is just awesome.”
What went through your mind on the final restart?
“The track was still pretty slick, pretty oily when they gave us the one to go. We were getting a little tight on the corner exit, we were trying not to over drive on the entry. In case people are wondering about what my hat is, it’s for my sunglasses. Thanks to Tom DeLoach (team owner) for giving me this opportunity. It’s just a great day.”
How does it feel to win tonight?
“Thank you to the good Lord for being with us tonight and for blessing us. How about Toyota for clinching the manufacturer championship tonight. So great and proud to be a part of the Toyota Racing family. Thanks to Tom DeLoach (team owner), Red Horse Racing and all the guys back at the shop. What an amazing night.”
What did you think when you saw the leaders crashing off of turn four?
“I am glad they are okay, but you never want to see that happen. It was hard racing I guess, from my perspective it was. We had a top-five truck for sure, but we whipped ourselves into position to take the win tonight.”
How did you hold off John Hunter Nemechek on the final restart?
“His truck was good but our truck was better on the short run. The track was still kind of oily when they put the speedy dry down. We just tried to get up on the restart and not over drive my entry.”
TOM DELOACH, team owner, Red Horse Racing
What does it mean for Red Horse Racing to be the team that clinches Toyota’s eighth NCWTS manufacturer’s championship?
“It’s a real thrill for me. I’m the longest Toyota team in the garage. I’ve been with Toyota longer than anyone in the traveling series garage, so it was very special for me to bring home the manufacturer championship for Toyota. They’ve been a fantastic partner. I’ve seen it grow over the years. When I first started with them, they only raced in the Trucks. Obviously they’ve grown up a little bit bigger in the series now and competing in the top level to get a Cup championship. Nice to see the Toyota growth.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, No. 51 ARRIS Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 4th
MATT TIFFT, No. 54 games.NASCAR.com Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 8th
ERIK JONES, No. 4 Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 9th
How disappointed were you to be involved in the accident with Matt Crafton?
“You’re disappointed you know, I really don’t want to talk about it that much. It’s disappointing. It’s unfortunate, we were racing for the win and that kind of situation happens, but everybody makes mistakes and Matt (Crafton) made one tonight. It cost both of us a shot at the win. It doesn’t take away from the fact that we had a really fast Tundra. We definitely I thought had the best truck here all night. Still have a 19 point lead and we can go to Homestead and have a 15th place day – hopefully we can do that. It’s just unfortunate, wish we could have raced for the win.”
What happened between yourself and Crafton?
“I think it was definitely hard racing. Matt (Crafton) is always racing us pretty hard. Like I said, there was definitely some hard racing. He didn’t want us to get the lead obviously and slipped up and made a mistake. It’s going to happen, it’s racing , it’s hard racing and we both had fast trucks. It’s just a shame when you lose a shot at the win.”
Did you see the championship slipping away when the contact was made?
“At that moment I wasn’t thinking about the championship. I was thinking about winning a race and that flashed before my eyes. I was somewhat worried about it, I wasn’t too concerned about it, I figured we’d be okay since obviously the 88 (Matt Crafton) was involved as well. Still a 19-point lead and that’s a solid margin to go into Homestead.”
What did you feel when Matt Crafton got underneath you?
“I think he (Matt Crafton) was just trying to get a good run off of four and we spooked him a little bit because we got such a good run through three and four on the top. I was starting to roll out of it, I was getting tight and then all of the sudden I got hit in the left-rear. It’s unfortunate, we definitely had the two fastest trucks. I don’t think there was anybody else in the field that really had anything for us all night. It’s a shame and I wish we could have raced for the win side-by-side, but those things are going to happen when you’re racing that hard and that close together. It’s nice that fortunately it didn’t take us out of the championship. We still have a 19 point lead so we can go into Homestead with a nice cushion and just need to have a solid day there.”
How was the racing different tonight compared to previous Phoenix races?
“I think the new tire they brought here is so much softer and it just changed a lot over the course of a run where in years past it stayed pretty consistent. We just seem to get really tight on the long run, especially when we got 20 or 30 laps into, we just got pretty tight center off both ends. We made a couple of adjustments and I thought there on the last stop we really did a good job of getting it good and I was just honestly waiting for Matt (Crafton) to wear his stuff out and on that restart we had such a good run off of two and then such a good run through three and four, I thought that was kind of going to be it to get to clear them and hopefully bring out our Tundra to the win. There’s always next week.”
How will you approach the race at Homestead?
“I think we need to approach it somewhat conservatively. We need to finish at least 16th I think and that’s not too tall of an order for our team. We went and tested at Homestead, I feel pretty good about it and hopefully we can have a good, solid day. It would sure be nice to bring home the championship.”
CAMERON HAYLEY, No. 13 Carolina Nut Co. Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 11th
MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 23rd
What happened in the accident?
“It was 100 percent my fault. We were close and it was tight racing. When you get somebody side-by-side with you, I just got loose and made a mistake. Things happen, we’re all human and we’ll go on to Homestead. I hate it for the guys, we had such a good truck. We’ll just hold our heads up and go to Homestead.”
Did your truck get loose under Erik Jones?
“Just got loose under him. Got loose and I started chasing and when I chased it I was already free at that point and when I did chase it I touched him (Erik Jones) and then it just sent me the rest of the way around and I caught him at the same time and just sent me for a ride and got tore up. I hate it for all of us, I hate it for my guys and I dang sure didn’t want to do it with the 4 (Jones) and those guys. I want to be able to see a Toyota win the championship.”
BEN KENNEDY, No. 11 Local Motors Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
Finishing Position: 24th
JOHNNY SAUTER, No. 98 Smokey Mountain/Curb Records Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 25th
What did you see between Erik Jones and Matt Crafton that took you out of contention?
“He (Matt Crafton) was just racing the 4 (Erik Jones) and I think he got loose and spun out and came across the race track and I had nowhere to go. What do you do, it’s racing.”
WILLIAM BYRON, No. 9 Liberty University Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 31st
What happened to take you out of the race?
“I felt like the two of us were side-by-side, I guess he got cleared and he wasn’t cleared. It’s alright, it’s a racing deal. It’s unfortunate because these KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) guys worked hard on this Tundra. I hate to end it this early, but I’ll keep my head up as I have a whole year of Trucks ahead of me next year that I’m looking forward to.”
AVONDALE, Ariz. – After the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series battle changed dramatically with a wreck involving the two series leaders, Timothy Peters held off John Hunter Nemechek to win Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Peters beat Nemechek to the checkered flag by .309 seconds to record his first victory at the one-mile speedway, his second of the season and the 10th of his career.
But the real drama occurred 30 laps before Peters crossed the finish line in the 150-lap event. The dominant trucks of series leader Erik Jones and two-time defending champion Matt Crafton fell out of contention, wrecking during an intense battle for the lead.
As Crafton and Jones raced side-by-side for the lead after a restart on Lap 120, Crafton’s Toyota slipped underneath Jones’ Tundra in Turn 4 and pinched Jones against the outside wall. Crafton shot to the left and knocked ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter’s Toyota into the inside wall, critically damaging both vehicles.
Despite damage to the rear of his truck, Jones salvaged a lead-lap ninth-place finish and maintained a 19-point lead in the series standings over second-place Tyler Reddick, who finished fifth on Friday night.
Crafton wasn’t as fortunate. His 23rd-place finish left him 32 points behind Jones, who can end Crafton’s title run with a finish of 27th or better next Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jones can clinch his first championship outright with a finish of 15th or better in the season finale.
“I made a mistake,” Crafton acknowledged. “Mistakes happen and we’re all human,” he said. “I hate it for my guys because we had a great truck.”
Peters had to dodge a Lap 6 wreck involving Brandon Jones, William Byron and Cole Custer before he could think about winning the race.
“When I saw it happen, and (the wrecking trucks) coming back across the race track, I can’t tell you what I was thinking, but it was ‘Here we go again,’” said Peters, who posted his seventh straight top-six finish in a stretch that includes two wins. “The last two years, we’ve had great trucks (at Phoenix), but we’ve been in the right place at the wrong time.
“The Lord works in great ways, and tonight was our night. Even though we missed it by our chinny, chin, chin, I was able to miss it. The only damage on the truck is from me getting crazy burning it out (in the post-race celebration). I’m sure that won’t be a problem if we keep continuing to go down this path.”
Note: With Peters’ victory, Toyota clinched its eighth manufacturers’ championship in the Truck Series.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Lucas Oil 150
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Arizona
Friday, November 13, 2015
Average Speed of Race Winner: 92.704 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 37 Mins, 05 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.309 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 37 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: E. Jones # 1-10; M. Crafton 11; E. Jones # 12-21; M. Crafton 22; E. Jones # 23-41; T. Kvapil 42; E. Jones # 43-106; M. Crafton 107-119; E. Jones # 120-122; T. Peters 123-150.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones # 5 times for 106 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 28 laps; M. Crafton 3 times for 15 laps; T. Kvapil 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 861; T. Reddick – 842; M. Crafton – 829; J. Sauter – 772; T. Peters – 765; C. Hayley # – 731; D. Hemric # – 697; J. Townley – 695; B. Kennedy – 650; S. Gallagher # – 644.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. The on-track action for the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series will be televised on NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra, as indicated below. FS1 will broadcast events for the Camping World Truck Series.
All times are Eastern.
Thursday, Nov. 12:
On Track:
4:30–6:55 p.m.: CampingWorld Truck Series Final Practice
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
7 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
Friday, Nov. 13:
On Track:
12:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Qualifying – FS1
2-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
3:30-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
5-6:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
6:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 (150 laps, 150 miles) – FS1 (Green flag 8:48 p.m. approx.)
Noon: Rico Abreu
12:30 p.m.: Joey Logano
12:45 p.m.: Kurt Busch
1 p.m.: Kevin Harvick
3:30 p.m.: Carl Edwards
4:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
4:45 p.m.: Track 2016 Title Sponsor Announcement
7:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying
10:15 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race
TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:
4:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Live –NBCSN
8 p.m.: NCWTS Setup – FS1
Saturday, Nov. 14:
On Track:
11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
12:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
2:30-3:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
4 p.m.: XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans (200 laps, 200 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra (Green flag 4:16 p.m. approx.)
“The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading…” and I want to make the case for making the owners title more like Formula 1.
The owner’s championship model used in NASCAR has never made sense to me. If you don’t know, the model used by NASCAR is awarding points to individual cars rather than to the organization as a whole.
Mercedes has been the dominant force as of late in Formula 1- user: Kd1980/Wikimedia Commons
I’ve always believed that the model used by Formula 1 makes far more sense. The points scored in a race go to the team as a whole instead of the individual cars.
This leads to both more buzz about the constructors’ championship, makes it more significant and is a far superior barometer for who was the best team.
Here’s what I mean. For the last two years, the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team has dominated the entire landscape of Formula 1. The constructors’ championship model used by F1 shows that the combination of both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg is superior to any driving duo in the sport right now. If it followed the NASCAR model, it would just be a battle between Hamilton and Rosberg. That would be redundant because the driver’s championship already shows who’s the superior driver.
With the model used in NASCAR, it paints both a redundant and a false picture of who was best. In the XFINITY Series this season, the No. 22 Team Penske Ford won the owner’s title, but it really didn’t matter given that they were using drivers that weren’t racing for points in the series.
Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
In the Sprint Cup Series, the owner’s title almost always goes to the car driven by the driver who won the Sprint Cup title.
It’s entirely and utterly redundant and I’m all about reducing, curtailing and slashing all that is redundant in this world of redundant things that are redundant.
This is why I would love to see NASCAR change the owners championship model and make it more like that used in Formula 1. It would be a far superior barometer of which organization was the best in the sport.
Now I understand that one problem with going to F1’s model is that it would favor the multi-car teams – especially the four car teams – while single-car teams would be left out. The best way to account for this would be that only the highest finishing car of each team scores the owners points like is done with the manufacturers title.
My plane is about to take off, so I must wrap this up. Until next time, I’ll leave you with this fact. Aposiopesis is the official name of the rhetorical style in which you deliberately fail to complete a sentence. (“Why you…”)
