Category: Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

Kyle Busch Scores 43rd Career Truck Win at Pocono

After three green, white, checkered attempts, Kyle Busch was again the one to reign victorious, scoring his 43rd Camping World Truck Series win at Pocono Raceway. This was Busch’s first Truck victory for the 2015 season and his first at Pocono Raceway in the Trucks.

With the victory, Busch has now won at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s national series for the tenth time in his career.

“This is really, really cool,” Kyle Busch said. “Great to win and put Toyota in Victory Lane and my first win here as well.”

In spite of the three restarts he had to contend with, Kyle Busch felt that he managed them well. Unfortunately, his young teammate Erik Jones did not fare so well, getting spun and suffering damage on one of those fateful restarts.

“The restarts weren’t too bad from my seat,” Busch said. “But behind me it looked crazy. I hate it that Erik Jones got washed out on that restart. The restarts didn’t go his way today.”

Busch also was running low on fuel at the end of the race and had to nurse his race track during through cautions.

“One of the biggest things we did was to shut the engine off during yellows,” Busch said. “The more you can shut it off, because these things are gas guzzlers, the better off you are.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet, finished in the runner-up position, after taking tires late in the race.

“We had an interesting weekend, to say the least,” Harvick said. “But I signed up to give some feedback and help Cole (Custer) and JR Motorsports get situated on the bigger tracks. The great part is that the guys kept working and they didn’t get mad.”

“So, we made something out of the weekend. IT’s not where we want to be performance-wise, but that’s why you run the race.”

“Yeah, I just want to thank everybody on our Haas Automation Chevrolet.”

Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 19 Draw Tite Ford, finished third. And thanks to the misfortune that befell Matt Crafton, who tangled with Brad Keselowski to finish 28^th, Reddick also became the new points leader in the Truck Series.

“Our guys did an outstanding job,” Reddick said. “These guys have been working really hard. We didn’t have the speed we needed to compete with the 51 and the 4, but the truck was very raceable in traffic.”

“But we still came home with a top three finish.”

Reddick is now officially eleven points ahead of Matt Crafton in the championship point standings.

“We need to stay aggressive,” Reddick said. “It’s always been race to race as far as the points If we run the best we can every weekend, it will all end up right at the end.”

Cameron Haley scored his best career finish to date, finishing fourth in his No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley/Carolina Nut Co. Toyota.

“I had Cup drivers on all sides and that was a hell of a feeling,” Haley said. “Learned a ton from him and my spotter Eddie D’Hondt (Jeff Gordon’s spotter) up on the stand.”

“I will do lots of celebrating tonight. This was a good top five finish for sure.”

Austin Dillon, who also pitted late in the race finished fifth in his No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet, in spite of an incident with Erik Jones.

“We had a good run at the very last second, but it didn’t work,” Dillon said. “I hate it for Erik Jones, but we had a good conversation afterward.”

Johnny Sauter, Timothy Peters, Matt Tifft, Daniel Hemric, and Erik Jones rounded out the top ten finishing order for the 6^th annual Pocono Mountains 150. The full results are as follows:

015 NCWTS Pocono Mountains 150 Race Results

Fin	Str	Trk	Driver	Team	Lap	Pts	BPts	Status	TLd	LLd
1	2	51	Kyle Busch(i)	Dollar General Toyota	69	0		Running	2	53
2	7	0	Kevin Harvick(i)	Haas Automation Chevrolet	69	0		Running
3	6	19	Tyler Reddick	Draw Tite Ford	69	41		Running
4	16	13	Cameron Hayley #	Cabinets by Hayley/Carolina Nut Co. Toyota	69	40		Running
5	5	33	Austin Dillon(i)	Rheem Chevrolet	69	0		Running
6	17	98	Johnny Sauter	Nextant/Curb Records Toyota	69	39	1	Running	1	4
7	12	17	Timothy Peters	Red Horse Racing Toyota	69	37		Running
8	14	54	Matt Tifft	ToyotaCare Toyota	69	36		Running
9	15	14	Daniel Hemric #	California Clean Power Chevrolet	69	35		Running
10	1	4	Erik Jones #	Toyota	69	35	1	Running	1	9
11	8	11	Ben Kennedy	Local Motors Toyota	69	33		Running
12	11	15	Mason Mingus	Call 811 Chevrolet	69	32		Running
13	9	8	John H. Nemechek #	D.A.B. Constructors Inc. Chevrolet	69	31		Running
14	13	23	Spencer Gallagher #	Allegiant Travel Chevrolet	69	31	1	Running	1	3
15	20	2	Tyler Young	Randco Industries/Young’s Building Systems	69	29		Running
16	18	63	Garrett Smithley	SegPay/Mittler Bros Machine & Tool/Ski Soda	69	28		Running
17	10	5	John Wes Townley	Zaxby’s Chevrolet	68	27		Running
18	21	74	Jordan Anderson	SRGFX.com Chevrolet	67	26		Running
19	32	50	Kyle Martel	Finish Line Express Chevrolet	67	25		Running
20	25	28	Ryan Ellis	FDNY/Julie’s Cause Chevrolet	67	24		Running
21	23	40	Todd Peck	Arthritis Foundation/OSS Health Chevrolet	66	23		Running
22	30	6	Norm Benning	Chevrolet	63	22		Running
23	19	1	Travis Kvapil	Burnie Grill Chevrolet	56	21		Running
24	31	7	Ray Black Jr. #	ScubaLife.com Chevrolet	52	20		Accident
25	26	94	Wendell Chavous #	Lilly Trucking Chevrolet	51	19		Accident
26	24	10	Jennifer Jo Cobb	Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet	49	18		Running
27	29	8	Korbin Forrister #	Trump for President Chevrolet	24	17		Accident
28	3	88	Matt Crafton	ChiChi’s/Menards Toyota	13	16		Accident
29	22	45	BJ McLeod	Tilted Kilt Chevrolet	12	15		Overheating
30	4	29	Brad Keselowski(i)	Cooper Standard Ford	5	0		Accident
31	28	36	Justin Jennings	Mittler Bros Machine & Tool/Ski Soda Chevrolet	3	13		Vibration
32	27	0	Caleb Roark	Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet	3	12		Suspension

# = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

August 1, 2015

The Wallace Family Comes Full Circle at Iowa Speedway

Deep at the heart of it, family is the lifeblood of NASCAR. The family tree is populated with generations of drivers named Petty and Baker, Jarrett and Earnhardt, Waltrip and Labonte, Allison and Wallace and too many more to name.

This weekend, the Wallace family is a poignant reminder of the integral role that family plays in NASCAR as Kenny Wallace competes for the final time at Iowa Speedway. It marks the end of a career that has spanned 26 years. There is no more fitting place for Wallace to end his journey. His brother, Hall of Famer and 1989 Cup Champion, Rusty Wallace, led the design team that created Iowa Speedway.

Wallace has nine wins, 10 poles and 66 top-five finishes in 546 starts in the XFINITY Series and has completed 101,673 laps, the most in series history. In addition, he has made 344 Sprint Cup Series starts as well as 13 starts in the Camping World Truck Series.

As he prepares to strap into the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend, Wallace reflected on his career, saying, “”To me, this isn’t a sad moment; I’m at a truly happy place in my life right now. After all, not too many guys get to have the privilege of being a NASCAR driver, especially for as long as I have. I really wanted to end my long career on a positive note and I’m very excited about our chances in Iowa. The No. 20 team is one of the best in the sport and I’m looking forward to having a chance to end my NASCAR career with a great finish. I really want to thank U.S. Cellular for helping me make that happen.”

Wallace’s zest for life and boundless energy has made him a fan favorite as a NASCAR analyst for FOX Sports on the “NASCAR RaceDay and “NASCAR Victory Lane” programs. Never at a loss for words, he also shares his opinions on “Herman Unplugged” for NASCAR Illustrated. He will continue his broadcast career and although Wallace won’t compete on the NASCAR circuit, he remains a racer at heart and will continue to run dirt track events.

“Growing up as a kid and watching my Dad race in Rolla, Missouri, I never dreamed that I’d have the chance to do what I’ve done in my life,” Wallace said. “I’ve had a long and successful career and I’ve been able to support my family doing what I love. To me, it doesn’t get any better than that. I’m really proud of everything that I’ve been able to accomplish in NASCAR.”

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to turn my NASCAR driving career into another career doing something else I love; that’s working with FOX Sports on television. Those guys have been great to me,” he continued, “and I get a lot of happiness from being able to educate the fans about the sport that I love. I’m going to stay involved in the sport through TV and I’m going to stay behind the wheel in my dirt cars, too.”

While Kenny Wallace closes this chapter of his career, another Wallace will continue the legacy as nephew Matt Wallace makes his second career XFINITY start for JGL Racing at Iowa Speedway. The 19-year-old Wallace made his series debut two weeks ago at New Hampshire. Matt, son of NASCAR racer Mike Wallace, spoke about the significance of the upcoming race.

“I am very happy for Uncle Kenny ending his career on a high note,” he said. “It is pretty cool to see him in the No. 20 car and what a way to make the final start of your career. He has had a tremendous impact on the sport. It is pretty cool to be able to race against him for the first time in NASCAR and have it be his final race. I am honored to carry on the Wallace family tradition in the sport and hope I can accomplish the kind of things in racing as my dad and two uncles (Kenny and Rusty).”

As NASCAR fans say goodbye to a beloved racer, it is comforting to realize that his legacy will live on as the Wallace family comes full circle.

July 31, 2015
Mason Mingus Is Digging His Sophomore Truck Season

Mason Mingus is not only digging his sophomore season in the Camping World Truck Series, but is also digging his sponsor ‘Call 811.’

As far as his season to date, the driver of the No. 15 Chevrolet Silverado for Billy Boat Racing, who is racing at Pocono this weekend, thinks that it has gone “pretty good so far.”

“We’ve had our ups and downs so far but I think we’re definitely heading in the right direction,” Mingus said. “I’m definitely excited for the rest of the season. We’ve got a good crew in place now.”

“My new crew chief Brandon McSwain came on at Texas has been doing a great job since that race. Everybody is working well together and building nice trucks.”

“Usually it’s pretty tough to have someone step in and crew chief mid-season,” Mingus said. “But it’s been pretty seamless and he’s done a great job.”

“As far as communication goes, we’ve been on the same page. He’s pretty young, only 25 years old. So, he’s not much older than me so I think that helps from a communication standpoint. It’s been an easier transition than we all expected.”

“So, I’m really excited for this race and what’s coming.”

While Mingus is digging this stretch of the race season, he definitely would like to put the early part of it in his rear view mirror.

“The biggest challenge has been the first part of the season,” Mingus said. “We had some setbacks and didn’t make the first race of the season at Daytona due to the group qualifying situation that we were put in. We had a good truck there but just didn’t get it in the draft in qualifying.”

“A couple things we had to go through at the beginning of the season were tough but now that we are building good trucks, we’re having a lot faster equipment, as well as opportunities to run up front.”

The young racer is also digging moving through the ranks of racing as he has throughout his career to date. He started his racing career when he was seven in quarter midgets and has progressed to Late Models, ARCA and now the Truck Series.

“For whatever reason, I really wanted to start racing,” Mingus said. “I kept bugging my dad about it and then when I got into that quarter midget, I fell in love with it from there.”

“Nobody in my family raced except my uncle. But I didn’t even know about that until I started racing. For whatever reason, it just really interested me.”

“I started there and moved up to different series and then got into Pro and Super Late Models and then into ARCA. Once I started racing, I did find out my uncle raced local short tracks. He had quit by the time I was born. But he did come back and I got to race against him. So, that was pretty cool.”

“I won, but I had the better equipment. They took the good parts and put them all on my car. He got cheated a little bit I think.”

Digging is also a part of Mingus’ sponsorship as well. He promotes “Call 811,” the underground damage prevention phone line, with the tagline “Call before you dig”.

“Call 811, they’ve been on board with me just about since I started racing,” Mingus said. “My dad owns a construction company in Tennessee so he was actually on the Board at 811. So, we developed a relationship there.”

“Basically they come out and locate underground utilities. So, my Dad used them a lot for his business because they need to locate underground utilities before they dig. A lot of people like my dad and those involved in construction already know this, but Call 811 is trying to get that same message out to the public.”

“People who want to put in a new mailbox or plant a tree need to know to Call 811 because there may be dangers underground. That’s the message we are trying to get across to the general public and to race fans sitting in the stands.”

“Call 811 got on board with me when I was twelve years old and from there we’ve gotten more and more states on board. We’ve got about ten or twelve states onboard right now.”

“Every race track we go to, we have people asking us what Call 811 is. We travel so much across the country so to be able to educate so many people in the matter of a race season is pretty cool.”

“This is a great organization to call that can potentially save lives and money as far as damages.”

While Mingus is digging his current Truck ride, hoping to better his career best finish of ninth this year, he is also hoping to at some point take that next step into an even bigger series.

“As far as the next step, we’ll take it as it comes,” Mingus said. “I’d love to be in an Xfinity car but obviously my ultimate goal is to race on Sunday in the Cup Series.”

“But we have to take it one step at a time. Right now we are just worried about the remainder of the Truck season and trying to run as well as we can. We want to run upfront and contend for the wins as much as we can.”

“So, we’ll see what comes next year.”

July 31, 2015
Toyota NCWTS Pocono Matt Crafton Notes & Quotes

MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 ChiChi’s/Menards Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
What is your outlook for this weekend at Pocono Raceway?

“Just go into this race like we do each and every race. Just try to go and lead laps and put ourselves in position to win. We haven’t really honestly looked at points. The only time we ever look at points is when people talk to us about it and that’s been our mentality the last two years, but me and (Carl Joiner) Jr. live and die by. I always like coming here, it’s a lot of fun to race at this race track and I know the trucks always put on a really good show at the end of the race. It gets really, really wild so hopefully we can put on a good one tomorrow.”

Can you talk about the points battle between yourself, Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones?

“Just like I said a little while ago, I don’t look at points. We just go and race each race and like I said just look at the following race and just race it and try to lead laps and win the race and at that point if you win the race you get max points. That’s just our mentality. It’s been the first year we points raced for the first championship, last year me and (Carl Joiner) Jr. made the promise to each other that we weren’t going to points race last year and we didn’t. We got to Homestead and we looked at it and, ‘Okay, we’re here.’ We knew where we were because that’s what your guys job is to bring it up to us each and every week. That’s just something we go and just try to focus on.”

What was the most you took out of the race at Eldora Raceway?

“Eldora was a lot of fun. Definitely didn’t end up as well as we ran all day. Just had a bad call on a restart. We were running third and they said we were fourth on the lineup and just got – the outside line was not the preferred line once you got back because everybody did the slide-job and they just slid up into me and I was just a sitting duck at that point.”

What would it mean to get a win in tomorrow’s NCWTS race at Pocono Raceway in your 350th career start?

“Oh it’s really cool. Somebody brought that up to me a little while ago. Had to bring up how old I was running 350 Truck races. That’s what the PR department is supposed to do. It would be very cool to get Toyota and Duke and Rhonda Thorson and Triad — one of the really cool things is Triad this year we thought we were 99 race wins but we actually had 99 going into Daytona and I won them their 100th race at Atlanta and now I think we’re on our 103rd win for Triad so that was a very cool milestone that we passed there for Triad.”

Do you like racing at Pocono Raceway?

“I think I’ve gotten worse ever since the first time I came here and we finished third and I’ve kind of gotten worse each and every time, but I haven’t really gotten worse it’s just wild at the end. I think we had a top-five truck here last year and just had a bad restart and I got hung on the bottom of a four-wide deal and I had to checkup getting into the tunnel turn and lost a ton of spots. I had a really bad finish there. I love racing here, it’s a lot of fun to go around this place. It’s super fast and it’s a momentum thing. The Trucks have so much drag and they don’t have as much power as the Cup cars. Each and every time that we come here I smile every lap.”

What are your thoughts of some of the Sprint Cup Series drivers running in tomorrow NCWTS race?

“I didn’t know they were racing. It’s really cool to see the Cup guys come run the Truck Series. I wish more of them would. It always helps the Camping World Truck Series to get some of the Cup guys down here and for the regular Truck guys like myself we love to go race against them because they’re great race car drivers. They get to do it a lot more than we do. We get 23 races a year. Kyle (Busch) and Kevin (Harvick) and Austin (Dillon) and all of those guys get to run the Nationwide races and Cup races. They’re definitely very good at what they do because they get so much seat time and it’s very good for the series and I wish they ran more of them.”

How much pressure do you feel to win another championship after having won the last two years?

“You just look at them each and every week as one race and just go out and lead the most laps. I answered that a little while ago but like I said I’m just repeating it. We go out and race each race and go out to win and don’t worry about points and if we win the race we get max points and if not we didn’t. That’s just the way me and (Carl Joiner) Jr., my crew chief, our mentality is.”

Do you feel 60 laps is too short of a race here at Pocono Raceway?

“Yeah, it’s too short for sure. I wish it was a little bit longer. Hopefully I don’t fall out of the seat and get tired in that 60 laps. I would love for it to be 100 laps because like I said there would be a little bit more strategy and you’d definitely see a little bit better race for sure.”

July 31, 2015
MAKE No. 1 Pocono RACE PREVIEW

No. 1 POCONO RACE PREVIEW

Travis Kvapil pulls the double at the “Tricky Triangle”
What Turn Four?… The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) heads to the track this weekend in Long Pond, Pennsylvania known as the “Tricky Triangle” for the Pocono Mountains 150. Travis Kvapil will make his 1st NCWTS start at the Pocono Raceway.

This Week’s Silverado…The No. 1 Burnie Grill Chevrolet will unload a chassis named “Petunia” as all of MAKE’s Chassis are named after pigs. Petunia was last seen on track at Kentucky Speedway where Travis Kvapil drove the No. 1 to a 14th place finish.

Grilling Up Something… Burnie Grills is the new all wood, self-burning grill. MAKE has also launched the adventures of Burnie through their social media accounts including Snapchat. Follow along with #BurniesAdventures.

Extra Energy… Stacker 2 Energy will join in on the No.1 Chevrolet. Stacker 2 has been a long time partner of the MAKE Motorsports team. The Stacker 2 brand name encompasses several lines of diet and energy products: Stacker 2 Diet & Energy Capsules; Stacker 3 Diet & Energy Capsules; Stacker 2 Real 2-Way Action diet and energy tablets; Stacker 2 6 Hour Power energy shots which sell in convenience, food, drug and mass; Stacker 2 Xtra energy shots which sell in dollar stores; and Stacker 2 8.4 oz carbonated energy drinks which sell in big box outlets.

Joining In… Elite Holdings, BUBBA Burger, WIX Filters, AKL Insurance, Beaver Bail Bonds, and Markanda Social Strategies are all associates on the No. 1 Chevrolet.

Watch and Listen… The Pocono Mountains 150 can be seen live on Saturday, August 1st on FOX Sports 1. Race coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. EST, and the event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Radio, channel 90.

Travis Kvapil on Racing at Pocono Speedway:
“I’m excited about running a truck this weekend at Pocono. I really like this place and hope we can show our sponsors a good run. I’m running double duty so that extra track time will go a long way.”

July 31, 2015
Korbin Forrister Racing to Make America Great Again

July 31, 2015
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono and Iowa

July 30, 2015
MB Motorsports #63 Preview- Pocono Mountains 150 At Pocono Raceway

MB Motorsports #63 Preview- Pocono Mountains 150 At Pocono Raceway

GARRETT SMITHLEY RETURNS TO THE #63 SEGPAY CHEVY

Driver: Garrett Smithley
Crew Chief: Trip Bruce
Twitter: @MBMotorsports, @GarrettSmithley

After a strong run earlier in the season at Atlanta, Pennsylvania native Garrett Smithley returns to the #63 SegPay Chevy Silverado for MB Motorsports in the Pocono Mountains 150.

Smithley has two previous starts in the ARCA Series at the “Tricky Triangle”. “It’s great to finally go back to a track I have some prior experience at,” he says. “I am really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the No. 63 SegPay Chevrolet Silverado for MB Motorsports. My NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with the team was a great success, and we plan on picking up where we left off.”

“At Atlanta, Garrett had very limited time in the truck prior to the start of the race,” notes team owner Mike Mittler, “and he still came home with a solid finish for the team. Now, with one race under our belts, the crew has a better idea of what kind of truck Garrett likes. And, since he has the experience of having run two ARCA races at Pocono, we are expecting another solid run from Garrett.”

Coming off a second place finish at Eldora, crew chief Trip Bruce is very excited about heading to Pocono Raceway. “Pocono the track is a very challenging one to say the least. The track is fast and long, which forces you to strike a balance between downforce and drag. There are three distinctly different corners and sometimes giving up a little in the tight first corner can help dial in the other faster corners. We have an aggressive unload set-up that could prove to be good for speed as long as the drivability is there and the tunnel turn is now as smooth as it has been said to be.”

FAST FACTS:
• 23-year-old Garrett Smithley returns to the #63 SegPay Chevy Silverado for his second NCWTS start.
• Smithley is a Pennsylvania native, born in Latrobe, PA in the southwest corner of the state and spent his early years in the small town of Ligonier.
• Smithley is an instructor at the Richard Petty Racing Experience in Concord, NC.

MB MOTORSPORTS MARKETING PARTNERS:
• The white, orange and black colors of SegPay cover the #63 Chevy Silverado. Joining SegPay are Enlyten, Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool and Excel Bottling and Ski Soda.

TUNE IN:
• The Pocono Mountains 150 will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1, MRN Radio and Sirius Channel 90, Saturday, August 1 at 1 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 will also broadcast qualifying Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET.

QUOTE:
Garrett Smithley On Racing At Pocono Raceway:
“I believe having run two ARCA races at Pocono will definitely help me. After working with the MB Motorsports crew in Atlanta, we have a good understanding of each other, which will be important as we make adjustments to the truck. As long as the truck rolls back onto the hauler looking the same as it did when it rolled off and I can put the SegPay brand in front of as many people as possible, Saturday will be a good day.”

ABOUT MB MOTORSPORTS:
MB Motorsports is the sole surviving original team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, having competed in every season since the series debuted in 1995. The team has given many young drivers their start in NASCAR, including Sprint Cup Series winners Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith.

For more information on MB Motorsports and its marketing partners, visit www.mbracing.net

To arrange an interview with Mike Mittler or an MB Motorsports driver, please contact Michael Boswell, Boswell & Associates 815.939.1382 / 708.691.3460 (mobile) or michael@boswellagency.com

July 30, 2015
Hot 20 – Pocono, where Kyle’s winning streak comes to an end…maybe

Back we go to Pocono, where Martin Truex Jr. won in the spring, where all of the Hendrick drivers shared in winning the previous five. A Busch has won there, twice. His name is Kurt.

Kyle Busch has not…yet. He swept Indianapolis last weekend, meaning he ran and won the XFINITY race there on Saturday. It was his second junior circuit win in five tries this season. That now means series regulars have won just three of 18 events, with Chris Buescher taking two while Ryan Reed won at Daytona in February. Truck series wonder-kid Erik Jones has a pair while six Cup drivers have shared the other 13. Of course, most see what the problem is. I guess stupid is as stupid does, as Forrest Gump reminded us.

NASCAR spent tons of time and money figuring out a package to run at Indy. Then they got teams to spend their own time and money to ready their cars with that new package. In the end, they appear to have wasted a bunch of time and money. The racing was not much different than it has ever been, which is not all that good while making them a bit more sensitive to losing control after losing air on the spoiler, spoiling their day. Next month, they will use the same package in Michigan. You can never have too much of a bad thing, I guess.

Word is that Danica Patrick is expected to stay with Stewart-Haas after this season, a new contract and new sponsors. Why? It has everything to do with being a competent attractive female in a sport dominated by men. She might never contend for a title or even a Chase berth, but as long as she continues to enjoy the following she has, she does not have to.

Cameron Hayley is a 19-year-old Canadian sitting sixth in the truck series standings. He is a Calgary boy, making him as likely to be a cowboy as a hockey player. Instead, he turned to racing. Too bad the truck series is not broadcast in Canada this season. However, if you want to watch soccer instead, I got great news for you.

Heading to Pocono, our Hot 20 does not include our hottest driver. Heading out of Pocono probably will be a different story. If you are wondering if it is all about Kyle…it seems it is.

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS (675 Points)
Will remain first overall, unless Kyle wins Pocono.

2. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS (777 Points)
All the talk is about Kyle, but Harv’s finishes over the past five have been fourth, fourth, eighth, third, and third.

3. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS (677 Points)
The last driver not named Kyle Busch to win a Cup race.

4. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS (612 Points)
Kyle’s first bridesmaid was his own brother.

5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (708 Points)
Bridesmaid No. 2…and No. 4.

6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (668 Points)
Could have helped Kyle and Kevin in late restarts…but I guess they were on their own.

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN (638 Points)
Kyle’s other bridesmaid, as Penske finished second in each of the past three.

8. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (615 Points)
As a teammate, he personally knows Kyle.

9. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (591 Points)
So does Denny.

10. CARL EDWARDS – 1 WIN (519 Points)
So does Carl.

11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 602 POINTS
Has enough points that Kyle’s expected jump up the ladder affects him the least.

12. JEFF GORDON – 575 POINTS
Forget Kyle. Until further notice, the goal is to finish ahead of Bowyer every week.

13. RYAN NEWMAN – 563 POINTS
After Pocono and Kyle’s expected rise in the standings, things get a little more tense.

14. KASEY KAHNE – 558 POINTS
Same as above.

15. PAUL MENARD – 558 POINTS
Ditto.

16. CLINT BOWYER – 538 POINTS
If Kyle moves up, 16th becomes the new 17th.

17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 508 POINTS
Forget Kyle and forget making the Chase on points. A win is the only way in.

18. GREG BIFFLE – 462 POINTS
Kyle is the least of his worries.

19. AUSTIN DILLON – 453 POINTS
Like Kyle, Austin was a speed racer at Indy. Unlike Kyle, he did his speeding on pit road…twice.

20. KYLE LARSON – 452 POINTS
The other Kyle.

July 29, 2015
Cup Drivers Competing in Truck Race at Pocono

Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski to Run Pocono Truck Series Race
Saturday Advance Tickets Start at $20 for Adults, Kids 12 and Under Free

LONG POND, PA (July 27, 2015) – The Pocono Mountains 150 at Pocono Raceway will feature the stars of the NASCAR Camping World Series (NCWTS), along with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) drivers Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, on Saturday August 1st. Advance Saturday Grandstand Tickets start at $20 for adults and kids, ages 12 and under, are admitted free with accompaniment of an adult ticket holder. Additionally, RV and Camping guests attending the Windows 10 400 race weekend will have complimentary access to the Grandstand on Saturday with their Pocono Raceway camping wristbands.

Busch, who finished second in his sole NCWTS race at Pocono in 2011, will make his first NCWTS start of 2015 on Saturday, August 1st. Dillon, the 2011 NCWTS champion, returns to “The Tricky Triangle” as the defending Pocono Mountains 150 race winner. Harvick, driving the No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, has two victories at Pocono in NCWTS competition, as an owner in 2010 and as a driver/owner in 2011. Keselowski, driving his Brad Keselowski Racing entry, won the 2013 Pocono NCWTS race as an owner with driver Ryan Blaney in 2013.

The Pocono Mountains 150 is the middle race of the 23-race NCWTS season, which has already seen seven different winners. Matt Crafton, the current NCWTS point leader with four wins this year, holds a 14-point advantage over Tyler Reddick and a 24-point advantage over Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Erik Jones.

In addition to the Pocono Mountains 150, on-track events on Saturday at Pocono Raceway will include a NSCS final practice session, NCWTS qualifying and the ModSpace 125 ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards race. On Friday, several NCWTS drivers will participate in an autograph session inside Pocono Raceway’s Fan Fair area at 12:30 p.m. ET. Wristband distribution, available for the first 150 fans in attendance, will begin at 8 a.m. ET, at the Flag Pole located next to Fan Fair. (Note: Schedule and appearances subject to change without notice.)

For tickets and additional information about the Windows 10 400 race weekend, taking place at Pocono Raceway from Friday, July 31st – Sunday, August 2nd, please visit www.poconoraceway.com or call 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929).

About Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway, also known as “The Tricky Triangle,” is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In business for over 50 years, the Raceway hosts multiple, national motorsports events including two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, one Verizon IndyCar Series, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards events each year. The Raceway has added multiple running series events to their annual calendar, including the Warrior Dash. Pocono Raceway is the world’s largest, privately-owned solar-powered sports facility. Their 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm provides the energy needs of the Raceway, as well as, adds electricity to the local power grid.

For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

July 27, 2015