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  • Brett Moffitt punches ticket into Championship 4 following Kansas victory

    Brett Moffitt punches ticket into Championship 4 following Kansas victory

    Despite an overtime restart and making contact with his teammate Zane Smith, Grimes, Iowa native Brett Moffitt held on to win his first race of the 2020 season at Kansas Speedway and is now one of four drivers eligible for the Championship 4.

    “Definitely relief, Moffitt said following the Kansas victory. “It’s go time in the season, and we’ve had a pretty rough one on our No. 23 (GMS) team, so it’s a lot of relief to get back to victory lane to do it in a such high-pressure situation and knowing now we have a shot to win the championship.”

    Kansas Speedway was the opening round for the Round of 8 Playoffs for the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, which began on Saturday afternoon on a windy day in Kansas City, KS. Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Chandler Smith was on the pole with Hailie Deegan making her first Truck Series appearance starting 34th in the No. 17 DGR-Crosley Ford F-150. Stages 30-30-74 laps made up the 134-lap race but an overtime restart caused the race to go three laps longer than the advertised distance.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 30

    The action was intense from the get-go with playoff driver Ben Rhodes brushing the Turn 2 wall early on. The Kentucky native fell in the running order as far back as 20th when the first stage ended.

    Meanwhile, GMS Racing’s Sheldon Creed swiped the lead at the start of the race and held on to win the first stage. Following Creed were Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Zane Smith, Matt Crafton, Christian Eckes, Grant Enfinger, Johnny Sauter, Moffitt, and Todd Gilliland completing the Top 10.

    Stage 2: Lap 37 – Lap 60

    After the restart on Lap 37, a major wreck occurred off Turn 4 causing a seven-minute red flag. Multiple drivers were involved in the accident including some playoff drivers. Tyler Ankrum’s truck caught on fire after breaking a fuel line and we saw his No. 26 truck go up in flames. Other involved were Talladega winner Raphael Lessard, David Gravel, Parker Kligerman, Tanner Gray, Clay Greenfield, Ben Rhodes, Dawson Cram, and Trevor Bayne.

    During the red flag, Rhodes’ team was penalized for having too many crew members over the wall as they were repairing the truck during the damaged vehicle policy. The penalty ultimately ended Rhodes’s shot of winning the race, and he eventually wound up 20th, three laps down. With just two races left before the championship race at Phoenix, the Kentucky native faces a must-win situation moving forward at Texas and Martinsville.

    Following the red flag, a few battles for the lead ensued. Zane Smith grabbed the lead from Austin Hill on Lap 48 but Creed was back out front (Lap 54) for the Stage 2 victory, sweeping both of the stages. Zane Smith, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Eckes, Crafton, Gilliland, Sauter, Moffitt, and Enfinger rounded out the Top 10.

    Prior to the conclusion of Stage 2, playoff drivers Christian Eckes and Austin Hill made major contact after Eckes tried avoiding the lap truck of Jennifer Jo Cobb on the frontstretch which caused Hill’s team to have a long pit stop to fix the damage during the Stage 2 break.

    Stage 3: Lap 67 – Lap 139

    With 52 laps to go, Zane Smith passed teammate Sheldon Creed for the lead. Smith maintained the lead for the longest time until the final round of the green-flag pit stops occurred with 34 laps to go. Following Smith’s, and Moffitt’s pit stops, both GMS Racing teammates battled each other on the apron. Smith held Moffitt briefly before Moffitt had the top spot.

    However, during the initial cycle, Moffitt was unable to check out which allowed Smith to close back in and take the lead again with 10 laps to go. Smith looked as though he had the race in the bag but Moffitt came back and challenged again. Unfortunately for Smith, Moffitt came down to block for the lead, but it was a little too much as Smith ended up sliding sideways into Turn(s) 3 and 4 causing an overtime restart.

    Even with the overtime restart, Moffitt scored his 12th career victory and is now locked into the Championship 4 for the third consecutive year since 2018. Zane Smith finished in the 11th position after the contact.

    “I think that was our ticket to Phoenix right there,” Smith said after the contact with Moffitt. “I felt like, I’ve really been stepping it up at the track for sure. I don’t know if that showed at the track today, but it was just whoever could work through lap traffic at the end. I got him (Moffitt) and pulled away a little bit, then he (Moffitt) got to me and did a slider. I had a big run down the hill and he (Moffitt) hit my right-front pretty hard. Luckily, I was able to save the truck off the fence.”

    There were four cautions for 24 laps and 13 lead changes among nine different drivers.

    Moffitt led twice for 15 laps en route to victory.

    Updated Playoffs standings

    1. Brett Moffitt, Locked into the Championship 4
    2. Sheldon Creed, +26 above the cut line
    3. Austin Hill, +19 above the cut line
    4. Zane Smith, +7 above the cut line
      Below the cut line
    5. Grant Enfinger, -7
    6. Matt Crafton, -15
    7. Ben Rhodes, -33
    8. Tyler Ankrum, -56

    Official Results following the Clean Harbors 200 at Kansas Speedway.

    1. Brett Moffitt, led 15 laps, locked into Championship 4
    2. Sheldon Creed, (Playoff driver) led 61 laps, won both stages
    3. Austin Hill, (Playoff driver), led 13 laps
    4. Grant Enfinger, (Playoff driver), led one lap
    5. Chandler Smith, led one lap
    6. Christian Eckes, led seven laps
    7. Timothy Peters
    8. Matt Crafton, (Playoff driver)
    9. Derek Kraus
    10. Trevor Bayne
    11. Zane Smith, (Playoff driver), led 37 laps
    12. Ryan Truex, 1 lap down
    13. Todd Gilliland, 1 lap down
    14. Tyler Hill, 1 lap down
    15. Parker Kligerman, 1 lap down
    16. Hailie Deegan, 1 lap down
    17. Tate Fogleman, 1 lap down
    18. Johnny Sauter, 1 lap down, led one lap
    19. Austin Wayne Self, 2 laps down
    20. Ben Rhodes, (Playoff driver), 3 laps down
    21. Danny Bohn, 3 laps down
    22. Spencer Boyd, 4 laps down
    23. Dawson Cram, 4 laps down
    24. Colin Garrett, 4 laps down
    25. Clay Greenfield, 5 laps down
    26. Ray Ciccarelli, 6 laps down
    27. Josh Bilicki, 7 laps down
    28. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 9 laps down
    29. Jordan Anderson, 12 laps down
    30. Norm Benning, OUT, Vibration
    31. Tim Viens, OUT, Fuel Pump
    32. Raphael Lessard, OUT, Crash
    33. Tyler Ankrum, (Playoff driver) OUT, Crash
    34. David Gravel, OUT, Crash
    35. Tanner Gray, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will visit Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 25 scheduled for noon ET on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Weekend schedule for Kansas 2

    Weekend schedule for Kansas 2

    This week the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series travel to Kansas Speedway to begin the Playoffs Round of 8.

    The ARCA Series will begin the weekend activities Friday night with the Speediatrics 150. Saturday will feature both the Truck and Xfinity Series while the Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 is set for Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Oct. 16

    6 p.m.: ARCA Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation – 100 laps/150 miles – FS1, MRN

    Saturday, Oct. 17

    4 p.m.: Truck Series Clean Harbors 200 (Stages 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles) FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Chandler Smith

    7 p.m.: Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles) NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Noah Gragson

    Sunday, Oct. 18

    2:30 p.m.: Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 (Stages 80/160/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles) NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Chase Elliott

  • Martinsville to welcome limited number of fans for NASCAR fall races

    Martinsville to welcome limited number of fans for NASCAR fall races

    Martinsville Speedway has received the green light to allow a limited number of fans to attend the upcoming NASCAR Playoff races at the track scheduled for October 30 through November 1.

    The news comes as NASCAR is set to host a triple-header weekend at one of the sport’s oldest tracks, with the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series to run its final round of Playoff elimination races throughout the weekend (penultimate events of the season) and where the championship field between all three series will be determined.

    “Martinsville Speedway is home to some of the most competitive and dramatic racing in NASCAR, so we look forward to welcoming fans back to be a part of the experience,” Clay Campbell, President of Martinsville Speedway, stated in a press release. “The roar of the engines combined with the return of fans’ cheers will make the intense battle to set the field for the NASCAR championship that much greater. After successfully hosting a June NASCAR Cup Series race, Martinsville will be ready to welcome fans back for a safe race experience in the Commonwealth.”

    All fans who attend the NASCAR races and watch from the grandstands throughout the weekend will be screened prior to entering, wear required face coverings and maintain six feet of social distancing throughout the facility. While coolers will not be permitted throughout the facility, clear bags up to 18″x18″x14″ in size will be permitted.

    To ensure social distancing and the safety for all fans, those who have already purchased tickets to a race will be reseated in new locations as close to their original seating as possible and they will receive ticket pricing that is new and lowered.

    All of these measurements will be implemented throughout Martinsville Speedway in accordance with public health officials and local, state and federal authorities.

    Martinsville Speedway ran its first NASCAR Cup Series night race on June 10 with no fans in attendance. Now, the track joins a host of other venues that have hosted a limited number of fans throughout this season, including Homestead-Miami Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Road America, Daytona International Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

    The upcoming Cup Playoff races at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Kansas Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway are also scheduled to host a limited number of fans.

    The NASCAR Truck Series Playoff race at Martinsville Speedway will occur on Friday, October 30, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 while the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race at Martinsville will occur on Saturday, October 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Martinsville will occur on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    Talladega Superspeedway marked the final race in the Round of 10 Playoffs for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series. Ten drivers had the same goal in mind and that was to advance to the Round of 8, but only eight drivers could move on leaving two in the dust.

    Those two drivers were Christian Eckes and Todd Gilliland who were both eliminated from the Truck Series Playoffs after having disastrous days. Gilliland was running inside the Top 10 before his engine let go on the backstretch while Eckes failed to finish due to being in the last-lap crash. Gilliland was credited with a 28th place finish and Eckes an 18th place finish, but not good enough to advance into the next round.

    Despite two drivers not having a fun Saturday, one driver enjoyed his first career series win, Canadian and Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Raphael Lessard. Lessard was ahead at the time the caution flew and nabbed his first victory in just his 24th Truck Series start and his first-ever Truck Series track debut at Talladega.

    With the Candian soaking in his first victory, other drivers had solid days and did what they needed to do to advance.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    1. Matt Crafton – Crafton was back and forth with the points Saturday afternoon. There were numerous moments where the ThorSport driver was either below the cut line or above the cut line. Fortunately for Crafton, he was one of the lucky ones to avoid the carnage during the race and move on to the Round of 8 after finishing eighth. Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Grant Enfinger – A hard-fought 13th place finish by Enfinger and the No. 98 team. Enfinger suffered a flat right-rear tire as early as Lap 8 and spent most of the race two laps down. The Alabaman caught a couple of breaks and was back on the lead lap when a caution flag threw in the final stage. Like his teammate Crafton, Enfinger was also below the cut line, but with hard work, Enfinger brought home the No. 98 truck to a 13th place finish. That’s a day well spent. Previous Week Ranking – First
    3. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes quietly finished fourth following the hectic Talladega truck race. In addition, the Kentucky native placed fifth and sixth in both stages. The ThorSport driver is moving on to the next round as well. Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Sheldon Creed – Even though Creed was shuffled back to 12th in the running order when the checkered flag flew on Lap 94, the Californian had a decent run in the No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet. Creed led early on in the event but then settled in, running inside the Top 10 or Top 15. At one point with 12 to go, Creed caught race leader Jennifer Jo Cobb (who was using a different strategy by staying out in hopes of a caution) and retook the lead. While it looked as though he could go on to win his fourth race of the season, Creed suffered a flat tire and brought out the caution on Lap 90. Despite finishing 12th, the GMS driver was able to clinch a playoff spot after the completion of Stage 1. Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Austin Hill – It was an up and down day for Austin Hill’s No. 16 Hattori Racing team. Hill claimed the Stage 1 victory and finished fourth in Stage 2. Unfortunately, his day started to go south just a tad when the final green-flag pit stops started to take place with 30 to go. That was when Hill was busted for being too fast on pit road after making his final stop and had to serve a pass-thru penalty. Hill’s day ultimately ended prematurely on the last lap a few yards before the finish, when he was caught up in the wreck on the backstretch. His No. 16 Toyota Tundra was on fire, but fortunately for Hill, he was able to walk away with no injuries and was credited with a 19th place finish after leading 11 laps. Previous Week Ranking –  Third

    Fell Out

    1. Christian Eckes – Eckes was involved in the last-lap wreck, and out of the playoffs due to his finishing position of 18th. Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    2. Tanner Gray – After having momentum the last few weeks of finishing third, Tanner Gray was caught up in an accident on Lap 49 when the No. 15 went sideways and hit the inside backstretch wall. Gray was credited with a 29th place outing. Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega

    Talladega Superspeedway was the third race in the Round of 10 for the Truck Series Playoffs Saturday afternoon in Talladega, Alabama. 

    While there were 10 drivers vying for eight playoff spots for the Round of 8, 28 other Truck Series drivers were also trying to make a name for themselves, knowing that it’s one of the few races for the year where they also have a shot at winning with the draft playing as an equalizer. 

    You could say Raphael Lessard was somewhat of an “upset winner” but Lessard has had his moments this year. He shined at the Daytona Road Course where he finished third and led three laps. Other notable finishes for Lessard include a seventh at Michigan the week prior to the Road Course and sixth at Gateway. The Canadian broke through at Talladega after Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers formed a plan after Stage 2 to ride around in the back of the field and wait for their moment. Unfortunately for Eckes who crashed on the last lap, the team’s plan somewhat came to fruition with Lessard getting the win and his teammate Chandler Smith finishing third in the running. 

    With Kyle Busch Motorsports somewhat enjoying their Talladega success, we’ll take a look at other stories you might have missed from the Chevrolet Silverado 250. 

    1. Two Crew Chiefs Ejected – Quite possibly one of the most newsworthy stories prior to the race getting underway, two Truck Series crew chiefs were ejected for violating vent holes in the prerace inspection. Those crew chiefs were Trip Bruce for the No. 52 of Stewart Friesen and Doug George for the No. 9 of Codie Rohrbaugh. Both crew chiefs were fined and replaced by personnel within the race team.

    2. Trevor Bayne Close To Victory – Had the caution not come out for the crash occurring behind the race leaders, we most likely would have been talking about a different race winner which could have been Trevor Bayne. Bayne was close to victory but missed out by .006 seconds to Lessard once the caution had flown. However, if the Niece Motorsports driver had won the race, the victory would have been Bayne’s first since 2013 in the Xfinity Series at Iowa, the site of his last NASCAR career victory. The second-place finish was Bayne’s best since the Chicago Xfinity Series race back in 2014. Nonetheless, Bayne also had news of his own, as he will pilot the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevy for the remainder of the 2020 Truck Series season.
    3. Rohrbaugh and Anderson Continue Superspeedway Success – It seems as though we keep seeing the names of Jordan Anderson and Codie Rohrbaugh at the end of the superspeedway races this season. That continued on Saturday afternoon when Rohrbaugh scored a fifth-place finish, his second top-five of his career, while Anderson finished sixth, his second Top 10 finish of the year. Both Rohrbaugh and Anderson finished second and third, respectively, earlier this year at the season opener at Daytona.
    4. Other Drivers Have Career Best Day At Talladega – With the focus on the Truck Series playoff drivers, there were numerous other Truck Series regulars who enjoyed their best finish of the season to date. Chandler Smith placed third, his best finish of the year, while Clay Greenfield finished 14th in the running order where his former best was 21st at Darlington. Norm Benning earned a 22nd place in his outing and Josh Reaume matched a 23rd place finish.
  • Raphael Lessard scores first career Truck Series victory at Talladega

    Raphael Lessard scores first career Truck Series victory at Talladega

    Albeit a last-lap crash that ended the Chevrolet Silverado 250 under caution, Raphael Lessard and Kyle Busch Motorsports utilized strategy to ride around the back of the filed before coming through to the front to collect his first Truck Series checkered flag in only his 24th start.

    “Oh my gosh, that was awesome,” Lessard said. “First of all, I just want to thank everyone at home, my team, Kyle Busch Motorsports. I can’t believe it. It’s just my second superspeedway race. To get my first Truck series win here is amazing. I don’t know who was behind me but he gave me a heck of a push. I can’t thank him enough. He pushed me as hard as I could and I was just along for the ride.

    “The caution came out at the right time. I’m so happy. I got to do a burnout after the win. I’m hoping I can do some more.” 

    Prior to the final race in the Round of 10 for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs race, two crew chiefs were ejected for a violation regarding vent holes in pre-race inspection. Those crew chiefs were the No. 52 of Trip Bruce for Stewart Friesen and the No. 9 of Doug George for Codie Rohrbaugh. Bruce was replaced by former Cup Series crew chief Jonathan Leonard, as Mark Huff, the General Manager for CR7 Motorsports, replaced George in the role.

    Meanwhile, Kaz Grala subbed in for Natalie Decker in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports entry after Decker was not cleared to participate, due to medical reasons. Stages 20, 20 and 54 made up the 94-lap event.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

    Through the first 10 laps or so of the first stage, the race was relatively calm. Unfortunately for playoff contender Grant Enfinger, the Alabaman suffered a left-rear tire rub on Lap 8, which forced him to pit as the tire eventually went flat. Though, the first caution flew on Lap 14, when several trucks were involved in a big crash in Turns 3 and 4. Those collected in the accident were Tate Fogleman, Joe Nemechek, Korbin Forrister, Zane Smith, Austin Wayne Self, Chase Purdy, Danny Bohn, Dawson Cram, Clay Greenfield, and Stewart Friesen.

    Playoff driver Zane Smith would be out of the race early and had to wait and watch for the duration of the race to see if he would advance to the Round of 8.

    The restart came with two to go but no more incidents were seen in the stage, which saw Las Vegas race winner Austin Hill take the stage victory. Gilliland, Eckes, Rhodes, Creed, Chandler Smith, Dean, Ankrum, Moffitt, and Tanner Gray completed the Top 10.

    During the stage break, Eckes was penalized for being too fast on pit road and Creed clinched a playoff spot in the next round with help of his points cushion.

    Stage 2: Lap 25 – Lap 40

    The majority of the second stage was green until Lap 38, just two laps before the stage ended. Gus Dean in the No. 56 had his race end early when the No. 15 of Tanner Gray came down on Dean too soon off Turn 4 which caused Dean to go sliding and hitting the inside wall.

    The stage ultimately ended under caution and Derek Kraus in the No. 19 Toyota grabbed the stage win. Sauter, Chandler Smith, Hill, Moffitt, Rhodes, Gilliland, Creed, Ankrum, and Crafton rounded out the Top 10 stage finishers for Stage 2.

    By virtue of his finishing position through the first two stages, Moffitt clinched a playoff spot in the Round of 8.

    Before the final stage restart, the Kyle Busch Motorsports trucks of Smith, Eckes, and Lessard came back down pit road to ride in the back for a little while.

    Stage 3: Lap 44 – Lap 94

    Another accident was seen on Lap 47 when the No. 15 of Gray crashed on the backstretch. Playoff driver Todd Gilliland blew up as well, which ended his championship hopes, and was out of the Playoffs. Fox Sports 1’s replay showed that Gray had some small help from the No. 16 of Austin Hill. Meanwhile, the No. 98 of Enfinger was finally back on the lead lap by receiving the free pass, after spending most of the race two laps down.

    During the caution flag, Lessard was penalized for being too fast on pit road.

    As the 250-mile race neared its end, race teams started to make their final pit stops with 30 laps to go with Austin Hill being the first to pit. Unfortunately for Hill, the Georgia native was too fast on pit road and had to serve a penalty.

    While most of the lead lap trucks had pitted, two drivers, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Bryan Dauzat, were playing pit strategy by staying out and hoping for a late caution flag. However, as normally happens in racing, plans don’t always go according to plan. The lead pack caught up to Jo Cobb with 12 laps to go and Sheldon Creed was back up front.

    Creed’s lead was short-lived, however, as the Californian had a right-rear tire go flat, leaving debris on the racetrack and causing a yellow flag with eight laps to go.

    The final restart came with two to go, with Stewart Friesen and Tyler Ankrum restarting on the front row. Eventual race winner, Lessard, restarted in the third position.

    Once the drivers entered the backstretch on the final lap, the trucks started to wiggle back and forth due to the bump drafting, including Lessard’s. But the drafting became too much for some as a crash broke out behind the race leaders and the race ended under yellow due to the crash.

    There was some confusion as to who the winner was based on the timing of the yellow, and whether it was Trevor Bayne or Lessard out front. After a few moments, NASCAR determined that Raphael Lessard was the winner of the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    There were five cautions for 24 laps and 14 lead changes among 10 different leaders.

    Unfortunately for drivers Christian Eckes and Todd Gilliland, both drivers were eliminated from the Playoffs.

    Round of 8 Playoff Standings

    1. Austin Hill, +12
    2. Sheldon Creed, +12
    3. Zane Smith, +6
    4. Grant Enfinger, +4
    5. Brett Moffitt, -3
    6. Ben Rhodes, -3
    7. Matt Crafton, -10
    8. Tyler Ankrum, -16

    Official Results following the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    1. Raphael Lessard
    2. Trevor Bayne, led one lap
    3. Chandler Smith, led one lap
    4. Ben Rhodes (Playoff driver)
    5. Codie Rohrbaugh
    6. Jordan Anderson
    7. Brett Moffitt (Playoff driver), led 13 laps
    8. Matt Crafton (Playoff driver)
    9. Kaz Grala
    10. Derek Kraus, won Stage 2, led 19 laps
    11. Johnny Sauter, led 11 laps
    12. Sheldon Creed (Playoff driver), led 10 laps
    13. Grant Enfinger (Playoff driver)
    14. Clay Greenfield
    15. Bayley Currey
    16. Tyler Ankrum (Playoff driver)
    17. Stewart Friesen, led six laps
    18. Christian Eckes, led six laps, Eliminated from Playoff contention, OUT, Accident
    19. Austin Hill (Playoff driver), led 11 laps, OUT, Accident
    20. Austin Wayne Self, 1 lap down
    21. Bryan Dauzat, 1 lap down
    22. Norm Benning, 1 lap down
    23. Josh Reaume, 1 lap down
    24. Jennifer Jo Cobb, led 16 laps, 2 laps down
    25. Jason White, 2 laps down
    26. Robby Lyons, 2 laps down
    27. Ray Ciccarelli, 6 laps down
    28. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Engine, Eliminated from Playoff Contention
    29. Tanner Gray, OUT, Accident
    30. Gus Dean, OUT, Accident
    31. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Accident
    32. Chase Purdy, OUT, Accident
    33. Zane Smith (Playoff driver), OUT, Accident
    34. Danny Bohn, OUT, Accident
    35. Dawson Cram, OUT, Accident
    36. Korbin Forrister, OUT, Accident
    37. Joe Nemechek, OUT, Accident
    38. Spencer Boyd, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will take a week off before returning to Kansas Speedway for the third time this season to mark the beginning of the Round of 8 Playoffs.

  • Weekend schedule for Talladega

    Weekend schedule for Talladega

    NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend as the 2020 season winds down. Anything is possible at the unpredictable 2.66-mile track as drivers compete for a chance to win it all at the championship finale in November at Phoenix Raceway.

    The Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and the Xfinity Series hit the track Saturday, at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. The Talladega race will determine who moves forward into the Round of 8 in the Truck Series. This will be the second race in the Round of 12 for the Xfinity Series.

    Sunday afternoon the action continues as the Cup Series closes out the weekend at 2 p.m. with the second race in the series Round of 12.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, Oct. 3

    1 p.m.: Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250 (Stages 20/40/94 Laps = 250.04 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Sheldon Creed

    4:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 (Stages 25/50/113 Laps = 300.58 Miles) NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Chase Briscoe

    Sunday, Oct. 4

    2 p.m.: Cup Series YellaWood 500 (Stages 60/120/188 Laps = 500 Miles ) NBC/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Denny Hamlin

  • NASCAR Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas II

    NASCAR Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas II

    With just one race left in the Round of 10 for the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs, the action is starting to heat up as they head to Talladega Superspeedway this Saturday. 

    After a poor run of 25th at Bristol last week, Austin Hill returned to victory lane for the first time in nine races since his last victory at Kansas in July. Hill is slowly but surely becoming a championship favorite week in and week out by having consistent top-five and top-10 finishes. In fact, Hill has only finished outside the top 10 just three times this year with those coming at Texas due to engine problems, Michigan, and most recently, at Bristol. 

    If Hill can keep this momentum going through the entirety of the 2020 Playoffs, then it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if he’ll is crowned champion at the end of the season in Phoenix. 

    Though, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, as there are five races remaining in 2020 and a lot can and will happen before the checkered flag falls at Phoenix in November. 

    For now, let’s take a look at this week’s Power Rankings following Race No. 18 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    1. Grant Enfinger – A Top 10 was all she had in Grant Enfinger’s No. 98 camp after Enfinger finished in the sixth position for his 11th top 10 of the year. The Alabaman navigated his No. 98 Ford F-150 to a finish of fourth in Stage 1 and barely missed earning a top-10 stage finish in Stage 2 with 11th. Heading to his home track this weekend at Talladega, Enfinger sits fifth in the standings, +31 above the cut line.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Matt Crafton – A valiant effort of ninth last Friday night for Crafton after scrubbing the wall early due to Sheldon Creed making him check up on the backstretch. The Californian led no laps but did get stage finishes of ninth and eighth. Considering last week’s disappointment of 10th at Bristol, Las Vegas was a nice rebound for the No. 88 team. In addition, Crafton also picked up his 11th top 10 of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    3. Austin Hill – Hill rebounded from a forgettable Bristol outing of 25th to a win at Las Vegas Friday night. Even though he was nowhere to be seen throughout the first two stages, Hill grabbed the lead off a Lap 95 restart and held on for the final 39 laps before he took the checkered flag for the second time this season. As far as stages go, Hill did place in the Top 10 for Stage 2 with an effort of finishing ninth.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Christian Eckes – A solid, much needed night of Christian Eckes and the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports team who came home in the eighth position after leading laps early. In fact, if and when Eckes looks back on the Las Vegas race, it’s probably one of the few ones that got away from the New York native who showed promise in the early portions of the race. Before finishing eighth, Eckes led just five laps and placed seventh in both stages. The Top 10 finish marked his eighth of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Tanner Gray – Tanner Gray has been picking up steam over the last two weeks in his No. 15 DGR-Crosley Ford F-150. Gray has finished in the third position at Bristol and Las Vegas, gaining some of his best career finishes. The top-five at Vegas marks Gray’s fourth of the 2020 season and matched his career-best of third at Michigan in August.

    Fell Out 

    1. Brett Moffitt – A disappointing 15th place run by Moffitt who showed promise early by finishing second and third in Stage 1 and 2, respectively, but ultimately fell outside the Top 10 once the 134 lap event concluded. It was not the run the Iowan needed as he currently leads the championship playoff standings.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Tyler Ankrum – A quiet Top 10 finish from Ankrum who finished 10th, somewhat of a disappointment after finishing seventh at Bristol the week before. Top 10’s are nice in the early opening rounds of the playoffs, but it’s ultimately winning that gets you further and potentially the opportunity to battle for the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Ben Rhodes – Smoke and oil troubles plagued the No. 99 ThorSport team before a crash eventually ended any hopes of securing a top-five finish Friday night. It was not ideal for the Kentucky native who now sits below the cut line heading into the final round of the playoffs at Talladega this Saturday. It would be disappointing for Rhodes, who made a last chance effort to make the playoffs with his win at Darlington, to get eliminated (if that is the case come Saturday).

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth 

  • Four Takeaways from the Truck Series race at Las Vegas

    Four Takeaways from the Truck Series race at Las Vegas

    The World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Friday night, marked the second race of the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs. After coming up short at Bristol the week prior, Brett Moffitt had hopes of bouncing back and potentially increasing his championship points lead over the rest of the playoff field.

    However, Moffitt’s race was unfortunately forgettable for the most part, as the GMS Racing driver continued his winless streak, finishing 15th, after starting on the pole. Moffitt could only manage to lead one lap as Sheldon Creed passed his teammate on Lap 2. While the Las Vegas race looked like it was going to be dominated by Creed, he was eventually challenged by Austin Hill and the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra, when Hill made the pass on Creed with 39 laps to go.

    Hill was unchallenged during the final remaining laps and held on to score his second victory of the 2020 Truck Series season and advance to the Round of 8. Fortunately for Hill, he won’t have to worry about Talladega Superspeedway this Saturday afternoon after already winning at Las Vegas. However, the other playoff drivers will be hoping they won’t get collected in the “Big One.”

    While the main focus is on the playoff drivers for the rest of the season, we’ll also take a look at what we might have missed in Friday night’s race at Las Vegas

    1. Chandler Smith Sees Back to Back Top Five Finishes – The 2020 Truck Series season hasn’t been too kind to the highly regarded NASCAR prospect of Chandler Smith. Thus far, Smith has not had the luck he’s needed to finish inside the Top 10. He finished 22nd at Kentucky and 38th at Michigan due to a crash, 20th at Dover and 23rd at Gateway and Darlington. However, over the last three weeks, Smith has been picking up momentum since finishing 12th at Richmond. At Bristol, Smith finally cracked the top five for the first time since Phoenix of last fall. This past week at Vegas, the Georgian earned another fifth-place finish, resulting in back-to-back top-fives. Smith now has five Top 10 finishes in his Truck Series career.

    2. Ryan Truex Earns Best Finish of 2020 – Ryan Truex has only competed in five Truck Series races this year but the New Jersey native has made the most of those opportunities. Aside from his finishes of 27th at Kentucky and 19th at Michigan, Truex has finished inside the Top 15 three times this season. On Friday night at Vegas, Truex earned his best finish of the year finishing 12th to go with his most recent best finish of 13th coming at Atlanta and Texas.

    3. Dylan Lupton Returns – The Las Vegas race was sort of a “home sweet home” type of feeling for Dylan Lupton. Lupton made his first Truck Series start of the year last Friday night, competing in the No. 17 DGR-Crosley machine. Lupton’s last Truck Series start came last year at Phoenix, where he started 16th and finished 16th. He originally attempted Homestead but failed to qualify. However, Lupton was back in the series Friday night and had a respectable run by finishing 13th on the lead lap.

    4. Get Well Soon Natalie – Before the 134 lapper got underway, Niece Motorsports driver Natalie Decker was unable to compete due to medical reasons. It was later reported by NASCAR in an official race report that she was facing fatigue issues. As the race was over, the Wisconsin driver was eventually cleared by NASCAR and released from the infield medical center. Decker later commented on Twitter that she would have some testing done to figure out what is wrong with her. Whatever that may be, here’s wishing Decker a speedy recovery. Unfortunately for Decker, she was credited with a last-place finish.
  • Austin Hill scores back to back fall Vegas victories

    Austin Hill scores back to back fall Vegas victories

    It’s been a while since playoff contender Austin Hill has been in victory lane. But after taking the lead on Lap 95, the Hattori Racing driver held on for the rest of the way, fending off a late charge by Sheldon Creed to score his first victory since Kansas in July.

    “I was probably looking in my mirror more than I was looking out front,” Hill conceded of keeping Creed behind. “I knew he was better than we were and I knew I was going to have to protect. We didn’t have the best truck tonight, by no means,” Hill added. “We had to fight a lot of adversity in Stages One and Two. We weren’t good at all and [crew chief] Scott [Zipadelli] and the guys kept working on it and got better and better.”

    “The pit crew did a hell of a job on that last pit stop getting me in the position I needed and I just had to go out there and get it and that’s what we did.”

    Stages 30-30-74 laps made up the 134 lap event from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. No Trucks were sent to the rear as all drivers passed inspection. However, Niece Motorsports driver Natalie Decker was not cleared to drive by NASCAR officials due to unspecified medical reasons. Unfortunately for the Wisconsin driver, Decker was credited with a last-place finish.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 30

    Brett Moffitt started on the pole and led Lap 1 but was challenged and passed by his GMS Racing teammate Sheldon Creed at Lap 2. More action was seen on the backstretch with the No. 88 of Matt Crafton having to check up after close contact with Creed. Then on Lap 5, the No. 4 of Raphael Lessard had problems and had to pit for a flat right-front tire. Meanwhile, Jesse Iwuji was black-flagged by NASCAR for not having radio communication.

    During the competition caution on Lap 10, returning NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana was penalized for speeding on pit road and was sent to the rear. In addition, Ben Rhodes had smoke coming from underneath his No. 99 Ford F-150. The Kentucky native would face more problems, reporting, “no power.”

    Back up front, Creed took the stage win with Moffitt, Kraus, Enfinger, Zane Smith, Rhodes, Christian Eckes, Tanner Gray, Crafton, and Chandler Smith wrapping up the Top 10.

    Stage 2: Lap 37 – Lap 60

    After the restart for Stage 2, the first few laps were run cleanly. But that was not the case for the No. 3 of Jordan Anderson due to the truck suffering a flat right-rear tire.

    Toward the end of the stage, the No. 83 of Tim Viens was black-flagged for not meeting minimum speed. Viens would continue to face these problems throughout the night before eventually getting parked for being too slow.

    As Stage 2 was completed on Lap 60, Creed was once again victorious by sweeping the stages. Zane Smith, Moffitt, Kraus, Rhodes, Sauter, Eckes, Crafton, Austin Hill, and Gray were the Top 10.

    Stage 3: Lap 67 – Lap 134

    Momentarily following the Stage 3 restart, Eckes and Creed swapped the lead a couple of times before Creed eventually grabbed the top spot on Lap 73. The California native would stay out front through the next two cautions on laps 85 and 90 until Austin Hill took the lead on a Lap 95 restart.

    As the laps started to wind down in the World of Westgate 200, Creed started to close back to the bumper of the No. 16 Toyota of Hill. At one point with 13 laps to go, Creed closed the gap to 0.250 seconds. Unfortunately for Creed, his chances would go south with 10 laps to go, as the Californian made slight contact with the Turn(s) 1 and 2 walls.

    Despite Creed’s best efforts, Hill held off Creed to return back to victory lane for the second time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the sixth victory of his Truck Series career.

    Sheldon Creed, Tanner Gray, Stewart Friesen, Chandler Smith, Grant Enfinger, Zane Smith, Christian Eckes, Matt Crafton, and Tyler Ankrum rounded out the Top 10 finishers at Las Vegas.

    “Just frustrated, the best track I’ve ever had,” Creed said. ”We’re all racing hard, this is the playoffs. I think I showed my hand too early.”

    There were five cautions for 25 laps, and four lead changes among four different drivers.

    Austin Hill led one time for 39 laps and gained five playoff points in addition to his victory. Hill is also locked into the Round of 8 in the Truck Series playoffs.

    Playoff Points Standings following Race No. 2 in the Playoffs

    1. Austin Hill (Advanced to Round of 8 by virtue of victory)
    2. Sheldon Creed, +52 above the cut line
    3. Brett Moffitt, +44 above the cut line
    4. Zane Smith, +39 above the cut line
    5. Grant Enfinger, +31 above the cut line
    6. Tyler Ankrum, +15 above the cut line
    7. Matt Crafton, +15 above the cut line
    8. Christian Eckes, +6 above the cut line
    9. Ben Rhodes -6 below the cut line
    10. Todd Gilliland, -10 below the cut line

    Official Results following the World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    1. Austin Hill, led 39 laps, earned five playoff points (Playoff driver)
    2. Sheldon Creed, won both stages, led 89 laps, earned two playoff points (Playoff driver)
    3. Tanner Gray
    4. Stewart Friesen
    5. Chandler Smith
    6. Grant Enfinger (Playoff driver)
    7. Zane Smith (Playoff driver)
    8. Christian Eckes, led five laps, (Playoff driver)
    9. Matt Crafton (Playoff driver)
    10. Tyler Ankrum (Playoff driver)
    11. Johnny Sauter
    12. Ryan Truex
    13. Todd Gilliland (Playoff driver)
    14. Dylan Lupton
    15. Brett Moffitt, led one lap
    16. Tate Fogleman
    17. Tyler Hill
    18. Conor Daly, 1 lap down
    19. Spencer Davis, 1 lap down
    20. Travis Pastrana, 1 lap down
    21. Clay Greenfield, 1 lap down
    22. Ben Rhodes, 2 laps down, (Playoff driver)
    23. Austin Wayne Self, 2 laps down
    24. Danny Bohn, 2 laps down
    25. Ray Ciccarelli, 3 laps down
    26. Chase Purdy, 3 laps down
    27. Spencer Boyd, 5 laps down
    28. Josh Reaume, 7 laps down
    29. Derek Kraus, 9 laps down
    30. Jesse Iwuji, 19 laps down
    31. Jordan Anderson, OUT, Track Bar
    32. Tim Viens, OUT, Too Slow
    33. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Oil Tank
    34. Dawson Cram, OUT, Accident
    35. Natalie Decker, OUT, Fatigue

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will head to Talladega Superspeedway for the conclusion of the Round of 10 Truck Series Playoff Saturday October 3 live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 1 p.m./ET.