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  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Daytona

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Daytona

    Friday night saw the opening season for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series. It was no ordinary season opener as the series is celebrating its 25th anniversary dating back to 1995.

    Every time there is a Truck Series race, you can normally expect one of two things, an exciting action-packed race or one driver who dominates the entire event. That’s what Friday night’s season opener NextEra Energy Resources 250 featured on Valentine’s day. Race fans saw a photo-finish between underdog Jordan Anderson and veteran Grant Enfinger to the finish line. Enfinger was able to just beat Anderson for the win by 0.010 seconds for the closest Truck Series finish in Daytona history. 

    While those two drivers certainly stole the show in Daytona, there were others that flew under the radar and still wound up with a great finish. Here are this week’s power rankings. 

    1. Austin Hill – Hill continued his strong Daytona performance by finishing sixth in Friday night’s race. He led 11 laps and finished seventh and fourth in both stages respectively. It wasn’t the win Hill was hoping for, but the Georgia native did a nice job of avoiding all the chaos that broke out during the race. It will be interesting to watch this team in their second year together with Hill as the driver and see if they can rattle off more wins.

    2. Grant Enfinger – No doubt Enfinger was the story of the night when all was said and done. The Alabama native finally got Daytona crossed off his checklist but it didn’t come easy for him. Enfinger had to work his way up to the front several times including getting shuffled to the back from the lead with 24 to go. At that point, a victory seemed unlikely or even a top-10 finish. But a crash with three to go set up an overtime restart with Enfinger in the lead. He had to throw a couple of blocks, one to Ross Chastain and the other to Jordan Anderson, but Enfinger got it done by .010 seconds. It was certainly a nice way to start the season as he now has secured a spot in the Playoffs. Going forward the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team can be a lot more aggressive and take more risks on-track.

    3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter had an up and down night in the No. 13 Tenda Ford F-150. He was penalized after making a pit stop after Stage 2 concluded when an uncontrolled tire rolled out of his pit stall. The Wisconsin native also barely missed the big one when his teammate Ben Rhodes spun in front of him with three laps to go. Sauter was able to miss it and brought his truck home with a seventh-place finish. The ThorSport Racing driver finished fifth and eighth in both stages while leading no laps.

    4. Jordan Anderson – We would be remiss if we didn’t talk about Jordan Anderson’s best finish of his Truck Series career. Anderson tried all he could to get the first elusive win of his career in what would have been a popular victory for the fans. By mere inches, the team owner finished second to Enfinger beating and banging to the line. Anderson found himself in second on the backstretch on the last lap and came oh so close to for his first career win. This will no doubt be a momentum builder for the No. 3 team who is now in an alliance with AM Racing.

    5. Riley Herbst – It looks like the experience somewhat paid off for Herbst and the No. 51 team. The Las Vegas, Nevada native started out on the right foot by qualifying on the pole Friday afternoon. Herbst continued his strong performance by winning Stage 1 and finishing fifth in the second stage. After the first two stages, chaos erupted for Herbst. The No. 51 driver was caught up in two accidents, one on Lap 67 and one with three to go on Lap 99. Still, Herbst wound up with a 12th place finish after leading 21 laps.
  • Decker, Kraus and Rohrbaugh earn career-best finishes at Daytona

    Decker, Kraus and Rohrbaugh earn career-best finishes at Daytona

    We’ve all heard the expression, “if you are in it, you can win it.” Although they did not get to victory lane, Natalie Decker, Derek Kraus and Codie Rohrbaugh all scored career-best finishes in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series career Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

    Rohrbaugh competes for his family-owned team and accomplishes so much with few resources. Previously, his best finish was last year at Martinsville Speedway where the No. 9 team finished 10th. Tonight, however, the Petersburg, West Virginia native knew he had a chance to win and he came close to a victory.

    When Grant Enfinger and Jordan Anderson were battling at the line, it almost allowed Rohrbaugh the chance to sneak by for the win. But he had to settle for a third-place finish, falling 0.084 seconds short. It was a remarkable rebound after getting turned around coming to pit road on Lap 35.

    “It got really exciting,” Rohrbaugh said to MRN Radio. “First off, thank the good Lord for giving me the opportunity. Thanks to all my family, Pat, Grandma, the guys did an incredible job at the shop all winter to get us here. Just really, really thankful.”

    The third-place finish was Rohrbaugh’s first of his career.

    Stratford, Wisconsin native Derek Kraus also had an interesting night in Daytona beginning as early as Lap 9. Kraus had to come down to pit road while running inside the top-10 after a reported issue with the truck. As it turns out, there was a potential left front tire going down on the No. 19 Toyota. Pitting took the Wisconsin native out of a good stage finish for Stage 1 as he would finish 21st.

    As the event went on, Kraus had to rally from the back and avoid some major wrecks late in the going, especially the big one with three to go. When the race went into overtime, the Wisconsin native still had a shot to win but he had his work cut out for him as he did not have any teammates to work with. Even so, Kraus still had a solid day and earned the best finish of his Truck Series career with fourth place.

    “Just surviving really,” Kraus said to MRN Radio. “We survived all night and kind of rolled in the back there, and kind of had a strategy going at the end of the race. We executed the strategy and we ended up fourth.”

    Momentum means everything to the No. 19 team of Bill McAnally.

    “This is a really big start to the season, especially for my No. 19 Shockwave Toyota Tundra,” he added to MRN Radio. “Can’t thank Shockwave enough for coming on-board for this race and I look forward to the rest of the season.”

    Kraus’ previous best finish was eighth at Dover last year.

    As for Natalie Decker, she earned the best finish by a female driver at Daytona. The feat was last accomplished by Jennifer Jo Cobb who finished sixth in 2011. Decker started 30th and finished fifth to earn the best career finish of her career.

    “It’s amazing, I’m so thankful that N29 has been with me since the beginning,” Decker said to MRN Radio. “Thank you, Carl and happy birthday, and I’m just so happy I got to have my best finish here with Niece. I just think that’s so wonderful.”

    The run wasn’t all that easy for Decker as she had to dodge some melees throughout the race.

    “Yeah, there was a big wreck right in front of us and got some flat tires just to try, and stop from it,” she added to MRN Radio. “We rode around the back and that was our plan. I just had to ride, but it was so worth it, those last two laps being able to race up front there and get a good finish.”

  • Enfinger wins in photo-finish at Daytona over Anderson

    Enfinger wins in photo-finish at Daytona over Anderson

    After an overtime restart, Grant Enfinger narrowly won in a photo-finish against Jordan Anderson coming to the line. The two drivers beat and banged off one another until the checkered flag flew at Daytona International Speedway. However, in what was the closest Truck Series race in history, the Alabama native, Enfinger, broke a two-year drought dating back to Las Vegas.

    “It would have been a good story for Jordan to win, but it was a better story for us,” Enfinger said to MRN Radio. “He gave us some good shoves there and I knew he was going to try and make a move and he did. I wasn’t confident the bottom line was going to carry or not, but I was 100% confident in my spotter Chris Lambert as he talked me through there good. I gave some shoves and tried to block his momentum, and get off of him and I kind of stalled him to eventually beat him back to the line. Just an unbelievable Ford F-150 we had here, 100th win for Ford in the Truck Series, the 25th anniversary for Duke and Rhonda Thorson. God has blessed me with an incredible opportunity and maybe this season is the year for us.”

    Tonight’s race at Daytona was the season opener for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series. Though race fans would have to wait a little while after the scheduled start time as a small rain shower moved through the area delaying the start of the race by more than half an hour.

    Stages were broken into 20/20/60 laps to make up the 100-lap race and rookie Riley Herbst was on the pole.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 20

    It appeared Stage 1 was going to be calm and collected with no incidents. However, a big incident occurred with five to go, as the No. 45 of Ty Majeski’s truck went upside down on its roof going into Turn 1 causing a red flag. Based on a replay, the No. 38 of Todd Gilliland made slight contact with the No. 12 of Tate Fogleman who then bumped into the No. 22 of Austin Wayne Self, while the two collected Majeski’s truck which made him flip. This incident would cause a seven-minute and 59 seconds red flag.

    A one-lap dash would set up a restart in Stage 1. Pole sitter Herbst took the stage win, while Tyler Ankrum, Christian Eckes, Brett Moffitt, Johnny Sauter, Stewart Friesen, Austin Hill, Grant Enfinger, Raphael Lessard and Todd Gilliland completed the top-10 for Stage 1.

    Stage 2: Lap 25- Lap 40

    There were no incidents in this stage as it went green the whole way. However, the No. 21 of Zane Smith had a window net down and was black flagged, and had to come down pit road to fix his issue. Then on Lap 35, the No. 9 of Codie Rohrbaugh got turned coming to pit road but saved the truck from crashing and no caution was thrown.

    Enfinger would wind up winning the second stage as Ben Rhodes, Ankrum, Hill, Herbst, Lessard, Friesen, Sauter and Sheldon Creed were the top-10 finishers in Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 45- Lap 104

    There was a 20 lap green flag run taking place from Lap 45 to Lap 65. In fact, a few laps after lap 65, several drivers were thinking about making their last pit stop of the night in the coming laps. But a caution slowed the pace when the No. 00 of Angela Ruch spun in Turn 3 and caused a multi-vehicle wreck. Fogleman, Bryan Dauzat, Eckes, Smith and Brennan Poole were among the ones involved in the incident.

    A restart came with 25 to go and things were shaping up for another exciting finish at Daytona, especially in the Truck Series. The Trucks were racing hard all night and some drivers were making big risky moves in hopes of winning the race or pulling off the upset. In fact, in the first time around it looked like there was going to be a photo-finish as the trucks were three wide several rows back. As normally happens with Daytona late in the race, a caution came out for a big wreck in Turns 1 and 2.

    The No. 99 of Ben Rhodes got loose and almost took out race winner Enfinger in the process, but instead took out several other drivers including, Ankrum, Tanner Gray, Sauter, Herbst, Crafton, Gilliland, Friesen, Gus Dean, Jesse Little, Korbin Forrister and Eckes to name a few.

    Eventually, this put some drivers who had been riding around in the back the whole race up front at the end with a shot to win.

    The caution set up an overtime restart on Lap 104, just four laps past the advertised distance. On the white flag, the No. 40 of Ross Chastain had a huge run on Enfinger but Enfinger blocked and Chastain got shuffled out of the draft. The racing wasn’t done yet. This set up an unique opportunity for fan favorite and a potential upset, Jordan Anderson, who was running second with a head of momentum.

    Eagerly trying to find a way and time his moment to make the move, Anderson pulled out just a few feet from the finish line to try to pass Enfinger. Enfinger saw Anderson on the outside and the two bounced off one another, but in the end, it was the Alabama native Enfinger who took home the checkered flag just inches ahead of Anderson.

    “We had a good Ford F-150 last year,” Enfinger added to MRN Radio. “We could push pretty good, but we couldn’t lead. We tried to make improvements for Talladega, but we were terrible there. The guys at ThorSport Racing cut everything off of here. The roof, the chassis, everything in sight and we came back with a really good piece, and that was the difference. I fell into the sucker hole with 20 laps to go and I thought I lost my opportunity. Then I thought they were going to wreck, so I tried to get to an escape root to the bottom and they didn’t wreck. When it was time to go, I shot to the outside and was able to avoid that mayhem.”

    The win was Enfinger’s third win of his career and his first since Las Vegas in 2018, breaking a two-year win drought. He led four times for 41 laps and picked up six playoff points en route to victory.

    As Anderson watched the replay on pit road and his excitement was evident.

    “Grant, Grant, what are you doing door-slamming me man? I came here in 2015 and emptied my bank account to try to come down here and run. To be in a position to even go for a win at Daytona, man, I’m a kid that just wanted to go racing from South Carolina.

    “I thought we set him up good. We tried to follow Ross (Chastain) there and push him. I know he got loose, and I got up on Grant’s bumper there in (Turn) 4 and got a good run. It was like NASCAR Thunder 2003 all over again. I’m like, ‘God, I can do this!’ And I pushed him out of the way, and I thought we had it.”

    There were five cautions for 26 laps including one red flag along with 15 lead changes among seven different drivers.

    Official Results

    1. Grant Enfinger, led 41 laps, won Stage 2
    2. Jordan Anderson
    3. Codie Rohrbaugh
    4. Derek Kraus
    5. Natalie Decker
    6. Austin Hill, led 11 laps
    7. Johnny Sauter
    8. Ross Chastain
    9. Sheldon Creed, led two laps
    10. Jason White
    11. Zane Smith
    12. Riley Herbst, led 21 laps
    13. Brett Moffitt
    14. Cory Roper
    15. Matt Crafton
    16. Todd Gilliland
    17. Brennan Poole
    18. Korbin Forrister
    19. Spencer Boyd, one lap down
    20. Raphael Lessard, one lap down
    21. Stewart Friesen, one lap down, led 13 laps
    22. Christian Eckes, one lap down, Stage 1 winner
    23. Tanner Gray, OUT, Accident
    24. Jesse Little, OUT, Accident
    25. Ben Rhodes, OUT, Accident, led 17 laps
    26. Gus Dean, OUT, Accident
    27. Tyler Ankrum, OUT, Accident
    28. Angela Ruch, OUT, Accident
    29. Bryan Dauzat, OUT, Accident
    30. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Accident
    31. Austin Wayne Self, OUT, Accident
    32. Ty Majeski, OUT, Accident
  • Weekend Schedule for Daytona

    Weekend Schedule for Daytona

    This weekend the season officially begins as all three series head to Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series races Friday evening and the Xfinity Series takes the stage Saturday afternoon. Sunday features the main event with the 62nd annual Daytona 500.

    Thursday, Feb. 13

    4:05-4:55 p.m.: Truck Series first practice – FS2

    5:30-5:55 p.m.:  Final Truck Series practice – FS1

    7 p.m.:  First Daytona 500 qualifying race – Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 (60 laps,150 miles) – FS1/MRN

    8:45 p.m.:  Second Daytona 500 qualifying race – Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 (60 laps/150 miles) – FS1/MRN

    Friday, Feb. 14

    2:05-2:55 p.m.:  Xfinity Series first practice – FS1

    3:10 p.m.:  Truck Series qualifying – FS1

    4:32-4:57 p.m.:  Xfinity Series final practice – FS1

    5:05-5:55 p.m.:  Cup Series third practice – FS1/MRN/TSN

    7:30 p.m.:  NASCAR Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 race (Stages 20/40/100 Laps = 250 Miles) FS1/MRN /SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, Feb. 15

    11 a.m.: Xfinity Series qualifying – FS1

    12:30-1:20 p.m.: Cup Series final practice – FS1/MRN/TSN

    2:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series NASCAR Racing Experience 300 race (Stages 30/60/120 Laps = 300 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, Feb. 16

    2:30 p.m.: Daytona 500 – (Stages 65/130/200 Laps = 500 Miles) FOX/MRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Starting Lineup for the Daytona 500:

    1 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    2 88 Alex Bowman
    3 22 Joey Logano
    4 24 William Byron
    5 10 Aric Almirola
    6 48 Jimmie Johnson
    7 6 Ryan Newman
    8 42 Kyle Larson
    9 2 Brad Keselowski
    10 4 Kevin Harvick
    11 43 Bubba Wallace
    12 41 Cole Custer #
    13 3 Austin Dillon
    14 20 Erik Jones
    15 19 Martin Truex Jr.
    16 21 Matt DiBenedetto
    17 95 Christopher Bell #
    18 1 Kurt Busch
    19 17 Chris Buescher
    20 77 Ross Chastain(i)
    21 11 Denny Hamlin
    22 8 Tyler Reddick #
    23 38 John Hunter Nemechek #
    24 13 Ty Dillon
    25 9 Chase Elliott
    26 34 Michael McDowell
    27 12 Ryan Blaney
    28 18 Kyle Busch
    29 14 Clint Bowyer
    30 36 David Ragan
    31 37 Ryan Preece
    32 66 Timmy Hill(i)
    33 16 Justin Haley(i)
    34 15 Brennan Poole #
    35 0 Quin Houff #
    36 32 Corey LaJoie
    37 51 Joey Gase(i)
    38 52 BJ McLeod(i)
    39 62 Brendan Gaughan(i)
    40 27 Reed Sorenson

    Did not qualify: Chad Finchum (No. 49) JJ Yeley (No. 54) Daniel Suarez (No. 96)

    To the rear: Blaney No. 12 (backup car), LaJoie No. 32 (backup car)

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoor Truck Series Preview-Daytona

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoor Truck Series Preview-Daytona

    It’s almost time for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoor Truck Series drivers to hit the track for their season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 14 under the lights. The last time we saw the Trucks was the Championship 4 race at Homestead Miami Speedway, where Matt Crafton collected his third Truck Series championship of his career, just one away from tying series legend Ron Hornaday Jr.

    However, everything resets at Daytona and we will see if Crafton can continue his momentum from 2019 into 2020 and if he wins his fourth title in the series. Before we get that far though, let’s take a look at this week’s annual Nextera Energy Resources 250 and highlight five drivers that might have a shot at winning Friday night.

    Currently, there are 41 drivers entered on the preliminary entry list for 32 spots and many new drivers in new places. We’ll highlight those later.

    1. Johnny Sauter – After his win at Dover last year, Johnny Sauter went cold for the rest of the year scoring no wins and missed out on advancing to the next round of the Playoffs after a part failure at Las Vegas. Though, with a new year comes a reset for Sauter. 2020 will mark Sauter’s 17th year in the Truck Series and he looks to have a better season and that could start Friday night at Daytona. The Wisconsin native has 11 starts dating back to 2009 with three wins in 2013, 2016, and in 2018. Sauter, however, has one win under the ThorSport name that occurred in 2013. When he returned last year to the stable, Daytona did not fare well for him. A crash on lap 60 hindered his efforts in hopes of starting the year with momentum. In those 11 starts, Sauter has led 139 laps, earned four top-fives and five top-10s with an average finish of 14.3. Sauter also won Stage 2 last year. After a dismal 2019, Sauter hopes to start the year on the right foot in victory lane Friday night.
    2. Sheldon Creed – His Daytona outing did not fare well last year but when he came back for another superspeedway race at Talladega Superspeedway, Creed finished ninth after starting fifth and leading 20 laps. This year Creed will also have help from a stout GMS Racing stable with teammates Zane Smith, Brett Moffitt and Tyler Ankrum. During his ARCA outings, the GMS driver finished third in 2018. Creed can sometimes be a sleeper in a race and wind up getting a good finish. Don’t be surprised if the California native can get the victory to open up the season.
    3. Grant Enfinger – While his superspeedway stats may be up and down, Enfinger could snap his winless streak Friday night in Daytona. The Alabama native has five starts going back to 2012 but has made four consecutive starts since 2016. He has a best finish of second that came in last year’s race and in the previous year, Enfinger finished sixth. The finishes have created an average finish of 11.2 with an average start of 9.0. Despite those stats, some of that can be meaningless when it comes to tracks like these. But don’t get caught off guard if the ThorSport driver wins the season opener.
    4. Austin Hill- Speaking of getting off guard, Austin Hill somewhat shocked the world last year by winning the season opener last year in his first outing with Hattori Racing. The Georgia native was strong by leading 39 laps and finishing second in Stage 1. By winning at Daytona, Hill continued his superspeedways effort by finishing sixth at Talladega last fall. Watch out for Hill and the No. 16 Hattori Truck Friday night.
    5. Angela Ruch – She might not win the race Friday night but she most certainly can be a spoiler. Angela Ruch is back full-time this year, but with a new entry fielded by Reaume Brothers Racing, as she will pilot the No. 00 Chevrolet. In last years race, she finished eighth after leading for two laps. We’ve heard it for many years and we’ll hear it for years to come, all you have to do is start the race to have a chance to win the race. If Ruch can avoid the wrecks and find herself up front at the end, an opportunity may present itself where she might wind up in victory lane.

    As we mentioned above, there are many new drivers in the series along with current series drivers in different places.

    Truck Series newcomer Tate Fogleman pilots the No. 02 entry for Youngs Motorsports, Raphael Lessard in the No. 4 for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Korbin Forrister returns with his team in the No. 7 for All Out Motorsports, Christian Eckes in the No. 18 for KBM, Derek Kraus full-time in the No. 19 for Bill McAnally, Zane Smith in the No. 21 for GMS Racing and Brett Moffitt moves to the No. 23 with no owner points.

    Tyler Ankrum moves over to GMS Racing in the No. 26 and Bryan Dauzat is back for his annual Daytona race in the No. 28. Jason White will compete in the No. 33 for Reaume Brothers Racing, Todd Gilliland in the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports, Ross Chastain in the No. 40, Natalie Decker in the No. 44, and Ty Majeski in the No. 45 for Niece Motorsports. Riley Herbst will be in the No. 51 for KBM, Gus Dean in the No. 56 for Hill Motorsports and Todd Peck in the No. 96.

    Daytona International Speedway has seen 20 Truck Series races going back to 2000. Drivers Mike Wallace, Joe Ruttman, Robert Pressley, Rick Crawford, Carl Edwards, Bobby Hamilton, Mark Martin, Jack Sprague, Todd Bodine, Timothy Peters, Michael Waltrip, John King, Johnny Sauter, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Kaz Grala, and Austin Hill have all visited victory lane. Toyota has the most manufacturer wins with nine (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2019). Ford has five wins, while Dodge and Chevrolet are tied with three wins.

    Only four times has a winner come from the pole. The first was in 2001 with Ruttman, 2006 by Martin, 2007 with Sprague and Grala in 2017. The lowest ever a driver has started was 36th back in 2005 by Hamilton.

    Superspeedway races are known for upset winners. As for the Truck Series, John King scored that upset in 2012 and to date, it is his only win in NASCAR. Kings’ last race was in 2014 coming at Daytona.

    Flashing back to last year’s race, only nine cars finished the race with the rest wrecking out of contention. The race was extended 11 laps into overtime and the event was finally completed on Lap 111. Austin Hill took the win after leading 39 laps. Grant Enfinger, Ross Chastain, Spencer Boyd, Matt Crafton, Josh Reaume, Timothy Peters, Angela Ruch, Austin Wayne Self, and Stewart Friesen completed the top-10.

    In Stage 1, Sheldon Creed won the stage followed by Hill, Christian Eckes, Brett Moffitt, Enfinger, Austin Wayne Self, Clay Greenfield, Myatt Snider, Brennan Poole, and Todd Gilliland were the top-10 finishers for Stage 1. In the second stage, Johnny Sauter collected 10 additional points with Friesen, Ben Rhodes, David Gilliland, Spencer Boyd, Enfinger, Snider, Todd Gilliland, Harrison Burton, and Wayne Self completing the top-10 for Stage 2. Eleven cautions slowed the pace for 55 laps with 15 lead changes.

    There will be two Truck Series practices tomorrow afternoon. The first practice takes place at 4:05 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 2 lasting until 4:55 p.m. ET. Final practice is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. – 5:55 ET and will air live on Fox Sports 1. Qualifying is slated for Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET with an impound and one-lap procedure and will be televised live on Fox Sports 1.

    The NextEra Energy Resource 250 race will kick off the 2020 season Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. The event will see stages of 20/40/100 laps to make up the 250 miles.

  • Busch set for five-race schedule in the Truck Series

    Busch set for five-race schedule in the Truck Series

    Kyle Busch Motorsports announced today that the all-time winningest driver in the Truck Series, Kyle Busch, will once again be back in the Truck Series field for 2020. The Las Vegas, Nevada native is set to do a five-race stint in his famed No. 51 Toyota Tundra. That’s the most Busch can do due to the five-race rule limit set by NASCAR.

    Busch is scheduled to compete at the following races. His first race will be February 21 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 14 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Homestead Miami Speedway on March 20, Texas Motor Speedway March 27 and his final Truck Series race will be at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night May 30.

    Last season, Busch was able to go five for five, winning in all five of his starts including three tracks that are on his schedule this year as well, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Texas. However, you’ll have to go back to 2014 almost six years ago when Busch last competed at Homestead. In that race, he started fifth and finished fourth after six laps led. As for Kansas Speedway, it will be the first time in over two years since Busch last raced in the Truck Series there. He came up just shy of winning the race that night, finishing second to then KBM teammate, Noah Gragson.

  • Greenfield to run eight Truck Series races, NASCAR Crew Chief legend Jeff Hammond to serve as Crew Chief

    Greenfield to run eight Truck Series races, NASCAR Crew Chief legend Jeff Hammond to serve as Crew Chief

    Announced tonight by Clay Greenfield Motorsports, Clay Greenfield will once again compete in his own No. 68 Chevrolet that will be sponsored by Rackley Roofing for eight races this season. Alongside Greenfield will be legendary NASCAR Crew Chief Jeff Hammond partnering as crew chief for Greenfield. The partnership between the two will begin at Daytona next month in the season opener.

    Team owner and driver Greenfield is excited to have Hammond serving as crew chief.

    “We are thrilled to have a legendary crew chief like Jeff to join our team and help take us to the next level,” Greenfield said. “With the addition of Jeff and with equipment upgrades Rackley Roofing has allowed us to make, we are poised to have the most successful season in CGM’s history.”

    Greenfield has competed in 46 Truck Series starts in a span of 10-years dating back to 2010 in his first Truck start that came at Martinsville. While he has never competed a full-season, the effort has always been there to perform to the best of their abilities. In doing so, Greenfield has two top-10s in his career, coming at Daytona in 2012 where he finished 10th and scoring his best finish of eighth just a couple of years ago at Talladega Superspeedway.

    As an owner, Greenfield notched a 12th place finish last season at Daytona.

    While Greenfield is excited about the season starting up again, Jeff Hammond is also eager to get back on the pit box as a crew chief.

    “It’s like coming full circle to be able to return to the top of the box for such a first-class team and a hungry driver like Clay Greenfield,” Hammond said. “I believe this Rackley Roofing No. 68 is going to turn some heads and prove that we’re a team to respect!”

    Hammond has an impressive career resume with 518 Cup Series races that includes 43 wins, 143 top fives, 216 top-10 finishes and 27 poles. He won the Cup Series championship with Hall of Fame driver Darrell Waltrip in 1982 and 1985.

    CEO of Rackley Roofing also has this to say about the partnership with Clay Greenfield and Jeff Hammond.

    “With the arrival of Jeff Hammond, we just moved into a 7,000 square foot facility in Murfreesboro, TN,” Curtis Sutton said. “We will continue to strive for constant improvement, invest in new trucks, new equipment, and new technology and as we position ourselves to be a contender in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoor Truck Series for years to come.”

  • Opinion: Expanding the Playoff field is a redundant action in championship hunt

    Opinion: Expanding the Playoff field is a redundant action in championship hunt

    Beginning in the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series campaign, the Playoff field will be expanding from eight contenders to 10 possible contenders for the series championship.

    The postseason races will remain at seven, with two drivers being eliminated after the first three races and an additional four drivers being eliminated after the next three races. The remaining four drivers will race for the title in the championship round at Phoenix.

    While expanding the championship field is nothing new since the inception of the NASCAR postseason in 2004, there comes a point in time where it becomes a pointless action. Granted, NASCAR is aiming to bring excitement to all three of its national touring divisions, and the postseason has seen some exciting moments over the years. However, what’s the point in expanding the championship field when only a select few are true contenders and the rest will do nothing more than be placeholders?

    Take the initial Chase for the NEXTEL Cup in 2004. It was a 10-driver field race set following the Richmond race in September, where they had 10 races to race for a championship. Of those 10, only four of them were viewed as true title contenders from the start (Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin). Those same four happened to be the ones who ultimately raced for the title at Homestead, with Busch taking home the trophy.

    Meanwhile, drivers like Elliott Sadler, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, and Jeremy Mayfield all won races in the regular season but did not make much of an impact in the Chase, as they faded from contention early with Newman finishing seventh, Kenseth eighth, Sadler ninth, and Mayfield 10th in the final standings.

    For that matter, there’s the current Playoff system implemented in the top-three divisions, and for posterity’s sake, take a look at the 2019 Xfinity Series Playoffs. Of the 12 drivers, only three of them were absolute title contenders (Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, and Christopher Bell). That left nine drivers, and while three of them were wild cards (Justin Allgaier went on to take the fourth slot at Miami, while Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe both hung around the top-five in points), six other drivers (Brandon Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson, Ryan Sieg, Justin Haley, and Michael Annett) stuck around by managing consistent runs with the occasional solitary win.

    This may be an unpopular opinion, but a champion shouldn’t be decided by chance. If a driver dominates or is more consistent than anyone else in the regular season, they shouldn’t be knocked out of title contention by one bad race. If they dominate all year long and continue to post results in the postseason, then by rights, that driver should be the champion.

    The 2003 Winston Cup season was actually a great season by that standard. Kenseth may have only won one race but he was more consistent than anyone else over the course of the season with 11 top-fives and 25 top-10s. He was the best driver all year long and that championship was earned.

    Going back to the Xfinity Series championship fight of a year ago, the best three drivers fought for the championship, and Reddick earned his championship without question. The other drivers who made Playoff appearances worked just as hard as he did undoubtedly, but in the end, they weren’t on the level of Reddick, Custer, and Bell.

    One notable Playoff field was the 2015 bunch, which included Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard. Both have won races and McMurray has won some of the crown jewel events in NASCAR, but they were just along for the ride compared to drivers like Joey Logano and Kenseth. That’s not saying their efforts weren’t good enough, but they just weren’t on the level the other teams were and their elimination in the first round was expected.

    So what’s the point? Why expand the field when all that’s going to happen is a couple of guys who were just good enough to earn the ninth and 10th spots in the Playoff field are almost immediately eliminated because they weren’t on par with the other drivers in the Playoff field? If the team isn’t performing on a championship-caliber level, then they shouldn’t contend for a championship.

    Some of the drivers on the bottom end of the Playoff field undoubtedly are having seasons other drivers would kill for and they shouldn’t be ashamed of that. But there’s a difference between strong and consistent and being a winner, and if they’re not making that jump then they’re not posting a championship-caliber effort. Full-stop.

    Likewise, leave the championship contenders, the actual championship threats, to fight for the title without having to bother with other placeholders who aren’t really much of a threat for the title. That makes all the difference between a winner and a champion. Shouldn’t that be what the championship battle is about and rewards?

  • Decker joins Niece Motorsports for part-time efforts

    Decker joins Niece Motorsports for part-time efforts

    Niece Motorsports announced today that Natalie Decker will join the team on a part-time schedule in the No. 44 Chevrolet. The former DGR-Crosley driver will compete at Daytona International Speedway next month, where she will make her Niece Motorsports debut.

    Decker says, change can be a great thing, while also not knowing what the outcome maybe in return.

    “Change is inevitable, change is expected and exciting, and change is also frightening,” said Decker. “But this year is a year I’m ready for! I have never felt so prepared with my health, in the gym, and mentally. There are so many things to be excited about working with Niece Motorsports, starting with my teammates Ross and Ty. I’m ready to learn from them and be 100% open minded going into the season!”

    In addition, team owner Al Niece is excited with Decker racing for the team in 2020.

    “We are excited to have Natalie join the team,” said team owner Al Niece. “Natalie has shown a lot of talent, and we are excited to see her continue to develop that at Niece Motorsports. We are certain we will put her in competitive equipment that will really give her a chance to shine.”

    Decker will join Ross Chastain and ARCA standout Carson Hocevar on a part-time basis for the No. 44 Niece Motorsports entry. Her best finish in the Truck Series was 13th last year at Las Vegas in March.


  • 2020 Truck Series Preview: An early season outlook for the Truck Series

    2020 Truck Series Preview: An early season outlook for the Truck Series

    It’s hard to imagine that we just left Homestead and crowned the 2019 Truck Series champion, Matt Crafton, and now we are less than a month away from the season opener at Daytona for the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series season. Since the season finale at Homestead, there have been many announcements including driver, teams and/or crew chiefs changes. With the new season quickly approaching, let’s take a look at some of the changes the Truck Series experienced during the “off-season.”

    Kyle Busch Motorsports kicked off the series announcements with the driver changes. Raphael Lessard and 2018 ARCA Menards Series Champion Christian Eckes will take over the No. 4 and No. 18 rides, respectively. Lessard replaces Todd Gilliland in the No. 4, while Harrison Burton makes the leap to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Eckes takes over the famed 18 full-time after doing multiple part-time attempts. It is expected that team owner Kyle Busch will drive part-time in the No. 51 and Chandler Smith in the No. 46 as well. Busch has yet to announce what his races will be. Also, Mike Hillman, Jr. is to serve as crew chief for Lessard as Rudy Fugle pairs up with Eckes. Danny Stockman will serve as crew chief for the No. 51.

    Following in KBM’s announcements in the terms of drivers is GMS Racing. GMS will have four full-time drivers with Sheldon Creed in the No. 2, Zane Smith in the No. 21, Brett Moffitt piloting the No. 23, and Tyler Ankrum moving over from DGR-Crosley to drive the No. 26. Sam Mayer and David Gravel will split share the No. 24 Chevy. Gravel is expected to make six starts with the team.

    With the driver announcements for GMS also comes some crew chief announcements. Kevin Manion will serve as crew chief for Smith, Chad Norris serving for Moffitt, and Chad Walter for Ankrum.

    As for ThorSport Racing, it is expected for all drivers to return to the team. Defending series champion Matt Crafton in the No. 88, Johnny Sauter in the No. 13, Grant Enfinger in the No. 98 and Ben Rhodes in the No. 99. The crew chiefs remain the same for each driver.

    Also during the off-season came some manufacturer news. DGR-Crosley switches over from running a Chevy to Ford for both teams. But the team has yet to make any driver announcements for the No. 17 and No. 54. Ankrum piloted the No. 17, while Natalie Decker drove the No. 54 in 2019. Halmar Racing made manufacturer news as well. After competing in a Chevy last year, the team moves to Toyota as they will get trucks prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    Some other small news to report is that Jordan Anderson, who owns Jordan Anderson Racing, will return as driver and owner this season along with crew chief Wally Rogers. Austin Hill returns to the No. 16 Hattori Motorsports Toyota after having a breakout season in 2019. For Niece Motorsports, Ty Majeski takes over the Ross Chastain No. 45 Chevy full-time with Chastain moving to the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing. The No. 44 team details are yet to be announced. Multiple drivers competed in the entry last season.

    A couple of new teams will race in the Truck Series this year. Bill McAnally formed a team with Hattori Racing to field the No. 19 Toyota full-time in 2020. Derek Kraus and ENEOS/NAPA Filters will be the sponsor with Kevin Bellicourt as crew chief. The team competed part-time running select races in 2019.

    Speaking of new teams, the Cup Series team of Front Row Motorsports is expanding its program for the Truck Series. Former KBM driver Todd Gilliland will compete in the No. 38 Ford full-time with crew chief Jon Leonard. Front Row Motorsports will have support from DGR-Crosley.

    As far as full-time efforts that’s all there is to report right now. Several teams including Young’s Motorsports, NEMCO Motorsports, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Reaume Brothers Racing, DGR-Crosley, Roper Racing, Norm Benning Racing, CR7 Motorsports, Clay Greenfield Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, Henderson Motorsports, Jacob Wallace Racing, Rette Jones Racing and RBR Enterprises have yet to make announcements. Though it is expected that these teams will return with either full-time or part-time schedules.

    Also of note, Roper Racing, Norm Benning, CR7, Clay Greenfield, Mike Harmon, Henderson, Jacob Wallace, Rette Jones and RBR all competed part-time last season while Young’s, NEMCO, Jennifer Jo Cobb in the No. 10, Reaume Brothers and DGR-Crosley were full-time.

    Henderson Motorsports, who competes in the No. 75, is looking for a full-time venture and is trying to become a development program. Parker Kligerman has normally competed in this ride. Jason Little Motorsports who fielded the No. 97 JJL Ford sold its team to Diversified Motorsports Enterprises at the end of 2019. With Jason Little not owning the team anymore, new owner Logan Puckett, the president of Diversified Utility Group LLC, took over the team as owner. Jesse Little is expected to run Xfinity Series races this year but is also listed to return part-time to the team in 2020.

    As always there will be more announcements to come for the Truck Series in the coming weeks leading up to the season opener at Daytona, so stay tuned.

    *Disclaimer- Some teams have yet to announce their 2020 plans, so this is an unofficial team preview.*