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  • Shoutout of the week

    Shoutout of the week

    In this week’s shout out of the week, we will highlight Tyler Dippel, driver of the No. 02 for Young’s Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

    Dippel had a quiet outing at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but it was a solid run as he finished 11th.

    It was Dipple’s seventh race of his career and his first track debut at Atlanta. Dippel made his first Truck debut this past summer at Eldora, where he finished 13th.

    During 2016-2018, Dippel competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East where he had two wins, nine top fives and 21 top-10s in 40 starts.

    He signed with Young’s Motorsports during the off-season hoping for a great season. Dippel had his first start at Daytona and it was a miserable 29th place finish and he was out on lap 23. It was not the debut he was looking for with his new team.

    Dippel, however, turned it around this past weekend at Atlanta to finish 11th.

  • Four takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series at Atlanta

    Four takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series at Atlanta

    1. Kyle Busch Finally Breaks Ron Hornaday’s Record – After waiting since victory lane of Pocono last summer, Kyle Busch finally broke the illustrious record of Hornaday’s all-time wins. It took Busch 145 starts to get to win number 52. He’s had a lot of victories and memorable moments, such as winning the Truck Series owners championship two times. Busch catches a lot of flack but he could be one of the greatest drivers to race in today’s generation. Busch is only 33-years-old and he will more than likely have at least 10 to 15 more years in the sport to capture more victories and possibly break more records as well.
    2. Unhappy Fans – Five to 10 years ago, we had Cup Series drivers racing in almost every Xfinity and Truck Series race. However, some fans were outraged by them winning all the time. With that, the fans pushed and pushed in an attempt to ban veteran drivers from racing in lower tier series. Eventually NASCAR put a limit on Cup Series drivers competing in other series. This weekend at Atlanta, there were no Cup Series drivers in the Xfinity race and only one in the Truck race. Low and behold, once Kyle Busch took the checkered flag, many fans were complaining about this issue. However, when I looked in the stands, there was hardly anyone there for either race that day. Sure the weather forecast looked gloomy but that crowd was pathetic. When FOX showed a flashback to Kevin Harvick winning the Xfinity race at Atlanta in 2009, those grandstands were packed. I know times are different and that was 10 years ago. But, I watched a 2001 NASCAR Busch Series race the other night that was held in Colorado at Pikes Peak and the crowd was packed. This particular Busch Series race has only one Cup Series driver in it and that was Harvick, who at the time, was racing in both series. Yet, there was no outrage then. If the fans want to see only Xfinity and Truck Series drivers compete in their respective series, then I need to see more support than what I saw on Saturday.
    3. NASCAR Restarting The Race – I think we all won on this one. Kudos to NASCAR for waiting out the rains and heavy fog instead of calling the race nine laps early. We got to see an entertaining finish and Busch had to work hard for that win. Now if NASCAR can continue this consistency throughout the year, then this would be great.
    4. NASCAR.com Streaming Service – In today’s day and age, you see a lot of streaming services offered like Netflix, MLB Network, NFL Network, Fox Sports Go, NBC Sports App and NBC Sports Gold (a premium package for race fans that is offered). This past Friday, we saw a new era when it comes to streaming in NASCAR. Most practice sessions were steamed on the website before Fox Sports took over at 2 p.m. on live TV. This will take place every Friday when Fox Sports has coverage through June. It’s unknown if NBC will follow suit when they over coverage of the races. Like many of you, I was skeptical about how this would turn out. I have watched some Formula E practices on Facebook and YouTube, and it wasn’t that great. So I was leery. So at 10:30 a.m. I logged on to my phone to stream practice. When I logged on, I had to submit my email to access the stream. Not only that, but I had to agree to subscribe to NASCAR’s newsletter, which is a smart marketing move by NASCAR. However, my excitement was drained when I heard no sounds from the racecars but eventually, sound was added on and all was right in the world. I had to get the quality right a couple of times for the video, as it kept going back to 240p instead of 720p. The radio announcers brought a unique twist and covered almost everyone. Not just the top drivers, which was refreshing. Seeing the whole practice without commercial breaks was also a plus. Now if this could change but it seems that NASCAR is testing the waters to possibly have a streaming service offered somewhere down the road once the TV contract expires in 2024. Already, Fans Choice TV will be broadcasting every regional NASCAR race. Dirtvision has an option to pay for a weekend pass to watch their coverage of the World of Outlaws. NHRA also has their own network where you can watch races live, instead of tape delay on FOX Sports 1. CARS-Short Track Tour also has premium service options as well for their live coverage at the track. It’ll be interesting to see if NASCAR follows suit on this in the coming years. As the old saying goes, “the times, they are a changing.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski fought off the effects of a stomach bug to win the race at Atlanta.

    “The race was called the ‘Folds Of Honor Quik Trip 500,” Keselowski said. “Trust me, with this stomach issue, I made a lot a ‘Quik Trips.’”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth at Atlanta after starting at the back of the field.

    “Give Brad Keselowski credit for toughing out the win despite his tummy troubles,” Busch said. “It must be contagious, because now I want the chance to prove that I can win with an illness. In other words, Brad Keselowski makes me sick.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 45 laps in Atlanta and finished fourth.

    “The surface at Atlanta Motor Speedway is quite abrasive,” Harvick said. “It really does a number on your tires. A fan suggested I discuss these particular issues on a web site devoted to extreme tire wear issues called ‘Grindr.’ Well, it turns out this site is not devoted to tires at all.”

    4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex caught race-leader Brad Keselowski with two laps to go at Atlanta but couldn’t make the pass as Keselowski took the checkered flag.

    “Ricky Stenhouse Jr. really held me up,” Truex said. “And I’m beyond frustrated. He was a lap down. Of course, it’s not the first time Ricky has held someone back. Danica Patrick dumped him and upgraded to Aaron Rodgers!”

    5. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 11th at Atlanta one week after winning the Daytona 500.

    “Despite finishing outside the top 10,” Hamlin said, “I’m still atop the Monster Energy Cup points standings. So basically, ‘My Win At Daytona Has Kept Relevant,’ which may very well be the title of Trevor Bayne’s autobiography.”

    6. Kyle Larson: Larson led a race-high 142 laps, but a late pit lane speeding penalty spoiled his chances for the win. He finished 12th and is fourth in the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “I got caught going too fast entering pit lane,” Larson said. “So, I was ‘too fast entering.’ I hear Brad Keselowski’s trouble was ‘too fast exiting.’”

    7. Joey Logano: Logano struggled to a 23rd at Atlanta as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski captured the win, his 60th for Penske.

    “I’m really proud of Brad,” Logano said. “That was a gutsy effort. I bet Brad was exhausted afterwards. In fact, I’m sure his first words were, ‘I’m pooped.’”

    8. Erik Jones: Jones took seventh at Atlanta and has two top-10 finishes to start the season. He is seventh in the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “As a teammate to Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and now Martin Truex Jr.,” Jones said, “I’m low man on the totem pole here at Joe Gibbs Racing. But Joe Gibbs does a great job pretending I’m an equal. So Joe wins the Oscar for ‘best supporting actor.’”

    9. Kurt Busch: Busch finished third in the Folds Of Honor Quik Trip 500 at Atlanta.

    “I think everyone is happy with NASCAR’s new rules package,” Busch said. “And if you’d like to quote me saying ‘Impressive package,’ please do so in context.”

    10. Aric Almirola: Almirola started on the pole and finished eighth at Atlanta.

    “I got busted for speeding on pit road,” Almirola said. “I had to question NASCAR officials’ judgment on this, so I did. And they answered, ‘Those are the breaks.’ Or they may have answered, ‘Those are the brakes.’ I guess both are good answers.”

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series power rankings – Atlanta

    NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series power rankings – Atlanta

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series headed north of Daytona this past weekend as they went to the typically sunny Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    But it wasn’t so sunny on Saturday for the Truck Series, as fog, mist and even rain interfered during the Ultimate Tailgaiting 200 by delaying the race with nine to go.

    However, as the race resumed, history was seen as Kyle Busch was back to his winning ways when he went to victory lane for career win No. 52 breaking Ron Hornaday’s former record for the most all-time Truck Series wins.

    But who topped this weeks power rankings?

    1. Grant Enfinger – After coming oh so close last weekend at Daytona, Enfinger finished third this weekend for the 20th top-five finish of his career. After qualifying was canceled, he lined up fifth. Enfinger carried his momentum throughout the race by finishing third in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2. A late restart was seen, but it wasn’t enough for Enfinger and the No. 98 Thorsport team as they wound up third.

    Previous Week Ranking- First

    2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter was looking to finally capture that Atlanta win this past weekend as he has no wins in his starts there. He lined up 12th when qualifying was rained out early Saturday morning, but it didn’t take him long to get to the front. Sauter finished fourth in both stages. He led twice for nine laps and had a shot to win late on a restart with five to go, but had to settle for a second place. Sauter might be a little disappointed with second, but it was much better than his Daytona outing. Sauter sits fourth, 18 points behind.

    Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

    3. Brett Moffitt – After being wrecked out last weekend, not of his doing, Moffitt rebounded for a solid but quiet fourth place finish even after an early pit road penalty early on. Moffitt didn’t contend much for the lead but came home fourth as he finished fifth in Stage 2. The No. 24 GMS team will look to put the past two weekends behind them and look forward to Las Vegas this weekend.

    Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

    4. Ross Chastain – Chastain and the small team of Niece Motorsports that could, followed up last week with another top-10 finish at Atlanta finishing sixth. He worked himself up to 10th in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2. Like others, Chastain had a shot to win late but his truck wasn’t enough and had to be content with a sixth-place.

    Previous Week Ranking- 3rd

    5. Austin Hill – The No. 16 Hattori Team was looking to carry their momentum over to Atlanta after winning at Daytona last week. The weekend got off to a rocky start, as the transmission and clutch broke in first practice, causing him to miss the entire practice. However, his day got somewhat better Saturday morning when heavy fog washed out qualifying and placed the team on the pole. While Hill finished fifth and sixth, respectively in both stages, he didn’t contend much for the win and settled for a seventh place finish after a quiet day.

    Previous Week Ranking- Fourth

    Fell Out

    1. Matt Crafton – Crafton was running just great until that last caution, where a loose wheel caused him to make an extra pit stop and preventing him from having a shot at the win. Crafton finished 14th and his winless streak is still intact. Previous Week Ranking – 2nd
    2. Spencer Boyd- Boyd was caught up in a wreck late with nine laps to go and was pretty much done for the day. After a strong finish at Daytona last week, Boyd wound up 25th. Previous Week Ranking – 5th
  • Truex frustrated with lapped cars after runner-up finish

    Truex frustrated with lapped cars after runner-up finish

    As Brad Keselowski climbed out of his car, with an American flag in hand, Martin Truex Jr. stood adjacent to his car a few hundred yards away, with arms crossed. The source of his frustration was lap traffic.

    “They just have no respect for the leaders running for the win,” he said. “It’s completely uncalled for, ridiculous. It’s a shame.”

    Truex was trapped a lap down when he pitted with 53 laps to go, because the caution flew for fluid on the track. He took the wave-around and restarted fourth with 43 to go, behind all the lapped cars.

    He particularly took issue with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He understood that Stenhouse was racing for the lucky dog, but believed he should’ve let him by when the field got strung out (thus making it unlikely Stenhouse would get his lap back).

    “He just kept hugging the bottom, hugging the bottom, hugging the bottom and knew that’s where I needed to run,” Truex said. “I kept telling – my spotter kept telling his we need the bottom.”

    “These cars punch such a big hole and it’s so bad in dirty air, it completely killed us for 25, 30 laps to the point my front tires were gone once I finally got by him.”

    Despite the holdup, Truex was cutting two-tenths off Keselowski’s lead with eight to go. With seven to go, after he passed Stenhouse, he ran six-tenths faster than Keselowski.

    With less than three to go, he was less than three-tenths of a second behind Keselowski. This time in Turn 1, Keselowski took the bottom from Truex. On the final lap, Truex made a late dive to the bottom, as he drove like he expected Keselowski to take it. While he kept within three-tenths, this moment of indecision cost him a chance at a victory.

    “We clearly had the best car and were in position to win,” he said.

    His runner-up finish was the end result of an afternoon in which he led four laps and finished fifth and third in the stages. He leaves Atlanta Motor Speedway 12th in points, 30 back of Denny Hamlin.

  • Brad Keselowski holds off Truex for second Atlanta Cup win

    Brad Keselowski holds off Truex for second Atlanta Cup win

    Brad Keselowski was battling flu-like symptoms all weekend but fought through to win his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season.

    Keselowski, who received two IV injections before the race, held off a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr. to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    The win is Keselowski’s second at Atlanta and the 28th of his Cup career. This also marks three consecutive top-three finishes at Atlanta for Keselowski, who clinched his spot in the Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

    “I was good enough to get the job done,” Keselowski said. “First I have to give credit to first, my wife [Paige], who was sick like I was. She took care of me just like everybody did in the care center. I couldn’t be here right now without you.

    “And second, Doug Yates, we ran over a piece of debris with probably 50 laps to go and overheated really bad and I thought there was no way this engine would make it to the end. Doug Yates and his team, they do a great job. I’m pretty sure it’s all used up, Doug, but it’s in Victory Lane.”

    With the win, Keselowski broke a tie with Indianapolis legend Mark Donohue for the most wins as a Team Penske driver with 60. The driver of the No. 2 Ford has won 27 of his 28 Cup victories for Roger Penske. The other win came in April 2009 at Talladega when Keselowski ran a partial schedule for car owner James Finch driving the No. 09 Chevrolet.

    “This is one I’m not going to forget for a very long time,” he said. “Any win means a lot, but that’s a big number. Now, I get to wear that yellow Mark Donohue helmet. We’re going to wear it next week.

    “What a tremendous honor.”

    Completing the top- five were Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer.

    Rounding out the Top 10 were Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Chris Buescher, and Daniel Suarez.

    The race was the first for the 2019 rules package at an intermediate track. Cars featured larger spoilers, increased downforce, and a tapered spacer to reduce horsepower. However, to the surprise of many, speeds were actually up from a year ago.

    Kyle Busch, who was making his 500th career Cup start, rallied to finish sixth after he suffered a flat right-rear tire on Lap 223. It was a topsy turvy weekend for Busch, who won Friday’s Gander Outdoors Truck Series race, but crashed his primary car in Saturday’s final Cup practice, and was forced to start from the rear of the field.

    Kyle Larson led the most laps (142) but slid to 12th after getting busted for a speeding penalty on Lap 225. Larson has failed to win the last five races after he led the most laps, including four times last season.

    On Lap 268, there was a bizarre incident on pit road during green flag stops that caused a caution. B.J. McLeod slowed down significantly and attempted to turn into the wrong pit stall. Meanwhile, Ryan Preece, who was glancing at his tachometer, plowed into the rear of McLeod. Both cars suffered heavy damage. It was later reported that McLeod was about five stalls away from his actual stall.

    Truex was also penalized for having a crew member go over the wall too soon. However, on further review, NASCAR rescinded the penalty.

    On Lap 293, Keselowski passed his teammate Joey Logano to take the lead. Logano, who was seeking his first Atlanta win, was forced to hit pit road for a loose wheel soon with just 20 laps to go. His other teammate, Ryan Blaney, was also forced to hit the pits on Lap 313 for a flat tire.

    Keselowski, with the flu bug, avoided the tire bug and held off Truex for his first win of 2019.

    Larson won Stage One and Harvick was the Stage Two winner.

  • The White Zone: Some thoughts on Sunday’s race at Atlanta

    The White Zone: Some thoughts on Sunday’s race at Atlanta

    Race No. 2 of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is in the books. I had some observations of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 that I wish to share with the class.

    The package

    Let’s just get something out of the way first: It wasn’t the “full” aerodynamic package that we’ll see next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. So I’m not currently giving my “full” take on it as a whole.

    With that said, however, I had some observations on this version of the 2019 package that was run at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and will be run in the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    The key things this package was designed to do, according to NASCAR, was tighten up the field and make passing the leader not such a Herculean task. And…It was hit and miss.

    Behind the leader, passing was relatively easy. You’d have to set up earlier in the straight, because the cars have so much more drag, but if you had momentum going into the turn, you’re more likely to catch the leading car.

    In terms of passing for the lead, there were still times when the lead car would pull away from the field; which is one of the biggest problems with the 1.5 mile track races. Unlike past races, however, reeling in and passing the leader wasn’t a Herculean task. Drivers like Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. cut down the gap to the lead car and, except in the case of Truex, passed the leader.

    Now it should be noted that the tire falloff, which was significant at Atlanta, probably played a great factor in being able to catch the leader.

    Bottom line: We got a taste of what this package offers, but next week at Las Vegas will be a greater indication of what we’ll see this season. Furthermore, it wasn’t a bad race. Cars could pass one another and catching and passing the leader wasn’t an insurmountable challenge.

    Bad luck for Ryan Preece

    Late in the afternoon, Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece were running top 10 and looked in great shape to finish top 10.

    With 54 laps to go, however, Ryan Preece plowed into the back of BJ McLeod as he was leaving pit road and his day ended behind the wall in 35th.

    Preece said afterwards that he was looking down at his tachometer when McLeod dived down into his pit box in front of him.

    Buescher brought his car home ninth.

    Now one rather good afternoon isn’t necessarily an indicator of future success, but it shows that the JTG Daugherty Racing duo might be people to watch next week.

    The flu doesn’t keep Keselowski down

    Yesterday, Brad Keselowski sat out most of final practice, due to flu symptoms. Team Penske development driver Austin Cindric was on standby if he couldn’t race.

    He did, however, and won.

    Keselowski wasn’t the dominant car (that belongs to Kyle Larson). He didn’t even finish top 10 in either stage. He was even caught a lap down by the aforementioned pit road incident (he took the wave-around to get it back).

    What he did do, however, was reel in teammate Joey Logano and pass him for the lead with 32 to go. Even as his tires fell off and the handling went away, he held off a charge by Martin Truex Jr. with two laps to go to win at Atlanta.

    If he had any lingering side effects, he hid it well.

    It was his 60th combined victory across all series and disciplines of racing as a Team Penske driver, which puts him ahead of Mark Donahue as the winningest driver in team history.

    “I think any win means a lot, but that’s a big number. Now I get to wear that yellow Mark Donohue helmet.”

  • Ben Rhodes settles for top-five finish

    Ben Rhodes settles for top-five finish

    After a strong run in both stages of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway Ben Rhodes had to settle for a fifth place finish.

    “I checked up between Harrison Burton on the restart,” Rhodes said to MRN Radio. “The inside lane obviously has the grip at the racetrack, I knew on the outside it was going to be an issue, Kyle (Busch) was really good on making everyone unexpected and catch them off guard.”

    “So he (Kyle Busch) did a good job on the restart, I just got held up behind the No. 18,” Rhodes explained to MRN Radio. I thought the Ford F-150 had a ton of speed tonight, but we got some stuff we need to work on overall as a team and also some stuff on the truck. We got some good areas to work in on Las Vegas and missed it a little bit. I just needed a better restart there at the end.”

    Rhodes finished sixth and second, respectively in both stages.

    His top five finish was Rhodes’ 18th of his career.

  • Johnny Sauter comes up short for first win of the season

    Johnny Sauter comes up short for first win of the season

    Johnny Sauter was eagered to get back in to victory lane this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway after having a strong 2018 season.

    After placing fifth in both NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice sessions, it appeared Sauter would have the truck to contend for the win. When qualifying was canceled, he started in the 12th position based on the rule book.

    As the race started, Sauter had a strong truck and remained in the top five for Stage 1 by finishing fourth. Stage 2 saw the same finishing position as well.

    After the Stage 3 restart with 43 to go, Sauter led for 15 laps before being passed by eventual race winner, Kyle Busch.

    Sauter was trying all he could to catch Busch, but it wasn’t enough. However, a timely caution came for Sauter and he had another chance. But the rains came, the fog got heavy and seeing the race go back to green did not look promising.

    However, NASCAR got the track dried and Sauter was ecstatic for another shot. He gave it all he could but fell .932 seconds short of the win, finishing in second place.

    “I was trying my damnest,” Sauter told MRN Radio. “I honestly was hoping he (Kyle Busch) was going to spin out off the nose of my truck and he did a great job of blocking there. If I went to the top, I wouldn’t have had enough momentum.”

    “In hindsight, when I go watch the replay, I might think differently but so proud of everyone of Thorsport, I can’t thank them enough.”

    With a second place finish, it was Sauter’s 103rd top five finish of his career.

    “I really wanted to deliver a win tonight,” Sauter told MRN Radio. “We just didn’t get it done. I might feel differently of what I could have done at the end there. We had a shot. NASCAR did the right thing there to go back green.”

  • Grant Enfinger has quiet third-place run

    Grant Enfinger has quiet third-place run

    Grant Enfinger had a quiet night at Atlanta Motor Speedway but finished in the third position. Even though it was quiet, there were times in the race where he was with his Thorsport teammates battling for the lead and the win.

    Ultimately, Enfinger ended up with a third place NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series finish after a restart with five to go.

    “I didn’t think we were going to get all the way there,” Enfinger told MRN Radio. “Kyle (Busch) and Rudy (Fugle) was gonna have to beat themselves tonight and made us look silly all night.”

    “Outside of that, all four of these Thorsport F-150’s were really good. We’re making gains on it, but we got a little ways to go before we can run with Kyle (Busch).”

    Enfinger finished third and eighth, respectively in both stages.