Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Atlanta Motor Speedway

  • Brett Moffitt content with fourth-place finish

    Brett Moffitt content with fourth-place finish

    A year ago, Brett Moffitt won this race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and went on to set the season on fire to win six races, as well as the Truck Series championship. Moffitt was looking to recapture that Atlanta magic this year but came up short, finishing fourth.

    However, it wasn’t for lack of trying.

    “It was just being unfournate being on the inside lane there,” the 2018 Truck Series champion told MRN Radio. “It was tough on the outside, started on the outside next to Kyle (Busch) and restarted like I’ve never done it before.”

    “It was a terrible restart,” Moffitt said to MRN Radio. “I was just happy we got to go back racing, I was not too happy if they (NASCAR) was gonna red flag it and end it. All in all, it was a good recovery, we need to get our Silveradoes to drive a little bit better as a team. We all three kind of struggled, we were at the front at times and lacking at times. We need to reevaluate and try again next week.”

    Moffitt finished fifth in Stage 2 and fourth overall in the race after an uncontrolled tire penalty when Stage 1 ended.

  • Kyle Busch becomes all-time winningest Truck series driver with Atlanta victory

    Kyle Busch becomes all-time winningest Truck series driver with Atlanta victory

    Kyle Busch overcame a loose wheel to win the Ultimate Tailgating 200 and become the Gander Outdoor Truck Series all-time winningest driver.

    The win was Busch’s 52nd career series victory, which moved him past NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. to take sole possession of first on the all-time wins list. The victory is also Busch’s fifth at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 195th of his NASCAR career across the three series.

    Busch held off Johnny Sauter on a restart with five laps to go to win. Sauter finished second and completing the top five were Grant Enfinger, Brett Moffitt, and Ben Rhodes.

    Busch was forced to come to pit road on Lap 54 due to a loose wheel. It took 24 laps for the 33-year-old to recover the lead. Despite the adversity, Busch still managed to win the first two stages.

    “It certainly means a lot. I want to thank our amazing partners that allow us to do what we do,” Busch said in Victory Lane. “I can’t say enough about my guys at Kyle Busch Motorsports – they do a phenomenal job.

    “I slipped getting out of my truck – it’s a little wet out here in case y’all didn’t notice. It was a great race out there. I wish it would have ended. I would have liked to have seen Harrison (Burton) finish second. I’m not sure how far he fell. He ran a great race today.”

    Busch dominated to win Stage 1 over his KBM teammate Harrison Burton.

    Austin Hill, last week’s winner, started on the pole after qualifying was washed out and 2018 owner points set the lineup.

    On Lap 16, Natalie Decker spun off  Turn 4 to bring out the first caution.

    Busch drove through the field and beat Ben Rhodes to take the Stage 2 win.

    The caution came out on Lap 53 for debris when Joe Nemechek got into the grass, which resulted in dirt getting onto the racing surface.

    With 25 laps left in the race, Busch held a one-second lead over Johnny Sauter with Matt Crafton running in third.

    On Lap 112, the second time was a charm for Decker as she spun off turn four again to bring out the caution. Busch won the race off pit road, but Matt Crafton was forced to pit again with a loose wheel.

    The race returned to green with 13 laps to go, but several trucks wrecked on the restart, which resulted in a red flag.

    Spencer Boyd, Chad Finely, Parker Kligerman, Jesse Little, and Austin Wayne Self were among those involved.

    But there was no stopping Busch, who made history in just his 146th series start.

  • Kyle Busch gets record-breaking win by holding off Johnny Sauter

    Kyle Busch gets record-breaking win by holding off Johnny Sauter

    After a lengthy red flag for rain/mist, Kyle Busch was able to hold off 2016 Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter for his 52nd career win in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, breaking Ron Hornaday’s former record of 51 series wins.

    “I think I had a vibration there at the end of Stage 2 or loose wheel,” Busch told MRN Radio. “I just wanted to make sure everything was right. Last year we had a wheel fall off, so we don’t want to see that happen again. We were able to power through the field there, our truck was just super fast. It’s cool to be able to put this Cessna Tundra back in victory lane again and get number 52 here this weekend and Billy Ballew here with us. It took me something driving with Billy Ballew’s name on it to win here at Atlanta.”

    With early morning fog and mist, qualifying was canceled and the starting lineup was based on the rule book, meaning Austin Hill and Harrison Burton Sat on the front row.

    Stages were broken up in 40/40/50 laps to make up the 130-lap advertised distance.

    After a crazy start, it didn’t take long for Busch to take the lead on Lap 6. On Lap 15, the first yellow was brought out from Natalie Decker who spun off of Turn 4. That was the only incident in Stage 1 and after a Lap 19 restart, Kyle Busch easily dominated and won Stage 1.

    During the pit stop, one penalty was issued for Brett Moffitt, as he had an uncontrolled tire.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 46 and it was four wide off the restart. Busch took the lead after the restart during a battle with Johnny Sauter and Grant Enfinger. However, during the middle of Stage 2, Busch reported “a loose wheel.” A timely caution came out for Busch, as Joe Nemechek lost his front splitter on Lap 52. Busch was able to fix his loose wheel.

    The restart came out on Lap 57 and Ben Rhodes took the lead. Busch restarted in the 24th position and worked his way up to the top five on Lap 65. Busch caught Rhodes and with a stronger truck, passed Rhodes to win Stage 2.

    With 43 to go, Stage 3 began and Sauter took the lead. Just 15 laps later, Busch retook the lead from Sauter. Just as it looked lik Busch had set sail to win, a caution came out with 19 to go for Decker, who spun again off Turn 4.

    After the pit stops, Matt Crafton had to come back down pit road to fix a loose wheel, while Sheldon Creed and Jordan Anderson were penalized.

    This set up a 13-lap dash to the finish, but a wreck broke out on the restart as Jesse Little got loose and a melee happened behind him. Parker Kligerman, Chad Finley, and Austin Wayne Self were all involved.

    Then the clouds broke loose. After a light mist most of the day, the mist got heavier and heavier, heavy enough to bring the trucks down pit road and red flag the race. After multiple track drying attempts by NASCAR, the race resumed with nine laps to go.

    A five-lap restart was shown, but Kyle Busch was able to hold off Johnny Sauter for record-breaking win No. 52, breaking Ron Hornaday’s record of 51 series wins.

    “We obviously bounced around with good people and been able to have good people, have fast trucks over the years driving for Billy (Ballew), driving for me,” Busch told MRN Radio. Just fun and working with a great group of guys like we got here this weekend.”

    There were six cautions for 30 laps with 10 lead changes. Busch led 92 of 130 laps.

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Friday night for race number three of the season.

  • Clint Bowyer paces final Cup practice, Kyle Busch wrecks

    Clint Bowyer paces final Cup practice, Kyle Busch wrecks

    Clint Bowyer has been one of the fastest cars all week, and he showed that again during Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Bowyer, who led the way in Friday’s practice and was quickest in two of three rounds of qualifying in the No. 14, was looking sporty on Saturday with an average lap speed of 179.104 mph.

    Kyle Busch was second but was forced to go to the rear of the field after smacking the outside wall and spinning in Turn 2 (178.873 mph). Austin Dillon was third (178.712mph), Michael McDowell was fourth, and Corey LaJoie rounded out the top-five.

    “Just got loose. We were trying to run a run, and the car was pretty good with fire off there,” Busch said. “We ran some really good times and then just kept getting a little bit looser, a little bit looser. I tried to go back to the bottom and run the bottom to see how slow I had to be to go around the bottom and just snapped.”

    Completing the Top 10 were Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Newman, and Martin Truex Jr.

    Busch was forced to go to a backup car, which means he will have to start Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 from the rear of the field.

    Erik Jones went to the garage late in the session after his No. 20 Toyota started to spew smoke. It was reported that he was suffering power steering issues.

    Brad Keselowski, who was sidelined by flu-like symptoms for most of the session, was 28th quickest.

    Of the drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps, it was the Kyle and Kyle show. Kyle Busch was quickest (177.302 mph), followed by Kyle Larson.

  • Christopher Bell dominates Xfinity Series race at Atlanta

    Christopher Bell dominates Xfinity Series race at Atlanta

    It was a misty afternoon as the NASCAR Xfinity Series took to the track for the Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but for Christopher Bell, it was all smiles.

    Bell in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra dominated the race. Bell won all three stages and led the most laps leading 142 out of 163. A late caution bunched the field up as the green flag flew with three laps to go and drivers trying to get the top spot, but Bell was just too strong today.

    “Man, I’m very thankful and very fortunate to drive this Rheem Supra,” Bell said, “It’s the first Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, that means a lot to me to be able to become their first driver to win this.” Bell then added, “The Supra is awesome, it looks great and it’s fast too. It’s a lot of fun and I’m just honored to be here.”

    Stage 1 and Stage 2 both ran caution free, with Bell sweeping both stages. Cole Custer who started on the pole in his No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang came up just a little short but still had a great run.

    The final stage of the race saw Brandon Jones get the jump off pit road in first place, however, a speeding penalty sent him to the rear of the field giving Tyler Reddick the top spot. It took Bell about 11 laps to retake the lead and it was game over. A late caution for the spinning car of John Hunter Nemechek saw the field bunch up for a late-race shootout but it wouldn’t deter Bell who took the checkered flag in first place. Custer would end up in the runner up spot.

    “That was a fun race. I thought the end was pretty good. I thought I might get it for a second. We just didn’t have enough there and Bell kind of took my line there in the last lap. It is a great start to the year in our first race with the Jacob Companies Mustang. We got a new crew chief and it was huge for us to start the year strong. I feel like we will be a threat all year,” commented Custer after the race.

    Justin Allgaier in his No.7 JR Motorsports Chevy also had a good run today finishing in third.

    “Hats off to the guys at JR Motorsports. We had great pit stops all day. We were able to charge our way back through there and at the end, I thought we had the ticket.” Allgaier stated. “I was going to go to the middle on the last restart. I thought I could get that momentum but unfortunately, I let Cole (Custer) get by me. Still all in all a great day and a great start to the season.”

    Jones and Reddick would round out the top five. Jeffrey Earnhardt, in his No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, is having his best season ever coming home in his career best finish with sixth place. He continues to become a fan favorite in the series.

    Ryan Preece, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, and Austin Cindric finished seventh through 10th, respectively.

    Bell leads the Xfinity Series standings with 99 points, Jones is in second with 95 points, in third is Allgaier with 81 points, fourth is Reddick with 76 points and Custer rounds out the top 10, also with 76 points.

    The Xfinity Series heads next to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 2.

  • Monster Energy Cup Series: Drivers to watch at Atlanta

    Monster Energy Cup Series: Drivers to watch at Atlanta

    The Monster Energy Cup Series started the 2019 season with the 61st annual Daytona 500 and while the Great American race has come and gone, the series doesn’t sleep, and the true test begins in Atlanta this weekend.

    Atlanta Motor Speedway is the home to all 3 major series for the weekend and there are tons of variables that could confuse teams. How will the new aero package affect teams? How will the new left side tire compounds work for the racing? Will we see pack racing like we saw last week in Daytona?

    All of these questions are unknowns till we see cars on the track but who are some of the guys you should keep your eye on this week? Let’s dive into some of the drivers that could be up at the front on Sunday in Atlanta.

    Jimmie Johnson: For the seven time champion, it was a prayer from the heavens that Johnson escaped Daytona with an 8th place finish. He was involved in a wreck heading onto to pit road when the 31 of Tyler Reddick collided with the back of the Ally Chevy after Reddick’s car got hit by the two Rick Ware Racing cars. He kept digging and avoiding the two big wrecks at the end of the race to come out of Daytona, with a Top 10. This was also the first race with new crew chief Kevin Meendering.

    What should we expect from Johnson in Atlanta? Well, the track record is fairly good for the El Cajon, California native. He leads all active drivers with 5 wins, 14 Top 5’s and 16 Top 10’s. Even though the Hendrick Motorsports elder hasn’t won in 60 races, don’t be surprised we see the bright purple Ally Chevy into Victory Lane, come Sunday afternoon. Should Johnson end up breaking the winless streak, dating back to Spring Dover race in 2017, it would mark Johnson’s 84th career win; tying him with the NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth on the all-time wins list.

    Denny Hamlin: Unlike Johnson, Hamlin broke his winless streak at the Greatest Spectacle in racing, the Daytona 500, last week in Daytona. The true test begins this week, for the Chesterfield, Virginia alum. Hamlin has won before in Atlanta, but it was in 2012 when the race was in September. He battled Kevin Harvick last year in Atlanta, exchanging the lead with the Stewart Haas driver six time over the last 110 laps. Harvick went on to win the race while Hamlin fell to a fourth place run. Hamlin also has 7 Top 10’s and a pole at one of the oldest tracks in the Cup Series so don’t be shocked if you see the 11 in the Top 5 on Sunday.

    Kevin Harvick: It was a rough day for the defending Atlanta race winner in Daytona as he finished 26th at Daytona after being collected in a crash on lap 194 of the 207-lap race. It is a new week and for Harvick, it should be no surprise he is the man to beat come this weekend. The Bakersfield, CA native won his first career race in 2001 at this race track in an emotional victory lane as he took over the wheel of the #3 (which switched numbers to #29) of Dale Earnhardt. Harvick has had 7 top 5’s, 13 top 10’s along with two poles at the rough and ragged track that is known to be called Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a win on Sunday, Harvick would tie Buck Backer for 16th on the all time win’s list with 46 MENCS victories. Look for Harvick to be around the lead pack and in contention for the trophy at the end of the day of Sunday.

    Kyle Busch: It was once again, frustration for the JGR driver, as Busch finished second (his career finish at the Daytona 500) and one spot short of receiving that Harley J Earl trophy for the Las Vegas native but Busch does come to Atlanta with a milestone. With starting the Cup race on Sunday, the 2015 Cup champion will achieve his 500th career start in the series. Busch has two wins at Atlanta (2008 and 2013) and his car owner Joe Gibbs, has 11 Cup wins total at the track.

    Busch will also be competing in the Gander Outdoor Truck Series on Saturday afternoon and with a win in that series, it would make him the truck series’ all time winningest driver in Truck Series history. It should not be a surprise to see Busch in Victory Lane…more than once this weekend in Atlanta.

    Dark Horse: Matt DiBenedetto:

    The Grass Valley, CA shocked many, many people on Sunday when he took the lead in the Daytona 500 and led the most laps (49) before getting caught up in the big one on Lap 190. DiBenedetto, driving for Levine Family Racing, has teamed up with Joe Gibbs racing to form an alliance to help the 95 throughout the season. DiBenedetto is in the best equipment he has had in the Cup Series and could be contending for wins later on in the season. Look for Dibenedetto to have a solid run this weekend.

    Who is your pick to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta on Sunday? Tell us in your comments, below!

    Catch the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at 2:00 PM ET on FOX

    Follow Bryan on Twitter @TheBryanNolen for all the latest on NASCAR news, rumors, and more.

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Preview – Atlanta

    NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Preview – Atlanta

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series continues their schedule momentum this weekend by hearing north of Daytona and just right off of I-85 south to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

    There are many storylines to watch this weekend at Atlanta, where the trucks will be making their 18th appearance at the 1.5-mile speedway since they began hosting Truck Series races in 2004.

    Currently, there are 34 trucks on the preliminary entry list for 32 spots for Saturday’s race.

    Here’s a look at who to watch for this weekend during Saturday’s race.

    1. Kyle Busch – Busch will be making his first Truck Series start since his win at Pocono last year, tying Ron Hornaday’s all-time wins record. He’ll be looking to break that record this year and Busch will more than likely do it. He has won pretty much everywhere on the schedule. Last season, Busch averaged a 2.6 start with a 5.4 average finish in the series total. He also had two wins in 2018, but Busch finished second at Kansas and Charlotte, where he could have broken Hornaday’s record. He has four wins out of 10 starts at Atlanta, his first win coming in 2005 and winning three in a row until 2008. Busch’s last victory came in 2009, 10 years ago. He has completed 99.7 percent of the laps with 387 laps led, earning seven top fives and eight top 10 finishes, with an average start of 3.0 and an average finish of 6.6. Recently, however, Busch has not found his winning ways as he had in the past. Last year, a tire fell off the truck after a late-race pit stop, relegating him to a 21st place finish after starting on the pole. In 2017, he finished 26th. He’ll look to get back to his winning ways in Saturday.
    2. Ben Rhodes – After wrecking out of the lead last week at Daytona, Rhodes looks to get back in victory lane this weekend since his win at Kentucky last year. He has a good shot, as Rhodes has two top fives and three top 10 finishes. Rhodes has three starts at Atlanta since 2016, all finishing in the top 10. He has a driver rating of 99.9 and 30 quality passes with 42 green flag passes in 2018.
    3. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt will look to recapture that Atlanta magic as he did a year ago, which propelled him to winning the championship. He is the defending race winner after leading just two laps. Moffitt finished fourth and third in both stages last year.
    4. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland will be making his first truck start this weekend at Atlanta, but will have an experienced crew chief on top of the box, Marcus Richmond. Richmond has one win back in 2012 with Ty Dillon. The truck Gilliland will be using races at Pocono, Chicago, and Texas. Busch also used this chassis last year at Kansas, where he finished second. Gilliland will have practice time, an experienced crew chief and an veteran owner to rely on throughout the weekend. It’s hard to imagine counting Gilliland out of winning.
    5. Matt Crafton – Crafton is looking to snap that long winless streak this weekend and Atlanta could be the place to do it. He has the most starts out of all active drivers with 17, won in 2015, has one DNF, six top fives and 10 top 10 finishes, along with an average start of 13.0 and an average finish of 11.6. In the past five races, Crafton has finished fifth, second, 30th, first, and ninth. Crafton also has 180 laps led. Look for Crafton to be back in victory lane this weekend on Saturday.

    Who To Keep An Eye On:

    1. Parker Kligerman – Kligerman is making his first Truck Series start of 2019 this year at Atlanta with Henderson Motorsports. The team has surprised the field a few times, especially winning at Talladega a couple of years ago. At Atlanta, he has five starts, one top five and two top 10 finishes with a best finish of fourth in 2012. The No. 75 team finished 11th and 31st the past two times.
    2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter will be looking for his first Atlanta win this weekend and it’s hard to believe he does not have a win at the track yet. He has two top fives and four top 10s with a best finish of third twice.

    Anthony Alfredo will be making his truck debut for DGR-CROSLEY and Jesse Little returns with his family owned team.

    There have been 17 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since their first event in 2004 with 13 different winners. Ron Hornaday is the only series regular to win multiple times with two victories while Kyle Busch has won four times at Atlanta.

    The lowest a race winner has come from was 18th set by Ron Hornaday in 2005 and John Hunter Nemechek in 2016.

    A winner has came from the pole in 2006 by Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner in 2007, Kyle Busch in 2009, Ty Dillon in 2012 and Christopher Bell in 2017.

    There has been five different winners in the past five races.

    The Truck Series get on track Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET on nascar.com/live and final practice at 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

    Qualifying will take place Saturday morning at 10:40 a.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

    The Ultimate Tailgating 200 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon following the Xfinity Series race live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 4:30 p.m. ET. Stages are broken down into 40/80/130, all weather permitting.

  • Weekend Schedule for Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Weekend Schedule for Atlanta Motor Speedway

    NASCAR heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a triple-header weekend as the Monster Energy Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series hit the track for the second race of the 2019 season.


    Friday, February 22
    11:35 a.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series first practice – Live on NASCAR.com/live
    1:05 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series first practice – Live on NASCAR.com/live
    2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.: Truck Series first Practice – Live on NASCAR.com/live
    3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice – FS1
    4:05 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    5:10 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Multi-Vehicle / Three Rounds) – FS1/PRN

    Saturday, February 23
    9:35 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Multi-Vehicle / Three Rounds) – FS1
    10:40 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle / Two Rounds) – FS1
    12:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    2 p.m.: Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 (Stages 40/80/163 Laps = 251.02 miles ) – FS1/PRN
    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Ultimate Tailgating 200 (Stages 40/80/130 Laps = 200.02 miles ) – FS1/MRN

    Sunday, February 24
    2:00 p.m.: Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (Stages 85/170/325 Laps = 500.5 miles) – FOX/PRN

    Aric Almirola will lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field as they take the green flag at  2:16 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 24 for The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Television live coverage will begin at 2 p.m. ET on FOX.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Starting Lineup for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

    StartingDriverNumber
    No. 1Aric Almirola10
    No. 2Ricky Stenhouse Jr.17
    No. 3Clint Bowyer14
    No. 4Denny Hamlin11
    No. 5Daniel Suarez41
    No. 6Kyle Busch18
    No. 7Kyle Larson42
    No. 8Kurt Busch1
    No. 9Martin Truex Jr.19
    No. 10Austin Dillon3
    No. 11Jimmie Johnson48
    No. 12Michael McDowell34
    No. 13Ryan Newman9
    No. 14Paul Menard21
    No. 15Erik Jones20
    No. 16Alex Bowman88
    No. 17William Byron24
    No. 18Kevin Harvick4
    No. 19Brad Keselowski2
    No. 20Matt DiBenedetto95
    No. 21Ty Dillon13
    No. 22Chase Elliott9
    No. 23David Ragan38
    No. 24Corey Lajoie32
    No. 25Ryan Preece47
    No. 26Ryan Blaney12
    No. 27Joey Logano22
    No. 28Daniel Hemric8
    No. 29Bubba Wallace 43
    No. 30Chris Buescher37
    No. 31Matt Tifft31
    No. 32Ross Chastain15
    No. 33Landon Cassill00
    No. 34Parker Kligerman96
    No. 35Garrett Smithley77
    No. 36Cody Ware51
    No. 37BJ McLeod52

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 entry list

    Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 entry list

    After 40 drivers competed in the season-opening Daytona 500 last week, the entry list for this weekend is smaller.

    For Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) high-banked Atlanta Motor Speedway, only 37 drivers will race the scheduled 325-lap distance.

    Live coverage begins on FOX at 2 p.m. ET with the green flag scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.

    Here are the drivers that will be in Sunday’s race.

    1 – Landon Cassill – #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet
    2 – Kurt Busch – #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
    3 – Brad Keselowski – #2, Team Penske, Ford
    4 – Austin Dillon – #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
    5 – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    6 – Ryan Newman – #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
    7 – Daniel Hemric – #8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
    8 – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    9 – Aric Almirola – #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    10 – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    11 – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford
    12 – Ty Dillon – #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet
    13 – Clint Bowyer – #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    14 – Ross Chastain – #15, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet
    15 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
    16 – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    17 – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    18 – Erik Jones – #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    19 – Paul Menard – #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
    20 – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford
    21 – William Byron – #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    22 – Corey Lajoie – #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford
    23 – Michael McDowell – #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    24 – Matt Tifft – #36, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    25 – Chris Buescher – #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
    26 – David Ragan – #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    27 – Daniel Suarez – #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    28 – Kyle Larson – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
    29 – Darrell Wallace Jr. – #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet
    30 – Ryan Preece – #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
    31 – Jimmie Johnson – #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    32 – Alex Bowman – #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    33 – Matt DiBenedetto – #95, Leavine Family Racing, Toyota
    34 – Cody Ware – #51, Petty Ware Racing, Chevrolet
    35 – B.J. McLeod – #52 Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
    36 – Garrett Smithley – #77, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
    37 – Parker Kligerman – #96, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Toyota

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Atlanta

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Atlanta

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the 1.5-mile racetrack in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend for the annual Active Pest Control 200. Here are four takeaways from that event.

    1. Brett Moffitt Shines In Last Lap Restart – Moffitt hasn’t won a race since Michigan of 2016, where he scored his first career win with Red Horse Racing before they ended up closing their doors. However, for Hattori Racing, it was the first time for them to end up in victory lane. With a late race restart that came with two laps to go, Moffitt was there when it counted and led the only laps that were the most important. With that win, Moffit and the No. 16 team are now locked into the Playoffs. It will be interesting to see how he and the team carry this momentum.
    2. Noah Gragson Finishes Runner-Up – When there’s a restart with two laps to go in any race, you can expect it to be a wild finish. That statement rang true for Gragson. The No. 18 Safelite Tundra restarted ninth and finished second in just two laps. You could say it was almost like a video game for the No. 18 driver.
    3. Busch Will Have To Wait Another Couple Of Races To Tie Hornaday’s Record – It looked like Kyle Busch could have been one step closer to tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday last Saturday night. However, under caution, Busch’s left rear tire fell off due to miscues on pit road with the late race caution. He led 67 of the scheduled 134 laps and even won Stage 2, but was relegated to a 21st place finish. It’s no doubt though that Busch will most likely either tie or surpass Hornaday’s record as he sits at 49 wins. Busch is currently scheduled to compete in Las Vegas this weekend, Kansas in May and Charlotte.
    4. Stewart Friesen Earns Top 10 Finish – The No. 52 of Halmar Racing continues to impress in the Truck Series. Friesen started seventh, ran ninth in Stage 1 but was outside the top 10 in Stage 2. However, he rallied his way back in the remaining laps to wind up sixth on the scoring pylon. This was Friesen’s sixth top 10 finish of his career. The No. 52 team could surprise the field and the fans by ending up in victory lane at some point this season.