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  • Chastain to make 100th Truck Series career start at Sonoma

    Chastain to make 100th Truck Series career start at Sonoma

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ return to Sonoma Raceway in 24 years is set to mark the fifth and final scheduled series start of the season for Cup Series competitor Ross Chastain. It is also the site that will mark a milestone start for the two-time Cup winner who currently competes for Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR’s premier series. By competing in this weekend’s event at Sonoma with Niece Motorsports, Chastain will make his 100th career start in the Truck circuit. 

    A native of Alva, Florida, Chastain made his Truck debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in July 2011, where he replaced his future team owner Justin Marks in the No. 66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing. By then, he was also making his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series. Starting in 15th place, Chastain notched a 10th-place result in his series debut. He returned to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway between August and November, where he finished in the top 30 during the four-race stretch.

    During the following season, Chastain competed as a full-time Truck competitor in the No. 08 Toyota Tundra for SS-Green Light Racing. The highlight of his full-time rookie season was notching his first top-five result in the series by finishing in third place at Bristol in August. To go along with a total of four top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 21.3 during the 22-race schedule, he capped off the season in 17th place in the final standings.

    In 2013, Chastain joined Brad Keselowski Racing as a part-time competitor of the No. 19 Ford F-150 for 14 of 22-scheduled Truck events. He commenced the season by finishing 14th at Daytona followed by a 20th-place result at Martinsville. After finishing no higher than fifth during his next six scheduled starts, Chastain was placed in prime position of notching his first Truck victory at Iowa Speedway in September. Despite starting on pole position and leading a race-high 116 of 212 laps, he was overtaken by the reigning series champion James Buescher during two green-white-checkered restarts and settled in a career-best second place. Four races later at Phoenix in November, Chastain led 63 of 150 laps until he was overtaken and beaten by newcomer Erik Jones during a 10-lap shootout to the finish. Finishing in second place for the second time of the season, Chastain capped off the season with an eighth-place result at Homestead along with his first two career poles, four top-five results, seven top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.0 in 14 starts.

    After departing Brad Keselowski Racing at the conclusion of the 2013 season, Chastain competed the first two Truck events of 2014 with RBR Enterprises. He finished 30th during the season-opening event at Daytona after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck and rallied to finish 14th at Martinsville during the following event. Chastain returned for the season finale event at Homestead, where he piloted the No. 35 Win-Tron Racing Toyota Tundra to an 11th-place result.

    After failing to qualify for a single Truck event in 2015 and making just a single start at Talladega with Bolen Motorsports in 2016, Chastain campaigned in seven of the first 10 scheduled Truck events with Bolen. During the stretch, his season-best results were a 10th-place result at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February followed by a seventh-place result at Martinsville in March. He would then compete in a total of seven Truck events in 2018 between Beaver Motorsports, Premium Motorsports and Niece Motorsports. During his part-time season in 2018, his best result was a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September.

    Despite having a full-time Xfinity Series ride with Chip Ganassi Racing fall apart due to sponsorship woes, the 2019 season produced a hefty schedule for Chastain, who campaigned in nearly all events between all three national touring series. Entering the season as a full-time Cup Series competitor for Premium Motorsports and as a part-time Xfinity competitor between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing, Chastain initially commenced the season as a part-time Truck competitor for Niece Motorsports. After finishing in the top 10 during the first six scheduled events, he notched his first Truck career victory at Kansas Speedway in May after overtaking Stewart Friesen, who ran out of fuel, under the final two laps. Chastain’s first win in the Truck circuit also marked the first victory in NASCAR for Niece Motorsports. A month later, he elected to compete for the Truck Series title as a full-time competitor for Niece Motorsports. 

    Commencing his late season charge for the 2019 Truck title, Chastain notched what would have been his second victory of the season at Iowa Speedway in June. The victory, however, was short-lived due to his truck failing post-race inspection, which prompted NASCAR to strip him of the victory as part of the sport’s new disqualification policy and demote him to last place of the 32-truck field. Despite the disqualification, Chastain and Niece Motorsports responded back with vengeance during the following event at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway by utilizing a fuel only pit stop to win and notch a second victory of the season along with a $50,000 bonus as part of the series’ newly formed Triple Truck Challenge. The Gateway victory along with his third victory of the season and of his career at Pocono Raceway in July were enough for Chastain and Niece Motorsports to qualify for the 2019 Truck Playoffs. 

    At the start of the 2019 Truck Playoffs, Chastain finished no lower than eighth during the Round of 8 to advance to the Round of 6. Despite being involved in a late multi-truck wreck at Talladega Superspeedway in October, he earned back-to-back top-10 results during the following two events to earn a spot in the Championship 4 round and contend for the 2019 Truck title at Homestead in November. During the finale, however, Chastain finished in fourth place on the track and in the runner-up spot in the final championship standings behind Matt Crafton. To go along with a runner-up result in the final standings while achieving his first three carer victories in the series, Chastain capped off the 2019 Truck season with a pole, 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, 591 laps led and an average-finishing result of 8.6.

    As Chastain moved up to compete for the 2020 Xfinity Series championship for Kaulig Racing, he also returned on a part-time basis in the Truck circuit for Niece Motorsports. He competed in eight of the first nine scheduled events amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, where his best result was a third-place effort at Homestead in June. His final start of the season occurred at Bristol in August, where he finished eighth. By then, he accumulated six top-10 results in nine starts of the season.

    In 2021, Chastain, who became a full-time Cup competitor for Chip Ganassi Racing, returned to compete in four Truck events for Niece Motorsports. His first start of the season occurred at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, where he finished seventh, followed by Kansas in May, where he earned a runner-up result behind Kyle Busch. At Texas in June, Chastain initially finished third, but he was later disqualified and demoted to last place of the 36-truck field due to his truck failing post-race inspection pertaining to a throttle body. His final start of the season occurred at Nashville Superspeedway in June, where he finished 22nd.

    This season, Chastain, who is a full-time Cup competitor for Trackhouse Racing, made his first Truck start of the season with Niece Motorsports at Atlanta in June, where he finished 23rd following multiple flat tire issues. After finishing 26th and 12th at Darlington Raceway and at Texas Motor Speedway, respectively, Chastain benefitted through two overtime attempts and a late incident involving teammate Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece to notch his fourth Truck Series career victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

    Through 99 previous Truck starts, Chastain has recorded four victories, three poles, 18 top-five results, 43 top-10 results, 913 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.7 as he pursues his first NASCAR national touring series victory at Sonoma Raceway.

    Chastain is scheduled to make his 100th Camping World Truck Series career start at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, June 11, with the event’s coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Kligerman to make 100th Truck career start at COTA

    Kligerman to make 100th Truck career start at COTA

    Competing in his 14th season among NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Parker Kligerman is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Circuit of the Americas, the part-time competitor of the No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST will make his 100th career start in the Truck circuit.

    A native of Stamford, Connecticut, Kligerman made his Truck Series debut at Texas Motor Speedway in October 2010. By then, he was the 2009 ARCA Rookie of the Year and had made 15 career starts in the Xfinity Series between Team Penske and Smith-Ganassi Racing. Driving the No. 29 Dodge Ram for Brad Keselowski Racing, Kligerman started 13th and finished ninth.

    The following season, Kligerman returned to the Truck circuit for a full-time campaign in the No. 29 Dodge Ram for BKR, where he contested for the Rookie-of-the-Year title. Throughout the season, his best career result on the track were back-to-back runner-up results at Texas Motor Speedway in June and at Kentucky Speedway in July. He also earned a total of four top-five results and eight top-10 results with an average-finishing result of 15.0 and an 11th-place result in the final standings.

    Kligerman spent the first half of the 2012 Truck season as a driver for BKR, where he earned his third career runner-up result at Dover International Speedway in May along with an additional top-five result and five top-10 results. At the halfway mark, Kligerman departed BKR and joined Red Horse Racing as driver of the No. 7 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra for the remaining half of the 2012 season. In his first five starts with RHR, he earned four top-five results, including two runner-up results. Then at Talladega Superspeedway in October, Kligerman earned his first Truck Series career victory after fending off veteran Johnny Sauter and the field with a multi-truck erupting behind him on the final lap. By then, he was the eighth first-time winner of the 2012 season. Kligerman went on to post sixth runner-up result in the Truck Series at Texas in November before concluding the season in a career-best fifth place in the final standings. 

    During the following two seasons, Kligerman made one start apiece in the Truck Series for BRG Motorsports. In 2013, where he was a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kyle Busch Motorsports, he drove the No. 20 BRG Motorsports Toyota Tundra to a fourth-place result at Talladega in October despite being involved in a multi-truck wreck on the final lap. In 2014, where he started the season as a Cup Series competitor for Swan Racing before being released in April due to ownership issues, he drove the No. 58 BRG Motorsports Toyota Tundra to a 29th-place result at Daytona International Speedway in February after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck.

    Following a one-year absence, Kligerman returned to the Truck Series in 2016 as a driver for Ricky Benton Racing Enterprises, beginning at Daytona. He commenced the season with a strong third-place effort at Daytona and returned for the following seven events in the schedule, where he notched back-to-back eighth-place results at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February and at Martinsville Speedway in April. For the remainder of the season, Kligerman drove the No. 05 Athenian Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado to a 19th-place result at Kentucky Speedway in July and made two additional starts with RBR Enterprises at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October.

    In 2017, Kligerman returned as a part-time Truck competitor for Henderson Motorsports. By then, he was also serving as a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series pit reporter for NBC Sports. Despite failing to qualify for the season-opening event at Daytona and finishing 31st at Atlanta, he notched four top-10 results during his next five scheduled starts. Then at Talladega in October, Kligerman fended off the field mixed with Playoff and non-Playoff contenders during a two-lap shootout and when a final lap accident struck behind him to claim his second Truck Series career triumph. By then, he became the fourth competitor to achieve multiple Truck victories at Talladega Superspeedway.

    The following season, Kligerman, who remained with Henderson Motorsports but was unable to return to Victory Lane, competed in eight of 23 races in the schedule, where he achieved a season-best fourth-place result at Bristol in August. 

    After making three starts in 2019 with a season-best result of 10th at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, Kligerman, who remained at Henderson Motorsports for a fourth season, made eight starts in 2020. He earned four top-10 results during his part-time schedule, including a strong fourth-place result at Bristol.

    In 2021, Kligerman and Henderson Motorsports competed in 11 of 22 races in the schedule, where they achieved a total of five top-10 results and a season-best result of fifth place twice (Watkins Glen International in August and at Darlington Raceway in September).

    Through 99 previous starts, Kligerman has achieved two victories, two poles, 20 top-five results, 45 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 14.0. He is coming off a fourth-place run at Daytona in February as he will make his second of select Truck starts this season at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

    Kligerman is scheduled to make his 100th Camping World Truck Series career start at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, March 26, with the event’s coverage to occur at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    A significant milestone is in the making for Ross Chastain, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for Kaulig Racing and part-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. By the time Chastain completes this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup doubleheader events at Darlington Raceway, he will achieve 350 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of Alva, Florida, who grew up as a watermelon farmer for his family’s farm and started racing after watching his father hobby racing, Chastain started his career by winning in late models and Fastruck Series races. His first start within NASCAR’s three major division series occurred at Lucas Oil Raceway in July 2011, where he drove the No. 66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series. Starting 15th, Chastain finished 10th in his series debut. He went on to compete in four additional Truck races with Turn One Racing.

    In 2012, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 08 Toyota Tundra for SS-Green Light Racing as he entered the Truck Series as a Rookie-of-the-Year contender. Throughout the 22-race season, Chastain achieved four top-10 results, a career-best third-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. He made one start in the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado for SS-Green Light Racing at Phoenix, where he finished 33rd.

    The following season, Chastain competed in 14 Truck races with Brad Keselowski Racing and in the No. 19 Ford F-150 led by Chad Kendrick. His first start with the team was at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he finished 14th. He went on to finish 20th at Martinsville Speedway in April and ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. He achieved his first top-five result of the season at Pocono Raceway in August. Two races later at Iowa Speedway, Chastain was dominant as he started on pole position and led a race-high 116 of 212 laps, only to be overtaken by James Buescher on a late restart and settle in a career-best second place. He went on to finish third at Talladega Superspeedway in October and second at Phoenix in November following a late battle with eventual winner Erik Jones. He finished in eighth place in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and capped off his 14-race stint at BKR with four top-five results, seven top-10 results and his first two career poles.

    In 2014, Chastain competed in his first seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races along with three Truck Series races. He competed between Viva Motorsports, Hattori Racing Enterprises and TriStar Motorsports in the Xfinity circuit, with his best result being 10th place at Kentucky Speedway in September. He competed between RBR Enterprises and Win-Tron Racing in the Truck Series, with his best result being 11th place at Homestead in November.

    For the 2015 season, Chastain was named a full-time competitor for JD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. Making 31 starts in JDM’s No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro and two in JDM’s No. 01 Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain achieved four top-10 results and a career-best result of ninth place at Daytona in February. He concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings.

    Between 2016 and 2017, Chastain continued to drive for JD Motorsports and the No. 4 Chevrolet on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series. Following the 2016 season, he surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. He finished 15th in the final standings in 2016 and 16th in 2017. Between June and July 2017, Chastain achieved back-to-back top-10 results, which included a career-best fourth-place result at Iowa Speedway. He also made a total of eight starts in the Truck Series with Bolen Motorsports, where his best result was seventh place at Martinsville Speedway in April. In addition, he made his first two NASCAR Cup Series career starts in both Dover International Speedway races while driving for Premium Motorsports. He finished 20th in his debut at the Monster Mile in June and 38th in his second start in October.

    The 2018 season was an eventful season for Chastain, who made 34 starts in the Cup Series, 33 starts in the Xfinity Series and seven starts in the Truck Series. In the Truck circuit, he made a total of seven starts between Beaver Motorsports, Premium Motorsports and Niece Motorsports. His best result was seventh place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. In the Cup circuit, he competed in 34 of 36 races with Premium Motorsports. His best results were an 18th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April and a 20th-place result at Las Vegas in September.

    For the first 23 Xfinity Series of the season, Chastain recorded one top-five result and six top-10 results, all while during his fourth season with JD Motorsports. Then, in September, Chastain made his first of three starts in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing led by crew chief Mike Shiplett at Darlington Raceway. During the main event, Chastain started on pole position for the first time in his career, led a race-high 90 laps and won the first two stages. His strong run, however, was spoiled following a late on-track incident with Kevin Harvick as Chastain ended his race in 25th place. Competing the following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for JD Motorsports, Chastain returned to the No. 42 team at Las Vegas in September seeking redemption. During the main event, Chastain dominated again as he won the first two stages and led a race-high 180 laps. This time, Chastain sealed the deal after beating Justin Allgaier to achieve his first career win across NASCAR’s three major division series. His first Xfinity career win, which occurred in his 132nd series start and also occurred in the regular-season finale at Vegas, was enough for the Floridian to secure a spot in the 2018 Xfinity Playoffs as he introduced his celebratory trademark by smashing a watermelon.

    During his first run in the Xfinity Playoffs, Chastain went on to finish in second place at Richmond in September, which also marked his final start with Chip Ganassi Racing. Returning to JD Motorsports, he finished 12th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and 13th at Dover. When the dust settled, Chastain was beaten by Matt Tifft for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by three points. He went on to conclude the season in a career-best 10th place in the final standings as he also achieved a career-high three top-five results, eight top-10 results and 272 laps led. Following the 2018 season, he surpassed 200 career starts across NASCAR.

    In November 2018, it was announced that Chastain would compete in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing on a full-time basis for the 2019 Xfinity Series season. The announcement came a month after Chastain revealed plans to compete in the Cup Series for Premium Motorsports. However, the team ceased operations in January when DC Solar was raided by the FBI. Fortunately, Chastain was picked up by Niece Motorsports to compete in the Truck Series on a part-time basis led by crew chief Phil Gould and by JD Motorsports for 30 Xfinity races. In addition, he signed a three-race deal to pilot the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing.

    Competing in all three series’ openers at Daytona International Speedway, Chastain finished third in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports, 13th in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing after winning the second stage and 10th in his first Daytona 500 start with Premium Motorsports. Through the beginning of June, Chastain competed in the first 12 Xfinity races and recorded a best result of seventh place at Las Vegas in March. He also competed in the first eight Truck races with Niece Motorsports, achieving top-10 results in all of his starts and collecting his first Truck career win at Kansas Speedway in May following a late pass on Stewart Friesen. To cap off his eventful start to this season, he competed in the first 14 Cup races with Premium Motorsports.

    On June 4, Chastain declared himself a full-time Truck Series competitor to contend for points and the series title with Niece Motorsports. In order to achieve his goal of making the Playoffs, he would have to win again throughout the regular-season stretch and be scored inside the top 20 in the standings. After finishing in 10th place at Texas Motor Speedway following his announcement, Chastain achieved his second victory of the season at Iowa Speedway following a dominating performance. Following the race, however, Chastain was disqualified due to his truck failing post-race technical inspection and NASCAR awarded the win to runner-up finisher Brett Moffitt. Chastain’s disqualification from winning was a first in NASCAR since Emanuel Zervakis was disqualified from winning at North Carolina’s Wilson Speedway in April 1960 due to an oversized fuel tank.

    Chastain rebounded the following race with vengeance after scoring a late win at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway and collecting a $50,000 for winning a Triple Truck Challenge race. This time, Chastain’s win at Gateway was ruled official. After finishing seventh at Chicagoland Speedway and fourth at Kentucky Speedway the following two races, Chastain made himself Playoff eligible after moving into the top 20 in the standings. The following race, he achieved his third victory of his career/season at Pocono Raceway and he entered the postseason as a title favorite. During the Playoffs, Chastain achieved three top-five results and five top-10 results as he made the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the finale, however, he finished fourth at Homestead and fell short of his first NASCAR championship to Matt Crafton. Despite the final outcome, he logged in a successful season in the Truck circuit, where he recorded three wins, a pole, 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, an average result of 8.6 and 591 laps led before concluding the season in a career-best second place. In the end, he was named the 2019 Truck Most Popular Driver.

    Chastain’s on-track success in 2019 did not only come from the Truck Series. At Daytona in July, while piloting Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain led a 1-2-3 finish for the team across the line as he achieved his first victory at Daytona, second of his Xfinity career and the first NASCAR win for Kaulig Racing. Despite teammate A.J. Allmendinger being disqualified from third place for failing post-race technical inspection, Chastain’s victory and teammate Justin Haley’s runner-up result were deemed official by NASCAR. He made a total of seven additional Xfinity starts since June, where he also finished in second place at Texas in November behind Christopher Bell while driving for Kaulig. Overall, he capped off the 2019 Xfinity season with a win, a pole, two top-five results and eight top-10 results between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing.

    On the Cup side, Chastain made 35 starts in the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports. His best results were a 10th-place result at the Daytona 500 in February and a 12th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

    In total, Chastain made 77 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series in 2019. Early into the season, he broke Kyle Busch’s record in competing in the most consecutive races across all three series to start a season. Following the 2019 season, he surpassed 300 career starts across NASCAR.

    Three months after winning at Daytona, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker for the 2020 Xfinity Series season. Prior to the 2020 season, he also planned to compete in select Truck Series races with Niece Motorsports and in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE sponsored by AdventHealth in the Cup Series for the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. His No. 77 ride was under a partnership between Spire Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing.

    Chastain started the 2020 season by finishing in eighth place in the Truck opener at Daytona with Niece Motorsports. For the Xfinity opener, however, he initially failed to qualify for the event, along with teammate A.J. Allmendinger, due to mechanical issues. Nonetheless, he was able to compete when veteran Jeff Green relinquished his seat at RSS Racing. Chastain went on to finish 22nd in the Xfinity opener. For the Daytona 500, he made a late charge to the front until he was involved in a multi-car accident and settled in 25th place.

    Through September 2, Chastain has made eight starts in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports and has recorded one top-five result and five top-10 results. He has also made seven Cup starts between Spire Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing, where he served as an interim competitor for the injured Ryan Newman. His best results in the series include a 16th-place run at Daytona in August and a pair of 17th-place results at Auto Club Speedway in March and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

    Through the first 22 Xfinity Series races of this season and as a full-time competitor, Chastain has recorded one stage win, two Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonuses, nine top-five results and 19 top-10 results. He is currently in third place in the Xfinity regular-season standings and is 420 points above the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs and with four regular-season races remaining. Thus far, his average result is 8.8.

    While Chastain is set to compete in this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup races at Darlington, he will also be sporting a special white, red, blue and gold paint scheme to his No. 77 Spire Motorsports/Dirty Mo Media Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on the Cup side while paying tribute to the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and his 1976 Hy-Gain Chevy.

    Catch Chastain’s milestone start on Sunday, September 6, at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500, which will occur at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Logano to reach 600 starts across NASCAR at Texas

    Logano to reach 600 starts across NASCAR at Texas

    When Joey Logano takes the green flag for the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 19, he will reach a significant milestone of his racing career. By starting this weekend’s race at the Lone Star state, Logano will reach 600 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series, (NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series).

    A native of Middletown, Connecticut, Logano’s racing career started at age six when he was racing quarter midgets. After racing in Late Models and various stock cars series throughout his early youth, he competed in the Camping World East Series, (known today as ARCA Menards Series East), in 2007. He ended up winning the series championship in a season where he won five races, including the Toyota All-Star Showdown at California’s Irwindale Speedway in October.

    The 2008 season would serve as Logano’s breakthrough year, which started when he won his first ARCA Series race in his series debut at Rockingham Speedway in May. More than three weeks later, he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Dover International Speedway. Driving the No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, he finished sixth in his series debut. The following race at Nashville Superspeedway in June, Logano recorded his first career pole. During the race at Nashville, Logano led 64 laps before he was involved in a wreck shy of the halfway mark and he settled in 31st. The following race at Kentucky Speedway, Logano started on pole for a second consecutive race and this time, he led 76 laps and scored his first Xfinity career win in his third series start. With his victory, Logano became the youngest winner in the Xfinity Series at age 18 years and 21 days, (surpassing Casey Atwood’s record of 18 years, 10 months and nine days old accomplished in 1999). He competed in 16 more Xfinity races in 2008, where he recorded 12 top-10 results, a pair of runner-up results at Milwaukee and Gateway in June and two more poles at Richmond in September and at Homestead in November. By finishing 10th in the finale at Homestead, Logano also delivered Joe Gibbs Racing’s first owners’ title in the Xfinity Series. He also competed in one NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in October, where he finished 26th while driving for HT Motorsports.

    In August 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Logano will be moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive the iconic No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in 2009, replacing Tony Stewart, who was set to form and drive for Stewart-Haas Racing. Prior to his rookie Cup season, he made his series debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2008, driving the No. 96 Home Depot/DLP HDTV Toyota Camry for Hall of Fame Racing in a technical partnership with JGR. Finishing 32nd in his Cup debut, he qualified for two more Cup races at Kansas Speedway in September with Hall of Fame Racing and at Texas Motor Speedway in November with JGR. His finishes were 39th and 40th.

    Entering the 2009 season as a Cup Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, Logano made his first Cup start in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he finished last of the 28-car field after being involved in an early multi-car wreck. He rebounded by finishing fourth in the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona, but finished last of the 43-car field in the rain-shortened Daytona 500 after being involved in a single-car wreck near the midway point of the race. After finishing no higher than 13th in the first eight Cup races of 2009, Logano recorded his first top-10 result at Talladega Superspeedway in April. The following month at Darlington Raceway, he had a stellar performance, where he led 19 laps and finished ninth. He would record another ninth-place result in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The previous week, he won the Fan Vote and made his All-Star Race debut, where he finished eighth. In June at New Hampshire, Logano’s home track and the same racetrack where he made his Cup debut the previous season, he rallied from a midway spin to stretch his fuel cell to the fullest and emerge with the lead over Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch when the caution fell due to rain. Shortly after, the race was declared official due to weather and Logano was awarded his first Cup win in his 20th series start. With the victory, he became the youngest Cup winner at age 19 years, one month and four days old. For the remainder of his rookie Cup season, he recorded three more top-10 results, including a fifth-place result at Charlotte in October and a third-place result at Talladega in November, and he claimed the Rookie-of-the-Year title over Scott Speed despite finishing 20th in the final standings.

    Throughout the 2009 season, Logano also competed in 22 of 35 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He won five races in five different tracks that included Nashville, Kentucky, Chicagoland, Kansas and at Auto Club Speedway. He also recorded four poles, 13 top-five results and 16 top-10 results, all while driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry.

    In 2010, Logano went winless, but he recorded his first Cup career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. He recorded seven top-five results and 16 top-10 results while concluding the year in 16th in the standings, four spots better than his rookie season. He also competed in 25 of the 35-race schedule in the Xfinity Series, where he won two races and eight poles while recording 15 top-five results and 24 top-10 results. By then, Logano had surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    The year 2011 was one of Logano’s disappointing years, though he reached 200 division starts in NASCAR. In the Cup Series, he went winless again, but he recorded two poles, four top-five results and six top-10 results while concluding the season in 24th in the final standings with no opportunity in making the Chase and competing for the title. In the Xfinity Series, Logano recorded a single victory at Daytona International Speedway in July. He also recorded a pole, eight top-five results and 15 top-10 results in 22 starts.

    The following season, Logano was paired with veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff when longtime crew chief Greg Zipadelli left JGR for Stewart-Haas Racing. In his first 13 Cup races with Ratcliff, Logano’s only top-10 results came in the season-opening Daytona 500 in February and at Dover in June. Shortly after, Logano dominated and prevailed over a late battle with his childhood hero, Mark Martin, to notch his second NASCAR Cup career win at Pocono Raceway, first since winning the rain-shortened event at New Hampshire in 2009. With the breakthrough win, Logano became the first Cup competitor to win a race from the pole in 30 races as he also claimed his first Cup victory in a race spanning through its scheduled distance. The victory was also the first in the Cup Series for crew chief Ratcliff. Throughout the 2012 Cup season, however, he recorded two poles, two top-five results and 12 top-10 results while concluding the season in 17th in the final standings, missing the Chase in his fourth season in the series.

    The 2012 Xfinity Series season was Logano’s breakout year, where he won a season-high nine races in eight different tracks, among which included Auto Club, Talladega, Darlington, Dover, Michigan, Bristol, Charlotte and Phoenix. Throughout the 33-race Xfinity schedule, he competed in 22 races and along with his nine victories, he recorded six poles, 12 top-five results and 17 top-10 results, all while serving as one of many competitors who contributed to delivering the fourth Xfinity owners’ title to Joe Gibbs Racing.

    The 2013 season came with a fresh start for Logano when he was released from Joe Gibbs Racing and the Connecticut native joined forces with team owner Roger Penske to drive the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion led by crew chief Todd Gordon while paired with the reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski. In his first Cup season with the Penske organization, Logano won at Michigan in August 2013, recorded two poles, a career-high 11 top-five results, a career-high 19 top-10 results and a career-high 323 laps led, all while making his first Chase appearance and finishing eighth in the final standings. He also competed in 15 Xfinity Series races in the No. 22 Hertz/Discount Tire Ford Mustang for the Penske organization, where he won three races and was one of four competitors who contributed to delivering the first Xfinity owners’ championship for Roger Penske by a single point. In addition, he made three NASCAR Truck Series starts in the No. 19 Reese Towpower/Draw-Tite Ford F-150 for Brad Keselowski Racing. His best result was a runner-up finish at Rockingham Speedway in April behind rookie Kyle Larson. By then, he had surpassed 300 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    The following season, Logano recorded five wins in the NASCAR Cup Series in five different tracks that included Texas, Richmond and Bristol in the regular season, and New Hampshire and Kansas in the Chase. To go along with a pole, 16 top-five results, 22 top-10 results and 993 laps led throughout the season, Logano was one of four competitors vying for the 2014 Cup title in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the finale, a late pit road error, where the jack dropped and the driver lost numerous spots on pit road, cost Logano and the No. 22 Penske team a shot for the title as he settled in fourth in the final standings. Throughout the 2014 season, Logano competed in 10 Xfinity races, where he went winless despite recording three poles and nine top-10 results, and serving as one of five competitors who contributed to achieving the second consecutive owners’ title for Team Penske in the Xfinity Series. He also made two Truck starts for Brad Keselowski Racing, finishing third and 18th in his two races.

    In 2015, Logano won a season-high six races, including the Daytona 500, Watkins Glen International following a last-lap pass on Kevin Harvick, a victory in the Bristol Night Race for the second consecutive year and three consecutive races in the Round of 12 in the Playoffs at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega. Logano’s championship hopes, however, came to an end during the Round of 8, starting at Martinsville Speedway in November when he was deliberately wrecked out by Matt Kenseth as a result of retaliation when Logano spun Kenseth for the win at Kansas a couple weeks earlier. The following week at Texas, Logano’s blew a tire and spun while damaging his car, where he ended up in 40th. Despite finishing third the next week at Phoenix, Logano was eliminated from title contention as he concluded the season in sixth in the final standings and in a year where he recorded six poles, 22 top-five results and 28 top-10 results. He also made 11 starts in the Xfinity Series, where he won four races, and one start in the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in March, where he won for the first time in the series. To July 2020, Logano is one of 33 competitors to win across NASCAR’s three major division series. At the time the 2015 season concluded, Logano had also surpassed 400 starts across the three division series.

    In 2016, Logano won three races, including the All-Star Race at Charlotte and the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix that enabled him to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. At Homestead, he rallied from a late restart incident, where he made contact with title contender Carl Edwards, to finish fourth in the finale, but runner up in the title battle behind Jimmie Johnson. He also made 13 starts in the Xfinity Series and won twice.

    Following a dismal 2017 season, where he won a single race at Richmond that was encumbered due to a violation discovered during post-race inspection that prevented him from making the Playoffs, Logano had surpassed 500 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. In 2018, he won three races and claimed his first Cup championship with a victory in the finale at Homestead. With the championship, Logano became the 34th competitor to win a Cup title as he also recorded the second Cup championship for Team Penske and the first for crew chief Todd Gordon.

    Following a productive 2019 season, where he won two races and finished fifth in the final standings, Logano started the 2020 Cup season by making his 400th series start in the Daytona 500, his first race paired with veteran crew chief Paul Wolfe. After finishing 26th due to being involved in a late accident, Logano rebounded by winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following a late restart. Two weeks later, Logano won for the second time of this season at Phoenix.

    Through the first 17 Cup races of this season, Logano has recorded three top-five results and seven top-10 results. He is ranked fifth in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 111 points, but is guaranteed a spot in the 2020 Playoffs by virtue of his two recorded wins this season.

    In his previous 599 division starts in NASCAR, Logano has won 25 Cup races, 30 Xfinity races and one Truck race.

    Catch Logano’s milestone start in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on July 19 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Chase Briscoe Wins Season Finale; Christopher Bell Captures 2017 Truck Series Championship

    Chase Briscoe Wins Season Finale; Christopher Bell Captures 2017 Truck Series Championship

    The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season finale was decided in Homestead-Miami tonight. It was the site where the 22-year-old, Christopher Bell, won his first ever championship, with five wins this season for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe collected his first ever Truck Series win for Brad Keselowski Racing.

    Chase Briscoe and Ben Rhodes started on the pole after qualifying early Friday afternoon. The stages were broken into 40/80/134 laps.

    The first stage was run cleanly without any problems. It was apparent that Christopher Bell had the truck to beat, as he wound up winning Stage 1 easily.  Austin Cindric finished sixth, Matt Crafton seventh and Johnny Sauter eighth.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 48, where this time it was Rhodes who had the dominant truck for about 35 laps. This was enough for him to win the second stage, with the Championship 4 contenders finishing second, fifth, sixth and eighth. It was a clean and green Stage 2 without any incidents, similar to Stage 1.

    The final stage went back underway on Lap 88 and was run to the finish without any yellow flags. Rhodes led for about five laps until he had to pit with issues, which then gave the lead back to Chase Briscoe. From there, Briscoe was able to hold on and win his first ever career series win.

    As soon as Briscoe took the checkered flag, Christopher Bell followed closely and finished second, which was enough to win the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship.

    “Such an awesome night to go out on top to cap off the season,” Briscoe said. “For it to be our last race at Brad Keselowski Racing, it was an awesome way to send Brad (Keselowski) out. Hopefully, he (Brad Keselowski) gets a championship on Sunday.”

    Briscoe led four times for 81 laps and placed second, and third, in the first two stages, respectively. This was Brad Keselowski Racing’s 11th win in 305 starts and Briscoe’s first in 23 starts.

    For Christopher Bell’s 2017 season, he ended with five wins, 15 top fives and 21 top-10 finishes, with 875 laps led. His second-place finish at Homestead was also good enough for him to earn KBM the fifth consecutive owner’s championship.

    “He’s the best boss you could have,” Bell said. “It’s something that, I’m just really thankful for the opportunity to be here. I remember the first time, I went to Kyle Busch Motorsports, I was so star struck by him whenever I was driving late models for him, to be around him and to win a championship for him. I’m just speechless.”

    Johnny Sauter finished third, Austin Cindric fourth and Matt Crafton sixth to round out the Championship 4.

    There were two cautions for 12 laps during the race and six lead changes among three drivers.

    The season starts all over again in 2018 at Daytona International Speedway Friday night on February 16, where a new crop of drivers and the same veterans will be competing for the championship all season long.

     

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Homestead-NCWTS-results-2017-T1723_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Homestead NCWTS results 2017 T1723_UNOFFRES”]

     

  • Statement from Brad Keselowski Racing Regarding Driver Austin Theriault

    Statement from Brad Keselowski Racing Regarding Driver Austin Theriault

    STATESVILLE, N.C. (Sunday, Oct. 4) – Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Theriault was transported to University Medical Center in Las Vegas during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Theriault underwent a comprehensive CT scan of the upper body, which showed a 10 percent compression fracture of the lower back. Theriault was released and will travel back to North Carolina where he will follow up with an orthopedic specialist for further treatment.

    No further updates are expected today.

  • Tyler Reddick Burns Down Monster Mile’s House with Truck Win

    Tyler Reddick Burns Down Monster Mile’s House with Truck Win

    Tyler Reddick, driving the No. 19 BBR Music Group Ford for Brad Keselowski Racing, burned down Monster Mile’s house and headed to Victory Lane for the second time this season. Reddick took the lead late in the race and never let go to take the checkered flag in the 16th annual Lucas Oil 200.

    This was also Reddick’s first win at the infamous Monster Mile.

    “We worked really hard for this,” Reddick said. “I knew we had a top-five truck at the start of the race. It’s great to get a win for everybody back home and a great way to get the season started for us.”

    Owner Brad Keselowski was also very proud of his young driver, especially since he is in contention for the championship just eleven points shy of leader Matt Crafton.

    “It certainly was a great day but for us and it was kind of a landmark day,” Keselowski said. “We’ve got a lot to be proud of and we’ve got our focus on the championship. Tyler ran a partial season last year and a full season this year but it’s still his first season. So, it’s nice to see that come together the way it has and it’s going to be an exciting finish from here.”

    “There is a lot of racing left to do but I think you saw today that there are so many great competitors out there. The championship battle will come down the end and these wins are going to make the difference.”

    Reddick’s win was not without controversy as he had a run in with Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was incredibly annoyed and expressed her anger by staying on the track and sharing a gesture or two before taking the obligatory ambulance ride to the care center.

    “We were in lap traffic early on in the race and Jennifer pulled up as I was trying to pass another vehicle,” Reddick said. “She looked like she was going to get me three-wide and then she closed the door.”

    “So, I rode up to try to avoid getting in the back of her but she just got loose when I was right behind her and ended up spinning. It’s a real shame and I understand when something like that happens”

    “I just feel really bad for her for that happening to them and their team.”

    Daniel Suarez, behind the wheel of the No. 51 ARRIS Toyota, finished second in the race. This was his first top-ten finish at Dover and his fifth top-10 finish in 2015.

    “Well for sure the whole of 2015 so far has been different from my 2014,” Suarez said. “I’m very lucky. To have fast race cars every weekend is just great.”

    “I feel like I’m learning a lot every single weekend. Kyle (Busch) has been helping us as well. We are getting closer and closer.”

    The most disappointed driver yet one who finished in the third spot was Erik Jones, whose two-tire strategy simply did not pan out the way he wanted.

    “I was in on the call and we just didn’t have the time left. It was a solid day for us but it’s just a shame that we couldn’t bring it home,” Jones said. “It’s definitely frustrating and even more frustrating at this moment.”

    “It just really hurts being that close to a win and it’s a bummer for this race team. But we made a call to take two and that was a lot of laps on lefts. And it showed at the end.”

    “We’ll take it and move on and just keep getting better.”

    Jones was the highest finishing rookie of the race.

    Daniel Hemric, Matt Crafton, Ben Kennedy, Ryan Blaney, Brandon Jones, Johnny Sauter and Tyler Young  rounded out the top-ten finishers.  The complete race results are as follows:

    2015 NCWTS Lucas Oil 200 Race Results

    .Fin Str Trk Driver Team Lap Pts BPts Status TLd LLd
    1 4 19 Tyler Reddick BBR Music Group Ford 200 47 4 Running 3 40
    2 5 51 Daniel Suarez(i) ARRIS Toyota 200 0 Running
    3 2 4 Erik Jones # Special Olympics World Games Toyota 200 42 1 Running 1 50
    4 19 14 Daniel Hemric # California Clean Power Chevrolet 200 40 Running
    5 3 88 Matt Crafton Rip It/Menards Toyota 200 40 1 Running 1 3
    6 18 11 Ben Kennedy Local Motors Toyota 200 38 Running
    7 1 29 Ryan Blaney(i) Cooper Standard Ford 200 0 Running 1 33
    8 12 33 Brandon Jones # AGRA Industries Chevrolet 200 36 Running
    9 16 98 Johnny Sauter Smokey Mountain/Curb Records Toyota 200 35 Running
    10 25 2 Tyler Young Randco Industries/Young’s Building Supplies 199 34 Running
    11 20 7 Ray Black Jr. # Scubalife.com Chevrolet 199 34 1 Running 1 1
    12 13 23 Spencer Gallagher # Allegiant Travel Chevrolet 199 32 Running
    13 10 0 Cole Custer Haas Automation Chevrolet 198 33 2 Running 5 67
    14 15 86 Brandon Brown Coastal Carolina University Chevrolet 196 30 Running
    15 22 94 Timmy Hill Testoril Chevrolet 195 29 Running
    16 21 82 Austin Hill Empire Racing Ford 192 28 Running
    17 27 8 Korbin Forrister # Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 190 27 Running
    18 17 5 John Wes Townley Zaxby’s Chevrolet 178 26 Running
    19 24 50 Travis Kvapil BurnieGrill.com Chevrolet 178 25 Running
    20 14 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota 136 25 1 Accident 3 5
    21 7 13 Cameron Hayley # Carolina Nut Company Toyota 136 24 1 Running 1 1
    22 6 8 John H. Nemechek # MeetBall Chevrolet 136 22 Running
    23 31 74 Tim Viens RacedaySponsor.com Chevrolet 127 21 Rear End
    24 28 1 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 90 20 Accident
    25 8 54 Justin Boston # ROKMobile.com Toyota 65 19 Accident
    26 32 6 Norm Benning Chevrolet 61 18 Suspension
    27 23 45 BJ McLeod Chevrolet 56 17 Ignition
    28 26 63 Justin Jennings Mittler Bros Machine & Tools/Ski Soda Chevrolet 33 16 Accident
    29 11 15 Mason Mingus 811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet 32 15 Accident
    30 9 97 Jesse Little Carolina Nut Company Toyota 32 14 Accident
    31 29 36 Tyler Tanner Mittler Bros Machine & Tools/Ski Soda Chevrolet 15 13 Vibration
    32 30 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb POW-MIAFamilies.org Chevrolet 12 12 Accident

     

  • Ryan Blaney Survives Restart Mayhem to Score Second Career Truck Win at Pocono

    Ryan Blaney Survives Restart Mayhem to Score Second Career Truck Win at Pocono

    After two green-white-checkered restarts, rookie Ryan Blaney emerged victorious through the mayhem to score his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck victory in the 4th Annual Pocono Mountains 125.

    This was the first victory of the 2013 season for the nineteen year old driver of the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford for Brad Keselowski Racing. This was also Blaney’s first win at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “We were good all day,” Blaney said. “We started up toward the front and I was able to get the lead pretty early.”

    “We lost some on the pit stop but restarts were the only time you could make something happen,” Blaney continued. “Luckily, we were able to get some good restarts and get the lead.”

    “Overall a good day and a good turning point for this team.”

    Blaney also credited Ford motors for his trip to Victory Lane.

    “These Ford motors really gave us the pull we needed on restarts and that’s what it came down to,” Blaney said. “The leader is a sitting duck but I was fortunate enough to get a good restart at the end.”

    “This is cool and a lot of fun.”

    Although Blaney had not yet heard from team owner Brad Keselowski, who was en route to race in the Nationwide event at Iowa, he had heard from his dad Dave Blaney, both before and after the race.

    “I’ve been really lucky to have my dad at both of my truck wins,” Blaney said. “Having him give me advice, especially on restarts, I’ve been really fortunate.”

    “We actually talked about restarts and choosing the right lines,” Blaney continued. “That was pretty funny that that’s what it came down to.”

    “Very few dads can do that.”

    Doug Randolph, young Blaney’s crew chief, also has history with Dave Blaney, having started his crew chief career with the veteran driver.

    “My first crew chiefing job was with his dad so it’s come full circle for me,” Randolph said. “I have kids Ryan’s age myself so it’s been really fun.”

    “He will go a long way.”

    “Ryan did a great job and we did have a pretty good piece,” Randolph continued. “He does a great job when we have adversity and a great job keeping his composure.”

    “The restarts are always very hairy and the two Truck races he has won had multiple restarts.”

    “It’s a great day for everybody at BKR and Ford,” Randolph said. “To get this win, we hope this just starts the momentum rolling our way.”

    Miguel Paludo, driver of the No.32 AccuDoc Chevrolet, scored his career best finish in second place. This was his first top-10 finish in three races at Pocono Raceway and his seventh top-10 finish in 2013.

    “It was a really solid day for us starting yesterday,” Paludo said. “We were fastest in practice and started on the pole.”

    “I made a mistake choosing the outside for the start of the race and lost the lead,” Paludo continued. “And from that time on, I was just trying to get the lead back.”

    “By lap 42, I was getting closer and then we had the caution,” Paludo said. “And from that time on, it was just wild restarts trying to be aggressive but not put myself in a bad position.”

    “But it’s so hard here because of the long straightaway,” Paludo continued. “Even if you don’t have a good start, you have time to get to the guy in front of you.”

    “So, I think it’s a really good day for us,” Paludo said. “We had the fastest truck all day long.”

    “It’s a little frustrating to come second but I’ll take it.”

    Another driver, rookie driver German Quiroga, behind the wheel of the No. 77 Otter Box Toyota also matched his best career finish with a third place run. This was also Quiroga’s first top-10 finish in his solo Pocono race.

    “I’m very happy,” Quiroga said. “This is our second third place.”

    “I want to thank Miguel because he helped me in one of the restarts,” Quiroga continued. “We started fourth and lost a couple of positions.”

    “But then we came back and I’m very proud and happy about that,” Quiroga said. “We were very consistent and we were having fun.”

    “I love this track,” Quiroga continued. “It was my first time and I really, really like it.”

    “I like the Truck Series,” Quiroga said. “What else can I say?”

    “Hopefully I can bring that 77 truck to Victory Lane soon.”

    Joey Coulter, with his new No. 18 Fox Sports 1 Toyota Tundra, finished fourth and Ross Chastain, behind the wheel of the No. 2 Watermelon.org Ford, rounded out the top five.

    “It was just wild,” Coulter said. “That’s the fun part about Pocono.”

    “It turned out to be a pretty good day for us.”

    The race was not without controversy. Veteran Todd Bodine, driving the No. 30 Team Fox/Whelen Chevrolet, was not happy when the caution flew, taking away his lead and relegating him to an 11th place finish after spinning on one of the green-white-checkered restarts.

    Other unhappiness broke out between Ty Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Bass PRO Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, and Johnny Sauter, behind the wheel of the No. 98 Carolina Nut Co. Curb Records Toyota, who tangled with one another in the melee.

    Matt Crafton not only maintained the points lead, currently at 52 points ahead of Jeb Burton, but he also continued his streak of top-10s. The driver of the No. 88 Rip-It/Menards Toyota finished in the eighth position.