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  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (America’s favorite racing series) returned on track this past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Prior to Saturday’s event, it was well over a month ago that we last saw the Truck Series on track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    They began the Round of 6 in the Playoffs with six drivers who still have their championship hopes alive. It wasn’t the Talladega race we were expecting, but nonetheless, it was a great race.

    Let’s take a look at who made the Power Rankings list this week following the Sugarland Shine 250. 

    1. Brett Moffitt – It was a challenging race for Moffitt and his No. 24 GMS Racing team who was once penalized for locking bumpers with his technical teammate Stewart Friesen. Moffitt questioned the penalty on the radio and especially in his post-race comments. He was able to get back on the lead lap with a late caution and after leading seven laps and despite being penalized, Moffitt rebounded to a top-five finish. It was probably not the finish he wanted after being strong early but to escape Talladega with a clean truck and a top-five finish was a job well done.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    2. Austin Hill – Hill had a competitive truck, for the most part, finishing seventh in Stage 1 and leading two laps. The Hattori Racing driver was expected to run well after breaking through at Daytona back in February with a win. Even though Hill did not win at Talladega, he had a solid finish of sixth. He also avoided any trouble keeping his Playoff championship hopes alive heading into the two final races of the round at Martinsville and ISM Raceway.

    Previous Week Ranking – Second

    3. Stewart Friesen – Like Moffitt, Friesen had to overcome adversity throughout certain parts of the race. He was penalized twice, once for locking bumpers and then for speeding on pit road during the final round of green-flag pit stops. But Friesen caught a few lucky breaks. In what could have been a disastrous day, the Halmar Racing driver quietly rebounded to a fifth-place finish. He also finished fifth in Stage 1 and won the second stage.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not ranked

    4. Riley Herbst – Despite the post-race controversy, Herbst grabbed a third-place finish in his first Superspeedway start in a truck. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver did his job and finished the race and also had a stage finish of sixth in Stage 1. Not bad for his first Talladega start.

    Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

    5. Todd Gilliland – Overlooked in this whole race was Todd Gilliland and his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team who finished second after starting sixth. Gilliland was quiet for the majority of the race until the last few laps where he found himself in contention to win. He led seven laps and had finishes of ninth in both stages. Hopefully, this is a confidence booster for Gilliland who has faced criticism for much of the year.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out 

    Ross Chastain – Yes, Chastain had a strong truck and quite possibly the best truck. However, a blocking move took the Florida native out of the race on Lap 89 and ruined any chance of a great finish. Chastain now finds himself last in the Playoffs standings, just two points behind the cut line. Two points isn’t much but it could make all the difference in the world when the standings are set for the Championship 4.

    Previous Week Ranking – First

    Sheldon Creed- Creed showed glimpses of having a fast truck but could never really stay out in front. Possibly overshadowed in his performance was leading 20 laps and winning the first stage. In the end, however, the GMS driver could not maintain the lead but did earn a ninth-place finish.

    Previous Week Ranking – Third

    Brennan Poole – A rear-end issue took Poole out of the race on Lap 81 and resulted in a disappointing 26th place finish. It has been a difficult season for Poole and the No. 30 team who have yet to finish a Superspeedway race. 

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas II

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas II

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series returned on-track this past Friday night for the final race in the Round of 8. The World of Westgate 200 featured an action-packed race and left a lot of playoff drivers in trouble. However, it saw one driver break through and quite possibly surprised some race fans who were not expecting him to win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    Here are this week’s power rankings following the second Las Vegas Truck Series race of the season. 

    1. Ross Chastain – Chastain provided a dominant performance throughout the race before being passed late for the win. The Florida native started second, won both stages, led the most laps with 88 but ultimately fell short, finishing second. Despite this Chastain clinched a spot in the Round of 6 after winning one of the stages. Should he and the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team continue this dominance throughout the Round of 6, we could very well see Chastain in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Austin Hill – Hill came through at the end passing Chastain for the lead and the eventual race win. It was his third win of the season and he was able to lock himself into the Round of 6. While Hill was already guaranteed a spot, he made it easier for his No. 16 Hattori Racing team by winning. It shouldn’t as a surprise to anybody as this the same team that won the championship last year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Sheldon Creed – Creed and his No. 2 GMS Racing team came into Vegas with a lot of momentum after being consistent late in the season. Previously, at Canada, he finished fourth continuing his top-five finishes. Creed qualified sixth, then finished sixth and seventh in Stage 1 and 1, respectively. While he was unable to lead a lap, the No. 2 team continued their string of top-five finishes by posting their fourth of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    4. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt and the No. 24 team had a quiet night finishing seventh after being dominant in the first two races of the Round of 8. The Grimes, Iowa native did, however, finish ninth and third in both stages and led 12 laps. He may have been disappointed not to sweep the entire Round of 8 but the team is going on to compete in the Round of 6 after winning at Bristol and Canada.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    5. Brennan Poole – Though not competing in the full Truck schedule as originally planned, Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports is making the most of their opportunities when they do compete. It has been an up and down season for Poole who had two DNFs, one top-five and three top-10s heading into Vegas. His schedule has been sporadic due to not having the funding to compete in every race. Hoping to better his spring finish at Vegas, Poole had a lot of work to do. He qualified 18th but it didn’t take him long to get up to the front with the help of a few cautions. Poole finished seventh and fifth in both stages. After all was said and done, the No. 30 driver fell short of his second top-five but managed a sixth-place finish for his fourth top-10 of the year. It was nicely done by the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team especially considering that they don’t compete every week.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

      Fell Out
      1.  Stewart Friesen – Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar Racing team had a rough night after being down a cylinder for the majority of the race. The Canadian qualified 19th and finished 19th, down two laps. Despite not having any top-10 stage finishes, Friesen and his team will have another chance to compete for the championship by advancing to the Round of 6.

      2. Ben Rhodes – It was a solid eighth-place finish after starting 13th and surviving the chaos that happened throughout the night. He was also able to record a fourth-place finish in Stage 2.
  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Charlotte

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Charlotte

    After taking a trip to the Midwest, the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series team headed home to Charlotte Motor Speedway for their eighth race of the season.

    While some drivers consider Charlotte home, Kyle Busch and the No. 51 team found themselves home in victory lane Friday night for his 56th career Truck Series win. It was a remarkable feat winning five races in all five starts this season. The Truck Series regulars remain trying to chase down the all-time winningest driver but fell short once again. However, there is some good news for those series regulars. This was Busch’s last Truck Series race of the season due to NASCAR’s restriction on how many races in which he can compete in the series.

    So, how did the other Truck Series regulars stack up? Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.

    1. Ben Rhodes – After coming up short a couple of weeks ago at Kansas, Rhodes and the No. 99 Carolina Nut Company Ford F-150 was looking to carry that momentum over to Charlotte this past Friday night in hopes of a win. He started fifth and pretty much stayed in the top-10 throughout the night, finishing fourth and eighth in both stages respectively. Rhodes would even be up front to contend for the lead but only led a couple of times. However, despite a late race restart, Rhodes and the No. 99 Thorsport team finished fourth for his fourth top five of the season and equaling the fifth-place finish that he earned at Atlanta in February. Rhodes now sits fourth in the standings, 34 points behind teammate Grant Enfinger.

      Previous Week Ranking – 2nd

    2. Matt Crafton – Crafton and the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 team came to Charlotte with momentum after securing the pole at Kansas and finishing sixth there. He was also hungry and hoping to snap his long winless streak dating back to Eldora in July of 2017. When the team unloaded on Friday they were fast right out of the gate, sitting on the pole for the second consecutive week, the 15th of his illustrious career. However, Crafton was not able to keep the lead as Rhodes, Todd Gilliland and Kyle Busch would go right by him. It wouldn’t be until Lap 30, where we would see the famous No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 back out front, although, he had to pass Todd Gilliland in a thriller off Turn 4 for the stage win. Crafton and the No. 88 ThorSport team stayed consistent throughout the night finishing fourth in the second stage. Ultimately, he still found himself winless as Crafton finished in the fifth position to round out the top five finishers. You’d have to imagine that he is even more hungry for a win as we approach the two year anniversary since of his last win at Eldora.

      Previous Week Ranking – 5th

    3. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland and the No 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team had a slight setback this week after finishing third at Kansas, but it was still enough to keep them in the power rankings. He started third but lost the first stage win in a thrilling battle with Crafton, then he finished 10th in Stage 2. Still, as much criticism as Gilliland has faced this year, it looks as though things are beginning to turn around little by little for the No. 4 team. However, they will have to get going if they want to be a serious championship contender in the Playoffs, as there are only nine races until the run to the championship starts. Gilliland sits eighth in the points standings, while his teammate Harrison Burton sits one point behind in ninth.

      Previous Week Ranking- 4th

    4. Ross Chastain – Chastain was still coming off a win high at Kansas when he and the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team rolled into Charlotte Thursday afternoon. It is quite understandable considering that it was the first win for Al Niece and his team who has come a long way since their first truck entry in 2016. It was also a new truck for the team and it showed, as he qualified 13th Friday afternoon. Chastain didn’t take long to get inside the top-10, finishing fifth in Stage 1 and he even placed second in Stage 2 to Kyle Busch. He was hoping for a caution later on in the race, as he was the only one to have one set of fresh tires left. His break finally came with eight to go but it might have been a little too late. The caution came out with eight to go and it, of course, saw Chastain and the No. 45 team pit for those tires with a last chance effort. He would line up in the back on the restart with three to go, but one truck stalled on the start and Chastain was behind him. This slowed and eventually cost him the win or late race rally to finish a disappointing 10th. Chastain extended his streak, however, finishing in the top-10 in all Truck Series starts this year.

      Previous Week Ranking – 1st

    5. Brennan Poole – When fans look at the results for this past weekend’s race, they will notice an unfamiliar driver and team who just broke ground this year in the Truck Series. After missing Kansas due to sponsorship woes, Former Xfinity Series standout Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team was looking for redemption this past weekend at Charlotte and they almost did just that. They didn’t finish in the top-10 at all for either stage but found themselves restarting second to Kyle Busch with three laps to go. What a story it would have been if Poole and the small underfunded No. 30 team had pulled it off and were able to beat Kyle Busch. However, Poole fell 1.115 seconds short to Busch for his shot at the win. And to make it more impressive, Poole raced with a broken sway bar. That’s a pretty remarkable feat to accomplish especially with a small team. If they can keep this up and get more strong equipment like this, Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team will quickly become another fan favorite in the Truck Series.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

      Fell Out

      1. Grant Enfinger- Enfinger had a solid night finishing ninth after starting ninth. He finished third in both stages but it wasn’t enough to stay in the top five. Nonetheless, Enfinger and the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford F-150 team can still hold their head high as they continue to be the points leader over Stewart Friesen by 15 points.

  • Brennan Poole and Stewart Friesen earn top-3 finishes at Charlotte

    Brennan Poole and Stewart Friesen earn top-3 finishes at Charlotte

    After missing the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway due to the lack of sponsorship, Brennan Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team returned with redemption in mind and wanting more after last week.

    Poole and the No. 30 team started 17th and quietly ran under the radar all night long. But when it mattered most during a late race restart with three to go, he found himself inside the top three with a shot at the upset win for a small underfunded team.

    Poole tried all he could to chase down race leader Kyle Busch, but ultimately, wound up 1.115 seconds short.

    Poole was ecstatic about his second place finish, despite not being able to chase down Busch for the race win.

    “I just gave it everything I had,” Poole said in his Fox Sports 1 post-race interview. “I found a little something there running on the top lane of the restarts and it worked out really good. I can’t thank MadVapes, Blu this weekend. It sucks that we missed Kansas last week. The work that the guys do with literally no funding is ridiculous. Ran second tonight to Kyle Busch with a broken sway bar. So, pretty proud of the effort. I know we got a lot more chances with this coming up in our future to get this Toyota Tundra to victory lane, but I’m excited tonight and I may even go grab a beer when I get home.”

    It was Poole’s first top five of his Truck Series career in over 10n starts and the best finish of his Truck Series career.

    After a heartbreak last weekend in Kansas, Stewart Friesen, driver of the No. 52 Halmar Racing Chevrolet was looking to rebound this weekend at Charlotte and he almost did just that.

    Friesen started second and ran inside the top-10 most of the night, finishing fifth and sixth in both stages. He was up front and found himself in the top five late in the race, but had to settle for another top-five finish, finishing third for his fourth top five of the year.

    “These guys work so hard,” Friesen said to MRN Radio. “All of these guys work so hard. Thanks to Chris Larsen, Team Chevy and GMS Fab Shop. They got their heads down and working hard, we’re catching them. Kyle (Busch) ended up spanking us at the end here. I know he got out and had that good run there, but we got some good notes. We’re going to keep working on it and get them at the end of the year when the money is on the line. Speaking of money on the line the next three weeks, thanks to Gander Outdoors. That’s pretty badass. We put up a lot of money to race our modified in modified country in the northeast. We’re going to go to our two favorite tracks, Texas and Iowa, and this is not my favorite track, so I’m ready to get out of here.”

  • The Players – The Best Teams’ 2018 Lineup in NASCAR Cup

    The Players – The Best Teams’ 2018 Lineup in NASCAR Cup

    It’s only a short time until the annual Media Tour at the Hall of Fame in Charlotte. We will learn a lot there, but a couple things are obvious. There will be 24 major teams running next year (10 Fords, nine Chevrolets, and five Toyotas). Each camp has stars in their lineup, but Toyota’s dominance of the 2017 season (with only six competitive cars) is favored. Let’s look at each team’s lineup.

    Chevrolet has the four Hendrick Motorsports cars. HMS fell on hard times last year despite their dominance for several years. Jimmie Johnson will be back in the Lowe’s Camaro. You read that right. The older SS they have fun the last few years is no longer being manufactured, so a change had to be made. Besides, finding a dealer with a Chevy SS was about as hard as finding a needle in a haystack anyway. After Johnson, the rest of the team will be made up of a group of youngsters. Chase Elliott is back, this time taking his father’s No. 9, William Byron, in the 24, and Alex Bowman in the 88. Of this team, only Johnson has ever won a Cup race. You might call this a rebuilding year for HMS.

    Richard Childress Racing will field the 31 for Ryan Newman, the 3 for Austin Dillon, and the 27, with the driver rumored to be Brennan Poole, but nothing has been announced. Both Newman and Dillon won races last year.

    Chip Ganassi Racing will feature Kyle Larson in the 42, coming off an excellent season. Jamie McMurray will be back in the No. 1 Chevrolet.

    Ford will field one more competitive car in 2018. Team Penske has expanded to three cars with Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 and Joey Logano in the No.22 Fords. Ryan Blaney, who earned his first victory in 2017 with the Wood Brothers will pilot the No. 12 Ford. The team’s alliance with the Wood Brothers continues with Paul Menard taking over the driving chores. Penske bought a charter for the No. 12 from Roush Fenway Racing, meaning the No. 16 is not coming back. The Charter was leased to the No. 37 JTG Daugherty team last year.

    Roush Fenway will see their improved team have the same driver lineup. Trevor Bayne in the No. 6 and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the No. 17. Stenhouse won two restrictor plate races in 2017 and Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.

    Stewart-Haas Racing will see it’s lineup jumbled somewhat. The Ford team will have Aric Almirola move over from the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 and drive the No. 10, formerly driven by Danica Patrick. Otherwise, things stay the same with 2017 Final Four driver Kevin Harvick in the No.4, Clint Bowyer in the 14, and Kurt Busch in the 41.

    Toyota saw its field go down a car this year. The Joe Gibbs Racing stable will have the 11 with Denny Hamlin, the 19 with Daniel Suarez, the 18 with Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones, who raced for Furniture Row Racing in 2017 in the No. 20. Much like Team Penske does with the Wood Brothers, Furniture Row and 2017 champ Martin Truex, Jr. will field the 78 Toyota. Furniture Row did not have sponsorship for the No. 77 car, so Toyota’s stable goes from six to five for 2018

    These are the teams that I predict will land in victory lane in 2018. Oh, we may get a surprise winner, but these 24 teams will battle race in and race out for the checkers. We will know more in a couple of weeks when the teams meet with the media in Charlotte, but this how I see it now. A big hole was left in the sport with the retirements of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Danica Patrick and Matt Kenseth at the end of the year. How many will stay away from the sport because these drivers are not in the lineup? Time will tell.

  • Early Wreck at Phoenix Finishes Poole’s Playoff Run

    Early Wreck at Phoenix Finishes Poole’s Playoff Run

    Brennan Poole’s run at a championship in the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series season ended in the garage after slamming the wall twice in the Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix Raceway.

    Poole attempted to drive under the lapped car of Caesar Bacarella entering Turn 1 on Lap 23. Sandwiched between Cole Custer and Poole, and not knowing Poole was passing him, Bacarella turned down into the side of Poole.

    The contact cut Poole’s right-front tire and he veered hard into the outside wall.

    “I saw the 8 car go in, and we were going to kind of go to the top to go around him, and he slid up….I didn’t know really what was going to happen there,” Poole said. “So I tried to go underneath him, and we made a little contact and cut the right-front tire down. Bad luck, bad circumstances. I guess I could’ve been a little bit more cautious there. But we were just trying to get up there and get stage points and keep moving forward. Our car was actually pretty good. It’s just a bummer. I don’t know what else to say. Sometimes, lapped cars are in your way. You got to navigate around them and we just didn’t make that happen.”

    Poole’s team fixed up the car enough to send him back out just before time expired on the five-minute repair clock, but he slammed the wall exiting Turn 4, took his car to the garage and retired from the race with a 38th-place finish.

    “You’re just trying to salvage everything that you can, try to hope for the best,” Poole added. “It just cut the right-front tire down again. We put another tire on it and went into the wall again. Our car is pretty torn up and ended our championship hopes.”

    He leaves Phoenix sixth in points.

  • NASCAR BTS: Venturini Racing Pays It Forward for Kevin Swindell

    NASCAR BTS: Venturini Racing Pays It Forward for Kevin Swindell

    Whether on dirt or asphalt, racers compete with all the hearts on track. But when a fellow racer is injured or in need of help off the track, true racers pay it forward with whatever help is needed.

    This week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes looks at a true racing family, the Venturinis, who are paying it forward by organizing a golf tournament to help Kevin Swindell, who was injured in a heat race qualifying for the Knoxville Nationals back in August.

    Swindell’s car tangled with others, flipped, and landed hard on its wheels leaving the 26 year old racer with serious spinal cord and back injuries, including the lack of mobility below the waist. Swindell has completed several surgeries and a hospital stay and currently continues his rehabilitation on an outpatient basis in the Frazier Rehab Institute in Louisville, KY.

    “We are putting together a fundraising golf tournament to help Kevin,” Billy Venturini said. “We know it is going to be a lengthy process with his rehabilitation. Kevin drove for me and run some races. And there is a friendship there too.”

    “So, we just wanted to try to help out a little bit. I went through a spinal cord injury myself back in 2005 without any paralysis. So, I felt like this was my chance to pay it forward and help him out.”

    “Kevin is in Louisville right now at a spinal cord rehabilitation center and is now in outpatient,” Venturini continued. “They had to get an apartment for him to live up there. His mother and his girlfriend are there helping to take care of him. He also has a young daughter.”

    “So, that’s basically what it is all for. I know he has medical insurance so I don’t know if there will be bills there that are not covered. But I do know that the other expenses in having his family care for him and to live there for four to six months during his rehab. So, that’s what we’re trying to help with, the housing, the missed time from work for the family and to help support his little girl through all this.”

    The golf tournament, dubbed the #BulldogStrong Golf Tournament, is a collaborative effort with the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports (WAM), a nonprofit charity of NASCAR. Given that affiliation, 100% of the proceeds of the golfing event will go directly to help with Swindell’s recovery expenses.

    “We are doing the golf tournament at Rocky River Golf Course, right next to Charlotte Motor Speedway,” Venturini said. “It will be the week of the Charlotte race on October 6th.”

    “We did a couple of different sponsorship deals, with a Presenting Sponsor which is Toyota. There were two Gold level sponsors,  Curb and Allegiant, and Hoosier did the Silver level. We have hole sponsorships and I think we have sold out on those sponsorships.

    “So, we sold all the holes, all the major sponsorship packages, the longest drives and closest to the pins, all to raise money for this deal.”

    Not only have the sponsors turned out to pay it forward for Swindell but his fellow racers and those in the industry have done so as well.

    “We were planning for 128 golfers, which was the max the golf course said they could host because of the number of golf carts,” Venturini said. “But I have a friend who donated more carts so we can be at 144, which is the max for an 18 hole golf course.  So, they will start two four-somes on each hole.  We actually have had to close registration and have a waiting list to play golf.”

    “I would say that 98% of those involved are in the racing world.  There are a handful of different drivers coming out, like Kyle Larson, Erik Jones, Ross Kenseth, Brennan Poole, Justin Boston, and Matt DiBenedetto.”

    Venturini also credits his girlfriend for coming up with the gold tournament idea. After that, he said it was an ‘easy sell’ to the racing community to pull it all together.

    “I also have to give a ton of credit to my girlfriend,” Venturini said. “We were playing golf right after it happened. I was texting Kevin during that round of golf and I was like ‘Damn, I feel bad about his mother and his girlfriend and his little girl. They are all working so hard to do this deal for him.’

    My girlfriend said that we should do something and she was right. So, she suggested a golf tournament and she has helped so much with all of the logistics. I have the ties to the people, so that’s what I handled.”

    “When I talked to people, they all said that they wanted to help but just didn’t know how to go about it. So, I just basically give everyone a platform for something they already wanted to do. Because all these people, everyone wanted to help.”

    Venturini acknowledged that while there is competition for rides and on the track, Kevin is one of those special racers that everyone rallies around.

    “Kevin kind of falls into a rare category, which is that he is a true racer,” Venturini said. “We’ve come from a family of racers and we’ve done this our whole lives. And in all honesty, we’re in that community. There are a lot of racers that you see running that aren’t ‘true’ racers. Those that have grown up in it and have been saturated in it are part of the community. And Kevin is part of that fraternity.”

    “So, when I called on all these people, it was a really easy sell to get all these people to come out and do this and give. Racers don’t call on racers unless it is a needed situation.”

    And while the golf tournament is all about raising the dollars needed, Venturini also feels that it is a show of support that is much needed as Swindell goes through the long road of recovery.

    “I know this is so important to him,” Venturini said. “This support is helping him a ton. He is making good strides and there is a good chance that this will work out favorably for him. But it will be a long road ahead. And we racers have to stick together and keep paying it forward.”

    “It was ten years ago when I got hurt. I wasn’t lucky I broke my neck and had a spinal cord injury but I walked out of the hospital. I had six months of rehabilitation but that was nothing.”

    “Kevin’s going to have a tougher road than I had. I wasn’t looking to pay it forward but when it happened, I knew that was what I needed to do and what we all needed to do.”

    “We’ll be able to give Kevin a nice size check when this is all over.”

    For more information on the #BulldogStrong Golf Tournament Benefitting Injured Driver Kevin Swindell, visit www.KevinSwindellGolfTournament.com and @GolfForSwindell on Twitter.

  • Chad Hackenbracht First Time ARCA Series Winner At Pocono

    Chad Hackenbracht First Time ARCA Series Winner At Pocono

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”184″][/media-credit]Chad Hackenbracht, driver of the No. 58 CGH Motorsports Chevrolet, became the second first time winner of the day at Pocono Raceway, scoring his first ever ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards win.

    Hackenbracht used some ‘Tricky Triangle’ strategy to claim victory in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125, his first win in 42 career starts.

    “I’m not sure what to think,” Hackenbracht said. “My parents weren’t able to make it to this race so I’m not sure if we’ll let them come to any others.”

    “Those last ten laps, I was just waiting for the caution,” Hackenbracht continued. “But finally it all played to our advantage and we finally got the monkey off our backs.”

    “I can’t thank everybody enough.”

    Brennan Poole, pole sitter and driver of the No. 25 Cometic Gasket/Midas-Venturini Motorsports Toyota, was runner up to Hackenbracht.

    “Well, we just couldn’t take a chance in pitting that early and not being able to run all 50 laps,” Poole said. “We didn’t have a caution at the end and Chad’s strategy paid off for him.”

    “We were close, but came up a little short on fuel strategy.”

    Poole did, however, secure the points lead and is ahead of the field by 15 points. And he is looking forward to the rest of the season, at tracks where he has been good before.

    “We’re going to a few great tracks for me so I’m looking forward to that,” Poole said. “I just have great people around me.”

    “The Venturini Motorsports is a family and it’s a blessing to be able to work with them,” Poole continued. “I’ve had some of the most fun racing than I ever have this year.”

    Alex Bowman, behind the wheel of the No. 22 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Dodge, came in third.

    “It’s definitely frustrating with as good as we were in practice,” Bowman said. “We just came up a little bit short.”

    “We got tight and fell back to 3rd or 4th,” Bowman continued. “We made up ground on the green flag pit stop but got beat on strategy.”

    Frank Kimmel, driving the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Toyota, finished fourth and fifth place went to Chris Buescher in the No. 17 Reliance Tool-BeavEx Ford.

     

  • Brennan Poole To Run Daytona ARCA Race for Venturini Motorsports

    Brennan Poole To Run Daytona ARCA Race for Venturini Motorsports

    After winning in his ARCA debut last year at Salem Speedway, Brennan Poole enters the 2012 season looking to have even more success. The 2011 UARA-STARS National Champion will be driving the No. 25 Adcetera-Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet in the ARCA Racing Series’ season-opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

    “We’ve had a lot of success at every step, but to race for a storied team like Venturini Motorsports, especially at Daytona, certainly is the highlight,” the 20-year-old said. “The Venturinis have high standards and very high expectations every time they go to Daytona. It’s my job not to let them down.”

    In four ARCA starts with Venturini Motorsports, the Woodlands, Texas native won a race and captured the Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell at Pocono Raceway.

    “Brennan has been impressive every time he’s been in the seat for VMS,” Billy Venturini said. “He tested well in December and has been preparing for this race the entire offseason. I think he’s got a great shot, and we expect him to shine at Daytona.”

    Venturini will also serve as the crew chief for the team’s flagship entry as the No. 25 holds a key history note with the Venturini Motorsports team. The car will also be paitned in the same color scheme – red and blue – originally used by Billy Venturini during his 10-year driving career.

    Practice for the season-opening race starts on Thursday, February 16, while Menards Pole Qualifying is Friday, February 17, at 2 p.m. The race, scheduled to be televised live by SPEED, is Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

  • Ryan Reed and Venturini Motorsports Lead Day 1 of ARCA Testing at Daytona

    Ryan Reed and Venturini Motorsports Lead Day 1 of ARCA Testing at Daytona

    Testing has officially begun for the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season as they began their three-day test at Daytona International Speedway on December 16th. As prior to years before, ARCA has hosted a three day test to allow teams to prepare for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 next February.

    Also as usual, Venturini Motorsports was strong with Ryan Reed topping the charts with a best lap of 48.857 seconds in the after session. Reed was followed by his four teammtes Brennan Poole, John Stancill and Mark Thompson.

    Reed announced just last week that he had partnered up with Venturini Motorsports for a part-time schedule in 2012. The 18-year-old from Bakersfield, California raced a variety of cars last year, including the Pro Allstars Series, NASCAR Whelen All American and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

    Venturini Motorsports is known for being strong in Daytona qualifying as they won the pole last year and a total of seven Menards Pole Awards over the course of 2011.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year Joey Coulter rounded out the top five, followed by Chris Windom, Nelson Canache, Sloan Henderson, Damon Lusk and T.J. Duke. Seven-time Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart in 12th.

    In the morning sesson, it was Venturini driver Brennan Poole topping the charts with a lap of 48.915 seconds, over teammates Stancill and Thompson. Poole made his first start for the Venturini’s last year and scored his first win at Salem in May.

    T.J. Duke, driving for Coulter Motorsports, was fourth with Reed fifth. Rick Clifton, Coulter, Chad Hackenbracht, McReynolds, and Gerhart filled out the top 10.

    Testing will continue tomorrow with two sessions, from 9am-noon and 1-5pm. ARCARacing.com will feature lie timing and scoring on their site.

     

    DAYTONA INT’L SPEEDWAY TEST – FRIDAY AM – 12/16/11  
               
      CAR # DRIVER MFG TIME SPEED
    1 25 Brennan Poole Chevy 48.915 183.993
    2 55 John Stancill Toyota 48.921 183.970
    3 66 Mark Thompson Toyota 48.931 183.932
    4 61 TJ Duke Chevy 49.193 182.953
    5 15 Ryan Reed Toyota 49.328 182.452
    6 11b Rick Clifton Chevy 49.340 182.408
    7 61 Joey Coulter Chevy 49.424 182.098
    8 58 Chad Hackenbracht Chevy 49.552 181.627
    9 4 Brandon McReynolds Chevy 49.553 181.624
    10 5a Bobby Gerhart Chevy 49.663 181.221
    11 94 Steve Blackburn Dodge 49.790 180.759
    12 1 Alli Owens Ford 49.813 180.676
    13 16 Matt Lofton Chevy 49.820 180.650
    14 12 Jared Marks Dodge 49.879 180.437
    15 99 Buster Graham Ford 49.939 180.220
    16 5b Damon Lusk Chevy 50.029 179.896
    17 82 Sean Corr Ford 50.094 179.662
    18 63 Milka Duno Toyota 50.161 179.422
    19 32 Chris Windom Toyota 50.205 179.265
    20 10b Ryan Glenski Chevy 50.223 179.201
    21 90a Grant Enfinger Ford 50.258 179.076
    22 69 Chris Brown Ford 50.281 178.994
    23 17 Chris Buescher Ford 50.296 178.941
    24 6 Cale Gale Chevy 50.306 178.905
    25 90 Zachary Ralston Ford 50.350 178.749
    26 68 Will Kimmel Ford 50.382 178.635
    27 75a Benny Chastain Chevy 50.461 178.356
    28 14 John Ferrier Ford 50.563 177.996
    29 18 Michael Affarano Chevy 50.592 177.894
    30 35 Nelson Canache Chevy 50.648 177.697
    31 11a Ed Pompa Chevy 50.650 177.690
    32 11 Paul Harraka Chevy 50.798 177.172
    33 08 Ross Chastain Ford 50.840 177.026
    34 13 George Cushman Ford 50.928 176.720
    35 51 Drew Charlson Chevy 50.956 176.623
    36 04c Danny Esposito Dodge 51.089 176.163
    37 04b Nick Tucker Dodge 51.405 175.080
    38 40b Roger Carter Dodge 51.827 173.655
    39 40 Michael Bockler Dodge 51.990 173.110
    40 05a Derrike Cope Chevy 53.027 169.725

     

    DAYTONA INT’L SPEEDWAY TEST – FRIDAY PM – 12/16/11  
               
      CAR # DRIVER MFG TIME SPEED
    1 15 Ryan Reed Toyota 48.857 184.211
    2 25 Brennan Poole Chevy 48.862 184.192
    3 55 John Stancill Toyota 48.943 183.887
    4 66 Mark Thompson Toyota 49.347 182.382
    5 61 Joey Coulter Chevy 49.350 182.371
    6 32 Chris Windom Toyota 49.360 182.334
    7 35 Nelson Canache Chevy 49.439 182.043
    8 29b Sloan Henderson Dodge 49.461 181.962
    9 5b Damon Lusk Chevy 49.469 181.932
    10 61a TJ Duke Chevy 49.471 181.925
    11 82a Sean Corr Ford 49.475 181.910
    12 5a Bobby Gerhart Chevy 49.502 181.811
    13 99 Buster Graham Ford 49.637 181.316
    14 4 Brandon McReynolds Chevy 49.648 181.276
    15 14 John Ferrier Ford 49.666 181.210
    16 94 Steve Blackburn Dodge 49.717 181.025
    17 16 Matt Lofton Chevy 49.725 180.995
    18 00 Ed Kennedy Chevy 49.761 180.865
    19 12 Jared Marks Dodge 49.772 180.825
    20 63 Milka Duno Toyota 49.787 180.770
    21 58 Chad Hackenbracht Chevy 49.845 180.560
    22 69a Fain Skinner Ford 49.862 180.498
    23 1 Alli Owens Ford 49.905 180.343
    24 68 Will Kimmel Ford 50.016 179.942
    25 6 Cale Gale Chevy 50.034 179.878
    26 17a Chris Buescher Ford 50.035 179.874
    27 90 Zachary Ralston Ford 50.114 179.591
    28 08 Ross Chastain Ford 50.131 179.530
    29 69 Chris Brown Ford 50.133 179.522
    30 00a Ed Kennedy Chevy 50.176 179.369
    31 18 Michael Affarano Chevy 50.207 179.258
    32 5 Bobby Gerhart Chevy 50.262 179.062
    33 75 Ginny Quinones Chevy 50.278 179.005
    34 11 Paul Harraka Chevy 50.403 178.561
    35 82 Sean Corr Ford 50.483 178.278
    36 11a Ed Pompa Chevy 50.579 177.939
    37 11b Rick Clifton Chevy 50.581 177.932
    38 11c Trevor Edwards Chevy 50.681 177.581
    39 04 Scott Edwards Dodge 50.695 177.532
    40 17 Chris Buescher Ford 50.708 177.487
    41 51 Drew Charlson Chevy 50.744 177.361
    42 75a Benny Chastain Chevy 50.787 177.211
    43 05 Spencer Gallagher Chevy 50.903 176.807
    44 13 George Cushman Dodge 50.976 176.554
    45 04a Juan Carlos Blum Dodge 51.029 176.370
    46 11d Bill Coffey Ford 51.162 175.912
    47 06 Ricky Byers Chevy 51.173 175.874
    48 10b Daryl Eustice Ford 51.277 175.517
    49 10 Ryan Glennski Ford 51.417 175.039
    50 40d Larry Barford Dodge 51.511 174.720
    51 04d Josh Watkins Dodge 51.674 174.169
    52 05a Derrike Cope Chevy 52.067 172.854
    53 7 Brent Cross Chevy 52.376 171.834