The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs begin this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. One driver is looking to put the past weekend behind him and start his run toward a third championship. That driver is two-time champion, Matt Crafton. With winning championships back-to-back in 2013-2014, experience plays a huge role in trying to win another championship, but Crafton knows there’s an equal amount of pressure.
“Tremendous amount,” Crafton said. “Going into the Playoffs and even my second championship – just the pressure that you had. I know that Johnny (Sauter) I’m sure last year, you had the pressure – you know what could go wrong. There’s so much pressure on you when you get to the second one, it was just if it happens, it happens. You’re definitely nervous, but that first one’s very nerve-racking just because you think of any gremlin that can go wrong. I just remember like the last race all I had to do was start the race. I just remember being nervous as the thing got started. I’m really looking forward to – hopefully, we got all of our gremlins out of the way so far.”
In order to move on throughout the playoffs, Crafton cannot afford finishes like 16th, 25th and 19th. He’ll need to have strong top five runs and possibly some wins. Even the two-time champion agrees that those finishes won’t cut it and finishing well is big in the first round, but no need to worry about being eliminated just yet.
“No, I think you just run in the top-five, top-three and you get yourself out of the first elimination round,” Crafton said. “Then the next one I feel that you’re going to be stacked up against ones that are probably a little faster so you might have to win there. I don’t think you’re going to hit the panic button yet.”
In the first round from last year, the 41-year-old finished third, eighth and 22nd at Loudon, Las Vegas and Talladega respectively. After that, Crafton finished 17th at Martinsville, second at Texas, third at Phoenix. Despite the 22nd place at Talladega and a 17th place finish at Martinsville, Crafton still earned himself a final four spot at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he eventually finished seventh and wound up four points behind 2016 champion Johnny Sauter. Whatever you do, don’t count out Crafton just yet.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continues the on-track action this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Not only do they continue the on-track action, but the Round of 8 begins and it starts the championship run to Homestead-Miami Speedway. Here’s a look at who will be hot this weekend in Loudon.
Loudon is an interesting place for the Camping World Truck Series. The series raced there consecutively from 1996-2011. However, the series recently made its return to the track in 2014. Here’s a look at who’s hot at New Hampshire.
There are currently 30 drivers on the preliminary entry list.
Since its return in 2014, there have been three different winners in the past three races. Only a few drivers have experience here, while there will be rookies making their first start.
Johnny Sauter – Sauter is carrying momentum after his win last week at Chicago. In the past three races, he has two top fives and three top 10 finishes, with an average finish of 5.7. With the momentum, it won’t be surprising if Sauter ends up winning at New Hampshire. Sauter is also hungry as he does not have a win at this track. Look for him to be a contender on Saturday afternoon.
Christopher Bell – In one start at New Hampshire, which came last year, Bell finished a solid second. During that race, he even led 11 laps in his track debut.
Matt Crafton – Crafton will look to put his dismal Chicagoland weekend behind him and it could happen this weekend at New Hampshire. In the past three races, Crafton finished third, second and third, respectively. Not to mention, he leads all active drivers with three top fives and top 10 finishes, and an average finish of 2.7.
John Hunter Nemechek – If there is a track similar to New Hampshire, it’s Gateway Motorsports Park. Gateway was the site of his first win of the season. Nemechek may be the fourth best driver to compete this weekend. He has two top fives and three top 10 finishes, with an average finish of 6.3. New Hampshire just might be the place where Nemechek could once again set the Truck Series on fire.
Kaz Grala – Grala has one start in the Truck Series at New Hampshire. In the 2016 race, he finished seventh. Something Grala once again has to do this weekend.
On track action begins Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET with first practice and final practice taking place at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Qualifying is slated for Saturday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET and the green flag is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, all on FS1 and MRN Radio.
The final regular season race took place last Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and set the final playoff point standings. Here’s a look at who thrived in Chicago.
Johnny Sauter – Sauter seemed to have found his rhythm back after having several weeks of disappointment and losing his championship lead in the summer months. This past Friday night, he changed that as he won for the first time since Dover International Speedway. Sauter finished second and fourth, respectively, in both stages and didn’t take the lead until 27 laps to go. He might be heating up at the right time as he cut the Christopher Bell’s point lead down to 15.
Christopher Bell – In the past three races, Bell has been up and down, and it has shown that in the points differential. At Bristol, Candian Tire Motorsports Park and Chicagoland, Bell finished seventh, 26th and third, respectively. This past Friday night, he finished eighth in Stage 1 and won the second stage. But at Bristol, Bell had a 42 point lead over Sauter, however, due to the engine failure at Canada and Sauter’s win on Friday night, the points lead was cut down to 15. Bell did lead 18 laps but needs to have his momentum back that he had during the summer months. Still no doubt, he will be a strong championship challenger throughout the playoffs, but he needs no mistakes.
Chase Briscoe – Briscoe had a strong night at Chicago. Throughout the race, he led twice for 18 laps and finished in the top 10 in both stages. He’ll need to keep up the momentum and perhaps win a race if he wants to be in the final four at Homestead. Nonetheless, another solid run for the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing Cooper Standard Ford.
Ryan Truex – The other Truex is maybe showing shades of his older brother Martin, here lately, in the Camping World Truck Series. In the past two races, he has won at least one stage. In Canada, it was the second stage and he wound up finishing fifth, while this past weekend in Chicago, Truex won the first stage and finished fourth. Unfortunately, Truex missed the 2017 playoffs by a tie-breaker.
Grant Enfinger – Enfinger had a quiet but decent night at Chicago. The 32-year-old scored his seventh top five of the year but missed the playoffs by not having enough points/wins. Not finishing in the top 10 in any stages hurt Enfinger’s chances of making the playoffs. The only task Enfinger can do now is finish the year out strong by winning a couple of races and look forward to the 2018 NASCAR season.Next up: The “Round of 8” begins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this Saturday. Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt Crafton, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Ben Rhodes and Kaz Grala will be competing for the championship. It will be interesting to see how these eight drivers will compete throughout the playoffs. These drivers cannot afford any mistakes if they want to have any chance making it to the final four.
NASCAR heads to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend as the Monster Energy Cup Series Playoffs begin with the Round of 16. For the XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series, it’s the last race of the regular season. The Truck Series Chicagoland 225 kicks off the competition Friday evening on FSl. On Saturday afternoon the XFINITY Series hits the track for the Chicagoland 300 and the Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400 closes out the activities at 3 p.m. Sunday on NBCSN.
Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.
Thursday, September 14
On Track:
3:30-4:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Practice (Follow live)
6:30-7:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice (Follow live)
Friday, September 15
On Track:
12:30-1:55 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
2-2:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
4-4:50 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
5:05 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
6:45 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Chicagoland 225 (150 laps, 225 miles) – FS1
Garage Cam: (Watch live) 12 p.m.: Cup Series
1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series
Press Conferences: (Watch live) 11:30 a.m.: Jennifer Jo Cobb, Matt DiBenedetto, Jeffrey Earnhardt, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt Tifft and Darrell Wallace Jr.
12 p.m.: Michael Annett, Dakoda Armstrong and Brendan Gaughan
6 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 7:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying
11 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race
Saturday, September 16
On Track:
11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – CNBC (Canada: TSN GO)
12:35 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
2-2:50 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN (Canada: TSN 5)
3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Chicagoland 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN (Canada: TSN 5)
Press Conference: (Watch live) 6 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series race
Sunday, September 17
On Track:
3 p.m.: Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBCSN (Canada: TSN 4)
Press Conference: (Watch live) 6 p.m. Post-Cup Series Race
Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.
Race Details:
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race: TheHouse.com 225 Rlace: Chicagoland Speedway Date: Friday, Sept. 15 Time: 8:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 225 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 150)
NASCAR XFINITY Series Race: TheHouse.com 300 Place: Chicagoland Speedway Date: Saturday, Sept. 16 Time: 3:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race: Tales of the Turtles 400 Place: Chicagoland Speedway Date: Sunday, Sept. 17 Time: 3 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on lap 267)
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway this week for the final race of the regular season. On the entry list, there are currently 32 Trucks entered for the TheHouse.com 225.
Kyle Busch has won in 2016, 2014 and 2013. However, due to the NASCAR rule not letting drivers race in the XFINITY/Trucks playoffs, Busch, among other cup drivers are not allowed to race in other series, if they have five or more years of experience. Therefore, we can expect a new winner in 2017.
John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek can end the regular season on a high note with a win. In 2015, he won the race after leading just two laps of the scheduled 147. Sure, Nemechek only has two starts at Chicago, but he has an average finish of 7.5.
Johnny Sauter – If Sauter wants to keep rebounding and possibly get a win, Chicago might just be the place. He has four top fives and six top 10s. Sauter finished fifth in last year’s race. He might just get a win this Friday night.
Matt Crafton – Crafton, just like Sauter, has competed in all eight races at Chicago, however, he’ll have to step up his average finish. In eight starts, Crafton has three top fives and five top 10 finishes, with an average finish of 9.9, but one DNF which came in the 2016 race. Crafton could erase last year’s disappointing finish by winning and start the playoffs on a high note.
Christopher Bell – It would be a mistake to count Bell out of competing for a win. In his only start which came in 2016, he started 12th and finished fourth. Bell is also hungry for a win as he hasn’t won since over a month ago at Kentucky. Watch for Bell to be a strong contender Friday night.
Austin Cindric – Cindric is coming off a momentum win at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park from Labor Day weekend. He may be peaking at just the right time before the playoffs start. Two practices are scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The first practice takes place at 3:30 p.m. ET with the final practice at 6:30 p.m. ET.Qualifying is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 5:05 p.m. ET on FS1.The race is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1 and MRN Radio.
It’s really not that difficult to organize a race series. But turning down money? Now that’s tough.
The easy way to run a series is to have an official provider for everything from tires to body kits to engines. Mandatory components (“spec” parts) are frequently offered as a fix-all solution though, in reality, costs are rarely contained.
Remember, everyone at every step along the way has to make money. The series, the parts manufacturers, the distributors and on and on. Everyone gets a piece of the action and team owners are stuck with the ever-spiraling bills. The usual result is just what we see in the Indy Lights Series and Indycar… higher costs and lower car count.
All of this is a result of wrong thinking. The job of a race series is not to put a limit on how much money teams can spend. The job of a race series is to make sure that spending money doesn’t help.
NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series is in trouble because competitive engine packages are too expensive. Teams are losing money and closing up shop. NASCAR’s response is to consider a spec engine. Wrong thinking.
Take away their tires and everything else becomes elementary. NASCAR tires are enormously wide and offer a broad, sticky contact patch with the asphalt. The trucks reach tremendous speeds before they begin to lose adhesion and when they do, the drift is slight and nearly imperceptible to the average race fan. The racing isn’t that good. The tires are just too wide.
If NASCAR trucks adopted a narrow, hard compound tire, the importance of horsepower would diminish considerably. Speeds would drop. The trucks would visibly slide on the race track and the average race fan could see and appreciate the skill of the drivers.
Teams who spend fantastic sums on engine power would find themselves gaining little, if any, real advantage because, without big, wide tires, it would be impossible to utilize all that engine power. The limiting factor in a truck’s speed would no longer be the engine; it would be the tires.
The series should concern itself with reducing mechanical grip and to a lesser extent, aerodynamic grip. When the trucks begin to slide, the real racing begins and the unbridled supremacy of overpriced engines quickly fades.
The job of the series isn’t to limit horsepower or spending. NASCAR’s job is to limit the amount of horsepower that can be used in a race by eliminating traction. When that is achieved, the enormous horsepower and massive engine budgets will collapse of their own weight and teams will begin considering the Camping World Truck Series as a viable alternative again.
Stephen Cox
Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions
Driver, Super Cup Stock Car Series and Electric GT Championship
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series went north of the border for an action packed Chevrolet Silverado 250. One driver who was on the outside looking in was able to lock himself into the playoffs after a wild last lap. Here are this week’s power rankings.
Austin Cindric – Cindric had been a strong contender all year long. Before Canada, he had four top fives and nine top 10 finishes. But one thing was missing and that was a win to lock himself into the championship hunt. On Saturday afternoon, the 19-year-old sat on the pole for the first time in his career. All he needed to do was back that up in Sunday’s race. Cindic dominated in Stage 1 by leading most of the laps and ended up winning. He didn’t finish in the top 10 at all during Stage 2, due to some varying pit strategy. He closed in on race leader, Kaz Grala who already had a win at Daytona earlier this year in the late laps. On the last lap, Cindric gave Grala a controversial bump and therefore winning his first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
Kaz Grala – Grala was oh so close to securing a second win of the 2017 season. He hasn’t won since the first race of the season at Daytona and since the midseason point, he’s been somewhat struggling. In Stage 1, Grala kept close to Cindric’s bumper but never could pass for the lead, therefore, finishing second in the first stage. During varying pit strategies, he was able to take the lead on lap 45 and lead for 19 laps until the last one, where he was bumped by second-place Cindric. Grala didn’t lose too many spots though as he finished a disappointing third.
Noah Gragson – Gragson was another one of those bubble playoffs drivers who needed to win. Late in the race, he made a daring four wide move to up to third. Gragson stayed close behind the leaders and was able to make a pass on third. After Grala was bumped, he finished behind race winner, Austin Cindric. This was Gragson’s best finish of his career. However, it wasn’t enough for him to move up in the points, as he will have one more chance at Chicagoland to secure his playoff spot for the playoffs.
Justin Haley – Haley had a quiet but strong day at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He finished fifth in Stage 1, but like others due to pit strategy late in the going, Haley wasn’t in the top 10 at the conclusion of Stage 2. He rebounded though and finished fourth. He’ll most likely have to win at Chicagoland to have any chance for the 2017 championship.
Ryan Truex – Like Haley, Truex had a decent outcome at Canada. He finished seventh in Stage 1 and won the second stage after staying out, while others pitted. After stops, Truex stayed inside the top five for the remainder of the race and finished fifth. Truex has the best chance of making it into the playoffs based on points.
Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes another week off before heading to Chicago Motor Speedway Friday night September 15.
DARLINGTON, S.C. — The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Darlington Raceway as the Camping World Truck Series travels to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Darlington will close out the “The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR” with The Bojangles’ Southern 500 Sunday at 6 p.m.
There are 40 drivers on the entry list for the Southern 500 battling for a berth in the Cup Series playoffs as the regular season winds down with only two more chances to secure a spot. Tune into NBCSN for coverage of the Cup and XFINITY Series events while FS1 will televise the Truck Series race.
Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.
Friday, September 1
On Track-Darlington:
12-12:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN
1-1:55 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – NBCSN
2:30-3:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN
3:30-4:55 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN
Press Conferences: (Watch live)
10:15 a.m.: Jeremy Clements
10:30 a.m.: Elliott Sadler
11:45 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
12 p.m.: Chase Elliott
12:15 p.m.: Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin
2:45 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
5:20 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Garage Cam: (Watch live)
11:30 a.m.: XFINITY Series
12:30 p.m.: Cup Series
Saturday, September 2
On Track-Darlington:
12:05 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
1:45 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (147 laps, 200.8 miles) – NBCSN
Press Conferences: (Watch live)
2:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying
6 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series Race
On Track-Canadian Tire:
9:30 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Practice (Watch live)
11:35 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice (Watch live)
5:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS2
Sunday, September 3
On Track-Canadian Tire:
2 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (64 laps, 157.37 miles) – FS1
On Track-Darlington:
6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 (367 laps, 501.3 miles) – NBCSN
Press Conference: (Watch live)
2 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Darrell Waltrip
3 p.m.: Bill Elliott
10:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race
Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.
Race Details:
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Race: Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 Place: Darlington Raceway Date: Saturday, Sept. 2 Time: 3:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 200.8 miles (147 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 147)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race: Chevrolet Silverado 250 Place: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Date: Sunday, Sept. 3 Time: 2:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 157.37 miles (64 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 20), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on lap 64
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Race: Bojangles’ Southern 500 Place: Darlington Raceway Date: Sunday, Sept. 3 Time: 6 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 5:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 501.3 miles (367 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 100), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 200), Final Stage (Ends on lap 367)
The Johnsonville 180 at Road America will go down as the best XFINITY Series race of 2017, if not one of the best races of the NASCAR season, period. There was plenty of on-track action, drama, spinouts, a first-time winner, and nine of the top-15 drivers scoring their season-best finishes.
One thing that was noticeably absent on a day that saw Jeremy Clements drive a nine-year-old chassis to Victory Lane were Monster Energy Cup drivers, a group that has won more races in the XFINITY Series in 2017 than XFINITY Series regulars. For that matter, it was a rare setting Sunday in which the field actually consisted more of XFINITY teams than Cup teams.
NASCAR has taken steps to try to remedy this situation for the regulars by limiting the number of XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series races in which Cup drivers can compete. For the 2018 NASCAR season, that number looks to go even lower, a move which frustrated some of the Cup contingent who regularly compete in those divisions such as Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.
Early in August Harvick spoke on the matter on his SiriusXM NASCAR show Happy Hours.
“Just let them race,” he said. “Who cares? Why not just let them race. I don’t understand it. That’s what we do. We race cars, we race trucks, we race late models. That’s what we did all our life, we raced. I don’t know why all of a sudden it’s become a problem.’’
Harvick’s argument centered around the idea that up-and-coming drivers could learn a lot from the Cup drivers moonlighting in the lower divisions. This is an age-old argument used since the early days of “Buschwhacking,” when the series was the Busch Grand National Series, but it’s also an idea that some of the lower division regulars have taken issue with.
“The way you make it to the bigs in every other sport is to consistently beat everyone else at lower levels,” explained Tommy Joe Martins, Owner/Driver of the No. 44 Martins Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry. “Cup drivers aren’t helping XFINITY/Truck Series drivers develop. At all. They’re hurting them. They’re taking the spotlight off of them in a sport where your ability to compete comes down to your ability to draw fans and sponsors to you.”
XFINITY Series regular Joey Gase, driver of the No. 52 Jimmy Means Racing entry, is a little more generous regarding learning from the Cup drivers in the lower divisions.
“We do learn from the Cup drivers when they come down and do the lower series,” Gase said, “although, the drivers that are in equal equipment will learn more from them than the drivers who are not. I think NASCAR limiting [Cup drivers] to seven races is good because that will still mean there is at least one cup driver in majority of the races.”
However, there are drivers like Truck Series competitor John Hunter Nemechek who do believe in the education value of racing against Cup drivers in the lower divisions.
Photo by: Simon Scoggins
“Any time you’re able to race against the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup guys, or even the XFINITY Series guys, they can help you as a driver learning how to race, some of their techniques, what they’re doing better than you, where they’re faster,” said Nemechek. “It definitely helps you overall to be able to race against them and beat them and kind of show your talent.”
“I definitely think that racing against them every time that you’re on the track, whether it’s practice, qualifying, or the race, you’re always learning and as a driver you want to learn as much as you can to be able to beat them one day.”
Cup drivers racing in the lower series isn’t a new dilemma that the sport is facing, and granted, it does have its merits for Cup drivers looking for an edge on the weekend. Dale Earnhardt Sr. made 136 starts in the XFINITY Series between 1982 and 1994, winning 21 times. In that same span of years, Harry Gant made 128 starts and also earned 21 wins. Mark Martin made 25 starts in the NCWTS starts between 1996 and 2011, scoring seven wins.
Although drivers like Busch, Harvick, and Brad Keselowski have all voiced displeasure at being limited in the lower divisions, XFINITY and Truck Series regulars do seem to be happy with the new rule.
“The way I look at it is, of course, the Cup regulars and drivers that are already in top rides are against it because it will limit them from driving or they are already in top equipment so it doesn’t matter to them,” Gase continued. “If you ask a full-time driver in the XFINITY or Truck Series I’m sure at least 80 percent are happy for the rule. Brad [Keselowski] tweeted he thinks if a Cup driver wants to drive in XFINITY or Truck Series they should be in equipment they own and I love that idea. Brad is all about giving back to the sport and helping up and coming drivers and I think that is awesome. I do think Cup drivers should be able to race in the XFINITY and Truck Series but on a limited basis like we are starting to see now.”
Martins took it one step further saying NASCAR’s theory that letting top tier talent play in the lower division is good for the sport, is, at it’s core, flawed.
“[You’re] never going to hear that in any other sport,” he said. “Then be audacious enough to defend it by saying they just love to play – and then that it’s good for the whole sport for them to be down there? It’s inconceivable to me.”
This isn’t to say that Cup drivers should be banned completely from racing in the lower tier divisions. But their dominance isn’t as beneficial to the XFINITY and NCWTS divisions as one would like to believe. In 2017 only four XFINITY regulars have gone to Victory Lane for a total of six wins in 23 events, while in the Truck Series there has been more parity; five regulars have gone to Victory Lane in 14 events and have won nine times.
What does that tell the other teams looking to grow and earn their place in the sport? What kind of growth does that encourage? NASCAR is a performance-driven sport, where the better a driver is the more guaranteed their growth and longevity is. Yet there are several XFINITY-only and NCWTS-only teams who may have a dream-driver – accessible, charming, a draw for the fans, and extremely talented, only to be hindered by a Cup team stealing the show in a lower-division race.
When NASCAR announced the further limitations to Cup drivers attempting to partake in racing in the lower divisions, Busch was open in his disdain for the new limitations during an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR.
“But if we keep continuing to put the limits on it, I’m going to tell you right now, if the limits to the Truck Series go to zero, I’m done,” Keselowski stated. “So you wouldn’t see Kyle Busch Motorsports teams out on the race track. That’s just the way I’m going to make it and we’ll see how that progresses as the years go along. You know, the XFINITY Series side, I’m sure Joe’s [Gibbs] frustrated. I know I’m frustrated. We’ll just continue to race the races we’re allowed to run with the sponsorship that we have. We got great partners.”
Another popular claim used frequently in this argument is that top-tier drivers like Busch, Harvick, Keselowski, and Larson racing in the lower divisions is that their participation brings funds, sponsorship, and attention to the divisions. However, according to regulars partaking in those divisions, that’s not entirely the case.
“They do bring funds to the top teams that they are racing for but that is not the case for the smaller teams,” said Gase. “A few of the top drivers say if they couldn’t race in the lower series it would risk the [Cup affiliated teams] and they would have to shut down, but I think that would be okay. That would help equal out the rest of the field and would let smaller teams come into the sport and fill in the gaps.”
Nemechek echoed Gase’s sentiments, saying, “I think when the Cup stars come down to run Trucks or XFINITY, it does bring funds and sponsorships, but to their own teams. It doesn’t necessarily help out other teams that they don’t own or drive for. I really don’t see those funds or sponsorships from where I’m in the Truck Series, maybe if I was driving for one of them or their teams you would see those funds trickling down to help out the program, help out the team, just to be able to use more resources and funding to make your equipment better.”
Martins offered a similar, more pointed, take.
“Funds to where?” he asked. “To their teams? That’s not helping Martins Motorsports. That’s not helping me. Their teams making more money isn’t helping the NASCAR economy. If anything it’s hurting it. They use the money to further develop the trucks and drive the price up for other teams in the series.”
Considering that the involvement of Cup drivers in lower divisions piloting Cup-funded equipment affects the respective regulars more than NASCAR realizes, they should take them into account more than anything. If a Cup driver threatens to fold their lower division efforts, the sanctioning body should take into consideration that it won’t mean a loss to the sport.
Instead, all they have to do is just check social media following a race at Iowa, Gateway, Road America, or even Mosport. When a XFINITY or Truck Series event has more regulars than outsiders and has regulars running at the front and winning, it’s a plus for that division. On top of that, it encourages growth in the sport. Any fan or competitor could tell you that that is a good thing.
So the next time a rule change affects lower divisions, instead of leaning on what a Cup regular has to say, what the division regulars have to say may have more gravity in regards to competition.
In one of the most unique/wild card races of the year, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is back in action this weekend in Canada after a week off. With two races remaining until playoffs begin, it’s crunch time for drivers who outside looking in. It’s win or bust at this point for those drivers.
There are currently 33 Trucks entered on the preliminary entry list at a track that’s somewhat relatively new to the series. The first race took place in 2013, with current Monster Energy Cup Series star Chase Elliott winning in a chaotic last lap. Let’s take a look at who might have a chance at the winner circle on Sunday.
In the past four races, there have been four different winners.
John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek is the defending winner of this race. Nemechek led twice last year for 20 laps. In fact, Nemechek has three starts at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. He has one top five and two top 10 finishes. His third win of the season might just come this weekend.
Matt Crafton – Crafton is next up as far as experience goes. He has raced in all four races with his best finish of second in 2015. In other track stats for Crafton, he has two top fives and four top 10 finishes, along with five laps led. If experience means anything, which it does, then expect Crafton to be up front and contending for the win.
Johnny Sauter – Sauter’s season could get back on track at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. He has finished in the top 10 three times, with a best finish of sixth in 2015. Sauter might just chip into Christopher Bell’s points lead with a win at Canada.
Christopher Bell – Bell has some experience at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, both good and bad. Bell competed in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series race earlier this year but did not finish after having brake trouble. However, in last year’s Truck Series race, Bell finished in the fifth position.
Austin Cindric – This track might fit into Cindric’s style. In one start, Cindric finished 23rd after starting second. However, he has competed in three races for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series, with the best finish of fifth at Watkins Glen. The weekend kicks-off Saturday morning with two practice sessions. First practice begins at 9:30 a.m. ET, while the final practice is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. ET. Qualifying also takes place later in the day beginning at 5:45 p.m. ET with coverage on FS2.The Chevrolet Silverado 250 is slated for Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN Radio.
