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  • Four Takeaways: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series-Chicago

    Four Takeaways: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series-Chicago

    Chicagoland Speedway hosted the 12th race of the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season Friday night and saw a familiar winner back in victory lane.

    The Camping World 225 was a relatively quick, and for the most part, a caution free race. The race lasted about one hour and 49 minutes with five cautions for 27 laps. There were three incidents during the race; Jordan Anderson spun off Turn 4, Natalie Decker was nudged by Todd Gilliland off Turn 4 and Austin Wayne Self, Spencer Davis and Grant Enfinger were involved in an accident off Turn 4 as well.

    The percentage under caution and green flag were about equal, with 18 percent run under caution, as race fans saw 20.5 laps under the green flag. There were seven leaders that made 12 lead changes among Austin Hill, Grant Enfinger, Brandon Jones, Camden Murphy, Brett Moffitt, Sheldon Creed and Spencer Boyd.

    Despite those lead changes, Moffitt was able to pick up his second win of the 2019 Truck Series season and the ninth win of his career.

    With that said, here are this week’s Four Takeaways from the Camping World 225.

    1. Moffitt Wins In Unsponsored Truck – Quite possibly one of the more newsworthy items following the race was Moffitt winning in an unsponsored truck at Chicago. It’s the first time this season that Moffitt was not sponsored. While there may or may not be concerns in the GMS Racing camp about sponsorship, Spencer Gallagher noted on Friday night, “the statement is that the winning race truck is available for sponsorship to those organizations that want to be a member of a winning team and a future championship team, I believe.” Hopefully, it’s the only time Moffitt is not sponsored in a race and the team picks up more sponsors for the rest of the season. Nonetheless, it will be an interesting story to follow throughout the season.

    2. Kyle Busch Motorsports Has Solid Outing – KBM was able to place all their trucks in the top-10 in Friday night’s race. Brandon Jones was the highest finisher placing second, Harrison Burton was fourth and Todd Gilliland rounded out the KBM team finishing order in sixth. Jones and Burton were able to place themselves in the top-10 during the stages, while Gilliland did not. However, it was just what Burton and Gilliland needed after facing some criticism this season. Although, both will need a win soon as the Playoffs are on the horizon as Burton sits sixth in the standings while Gilliland is eighth and neither have any wins. They could race their way in on points. However, as it stands right now, Sauter, Hill and Moffitt all have wins, while Enfinger, Friesen, Crafton and Rhodes do not. When the points reset for the Playoffs, Sauter, Hill and Moffitt will be on top of the points standings and everyone else will move down a spot. This will more than likely leave someone that is highly competitive out of the Playoffs.

    3. ThorSport Racing Struggles – While one team enjoyed success, another team struggled to place their trucks in the top-10. After having such a solid season early on and leading up to Chicago’s race Friday night, it was a forgettable night for the Sandusky, Ohio based team. The night went from bad to worse when Ben Rhodes, who qualified 17th, blew up on the first lap of the race before getting into the turn. Due to the engine issue, Rhodes wound up with a last-place finish. It was the first last-place finish of his career for the Louisville, Kentucky native. More issues arose for his teammate Johnny Sauter. Sauter began experiencing the same thing in both of the stages. The No. 13 team believed it was a spark plug wire issue but never could figure out the exact cause. This left Sauter with a disappointing 18th place finish after qualifying second. For Enfinger, it looked like he was going to earn his first race win of the season. He qualified fifth, finished second in Stage 1 after getting passed on the last lap and won the second stage. The Alabama native led 49 laps only to finish 16th. Matt Crafton was the only ThorSport driver in the top-10 finishing eighth. It was a forgettable night for ThorSport Racing who will probably use the off week to reset and start fresh again.

    4. Off Week – After completing 12 races of the 2019 Truck Series season, the regulars will be taking a week off. Many drivers will probably be celebrating the Fourth of July holiday, while others will use it as a reset before heading to Kentucky next week. Believe it or not, there are only five races left until the Playoffs. Those five tracks are Kentucky, Pocono, Eldora, Michigan and Bristol (the cutoff race before the Playoffs begin). There are some drivers that could sneak into the playoffs like Sheldon Creed, Tyler Dippel and possibly Spencer Boyd, who could surprise the field. Nonetheless, there are some other drivers like Enfinger and Friesen, among others, who have not won yet. The 2019 Truck Series season will only heat up from here in what has been one of the most exciting seasons to date.
  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished ninth in the CampingWorld 400.

    “We just couldn’t get the handling right,” Truex said. “And it’s not like we didn’t attempt several changes and combinations. We went with the ‘Tim Richmond formula because we ‘tried everything.’”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Chicagoland and leads the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “Thunderstorms caused a lengthy delay after just 11 laps were completed,” Logano said. “Should NASCAR have simply just delayed the start of the race? Logic would suggest they should have, but since when has NASCAR taken any suggestions, much less from logic?”

    3. Kyle Busch: Busch struggled with handling at Chicagoland and came home 22nd, one lap down, in the CampingWorld 400.

    “The handling was one thing,” Busch said, “but I also had to deal with a smoke-filled cockpit due to burning rubber. Luckily, I didn’t inhale. There are, however, lots of people who would love to see me ‘in hell.’”

    4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth at Chicagoland.

    “How about the ‘Kroger Helmet Cam?’” Keselowski said. “It’s a great feature. It gives fans a bird’s-eye view of what a driver sees. It’s too bad Ryan Newman wasn’t wearing it at the All-Star Race back in May. That way, fans could have seen what a totally harmless Clint Bowyer punch looks like.”

    5. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 11th at Chicagoland.

    “We had a disastrous pit stop after Stage 2,” Elliott said. “The tire changer’s hose got stuck under the car. It’s one thing to ‘pimp’ your hose, it’s another thing entirely to ‘crimp’ your hose. Of course, we never want that to happen again. So we’ve made sure all crew members understand they have to keep their hoses in check.”

    6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick won Stage 2 and led the most laps at Chicagoland, but still came up short of winning with a 14th-place result.

    “I slapped the wall on Lap 172,” Harvick said. “I got loose, and there went any chance I had of breaking my season-long winless streak. It’s at 18 races. But don’t be surprised if the wall comes into play again, because, at this point, I’m so frustrated, I’d drive through a concrete wall for a win.” 

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won Stage 1 and finished 15th at Chicagoland.

    “This may have been NASCAR’s most exciting race so far this year,” Hamlin said. “I’m not sure what the exact numbers were, but I’m guessing Sunday’s rating, in true Chicago fashion, absolutely murdered those of previous races.”

    8. Alex Bowman: Bowman held off Kyle Larson to win at Chicagoland, picking up his first Monster Energy Cup series win.

    “I got my car stuck in the grass after my celebratory burn out,” Bowman said. “I forget it had rained cats and dogs earlier. Needless to say, I’ve been ‘swamped’ with ridicule.”

    9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished sixth at Chicagoland, posting his third consecutive top-10 finish.

    “The race started about three hours later due to storms,” Blaney said. “It was a long and boring wait for the fans. But don’t knock weather delays. Often, they can be more exciting than the race. But not this race. This race was very exciting. It had everything: exciting restarts, four-wide racing, and passes for the lead. But its most positive attribute was what it lacked—Darrell Waltrip.”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 13th in the CampingWorld 400.

    “Word is the 2021 NASCAR schedule will be shorter than 2019,” Busch said. “So, it’s apparently true what stock car old-schoolers have been saying for a long time: ‘NASCAR is less ‘event-ful’ than it used to be.”

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Chicago

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Chicago

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series visited the Windy City this past weekend for race No. 12 of the 2019 season.

    For some, it was a great race. Brett Moffitt earned his second win of the 2019 season in an unsponsored truck, while Kyle Busch Motorsports’ drivers placed in the top-10 for the first time in a while.

    Other drivers like Anthony Alfredo, Dylan Lupton, Sheldon Creed and Tyler Ankrum all had good runs finishing ninth through 13th, some earned their best career finish.

    However, others had their struggles coming out of the Camping World 225, despite being on a hot streak coming into the race.

    With that said, here’s a look at this week’s Power Rankings following the 12th race of the season.

    1. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt claimed his second win of the season Friday night in Joliet, Illinois. However, it was a newsworthy win for Moffitt and his No. 24 GMS Racing team, as they came in Thursday and unloaded an unsponsored truck. This left some people wondering how Moffitt would do in the race and whether or not, sponsorship problems would affect his performance. Obviously, it didn’t, as Moffitt started third and a had a great truck from the start. The Grimes, Iowa native finished third in both stages. However, it really wasn’t until after Stage 2 when we saw Moffitt out in front leading the way. He took the lead on Lap 74 and led for 46 laps. Despite green flag pit stops late in the going, Moffitt cycled out and regained the lead with 25 to go. From there, he held steady and won the race. This moves Moffitt up into third in points, 53 points behind first. The question remains if GMS Racing will continue to face more sponsorship woes as the season goes on.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third

    2. Ross Chastain – Chastain quietly finished in the seventh position at Chicago Friday night after his popular win at Gateway the week prior. He started midfield, qualifying 16th. The Niece Motorsports driver didn’t place in the top-10 at all in Stage 1 but was able to earn playoff points by finishing eighth in Stage 2. Chastain ran as high as sixth, but never really got any further as he had to settle for a seventh place finish. This would be Chastain’s 11th top-10 finish of the season. He is now 10 points outside the top-20 in order to make the Playoffs, as there are now five races remaining.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

    3. Stewart Friesen – Another week, another third-place finish for Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar Racing team. He started in the 10th position, then finished eighth and sixth in Stage 1 and 2, respectively. This allowed Friesen to gain two points on championship points leader Grant Enfinger. Friesen is now 52 points back. Friesen ran as high as second in the race and averaged a fifth place showing throughout the event.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

    4. Harrison Burton – After a disappointing 16th place at Gateway, Burton and his No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports team rebounded to a fourth-place finish this past weekend. He never led a lap, but ran as high as second and finished sixth and fourth in both stages. Burton would remain consistent throughout the night and would finish in the top five for the fifth time this season. He sits sixth in the points standings, 111 points back with five races remaining before the Playoffs begin.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    5. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger had strong outings in both stages, finishing second in Stage 1 and winning the second stage. He led three times for 49 laps until an accident late in the going on Lap 80 took Enfinger out of contention to win. The Alabama native continued to struggle throughout the night, having tires go down. This would, unfortunately, place Enfinger 16th, one lap down. Despite the bad luck, he still remains the points leader over Stewart Friesen by 52.

      Previous Week Ranking – First

    Unranked:

    1. Sheldon Creed -It was a rough outing at Chicago for the No. 2 GMS Racing team. While his teammate Moffitt was celebrating in victory lane, Creed was left with a disappointing 11th place finish. Creed did not finish in the top-10 in either stage, despite qualifying seventh and leading two laps.

    Previous Week Ranking- Fourth

    Other Notables:

    Dylan Lupton returned to the Truck Series in his first outing in 2019. Lupton competed in the No. 5 DGR-Crosley Toyota and wound up 10th for the first top-10 finish of his career. Tyler Dippel earned a 12th place finish. It was his first 12th place finish since Kansas back in May.

  • Alex Bowman earns first Monster Energy Cup win with late-race theatrics at Chicagoland

    Alex Bowman earns first Monster Energy Cup win with late-race theatrics at Chicagoland

    By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill.  – Alex Bowman’s first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup victory at Chicagoland Speedway was as much a lesson in perseverance, determination and guts as it was a show of his raw talent. It took it all those qualities for the 26-year-old to reach Victory Lane for the first time in Sunday’s Camping World 400.

    Bowman’s No.88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson for the win by .546-seconds – the two young drivers door-to-door in the closing laps, exchanging the lead twice in the final eight laps of the race.

    Reigning Cup champion, Team Penske’s Joey Logano rallied to a third place finish, leading Bowman’s teammate Jimmie Johnson and Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney to the checkered flag.

    During his inaugural victory lap celebration, the Tucson, Arizona, native Bowman drove into the track’s infield still soggy from rain showers that delayed the race finish by nearly three hours. Despite the good celebratory intentions, Bowman’s Chevrolet stuck there, but the good vibes of the night resumed when he climbed out and climbed onto the car’s roof, waving to the cheering crowd and taking in the moment as a first-time race winner.

    “It’s all I’ve wanted my whole life,’’ Bowman said after climbing down off his car’s roof.

    “I’m just tired of running second, didn’t want to do that anymore,’’ he said smiling in reference to his three runner-up finishes in the first 16 races of this season.

    And he had a good laugh about his stuck-in-the-mud car as he navigated the mucky infield to walk across the track and take the checkered flag he earned.

    “I’m the dumb guy that won the race but got the car stuck in the mud.’’

    Actually Bowman’s win was an impressive display of drive – both figuratively and literally. His NASCAR career essentially got a “second chance” at glory, when he was hired by the championship Hendrick team to replace the retired Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the famed No. 88 last year. He had competed fulltime at the Cup level in 2014-15 in a car that was not considered competitive, hoping to gain experience.

    He was hired by Hendrick in 2016 to drive Earnhardt’s No. 88 while the sport’s star rehabbed from injury. Bowman then sat out a year of full-time Cup competition in 2017 as Earnhardt finished out his own decorated career. The car was all Bowman’s as of last year.

    Earnhardt, who was part of the NBCSN broadcast team that officially took over the NASCAR Cup Series race broadcasts from partner FOX just his week, was understandably proud in the broadcast booth.

    “I’m just so happy for Alex,’’ Earnhardt said. “I’ve seen a majority of his career up close and I’m so happy to see him achieve his dream.’’

    Certainly Bowman’s victory Sunday night was not only a shot of emotional adrenalin for himself, but for the whole Hendrick Motorsports team. In addition to Johnson, second-year driver William Byron finished eighth and Chase Elliott finished 11th – the first time this season all four drivers have finished among the top 11. Bowman (88), Johnson (10) and Byron (nine) all led laps.

    The big lap leader on the day was Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick, who led a race-best 132 circuits and won Stage 2, but finished 14th after hitting the outside wall late in the race.

    For runner-up Larson, the outcome was obviously disappointing since he finished second last year after a tough last-laps battle with Kyle Busch. But the popular Californian seemed genuinely happy for his friend Bowman as well.

    “I was actually surprised I even got to him,’’ said Larson, who took the lead from Bowman for two laps on lap 260.

    “I thought when he came out about the same distance off pit road in front of me, I thought he was just going to check out. But like I said, he was struggling and we were able to get to him and get by him but did a good job. He did a good job regrouping and figuring out how to make his car drive better and got the win.

    “Cool to see him get the win there. Would have liked for him to have to wait another week or so, but happy for him,’’ Larson added with a grin.

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – 19th Annual Camping World 400 – Chicagoland Speedway – Joliet, Illinois – Sunday, June 30, 2019

                       1. (8)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 267.

                       2. (14)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267.

                       3. (19)  Joey Logano, Ford, 267.

                       4. (4)  Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267.

                       5. (12)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267.

                       6. (10)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 267.

                       7. (21)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 267.

                       8. (11)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 267.

                       9. (18)  Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 267.

                       10. (1)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267.

                       11. (13)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 267.

                       12. (25)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 267.

                       13. (5)  Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267.

                       14. (2)  Kevin Harvick, Ford, 267.

                       15. (9)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267.

                       16. (15)  Aric Almirola, Ford, 267.

                       17. (16)  Ryan Newman, Ford, 267.

                       18. (27)  Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 266.

                       19. (3)  Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 266.

                       20. (7)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 266.

                       21. (24)  Paul Menard, Ford, 266.

                       22. (17)  Kyle Busch, Toyota, 266.

                       23. (23)  David Ragan, Ford, 265.

                       24. (28)  Daniel Suarez, Ford, 265.

                       25. (26)  Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 264.

                       26. (31)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 264.

                       27. (29)  Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 264.

                       28. (22)  Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 264.

                      29. (38)  Matt Tifft #, Ford, 263.

                       30. (30)  Corey LaJoie, Ford, 263.

                       31. (33)  Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 260.

                       32. (32)  Bayley Currey(i), Ford, 258.

                       33. (36)  Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, 257.

                       34. (37)  Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 249.

                       35. (20)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 239.

                       36. (34)  BJ McLeod(i), Ford, 238.

                       37. (6)  Clint Bowyer, Ford, Accident, 172.

                       38. (35)  Quin Houff, Chevrolet, Track Bar, 100.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  140.677 mph.

    Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 50 Mins, 49 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .546 Seconds.

    Caution Flags:  5 for 25 laps.

    Lead Changes:  23 among 13 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   A. Dillon 1-7;J. Johnson 8-17;A. Dillon 18-19;K. Harvick 20-72;D. Hamlin 73;K. Larson 74;D. Suarez 75;E. Jones 76;R. Newman 77;M. McDowell 78;D. Hamlin 79-82;K. Harvick 83-98;W. Byron 99-104;K. Harvick 105;W. Byron 106-108;K. Harvick 109-166;K. Larson 167-170;A. Bowman 171-218;R. Blaney 219;R. Stenhouse Jr. 220-221;K. Harvick 222-225;A. Bowman 226-259;K. Larson 260-261;A. Bowman 262-267.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Kevin Harvick 5 times for 132 laps; Alex Bowman 3 times for 88 laps; Jimmie Johnson 1 time for 10 laps; William Byron 2 times for 9 laps; Austin Dillon 2 times for 9 laps; Kyle Larson 3 times for 7 laps; Denny Hamlin 2 times for 5 laps; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1 time for 2 laps; Erik Jones 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 1 lap; Michael McDowell 1 time for 1 lap; Daniel Suarez 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Newman 1 time for 1 lap.

    Stage #1 Top Ten: 1,11,19,2,24,3,34,4,48,88

    Stage #2 Top Ten: 1,10,18,19,24,4,42,48,88,9

  • Custer dominates at Chicagoland

    Custer dominates at Chicagoland

    Cole Custer held off Joey Logano in Saturday’s Camping World 300 at Chicagoland Speedway and captured his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season.

    Custer led 151 of the 200 laps in route to his sixth career victory.

    “At these low grip race tracks it is a little bit of everything and that is a testament to our whole team and everyone at the shop that set up the car. When you go to these low grip race tracks and can be good through a whole run it isn’t easy to do. I want to thank everyone at Haas Automation and Stewart-Haas Racing because we are going to be taking it to ‘em in the summertime,” Custer said in victory lane.

    Polesitter Logano finished second, Christopher Bell finished third, Michael Annett fourth and Brandon Jones rounded out the top five. However, Bell’s car failed post-race inspection (car was too low) and NASCAR disqualified his third-place finish. Bell will receive one point for last place.

    “We just weren’t quite good enough. Cole and that whole Stewart-Haas team just beat us. They were faster in every department. We just weren’t quite good enough overall. After practice, I was able to look at Cole’s times and it was obvious that he was the fastest car,” Logano said.

    The series heads next to Daytona International Speedway on Friday, July 5 for the Circle K Firecracker 250.

    Xfinity Series Race Number 15
    Race Results for the 19th Annual Camping World 300 – Saturday, June 29, 2019
    Chicagoland Speedway – Joliet, IL – 1.5 – Mile Paved
    Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 300. Miles

    Fin Str No Driver Team Laps S1Pos S2Pos S3Pos Pts Status
    1 2 0 Cole Custer Haas Automation Ford 200 1 2 0 59 Running
    2 1 12 Joey Logano(i) Snap On Ford 200 4 1 0 0 Running
    3 16 1 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet 200 7 10 0 39 Running
    4 6 19 Brandon Jones Menards/Bali Toyota 200 3 3 0 49 Running
    5 7 22 Austin Cindric Discount Tire Ford 200 6 6 0 42 Running
    6 10 9 Noah Gragson # MagnaFlow Chevrolet 200 0 0 0 31 Running
    7 14 11 Justin Haley # LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 200 0 7 0 34 Running
    8 3 10 Ross Chastain(i) Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet 200 9 9 0 0 Running
    9 9 2 Tyler Reddick KC Motorgroup Chevrolet 200 2 4 0 44 Running
    10 8 18 Riley Herbst(i) Monster Energy Toyota 200 10 0 0 0 Running
    11 15 23 John Hunter Nemechek # Chevrolet 200 0 0 0 26 Running
    12 12 39 Ryan Sieg Big Green Egg Chevrolet 200 0 0 0 25 Running
    13 19 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet 200 0 0 0 24 Running
    14 17 8 Gray Gaulding WorldWide Safety Consulting Chevrolet 200 0 0 0 23 Running
    15 11 98 Chase Briscoe # Ford Performance Ford 199 8 0 0 25 Running
    16 21 81 Jeffrey Earnhardt Comcast NBCUniversal Salute to Service Toyota 199 0 0 0 21 Running
    17 13 8 Zane Smith Canadamark Diamond/BN3TH Chevrolet 199 0 5 0 26 Running
    18 22 28 Shane Lee Titan Mining Rigs Toyota 199 0 0 0 19 Running
    19 20 4 Landon Cassill Gerber Collision and Glass Chevrolet 199 0 0 0 18 Running
    20 25 7 Ray Black II ISOKERNFrplcs&Chmnys/ScbaLfe Chev 199 0 0 0 17 Running
    21 30 1 Stephen Leicht Gerber Collision Chevrolet 199 0 0 0 16 Running
    22 31 86 Brandon Brown # BMSRaceTeam.com Chevrolet 198 0 0 0 15 Running
    23 18 15 BJ McLeod teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 196 0 0 0 14 Running
    24 26 42 Chad Finchum NLBHtng&Clng/Ryn’sCllsnSrvce Toyota 195 0 0 0 13 Running
    25 35 0 Garrett Smithley teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 195 0 0 0 12 Running
    26 34 36 Josh Williams Starbrite Star Tron/Simcraft Chevrolet 195 0 0 0 11 Running
    27 24 5 Matt Mills J.F. Electric Chevrolet 195 0 0 0 10 Running
    28 28 99 Tommy Joe Martins Diamond Gusset Jeans/The Podgoats Toyota 194 0 0 0 9 Running
    29 37 78 Vinnie Miller JW Transport Chevrolet 194 0 0 0 8 Running
    30 33 90 Ronnie Bassett Jr Bassett Gutters and More Chevrolet 193 0 0 0 7 Running
    31 29 74 Camden Murphy(i) RonaldHouseChicago.org Chevrolet 192 0 0 0 0 Running
    32 4 7 Justin Allgaier BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet 127 5 8 0 14 Accident
    33 27 35 Joey Gase GiftofHopeOrgan&TsseDnrNtwrk Toyota 111 0 0 0 4 Engine
    34 32 66 Timmy Hill OCR Gaz Bar Toyota 71 0 0 0 3 Electrical
    35 23 17 Josh Bilicki RWR Chevrolet 55 0 0 0 2 Vibration
    36 36 52 David Starr Dealer Associates Inc/FLURRY Chevrolet 52 0 0 0 1 Engine
    37 38 38 Jeff Green RSS Racing Chevrolet 11 0 0 0 1 Electrical
    38 5 20 Christopher Bell Rheem Toyota 200 0 0 0 1 Running
  • Stewart Friesen and Harrison Burton earn top-five finishes at Chicago

    Stewart Friesen and Harrison Burton earn top-five finishes at Chicago

    Coming into the 12th race of the 2019 season, Stewart Friesen and his No. 52 Halmar Racing team had not yet won a race, despite being so close many times.

    Friesen was looking to change that entering the Camping World 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. He had a decent qualifying spot of 10th and remained consistent in both stages, picking up a couple of stage points. The No. 52 team finished eighth in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2.

    He never got to lead a lap but was battling side-by-side with Brandon Jones for the second place spot for a few laps. However, the side-by-side battle ended when the last round of pit stops began with less than 35 to go.

    Friesen pitted from the top five but was able to get his position back after the pit stops cycled through. He and Jones battled it out again, but it allowed race leader Brett Moffitt to run away with the win. Friesen gave it all he could for the No. 52 Halmar Racing team, but once again had to settle for a third-place finish.

    “Just me, I made a bad call in practice yesterday (Thursday afternoon),” Friesen said in his post-race interview with MRN Radio. “Hot and greasy track kept the car pretty tight, kind of bit us in the ass. Trip (Crew Chief) and the boys had to adjust on it all race. Great pit stops by the guys, got us some track position there. Once we got toward the front, we were fast. Just not as fast as Brett (Moffitt) and the 51 (Brandon Jones). Great race for us, thanks to Halmar and Orange County Fair Speedway, big race in August, so it’s cool to have those guys on board.”

    It was Friesen’s seventh top-five finish of the 2019 season. He sits second in points, 52 points back behind championship points leader Grant Enfinger.

    For Harrison Burton and his No. 18 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota team, it was a solid but quiet night for the Kyle Busch Motorsports entry.

    Burton started in the eighth position but showed he had a fast truck through both the stages. In Stage 1, Burton finished sixth while he placed fourth in the second stage. Burton was able to miss all the melee during the race and kept himself in contention. However, his truck wasn’t good enough for the late green flag run, as well as the adjustments made during his final pit stop with 30 to go.

    The No. 18 KBM driver would have to settle for a fourth place finish without leading a single lap.

    “If I knew, I would probably have a higher paycheck,” Burton said describing his race to MRN Radio. “We’re just working really hard, all the guys at KBM busting their butts, day in and day out, giving us really fast trucks. They’re fun to drive and just lucky to be in this position. We’re fighting our way into the Playoffs. That’s a lot of fun for a team to try and come back to get to the Playoffs, and scratch and claw their way in. If we get in, they better watch out.”

    Burton’s fourth-place finish was his fifth top five of the 2019 season. Burton sits sixth in the championship points standings, 111 points behind first place.

  • Austin Hill disappointed with top-five finish at Chicago

    Austin Hill disappointed with top-five finish at Chicago

    Austin Hill and his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series No. 16 Hattori Racing team were hoping to come out of Chicagoland Speedway Friday night with a win.

    Hill and company had a great start to their day, qualifying the No. 16 SiriusXM Toyota Tundra on the pole, the first pole of his Truck Series career. But, he was only able to lead twice for 10 laps and had to settle for running in the top five or top 10 for most of the night. Hill finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in Stage 1 and 2.

    Despite strong stage finishes, a long green-flag run ensued after a caution on Lap 80. With less than 35 to go, the last round of green flag pit stops began to take place. Hill pitted with 30 to go from the top five. However, the adjustments weren’t quite enough for Hill and the Hattori Racing team, as they would have to settle for a disappointing fifth-place finish after starting on the pole.

    “We’re definitely disappointed with fifth place,” Hill said to MRN Radio in his post-race interview. “We thought we had the speed to possibly win tonight, it just wasn’t there. We really thought the track was going to free up throughout the night and our truck just kept tightening up and tightening up. We could never just get on the other side of it.”

    “That last pit stop under green, we put a dent in it, but we still needed some more to be able to run with the top three. All in all, it was a great effort. I think we only fell back to sixth one time. For majority of the time, we ran inside the top five. Can’t thank HRE enough, Scott (Zipadelli, Crew Chief), they put a lot of work into these trucks and we want to win. So top five is okay but still frustrated. We’ll work on it.”

    This was Hill’s third top five of the 2019 season.

  • Brett Moffitt takes second win of the season at Chicago

    Brett Moffitt takes second win of the season at Chicago

    A year removed from his first win at the Chicagoland Speedway in 2018, GMS Racing’s Brett Moffitt came in looking to repeat the same success he had one year ago. He succeeded by giving the team their second win of the 2019 season.

    But this time, the story was a little different, as Moffitt and his No. 24 machine was unsponsored for the first time this season. The truck was all white with only GMS Fabrication on the truck lid and on the back bumper.

    “Just a really good Chevy Silverado, Jerry (Baxter, Crew Chief), everyone does a great job,” Moffitt said in his post-race interview with MRN Radio. “We’ve been struggling on mile and a half’s, on and off. We’ve had speed at times and not at times, and then this pit crew got us out first, you could never complain about that. They did solid all night. I was able to do my job and hang on to it. It was just a full team effort tonight and we executed the race how we needed to, even when we lost track position, we never got down.”

    Austin Hill and Johnny Sauter made up the front row for the Camping World 225 after qualifying earlier in the day. The race marked Sauter’s return from suspension last weekend at Gateway.

    Stages were broken into 35/35/80 laps to make up the scheduled 150 lap race.

    The first stage was relatively clean for the most part but still had some noticeable incidents. On the very first lap, everyone was trying to avoid the No. 99 of Ben Rhodes, who had major smoke coming out of the back end of his truck. Rhodes would eventually go to the garage where the team would try to work on his truck, but later would be out for the rest of the race due to an engine issue that relegated him to a last-place finish.

    Then on Lap five, the first caution was brought out by the No. 3 of Jordan Anderson who spun off Turn 4. After that, the first stage remained clean and green for most of the way with the No. 98 of Grant Enfinger leading until the last lap, as the No. 51 of Brandon Jones made a late surge to pass Enfinger in Turn 4 for the stage win.

    Right as the stage ended, the No. 6 of Norm Benning was parked for the rest of the night when they ignored the black flag for not maintaining minimum speed. Also during the yellow, Rhode’s teammate, Johnny Sauter, was experiencing the same issue as Rhodes and was trying to diagnose the problem.

    Stage 2 saw 35 laps again and had just one incident, but some near misses.

    On Lap 44, Todd Gilliland barely nudged the No. 54 of Natalie Decker, which spent her spinning in the frontstretch grass to bring out the third caution of the night. Also during the caution, it appeared that Sauter might have been dealing with a plug wire problem, as he was still trying to figure out what was going on with his Tenda Heal truck.

    Right after the restart on Lap 47, eventual race winner Moffitt and two-time series champion Matt Crafton made contact with Austin Wayne Self. The three looked like they were going to wreck out of the race but somehow they were able to save their trucks from spinning out.

    That was the only major incident in the stage, as this time the stage win would be flip-flopped when Grant Enfinger won the second stage, despite a rally from Jones.

    The last stage began on Lap 77 and it was action packed right from the get-go.

    On Lap 79, Enfinger had a hard time getting going on the restart, which saw him dropping back in the field. On the same lap, the No. 44 of Spencer Davis got loose off of Turn 4, which sent Davis back down the track only to get collected by Wayne Self. This would bring out the fifth and final caution of the night. This would also see Enfinger’s chances of winning diminish heavily due to the amount of damage he incurred.

    It seemed as more trouble would happen for the ThorSport Racing team as right before the restart, Crafton’s No. 88 truck shut off, which caused the restart to be waved off. A little bit after Crafton’s incident, Wayne Self was parked for the rest of the night due to not maintaining minimum speed.

    As the race went back green, so did the action. On Lap 98, Enfinger reported a tire going down. Just two laps later, he had to make an unscheduled pit stop to change the tire that went down.

    From there, the race went on a long green flag run to the finish. However, Stewart Friesen and Jones battled for the second spot for quite a while until the last round of pit stops began with 34 to go.

    Tyler Ankrum was the one who began the final round of green flag pit stops, however, he was busted speeding on pit road which ended his chances of winning for the night.

    Everyone else started coming down on pit road with 32 to go or less. The major critical point in the race was when the race leader Moffitt pitted from the lead with 30 to go. After that, we saw Friesen, Harrison Burton, Hill and Jones pitting from the lead with 29 to go while Sheldon Creed pitted from the lead with 27 to go.

    Despite the different strategies taking place all over the race track, in hopes of somehow beating Brett Moffitt, they couldn’t. On Lap 125 with 25 to go, the Grimes, Iowa native retook the lead as the pit stops cycled out.

    From that point on, hoping for no late race cautions, Moffitt pulled his No. 24 machine away from the field and won his second race of the 2019 Truck Series season.

    “Yeah new tires, we were really fast on the bottom,” Moffitt added in his post-race interview with MRN Radio. “That second to last run there, where the 52 (Stewart Friesen) was gaining on us there on the top. Once I moved up there, it took away his air and it kind of stalled his run. Him and the 51 (Brandon Jones) got racing, they both got really good trucks. You know, I was fast on top, fast on the bottom, but clean air with new tires is just better.”

    This was Moffitt’s second win of 2019 and the ninth of his Truck Series career.

    There were five cautions for 27 laps, with seven lead changes among 12 leaders.

    Grant Enfinger continues to lead the championship points standings over Stewart Friesen by 52 points.

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series takes a week off before heading to Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 11, live on Fox Sports 1.

  • Ty Majeski Puts On Dominating Performance At Chicago

    Ty Majeski Puts On Dominating Performance At Chicago

    Ty Majeski returned to the Chad Bryant Racing No. 22 Ford Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway and to no ones’ surprise, returned to victory lane for the third time this season.

    The turning point came when Majeski made a gutsy call at the end to stay out on a late race pit stop.

    “I’ll be honest, I was real nervous,” Majeski said in his post race interview with Fox Sports 1. “We had such a deficit or a gap on the field lap time wise. That was the same call by Paul (Andrews, Crew Chief) especially if we would have gotten a late caution, we would have set left lane.”

    The Bounty 150 was delayed due to lightning in the area for well over an hour and a half.

    When the race got started, Michael Self was on the pole. Christian Eckes and Travis Braden didn’t get to qualify due to mechanical issues, and both were forced to start in the back. Joe Graf Jr. also started in the rear due to being in a backup car.

    As the green flag flew, the race was action-packed from the get-go. Morgen Baird was off pace early but then stalled on the bottom of Turn 4 to bring out the first caution of the night. The No. 1 of Jason Miles also had a flat left front tire go down on the lap eight restart which brought the caution out again.

    Majeski started to come in to play on Lap 13, as he and Michael Self battled side-by-side for the lead. However, Majeski would have to wait a little bit before he could run away with the lead, as another caution came out on Lap 17 for the No. 7 of Eric Caudell who spun on the frontstretch grass.

    Majeski would go on to lead until the caution flew once more on Lap 52, just past halfway for the No. 54 of Tanner Gray, who hit the wall in Turn 3 after having a flat tire go down. This would set up a round of pit stops and it would see Self stalling on pit road, but eventually got the car re-fired. Unfortunately for Gray, his night was done early.

    After the pit stops, Harrison Burton was able to gain the lead and led for a little bit until the fourth caution came out on Lap 65 for Christian Eckes, as he would go spinning around after his left rear tire went down off Turn 2.

    One more caution would occur on Lap 76, as Majeski’s teammate, Joe Graf Jr. had his tire go down and spinning on the backstretch. Self would also suffer another issue on his pit stop under caution, as he tried taking off when his left rear tire was not on properly. However, he escaped with any major damage and was able to get back on track.

    While Self pitted, so did other racers who were in contention to win the race. However, one did not. Majeski stayed out in hopes of getting the track position he needed to propel him to the win.

    Despite staying out and a late race restart, a five-car battle occurred for second, allowing Majeski to run away for his third win of the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season.

    “This thing was so dominant, it’s cool,” Majeski added in his post-race interview. “We ran four times already and had different scenarios every race. You know, Charlotte, where we won on a late race restart, Pocono we won on a green flag pit stop and Michigan, we almost won on fuel strategy. This one, we straight up smoked them. I hope people are paying attention, realize that and find different ways to win races. Just a testament to everybody on my team, Paul Andrews (Crew Chief), Chad Bryant Racing, this Crestliner Ford Fusion was really fast tonight.”

    This was Majeski’s third win of the season, which also marked his third of his career in the ARCA Menards Series.

    There were six cautions for 31 laps, along with four leaders among six lead changes. Majeski led three times for 72 laps en route to his third career victory of the season. His next scheduled ARCA race is the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October.

    Official Results

    1. Ty Majeski
    2. Harrison Burton, 9.179 seconds
    3. Bret Holmes, 9.566 seconds
    4. Michael Self, 10.528 seconds
    5. Travis Braden, 10.607 seconds
    6. Riley Herbst, 10.641 seconds
    7. Christian Eckes, 12.104 seconds
    8. Austin Wayne Self, 15.125 seconds
    9. Thad Moffitt, 30.228 seconds
    10. Scott Melton, One lap down
    11. Joe Graf Jr., One lap down
    12. Tim Richmond, Six laps down
    13. Morgen Baird, 18 laps down
    14. Eric Caudell, Out
    15. Tanner Gray, Out
    16. Brad Smith, Out
    17. Tommy Vigh Jr., Out
    18. Con Nicolopoulos, Out
    19. Jason Miles, Out
    20. Stefan Parsons, Out

    Up Next: After a few weeks of racing in the summer stretch, the ARCA Menards Series will take a couple of weeks off before returning on track at Elko Speedway on Saturday night July 13 on MAVTV.

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Chicago

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Chicago

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series continues their Midwest swing on Friday night by heading north to Chicagoland Speedway for the 12th race of the 2019 season.

    Teams who have not won yet will begin to feel a little pressure now that there are only five races left until the Playoffs start at Bristol in August.

    There are many drivers who are still winless and they are big names. They include Todd Gilliland, Harrison Burton, Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger, Sheldon Creed, Gus Dean, Jordan Anderson, Natalie Decker, Ben Rhodes, Spencer Boyd, Tyler Ankrum and Austin Wayne Self.

    It’s been somewhat of a ho-hum season so far in the Truck Series. It was dominated early by Kyle Busch who won four races in a row, then won his in fifth and final start at Charlotte. The only other non-series regular who won this year was Greg Biffle, who scored a popular win at Texas a few weeks back.

    Surprisingly, there have only been four regulars that have visited victory lane. Austin Hill won at Daytona, Johnny Sauter at Dover, Ross Chastain at Kansas and Gateway, and Brett Moffitt at Iowa.

    So with that said, who else might finally win on Friday night or continue their season dominance?

    Here is a look at the top five drivers on who might win in the Camping World 225.

    Currently, there are 32 trucks entered on the preliminary entry list, meaning all drivers will be locked into Friday night’s show. It was 33, but the No. 25 of Ted Minor had withdrawn late.

    1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter returns this week to the No. 13 Ford F-150 after serving his suspension last weekend at Gateway. The Wisconsin native has 10 starts at Chicago, earning one win coming two years ago in 2017. Sauter’s track record at the 1.5-mile track has been stellar. He has recorded six top fives and eight top-10 finishes with an average finish of 7.5, and 106 laps led. Sauter does have one pole that came in 2014. Despite his impressive track record, Sauter has no stage wins, but finished second in Stage one and fourth in Stage two in 2017, while he finished seventh in Stage one and fifth in Stage two in last year’s race. What a redemption it would be if Sauter could pull off the win Friday night.

    2. Grant Enfinger – Sauter’s teammate, Enfinger could also wheel his No. 98 Protect The Harvest Ford F-150 into victory lane Friday night. Enfinger has been on a tear this year, earning six top fives and 10 top-10 finishes. He has been strong on the mile and a half tracks, placing third at Atlanta, 11th at Las Vegas, fourth after starting on the pole at Texas back in March, seventh at Kansas, ninth at Charlotte and fourth in the Texas June race. At Chicago, however, Enfinger has three starts with a best finish of fifth in 2017. His other finishes include sixth in 2016 and eighth in last year’s race, bringing his average finish to 6.3. Enfinger has no stage wins at the track located in Chicago, Illinois, but has been the championship points leader for most of the season. Look for the Alabama native to continue his hunt for the 2019 Truck Series championship Friday night.

    3. Brett Moffitt – You could say Chicago is a special place for Moffitt. Last year at this time when he competed for Hattori Racing, Moffitt and company were facing sponsorship woes and his future was in question. If he had missed the race, he would not have been eligible to compete for the Truck Series championship. Thankfully, a sponsor came on-board early in the week and Moffitt was able to continue his season. If it wasn’t for Fr8Auctions.com, who knows where Moffitt would be now. It was a special race for the Grimes, Iowa native as he would go on to win the race after starting sixth and making a last lap pass on John Hunter Nemechek. Fast forward to a year later, Moffitt is with GMS Racing competing in the No. 24 machine. He has an up and down track record on 1.5-mile racetracks. Moffitt has finished fourth at Atlanta, second at Las Vegas, 19th at Texas in March, eighth at Dover, 19th at Charlotte and 11th at Texas in June. Moffitt and GMS will have three practice sessions to get the truck dialed in to his liking.

    4. Brandon Jones – Jones returns to the famed No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck this week. He has one finish that came in the top five, in last year’s race driving for KBM where Jones finished fifth after starting 16th. He’s also made some ARCA starts and earned one top five, and one top-10 finish in those races. Jones will pilot chassis KBM-055. “This chassis has five starts, with three wins earlier this season, two by owner-driver Kyle Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February, and Texas Motor Speedway in March, then veteran driver Greg Biffle won in this chassis at Texas Motor Speedway in June. In a total of five starts, this chassis has never finished lower than fifth.”


    5. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes has three starts at Chicago with a best finish of second in last year’s race. The Kentucky native has one DNF, which came in his first outing with ThorSport in 2016, where Rhodes finished 25th after starting seventh. His other finish was sixth in 2017. Rhodes has no stage wins, but surprisingly has one stage finish in the top five that came in 2018, and a top-10 Stage finish in 2017. Look for Rhodes to be in contention Friday night.

    Other drivers on the entry list this week include the return of Spencer Davis, who will compete in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. Davis only has one start in the 2019 season that came at Martinsville where he finished 20th. Davis tried to qualify for the season opener at Daytona but failed. The Georgia native has no starts at Chicago.

    Joey Gase is scheduled to compete in the No. 0 for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, B.J. McLeod in the No. 1 of Mark Beaver, Dylan Lupton in a new DGR-Crosley entry in the No. 05, Tyler Ankrum returns to the No. 17 DGR-Crosley Toyota, Mason Massey in the No. 32, Josh Bilicki in the No. 33 and Jesse Iwuji in the No. 34 for Josh Reaume. Timmy Hill returns in his family owned No. 56 team, his first race back since competing at Charlotte last month. Joe Nemechek also returns to the No. 87 Chevrolet.

    Since stages were implemented in 2017, Ryan Truex, Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek and Noah Gragson have all earned stage wins.

    Chicagoland has seen only 10 races in what could be called a new track in the Truck Series. The series first came here in 2009 where the race was won by Kyle Busch. Busch has gone on to win five times at the 1.5-mile speedway. However, Busch will not be competing this weekend.

    Other winners include Austin Dillon in 2011 where he won the championship that year, James Buescher in 2012 winning the championship that year as well. John Hunter Nemechek won in 2015, Johnny Sauter in 2017 and Brett Moffitt in 2018.

    Qualifying is important at Chicago, where the winner has only come from outside the top-10 twice, set by Buescher in 2012 when he started 11th and Nemechek in 2015 after starting 11th as well.

    Since 2009, no winner has ever come from the pole position. However, it seems that if you start in the fourth position, you have a great shot at winning as the winner has come from that position three times. Busch did it in 2009 and 2010, while Sauter did it in 2017.

    Other drivers have won from the sixth starting position, eighth, fifth and seventh twice (2013, 2014). In 2011, 2012, 2017 and 2018, the winner of this race has gone on to win the championship later in the season.

    The Truck Series will have three practice sessions on Thursday afternoon. The first practice will be at 1:35 p.m. local time, the second practice at 3:35 p.m. local time and the final practice is slated for 5:35 p.m. local time with no live coverage.

    Qualifying will be Friday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. local time/5:05 p.m.ET live on Fox Sports 2.

    The Camping World 225 will get underway shortly after 8 p.m. local time/9 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages will be broken in to 35/70/150 to make up the scheduled distance of 225 miles.