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  • Erik Jones Beats the Odds With Truck Series Win at Las Vegas

    Erik Jones Beats the Odds With Truck Series Win at Las Vegas

    Erik Jones took the lead from teammate Darrell Wallace Jr. with 14 laps to go in his No. 51 ToyotaCare Tundra scoring his second victory of the season in the Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas.

    It is the 18-year-old Jones’ third career win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Kyle Busch Motorsport’s first win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The victory is also KBM’s 10th win in 17 races this season.

    “That was a blast,” Jones said after the race. “Getting a win on a mile-and-half (track), that’s awesome. I couldn’t ask for any more than this right here. I wanted to win here so bad.”

    Darrell Wallace Jr. led the most laps with 84 in his No. 54 Toyota but was unable to catch his teammate in the closing laps, finishing second. It was his fifth second place finish of the 2014 season.

    “Just got beat, flat out,” said a disappointed Wallace Jr. “Congrats to the 51 (Jones), hate that it’s not the 54. We need a win. (It’s) frustrating, I hate finishing second so bad. Thanks to my guys though. I thought it was ours. Another KBM dominance for sure. We’ll go on to Talladega and try to finish one spot better.”

    Current points leader Matt Crafton, finished in third place and extended his points lead to 19 over Johnny Sauter, who finished 14th.

    Timothy Peters, last year’s race winner at this track, led 26 laps but had to settle for a fourth place finish in Saturday night’s race. Brian Ickler finished in the fifth position.

    Ryan Blaney, who started on the pole, is third in the points standings (-27) followed by Darrell Wallace Jr. in fourth (-33) and Joey Coulter in fifth place (-82).

    The Camping World Truck Series will take a three week break but returns Saturday, October 18 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    Complete Finishing Order:

    POS. CAR DRIVER
    1 51 Erik Jones
    2 54 Darrell Wallace Jr
    3 88 Matt Crafton
    4 17 Timothy Peters
    5 7 Brian Ickler
    6 29 Ryan Blaney
    7 31 Ben Kennedy
    8 13 Jeb Burton
    9 32 Tayler Malsam
    10 21 Joey Coulter
    11 5 John Wes Townley
    12 99 Bryan Silas
    13 23 Spencer Gallagher
    14 98 Johnny Sauter
    15 19 Tyler Reddick
    16 77 German Quiroga Jr
    17 8 Joe Nemechek
    18 15 Mason Mingus
    19 2 Tyler Young
    20 9 Ron Hornaday Jr
    21 63 Justin Jennings
    22 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb
    23 20 Jason White
    24 6 Norm Benning
    25 50 T.J. Bell
    26 8 Jimmy Weller III
    27 7 B J McLeod
    28 36 Scott Stenzel
    29 0 Caleb Roark
    30 35 Charles Lewandoski
  • Alex Tagliani Wins Truck Series Pole at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

    Alex Tagliani Wins Truck Series Pole at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

    Alex Tagliani won the Keystone Light Pole Award and set a new track qualifying record at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a lap of 80.558 seconds at 109.889 mph. As he leads the field to green in Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 race, he will also be making his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

    Tagliani competes in the Canadian Tire Series and has one previous start in the series at this track in 2008 where he finished in fifth place. He also competes in IndyCar.

    After qualifying he talked about his preparation for qualifying and racing this weekend.

    “We went out, the truck was fast from the get go,” he said. “We had just one little glitch we had to fix, we had some fuel pressure issues. Basically it took about 25 minutes to fix that and then we went and ran and made sure that everything was good. We parked it before the session was over, the guys were happy enough. We used the second practice getting ready for the race tomorrow.”

    Tagliani also spoke about being part of the Brad Keselowski Racing team saying, “I feel really honored to be here and drive his truck.”

    NASCAR Next driver Gray Gaulding will start beside him on the outside pole. Erik Jones will begin the race in the third position followed by German Quiroga Jr. and Cole Custer to round out the top five.

    Several drivers had difficulties keeping their trucks on the track including third place finisher Jones who went off track during qualifying. Joey Coulter, who drove his No. 21 into the tire barriers, qualified in the 15th position. Ryan Blaney, who will start 14th, got sideways and Matt Crafton had similar issues but will begin the race in eighth place.

    Series’ point leader Johnny Sauter will start the race from the 11th position.

    The Chevrolet Silverado 250 is scheduled for Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on FOX Sports 1.

    Complete Starting Lineup:

    POS. CAR DRIVER
    1 19 Alex Tagliani
    2 20 Gray Gaulding
    3 51 Erik Jones
    4 77 German Quiroga Jr
    5 0 Cole Custer
    6 53 Andrew Ranger
    7 54 Darrell Wallace Jr
    8 88 Matt Crafton
    9 17 Timothy Peters
    10 32 Cameron Hayley
    11 98 Johnny Sauter
    12 31 Ben Kennedy
    13 9 Brennan Newberry
    14 29 Ryan Blaney
    15 21 Joey Coulter
    16 8 John Hunter Nemechek
    17 13 Jeb Burton
    18 99 Bryan Silas
    19 2 Tyler Young
    20 35 Mason Mingus
    21 7 Ray Courtemanche Jr
    22 50 T.J. Bell
    23 63 Scott Stenzel
    24 8 B J McLeod
    25 36 Justin Jennings
    26 6 Norm Benning
    27 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb
    28 0 Caleb Roark
  • Darrell Wallace Jr. Fastest in Practice for UNOH 200 at Bristol

    Darrell Wallace Jr. Fastest in Practice for UNOH 200 at Bristol

    Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) driver, Darrell Wallace Jr. was fastest in practice for the UNOH 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event slated for Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Wallace turned in a lap of 125.264 mph in his ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra to edge out his boss, KBM team owner, Kyle Busch. Busch was .041 seconds slower than the up and coming star who has visited victory lane twice already this season – once at Gateway Motorsports Park and then at the only dirt track on the series schedule – Eldora. The KBM team has visited victory lane seven times this season.

    This practice session will be the only session for the Camping World Truck Series drivers, as two thunderstorms passed through the area causing some items on the schedule for today to be postponed or cancelled.

    Another up and coming star in the series, Gray Gaulding, was also very impressive in practice. Gaulding wound up third on the practice sheet with a lap of 123.970 mph in his Gemini Southern/Krispy Kreme Chevrolet.

    Series veteran, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Cole Custer rounded out the top-five.

    The green flag will fall on the UNOH 200 at 8:30 pm local time on Wednesday night.

  • Erik Jones Finds Redemption at Pocono Raceway with Top Ten Truck Run

    Erik Jones Finds Redemption at Pocono Raceway with Top Ten Truck Run

    Erik Jones, the 18 year old driver of the No. 51 ToyotaCare Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, put his two bad ARCA Racing experiences at Pocono Raceway behind him, redeeming himself with a top-10 finish in his first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Race at the Tricky Triangle.

    Jones finished sixth in his virgin Pocono Truck voyage, surviving ten extra laps and some wild and crazy restarts to do so.

    “Yeah, the ARCA races, we were fast but we just didn’t have the finishes we wanted,” Jones said. “The Truck race was good. We definitely got the truck better as the run went on.”

    “We had a fast Tundra from the start of practice; I just wish we could’ve been on that outside line on that last restart at the end of the day,” Jones continued. “We probably should’ve run third, but don’t know if we had anything for the win.”

    “It was a good day overall,” Jones said. “Eric (Phillips, crew chief) did great calling the race and getting us good track position for the end.”

    While the young driver praised his crew chief, he also gave major props to the man with whom he has shared his seat Kyle Busch.

    “Having Kyle to talk to – he’s definitely a big resource that I have gone to and said ‘hey, how do you get around this place,’ Jones said. “He’s been a big help to me. Definitely just on the job learning with Kyle on the side and that’s been the way I’ve done it for the past year.”

    “My mentor has definitely been Kyle, even throughout my whole career,” Jones continued. “I’ve never really had a mentor or driver coach up until last year when Kyle was helping me out. Especially this year, he has really been helping me out a lot. It’s pretty cool that I have Kyle to go to.”

    While Jones gave total credit to Busch for his success at Pocono and throughout the 2014 season to date, he also acknowledged that it is sometimes difficult to pop in and out of the Truck seat with his owner and mentor.

    “It’s tough,” Jones said. “You always want to race week in and week out. I’m grateful for every opportunity I get.”

    “But it definitely makes it hard to stay in that rhythm when you’re not in the truck and doing it every week,” Jones continued. “We have great race trucks and that definitely makes it a lot easier to get back in when they are so good. It’s tough but we make it work along the way.”

    Jones also credited his teammate Darrell Wallace Jr., who drives the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 Tundra, as well as his manufacturer for the success that he has had so far this season and especially at Pocono this weekend.

    “Toyota has put a lot into the trucks this year,” Jones said. “I’m getting a strong truck and they put a lot of time building it and in the wind tunnel. It all worked out for this year.”

    “My teammate in the No. 54 has been fast and we’ve been fast as well,” Jones continued. “That has been paying off throughout the season and I hope we can keep it going and ahead of the game so far. I think everyone is trying to catch up with us. So, we want to stay ahead of it and stay fast.”

    While Jones is a bit unsure of what the future holds for the 2015 season, he has definitely got his goals for the remainder of the season after completing his Pocono run.

    “Right now I’ve got the rest of the Truck season with seven more races. So, I’ll do that and two more Nationwide races with Gibbs at Bristol and Phoenix. I’m definitely looking forward to all of them honestly,” Jones said.

    “Next year, if I could be back full-time in the truck, that’d be great,” Jones continued. “I’d love to run here for a driver’s championship; hopefully bring one home to Kyle and everybody.”

    “Right now we’re focused one hundred percent on the owner’s championship for the second year in a row. I think that would be pretty good for us,” Jones said. “Obviously next year hopefully the focus can be the driver’s championship for me but right now we’re all looking forward to trying to go out and get that owner’s championship.”

    Just as he experienced at the Tricky Triangle, Jones admitted that the Truck Series is definitely challenging for him as a young, up and coming driver.

    “I’d say the thing I like most about the Truck Series is the competitiveness and running with the veterans,” Jones said. “And it’s always fun to go to the race track and feel like I have a chance to win this weekend. That’s what is so fun for me and everybody on this deal.”

    “The challenge for me, last year more so than this year, has been really adjusting to the competition level,” Jones continued. “Some of these guys have been racing trucks for so long. They really know how to run these races and they know what they need their truck to do. It took me awhile last year to get adjusted to that competition level and I’m still really trying to figure it out fully this year. So, that’s’ been the biggest challenge.”

    Jones is hoping that his continuing top-10 finishes will also help attract some additional fans to his burgeoning base.

    “It’s not easy,” Jones said of his effort to garner new fans. “Obviously social media has been big for me to connect with people that don’t know who I am. That’s been a huge part for me.”

    “Just going to all the autograph sessions and doing everything on Twitter to stay involved is how I interact with fans,” Jones continued. “The biggest thing for me is trying to meet people, be friendly with them and be open to them.”

    So, what does Jones want fans to know about him, especially after finishing his maiden Truck voyage at Pocono?

    “I guess the biggest thing is that I want to be competitive,” Jones said. “I want to be successful. And I want to move on and be fast.”

    “That’s the biggest thing to me to be successful every weekend. Hopefully we can keep the top-ten finishing streak going and keep it alive for Toyota.”

     

  • Darrell Wallace Jr. Transitions from Eldora Win to Tackling the Tricky Triangle

    Darrell Wallace Jr. Transitions from Eldora Win to Tackling the Tricky Triangle

    Darrell Wallace Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 54 ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is ready to make the difficult transition from one of the sport’s highest highs, a coveted Truck win at Eldora Speedway, to the trickiness of Pocono Raceway where he will race the Pocono Mountains 150 in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.

    Even though he is in Long Pond, PA, he is still savoring his ‘W’ in the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora and in fact, just recently had the opportunity to celebrate with his race team.

    “Luckily the race was a Wednesday night race so we had the whole weekend to sit back, reflect on it and let it sink in,” Wallace said. “I’m still pumped up about it of course. We had our team dinner last night and we were talking about it.”

    “It’s been a fun week.”

    “Eldora was a surprise; a shocker,” Wallace said. “But we did it. If we can just finish out the rest of the season strong and we can keep it going, we will be fine.”

    While Wallace now has turned his attention to Pocono, he admits that the track is more difficult to figure out than even racing on the dirt, at least in his book.

    “It is a tricky triangle for a reason,” Wallace said. “It is grueling on the mindset of a driver, especially me.”

    “It’s just hard figuring out every corner because every corner is unique,” Wallace continued. “The guys brought me a fast Toyota Tundra and we just have to figure out where we need to gain speed. That’s the biggest thing. I think it’s mostly me but we will be fine by race time.”

    Wallace acknowledges that he may just need to lean on not only his crew chief but also his team owner Kyle Busch and teammate Erik Jones to make it around the three corners of Pocono.

    “My crew chief Jerry (Baxter) has been my biggest mentor and coach,” Wallace said. “He has been in the sport for a long time and he knows the ins and outs of it.”

    “I listen to what he has to say, through the frustrating moments to winning moments to losing moments, I try to take in everything he says,” Wallace continued. “We move forward as a team and that’s a huge part of being successful. Having the communication and relationship with your team is critical. Jerry is the team leader and we all listen to him. We’re giving him feedback and we’re trying to help each other progress as one.”

    “I think that is why we’re so dominant at KBM because we have the communication and we’re hitting on every note.”

    “Kyle (Busch) is the centerpiece of this team and we build off him,” Wallace said. “We try to be as fast as him and he is undefeated this season. Toyota is undefeated. We have two wins; Erik (Jones, teammate) has got one. So, we’re on a hot streak right now.”

    “We try to be patient and consistent and be ready to win.”

    Although his teammate Erik Jones is on the quiet-side, at least quieter than Wallace himself, the driver of the No. 54 has the greatest respect for him, especially with Jones’ performance so far at Pocono, where he has practiced consistently in the top-ten.

    “He’s quiet that’s for sure,” Wallace said of Jones. “But Erik is fast and he has speed. We sat on the front row at Iowa and he ended up winning the race. He has always shown speed and he is pretty fast here at Pocono.”

    “We bounce ideas off each other and places where we have been. We grow as a team and we will be just fine here.”

    So, what will success look like at Pocono for Darrell Wallace Jr.?

    “I would definitely be happy with a top five,” Wallace said. “I hate to say it, but we’re on a points run right now. We’re trying to bounce back up through the points.”

    “We have to be smart in the race,” Wallace continued. “The tunnel turn is the trickiest corner that you will ever get through.”

    “We have to be patient, calm and make smart decisions,” Wallace said. “We’ll let those other drivers make a bone head move and then there’s our top five opportunity.”

    “I’m on the level that I want to race,” Wallace continued. “We have to go out there and be smart about every call we make. We can’t get overexcited about what happened before because you get that special moment and then it’s time to get back to work.”

    Wallace finished final practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the 1th position with a time of 55.427 seconds and a speed of 162.376 mph. Wallace will qualify Saturday, August 2nd at 10:10 am and then race the ‘Tricky Triangle’ at 1:00 pm.

  • Eldora Brings Back Racing Excitement to NASCAR

    Eldora Brings Back Racing Excitement to NASCAR

    It was as if someone turned on a light and all NASCAR fans saw the light, or actually the dirt. Suddenly they saw something that has been missing, all-out three and four wide racing. When Darrell Wallace Jr. took the checkered flag in the Mudsummer Classic, the crowd was on their feet.

    Let’s rewind back to the early days of stock car racing when it was all about the drivers and the sponsors were second. When the competitors got into their cars and strapped in, they were not thinking of the sponsor or bringing the car home in one piece. The drivers were racers; there was no doubt about it. They got behind the wheel of their car and lined up for the race to start and everything else faded away. Suddenly all they could see was the green flag and the cars they needed to pass. If the car wasn’t banged up at the end of the race, the driver wasn’t racing.

    Think back to the Alabama gang with the Allisons and drivers like Cale Yarborogh, Tim Richmond, Richard Petty, and Darrell Waltrip. They drove every lap like it was the last, it was all or nothing. As the saying goes,” Second place is just the first loser.”

    They fought each other hard at every track. The fans knew that no matter what race they attended, it was going to be “on” and they would not go home disappointed. This was real racing from start to finish, drivers have at it. This is what made NASCAR popular. These are stories that many fans have never experienced but only hear about, as slowly things have changed. Many changes have been minor but gradually it has become more about sponsors and bringing the car back in one piece.

    Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway, a simple dirt track reminded long time fans of how racing used to be and the newer fans got a taste of what they’ve been missing. They were enthralled by the competition, and asked themselves, “Where has this been all this time?” Fans were on the edge of their seats, eyes on the television. They didn’t want it to end. Last night the Camping World Truck Series reminded us what we need more of, pure racing. Every lap last night they were up against the wall or each other, they raced hard and the fans loved it. Today, this is what fans are talking about and some are already wondering if they can see more of this in the Cup or Nationwide series. All the fans know is that they want more.

    One has to hope that NASCAR watched and listened to the fans. Each week the sport loses fans in the stands for the races, no matter the division. NASCAR keeps changing the Chase format and adding gimmicks to address the lack of interest. It’s a hard pill to swallow for fans knowing that none of the races made it into a recently released list of the top 50 most-watched sporting events of the year so far.  Maybe the answer for NASCAR was right in front of them at Eldora. Maybe they are fixing things that aren’t broken.

    NASCAR, the fans don’t really want anything fancy, they want great racing like they saw Wednesday night, the kind of racing where you don’t move away from the action because you don’t want to miss anything. Sometimes the answer is in your history. Last night was the kind of racing that made NASCAR so popular. Bring it back and the fans will follow.

     

  • Darrell Wallace Jr. Recharges With Win at Gateway Motorsports Park

    Darrell Wallace Jr. Recharges With Win at Gateway Motorsports Park

    The Drivin’ For Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series showcased experience levels from veterans to up-an-coming talents, though, at the conclusion it wasn’t a seasoned driver or rookie going to victory lane, it was ‘middle-aged’ Darrell Wallace Jr. capturing his second-career triumph.

    Wallace, 21, led a remarkable 85 laps of the 160 scheduled en route to a dominating win in the Truck Series reappearance at the Madison, Illinois track.

    The win makes Wallace the third victor in the Truck Series this season, joining his team owner, Kyle Busch and defending champion, Matt Crafton.

    It also reinstalls Wallace’s confidence in chasing an elusive Truck Series championship; he’s now ninth in points, 43 markers behind point’s leader Johnny Sauter.

    “To have the troubles that we’ve had, and keep cool and come out and put on a dominate show like we did today shows a lot about (our team).” Wallace expressed post-race. “We are down, but we aren’t out of the fight.”

    German Quiroga Jr., a former NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series champion, had a strong performance, relieving his team from the struggles throughout these past few weeks. He finished a career-best second, coming up a few car lengths short to Wallace in the race’s final laps.

    “I wish it was first, not second,” Quiroga explained in the media center following the effort. “We finished second which is good for our comeback in the championship. We are getting there, closer and closer each week.”

    Timothy Peters finished third, respectively, with Sauter, the new point’s leader, and Ron Hornaday Jr. completing the top five at the finish.

    Cole Custer, who won the pole, setting a new track record for the event, Ryan Blaney, John Wes Townley, Chase Pistone and Tayler Malsam completed the top-10.

    The caution flag flew seven times on the evening, which was the pivotal factor in allowing Wallace to gain track position and score the win.

    Wallace rolled off the grid second and rocketed to the race lead before completing the first turn. He led the first 63 laps before succeeding his position on a green flag pit stop, which was disastrous.

    Wallace’s crew let down the jack too soon when the tire wasn’t attached, causing damage to the right rear and costing him the race lead.

    “It was wild,” Wallace said in victory lane after the race, “We got in a little trouble on the first pit stop, but a little adversity never hurts anybody.”

    John Hunter Nemechek then pounced on the misfortune and muscled to the race lead, where he remained for 53-laps before the veteran Crafton took the top spot.

    Tires issues, though, derailed a promising run for Crafton. His No. 88 machine pounded the outside wall in turn four bringing out the caution and ending his evening in the garage area.

    “Just cut a tire,” said a frustrated Crafton. “Such a fast truck and it was handling great but there was nothing I could do when the tire goes except go into the wall.”

    Under the caution, pit stops began, and prevailing was the 17-year-old Nemechek who won the battle off pit lane, giving him the lead, again, with a mere 30 laps remaining.

    On the restart, though, Wallace resurfaced from the issues on pit lane and powered back to the top spot leaving an intense battle for second and third behind him.

    However, the action was ceased again when Nemechek’s left rear went flat sending him spinning and giving the fans another restart, this time with about eight laps remaining.

    Erik Jones, Wallace’s teammate, stole the lead on the race-deciding restart, however, he was clipped and spun around by Quiroga before leading a lap, sending him hard into the inside retaining wall and into the garage area.

    “I guess we just got dumped again,” said Jones. “I don’t know what to do about that. I felt like it was our race. We had a great truck and I felt like we should have been there in Victory Lane.”

    Quiroga, however, saw the incident in a different fashion.

    “He started getting loose and drove in really deep into (Turn) 1 and he was slowing a lot on the exit and was already sideways, and I just kept on driving straight trying not to hit him,” Quiroga explained.

    Back to the racing, business was picking up.

    With four laps remaining, the machines came back to life and it was Wallace proving his dominance. He snatched the lead and eventually took the checkered flag, claiming his first win since Martinsville last season.

    The Truck Series returns to action June 26th at Kentucky Motor Speedway for the UNOH 225.

  • Wallace leads first practice for Kroger 250

    Wallace leads first practice for Kroger 250

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is back in action this weekend at Martinsville Speedway after a stretch of five weeks off. Darrell Wallace Jr wasted no time showing how strong he is at Martinsville.

    Wallace, who won his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the half-mile paperclip last fall, was fastest in first practice with a lap of 96.662 mph in his No. 54 Toyota  #1 for Everyone Sales Event Toyota Tundra.

    Wallace was followed by Ryan Blaney in the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford. Blaney posted a fast lap of 96.288 mph, only .176 seconds behind Wallace. Timothy Peters, Erik Jones and Ben Kennedy rounded out the top-five.

    Three rookie drivers making their debut this weekend in the Kroger 250 also made an impressive showing. Cole Custer was ninth fastest in the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet with a lap of 95.762 mph. Gray Gaulding ended the session in 11th driving the No. 20 Gemini Southern/Krispy Kreme Chevrolet posting a lap of 95.636 mph. Gaulding was followed closely by Ben Rhodes in the No. 32 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet. Rhodes finished the session in 12th with a fast lap of 95.405 mph.

    The NASCAR Camping World Trucks will have one final practice Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. local time.

  • NASCAR Class of 2013 Yearbook Memories

    NASCAR Class of 2013 Yearbook Memories

    The 2013 season of NASCAR will be remembered as one of the most tumultuous in recent memory. The year would not be complete without a few snapshots to commemorate the highs and lows.

    Favorite Couple: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte

    The partnership between the most popular driver and his Hendrick Motorsports crew chief continues to improve with each passing year. In 2013 the pair had their best season together earning fifth place in the Chase point standings.

    Dale Jr. had an impressive run during the final 10 races of the Chase with five top-5s that included three runner-up finishes and 8 top-10 finishes. His most disappointing result was due to a blown engine at Chicagoland Speedway.

    “I don’t know what would have happened if we could have done Chicago over but we ran so good in the other nine races, we’ve just got to be real proud of ourselves,” Earnhardt said.

    “We’ve got nothing to be disappointed about. We’ve gotten better each year, and that’s what we’re supposed to do.”

    Worst Breakup: Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing

    Few in NASCAR will ever forget how Harvick took over the vacant seat at RCR after Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death in 2001. They were shoes that could never be filled but Harvick handled the challenge with humility and respect.

    When Kevin Harvick first announced that he was leaving Richard Childress Racing after the end of the 2013 season, many were surprised. However Harvick emphasized that he and the team were committed to finishing the year on a positive note by contending for the championship. From the outside, it appeared to be an amicable split.

    But appearances can be deceiving.

    During a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway, tempers flared between Harvick and Ty Dillon as they were competing for second place during the final laps of the race and got together. The two drivers spun out and continued to show their displeasure with each other on the track. Things disintegrated further when Dillon’s crew members got involved by going after Harvick on pit road.

    It was Harvick’s comments after the race that sealed the end of this partnership.

    “The 3 just dumped me,” he said. “Exactly the reason why I’m leaving RCR because you’ve got those kids coming up that got no respect for what they do in this sport and they’ve had everything fed to them with a spoon.”

    Although Harvick later apologized, it was obvious that the relationship had actually ended long before the season came to a close.

    Most Popular Race: Eldora Speedway – The Mudsummer Classic Camping World Truck Series race

    The race at Eldora Speedway was one of the most highly anticipated events of the 2013 NASCAR season and it lived up to expectations.  It wasn’t the biggest or the fastest but it showcased the best short track competition that NASCAR has to offer.

    Austin Dillon won the inaugural event becoming the first driver to win a Camping World Truck Series race on dirt.

    The event marked NASCAR’s first national series dirt race since 1970. It was filled with side-by-side racing action, exciting passes and enough beating and banging to keep the sold out crowd on their feet. This back to basics, stripped down version of racing is the heart and soul of a sport that many feel has lost its way.

    Biggest Controversy:  The September 7th race at Richmond International Raceway

    The final race of NASCAR’s 2013 regular season will be remembered as a turning point in the sport’s history. A suspicious spin by Clint Bowyer led to an investigation and NASCAR determined that Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) manipulated the race results at Richmond. Penalties were issued, points were deducted and as a result MWR teammate Martin Truex Jr. lost his spot in the Chase to Ryan Newman.

    But that was only the beginning. Further allegations of cheating by two other teams led to more investigation by NASCAR and an unprecedented decision to add a 13th driver, Jeff Gordon, to the Chase for the Championship.

    Brian France explained, “We believe that there were too many things that altered the event that gave an unfair disadvantage to Jeff and his team, who would have qualified. It’s just the right thing to do. I have the authority to do that, and we are going to do that.”

    Many fans applauded NASCAR for doing the “right thing” but just as many were appalled at what they saw as NASCAR “fixing” the Chase to include one of its most influential drivers. The fact that Gordon drives for Hendrick Motorsports, arguably the most powerful team in NASCAR, only added fuel to the fire.

    Has the integrity of NASCAR been irreparably damaged by this incident? Only time will tell.

    Most Likely to Continue to Succeed: Jimmie Johnson

    Jimmie Johnson’s sixth championship title has catapulted him into an elite group of NASCAR champions. Only Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt have more with seven each.  Johnson already has the record for most consecutive championships with five titles between the years 2006-2010. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that he will not only equal but surpass the record set by Petty and Earnhardt.

    There is no doubt that Johnson has earned his place as one of the best drivers in the history of NASCAR and he’s not done yet. The more intriguing question is this. Does success equal greatness?

    Best Move: Matt Kenseth

    Matt Kenseth’s move from Roush Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing has provided what Kenseth called an “unbelievable” year.

    “Obviously it’s been a great year, best year I’ve ever had,” said Kenseth. “I think when you look at our season overall, when I talk about it being the best season of my career, we didn’t come up with the championship, the championship is the ultimate goal, you always want that, but from a competitive standpoint it’s been by far the best season of my career.

    “We lead the most laps, qualified the best, most wins, all that stuff. From a competitive standpoint, it was our best year.”

    Kenseth scored a career best seven Sprint Cup wins in one season, a career best of 1,783 laps led and captured three poles along the way.

    Most Significant Victory: Darrell Wallace Jr.

    When Darrell Wallace Jr. won the Kroger 200 Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway in October, he became the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR national series race since Wendell Scott’s win on December 1, 1963.

    After the race, Wallace spoke passionately about the impact of this win.

    “It means everything,” Wallace said. “This is an emotional one for me, especially to do it in Wendell Scott’s backyard. I love coming here to Martinsville. It’s always good to me, and it finally paid off.”

    He also hopes that it will help propel his career forward.

    “Winning, there’s nothing better than winning,” he said. “And I think that’ll help kind of pave its own way there, and hopefully get my name out there even more. Winning this big race can always do that, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do all year is to get my name out there, to keep pushing, to strive for kids younger than me to get in the sport and be here sitting here talking to you guys one day.”

    Best Comeback: Shane Hmiel

    Shane Hmiel’s story is one of triumph over adversity. As he made his way through the ranks of the Busch Series (now Nationwide Series), his career was put on hold when he failed a drug test in 2003 and was suspended indefinitely. He was reinstated in 2004 but over the next couple of years failed two more drug tests and in 2006 was banned from NASCAR for life.

    Hmiel fought his way back to sobriety and began competing in the touring divisions of the United States Auto Club (USAC) Series. Then, in 2010 he faced the biggest challenge of his life.

    While attempting to qualify for a USAC Silver Crown race, his car hit the outside wall and rolled several times. The roll cage was damaged and Hmiel suffered head and spinal injuries that left him paralyzed. He wasn’t expected to live but once more, Hmiel defied the odds.

    In January 2013 his recovery took another leap forward when he was given the chance to get behind the wheel of a racecar one more time at Rockingham Speedway.

    Accessible Racing co-founder and president, Brian Hanaford, Hmiel’s mother, Lisa, and Andy Hillenburg, president of Rockingham Speedway, were instrumental in giving Shane this unique opportunity. Randy LaJoie whose company ‘Joie of Seating’ makes custom seats for race cars, provided the specialized seats.

    Hmiel drove 10 laps around the track and as he headed into the pits, the huge grin on his face spoke volumes.

    “I don’t want to get out, let’s go again,” he exclaimed!”

    Shane Hmiel’s tenacity is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.

    “It felt so great to be back,” he said. “The conceited side of me loves this. It proves to people, do not quit. You can always do more. Believe in that. It’ll get you so far.”

    These are only a few of the most memorable NASCAR moments in 2013. Records were broken, champions were crowned and controversy abounded. The new season begins in less than three months. Will you be watching?

     

  • Darrell Wallace Jr. scores historical win at Martinsville

    Darrell Wallace Jr. scores historical win at Martinsville

    The last time and only time an African-American driver visited victory lane in a NASCAR national touring series was 1963 when Wendell Scott took the win at Jacksonville. On Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, Darrell Wallace Jr. became the second.

    Wallace, a NASCAR drive for diversity graduate, led 96 laps in his Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra. The win was Wallace’s 11th top-10 finish this season and second top-10 at Martinsville.

    NASCAR implemented the driver for diversity program in an effort give more opportunities to minorities who want to pursue a career in NASCAR. Though several drivers have worked through the program, Wallace is the first driver to find success in a national touring series.

    NASCAR chairman and CEO, Brian France commented on Wallace’s victory,” We congratulate Darrell Wallace Jr. on his first national series victory, one that will be remembered as a remarkable moment in our sport’s history.” He continued, “Darrell’s success, following fellow NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Kyle Larson’s win earlier this season, is indicative of a youth and multicultural movement that bodes well for NASCAR’s future growth.”

    Wallace’s success came early on when he drove in the drive for diversity program. He won Sunoco rookie of the year honor in the K&N Pro East Series in 2010. He then backed that up with a second place finish in the championship standings in 2011.

    In 2012, Wallace has compiled 11 top-10’s and five top-5 finishes in 18 starts in the Camping World Truck Series. He also started four Nationwide Series starts this season for Joe Gibbs Racing, finishing in the top-10 in three of those starts.

    An emotional Wallace was asked what this win means to him, “It means everything. This is an emotional win for me. Especially to do it in Wendell Scott’s backyard and I love coming here to Martinsville, it’s always good to me and it finally paid off.”