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  • Ben Rhodes powers by Cory Roper for thrilling Daytona victory

    Ben Rhodes powers by Cory Roper for thrilling Daytona victory

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to action to kickstart the 2021 season at the famous Daytona International Speedway.

    Ben Rhodes, who started 23rd, made a thrilling move to the outside of Cory Roper coming off Turn 4 and claimed the season-opening win at Daytona as multiple trucks wrecked behind the leaders. The victory would mark the Kentucky native’s first superspeedway victory in 120 starts.

    “This is so special, the biggest win of my career,” Rhodes said. “I can’t even believe this. As a driver, you’re always asked about what your biggest accomplishment is. This is it. This is hands-down it. This is the place to be. I can’t even believe it.”

    Prior to the first race of the season, qualifying was held earlier today. Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 ThorSport team qualified on the pole. The pole marked Sauter’s first superspeedway pole position in his career.

    Only one driver moved to the back, which was the No. 19 of Derek Kraus. Stages of 20/20/60 laps made up the original 100 lap event, before going into overtime, as a caution flew with six laps to go and extended the event by one lap.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

    When the green flag flew, there were already sparks flying on the frontstretch. The No. 15 of Tanner Gray did not get going as the truck stalled somewhat on the initial start, which caused a stack up in the back. James Buescher in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy had major damage to his front bumper and was credited with a last-place finish. Kraus and Gus Dean were also involved in the incident.

    Despite the early caution, the rest of the stage remained green from Lap 5 to 20. Pole sitter Sauter dominated through the early portions before getting passed late in the stage by eventual Stage 1 winner, Raphael Lessard. Lessard, with the help of his teammate Sheldon Creed, drove right on by Sauter and Enfinger to win the first stage. Enfinger, Sauter, Nemechek, Rhodes, Chandler Smith, David Gilliland, Stewart Friesen and Timothy Peters rounded out the Top 10 in Stage 1.

    During the stage break, Creed was penalized for being too fast on pit road while Codie Rohrbaugh was sent to the rear for a crew member being over the wall too soon. Meanwhile, Matt Crafton was penalized for one lap for pitting outside the box.

    Stage 2: Lap 26 – Lap 40

    Just one caution slowed the second stage when the No. 19 of Kraus spun in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 35 after Kraus’s left-rear tire went flat. With the late caution, the restart came with two laps to go in the stage. John Hunter Nemechek edged out Lessard for the victory. Sauter, Creed, Rhodes, Chandler Smith, Hill, Peters, Enfinger, and Ankrum were the Top 10 finishers in Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 46 – Lap 101

    In the final stage, there were six cautions that took place in the final 55 laps. One of the notable yellows in the final stage was for the No. 1 of Hailie Deegan. Deegan was making her first Truck Series start at Daytona and ran solidly before spinning on the backstretch and hitting the inside wall causing a yellow with 20 to go.

    The next restart came with 15 to go and the intensity picked up with drivers pushing hard for the win. Unfortunately, the big one occurred with six laps to go with multiple drivers involved. John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Ankrum, Timothy Peters, Drew Dollar, Raphael Lessard, Austin Hill, Johnny Sauter, Tate Fogleman, Bryan Dauzat and Carson Hocevar were collected in the incident.

    With the late yellow, NASCAR Overtime was called and there was a two-lap dash to the finish. Rhodes got shoved out to the front with the help of his teammate, Matt Crafton, coming off Turn 4, following directly behind Roper who was leading the race. Rhodes had momentum and made the pass to the outside to win by .036 seconds over Roper and Jordan Anderson while another big one occurred behind the leaders.

    By finishing third, Roper earned the first-ever top-five finish of his Truck Series career in 28 starts over a span of four years, dating back to 2018.

    “We took the white flag, and I think it (field) just kind of got jumbled up and I think the 2 (Sheldon Creed) got in the wall a little bit, put me in the wall, flattened the right side and I pulled down to the bottom,” Roper said. “I was able to clear them and come off of (Turn) 2 with the lead. So, it was pretty exciting about that time and I just calmed down and try to stay, listen to my spotter, do what I needed to do. When I pancaked the right side, we got tight off of (Turn) 4 and I couldn’t pull down and got clogged in.”

    There were 10 cautions for 43 laps and 31 lead changes among 12 different leaders.

    Official Results
    1. Ben Rhodes, led seven laps
    2. Jordan Anderson
    3. Cory Roper
    4. Ryan Truex
    5. Carson Hocevar
    6. Sheldon Creed, led one lap
    7. John Hunter Nemechek, won Stage 2, led 14 laps
    8. Codie Rohrbaugh
    9. Chandler Smith, led 22 laps
    10. Drew Dollar
    11. Grant Enfinger, led 13 laps
    12. Kris Wright
    13. Spencer Boyd
    14. David Gilliland, led eight laps
    15. Matt Crafton
    16. Zane Smith
    17. Danny Bohn
    18. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    19. Bryan Dauzat, led two laps
    20. Jason White
    21. Austin Wayne Self, one lap down
    22. Austin Hill, two laps down
    23. Raphael Lessard, won Stage 1, led 12 laps, two laps down
    24. Hailie Deegan, three laps down
    25. Brett Moffitt, led one lap, five laps down
    26. Timothy Peters, led three laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    27. Johnny Sauter, led 12 laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    28. Tyler Ankrum, led six laps, OUT, Crash
    29. Chase Purdy, OUT, Electrical
    30. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    31. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Crash
    32. Stewart Friesen, OUT, Crash
    33. Derek Kraus, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    34. Gus Dean, OUT, Crash
    35. Tanner Gray, OUT, Drivetrain
    36. James Buescher, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will stay in the Daytona area as the trucks will next race on the Daytona Road Course on Friday night. February 19. live on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 7:30 pm. ET.

  • Kyle Busch wins a wild conclusion to the Busch Clash

    Kyle Busch wins a wild conclusion to the Busch Clash

    Starting the 2021 NASCAR season with a new crew chief, a new pit crew and a new slate, Kyle Busch took advantage of a last-lap incident involving Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott to win the 43rd annual running of the Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Tuesday, February 9.

    Busch, who was running in third place on the final lap and entering the final chicane prior to the straightaway for the finish line, benefitted from contact involving Elliott and Blaney, who spun, to overtake both and claim the first checkered flag of a new season of racing and the first Clash event held on Daytona’s road-course layout.

    Twenty-one competitors competed in the event, all of whom met the eligibility requirements to participate: 2020 Cup pole winners, former winners of the Clash as a 2020 full-time competitor, former Daytona 500 champions as a 2020 full-time competitor, former Daytona 500 pole winners as a 2020 full-time competitor, 2020 Cup Playoff competitors, 2020 Cup race winners and 2020 Cup stage winners.  

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw on Monday, February 8. With that, Ryan Blaney started on pole position with Alex Bowman starting alongside him on the front row. Chase Elliott, the reigning Cup Series champion, started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Blaney jumped ahead with an early advantage on the inside lane. Behind, Tyler Reddick made a bold move on the outside lane through Turn 1 and nearly gained the lead before settling in fourth place behind Blaney, Bowman and Denny Hamlin. 

    Blaney continued to lead the field through the infield turns until Hamlin made his move and took the lead entering the superspeedway Turn 1. He was able to maintain his advantage through the rest of the superspeedway turns and the two chicanes to lead the first lap over Blaney, who had Bowman and Reddick challenging him for the runner-up spot.

    Earlier through the bus stop/chicane on the backstretch, Logano ran over the curb on the backstretch bus stop chicane while battling teammate Keselowski as his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang briefly went airborne. Despite the incident, he continued on the track in the top 10.

    By the second lap, Hamlin stretched his advantage to nearly two seconds over Blaney while Bowman continued to retain third place over Reddick and William Byron. Brad Keselowski was in sixth followed by Matt DiBenedetto, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Cole Custer. By then, Chase Elliott moved up to 16th place.

    The following lap, early trouble struck for Kevin Harvick, who spun through the backstretch chicane. He was able to continue without sustaining any damage, though he fell all the way below the 21-car field, as the race remained under green. 

    By the first five laps of the race, Hamlin and his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry continued to lead by more than a second over Blaney and his No. 12 Menards/Great Lakes Flooring Ford Mustang. Bowman remained in third place ahead of teammate Byron, Reddick and Keselowski. Behind, Kyle Busch was locked in a heated battle with Joey Logano and teammate Martin Truex Jr. for seventh while DiBenedetto slipped back to 10th. By then, Erik Jones was in 11th, Elliott was in 15th, Ty Dillon was in 17th and Harvick was in 21st.

    Shortly after, DiBenedetto missed the frontstretch chicane and was forced to serve a stop-and-go penalty on the track. In addition, Kurt Busch and Logano made an early pit stop. During these events, Hamlin continued to lead the field.

    The first caution of the race flew on the seventh lap due to mud reported across the bus stop chicane on the backstretch. Under caution, some competitors led by race leader Hamlin pitted while the rest led by Blaney remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Logano was assessed a penalty for having his crew members jumping over his pit wall too soon.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 10, Blaney jumped ahead again with the lead, but he overshot the first turn and lost a multitude of spots. With Blaney’s misfortune, Reddick jumped ahead with the lead. In addition, the field jumbled up as Harvick spun again in Turn 2.

    At the front, Reddick continued to lead followed by Keselowski, Bowman, Buescher, Hamlin and Byron. By the time the field returned to the start/finish line, however, Keselowski drew himself alongside Reddick in a battle for the lead. In Turn 1, Reddick went wide, which allowed Keselowski to assume the lead. In addition, Hamlin moved up to second followed by teammate Martin Truex Jr. as Reddick fell back to fourth. Meanwhile, Harvick pitted following his second on-track incident. 

    By Lap 12, the battle for the lead heated up between Hamlin and Keselowski while Truex joined the battle. Following a lengthy battle through the infield turns, Hamlin prevailed entering the superspeedway Turn 1. Truex also overtook Keselowski for second as he went to work on teammate Hamlin for the lead. Trailing the top-three competitors by nearly three seconds was Reddick while Elliott overtook Erik Jones and cracked the top five. 

    The following lap, Hamlin got loose entering the bus stop and Truex took advantage of his teammate’s slip to take the lead. Shortly after, names like Reddick, Jones, Bowman and Logano pitted. Following the pit stops under green, however, Bowman was black-flagged due to speeding on pit road. 

    By the time the field completed Lap 15 and with Truex still leading, names like Elliott, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, Blaney and Harvick also pitted. Not long after, the competition caution flew.

    Just as the caution flew, trouble struck for the leader Truex, who missed the frontstretch chicane and was tagged with a penalty to restart at the rear of the 21-car field. Under caution, the entire field pitted for adjustments and fuel. Following the pit stops, Kurt Busch assumed the race lead with a two-tire pit stop. Austin Dillon moved up to second place after electing for no tires while Hamlin exited in third place and as the first car on four fresh tires. Keselowski, Blaney, Logano, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Cole Custer and Chris Buescher exited from pit road in the top 10.

    With 17 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the front, Kurt Busch jumped ahead with the lead until he overshot the first turn. With Busch falling all the way to the back of the field after overshooting the track, Hamlin reassumed the lead followed by Blaney, Logano, Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch.

    With 15 laps remaining, Hamlin continued to lead by less than a second over Blaney while teammate Logano was situated in third place. Kyle Busch was in fourth ahead of Austin Dillon and Custer while Keselowski, Buescher, Jones and Reddick were in the top 10. Truex, meanwhile, was in 11th  while teammates Byron, Bowman and Elliott were in 13th, 14th and 15th. Harvick was in 18th while Kurt Busch was still back in 21st. By then, the bumping and on-track battling started to ensue around every turn of the track.

    The following lap, the caution returned when Custer, who missed the frontstretch chicane and was set to serve a stop and go penalty, stalled his No. 41 Haas Ford Mustang near the chicane. Soon after, fire and smoke started to come out of Custer’s car as the safety workers arrived for assistance.

    Under caution, some like Blaney, Logano, Byron, Bowman, Elliott, Newman, Kurt Busch, Reddick, Buescher, Harvick and Aric Almirola pitted while the rest led by Hamlin remained on the track. 

    A lap prior to the restart, the left-rear tire of Byron’s No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE shredded, which forced him to make another pit stop for a new tire. In addition, Logano was forced to drop to the rear of the field for not entering pit road in a single file earlier.

    With 11 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the front, Hamlin jumped ahead with the lead and he was able to retain it through the first two turns while the field behind fanned out to three lanes. Behind, Truex, who smoked his front tires entering the first turn, made his way through Austin Dillon for the runner-up spot as Kyle Busch also moved up the leaderboard. Behind, Blaney, who used the outside lane at the start to his advantage and gain a bevy of spots, challenged Dillon for fourth. 

    The following lap, Hamlin retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over teammate Truex as Kyle Busch settled in third. Blaney was in fourth, but closing in on Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for more. Austin Dillon was in fifth followed by Elliott, Keselowski, DiBenedetto, Bowman and Reddick. 

    Two laps later, the battle for the lead heated up as Truex drew himself alongside Hamlin through the infield turns. Truex was able to pull off a crossover move and grab the lead exiting the infield turns and entering the superspeedway turns. His race, however, went away through the bus stop/backstretch chicane when he ran over the mud, got loose, spun and made hard contact against the outside wall in Turn 10.

    With Truex out of the race following his accident, Blaney emerged with the lead followed by Hamlin, Elliott, Kyle Busch and Bowman. Under caution, however, Blaney and Hamlin led a number of competitors down pit road while Elliott, Kurt Busch, Logano, Reddick, Buescher and Aric Almirola remained on the track. This moved Elliott into the lead.

    With five laps remaining, the race restarted. At the start, Elliott pulled away with the lead and he retained it through the first turn. Behind, Kurt Busch went wide again and lost a bevy of spots. Meanwhile, Logano moved into the runner-up spot followed by Buescher, Blaney, Reddick and Kyle Busch.

    When the field returned to the start/finish line, Elliott remained at the front of the pack by less than a second over Logano with a hard-charging Blaney closing in. Through the bus stop/backstretch chicane, Keselowski, who was in eighth, spun in front of Byron. In addition, Reddick got into Buescher as Buescher spun through the chicane and clipped Bowman before coming to rest on the track. Despite the incidents, the race remained under green.

    At the front, Blaney, racing on fresh tires, closed in on Elliott for the lead through the infield turns, the superspeedway turns and the bus stop/backstretch chicane. With two laps remaining, Blaney made a move beneath Elliott through the dogleg turn as he took the lead, though Elliott kept Blaney in his sights.

    When the final lap of the exhibition event started, Blaney was still ahead by nearly half a second over Elliott. Through the infield turns, the superspeedway turns and the backstretch chicane, Blaney continued to retain the top spot while Elliott continued to close in. 

    Then entering the frontstretch chicane, Elliott made a move beneath Blaney in a bid for the win. Hen then made contact with Blaney as Blaney spun through the chicane. Following the contact, Kyle Busch, who was trailing the two leaders, made his way through the incident and overtook Elliott to win and grab the checkered flag by nearly eight-tenths of a second. 

    The victory was Busch’s second in the Clash as he recorded the 10th Clash win for Joe Gibbs Racing and the sixth for the Toyota nameplate. In addition, Busch achieved his first victory with new crew chief Ben Beshore.

    “I just knew to keep my head down, keep focused ahead and just seeing if I could hit my marks and get close enough to have a shot like that if something like that were to materialize,” Busch said on FS1. “Fortunately, it did for us. I can’t say enough about [crew chief] Ben Beshore and this whole M&M’s team, everybody over the off season. A new M&M’s team…It’s awesome to start off the year with a win. Non-points win, but we’d love nothing more than to be right here this Sunday.”

    Elliott limped across the finish line in second place while Blaney fell all the way back to 13th place. Following the race, both competitors met on pit road for a post-race discussion.

    “Neither one of us won, that’s the big one,” Elliott said on FS1. “I was close enough to drive it in there. I feel like I’d be mad at myself for not, at least, trying. Obviously, I don’t mean to wreck anybody, especially [Blaney]. Some guys, I wouldn’t mind, but he’s not one of them. Hopefully, he’s not too mad at me. I feel like you got to go for it here at an event like this in a situation. I can’t be sorry about going for the win, but certainly didn’t mean to wreck him. [I] Drove it in there. That corner gets so tight. I didn’t want to just completely jump the curb to the right, but I felt like I tried to get over there as far as I could to it and that point, we were coming together at the same time…We’ll try again Sunday.”

    “I hate it happened too,” Blaney added. “It didn’t work out for either of us. We were just racing hard. I had a little bit fresher tires there…I tried to protect and I drove into the last corner really deep to try to make sure I didn’t dive-bombed like that. We just came together there. What are you gonna do?”

    Logano finished in third place followed by Reddick and Byron. Hamlin, Bowman, Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and DiBenedetto rounded out the top 10.

    There were 13 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured four cautions for eight laps.

    Results.

    1. Kyle Busch, one lap led

    2. Chase Elliott, four laps led

    3. Joey Logano

    4. Tyler Reddick, one lap led

    5. William Byron

    6. Denny Hamlin, 21 laps led

    7. Alex Bowman

    8. Erik Jones

    9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    10. Matt DiBenedetto

    11. Austin Dillon

    12. Aric Almirola

    13. Ryan Blaney, five laps led

    14. Ryan Newman

    15. Kevin Harvick

    16. Chris Buescher

    17. Brad Keselowski, one lap led

    18. Ty Dillon

    19. Kurt Busch, one lap led

    20. Cole Custer, three laps down

    21. Martin Truex Jr. – OUT, Accident, two laps led

    The NASCAR Cup Series will return the following day, February 10, for the Daytona 500 pole position qualifying session, which will occur at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona on Thursday, February 11, which will also commence at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. All of this will lead up to the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 scheduled on Sunday, February 14, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Blaney draws 2021 Busch Clash pole

    Blaney draws 2021 Busch Clash pole

    The 2021 Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course will have Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang start on pole position following a random draw and with a new season of NASCAR competition hours away from commencing.

    The lineup was determined based on a random draw, which occurred on Daytona International Speedway’s Facebook page on Monday, February 8.

    This year’s exhibition event will be the first on Daytona’s road-course layout, with the event to run on 35 laps and divided into two stages. The first stage will conclude on Lap 15 with the final 20 laps to occur in the second stage.

    Blaney, who is set to enter his sixth full-time season in the Cup Series, will be making his fourth career start in the Clash. In his previous three Clash starts, he has finished in the top 10 in all starts with a best result of fourth place (twice: 2018 and 2019).

    Alex Bowman, who is set to make his first start in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after replacing the retired seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, will start alongside Blaney on the front row. Denny Hamlin, the reigning three-time Daytona 500 champion and three-time Clash winner, will start in third place followed by Brad Keselowski and William Byron.

    Tyler Reddick will start in sixth place alongside Chase Elliott, the reigning Cup Series champion. Rounding out the top-10 starting grid are Cole Custer, the reigning Cup Rookie of the Year; Erik Jones, the reigning Clash winner; and Joey Logano, a former winner of the Clash and the Daytona 500.

    Rounding out the 21-car starting grid are Ryan Newman, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Ty Dillon, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Aric Almirola.

    All 21 competitors met the eligibility criteria to participate in the event: 2020 Busch Pole Award winners, former winners of the Busch Clash, former Daytona 500 champions, former Daytona 500 pole winners (all as full-time Cup competitors), 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff competitors, 2020 Cup race winners and 2020 Cup stage winners.

    The 2021 Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course will occur on Tuesday, February 9, at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Ty Dillon joins 23XI Racing for Busch Clash

    Ty Dillon joins 23XI Racing for Busch Clash

    The newly formed 23XI Racing will be making its inaugural presence in NASCAR a week early than anticipated after it was announced that Ty Dillon will be joining the organization in a one-race deal for the Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on February 9.

    The criteria for eligibility for the 2021 Busch Clash at Daytona’s road course layout was announced in November, making the event available for competitors who recorded a 2020 Busch Pole Award, won a Daytona 500 and won a Daytona 500 pole award, all as full-time Cup competitors. The event was also open for competitors who made the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, won a 2020 Cup race and won a 2020 Cup stage.

    Dillon, a 28-year-old native from Lewisville, North Carolina, became eligible for the 35-lap exhibition by recording a stage victory last season. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing’s full-time competitor, is ineligible due to not meeting one of the criteria to compete in the event. He will make his first start with the team in the 63rd annual running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, which will also mark the start of 23XI Racing’s first full-time campaign in NASCAR.

    Dillon, who is the 21st competitor confirmed for the event and will be making his Clash debut, will be sponsored by Root Insurance, one of the team’s founding partners. The decision to compete in the Busch Clash was made to get 23XI Racing, owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin, an early start for its first season in NASCAR competition.

    Along with the Busch Clash, Dillon is set to compete with Gaunt Brothers Racing for the remainder of Daytona Speedweeks as he attempts to qualify for the 2021 Daytona 500. He is also set to compete in four NASCAR Xfinity Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing.

    The 2021 Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course is set to occur on Tuesday, February 9, at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona Road Course

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Daytona Road Course

    Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series action at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course definitely provided a fascinating race but had the suspected winner.

    At one point, race fans saw nearly the whole field almost pile up in the first turn when most of the cars went off circuit and out of the racing line. Thankfully, the majority of the drivers escaped from further calamity, but some weren’t so lucky. That can be said for Noah Gragson who was leading until he missed one of the turns and went sliding all the way through the grass, causing a caution on Lap 19. Fortunately, the Las Vegas native rebounded to a top-five finish as Gragson placed third in the final outing.

    Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe was looking for a potential sixth win of the year but got collected in a wreck on Lap 47 with five laps to go. The accident was too much for the Stewart-Haas driver to overcome as he would be credited with a 29th place finish.

    With most of the field having their ups and downs, we’ll take a look at how the drivers did following their first Daytona Road Course race.

    1. Austin Cindric – Cindric continues to be on fire in the Xfinity Series as the playoffs loom in the background. It’s his fifth win in the last six races and he is tied with Sam Ard for another record after winning five races in a season. The Team Penske driver showed his dominance early, winning Stage 1, finishing second in Stage 2, and ultimately leading 21 laps en route to the seventh victory of his career. It was noted during a conference call earlier last week that Cindric is searching for a ride for next year. While he could come back to the No. 22 in 2021, should Cindric keep racking up victories and get the championship, that could help his chances of landing a ride. But as we’ve seen time and time again, nothing is guaranteed in the world of NASCAR.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Noah Gragson – It was a hard-fought third-place finish for Gragson. The Las Vegas native was runner up in Stage 1 by finishing second. After his mishap when Gragson spun from the lead, he had to work all race to get back to the top of the running order. When the checkered flag flew, Gragson earned his ninth top five of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    3. Brandon Jones – Despite not gaining any stage finishes, Jones found himself with a shot to win the race late in the going with the help of a caution. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver had to settle for second when all was said and done. The second-place finish was Jones’s first since Homestead back in June. In addition, Jones gained his sixth top-five of the year. It seems as though the No. 19 team might be turning things around after a few weeks of miserable runs aside from winning the Kansas race.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Riley Herbst – It took four spins, but Herbst rebounded to seventh place in Saturday’s event, his 10th top-10 of the year. Herbst also collected stage finishes of fourth and 10th. The finish was much needed after a disappointing 23rd at Road America, two weeks ago. But he will have to win soon if he wants to be comfortable in the playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Chase Briscoe – Winning the second stage and finishing seventh in Stage 1 was good enough to keep Briscoe in the rankings but dropped him down a tad. He had the second most dominant car in the race next to competitor Cindric. Overall, Briscoe led the most laps of 26 and was solidly in the top five. But his day would be cut short for the accident in Turn 2. He’ll have to turn to Dover and build on his win total for the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    Fell Out

    1. Ross Chastain – Chastain’s day was up in smoke early on Lap 14 when he came to a stop in Turn 8. The Kaulig Racing driver spent the majority of the race behind the wall as the damage was fixed. Eventually, Chastain would return to the race but finished 36th, 18 laps down.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Ryan Sieg – Sieg piloted the No. 39 machine to an 11th place outing, just barely missing out on the top 10. You could very well say the Daytona Road Course could be a forgettable race for Sieg and the team.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Daytona Road Course

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Daytona Road Course

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited the Daytona International Speedway Road Course for the first time in series history Sunday afternoon.

    Sheldon Creed continued his late-season dominance by earning his second career victory after leading the final 12 laps of the race when original race leader Matt Crafton missed the Turn 9 and 10 chicane on the backstretch. The Californian now has 14 playoff points to his credit, sits on top of the playoff points standings and is looking pretty good for a championship run.

    While Creed enjoyed his late-race run, others suffered, including Christian Eckes. Eckes was coming to the line but made contact with Stewart Friesen and saw his No. 18 Truck get torn up. It was a miserable outing for the New York native who ended up 12th as a result of the crash after having solid runs the last few races.

    With that in mind, a few other drivers were able to capitalize on someones else’s misfortune, and come away with a good overall day.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Sunoco 159 at the Daytona International Road Course.

    1. Sheldon Creed – Okay, raise your hands if you didn’t see this (win) coming. The victory shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise as Creed led 19 laps and won Stage 2 to gain some valuable playoff points for his No. 2 GMS Racing team. He finished second in the first stage as well. Winning the Daytona Road Course race was purely sweet, sweet victory as the last two races at Kansas and Michigan didn’t go so well. The victory was a nice picker-upper for Creed.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    2. Grant Enfinger – It was a valiant effort for Enfinger who rebounded the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford F-150 to a seventh-place finish after earlier issues. Things went south for a while when his ThorSport team had to change a battery during one of the stage breaks. It took the Alabaman all of the race to get back in fighting contention but he managed his sixth top 10 of the 2020 season. Like Creed, the finish was also a rebound for Enfinger who lost the race last week at Michigan when he collided with a couple of trucks on a late-race restart. Though with Creed scoring the victory, Enfinger now sits second in playoff points, +11 above the cut line. Enfinger is locked into the playoffs via his Daytona victory earlier in the year but needs to work on winning more stages and races to comfortably avoid another Las Vegas incident.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    3. Matt Crafton – A ho-hum fourth-place finish for Crafton who nearly gave the race away in the remaining laps. The three-time champion was looking for his second win of the season but his run was ruined by going through the backstretch chicane and losing two positions on the racetrack. Thankfully for Crafton, he didn’t receive a penalty from NASCAR, since he cut the corners and NASCAR deemed losing two positions was enough and did not merit a penalty. However, the ThorSport driver hung on for a top-five finish, finishing fourth, Crafton’s sixth top-five of the year. Regardless of the incident, Crafton sits fifth in the playoff standings.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Raphael Lessard – Rapahel Lessard earned the best finish of his Truck Series career after ending up in the third position in the final running order. The Canadian, however, most likely could have won the race had he not overshot the last chicane in the final laps of the race. The victory would definitely have been a big win for Lessard, but for now, he will have to move forward and try again at the next event. Nonetheless, a great effort and a solid finish for Lessard, especially when all could have gone away in those intense moments.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Brett Moffitt – A stage win and a second-place finish was what the No. 23 team received following Sunday’s race. Moffitt followed up his sixth-place outing last week at Michigan and almost scored the victory. The Iowan was pushing hard in those remaining laps and had Creed slipped up in any form or fashion, Moffitt would have been there to pounce and get the victory instead. However, now with Creed and Zane Smith having victories in the GMS camp, Moffitt and his teammate Tyler Ankrum are the only ones who don’t have wins in that stable. They have two races left to make it happen and get their playoff spot secured.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out

    1. Christian Eckes – It was a tough day at the office for Eckes who could only get a 12th place result. He spun in Turn 3 while leading and couldn’t get back into contention. His day got even worse when the No. 18 Safelite Truck was destroyed after taking the checkered flag.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Derek Kraus – Electrical problems plagued Kraus and put the Bill McAnally driver out of the race and credited with a 30th place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes had a forgettable day as he would finish 14th in the final running order, after being, at one point, one of the highest running ThorSport trucks.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at the Daytona Road Course

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at the Daytona Road Course

    The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck series went south for the 12th race of the 2020 season to the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

    Sheldon Creed came out victorious after leading just 19 laps and being a solid contender throughout the 46-lap event. Though he had to showcase his skills late due to an overtime restart and hold off his teammate and 2018 series champion, Brett Moffitt.

    There were also several notable stories that were significant including issues resulting from the heat. The heat was a major factor for almost everyone in the race, including drivers like Carson Hocevar and Christian Eckes. Hocevar was stopped on the track and caused a late-race yellow. As he sat in blazing temperatures, safety officials came to his aid and the Niece Motorsports driver got out of his truck, exhausted. The same was true for Eckes who, after his incident, got out of the truck, and sat on the grass for a while.

    With the heat being a major factor, playoff points are also starting to become a major factor as well, and the points are ever-changing.

    We’ll detail that and other stories in this week’s takeaways.

    1. Parker Kligerman Earns Top 10 Outing – Kligerman finished eighth for his second consecutive top 10 finish of the season Sunday afternoon. It’s currently his best finish of the year after competing in four races. In what could easily be deemed as an up and down season after not being able to race at Atlanta and Charlotte due to a lack of owner points, Kligerman definitely makes the most of his efforts when he competes in a Truck Series outing.
    2. Jennifer Jo Cobb’s 200th Start – Possibly overlooked in Sunday’s race was Jennifer Jo Cobb’s 200th Truck Series start. While the Kansas City, KS native currently doesn’t have any wins in the series, Cobb does her best to make it in the show whenever there is qualifying. To date, her best finish is sixth at Daytona in 2011.
    3. Wayne Self Sees Best Finish – Austin Wayne Self’s No. 22 AM Racing saw their best finish of the year Sunday afternoon when the Austin, Texas native finished 11th. So far in 2020, he doesn’t have any top fives or top 10 finishes but is working on getting back to that point. His 11th place outing was certainly much needed after a disastrous finish at Michigan the week prior. In addition, Self managed to get some stage points, finishing ninth in Stage 1.

      “Really proud of my AM Racing team,” Self said. “We started mid-pack, but we raced methodically and smart that put us in a position to get some stage points at the end of Stage 2. We were mired deep in the field for the start of Stage 3 but a fast No. 22 AIRBOX Air Purifier end allowed us to climb back through the field and finish 11th. It was a nice rebound from Michigan. Let’s see if we can go to Dover and get ourselves a top-10 finish.”
    4. Triple Truck Challenge – Everyone’s favorite challenge is back, the “Triple Truck Challenge.” Beginning at the Daytona Road Course and lasting through Gateway, Truck Series drivers have a chance to win $50,000 should a driver win one of those races. Originally, before Sunday’s race, any full-time driver had an opportunity to earn up to $500,000 had one of those drivers won all three events. Now, however, Sheldon Creed is the only driver who has an opportunity to get half a million, should he happen to win at Dover and Gateway.
  • 2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Daytona RC

    2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Daytona RC

    Three races and two venues are all that remain in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season schedule with the Playoffs less than two weeks away from being set and commencing. With the deficit for the final spots to the Playoffs stabilizing and not decreasing, time is running low for many current and future stars to earn themselves and their team a ticket to the 2020 postseason battle for the series championship.

    With a win in the inaugural running of the Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Chase Elliott joins a handful of competitors that have won multiple Cup races this season, a list that includes regular-season leader Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. All five, along with Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and rookie Cole Custer, remain guaranteed spots in the Playoffs by virtue of winning one or more regular-season races. Though Austin Dillon did not compete at the Daytona Road Course event due to suffering COVID-19 symptoms, he is expected to be granted a waiver to qualify for the postseason.

    Currently, six spots continue to remain vacant for the 2020 Cup Playoffs with three spots set to be occupied by competitors that have not win this season thus far.

    The first competitor who continues to emerge as the highest winless competitor in points is Aric Almirola. Despite starting in sixth place, the Floridian struggled with maintaining and gaining track position throughout the race. A 24th-place result marked his lowest result since finishing in 33rd place at Martinsville Speedway in June. The good news for Almirola and his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team is the fact that he is 130 points above the top-16 cutline to qualify for this year’s Playoffs.

    “We started to gain momentum there at the end and thought we could have put the Go Bowling Ford Mustang inside the top 10,” Almirola said. “Unfortunately, that caution came out and we pitted. I was caught behind some cars on the restart with nowhere to go. That’s road course racing. Not the day we wanted, but we kept the car on the track and in one piece. We’ll regroup and go to Dover where we know we can bring speed.”

    For the Busch brothers, it was a tale of mixed results. For Kurt Busch, he started in eighth place and was battling for a spot in the top 10 throughout the race before he settled in 14th place when the checkered flag flew. Kyle, on the other hand, had a roller coaster run that ended up with misfortunes. It all started in the opening laps when he locked up his front tires while running inside the top five and made an unscheduled pit stop for fresh tires, a move that sent him to the rear of the field. He rallied his way back into the top 10 during the second stage, but spun in Turn 6 after locking up his front tires. While he appeared poised for a strong result despite his early struggles, his race went away under 20 laps remaining when he took his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the garage due to brake rotor failure. Though he returned to the track, he was involved in a single-car incident with five laps remaining and was unable to complete the race. Through the first 23 races of this season, both Busch brothers remain winless, with Kurt above the cutline by 121 points and Kyle by 100 points.

    “I really enjoyed the day today, the track was a fun challenge for us,” Kurt Busch said. “[Crew chief] Matt McCall did a nice job making adjustments on the Monster Energy Camaro, but we burned up the tires on the last longer run and just had to play a little defense in the end. It was a really fun track and I had some fun out there today, I just didn’t have enough in the end.”

    Compared to Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer had a strong performance at Daytona. Starting 12th, Bowyer earned top-five results in both stages and collected a number of stage points towards the Playoffs. Though Bowyer could not keep pace with eventual winner Chase Elliott, he remained inside the top five in the final laps and was poised for more before he crossed the finish line in sixth place. Bowyer’s sixth-place result was his highest since finishing seventh and eighth during the Pocono Raceway doubleheader races in June and it snapped his recent seven-race stretch of finishing no higher than 11th. With his sixth top-10 result of the season, the Kansas veteran is 66 points above the top-16 cutline.

    “We did what we needed to do today,” Bowyer said. “We had a great Mobil 1 Ford. I thought it was going to be even better there at the end, but we must have gotten hot. [William Byron] got me on the restart and then another car got by me. If I didn’t have anything to lose there I might have been able to get a few more back. But that was a good points day. I hope we are on a roll and we continue this at Dover.”

    Right behind Bowyer in points continues to be Matt DiBenedetto, who started in ninth place and brought the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang in 15th place when the race concluded. With his 15th top-15 result of the season, DiBenedetto is 44 points above the cutline and three races away from making his first postseason appearance as a championship contender.

    With an eighth-place result at the Daytona Road Course event, William Byron continues to hold sole possession of the 16th and final transfer spot to the Playoffs by 25 points. Starting 13th, the Charlotte native contended inside the top 10 as he earned top-10 results in both stages and collected valuable stage points towards the Playoffs. Restarting in 34th with 26 laps remaining, Byron and his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE charged his way back towards the front. Following a late pit stop under green and a late caution due to a single-car incident, he was scored in sixth place. During the final three laps, he lost two positions before he crossed the line in eighth place for his seventh top-10 career finish in the Cup Series and to remain in contention for a spot to the 2020 Playoffs.

    “It was a good result for us today,” Byron said. “We chose to go for the stage points and had to pass our way through the field a few times because of that strategy. I think we did a nice job of that and getting a lot of those available points. Once we got towards the front top five we kind of stalled out though. Overall, I’m pretty happy with today and getting a good result. We just need to have a couple good weeks with solid races when we go on to Dover for two races and back to Daytona. I’m looking forward to Dover next week for sure though.”

    The competitor who trails the top-16 cutline by 25 points is seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who rallied from his share of on-track struggles throughout the summer to post his highest-finishing result since finishing in third place at Bristol Motor Speedway in May. With three regular-season races remaining, Johnson has three opportunities remaining in keeping his hopes for a record-setting eighth championship alive.

    The next two closest competitors behind Byron and Johnson in points are Erik Jones and rookie Tyler Reddick. Starting in 20th, Jones was able to notch a sixth-place result in the first stage. The remainder of the race, however, did not go as planned for the Michigan native as he settled in 16th in the second stage before finishing 11th in the overall race. For Reddick, who started 18th, he finished outside the top 30 in both stages and he could work his way only up to 18th when the race concluded. As a result, Jones trails the cutline by 35 points while Reddick trails by 57 points.

    The remaining competitors who trail the top-16 cutline by 146 points or more are rookie Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Newman, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, rookie Brennan Poole and rookie Quin Houff.

    The battle for the final spots to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue next weekend at Dover International Speedway for a series doubleheader weekend. The first Dover race will commence on Saturday, August 22, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the second will occur the following day on Sunday, August 23, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Johnson and Buescher record strong top-five results at Daytona RC

    Johnson and Buescher record strong top-five results at Daytona RC

    While Chase Elliott achieved a historic win in the inaugural Daytona International Speedway Road Course event on Sunday, August 16, teammate Jimmie Johnson and Chris Buescher achieved much-needed runs inside the top five and in their quest to contend for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship battle.

    For Johnson, who sported a new white and purple primary scheme to his No. 48 Ally/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, his race started in 11th place. Following the opening lap, the seven-time Cup champion made his way into the top 10. Throughout the first stage spanning 15 laps, he continued to methodically work his way towards the front and was scored in third place when the stage concluded, thus collecting a handful of stage points.

    Due to a series of pit strategies made among multiple competitors, Johnson restarted in 20th place for the stage of the second stage and after he made a pit stop for four fresh tires and fuel under the first stage’s break. Throughout the second stage that also spanned 15 laps, he raced and battled within the top 15 to top 20. Despite sustaining a hole to the front nose of his car due to contact on the restart to start the second stage, Johnson was able to settle in 14th place when the second stage concluded.

    Restarting in sixth place for the final stage, Johnson was running in fourth place and battling for more when the race was delayed due to weather with less than 30 laps remaining. Nearly half an hour later and when the race restarted, he continued to flex his muscles as he worked his way as high as second place, trailing teammate Chase Elliott, before he fell back to fifth.

    With five laps remaining, Johnson was poised for a top-three result behind Elliott and Denny Hamlin when the caution due to a single-car incident flew with five laps remaining. During a final three-lap dash to the finish, Johnson continued to battle for a spot in the top five before he crossed the finish line in fourth place, three spots behind race winner/teammate Elliott.

    Johnson’s third-place result in the inaugural Daytona Road Course event marked his best result and first top-five result since finishing third at Bristol Motor Speedway in May. It also marked his 12th career top-five result at Daytona in his penultimate run at the world center of racing. Despite his top-five run, Johnson trails teammate William Byron by 25 points for the 16th and final spot to the 2020 Playoffs with three regular-season races remaining.

    “Good job to everyone on my No. 48 Ally Chevy team,” Johnson said. “I just lacked that rear grip at the end there. That was a really fun and a solid day, that’s what we needed and now we go to my favorite track – Dover. So proud of Chase, what a road racer he is.”

    For Buescher, who carried a special message on his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang in celebration of a 10-year partnership between RFR and sponsor Fastenal, his race started back in 21st place. Following the first 10 laps, however, he was back in 24th place. When the first stage concluded on Lap 15, he was scored in 30th due to making a pit stop under green two laps earlier. Restarting in 14th place for the start of the second stage, Buescher spent most of the run inside the top 20 before he made a pit stop under green. When the second stage concluded, he was in 23rd.

    Lining up in 13th place for the final stage, Buescher was in ninth place when the race was delayed for nearly half an hour due to weather. When the race resumed with 26 laps remaining, he continued to race inside the top 10 before he pitted under 20 laps remaining. When he returned on the track, he was back in the top 15 and was charging to get back into the top 10. By the time he moved up to ninth place, the caution flew with five laps remaining due to a single-car incident.

    During a three-lap dash to the finish, Buescher wasted no time charging his way into the top 10 and for more as he made his first appearance inside the top five. When the checkered flag flew, he was able to cross the finish line in fifth place and as the highest-finishing Ford competitor.

    The fifth-place result was Buescher’s sixth of his Cup career and his best since finishing in third place in the Daytona 500 in February. With his result, however, he is 174 points below the top-16 cutline and will likely need a race win to qualify for the 2020 Cup Playoffs with three regular-season races remaining.

    “That was just a fun day for our Fastenal Ford Mustang team,” Buescher said. “We needed that after a couple of hard weeks. Some decent runs and some bad luck and that was fun. I was able to mix it up and steadily work our way forward. We kept learning as we went and there at the end we got beat up. All four corners of this Mustang are beat up but we got the finish out of it. That was a good one. A good day.”

    Johnson and Buescher, along with their fellow Cup competitors, will return next weekend for a pair of NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway. The first Cup Dover event will occur on Saturday, August 22, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the second Dover race will occur on Sunday. August 23, at 4. p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Grala notches top-10 result in Cup debut at Daytona RC

    Grala notches top-10 result in Cup debut at Daytona RC

    Perhaps, there was no competitor who left the inaugural Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course beaming more than Kaz Grala. The 21-year-old native from Boston, Massachusetts, received a lifetime opportunity on Sunday, August 16, to pilot the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Richard Childress Racing as an interim competitor for Austin Dillon, who was absent after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms a day earlier. Following a consistent run at Daytona, where he started at the rear of the field and was running towards the front in the closing laps, Grala ended his race with a seventh-place result and in his first run in a NASCAR Cup Series car.

    The No. 3 American Ethanol/RCR Chevrolet was due to start in 10th place with Dillon behind the wheel. With Dillon absent after being diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms, however, Grala started the race at the rear of the field due to a driver change. For the first 15 laps and throughout the first stage, he remained within the top 30 before he settled in 32nd place. Throughout the second stage, Grala continued to carve his way towards the front, but he settled in 24th following a late pit stop under green.

    Following a rain delay in the early portions of the final stage and a pit stop prior to the restart, the final 26 laps was where Grala started to flex his muscles as he worked his way into the top 15. During a cycle of pit stops under green with approximately 15 laps remaining, Grala found himself as the leader of the race. Ultimately, he led his first three career laps in the Cup circuit before he made his final pit stop under green for fuel to complete the race to its scheduled distance. Following his stop, he continued to battle inside the top 15. Following a late caution and a three-lap dash to the finish, he was able to muscle his way into the top 10 and cross the finish line under the checkered flag in seventh place ahead of names like William Byron, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch.

    With his first run in the Cup circuit concluding with a first top-10 career result, Grala became the 19th competitor to record a top-10 result in the Cup Series while driving for Richard Childress Racing and the fifth competitor to pilot the iconic No. 3 car in NASCAR’s premier series. Ironically, the Daytona Road Course event marked the 1,000th NASCAR Cup race for the No. 3 car under the Richard Childress Racing banner.

    “I can’t believe it,” Grala said on NBC. “It’s surreal to get the call from Richard [Childress] to drive the 3 [car] alone. I was really hoping for a top-30 finish. Man, seventh-place, that’s unbelievable. I couldn’t ask for anything more. My wishes are with Austin [Dillon]. I hope he’s back in the car next weekend [at Dover International Speedway], but it was an honor to get to drive this car and to finish P7, it’s just beyond my wildest dreams.”

    “[Today] was tough,” Grala added. “We got up to like 25th and we were racing our butt off like we were racing for the win in any other series. Everybody’s just unbelievable. Our strategy was good. [Crew chief] Justin Alexander called a great race and put ourselves up front where we needed to be. We executed.”

    The result came in his 62nd start across NASCAR’s three major national division series (Truck, Xfinity & Cup Series). He has made two starts this season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and in RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro, where he finished 13th at Kansas in July and a career-best fourth place last weekend at Road America. His lone NASCAR victory dates back to February 2017, where he won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway while driving for GMS Racing. Since joining RCR last season as a part-time competitor, Grala continues to strive for his goal in returning as a full-time competitor for any organization within NASCAR’s top division series.

    Ironically, this did not mark the only occasion where Grala drove a racing car sporting the number 3.

    “I drove the 3 car in Bandoleros, Legends Cars, Late Models growing up,” Grala noted. “I never thought I’d make my first Cup start in the 3 car and I certainly never thought I’d get a top 10 [result].”

    Announcements regarding Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Chevrolet team and Austin Dillon’s conditions for next weekend at Dover International Speedway for a series doubleheader weekend will be announced sometime this upcoming week.