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  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono and Iowa

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono and Iowa

  • Chris Buescher Wins in Thrilling Finish at Iowa Speedway

    Chris Buescher Wins in Thrilling Finish at Iowa Speedway

    By: Robert Gray

    NEWTON, Iowa — Chris Buescher and all but one driver battling at the front of the pack yearned for one last caution.

    The lone exception?

    Chase Elliott, who, fully fueled, had powered to a commanding lead and near-certain win in Sunday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series 3M 250 at Iowa Speedway.

    Two laps remained. Elliott’s trip to Victory Lane loomed. Then, it happened.

    Jamie Dick, running mid-pack, hit the wall and spun, drawing a caution flag.

    Buescher — his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford packed with fuel and four fresh tires — smiled, charging hard and low on the restart to cap a temper-tinged and thrill-filled race with a green-white-checkered triumph at the 7/8-mile short track.

    “When that happened, I knew we had an awesome shot at it,” said Buescher, who raced to the series standings lead by eight points over Ty Dillon, who finished 14th.

    Buescher had on-track help — namely from Roush Fenway teammate, Darrell Wallace Jr., who provided a strong nudge as the race went green.

    Maybe more than a nudge.

    “(He) gave us a heck of a shot on the restart,” said Buescher, who relegated Elliott to second while notching his first win of the season and Roush Fenway’s fifth in 11 XFINITY Series races at Iowa. “It was a hard hit. That was almost a crash. It was exactly what we needed to get going and get to the inside and be able to pull this win off.”

    Elliott took the runner-up finish in stride. He led 114 laps. His car ran fast all day long. The late-race pit strategy — partly because of minor right-side damage, he pitted on lap 177 while other leaders stayed out — nearly paid off.

    “That’s racing some days,” said Elliott, who like Buescher enjoys a series-leading five top-five finishes this season. “You make a decision — and I think it was a good one. We had some right-side damage and it was good to come in and make sure that was OK rather than to face the opposite of that, cutting down a tire and have a day like we did in Talladega. So I think it was the right move.”

    Erik Jones climbed from 35th to take third. Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney completed the top five.

    Jones started near the rear of the field because Drew Herring qualified the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota on the pole while Jones remained in Charlotte.

    By the Lap 60 competition caution, Jones had raced into the top 10, but couldn’t find enough speed in the ensuing laps to advance past third.

    “We worked ourselves into a good position,” Jones said. “A long day coming from the back.”

    Buescher — who raced outside the top 10 in both XFINITY Series Iowa races last season — merely needed to come from the second row.

    He’d reluctantly accepted the waning laps would mostly entail driving in “points mode,” as Dillon had pitted late after running in the top eight most of the day.

    “I hate points racing,” Buescher said. “I despise it. When that caution came out — watched it happen right in front of me — it was like, All right, this is it. This is what we need. We need to come in and get some tires and get back rolling here.’”

    That he did, right to the top, for now, at least.

    “This is big,” Buescher said.

    Black Flag: The race was marred by a temper-stoked wreck. Brennan Poole — who felt rival J.J. Yeley had struck him intentionally early in the race — spun Yeley out on lap 153. Yeley’s car sustained damage, but he was unharmed. Poole drew the black flag and told the Motorsports Racing Network, “It happens.” Yeley said the early-race encounter was unintentional and described his mood as “very furious.”

    “Hopefully NASCAR gets a hold of him before I do,” Yeley added.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – 3M 250
    Iowa Speedway
    Newton, Iowa
    Sunday, May 17, 2015

    1. (4) Chris Buescher, Ford, 259, $91509.
    2. (6) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 259, $70020.
    3. (1) Erik Jones (i), Toyota, 259, $57688.
    4. (3) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 259, $40566.
    5. (13) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 259, $36811.
    6. (8) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 259, $33637.
    7. (14) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, 259, $32286.
    8. (5) Brandon Jones (i), Chevrolet, 259, $31236.
    9. (10) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 259, $30106.
    10. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 259, $30123.
    11. (7) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 259, $28617.
    12. (16) Ryan Reed, Ford, 259, $28062.
    13. (18) John Wes Townley (i), Chevrolet, 259, $27532.
    14. (9) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 258, $27003.
    15. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 258, $26873.
    16. (20) David Starr, Toyota, 258, $26321.
    17. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 257, $26094.
    18. (2) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 257, $27042.
    19. (24) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 257, $25615.
    20. (25) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 257, $25888.
    21. (15) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 257, $25261.
    22. (23) Blake Koch, Toyota, 256, $25130.
    23. (40) Kenny Wallace, Toyota, 256, $18978.
    24. (29) Todd Bodine, Chevrolet, 255, $24828.
    25. (30) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, 255, $24852.
    26. (22) Boris Said, Toyota, 254, $24575.
    27. (31) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 253, $24449.
    28. (33) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 252, $18298.
    29. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 247, $18171.
    30. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 247, $18345.
    31. (39) John Jackson, Dodge, 247, $17889.
    32. (17) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Accident, 215, $23778.
    33. (27) Eric McClure, Toyota, Accident, 160, $23662.
    34. (26) JJ Yeley, Toyota, Accident, 151, $23551.
    35. (32) Ryan Ellis (i), Toyota, Electrical, 99, $17436.
    36. (35) BJ McLeod (i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 68, $15678.
    37. (28) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 42, $14678.
    38. (12) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Parked, 39, $19678.
    39. (34) Charles Lewandoski, Toyota, Brakes, 4, $12678.
    40. (38) Carl Long, Toyota, Electrical, 0, $11678.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 94.242 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 24 Mins, 17 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.523 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 9 for 54 laps.
    Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: 0; D. Suarez # 1-48; C. Buescher 49-66; C. Elliott 67-144; C. Buescher 145-180; R. Blaney 181; C. Buescher 182-219; C. Elliott 220-255; R. Reed 256-257; C. Buescher 258-259.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): C. Elliott 2 times for 114 laps; C. Buescher 4 times for 94 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 48 laps; R. Reed 1 time for 2 laps; R. Blaney 1 time for 1 lap.
    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 368; T. Dillon – 360; C. Elliott – 337; D. Wallace Jr – 331; B. Scott – 326; R. Smith – 320; E. Sadler – 317; R. Reed – 288; B. Gaughan – 283; D. Suarez # – 281.

    nascar

  • Sam Hornish Jr. Wins Decisive Victory at Iowa Speedway

    Sam Hornish Jr. Wins Decisive Victory at Iowa Speedway

    Sam Hornish Jr. claimed his third career Nationwide Series victory in 101 starts at Iowa Speedway. The turning point came on a restart with 21 laps to go when Hornish pulled ahead of Ryan Blaney to take the lead.

    Blaney, who won the pole, and Sam Hornish Jr. who started on the outside pole, had the two fastest cars heading into the Get to Know Newton 250 at Iowa. But in the end, Blaney was no match for Hornish Jr. who led 167 of 250 laps.

    Hornish, driving the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on a part-time schedule was elated with the result.

    “I’m so blessed and thankful that this opportunity came around,” he said. “I was really hoping and praying that I got something good to get into. It’s pretty darn awesome.” Hornish continued saying, I thank God that I got a great opportunity and I got really good people around me and really good people in my life.”

    Hornish will run five more races for JGR this season and in the meantime is taking advantage of his part-time schedule to spend quality time with his wife Crystal and their children.

    “She wanted two kids, I wanted more than that and we’re at three now,” Hornish said. “So I’ve got to be there to help out. I look at it as, each time I get in the race car is a blessing, but on the same hand, each day I get to be at home and do things with them — I think yesterday, my three-year-old cut a big hole in her mom’s shirt, so I was glad I wasn’t at home. But on the same thing, I know that those are moments that you don’t get back.”

    Blaney gave Hornish a run for his money, leading 80 laps in his Team Penske Ford, but his car was strongest on long runs and Blaney simply ran out of time.

    “I felt like if we had maybe 15 more laps I might have been able to get to him, but it would be tough to get around him,” he explained. “But like I said, we just needed to have a little more short-run speed and we might have had something.”

    Regan Smith finished third followed by Chase Elliott in fourth and Elliott Sadler in fifth place. Chase Elliott retains the series points lead by two points over Elliott Sadler and Regan Smith.

    The next stop for the Nationwide Series is May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the History 300 race.

     

     

  • Jesse Little Earns NASCAR NEXT Placement; Craving First Career K&N Triumph

    Jesse Little Earns NASCAR NEXT Placement; Craving First Career K&N Triumph

    Jesse Little was inducted into the 2014-2015 NASCAR NEXT class at Richmond International Raceway on Friday due to winning last season’s K&N East Pro Series Rookie of the Year honors and posting eight top-five finishes throughout his K&N tenure.

    “It means a lot,” Little explained to Speedway Media on Friday at Richmond about being inducted to the NASCAR NEXT class. “I’m really excited, it’s a great opportunity and you can gain a lot of experience from (the program), it’s a fun deal and I’m really looking forward to (being involved).”

    Little, 17, won the Rookie of the Year award after finishing ninth in points and posting four top-fives and a remarkable six top-10 finishes, including a career-best third at Langley Speedway.

    Now, Little is focused on improving upon those results, hoping, and praying for his first triumph with his family-run team.

    “It gave me and the team a lot of confidence,” Little expressed about winning the K&N East Rookie of the Year award last season. “It has given us momentum to carry into this season, forcing us to set the bar higher, and the expectations farther, we have to perform better this season.”

    Little, who made his first-career K&N East start 11 days after his 15th birthday, currently rides fifth in the driver standings following a 10th place running in Richmond, Virginia, and is a mere two markers behind fourth place driver, Daniel Saurez.

    “To win races and be in a position for the championship it’ll take good runs each week,” Little commented via a press release prior to Richmond. “(Our) first series victory is just around the corner for this team and (soon) would be a great (time) to make that happens.”

    Little returns to the racetrack on May 19, 2014 at Iowa Speedway for the Casey’s General 300 in hopes of driving to victory lane and showcasing his talents and his legitimacy within the NASCAR NEXT program.

  • Ben Rhodes Honored After Induction to NASCAR NEXT Program

    Ben Rhodes Honored After Induction to NASCAR NEXT Program

    Ben Rhodes was inducted into the 2014-2015 NASCAR NEXT class at Richmond International Raceway on Friday afternoon due to impressing the voting panel by being the current K&N East points leader and winning multiple races in the NASCAR WHELEN All-American division last season.

    “It’s an honor to be in the NASCAR NEXT class this year,” Rhodes expressed to Speedway Media following K&N East qualifying at Richmond on Friday. “We had so much fun last season going to Chicagoland and meeting track presidents across the country and other people who make the (racing) industry what it is today.”

    “It was just really cool to be a part of those big events, it’s just an honor, I can’t say enough about (the program).”

    The 12-drivers who were elected to this elusive class were placed in a tent prior to the announcement, and most of them were messing around, acting like best friends, while in reality, many of them are meeting each other for the first time.

    “It helps a lot,” Rhodes explained about having mutual, if not great, relationships with other NASCAR NEXT inductees. “When you’re close (friends), you get to talk about the cars and tracks, but when you’re not so close (friends), you don’t share anything with anybody.

    “It (is helpful) to develop those strong relationships with people, which is really an advantage, but once you step onto the racetrack, it’s war.”

    Rhodes, 17, currently leads the K&N East points standings by 18 markers following a second place finish at Richmond on Saturday, which has allowed him to carry confidence and momentum approaching the remainder of the season.

    “I think it puts the pressure on the other (competitors),” Rhodes described about being the current K&N East points leader. “We are just going to keep doing what we’re doing, the stats are in our favor from our progress and results, we (finished) 15th at Daytona, (the season opener), and in two races we’ve (rebounded) to become the points leader.”

    “Plus, our hauler’s at the front of the line (because) we’re the points leader, that’s always nice.” Rhodes said with a smile across his face.”

    The Turner Scott Motorsports driver appears to be the favorite for the championship this season, and scoring that wouldn’t just provide him more recognition, but possibly an entire career within NASCAR.

    “It would mean a ton,” Rhodes explained about what a K&N East championship would mean this season. “A lot of the big teams in the NASCAR Touring Series look at how you’ve improved, what you’ve done, and your results.”

    “Racing is a very tight family, everybody knows everybody and they all talk, and you just really have to wow the people you’re working with, you have to establish good relationships with everybody because the word spreads quickly in racing.”

    Rhodes and the K&N East Series return to the racing surface on May 17, 2014 at Iowa Speedway where the new NASCAR NEXT drivers will look to prove their legitimacy within the sport.

  • Crunching The Numbers: New Hampshire & Iowa

    Crunching The Numbers: New Hampshire & Iowa

    After celebrating the Fourth of July weekend on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, the three national NASCAR series head to short, flat tracks in separate parts of the country this weekend. New Hampshire Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Iowa for a standalone weekend of their own.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire

    For the first time this season, the Sprint Cup Series makes its way to the flat one mile oval in Loudon, N.H., the eighth of eight tracks that the series has already visited this year that will also be in the Chase for the Sprint Cup that starts in September. Drivers that have won the July race here have gone on to win the championship four times, with success in this race carrying over to the track’s Chase date in September. The track has also featured 10 different winners since 2008, so will we finally see a repeat winner or will this mark 11 different winners?

    Driver Races Wins Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Denny Hamlin 14 2 7 10 0 417 13.6 7.9
    Jimmie Johnson 22 3 8 15 0 321 11.1 9.5
    Jeff Gordon 36 3 16 21 4 1316 9.9 10.5
    Tony Stewart 28 3 14 17 1 1218 11.2 11.4
    Ryan Newman 22 3 6 15 6 720 8.0 12.7
    Kevin Harvick 24 1 5 12 1 319 14.1 13.7
    Jeff Burton 36 4 8 13 0 783 19.4 13.8
    Matt Kenseth 26 0 5 12 0 89 21.1 14.0
    Brad Keselowski 7 0 2 4 1 10 15.6 14.0
    Carl Edwards 17 0 2 3 0 70 15.2 14.5

    Who To Watch: As he mounts what may be his last stand to make the Chase, and his Chase hopes rapidly dwindling thanks to some unfortunate circumstances that have befallen him this season, Denny Hamlin has to be happy to be heading to a track where he tops the list statistically. Hamlin’s New Hampshire career has featured two wins, seven top fives, 10 top tens, 417 laps led, and an average finish of 7.9 in 14 races. Hamlin is also coming off of a stellar 2012 campaign at the track with a second place finish in the July race and a win in the September race.

    Winner of last weekend’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona and four-time winner on the season, Jimmie Johnson, comes in just behind Hamlin with three wins, eight top fives, 15 top tens, 321 laps led, and an average finish of 9.5 in 22 starts.

    Others who run well in the Granite State include: Jeff Gordon, with three wins, 16 top fives, 21 top tens, four poles, 1316 laps led, and an average finish of 10.5 in 36 starts; Tony Stewart, with three wins, 14 top fives, 17 top tens, one pole, 1218 laps led, and an average finish of 11.4 in 28 starts; Ryan Newman, with three wins, six top fives, 15 top tens, six poles, 720 laps led, and an average finish of 12.7 in 22 starts; and Kevin Harvick, who has one win, five top fives, 12 top tens, one pole, 319 laps led, and an average finish of 13.7 in 24 starts.

    Matt Kenseth, who is tied with Jimmie Johnson for most wins on the year, doesn’t have a stellar career at New Hampshire (0 wins, five top fives, 12 top tens, 89 laps led, and 14.0 average finish in 26 starts), but with the success that he has had in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Kenseth would be another to keep an eye on this weekend.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – CNBC Prime’s “The Profit” 200 at New Hampshire

    As the Nationwide Series heads to New Hampshire to share in the companion weekend with the Sprint Cup Series, we have a couple of storylines that will be playing out this weekend. First, New Hampshire marks the second leg of the Nationwide Insurance “Dash 4 Cash”, in which the highest finisher out of eligible drivers will be able to win a $100,000 bonus. The eligible drivers for this weekend are Daytona “Dash 4 Cash” bonus winner Elliott Sadler, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, and Sam Hornish, Jr. The other storyline will be the Cup regulars who will be running on Saturday and when looking at the statistics for this track are evenly distributed among the Nationwide regulars. As is the case anytime there is a Sprint Cup/Nationwide companion weekend, it is the battle between the Cup regulars and the Nationwide regulars, who will come out on top this week?

    Driver Races Wins Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 1 0 1 1 0 0 6.0 4.0
    Kasey Kahne 5 0 2 4 0 53 9.6 6.8
    Brian Vickers 2 0 1 1 0 0 7.0 8.0
    Trevor Bayne 2 0 1 1 0 58 12.5 9.0
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 0 3 0 0 9.8 9.2
    Kyle Busch 7 3 4 4 1 273 5.4 10.7
    Matt Kenseth 7 1 3 5 0 55 17.9 11.4
    Joey Logano 3 0 2 2 1 111 3.7 11.7
    Reed Sorenson 5 0 0 2 0 0 10.8 12.6
    Austin Dillon 2 0 1 1 0 1 10.0 14.0

    Who To Watch: Currently sitting second in points, Sam Hornish, Jr., is tops statistically at New Hampshire with a sixth place start and a fourth place finish in his lone start at the track last year.

    Cup regular Kasey Kahne comes in right behind Hornish with two top fives, four top tens, 53 laps led, and an average finish of 6.8 in five starts. Nationwide regulars Brian Vickers, Trevor Bayne, and Justin Allgaier are next with average finishes of 8.0, 9.0, and 9.2 respectively.

    Cup regulars and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, are the only two in the top ten statistically at New Hampshire with a win. Busch has three wins, four top fives, four top tens, one pole, 273 laps led, and an average finish of 10.7 in seven starts. Kenseth, winner of last weekend’s race at Daytona, has one win, three top fives, five top tens, 55 laps led, and an average finish of 11.4 in seven starts

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – American Ethanol 200 at Iowa

    While the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series are enjoying New England this weekend, the young guns of the Camping World Truck Series will be in America’s Heartland taking on Iowa Speedway in a Saturday night showdown that is sure to be full of great racing, as the racing always is at this short track.

    Driver Races Wins Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Ryan Blaney 1 1 1 1 0 50 2.0 1.0
    Johnny Sauter 5 0 5 5 0 24 5.2 3.8
    Matt Crafton 5 1 3 5 0 56 8.6 4.4
    Ty Dillon 2 0 1 2 0 0 12.0 4.5
    Joey Coulter 3 0 1 2 0 0 9.3 8.7
    Miguel Paludo 3 0 0 1 0 0 10.0 12.7
    Timothy Peters 5 1 1 2 1 87 7.0 13.2
    Ross Chastain 2 0 0 0 0 0 21.0 13.5
    James Buescher 5 0 1 2 0 98 10.2 14.6
    Brendan Gaughan 1 0 0 0 0 0 19.0 16.0

    Who To Watch: Ryan Blaney surprised everyone last year at Iowa Speedway when he became the youngest winner in series history in only his third career start. Blaney, who now has a full time ride with Brad Keselowski Racing could very well make it two in a row this weekend and give Ford their first win of the season and first win since pulling factory support from the series some years back.

    Others who run well at Iowa are Johnny Sauter, with five top fives, five top tens, 24 laps led, and an average finish of 3.8 in five starts; Matt Crafton, with one win, three top fives, five top tens, 56 laps led and an average finish of 4.4 in five starts; Ty Dillon, with one top five, two top tens, and an average finish of 4.5 in two starts; and Joey Coulter, with one top five, two top tens, and an average finish of 8.7 in three starts.

    Of course, the rookies of the series Jeb Burton, Darrell Wallace, Jr., and Chase Elliott will be strong this weekend, as they have been all season long.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Pocono/Iowa/Texas

    Crunching The Numbers: Pocono/Iowa/Texas

    After last weekend’s triple-header at Dover International Speedway, the three national series go their separate ways this weekend with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headlining at Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR Nationwide Series heading to the Midwest for a Saturday night showdown at Iowa Speedway, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicking off the weekend in the Lone Star State with their race on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. This marks the one and only time during the season that all three series are at three different tracks in three different states in one weekend.

    Sprint Cup Series – Party In The Poconos 400 Presented By Walmart

    The Sprint Cup Series makes its first of two trips to Pocono Raceway this weekend to take on one of the most unique tracks on the circuit. With only three turns instead of the usual four and all three of varying banking (14 degrees in Turn 1, 8 degrees in Turn 2, and 6 degrees in Turn 3), this 2.5 mile track is one of the hardest to perfect a setup for and several of the top drivers in the series have yet to master the “Tricky Triangle”.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 22 2 9 15 2 562 9.3 9.0
    Jeff Gordon 40 6 18 28 2 965 11.4 10.2
    Denny Hamlin 14 4 8 9 2 663 5.6 10.7
    Mark Martin 52 0 20 34 3 448 9.3 11.1
    Tony Stewart 28 2 11 20 2 156 12.4 11.3
    Ryan Newman 22 1 7 10 2 163 9.8 12.4
    Carl Edwards 16 2 5 8 0 212 19.0 13.2
    Kevin Harvick 24 0 5 8 0 5 19.8 14.1
    Matt Kenseth 26 0 3 10 0 54 18.5 14.3
    Brad Keselowski 6 1 2 2 0 27 19.5 14.5

    Who To Watch: No surprise with who’s on top of the list this week. Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson heads up the list with the best stats at Pocono with two wins, nine top fives, 15 top tens, two poles, 562 laps led and an average finish of 9.0 in 22 starts.

    While Johnson has the best overall stats, the most wins goes to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, who has six wins, 18 top fives, 28 top tens, two poles, 965 laps led and an average finish of 10.2 in 40 starts. Two of Gordon’s six wins have come in the last four races at the track, and Gordon is the most recent Pocono winner with his win in the rain shortened event last August.

    Many drivers don’t get their first win at a tricky track like Pocono, but Denny Hamlin did just that, sweeping both Pocono races in his rookie season of 2006 and adding two more wins since then to give him a total of four wins, eight top fives, nine top tens, two poles, 663 laps led, and an average finish of 10.7 in 14 races.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Mark Martin, who nearly won this race one year ago before fading late, with 20 top fives, 34 top tens, three poles, 448 laps led, and an average finish of 11.1 in 52 starts; and Tony Stewart, winner of last week’s race at Dover, who has two wins, 11 top fives, 20 top tens, two poles, 156 laps led, and an average finish of 11.3 in 28 starts.

    Nationwide Series – DuPont Pioneer 250 at Iowa

    With only one Sprint Cup Series regular scheduled to make the trip to Iowa from Pocono this weekend, this race will truly be a showcase of the Nationwide Series regulars in what is sure to be great racing at the .875 mile short track in Iowa. Several of the Nationwide regulars have never turned a lap at this track and who comes out on top after 250 miles is anyone’s guess.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Elliott Sadler 4 1 4 4 3 100 2.2 2.8
    Parker Kligerman 1 0 0 1 0 0 10.0 8.0
    Michael Annett 6 0 1 2 0 4 20.7 10.2
    Kenny Wallace 4 0 0 3 0 0 20.2 10.2
    Justin Allgaier 6 0 1 4 0 150 5.8 11.3
    Cole Whitt 2 0 0 1 0 4 12.0 13.0
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 3 0 1 1 0 69 4.0 13.0
    Austin Dillon 4 0 1 2 0 53 7.0 14.2
    Reed Sorenson 3 0 1 2 0 77 16.0 15.3
    Mike Bliss 6 0 0 0 0 3 19.2 17.0

    Who To Watch: As the only driver who will be racing on Saturday that has a win at Iowa, Elliott Sadler comes in far ahead of the other drivers in the field with his one win, four top fives, four top tens, three poles, 100 laps led, and an average finish of 2.8 in four starts.

    Others to keep an eye on that have raced at Iowa before include: Parker Kligerman, Michael Annett, Kenny Wallace, Justin Allgaier, Cole Whitt, Sam Hornish Jr., and Austin Dillon. All of these drivers have average finishes of 14.2 or better.

    While drivers like Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and points leader Regan Smith have never raced at Iowa, look for these drivers to also be in the running for the win on Saturday night.

    Camping World Truck Series – Winstar World Casino 400 at Texas

    With the Camping World Truck Series race at Texas also being a standalone event, there will be no Sprint Cup regulars making the trip down for Friday night’s race. This means we will get to see a great battle between those that have been in the Truck Series for years and with the young guns that have infiltrated the series this year. Just as we saw a couple of weeks ago at Charlotte, this race should be more of the same with two and three wide racing throughout the field for the entirety of the event.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Ty Dillon 3 0 2 3 0 23 6.7 5.0
    Joey Coulter 4 0 2 4 0 9 8.0 5.2
    Johnny Sauter 9 2 4 7 1 213 11.8 6.4
    Todd Bodine 17 6 10 11 1 329 11.3 9.7
    Matt Crafton 24 0 6 13 2 42 15.6 11.0
    James Buescher 8 0 0 3 2 129 7.8 12.6
    Ron Hornaday, Jr. 20 3 6 11 0 681 9.2 12.9
    Brendan Gaughan 17 4 7 7 0 163 17.4 13.6
    David Starr 29 0 7 11 0 20 14.1 14.3
    Timothy Peters 10 0 0 2 0 1 16.4 15.4

    Who To Watch: As Truck Series mainstays, drivers to watch at Texas include: Ty Dillon, with two top fives, three top tens, and an average finish of 5.0 in three starts; Joey Coulter, with two top fives, four top tens, and an average finish of 5.2 in four starts; Johnny Sauter, with two wins, four top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 213 laps led, and an average finish of 6.4 in nine starts; and Todd Bodine, with six wins, 10 top fives, 11 top tens, one pole, 329 laps led, and an average finish of 9.7 in 17 starts.

    While the mainstays will have a leg up in Texas, the young guns of the series can’t be overlooked. Drivers who have shown they have real potential in this sport that are making noise in the Truck Series including Darrell Wallace, Jr., Jeb Burton, and Ryan Blaney. One of these rookies have a real shot at the win, especially with no Cup regulars in the field.

  • Sam Hornish Jr. In Demand With Pocono and Iowa Double

    Sam Hornish Jr. In Demand With Pocono and Iowa Double

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]While Sam Hornish, Jr. may be thrilled with the opportunity presented to him to drive the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, he is also pleased with his new status. He is now officially in demand in multiple NASCAR series.

    Hornish, Jr. is attempting the double, running both the Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway and the Cup race at Pocono Raceway.

    “It’s kind of a lot on my plate this weekend,” Hornish said. “I’ll close my eyes and sleep for a little bit on the airplane to try to catch up.”

    Hornish advised that after he finishes up in the Cup car, he will head to Iowa to practice in the Nationwide car. He estimates giving up about thirty minutes of track time on both ends of the racing spectrum.

    “It’s just a little bit too far to be able to make all the practice sessions on both sides,” Hornish said. “We think we’ve got a good plan as far as what we’re going to do and try to get as much time as we can in both places.”

    “I’ll sleep here, qualify the Cup car tomorrow, then we’ll go back over there, qualify, do the driver’s meeting, race and come back here,” Hornish said. “It seems like a lot but last year when Brad (Keselowski) was hurt, I actually did the same trip without getting to drive the Cup car so this is an added bonus.”

    The double duty may be tricky for the driver, but it is also a challenge for the crew chiefs and teams as well.

    “Fortunately, it’s something we have done before,” Travis Geisler, Director of Competition for Penske Racing, said. “We’re really fortunate to have a lot of really great people around us to help ad support and make this doable and to make it very smooth.”

    “Obviously, they’ll be a lot of little things along the way, but we’re down to figuring out what kind of food we need to have where for him and just trying to make it as comfortable as possible,” Geisler continued. “Sam is going to be in a heck of a lot of race cars in a lot of different places in a short amount of time.”

    “I’m excited about it,” Geisler said. “I think it is a unique challenge.”

    One of the other major challenges that Hornish and company may have to face is the unpredictable weather in both Long Pond, PA and Newton, IA. Although just really hot at Iowa Speedway, there are some threats of thunderstorms at Pocono in the forecast.

    “We’ve got contingency plans for contingency plans,” Geisler said with a smile. “Obviously you try to think of all those scenarios, of everything that can go wrong, everything that can happen.”

    “There are a few that can make it really, really difficult that we’ll have to deal with,” Geisler continued. “You know everybody is trying to be as prepared as possible.”

    “We’re hoping for the best,” Geisler said. “Otherwise it will be a forest fire and we’ll try to put it out.”

    Pocono Raceway has a special place in Hornish’s heart, with his most successful runs being at the ‘Tricky Triangle’. Hornish finished fourth in 2009, his best career Cup finish in 113 series starts.

    “We’ve led laps and had some of our strongest runs at Pocono,” Hornish said. “We finished fourth in 2009, but really had our best shot at winning there in the races during the 2010 season.”

    “We led pretty late in both of those races and if luck had been on our side, we could have won.”

    Hornish is also looking forward to the Nationwide race in Iowa, driving the No. 12 WURTH Dodge Challenger. He will be making his 20th start of the season and his third Nationwide start at Iowa Speedway.

    Hornish’s best finish came in May of this year, where he finished 12th. After 19 races, Hornish and his Nationwide team are fourth in the championship point standings.

    “Our WURTTH Dodge team is in a very good place heading into Iowa,” Hornish said. “We have been consistently improving our performance throughout the year.”

    “We have qualified well in the past at Iowa – we just haven’t put it all together and this weekend we are poised to do just that,” Hornish continued. “We feel like we’ve built some strong momentum and we are looking forward to finishing this one on top.”

    Whether by plane, helicopter, car or golf cart, Sam Hornish Jr. is most thrilled just to be given the opportunity to race in both major series in the sport.

    “I feel like we’ve got some really good opportunities here and just trying to maintain everything and not get stressed out about it,” Hornish said. “I plan to just enjoy it.”

    “Something good happened to me at the end of last season,” Hornish continued. “We got the opportunity to go full-time Nationwide racing and you know, we’re doing pretty good over there.”

    “Now we’ve got the opportunity to go Cup racing too,” Hornish said. “So just trying to take both things and run with it and enjoy it as best I can.”

    “It’s a good feeling to be in a little bit of demand.”

  • Todd Peck Looks to Leave a Legacy in Iowa Truck Series Debut

    Todd Peck Looks to Leave a Legacy in Iowa Truck Series Debut

    Todd Peck intends to leave a legacy, both professional and personal, in his debut Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway this weekend.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit peckmotorsports.com” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Peck is a family legacy race car driver, as the son of Dr. Mike Peck and the nephew of Tom Peck, both of whom raced their central Pennsylvania family team in the Nationwide Series. Peck’s family team has more than 50 top-10 finishes in five full seasons under their belts.

    “Most people get into racing after growing up at the race track and I’m no exception,” Peck said. “My uncle raced dirt in central Pennsylvania for years and progressed into the Busch Series where he and my dad as a team owner had a partnership, racing there for ten years through the mid 90’s.”

    “When you’re a kid growing up, you get hooked and you get the bug and your destiny is in the race car,” Peck continued. “That’s all you want to do.”

    Peck, hailing from Hanover, PA whose claim to fame is being the home of Utz Potato Chips, started racing go karts at age 14 years. He has continued working his way up the rungs of racing, including 15 starts in the K&N Pro Series East and running currently in the Super Cup Stock Car Series.

    This will, however, be the legacy driver’s first ever Truck Series race, as well as his first time ever at Iowa Speedway. He will be piloting the No. 96 Chevrolet race truck for his family-owned team and is clearly using this debut run to attract not only attention, but potential sponsors as well.

    “I can’t wait to get to Iowa and debut our team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” Peck said. “We’ve been working toward this weekend since we made the decision at the beginning of the year to race a truck.”

    “This is our maiden voyage.”

    But even more important than his Truck debut is the personal legacy that Peck hopes to leave, racing in tribute to the Arthritis Foundation’s campaign, ‘Kids Get Arthritis Too.’ It is personal for Peck, who himself was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis (JA) at the age of 15 years old.

    “At that age, you don’t think of kids having arthritis,” Peck said. “It’s an old people’s disease that my grandparents have.”

    “But there are over 300,000 kids diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis and it’s not as uncommon as you’d think,” Peck continued. “Being as I’ve struggled with it, once we were given the opportunity to perform on the big stage of the Truck Series, it was a no brainer to be involved.”

    Peck actually unveiled his race truck at the national JA Conference in Washington, DC last week. Kids, struggling with the same disease that he does, signed their names all over the truck that he will race.

    “We did the unveiling at the national JA conference and that was awesome,” Peck said. “Well over five thousand people attended the conference and it was really cool to see the kids’ reaction and excitement.”

    “We spent the weekend talking to the kids and their families, sharing stories and inspirational messages,” Peck continued. “Our message was that even though you have JA you can work with it and do what you want to do.”

    Peck and his team will also be hosting JA youth and their families at each and every race in which he will compete. In fact, two children with JA and their families will be present for Peck’s Iowa debut.

    “For all the races we have, we’ll be hosting families at the track and around the garage area,” Peck said. “We’ll let them get up close and personal to the racing and I’m looking forward to that as well.”

    While Peck was touched by every child with JA and their stories, he was especially moved by the story of two children in particular.

    Because of complications from their arthritis, these two children were unable to attend the conference. So, their friends made cardboard cut outs of them, using their head shots, pasted them on bodies and laminated them so they could not only be ‘present’ at the event, but to also get ‘their pictures’ taken with the race truck.

    “We decided that if they couldn’t be at the conference with the truck, we were going to take them to Iowa for the race,” Peck said. “So we are putting their pictures on the dash of the truck for that race.”

    With the children from the Arthritis Foundation on the truck and his family standing behind him as part of his race team, Peck hopes to leave his own legacy in the Coca Cola 200 at Iowa Speedway. At present, however, Peck is not quite sure what that legacy will be.

    “I have tried to give myself expectations on one hand,” Peck said. “And I’ve tried to keep myself from having expectations on the other hand.”

    “We tested and I was extremely pleased with the Truck,” Peck continued. “But just to get the ball rolling and get out there, part of me says I need to stay realistic, qualify and run hard to get a foot hold for the next race.”

    “But the other part of me, the racer, knows that once the green flag drops, it will be about three seconds into the race that I’ll forget about that, put it into kill mode and away we go,” Peck continued. “No matter what I expect, once the green flag drops, it’s an all or nothing deal.”

  • Jason White Hits Lottery Again for Joe Denette Motorsports with Best Team Finish

    Jason White Hits Lottery Again for Joe Denette Motorsports with Best Team Finish

    With his Mega Millions lottery winnings in hand, Joe Denette has been living the NASCAR dream , creating his own Camping World Truck Series team, Joe Denette Motorsports, this season.

    But Denette’s driver, Jason White, behind the wheel of the No. 23 BunBroker.com Chevrolet, hit the lottery again for him, scoring the team’s best finish ever at Kentucky Speedway this past weekend.

    [media-credit name=”Photo credit joedenettemotorsports.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]After battling eventual race winner Kyle Busch in the final restart, White was able to score his first top-5 finish in 2011 and a career best finish for Joe Denette Motorsports.

    “It’s huge,” White said of his finish. “To drive for Joe Denette Motorsports is awesome.”

    “The guy was a huge NASCAR fan and hit the lottery and now for his first season to be able to come out and be competitive and to have a chance to win a race was big for him and us,” White continued. “It’s exciting for the team.”

    White credits the career best team finish with testing that he and his crew did at Rockingham the week before, along with fellow driver and competitor Ron Hornaday.

    “We went testing the week before with Ron Hornaday and we learned a lot, what not to do and what to do,” White said. “I ended up being just as fast as him so the team was all excited about that.”

    “We took what we learned there and took it to Kentucky,” White continued. “So, with the setup we came up with at Rockingham, we just fine tuned it.”

    White practiced in the top-10 and told his team that he thought they had at least a top-five truck and potentially could win the race.

    “I ended up qualifying ninth and even took the lead, going back and forth with Austin Dillon,” White said. “So, that was pretty exciting.”

    Unfortunately, White and his team had a problem with the jack during one of the pit stops later in the race and came out in seventh. He was, however, able to charge back to the front of the field, before the caution flew yet again.

    “That last restart, we were fourth and so basically went to second in the first turn and came up to Kyle (Busch) and was about to pass him for the lead with three to go and the caution came back out for that big wreck,” White said. “I was like ‘oh, man, I didn’t need that.’

    White also knew that the bottom of the track had limited grip and was very slick. On the restart, the young driver spun his tires, allowing Kyle Busch to go on to win the race.

    “I would have been OK but Elliott (Sadler) made it three wide and that really hurt us bad,” White said. “He was doing what he had to do, but looking back, if he would have just pushed me or stayed in line, we could have both had a chance on Kyle (Busch).”

    “We ended up fifth but it was a great weekend for the entire team,” White continued. “To be able to compete for the win was definitely exciting and we will be able to continue that throughout the rest of the season.”

    White was also pleased that he got to lead a few laps at Kentucky Speedway. And, although he has led before, particularly at Bristol, this meant a lot to the young driver.

    “I’ve led laps the last couple of years here and there but this year, we’ve got better equipment and better stuff,” White said. “We’re trying to be able to continue on with that for the rest of the season.”

    As for race winner and competitor Kyle Busch, White and his team are just a bit tired of continuing to run behind him.

    “I learned from him, but I’m just ready to beat him,” White said. “I’m at the point now that I can beat him.”

    “If we could have restarted the race the time before, I think we could have gotten him,” White continued. “We had a lot of fun and we learned what we did wrong and will fix it for next time.”

    White is definitely looking forward to his next chance, which will come this weekend in the Camping World Truck Series Coca-Cola 200 presented by Hy-Vee at Iowa Speedway.

    “I always liked the track,” White said. “We’ve always been fast there.”

    “I think we’ll be top-five and contending for the win,” White continued. “If we’re not, I’ll be disappointed.”

    “I really believe that with what we learned last week, we should be able to go out and continue to do what we did last week.”

    While Joe Denette most definitely feels like he won the lottery twice now after the team’s best career finish, White has reserved his judgment.

    “I don’t necessarily feel like I’ve won the lottery yet,” White said. “I need to win a race first.”

    “This weekend was a great shot in the arm, it was great for me and it was great for the team,” White continued. “But I want to be able to win. We need to win.”

    “This is the momentum we needed to continue for the next few races so we can prove we can go out there and do it,” White said. “Once I win a race, then I’ll say ‘I’ve won the lottery.’