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  • 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.

  • Kyle Busch Monstrously Proud of Truck Team Win; Performance of the Kids

    Kyle Busch Monstrously Proud of Truck Team Win; Performance of the Kids

    Kyle Busch had every reason to be monstrously proud of the NASCAR Camping World Truck team that bears his name. Busch scored the victory and his two teammates, ‘kids’ Darrell Wallace Jr. and Joey Coulter, finished top-ten in the 14th annual Lucas Oil 200 at the Monster Mile.

    This was Busch’s second victory and third top-10 finish of the season. It was also his 32nd career win in the Camping World Truck Series.

    “It was really good for us,” the driver of the No. 51 ToyotaCare Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports said. “We had a good truck from unloading.”

    “We made some changes to it in practice and it certainly helped us,” Busch continued. “The track was a lot looser than we expected it to go.”

    “So, we had to make a lot of adjustments to it throughout the race,” Busch said. “Dirty air was a contest for everybody.”

    “We were all trying to fight for the front and fight for the bottom,” Busch continued. “There at the end, I found something positive by running up the race track where I could actually make a move.”

    “I’m glad I found that,” Busch said. “All in all, a really strong effort for everyone who works at Kyle Busch Motorsports.”

    Busch also took great pride in his teammates’ performances, or the ‘kids’ as he calls them. Joey Coulter, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Darrell Gwynn Foundation Toyota, finished eighth and Darrell Wallace, Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 54 Camping World/Good Sam Toyota, not only sat on the pole and led laps but also scored a top ten finish.

    “I was proud of the kids running up front there for awhile,” Busch said. “I wish that they too could have ended up a little better.”

    “There’s something to be said for the way Darrell ran today and Joey as well, especially for what he had to come through from starting in the back.”

    Kyle Busch Motorsports General Manager Rick Ren agreed with the boss’s assessment. He attributed his winning ways, along with the team’s success, to all of the people involved with KBM.

    “You can kind of get used to running up front but you have to pinch yourself and realize that the reality is that it’s not that simple,” Ren said. “We surround ourselves with good people and we have great drivers at the track.”

    “I’m really proud of the fact that all three of our vehicles finished in the top ten,” Ren continued. “I think Darrell led the most laps today and sat on the pole.”

    “And Joey Coulter came from way back and was clear up to fifth before getting shuffled on that last restart,” Ren said. “So, it’s hats off to everyone at KBM for the effort they put in.”

    Busch admitted that he has been on a bit of a winning streak lately in both the Camping World Truck Series, as well as the Nationwide Series. In fact, in his last nine starts, he has won seven, with a winning percentage of 77%.

    “Well I don’t know what happened in those other ones,” Busch said with a laugh. “Probably something I did screwed that up.”

    “It certainly is a wow factor,” Busch said on a more serious note. “There are a lot of things that can happen in races that can take you out.”

    “These trucks were a handful and we were holding on every corner, every lap,” Busch said. “I was holding my breath.”

    “It’s fun to win,” Busch continued. “People will say it’s too easy and we’re cherry picking or whatever.”

    “But you know what, this is a sport that we’re all welcome to participate in and that’s why we’re here.”

    Busch also reminded the media and himself that while he has been on a winning streak, he also has had his share of late-race losses, as well as some just plain bad luck.

    “I had a hood pin come out while leading late in the race,” Busch said. “There was a blown tire race.”

    “We had a fuel pick up issue with the new fuel probe,” Busch continued. “And then I had a fitting break on a transmission here and it started leaking and we had to come to pit road.”

    “If something is going to fall out of the sky and hit my car, it will,” Busch said. “Oh wait, that happened.”

    Busch also admitted that he has learned plenty from being in the car through Nationwide and Cup practice, as well as Truck qualifying and the race.

    “I’ve learned that it’s going to be hot and it’s going to be slick,” Busch said. “There will be a lot of slipping and sliding for sure.”

    “We’ll just try to get everything as comfortable as possible running around here,” Busch continued. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is all the adjustments you have to make during the race.”

    While Busch is hoping for a race weekend sweep, saying that he is after all “a finely trained athletic machine”, he acknowledged that it will be tough to do at the Monster Mile, especially given the conditions on the track.

    “Seriously, it’s hot,” Busch said. “I’m not saying that’s an excuse but it will weigh on you a little bit.”

    “It did at the Truck race and as much as I’ve been in the car,” Busch continued. “We have to work on getting fluids in, which I’ve done.”

    “And then Sunday, it’s 400 miles here which is a long time,” Busch said. “I remember I ran here a few years ago when it was really hot and you were dead when you got out of the car.”

    “It puts a lot on you.”

    There is, however, one major motivator in the Monster Mile sweep for Busch, in spite of him “being the only one dumb enough to try,” in his own words.

    “Anything can happen at Dover,” Busch said. “It’s the start of my wife Samantha’s birthday weekend so we’re starting the celebration.”

    One thing that Kyle Busch is not concerned about at the Monster Mile, as well as at many other tracks, is that he is getting as much seat time as humanly possible. So, when will he stop racing all of these Series and races?

    “When I’m dead,” Busch replied simply. “It’s fun to go out and race as much as I race.”

    “That’s what keeps me sane,” Busch continued. “I’d rather be out there than running up and down pit road or sitting up on a pit box.”

    “I know that it certainly helps Rick (Ren) stay sane when I’m behind the wheel and not running around on pit road,” Busch said. “As long as it’s fun and we’re doing alright and we can keep sponsors on our trucks, we will be doing it.”

  • Crunching The Numbers: Dover

    Crunching The Numbers: Dover

    After two weeks at home in Charlotte, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams pack up and head north to Dover, Delaware for a date with “The Monster Mile” at Dover International Speedway. For the first time since the season openers at Daytona in February, all three series will be at the same track for a rare tripleheader weekend.

    Sprint Cup Series – Fed Ex 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks

    The first of two visits for the Sprint Cup Series at Dover will feature the best drivers in the world talking on one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. The one mile concrete oval, which is one of the only two high banked concrete tracks on the schedule in addition to Bristol, is one of the reasons many have labeled this treacherous track as “Bristol on steroids”. This race, the 13th of the season, also marks the halfway point in the 26 race regular season, with 13 races remaining until the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup this fall.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Carl Edwards 17 1 8 12 0 532 15.0 8.3
    Jimmie Johnson 22 7 11 16 3 2318 9.7 8.6
    Jeff Gordon 40 4 15 22 4 2292 11.6 12.0
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1 0 0 0 0 0 17.0 12.0
    Ryan Newman 22 3 6 11 4 842 9.5 12.1
    Mark Martin 53 4 24 32 5 1769 12.3 12.3
    Greg Biffle 21 2 6 10 1 463 11.7 12.4
    Aric Almirola 2 0 0 1 0 0 16.5 12.5
    Matt Kenseth 28 2 13 18 1 746 16.1 12.6
    Clint Bowyer 14 0 1 7 0 34 17.6 13.2

    Who To Watch: The best driver statistically at Dover? That would be none other than Carl Edwards. With his one win, eight top fives, 12 top tens, 532 laps led, and an average finish of 8.3 in 17 races, it’s no surprise that Edwards has earned the nickname of “Concrete Carl” for his prowess on tracks with a concrete surface.

    Right in Edwards tire tracks are the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. In 22 starts, Johnson has seven wins, 11 top fives, 16 top tens, three poles, 2318 laps led, and an average finish of 8.6. Gordon has 40 starts, with four wins, 15 top fives, 22 top tens, four poles, 2292 laps led, and an average finish of 12.0.

    Others to keep an eye on include former Dover winners Ryan Newman, with three wins and an average finish of 12.1; Mark Martin, with four wins and an average finish of 12.3; Greg Biffle, with two wins and an average finish of 12.4; and Matt Kenseth, with two wins and an average finish of 12.6.

    Nationwide Series – 5 Hour Energy 200

    Another race weekend and another field full of Cup regulars in the Nationwide Series. This time the Nationwide regulars outnumber the Cup regulars in the top 10 statistically at Dover. Could a Nationwide regular take the checkers on Saturday for the third time this year? The statistics point to that being a good probability.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brian Vickers 5 1 3 4 0 105 6.6 6.2
    Joey Logano 8 2 4 5 2 465 4.9 6.5
    Reed Sorenson 11 0 6 10 0 7 12.1 7.2
    Austin Dillon 2 0 0 2 0 0 10.0 8.0
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.0 8.0
    Kyle Busch 15 3 7 10 3 853 10.2 11.6
    Parker Kligerman 1 0 0 0 0 0 12.0 12.0
    Kasey Kahne 13 0 3 7 1 66 10.2 12.1
    Brian Scott 6 0 1 3 0 0 16.8 12.2
    Elliott Sadler 10 0 1 5 1 11 12.7 13.0

    Who To Watch: Brian Vickers heads up the list as the best statistically at Dover with one win, three top fives, four top tens, 105 laps led, and 6.2 average finish in five starts. The only Cup regular in the top five statistically at Dover, Joey Logano, has two wins, four top fives, five top tens, two poles, 465 laps led, and an average finish of 6.5 in eight starts. Reed Sorenson has six top fives, 10 top tens, seven laps led and an average finish of 7.2 in 11 starts. Next up are the Dillon brothers, Austin and Ty, who both have average finishes of 8.0 in a combined three starts.

    The majority of the season has seen Kyle Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing team dominating and winning race after race. If anyone wants to make it to Victory Lane, they will have to go through Busch, who has three wins, seven top fives, 10 top tens, three poles, 853 laps led, and an average finish of 11.6 in 15 races. Joe Gibbs Racing has won four of the last six Nationwide Series races at Dover and with a win this weekend, Busch would become the series wins leader at Dover, setting yet another record in the process.

    Camping World Truck Series – Lucas Oil 200

    The Dover tripleheader weekend kicks off with the Camping World Truck Series hitting the track for their race on Friday afternoon. This race has been known to produce more first time winners and rookie winners than repeat winners. If this continues to hold true, we could see one of the series many young guns make their first trip to Victory Lane.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 0 6.0 6.0
    Joey Coulter 2 0 0 1 0 0 3.5 8.5
    David Starr 11 0 3 7 1 17 15.1 9.1
    James Buescher 4 0 1 3 0 0 14.0 10.2
    Kyle Busch 7 2 2 4 1 711 4.1 10.9
    Ron Hornaday, Jr. 8 1 3 5 1 275 5.8 11.1
    Justin Lofton 3 0 1 2 0 22 15.7 12.7
    Johnny Sauter 4 0 1 1 0 0 4.5 13.8
    Matt Crafton 12 0 2 7 0 16 17.5 13.8
    Timothy Peters 6 0 0 2 0 1 14.0 14.7

    Who To Watch: Both Kyle Busch, who will be attempting the tripleheader by running in all three series, and Ron Hornaday, Jr. are the only winners of this race in the field for Friday’s race. Others to keep an eye on that have had good runs at the track, but no wins include: Ty Dillon, who finished sixth in his lone start at the track last year; Joey Coulter, who has an average finish of 8.5 in two starts; David Starr, with an average finish of 9.1 in 11 starts; and series champion James Buescher, who has an average finish of 10.2 in four starts.

  • Matt Crafton Wins Crash Fest At Kansas Speedway

    Matt Crafton Wins Crash Fest At Kansas Speedway

    Matt Crafton stormed to the victory for the Camping World Truck Series tonight, holding off Joey Coulter in the late stages of the race.  This is Crafton’s first win of the 2013 season and fourth top 10 finish.

    “It’s huge,” Crafton said. “Yesterday we were 18th average on the second practice and we were a 20th place truck at best — to be honest.  They changed so much on this truck — you always hear people say it, but they changed four springs, sway bar, sway bar arms — I mean tons of stuff.  There’s a bunch more stuff that they changed that would probably lose everybody, but they made a whole sale change and what that comes down to is teamwork and believing in each other and then going out there and doing it.”

    It was Crafton’s first win since 2011 at Iowa.  Crafton took the lead with 42 laps to go with a three-wide pass and held off the charge of Joey Coulter to take the win.

    “The show was so awesome — it was a great race,” Crafton continued. “My spotter told me where Joey (Coulter) was a little bit and he had a very, very fast truck.  I think track position was everything and it was whoever got out front.  We contemplated and contemplated on that last restart because we had talked about it earlier on the red flag — where would you start if you were leading this race at the end?  They said the outside early and then the yellow comes out and we’re leading and I said, ‘Where do you guys want to start?’  They said, ‘That’s up to you.’  (Carl) Joiner (crew chief) thinks inside and I went outside.  Then he could blame me after that.  The bottom — you could get sucked around so easy and I wanted to be on the outside to be able to control it.”

    Joey Coulter would hold on for second for his first top five of the season.

    “It was wide open out there, doing whatever I could do,” Coulter said. “I could pull him off a corner, it all equaled out. Great day for the 18 tundra. Everybody did an awesome job on pit road. We got caught a lap down but we’re able to get back and Harold – he pulled off some great pit strategy.”

    Rookie Ryan Blaney passed Brendan Gaughan in the final trip down the backstretch while points leader Johnny Sauter finished fifth.

    Defending champion and pole sitter James Buescher would lead the most laps – 55 – on the way to finishing sixth. It marks his first top 10 of the season. Darrell Wallace Jr. would finish seventh, followed by Ty Dillon, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Timothy Peters.

    The race was a crashed filled event with 11 cautions, that saw only 17 cars out of 36 starters finish the race. The most frightening of those incidents came on lap 121, involving Todd Bodine, Brennan Newberry and Bryan Silas and resulted in a 12 minute red flag to clear the track of debris that covered nearly one whole end of the track.

    Sauter continues to lead the standings, 12 points ahead of Matt Crafton.

    Unofficial Race Results
    SFP 250, Kansas Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=4
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 6 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 47
    2 11 18 Joey Coulter Toyota 43
    3 19 29 Ryan Blaney # Ford 41
    4 8 62 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 40
    5 4 98 Johnny Sauter Toyota 39
    6 1 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 40
    7 15 54 Darrell Wallace Jr. # Toyota 38
    8 5 3 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 37
    9 13 9 Ron Hornaday Jr. Chevrolet 35
    10 18 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 34
    11 12 77 German Quiroga # Toyota 34
    12 14 60 Dakoda Armstrong Chevrolet 32
    13 31 81 David Starr Toyota 31
    14 23 5 Tim George Jr. Ford 30
    15 3 4 Jeb Burton # Chevrolet 30
    16 28 68 Clay Greenfield 28
    17 33 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Chevrolet 27
    18 27 63 Justin Jennings Chevrolet 26
    19 21 99 Bryan Silas Ford 26
    20 17 14 Brennan Newberry # Chevrolet 24
    21 10 13 Todd Bodine Toyota 23
    22 36 21 Spencer Gallagher Chevrolet 22
    23 30 27 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 21
    24 16 19 Joey Logano(i) Ford 0
    25 9 8 Max Gresham Chevrolet 19
    26 34 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 18
    27 7 51 Kyle Busch(i) Toyota 0
    28 25 6 Danny Efland(i) Chevrolet 0
    29 24 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 15
    30 35 7 Jamie Dick(i) Chevrolet 0
    31 2 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 14
    32 20 7 John Wes Townley Toyota 12
    33 29 84 Mike Harmon(i) Chevrolet 0
    34 26 93 Chris Jones Chevrolet 10
    35 22 38 JJ Yeley(i) Chevrolet 0
    36 32 0 Scott Saunders 8

  • Joey Coulter’s Dream Comes True with First Ever Truck Win at Pocono

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”219″][/media-credit]With his mother Susan screaming “Burn out time” and “Oh, I love Pocono,” Joey Coulter’s dream of winning a race came true.

    The driver of the No. 22 RCR/darrellgwynnfoundation.com Chevrolet got his first win in the 3rd annual Pocono Mountains 125 and the first win ever in his Truck Series career.

    Coulter is the ninth different winner this season to visit Victory Lane and the fourth different first-time winner of 2012.

    “It feels amazing and there’s no way to describe it,” Coulter said. “I just can’t thank everyone enough for the opportunity. I can’t thank them enough for sticking behind me.”

    “It’s a dream come true,” Coulter continued. “Call me in three days when it finally hits me.”

    Coulter acknowledged that his racing has always included his family and that indeed his mom was even more excited than he was.

    “For us, it’s always been a family event,” Coulter said. “They’ve been the ones to help me get here.”

    “To have them at the race track every weekend is a huge part of my career.”

    Coulter’s mother Susan echoed the family pride in her son’s racing career and his first trip to Victory Lane.

    “I am so proud of him,” Susan Coulter said of her winning son. “He’s worked so hard for this since he was 8 years old.”

    “He did this one himself,” Susan Coulter continued. “We have the best team in the world. I’m so happy.

    While Coulter’s family was ecstatic, team owner Richard Childress was equally proud of his young driver. And he also revealed that Coulter, in his opinion, is ready to go to the next level in the sport.

    “Joey’s had a really fast truck for the last two years and misfortunes would take him out of the winner’s circle,” Childress said. “I’m really happy for his family and for the whole Coulter team.”

    “We’re talking about running in the Nationwide Series with him next year,” Childress continued. “Sponsorship is the key to putting it together.”

    An important part of that Coulter RCR team has been crew chief Harold Holly. Coulter fully credits Holly with “teaching him how to drive” when they first started together in the ARCA Series.

    “This is as big as any of ‘em win-wise,” Holly said of the win. “We have such a strong support group.”

    “I’m tickled to death.”

    James Buescher, piloting the No. 31 Koike Aronson/Ransome Chevrolet, finished second. This was his second top-10 finish in three races at Pocono and his seventh top-10 finish for the season.

    “The Chevy was decent but we were tight all day long,” Buescher said. “Just couldn’t get it to turn on exit on any corner.”

    “I was just trying to keep up with Nelson and stayed out to lead a lap,” Buescher continued. “The truck was good but it wasn’t the fastest truck out there.”

    “We’ll just dust it off, take it to Michigan and try to get back to it.”

    Probably the most disappointed racer when the checkered flag flew was Nelson Piquet Jr., who sat on the pole and was by far the dominant truck for most of the race. Piquet Jr. finished third, scoring his first top-10 finish in two races at the ‘Tricky Triangle.”

    “I don’t know what to say,” Piquet Jr. said. “There’s only one word that can describe it and that’s frustration.”

    “The last restart was a bit of a problem,” Piquet continued. “It’s a shame.”

    “It was another race that we could have won.”

    Piquet Jr. was also involved with one of the more dramatic moments of the race when he and veteran Todd Bodine tangled, with Bodine getting the worst end or it, including a trip to the infield care center.

    After exiting his race truck, Bodine hurled his helmet in the direction of Piquet, Jr.

    “Nelson didn’t get a good run off two and I pulled down to start drafting,” Bodine said. “I should have known better not to trust Nelson to do the right thing, just move over and side draft with me.”

    “You watch tomorrow in the Cup race and you’ll see it a million times,” Bodine continued. “I know Nelson feels like he owes me one, from Kansas I think.”

    “We had a great truck,” Bodine said. “It’s a shame that ignorance has to take you out of the race.”

    Without a doubt, Piquet Jr. had a different take on the incident.

    “His spotter should have told him that I was behind him,” Piquet Jr. said. “There’s nothing I could have done.”

    “The move he did was inexperienced,” Piquet continued. “With all the experience he has, there’s no explanation.”

    “Not much to say,” Piquet said. “I couldn’t have done anything else.”

    Ty Dillon, driving the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, was the highest finishing rookie driver. Dillon, teammate to race winner Joey Coulter, finished in the sixth spot.

    “I’m kind of disappointed,” Dillon said. “I made a rookie mistake on the first lap that really put us behind.”

    “I’m so proud of my teammate Joey Coulter though,” Dillon said. “That was awesome. I’m really happy for Joey. He’s put his time in.”

    Dillon was most excited about gaining some points in the championship standings. He is now just eight points behind leader Timothy Peters.

    “We’ve got some good momentum coming,” Dillon said. “I think we’ve found something.”

    “We’re second, only 8 points out,” Dillon continued. “And we’ll keep trucking.”

    Matt Crafton, in the No. 88 Jeld Wen/Menards Toyota, finished fourth and Danny Hamlin, driving the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 GNC Live Well/M&Ms Toyota rounded out the top five.

    “The power of those guys in front of us was big,” Hamlin said. “We just didn’t have a great handling truck.”

    “Hopefully now I can give them a little bit of feedback for what I feel like this program needs to work on.”

    Unofficial Race Results
    Pocono Mountains 125, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=11
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 4 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 47
    2 5 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 43
    3 1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 43
    4 9 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 40
    5 16 18 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0
    6 2 3 Ty Dillon * Chevrolet 38
    7 17 29 Parker Kligerman Ram 37
    8 11 9 John Wes Townley * Toyota 36
    9 35 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 35
    10 20 8 Ross Chastain * Toyota 34
    11 14 23 Jason White Ford 34
    12 18 98 Dakoda Armstrong * Toyota 32
    13 3 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 31
    14 15 33 Cale Gale * Chevrolet 30
    15 6 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 29
    16 25 27 C E Falk Chevrolet 28
    17 19 99 Bryan Silas * Ford 27
    18 23 84 Chris Fontaine Chevrolet 26
    19 10 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 25
    20 34 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 24
    21 32 159 Kyle Martel Chevrolet 0
    22 8 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 23
    23 27 28 Wes Burton Chevrolet 21
    24 7 5 Paulie Harraka * Ford 20
    25 30 282 Sean Corr Ford 19
    26 12 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 18
    27 13 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 17
    28 21 93 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet 16
    29 26 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 15
    30 31 225 Brandon Knupp Chevrolet 0
    31 22 7 Jeff Agnew Toyota 13
    32 29 174 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 0
    33 36 175 Adam Edwards Chevrolet 11
    34 28 38 Chris Jones Chevrolet 10
    35 33 0 Chris Lafferty Ram 9
    36 24 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Ram 8

  • Nelson Piquet Jr. Right at Home With Pocono Truck Pole

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”219″][/media-credit]Nelson Piquet Jr., who was racy in practice behind the wheel of his No. 30 Autotrac Chevrolet, scored the coveted pole position for the Camping World Truck race at Pocono. Piquet’s speed was 169.504 mph and a time of 53.096 seconds, a new track qualifying record.

    This was Piquet’s second pole of the 2012 season. His first pole was in Rockingham in the spring of this year.

    “I feel at home when I come to Pocono,” Piquet Jr. said. “Everyone is so welcoming and there are some diehard race fans in Pennsylvania.”

    “After a weekend off, I’m always more than ready to get back to the racetrack,” Piquet Jr. continued. “It’s going to be an exciting race at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “I would love to get my first NCWTS win at a track I feel so welcomed at.”

    What Piquet Jr. did not share was that he really did not off the weekend off. The young driver completed the Chicago Rock’n’Roll Half-Marathon, with a speed of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 43 seconds, as well as celebrated his 27th birthday.

    Piquet Jr., however, will have a challenge on his hands, having to battle Richard Childress Racing phenom Ty Dillon for the race win.

    Dillon qualified his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, in the outside pole position at a speed of 169.252 mph and a time of 53.175 seconds.

    This was Dillon’s ninth top-10 start for the 2012 season.

    “I’m excited to see what it’s really like to race on the new surface,” Dillon said. “I had a lot of fun there last year and earned a win in the ARCA Racing Series.”

    Miguel Paludo, with a speed of 168.631 mph and a time of 53.371 seconds, posted his first ever top-10 start at Pocono Raceway. This is the sixth in eleven races this season for the driver of the No. 32 Duroline Brakes Chevrolet.

    Joey Coulter, who had to go out last in the qualifying run due to Justin Lofton’s spin, qualified fourth in his No. 22 RCR/darrellgwynnfoundation.com Chevrolet. James Buescher, behind the wheel of the No. 31 Koike Aronson/Ransome Chevrolet, rounded out the top five.

     

    Starting Lineup
    Pocono Mountains 125, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/qual.php?race=11
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 169.504 53.096
    2 3 Ty Dillon* Chevrolet 169.252 53.175
    3 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 168.631 53.371
    4 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 168.53 53.403
    5 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 168.143 53.526
    6 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 167.645 53.685
    7 5 Paulie Harraka* Ford 167.448 53.748
    8 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 167.33 53.785
    9 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 167.299 53.796
    10 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 167.119 53.854
    11 9 John Wes Townley* Toyota 166.793 53.959
    12 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 166.698 53.99
    13 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 166.396 54.088
    14 23 Jason White Ford 165.99 54.22
    15 33 Cale Gale* Chevrolet 165.63 54.338
    16 18 Denny Hamlin Toyota 165.596 54.349
    17 29 Parker Kligerman Ram 165.484 54.386
    18 98 Dakoda Armstrong* Toyota 165.484 54.386
    19 99 Bryan Silas* Ford 164.423 54.737
    20 8 Ross Chastain* Toyota 163.304 55.112
    21 93 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet 161.241 55.817
    22 7 Jeff Agnew Toyota 161.005 55.899
    23 84 Chris Fontaine Chevrolet 159.691 56.359
    24 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Ram 169.665 56.368
    25 27 C E Falk Chevrolet 159.295 56.499
    26 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 158.73 56.7
    27 28 Wes Burton Chevrolet 158.59 56.75
    28 38 Chris Jones Chevrolet 158.231 56.879
    29 174 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 157.312 57.211
    30 282 Sean Corr Ford 156.125 57.646
    31 225 Brandon Knupp Chevrolet 155.491 57.881
    32 159 Kyle Martel Chevrolet 151.172 59.535
    33 0 Chris Lafferty Ram 149.43 60.229
    34 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 147.278 61.109
    35 6 Justin Lofton+ Chevrolet – –
    36 175 Adam Edwards Chevrolet 131.886 68.241
  • Joey Coulter Set To Embark on Second Full Camping World Truck Series Season

    Joey Coulter Set To Embark on Second Full Camping World Truck Series Season

    [media-credit name=”Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR ” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]In 2011, Joey Coulter had his biggest year in racing to date as he moved up to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to run the entire schedule for Richard Childress Racing. The year was a success as with five top fives and 13 top 10s, Coulter won the Rookie of the Year award.

    “It’s the biggest accomplishment of my career,” the driver of the No. 22 Darrell Gwynn Foundation  Chevrolet Silverado says. “The whole team put in a lot of effort. Right from the beginning the year, that was the goal that Mr. Childress set for our team.  Austin winning it last year added a little bit of positive pressure for us to try to win it and the whole team – all of us – we kept pushing forward and at the end of the year, we were able to keep it together and bring it home. It was a really important, huge accomplishment.”

    For this season, Coulter will once again run the entire Camping World Truck Series schedule for Richard Childress Racing. With a year under his belt and teammate Austin Dillon winning the championship last season, the pressure is there.

    “We feel like seeing what Austin, my teammate, did last year, we really got a good shot at the championship,” he says. “There’s obviously a lot of tough competition out there – James Buescher, Ron Hornaday – I could name hundreds of them. But I really feel like we have a good opportunity to go out there and run for a championship.

    “I saw a lot of great things with the team near the end of last season. The pit stops went from good to great. The communication between my crew chief, Harold Holly, and me just got better. The goal is to win a few races and come home with the championship.”

    With the new year, though, there comes a change in the line-up as with Austin Dillon moving up to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Coulter’s new teammate for 2012 will be Austin’s little brother Ty Dillon. Coulter says that he’s looking forward to working with Ty this year.

    “The few races that Ty ran last year – he did an awesome job,” Coulter adds. “We talked at the shop last year – I think we’re going to work great together. We both watched the Daytona race from last year and gone over a lot of notes, just kinda talked back and forth about a lot of different things. We both pumped up and ready to get there.”

    The beginning of the season will start in two weeks with the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The race will be run on Friday February 24th at 7pm EST.

    “I’m really excited to get back to Daytona,” Coulter says. “I think it’s going to be exciting. I don’t know if the tandem thing is going to go away or not – but it’s going to be great. I love super speedway races and I think seeing all the work that the guys back at the shop – the body shop – put into this speedway truck and the awesome motors they build, I’m really looking forward it. We’re going to have an awesome hotrod.”

    Besides running the truck race, Coulter will also run in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona on February 18th in the ARCA Racing Series for his father’s team. This year marks a big year for ARCA as it is their 60th year of competition.

    “I think it’s awesome,” Coulter says. “I really like the ARCA Series a lot. Even though I only ran two full seasons myself, my dad still has an ARCA team that’s going to run the majority of the races this year with Matt Lofton in the car so I really think that’s an awesome series. I’m really excited that they’ve been around 60 years. It’s a huge stepping-stone series. That’s how a lot of people look at it – like the minor league NASCAR. It’s a league of its own. It helps young drivers, even younger than me, and older drivers learn how to drive a really heavy car on a big fast race track with a lot of horsepower. It’s a great series. I’m glad my dad’s team is going to be able to run this year.”

    Part of the off-season for Coulter was spent helping his dad with setting up the ARCA program for 2012. Coulter kept busy during the off-season, going to classes as he is a mechanical engineering student at UNC while working out and doing pit crew practice at RCR. He also embarked on a new journey as he bought a dirt super late model to start racing.

    “Never been on dirt before so it’s going to be an exciting new venture,” Coulter says.

    Though as February rolls around and Daytona Speedweeks are near, the focus will soon turn to the 2012 NASCAR season for Coulter as he goes not only for his first NASCAR championship, but his first truck win. It’s very easily possible that it could come on a favourite track of Coulter’s.

    “I look forward to places like Delaware,” Coulter says of his favourite tracks. “Iowa is one of my favorites. I love Martinsville, Bristol, O’Reilly Raceway Park – ‘cause those are the short tracks. There are a lot of places that I like to race at.”

    He sums it up by saying that his favourite race track is the one that he goes to next.

     

  • Austin Dillon Wins The Truck Championship; Johnny Sauter wins the Race

    Austin Dillon Wins The Truck Championship; Johnny Sauter wins the Race

    Coming into the night, all Austin Dillon had to do was finish 16th or better to clinch the 2011 championship. With 40 laps to go at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it was looking like that championship would be in jeopardy.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]On the restart with 34 laps to go, Dillon didn’t have a good one and fell back to 15th in eight laps. His teammate Coulter had also reported seeing issues with Dillon’s right tire. Ron Hornaday also told Dillon’s team that some oil had come up on his window when Dillon passed him.

    “When you get back there in that situation, your head tells you to be smart but at the same time you’re telling yourself to go because you’re close,” Dillon said. “I went as hard as I could.”

    Dillon quickly put all of that behind him and moved up to the 10th position, running laps as quick as leaders, before the race was called for rain with 15 laps to go.

    At the age of 21 years, 6 months and 22 days, Dillon becomes the youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion in series history.

    “This is a dream true,” the grandson of Richard Childress said. “The great thing is that I am a very fortunate person to have this opportunity. It was scary after that last restart. We got back up there. I thought we had a truck to win.”

    This marks the first time the No. 3 has won a championship since Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001.

    “The first time I got to pick a number, that was the only number I knew,” he said. “I told my grandpa let’s run it; let’s have some fun with it. I am very proud to run it.”

    It also marks the first Truck Series championship for Richard Childress since winning the inaugural truck series title in 1995 with Mike Skinner.

    “I’m so happy for my grandfather,” Dillon said. “It’s really helped him. He’s back in it; he’s got the heart of a 10 year old and is back in it.”

    It marks Childress’ first driver’s championship since Clint Bowyer’s Nationwide Series title in 2008.

    “This has got to be right up there at the top,” Childress said. “It’s so special when your whole family is involved. I remember the very first championship with Dale Earnhardt. I had the same feeling tonight watching Austin, my grandson.”

    The difference at the end of the night between Dillon and Johnny Sauter was six points.

    “The thing that he did was kept his truck in one piece – for a younger guy with the pressure of leading the points, I’d say that’s one thing that sticks out to me that a lot of guys probably can’t do at this stage in their careers,” Sauter commented on Dillon.

    Sauter put all the pressure he could on Dillon, leading the most laps in the Ford 200, before going on to win the race.

    “I’m so happy to be up here next to my best friend Joe,” Sauter said. “My guys are everything to me. They were on fire tonight. They are the reason for my year.”

    Before the race was called, Denny Hamlin had made a move on Sauter to the outside, though Sauter squeezed Hamlin up. Sauter then came over the radio apologizing to Hamlin, saying it wasn’t intentional.

    The win was the fourth of Sauter’s career and ThorSport’s seven victory of the season.

    “I’ve always wanted to have two NASCAR wins in the same year so that was a huge accomplishment.”

    Kevin Harvick would finish third in his final race as a truck owner, after locking up the owner’s championship two weeks earlier at Texas with the No. 2 truck.

    “It’s been quite a run as a team,” Harvick said. “To just get the first win and be able to compete as we have, it shows the type of people behind us. To go from starting the team in 2001 to the championships with Hornaday, it’s been quite a run. If you have to go out, winning the championship would be the way to do it.”

    Harvick had his own controversy during the race as he was in the middle of a dispute with James Buescher. On a restart, Harvick had a run on Buescher and tried to go under him, in which Buescher came down and blocked Harvick. Then coming on pit road, Buescher spun Harvick out after Harvick tried to pass him while on the access road.

    “I was thinking in my head, ‘Don’t be Kyle Busch, don’t be Kyle Busch’,” Harvick said afterwards.
    Nelson Piquet Jr. would finish fourth to finish his 10th in points in his rookie season in the truck series.

    With a fifth place finish, Coulter locked up the rookie of the year title to cap off a good year for RCR.

    “It’s just fantastic to win a championship and watch how hard these guys put in it,” Childress said. “To see this 3 back in victory lane with Bass Pro Shops, Ty’s success and Joey winning rookie of the year – it’s been an awesome year for RCR.”

    The success of Richard Childress Racing in 2011 will definitely be talked about this off-sesaon, but don’t think the success won’t be there next year. Ty Dillon will take over Austin Dillon’s seat in the No. 3 truck and finished sixth to earn his second top-10 finish in his third Truck Series start.

    “The great part about Austin and Ty is they are good kids,” Harvick said. “They’ve got their head on their shoulders right. I don’t think that will be the last Dillon that you see going through the championship circle in this truck series.

    “They’ve got a good future. They’re like sponges. They listen to you and they’ve got a lot of history and their heritage.”

    Unofficial Race Results
    Ford 200, Homestead-Miami Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=25
    ==============================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    ==============================================
    1 5 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 48
    2 17 18 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0
    3 8 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    4 3 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. * Chevrolet 40
    5 10 22 Joey Coulter * Chevrolet 39
    6 2 121 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 38
    7 7 124 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 0
    8 21 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 36
    9 12 23 Jason White Chevrolet 35
    10 4 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 34
    11 23 81 David Starr Toyota 33
    12 1 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 33
    13 22 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 32
    14 13 29 Parker Kligerman * Dodge 30
    15 16 15 Dusty Davis * Toyota 29
    16 15 5 Todd Bodine Toyota 28
    17 14 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 27
    18 9 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 26
    19 11 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 26
    20 19 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 25
    21 24 9 Max Papis Toyota 23
    22 6 60 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 22
    23 28 32 Blake Feese Chevrolet 21
    24 30 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 20
    25 20 98 Dakoda Armstrong Chevrolet 20
    26 27 151 German Quiroga Toyota 18
    27 36 20 Ross Chastain Toyota 17
    28 25 109 Bryan Silas Ford 0
    29 34 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 15
    30 35 168 Clay Greenfield Dodge 14
    31 26 66 Max Gresham Chevrolet 13
    32 18 7 Miguel Paludo * Toyota 12
    33 32 174 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 0
    34 29 138 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet 0
    35 31 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Ford 0
    36 33 7 Johnny Chapman Toyota 0

  • Kyle Busch Spanks Truck Field at New Hampshire

    Kyle Busch, driving the No. 18 Toyota/Traxxas Toyota, spanked the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a dominant win in the 16th annual running of the F. W. Webb 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]This was Busch’s 30th career win in 99 Truck races and he now ranks second on the all-time series wins list. Busch also achieved another record, leading 165 laps, the most ever in a 175 lap Truck race at New Hampshire.

    This was Busch’s 104th national series win. And with that domination, Busch also scored a perfect driving rating of 150.

    “We just had a great truck,” Busch said in the understatement of the race. “We worked hard and I want to say ‘hi’ to my wife who is working at home in Charlotte.”

    “It was fun for us but probably not for others.”

    Busch not only dominated the field but he also started from the pole, his 12th in 99 the Truck Series competition. Rowdy Busch was so dominant that only six trucks finished on the lead lap.

    “These guys on this Kyle Busch Motorsports team did a great job,” Busch said. “We unloaded a little bit off but we just had to get the feel where I liked it.”

    “I felt really good with it,” Busch continued. “To be able to qualify first and set sail on our own agenda really meant a lot.”

    Eric Phillips, Busch’s crew chief, agreed wholeheartedly with his driver.

    “Like Kyle said, we were off a little bit so we tried something different,” Phillips said. “We made steady progress through both practices and then the truck was pretty good the rest of the weekend.”

    Busch acknowledged that he has had other dominating performances, such as leading every lap at Phoenix in the Nationwide race earlier in the year.

    “I never thought of that actually,” Busch said. “I think I led 190 or 192 laps of a Nationwide race here too one time.”

    “So, that’s cool,” Busch said. “Certainly Phoenix and Loudon, when I can hit it right, I can hit it right. I’m really, really good.”

    Young Austin Dillon, in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, ran second for most of the race to Busch. And that is exactly where he finished.

    This was Dillon’s second top-10 finish in three races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He also now leads the point standings by just two over James Buescher.

    “We were in there every lap,” Dillon said. “We even got to lead a lap which was good for our points deal.”

    “Championship has been on our mind all year,” Dillon said. “I feel like we’ve had a great truck to beat each and every week.”

    “We’re finally stringing some finishes together.”

    Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the No.2 JEGS Chevrolet, came in third. Although his fifth top-10 finish in six races at New Hampshire, Harvick was frustrated with the racing.

    “It was like a parade,” Harvick said. “It was a terrible race with everybody following each other around.”

    “I got stuck behind the 88 there and lost half a track,” Harvick lamented. “It was just really hard to pass.” Track position was king.”

    Ron Hornaday, Jr., driving the No. 33 Cooked Perfect Meatballs Chevrolet, finished fourth and Johnny Sauter, in the No. 13 SafeAuto/Carrier Chevrolet, rounded out the top five.

    Miguel Paludo, behind the wheel of the No. 7 Stemco Duroline Toyota, was the top-finishing Sunoco rookie. Paludo started from the 15th position and ended the race in the 10th spot.

    “It was a good day for us,” Paludo said. “The two tires in the end was a better call for us. I’m proud of our guys and I’m proud to be in the top ten in a race like this.”

    Joey Coulter, driving the No. 22 RCR Graphics Center Chevrolet , was probably the most frustrated driver on the ‘Magic Mile.’ Coulter qualified third, was moving his way up through the pack, and even led a lap in the race.

    Unfortunately, Coulter was penalized twice for being too fast on pit road and finished his race in the 11th position.

    Matt Crafton, James Buescher, Todd Bodine, Timothy Peters and rookie Miguel Paludo rounded out the top ten finishers, sixth through tenth respectively, in the F. W. Webb 175.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    F.W. Webb 175, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=19
    ==============================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    ==============================================
    1 1 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    2 4 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 43
    3 2 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    4 5 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 40
    5 14 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 39
    6 10 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 38
    7 8 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 38
    8 11 5 Todd Bodine Toyota 37
    9 9 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 35
    10 15 7 Miguel Paludo * Toyota 34
    11 3 22 Joey Coulter * Chevrolet 34
    12 12 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 32
    13 7 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 31
    14 16 81 David Starr Toyota 30
    15 18 60 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 29
    16 17 151 German Quiroga Toyota 28
    17 34 23 Jason White Chevrolet 27
    18 19 29 Parker Kligerman * Dodge 26
    19 22 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 25
    20 13 9 Max Papis Toyota 24
    21 23 32 Blake Feese Chevrolet 23
    22 21 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 22
    23 26 261 Wes Burton Ford 21
    24 6 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. * Chevrolet 20
    25 32 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 19
    26 31 173 Austin Russell Dodge 18
    27 20 170 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 17
    28 25 66 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 0
    29 24 93 Josh Wise Chevrolet 0
    30 30 7 Butch Miller Chevrolet 14
    31 28 296 Todd Peck Chevrolet 13
    32 27 87 Chris Jones Chevrolet 0
    33 29 174 Mike Harmon Ford 0
    34 33 175 Bobby Santos Chevrolet 0
    35 36 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Ford 0
  • Kevin Harvick Survives Two Day Pocono Truck Marathon for First Season Win

    Kevin Harvick Survives Two Day Pocono Truck Marathon for First Season Win

    In a rain-delayed race at Pocono Raceway, lasting from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, one driver, Kevin Harvick, survived the marathon to take the checkered flag. This is Harvick’s first victory in the Truck Series in 2011.

    [media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll” align=”alignright” width=”207″][/media-credit]The driver of the No. 2 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet, for team owner and wife DeLana Harvick, won the 2nd Annual Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125, securing his 10th victory in 110 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.

    “You just hope that the truck didn’t screw itself up overnight,” Harvick said of the marathon race event. “Luckily it was fast and we were able to manage our fuel.

    “It didn’t detune itself overnight.”

    “Harvick admitted that this particular race truck has been fast for the last several weeks. He also acknowledged that he had to go into fuel conservation mode for the final green, white, checkered finish.

    “They’ve been working hard on a lot of things to make the truck better,” Harvick said of his team. “You just have to not make mistakes.”

    “They told me we were good on fuel and I knew I had saved at least a couple laps of gas,” Harvick continued. “All in all I think the fuel mileage thing went out the window with all the cautions.”

    “And then it was all about track position, which was important.”

    When asked what difference the marathon, two-day race meant to Harvick, it apparently at least meant him getting out of bed a bit earlier than normal on a Cup race day.

    “I feel like I’m a lot more awake than I would have been,” Harvick said with a laugh. “It just never hurts to get out and get in the rhythm.”

    “You just have to change your suit and go back after it this afternoon.”

    With his Pocono Truck win, Harvick also secured his own place in history by tying Bobby Hamilton for 12th on the all-time Series wins list.

    Bruce Cook, Harvick’s crew chief, echoed his driver’s assessment of the race truck and the fuel situation. But he also admitted that he had little to no sleep because of the rain delay from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning.

    “Our truck was really good,” Cook said. “Having the rain basically meant not sleeping overnight.”

    “We knew we were close right off the bat,” Cook said of the fuel mileage challenges. “But with the caution coming out, we were OK on fuel.”

    “Kevin took over conserving but there were no major concerns,” Cook continued. “The race speaks for itself.”

    Kyle Busch finished in the runner up position. The driver of the No. 18 CocoaVia.com Toyota scored his first top-10 finish at a track that he has always found a bit tricky.

    This was Busch’s ninth top-10 finish in 2011.

    “It certainly was a good run for us, yesterday and today,” Busch said. “We unloaded here Friday and felt we were pretty decent off the truck but we were definitely off the 2 truck. He was stellar.”

    “We just tried to minimize our losses and come out of here with the best finish we could,” Busch continued. “A few of those cautions helped us and fortunately that moved us back up to second.”

    “It was fun racing the trucks here and it was certainly entertaining.”

    Young up and coming driver James Buescher, behind the wheel of the No. 31 Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet  came in third, posting his first top-10 finish at Pocono Raceway.

    “It was definitely a good day for us,” Buescher said. “We unloaded really fast off the truck yesterday or two days ago, whenever we practiced.”

    “We worked hard to find a good balance,” Buescher continued. “It’s been a good race yesterday and today.”

    “It was a good day for us and we’re on a roll.”

    Joey Coulter, another up and coming driver, was the highest finishing rookie. The driver of the No. 22 Darrell Gwynn Foundation/RCR Graphics Center Chevrolet finished sixth.

    “It went well,” Coulter said. “It was a drag race until the end.”

    “It was pretty wild,” Coulter continued. “It was probably the most fun race I’ve been in.”

    Johnny Sauter, behind the wheel of the No. 13 SafeAuto/Carrier/Curb Records Chevrolet, and Austin Dillon, driving the No. 3 Bass Pro Shop[s/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, rounded out the top five.

    Unfortunately, point leader Sauter failed post race inspection with his right rear exceeding the height regulation. NASCAR advised to expect penalties on Tuesday of next week.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Good Sam RV ER Service 125, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=14
    ==============================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    ==============================================
    1 1 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    2 2 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    3 6 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 41
    4 16 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 40
    5 8 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 39
    6 12 22 Joey Coulter * Chevrolet 38
    7 5 32 Mark Martin Chevrolet 0
    8 13 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 36
    9 7 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 35
    10 11 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 34
    11 19 9 Max Papis Toyota 33
    12 10 5 Todd Bodine Toyota 32
    13 4 29 Parker Kligerman * Dodge 32
    14 3 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. * Chevrolet 30
    15 18 60 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 29
    16 21 6 Justin Lofton Toyota 28
    17 20 23 Jason White Chevrolet 27
    18 17 81 David Starr Toyota 26
    19 14 7 Miguel Paludo * Toyota 25
    20 15 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 24
    21 23 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 23
    22 9 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 22
    23 25 28 Wes Burton Chevrolet 21
    24 28 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 20
    25 31 66 Peyton Sellers Chevrolet 19
    26 22 7 Chad McCumbee Toyota 18
    27 26 84 Chris Fontaine Chevrolet 17
    28 27 138 Mike Garvey Chevrolet 16
    29 24 93 Shane Sieg Chevrolet 15
    30 29 175 James Hylton Chevrolet 0
    31 30 189 Chris Lafferty Chevrolet 0