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Bell Takes Late Lead and Holds Off Challenger to Win Truck Race at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. — An early spin didn’t stop Christopher Bell from returning to the front to claim victory in the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

He took the lead from John Hunter Nemechek with a pass to the high-side in Turn 3 and held off Brandon Jones right down to the final lap to score the victory.

“This is pretty special,” Bell said after the race. “We had our ups and downs. Practice didn’t go very well, but we had a really fast Tundra, and (crew chief) Rudy Fugle made great calls from the pit box after I made a mistake and spun out.”

RACE RECAP

After rain delayed the original start by roughly three hours, Johnny Sauter led the field to the green flag at 10:39 p.m. Matt Mills brought out the first caution on Lap 22 when he got loose, overcorrected and hit the outside wall exiting Turn 4.

On the ensuing restart on Lap 27, ThorSport Racing teammates Ben Rhodes and Grant Enfinger “sandwiched” Sauter going into Turn 1 to take the lead, with Enfinger taking the sole lead. The caution flew a second time on the same lap when Bell went spinning in Turn 3.

Rhodes took the lead from his teammate on the following restart on Lap 32 and drove on to win the first stage.

Noah Gragson, who pitted under the first caution, assumed the race lead.

Back to green on lap 42, the caution flew on the same lap for a multi-car wreck in Turn 3, which collected three of the four ThorSport trucks.

After that wreck, the rest of the stage proceeded under green, with Gragson winning it.

Myatt Snider exited pit road with the race lead. He lost the lead on the ensuing restart to Bell.

The race didn’t make it a lap before Gragson was turned by Austin Cindric on the frontstretch, bringing out the sixth caution.

When the next run settled into a longer green run, Bell came up on lapped traffic. John Hunter Nemechek took advantage of this and took the lead from Bell on Lap 94.

It was interrupted by a solo spin by Snider with 44 laps to go.

Bell took the lead on the ensuing restart with 37 to go when the caution flew for a two-truck wreck in Turn 3, setting up the run to the finish.

NUTS & BOLTS

The race lasted one hour, 59 minutes and 47 seconds at an average speed of 112.703 mph. There were 10 lead changes among eight different drivers and eight cautions for 42 laps.

Sauter leaves with a 28-point lead over Bell.

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July 7, 2017
Kentucky Speedway – Did You Know?

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway this weekend for the Quaker State 400. Forty drivers will compete for the trophy with only nine regular season races remaining before the playoffs begin.

The inaugural Quaker State 400 was held on July 9, 2011, and was won by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch who led 125 of 267 laps. Busch captured the checkered flag again in 2015 while Brad Keselowski has won three of the six Cup Series races (2012, 2014, and 2016) at the 1.5-mile track. Busch‘s teammate, Matt Kenseth, has one victory at Kentucky, in 2013. But did you know that Kentucky Speedway is the only track on the current schedule where no Chevrolet car has ever won?

With only nine races left in the regular season winning is paramount. Ten drivers have secured their spot in the playoffs with victories but the clock is winding down for everyone else. Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth are currently 11th-16th in the playoff picture, but none of them have been to Victory Lane this year.

Keselowski is the defending race winner and holds the track qualifying record with a speed of 188.791 mph, set on June 28, 2014. He leads all active drivers with an average starting position of 4.500 and has the series second-best driver rating (119.2). But did you know that Keselowski is the only driver to win a Cup Series race from the pole (2014) at Kentucky?

With two wins and four top fives at Kentucky, Kyle Busch is hoping to turn his luck around and grab his first win of the season Saturday. He has the series-best driver rating of 125.6, the series-best average finish (5.167) and has led the most laps in the top 15.

Kenseth will be trying for a repeat of his 2013 triumph this weekend. With Joey Logano only three points behind him in points, a win is essential. He has the series third-best driver rating (107.9), three top fives and six top 10s. But did you know that with his win in 2013, Kenseth became the oldest Kentucky winner (06/30/2013 – 41 years, 3 months, 20 days)? Another trip to Victory Lane would be icing on the cake.

This will likely be Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last race at Kentucky Speedway as he will retire from full-time competition at the end of this season. While he only has the 13th-best driver rating at the track, he does have one pole, two top five finishes and ranks fourth-best in fastest laps run (34). But did you know that Earnhardt is the oldest driver to win a Kentucky pole? In 2013 he captured the Coors Light Pole Award at the age of 38 years, 8 months and 20 days.

Qualifying well could be the determining factor for a victory at Kentucky. Three of the six (50 percent) Cup Series races have been won from the front row while five of the six races (83.3 percent) have been won from a top 10 starting position.

Be sure to tune into the action this weekend as the racing intensifies in anticipation of the upcoming playoffs. The Quaker State 400 will be broadcast on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

In the meantime, check out the video below as Keselowski, low on fuel, holds off Carl Edwards to capture his third win at Kentucky Speedway.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

July 6, 2017
When We Last Came to Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. — Last time NASCAR ventured into the Bluegrass State, carnage was the name of the game with the XFINITY Series. Erik Jones dominated the race, only to see his hopes dashed by a late race wreck, Ash Ketchum offered himself as a peace offering to a hoard of attacking Spearow and…okay, that last one was actually from the first episode of Pokémon, but needless to say, a lot happened.

When all was said and done, Elliott Sadler stood victorious while dominant drivers of the night Jones and Ty Dillon were defeated by the same race-ending wreck. While Jones recovered from this setback and was among the championship four XFINITY drivers in last November’s Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Dillon couldn’t recover and was knocked out in the first round.

This 12-caution 13-car behind the wall standalone XFINITY Series race was arguably the most carnage-filled and chaotic of any race during the XFINITY Series playoffs last season.

Carnage was the case with last July’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, in which 10 of the 11 cautions were related to a wreck or spin. Surprisingly, mayhem wasn’t the case with last July’s XFINITY and Truck race.

The number of wrecks we did see, however, shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that the track was completely resurfaced for the first time in its history in January of that year. You should expect more of the same this time around with the additional layer of asphalt laid down by the track last October.

And when you ask drivers, like Jones, they’ll tell you it’s essentially a full repave.

“It’s back to, you know, a full repave again essentially,” he said. “They came and they did the tire dragon before we got on track but it rained the entire first day so it washed it all off and then had to kind of run it back in, so it felt like Texas really – just a full repave. Hopefully with the trucks being out there all day yesterday, truck race tonight, XFINITY practice today, it’ll be pretty worked in for the Cup cars here tomorrow, but it’s still a whole new repave, a whole new deal again.”

July 6, 2017
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Kentucky

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series all travel to Kentucky Speedway this week. The on-track activity begins Wednesday with Truck Series Practice. Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

Wednesday, July 5:

On Track:
3-4:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Practice (Results)
5-6:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice (Results)

Thursday, July 6:

On Track:
2- 2:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
4- 4:50 p.m.: XFINITY Series Second Practice – CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
5 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1 – CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
6- 6:50 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN – POSTPONED
7:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 (150 laps, 225 miles) – FS1
(Delayed approx. three hours due to rain) Results

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
1 p.m.: Erik Jones
1:15 p.m.: William Byron, Cole Custer and Brendan Gaughan
1:30 p.m.: Ben Rhodes
Post-Camping World Truck Series press conference on NASCAR.com after race

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

Friday, July 7:

On Track:
8:30-9:55 a.m.: XFINITY Series Practice (Follow live) (Canada: TSN GO)
10-11:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – NBC Sports App (Follow live) (Canada: TSN GO)
1-2:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
4:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
6:15 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
8 p.m.: XFINITY Series Alsco 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2) – POSTPONED TO SATURDAY

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
9:15 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
12:20 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3:30 p.m.: Quaker State
7:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying
11 p.m.: NASCAR.com – Post-XFINITY Series Race

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
9:30 a.m.: Cup Series

Saturday, July 8:

On Track:
Noon: XFINITY Series Alsco 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBCSN
11 p.m.: Cup Series Post-Race Show on NBCSN
11:30 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap on NBCSN

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
2:45 p.m.: Richard Petty
11:30 p.m.: NASCAR.com – Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

Race Details:

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race: Buckle Up in Your Truck 225
Date: Thursday, July 6
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET – Delayed approx. three hours due to rain
TV: FS1
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 225 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 150)

NASCAR XFINITY Series
Race: Alsco 300
Date: Friday, July 7 – Postponed to Saturday
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Race: Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts
Date: Saturday, July 8
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: Stage 1 (Ends on lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on lap 267)

Complete TV Schedule

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

July 5, 2017
Kyle Busch Fastest at Kentucky in Final Truck Practice

SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Busch topped the chart in final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

The driver of the No. 46 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota was the fastest with a time of 29.853 and a speed of 180.886 mph. Christopher Bell was second in his No. 4 KBM Toyota with a time of 29.869 and a speed of 180.867 mph. Kaz Grala was third in his No. 33 GMS Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.886 and a speed of 180.687 mph. Matt Crafton was fourth in his No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota with a time of 29.897 and a speed of 180.620 mph. Johnny Sauter rounded out the top-five in his No. 21 GMS Chevrolet with a time of 29.902 and a speed of 180.590 mph.

Brandon Jones, Austin Hill, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top-10.

Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 178.896 mph.

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July 5, 2017
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Kentucky
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action this week after a weekend off. It will be the 10th race of the season for the Truck Series, just six races before the playoffs begin.

There are 34 entries on the preliminary list for Thursday night’s truck race. In the past five races at Kentucky Speedway, there have been five different winners. Only two of those winners are entered in the race, Matt Crafton and Kyle Busch. Here are some drivers to keep an eye on for tomorrow night’s race.
1. Kyle Busch – You better believe that whenever Kyle Busch is entered in any race, he’ll have an automatic shot to win. In the past five races, Kyle has raced in three of them with one win and two top fives. However, in his previous outing at Kentucky, Busch crashed out on lap 56, ending his night early.
2. Matt Crafton – Crafton has had a sour season so far with only two top five and five top 10 finishes in 2017. At Kentucky, he is the highest active driver stat wise. In five races, Crafton has one win plus one top five and one top 10 finish and has led 43 laps. Crafton’s turning point could take place at Kentucky.
3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter has been decent at Kentucky. He has one top five and three top 10 finishes at Kentucky. Sauter has been strong this season and is looking to continue building his momentum for a chase at the championship.
4. Christopher Bell – In two races, Bell has one top five and one top 10 finish. With two wins already this season, he’ll be looking to secure a third win as he has no career wins at Kentucky.
5. John Hunter Nemechek- Nemechek has been on a roll in the past two races, securing two consecutive wins. Nemechek’s track record at Kentucky has not been too shabby with one top five and one top 10 finish. Nemechek has a best finish of second which came in the 2016 race.Qualifying is slated for 5 p.m. ET Thursday, while the race is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, both on FS1.
July 5, 2017
Enfinger Fastest in First Truck Practice at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. — Grant Enfinger was the fastest in first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

The driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 29.667 and a speed of 182.020 mph. Kyle Busch was second in his No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota with a time of 29.743 and a speed of 181.555 mph. Brandon Jones was third in his No. 99 MDM Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 29.767 and a speed of 181.409 mph. Noah Gragson was fourth in his No. 18 KBM Toyota with a time of 29.837 and a speed of 180.983 mph. Ben Rhodes rounded out the top-five in his No. 27 ThorSport Toyota with a time of 29.844 and a speed of 180.941 mph.

Johnny Sauter, Austin Cindric, Matt Crafton, Christopher Bell and Kaz Grala rounded out the top-10.

Grala posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 178.065 mph.

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July 5, 2017
Elliott Sadler Wins Carnage Filled Chase Opener in Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. — Chaos and carnage ruled the night in the bluegrass state, and Elliott Sadler survived the onslaught to score the victory in the XFINITY Chase opener.

Erik Jones led the field to the green flag at 8:17 p.m. It proceeded orderly until the first caution flew on lap 26 for a scheduled competition caution. Ty Dillon exited pit road with the race lead.

The race restarted on lap 32 and the second caution flew for the first of many spins by Justin Marks through the night when he got loose and spun out in turn 3.

After the race went back green on lap 36, it settled into a long green run. The only significant note of interest was Jones retaking the lead on lap 60. The third caution was brought out by Matt Waltz after his car caught fire on pit road.

At this point, the race set into short green bursts of a few laps before something prompted a caution. This included a three-car wreck by Joey Gase, Ray Black Jr. and Blake Jones on lap 77 just a lap after the restart, Timmy Hill blowing a motor a lap after the lap 88 restart, Marks getting turned by a loose Josh Berry and collecting Brandon Jones in turn 4 on the same lap as the restart on lap 96, Ryan Sieg spinning out in turn 4 12 laps after the restart, Marks rear-ending the wall in turn 3 on lap 123 just a lap after a restart and Sam Hornish Jr. bouncing off Daniel Suarez, getting loose in turn 2 and getting clipped by Justin Allgaier on lap 130 just two laps after a restart.

The race calmed down a little after it restarted on lap 135, only for race leader Matt Tifft to be handed a pass through penalty for jumping the restart. Smoke from Derrick Cope brought out the 10th caution on lap with under 25 to go. Sadler exited pit road first after taking fuel only.

The race restarted with 19 to go and the caution flew for the 11th time, a new track record, for Berry slamming the wall in turn 4 with 17 to go.

The race went back green with 13 to go and the new track record for cautions was extended to 12 with Jones getting loose in turn 3, spinning out and taking out Dillon.

“I just got sucked around,” Jones said. “I was slamming on the brakes, trying to slow down. But Ty didn’t want to be really tight there on the restart, slamming doors in (Turns) 1 and 2. He was on me pretty tight down there. It’s my fault, but it’s tough when you’re in that situation. It’s a pretty tough aero situation into (Turn) 3. Just couldn’t hang onto it. I tried to slow down like I said and give some room on entry, but he kept slamming down on my door. I did all I could do to hang onto it.

“We definitely had a winning car, but we just made a mistake and it ended our night.”

It forced the race to be red-flagged for five minutes and 34 seconds. Dillon was disqualified from continuing on in the race after his crew was found working on the car during the red flag

The race restarted with four laps to go and Sadler drove on to score the victory.

“We fought through a lot tonight,” Sadler said in victory lane. “These guys (his crew) are my heroes. We had a 10th or 15th place car. Just had to come in and really take our time and work on it. Great pit calls at the end by Kevin (Meendering) and the guys to get us in position. We had a good push there in the end. I do want to say thanks to Josh Berry. He helped me a ton tonight. That kid did some cool things on the restarts. This One Main Financial team has no quit in them. We just fight to the end. This is a great way to start the Chase.”

It’s his 13th career victory in 323 XFINITY Series starts, third of the season, 24th top-10 finish of 2016 and first win in 11 starts at Kentucky Speedway.

Daniel Suarez came home second in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

It’s his 21st top-10 finish of 2016 and third top-10 finish in four races at Kentucky.

Ryan Blaney rounded out the podium in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

Sam Hornish Jr. finished fourth in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Tifft recovered from his pass through penalty to round out the top-five in his No. 18 JGR Toyota.

Brendan Gaughan finished sixth in his No. 62 RCR Chevrolet. Ryan Reed finished seventh in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Darrell Wallace Jr. finished eighth in his No. 6 RFR Ford. Justin Allgaier finished ninth in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet. Brennan Poole rounded out the top-10 in his No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

The race lasted two hours, 48 minutes and 37 seconds at an average speed of 106.751 mph. There were 16 lead changes among eight different drivers and 12 cautions for 64 laps.

Sadler leaves Kentucky with an eight-point lead over Suarez in the points standings.

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September 24, 2016
Jones scores the XFINITY pole at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. — Erik Jones will lead the field to the green flag in tonight’s XFINITY Series race in the bluegrass state.

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the pole for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 after posting a time of 28.845 and a speed of 187.207 mph. It’s his 11th career pole in 53 XFINITY Series starts, eighth of the season and first in four races at Kentucky Speedway.

Daniel Suarez will start second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 28.966 and a speed of 186.425 mph. Elliott Sadler will start third in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.059 and a speed of 185.829 mph. Ty Dillon will start fourth in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.101 and a speed of 185.561 mph. Sam Hornish Jr. will round out the top-five starters in his No. 2 RCR Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.123 and a speed of 185.420 mph.

Matt Trifft will start sixth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota. Brendan Gaughan will start seventh in his No. 62 RCR Chevrolet. Ryan Blaney will start eighth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Darrell Wallace Jr. will start ninth in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Justin Allgaier will round out the top-10 in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet.

Brennan Poole will start 11th and Josh Berry will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying.

Brandon Jones will start 14th, Blake Koch will start 15th, Ryan Reed will start 16th and Ryan Sieg will round out the Chase drivers in 19th.

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September 24, 2016
Jones Fastest at Kentucky in Final XFINITY Practice

SPARTA, Ky. — Erik Jones topped the chart in final XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota posted the fastest time in the final practice session with a time of 28.720 and a speed of 188.022 mph. Matt Tifft was second in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.958 and a speed of 186.477 mph. Sam Hornish Jr. was third in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.020 and a speed of 186.079 mph. Austin Cindric was fourth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 29.344 and a speed of 184.024 mph. Daniel Suarez rounded out the top-five in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 29.378 and a speed of 183.811 mph.

Brendan Gaughan was sixth in his No. 62 RCR Chevrolet. Brandon Jones was seventh in his No. 33 RCR Chevrolet. Ty Dillon was eighth in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier was ninth in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Darrell Wallace Jr. rounded out the top-10 in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

Elliott Sadler was 12th, Ryan Reed was 13th, Brennan Poole was 16th, Ryan Sieg was 17th and Blake Koch rounded out the Chase drivers in 19th.

The XFINITY Series is back on track tomorrow afternoon at 4:45 for qualifying.

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September 23, 2016