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Tag: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

  • Weekend schedule for Las Vegas

    Weekend schedule for Las Vegas

    All three national series travel to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. There will be no practice or qualifying sessions due to COVID-19 protocols established by NASCAR.

    Denny Hamlin leads the Cup Series standings but is still looking for his first victory of the season. If successful, it would also be his first win at the 1.5-mile track.

    The starting lineups are determined by the following metrics formula:

    • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
    • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 5

    9 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Bucked Up 200
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    201 miles (134 Laps)
    Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)
    Pole: Ben Rhodes

    Saturday, March 6

    4:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    300 miles (200 Laps)
    Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
    Pole: Myatt Snider

    Sunday, March 7

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube
    FOX/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    400.5 miles (267 laps)
    Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267
    Pole: Kevin Harvick

    Statistical highlights for the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400

    Las Vegas Motor Speedway Data:
    Season Race #: 4 of 36 (03-07-21)
    Track Size: 1.5-miles
    Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 20 degrees
    Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 20 degreesBanking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
    Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
    Frontstretch Length:  2,275 feet
    Backstretch Length:  1,572 feet
    Race Length: 267 laps (400.5 miles)
    Stage 1 & 2 Length: 80 laps (each)
    Final Stage Length: 107 laps

    Las Vegas Qualifying Data:
    Track qualifying record: Kurt Busch, Chevrolet (196.328 mph. 27.505 secs. 03-04-16)
    2020 pole winner: Kyle Busch started from the pole.  Qualifying canceled due to weather. (Feb. 23, 2020)
    2020 pole winner: Kevin Harvick – the race starting lineup set by Metric Qualifying (Sept. 27, 2020)

    Las Vegas Race Data:
    Track race record: Joey Logano, Ford – 154.849 mph, (2:35:11), March 3, 2019
    2020 race winner: Joey Logano, Ford – 134.861 mph, (2:58:11), Feb. 23, 2020
    2020 race winner: Kurt Busch, Chevrolet – 131.420 mph, (3:03:32), Sept. 27, 2020

    Top 10 Driver Ratings at Las Vegas:
    Kevin Harvick – 104.8
    Joey Logano – 104.6
    Kyle Busch – 100.5
    Chase Elliott – 99.2
    Martin Truex Jr. – 98.0
    Ryan Blaney – 96.1
    Brad Keselowski – 94.4
    Kyle Larson – 93.9
    Denny Hamlin – 85.0
    Kurt Busch – 83.2
    Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (19 total) among active drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    There have been 26 NASCAR Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kevin Harvick leads the series in starts with 23.  Joey Logano leads the series among active drivers in average starting position at 8.4.

    Five manufacturers have won a pole, led by Ford (11), Chevrolet (4), Dodge (4), Toyota (3) and Pontiac (1). 

    Eight drivers have multiple NCS wins at Las Vegas: Jimmie Johnson (four), Matt Kenseth (three), Brad Keselowski (three), Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano (two) and Carl Edwards (two).  Las Vegas native Kyle Busch is the youngest race winner (March 01, 2009, at 23 years, 9 months, 27 days) and became the first and only driver to win from the pole.

    Four manufacturers have visited Victory Lane at Las Vegas.  Led by Ford (13), Chevrolet (8), Toyota (4) and Dodge (1).

  • Stacked field remedy for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series woes

    Stacked field remedy for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series woes

    After several season faced with dwindling fields and shuttering teams, it looks like 2021 is the season that the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have plenty of entries to fill the fields for the entirety of the season. Along with part-time entries from David Gilliland Racing’s No. 17 (piloted by rookie Tyler Gray, younger brother of DGR driver and former NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Gray) and Young’s Motorsports No. 82 for Toni Breidinger, there will also be part-time entries from Bret Holmes Racing, where Holmes and Sam Meyer will split seat time in the No. 32, as well as Justin Carroll in the No. 91 Carroll Motorsports entry.

    Facing these part-time entries will be brand new full-time entries from DGR with rookie Hailie Deegan, as well as Tate Fogleman in the No. 12 Young’s Motorsports entry. Vernon, Texas native Cory Roper will be racing his No. 04 Ford F-150 full-time in 2021 while Spencer Davis will be racing full-time in his Spencer Davis Motorsports No. 11 entry as well. Meanwhile, series veteran Timothy Peters will be making his return to full-time competition in the No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. entry, along with other names.

    The jump in entries for the 2021 season brings a boon to the series, as it wasn’t that long ago that rumors would circulate regarding the closure of the truck division, which many would argue provided some of the best racing product among the top national divisions. The series had suffered something of an identity crisis as it stepped away from it’s own product racing standalone events across the country to relegating itself as part of the NASCAR development ladder.

    Although it will still continue to provide talent to the XFINITY Series and NASCAR Cup Series, more entries means that the series can again focus on it’s own identity and making sure it turns out a great racing product as it has since 1995, when the first season was run. Granted, the division has morphed into something entirely different from the days when it was an homage to the regional racing days of yore, but just because it’s become a touch flashier and more international doesn’t make it lesser in comparison to the other national touring divisions.

    Some of the new entries coming into 2021, such as Deegan, Roper, and Peters, already have made impressive runs that have occasional churned out victories, especially on Peters’s part, so the pressure to perform is there. Other drivers such as Holmes, Davis, Fogleman, and Meyers see this as a chance to prove themselves as worthy of the opportunity. Meyers has already gone to victory lane, having won at Bristol last season, so to back it up in ’21 with more stellar runs will all but solidify his future in NASCAR just a bit longer.

    So with that being said, things are looking up for the Camping World Truck Series in ’21, with more drivers bringing more opportunities for drivers to shine and parity in the division as well as security for the division to last even longer in NASCAR.

  • The journey of Brett Moffitt

    The journey of Brett Moffitt

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was a gala evening in the Charlotte Convention Center, for the NASCAR world. Everyone dressed in their best formal wear, the spirits were flowing and the atmosphere was joyous. Inside the Crown Ball Room, the championship truck of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series laid under banners of the Championship 4 in the series. The party commenced.

    For Moffitt, it was the culmination of his journey from rising prospect in the K&N Series that was thrust into a forgettable rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, to Truck Series champion.

    During his time in the K&N Pro Series East, he won nine races and finished Top-three in points each season.

    This turned into a test driver gig with Michael Waltrip Racing, who called him up to fill in for the injured Brian Vickers in 2015 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He led one lap and finished eighth.

    Unfortunately, that was the height of his rookie season. In his 30 other starts in the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing and the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, he amassed an average finish of 30.5, and finished no higher than 17th.

    And as happens too often with talented drivers thrust into the Cup Series too soon, he became damaged goods. For the next two years, he ran two one-off races in the XFINITY Grand National Series and the Cup Series.

    It was his limited starts in the Truck Series in 2017 where he demonstrated that he was still a talented driver, deserving of a full-time ride, with a win at Michigan International Speedway.

    While he wasn’t offered a full-time ride, a four-race opportunity came in the form of Hattori Racing Enterprises, for whom he raced for in K&N in 2013. It eventually turned into more.

    “At the beginning of 2018 when Ryan (Truex) left, it was just kind of a surprise to us,” Scott Zippadeli, crew chief of the No. 16 Toyota, said. “Obviously the first person I thought of was Brett. There was a short list and it had one person on it, and it was him. I felt like with our chemistry and our history in the past, if he could get in our truck, we could go a 10 for wins. We have a chemistry that’s we’ve been able to just make it happen. Even when we have a pit road penalty or a bad pit stop, we’re able to execute the rest of the race and recover for it. Once we decided to do the first four races, it was then just keep kicking the ball a little bit farther down the road to the next race and the next race and the next race.”

    The season started with a wreck at Daytona, but Moffitt rebounded with a win the following week at Atlanta.

    He was third in points after nine races, and earned his second victory at Iowa Speedway. But he shocked everyone post race when he said that the team might not enter the race at Chicagoland Speedway, due to lack of sponsorship.

    “We literally had times that we didn’t know if we were gonna go to the race track or not, and I think it stressed everyone out to the max on the race team, including Scott and myself and my family and Shige (Hattori, team owner) and everyone else, ’cause we all knew that we had something special,” Moffitt said. “If we were a mediocre race team without being locked into the chase, and without being what we thought was a chance to win a championship, if we would’ve missed a race it would’ve been nothing. But the fact that we knew we had something special, and to be faced with adversity, and the thought of missing a race was hard for all of us.”

    Luckily, FR8Auctions.com stepped in and sponsored him for Chicago, and he took advantage of John Hunter Nemechek running out of gas on the final lap to win.

    He clinched a spot in the Championship 4, with a victory at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, and won the series title the following week at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    The reality of being champion didn’t hit him, until the banquet.

    “Homestead, it was just another race win, and the way we had to work this year, it was accomplish one mission and go after the next, and we proved that at Phoenix,” he said. “When we could have been celebrating, we went straight back to work. Then again, at Homestead, it’s still the mission of if you’re a competitor you focus on the next thing, and for us that was next year, but we have trouble switching to that off switch of, okay, sit back and relax and enjoy this now. I think Scott and I both just as competitors were always focused on what’s next, and that’s all we’re concerned about.”

    The awards banquet provided a temporary distraction from the uncertainty that Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt faces in 2019.

    Earlier this week, Hattori Racing Enterprises announced that Moffitt wouldn’t return to the No. 16 Toyota Tundra in the Truck Series, in favor of an undisclosed driver that’s bringing sponsorship.

    And is it frustrating to him that this is the reality of the sport, more often than not?

    “Hell yeah. It’s extremely frustrating,” Moffitt said. “It’s the climate that we’re at right now, though.”

    Moffitt didn’t let it bother him during the banquet, or did an excellent job of hiding it. He smiled, conversed, drank and joined team owner, Shigeaki Hattori and Zippadeli at the head table on stage.

    “Regardless of my job situation or anything else, it was all about celebrating what we accomplished,” Moffitt said. “And it was this group of guys who I not only worked with, but I’m really good friends with. Scott and I have been friends for a lot of years, and a lot of the guys on the crew I’ve been friends with off and on throughout the years. There’s nothing that’s going to distract me from having a good time with these guys and celebrating with these guys, ’cause I know what all they gave into having this year.”

    What the future holds for Moffitt is unknown. He thinks the championship might make him a hot commodity, but “it doesn’t solve all the issues (sponsorship) and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

    “As far as next year, I would hope being a champion is gonna add value to my name, but I just don’t know,” he added. “So, really all I can touch on after this whole week is how hard these guys worked and how much they mean to me as not only companions of the sport but as friends and family.”

  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Homestead

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Homestead

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck wrapped up another exciting season of thrilling finishes and fresh faces in victory lane, as well as familiar faces who had a career high season. If this continues next year, 2019 will just be as exciting as 2018.

    Here are four takeaways from the Homestead race from this past weekend.

    1. Harrison Burton Full Time In 2019 – About a week ago, it was announced that Kyle Busch Motorsports signed Harrison Burton full time for next season driving the No. 18 KBM Safelite Tundra formerly driven by Noah Gragson who is moving on. Burton will have big shoes to fill when he takes over after running a partial season this year.

    2. Jesse Little Shines With Top Ten – While running a limited schedule due to funding this year, Little made the most of it after completing just nine races. Homestead was his first race since Fort Worth, a couple of weeks ago. He started ninth and finished ninth. Little also finished ninth and seventh in both stages, respectively. Not a bad night for a team who I believe can compete for wins when the funding is right. Little ended the 2018 season with nine starts, six top 10s and a best finish of sixth at Iowa.

    3. Johnny Sauter and Brett Moffitt End The Season With Most Wins – It was the best of both seasons for Sauter and Moffitt who had the most wins this season. Sauter and Moffitt both had six victories. The only other winners this season were Kyle Busch, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, Ben Rhodes, Chase Briscoe, Grant Enfinger, and Timothy Peters. In the end, the cream rose to the top with Moffitt winning and collecting his first championship.

    4. Sheldon Creed Shines With Top Five – The 2018 season ended on a high note for the 2018 ARCA Champion Sheldon Creed, who is running full time in 2019 for GMS Racing. Creed finished the race in fifth and placed 10th and ninth in both stages. It the best finish for Creed this season after just making five starts.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Championship Edition

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Championship Edition

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series went to South Florida this past weekend for the final race of the year. It was the site where a new champion was crowned and for the first time ever, the champion won the last race of the year and the championship at the same time.

    So for the final time this year, let’s take a look at this week’s power rankings from Homestead Miami.

    1. Brett Moffitt – It should be to no surprise that Moffitt topped the power rankings once again for the last time in 2018. He continued his dominant season by winning back to back races and ultimately, the championship. It was the first championship of any kind for the Grimes, Iowa native. Moffitt started fifth and finished third in Stage and won Stage 2. He didn’t take the lead until Lap 40 and led for 27 laps for the first run. He fell back a bit late in the going, but not much as he battled with Noah Gragson until Gragson had a tire issue before his regular scheduled pit stop, which would cost him the championship. Moffitt was back in the lead on Lap 106 to lead the final 29 laps to win for the sixth time of the year. It speaks volumes as to how strong the No. 16 Hattori Racing team was this season. It’ll be interesting to see if Moffitt returns to the 16 in 2019 or if they’ll find a new driver. It will be a shame if Moffitt doesn’t return to the team next year, but sponsorships and funding determine that. Winning everything keeps Moffitt at the number one spot.

    Previous Week Ranking: 1st

    2. Noah Gragson – Despite the tire issue, it seemed as though Gragson could have been champion. He started third and finished third after finishing second in both stages. Gragson shone early and traded battles with eventual champion Moffitt. One has to wonder, if it weren’t for the tire issue, how the battle for the championship would have turned out. But if wishes were fishes, the whole world would be an ocean. Nonetheless, Gragson tried all he could to rebound and catch Moffitt, but it wasn’t enough or meant to be.

    Previous Week Ranking: 2nd

    3. Grant Enfinger – One week removed from just barely missing out on the championship race, Enfinger didn’t let that deter him from having a strong finish. He dominated Stage 1 by leading all the laps and wound up third in Stage 2. Enfinger was in contention to win the race but came up two seconds short to finish second after starting on the pole.

    Previous Week Ranking: 4th

    4. Matt Crafton – After a dismal season without a win, Crafton showed signs of running up front from a disappointing qualifying effort of 22nd. He already was in the top 10 when Stage 1 ended, where Crafton finished fifth and then finished fourth in Stage 2. He led twice for four laps and won the race off pit road, following one of the stages. Ultimately, the No. 88 team finished sixth to end 2018 and they are already looking forward to a better 2019.

    Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

    5. Stewart Friesen – Friesen started second and finished fourth after a quiet night. Friesen finished seventh and sixth, respectively in both stages. A strong season for the No. 52 team who made the Playoffs, won stages and ran up front to challenge for wins, but just couldn’t quite pull it off. However, this team looks to come back next year and contend for wins once more, and perhaps wind up in victory lane.

    Previous Week Ranking: 3rd

    Fell Out

    1. Harrison Burton – Burton finished 11th, but did not finish in the top 1o in either stage and was just off all night. Either they missed the setup or something happened, but it was an odd way to finish the season.

    Previous Week Ranking: 5th

  • Johnny Sauter Finishes a Disappointing 12th after a Record Season

    Johnny Sauter Finishes a Disappointing 12th after a Record Season

    Johnny Sauter, the 2016 NASCAR Truck Series Champion, was looking to become a two-time champion after making it to the Championship 4 for the third consecutive year in a row. Unfortunately, the team just missed it Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished a disappointing 12th after a record high six wins in 2018, the most he’s ever had in his career in one season.

    “Yeah, you know, we just missed it,” Sauter told MRN Radio. “I never would have thought we would have been that bad, so I just apologize to all the guys at GMS and they deserve better than that for sure. We were just sideways loose, I don’t know, he was dropping the trackbar, putting runners in the left rear. The balance was just never there. Even if we could get it tight enough, it would chatter the front tires across the center and still snap loose off exit.”

    “I have no idea,” he emphasized to MRN Radio. “Just not our night. You know the last few weeks have been tough and we kind of lost our step a little bit and finished 12th. Congratulations to (Brett) Moffitt, he did a good job and just wasn’t our night.”

    Sauter finishes the 2018 season with six wins, 14 top fives and 17 top-10 finishes.

  • Noah Gragson Falls Short of Truck Series Championship

    Noah Gragson Falls Short of Truck Series Championship

    Noah Gragson was looking to end the year on a high note at Homestead-Miami Speedway before he moves up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019. However, his night went sour with 33 laps to go. A tire issue on his No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota prevented him from winning the championship and the race after a tremendous battle with Brett Moffit.

    He led twice for 34 laps but had to settle for a third-place finish in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200.

    “I was just way too tight there at the end,” Gragson told MRN Radio. “We fired off pretty good and it was just a battle between having to back out of the racetrack, and not being able to turn. Just devastated for my guys, they worked really hard and this one would have been for them. I give all my credit to Rudy Fugle (crew chief), Kyle Busch Motorsports. Just unfortunate, but on the bright side, I learned a hell of a lot tonight. I raced a Cup rookie of the year for the championship, so that’s pretty cool to say. Just very thankful for the opportunity.”

    Gragson finishes the season with one win, nine top fives and 18 top 10 finishes. Next year he will move to the Xfinity Series, replacing the retiring Elliott Sadler, at JR Motorsports.

  • Justin Haley Finishes Eighth at Homestead and Third in Final Standings

    Justin Haley Finishes Eighth at Homestead and Third in Final Standings

    Justin Haley had quite the year with three wins which locked him into the Championship 4 after winning at Texas just a few weeks ago. However, the No. 24 GMS Racing team just couldn’t find the magic Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He finished eighth in the Ford Ecoboost 200 and third in the year-end standings after battling a loose truck all night.

    “When we fired off and just about five laps into the run, we lost all speed. I think Johnny (Sauter) had the same issues,” Haley told MRN Radio. “I think the GMS camp just missed a little bit tonight and we win together, lose together.”

    “Unfortunate night, but really good season. Everyone at Fraternal Order of Eagles and GMS has me an opportunity to run at the championship, definitely means a lot. So, going to hang our heads high and move on to next year.”

    Haley believes they did the best they could trying to win the championship.

    “It obviously could have gone better, but I say we made a solid run at it” he continued. “I’m not the best at running Homestead and I’m not the best running the board, so probably a little lack of driver here tonight as well.”

    Haley finishes the season with three wins, nine top fives and 18 top 10 finishes with 60 laps led.

  • Championship Analysis- Noah Gragson

    Championship Analysis- Noah Gragson

    It’s been a long time coming for the Las Vegas native who is competing for his first championship. this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Noah Gragson started racing in the Truck Series in 2016 in the final two races of the year at ISM and Homestead.

    Since then, he’s become a fan favorite among the younger and older fans. Gragson is slowly but surely gaining popularity and a solid fan base every year. He is currently in the top five fan vote for the most popular driver in the Truck Series, which speaks volumes to his rising star status. Certainly, winning a championship could improve the odds of him winning the popular driver award.

    How Gragson Got Here? Gragson won at Kansas in May solidifying a spot in the Playoffs. It wasn’t easy before that, however, as he crashed at Daytona to start the season. He ran second at Atlanta, 12th at Las Vegas in the March race, fifth at Martinsville, and wrecked out at Dover after trying to take the lead from Johnny Sauter in the final laps. Gragson’s moment to shine came at Kansas, where he started first and finished first, after leading 128 laps. Since then, he’s been consistent by winning stages, leading laps, and running up front.  He also has a couple of poles at Chicago and Kentucky, which are Homestead-like tracks.

    When the playoffs began at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Gragson was following close behind teammate Todd Gilliland, who was also seeking his first win. Gragson made a dive bomb move and took both of them out for the win and a decent finish. At Vegas and Talladega, he had finishes of 18th and 13th. Gragson was leading on the final lap before he got taken out at Talladega for the win.

    Coming into ISM, he was 18 points above the cut line, needing a solid points day. After the dismal Texas race, Gragson was determined to win and he almost pulled it off, but it didn’t come without challenges. He started on the pole and finished second, and eighth, respectively in both stages. However, during a caution, Gragson slid through his pit box causing him to lose several spots. He rebounded and was back as the leader on lap 136. Enfinger, who also was fighting for a win the Championship 4, was ahead of Gragson at times in the race. Had Enfinger won, Noah would have been knocked out of the contention for the championship. But the Las Vegas native pulled it off on a late race restart and held off an aggressive Enfinger to claim his spot in the Championship 4.

    Gragson’s Chances? Since he made his debut in 2016, Gragson has two starts at Homestead with finishes of 15th and 18th. In last year’s race, he finished three laps down. That’s not good enough to become champion unless something catastrophic happens to the other three which would be a rare case, but it has happened before.

    Final Analysis – For right now, it would be Gragson’s last truck race for quite a while, as he moves up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series to drive for the No. 1 JR Motorsports team in 2019 replacing the retired Elliott Sadler. It would end on a sweet note for the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver if he’s able to lock up the championship. In 2018, Gragson has one win, four top fives and 13 top 10s, and 187 laps led along with four DNF’s and three poles. Another notable, if he wins the championship, Noah would be the third KBM driver to win it and the second youngest to win the championship in the Truck Series at the age of 20.

  • Championship Analysis-Justin Haley

    Championship Analysis-Justin Haley

    The 2018 season was Justin Haley’s first full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevy. And, what a season it has been for the Indiana native. Haley placed the second GMS truck in the championship race giving the team a 50 percent of winning the championship. Unlike Moffitt, Haley does have one start at Homestead that came last year, where he finished ninth for Maury Gallagher. It’s been a solid season for the 24 GMS Racing team who has been consistent all season. Let’s take a look at how Haley got here.

    How Haley Got Here – Haley came out with a bang with a second place finish giving GMS a one-two finish at Daytona. He continued to be consistent with top five and top 10 finishes. Haley’s breakthrough came with his first win at Gateway Motorsports Park in the summer. The team continued to stay strong before the Playoffs began.

    When the Playoffs began at Mosport, Haley won with last lap controversy between Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates that saw Haley in the right spot at the right time to collect win number two. He continued to have finishes of third at Las Vegas, fourth at Talladega, and sixth at Martinsville. Haley was just two points below the cut line coming into Texas, but race leader Todd Gilliland ran out of gas, giving Haley the opportunity to go right on by to win and lock himself into the Championship 4.

    Haley’s Chances – He’s only got one start at Homestead, which came last year where he finished ninth after starting seventh. More importantly, it was a GMS entry. Haley finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in both stages.

    Final Analysis – Should Haley win the championship, it would be deserving for the rising star and helpful in his job search. During the post-race press conference following the ISM race, he said he doesn’t know where he’ll be and doesn’t have anything lined up currently for 2019. However, winning a championship could help his chances of landing a ride. Nonetheless, 2018 has been a consistent season for the Indiana native who has collected three wins, nine top fives and 17 top 10 finishes with 60 laps led. The championship win might just be his most important win yet.