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  • The White Zone: Scaling back to one GWC attempt was a stupid idea

    The White Zone: Scaling back to one GWC attempt was a stupid idea

    Lincoln, Ala. – “The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading…” and I need to unload on the idiotic decision to go to one green-white-checker (GWC) attempt.

    After a wreck on the backstretch with two laps to go, Timothy Peters was declared the winner of the Camping World Truck Series Fred’s 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    I wasn’t going to do this until after the race weekend, but I’ve seen all I needed after the finish to the Fred’s 250. The choice to go to one GWC attempt was a stupid idea and the race ending under caution is the proof.

    The premise that limiting to one attempt enhances safety has plot holes in it. If it’s is based on keeping cars out of the catch fence, then how does it? These cars aren’t up to full speed on the initial lap. As such, the change would’ve only fit that premise if they reduced it to just a one lap shootout.

    The drivers have pretty much been unanimous in their praise of this change.

    “When we look at these tracks and what is involved in those restarts – especially when you’re coming to the checkered flag, if anyone in this room rode inside one of these cars on a green-white-checkered, there’s no doubt in my mind that every single one of you would say they really shouldn’t do that,” Jeff Gordon said. “It’s insane. It’s a white-knuckle experience. If anyone in the garage says it’s not, then they’re not telling the truth. It just is. You’re holding your breath. It can make for some amazing moments and highlights. I don’t know if you need to put any added risk out there to do more than one.”

    Members of the NASCAR media have been divided on this. Pete Pistone of the Motor Racing Network said there shouldn’t be any GWC attempts at all and (and I’m paraphrasing here) “if it ends under caution, it ends under caution.”

    Jeff Gluck of USA Today tweeted this.

    Now I think very highly of both Pistone and Gluck and this doesn’t change my opinion of them, but I think both are dead wrong.

    Jim Utter and Nick DeGroot were on the opposite end from Pistone and Gluck.

    Now say what you will about Utter and DeGroot, I find them to be good writers as well.

    Have we not figured out by now that  eight times out of 10, when the drivers like it, the fans won’t. Leading up to the decision, the fans made it clear that they didn’t like this change. Now I’m not one of those people who argue against change because I think everything has to stay the same. I totally understand that changes have to made as time goes on. I really do. But I also believe that when you make changes, they’ve got to make sense. Otherwise, you’ll end up putting a scene in your movie in which the prison camp for earth benders is one that’s surrounded by the Earth.

    In conclusion, I think scaling back to one GWC attempt was a bad idea and I hope NASCAR reverses course on this by the time we get back to Daytona in February. While I could argue that two attempts would be better, one is just too few.

    My plane is about to take off, so I need to wrap this up. Until next time, I’ll leave you with this fact. Nine out of 10 lightning strike victims survive their encounter.

  • Breaking News: Only 1 GWC for this Weekend at Talladega

    Breaking News: Only 1 GWC for this Weekend at Talladega

    NASCAR has announced that the number of green-white-checker attempts for Talladega will be reduced to one.

    Starting this weekend, both the Camping World Truck Series Fred’s 250 and Sprint Cup Series CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be limited to one green-white-checker attempt.

    “Following extensive dialogue with the industry, we have decided to make a procedural change at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice-president and chief racing development officer. “In the event the race goes beyond the advertised distance due to a caution, we will use a single attempt at a green-white-checker finish. We take very seriously the responsibility of balancing exciting finishes and safety. We’re confident that this is a positive direction for both.”

    There had also been discussion of going to single-file restarts at restrictor plate tracks, but NASCAR decided to leave double-file restarts in place.

    NASCAR has utilized green-white-checker finishes since 2004 after the spring Talladega race ended under caution and fans pelted the track with beer cans. It was officially used for the first time in the 2004 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard that was won by Jeff Gordon.

    Since 2005, there have been 43 restrictor plate races. Of those, 23 have had green-white-checker finishes (53.49 percent), which statistically means a plate race is likely to go past the advertised distance.

    These restarts have at times ended in spectacular wrecks. In 2012, Tony Stewart was leading the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 at Talladega when he came down, got turned by Michael Waltrip and triggered a 25-car pileup.

    The catalyst for this move was the final lap crash back in July at Daytona International Speedway which saw the No. 3 car of Austin Dillon lift off the ground, fly into the catch fence and injure five fans.

    Martin Truex Jr. said he thinks, “it’s a good idea just based on past history of what we’ve seen on green-white-checkereds, as far as really just destroying race cars. I think the chances when you go to Talladega of bringing a car home are slim, but if you have green-white-checkereds there, the chance of not bringing a car home goes up pretty dramatically. I think for the owners and everybody involved, I would be OK to limiting it to one. Hopefully, it doesn’t even come down to one.’’

  • Ray Black Jr. Under the Sea and On the Race Track

    Ray Black Jr. Under the Sea and On the Race Track

    It is not often that a NASCAR driver marries his passion for racing with a passion for scuba diving. But NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Ray Black Jr. has done just that, balancing his love for being on the track as well as under the sea.

    “I grew up scuba diving,” the driver of the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet for SS Green Light Racing said. “My father got me into it at a very young age. I was born in Alabama, but we moved to Florida when I was about ten years old.”

    “I got into scuba diving then. I had a good time, enjoyed it and stuck with it. I ended up having my own business from it, like inspections on boats and salvage too. So, I still do some of that when I can.”

    While Black has thoroughly enjoyed his life underwater, he was also bitten by the racing bug in his early teenage years.

    “I just like going fast in just about anything,” Black said. “I started watching racing on TV and got hooked on it.”

    “I got my Dad to get me a race car. It took me awhile to convince him, but he finally did, and we were good at it. We started winning a little bit here and there and he turned the reins over.”

    “I was young and 14 years old. So, he thought it was just a phase. It took a while to convince him but then I think he saw the light.”

    “I went to mini-Cups, a full-body quarter scale race car. I raced that at Orlando Speed World and other small tracks in Florida. I did that for two or three years and then went straight to Pro-Trucks and late models.”

    Although Black loved going fast, he actually took a calculated step away from the sport, regrouping to focus on diving and to assess his career goals.

    “When I turned 18 years old, I stopped racing for two years to focus on diving,” Black said. “I just kept tearing things up and being irresponsible.”

    “So, I’m glad that I had to stop but then had the opportunity to get back into it. My Dad told me if I would learn diving, become an instructor for scuba and commercial, and pay my dues, he would look back into racing if I still wanted to do it.”

    “And then two years later, I turned 22 and he asked me if I wanted to get back into it. And I did. We started doing late models and I started doing a lot better at it.”

    “I definitely felt that I had matured, was more focused and was not taking it for granted,” Black said. “I got a second chance and it’s really rewarding. You start realizing that you can’t tear things up all the time. You start seeing the other side of things and have more respect for it all.”

    Black also feels that he and his team have really come together this year. He is, however, a bit harder on himself as a driver, feeling that he still has room to grow.

    “As a team, I would give us an A grade or maybe an A-minus,” Black said. “The team chemistry is awesome. We have one of the most lively teams out here. We bring a lot of people who go to all the races. They pump everybody up and get everyone going.”

    “We just have fun and make sure that no one is too serious. We’re all here to have fun. Once you make it too serious, it is not enjoyable and it kind of wears on you. I think everyone is having a good time. We like them and they like us. I think we’ve bonded really well.”

    “As a driver, I’m probably a B-plus. I’m not exactly where I want to be, especially because I haven’t been to most of the tracks. It’s a learning curve.”

    One of Black’s major goals is to get into the top-10 in the point standings.

    “I think we’re doing a great job. We’re fighting for a top-10 in points and we’re on the verge of it,” Black said. “There are some circumstances that have held us back. I’m not making excuses but we have blown two motors and you can’t fight those.”

    “You kind of plan for a few bad races but to have those things happen, now we can’t have any mistakes. Other than that, we’re having a good season. Once we get in the top-10 in points, I’ll feel a lot better about it.”

    Unfortunately, Black did not have the race he wanted at Pocono Raceway this weekend. He wrecked trying to avoid the No. 94 of Wendell Chavous. The impact from the inside wall locked up his transmission, preventing him from being able to re-fire and finish the race.

    And while he finished a disappointing 24th, he still maintained his 11th place position in the point standings and will go on to Michigan seeking further movement forward.

    Until then, Black will continue to balance his racing and his scuba diving, believing that the two sports are definitely complementary and synergistic.

    “When you’re under water, you are by yourself,” Black said. “You have a good team above you to help you out but you have to make the final decisions. At the end of the day, it is all you by yourself under the water.”

    “So, that’s like racing where you give all the feedback you can and you let them set you up the best they can. But at the end of the day, you have to perform, make sure you stay out of trouble and finish.”

    “It’s just all focus, mental preparedness and physicality in both sports. Most of it is just staying calm under pressure. So, there are a lot of things that transpire to make it is what it is. And I love it.”

    “It’s cool to be at the helm on the track and underwater,” Black continued. “If there is a mistake, it’s hard to blame anyone but yourself.”

    “You have to step up to the plate and that makes you that much more of a better person.”

  • Mason Mingus Is Digging His Sophomore Truck Season

    Mason Mingus Is Digging His Sophomore Truck Season

    Mason Mingus is not only digging his sophomore season in the Camping World Truck Series, but is also digging his sponsor ‘Call 811.’

    As far as his season to date, the driver of the No. 15 Chevrolet Silverado for Billy Boat Racing, who is racing at Pocono this weekend, thinks that it has gone “pretty good so far.”

    “We’ve had our ups and downs so far but I think we’re definitely heading in the right direction,” Mingus said. “I’m definitely excited for the rest of the season. We’ve got a good crew in place now.”

    “My new crew chief Brandon McSwain came on at Texas has been doing a great job since that race. Everybody is working well together and building nice trucks.”

    “Usually it’s pretty tough to have someone step in and crew chief mid-season,” Mingus said. “But it’s been pretty seamless and he’s done a great job.”

    “As far as communication goes, we’ve been on the same page. He’s pretty young, only 25 years old. So, he’s not much older than me so I think that helps from a communication standpoint. It’s been an easier transition than we all expected.”

    “So, I’m really excited for this race and what’s coming.”

    While Mingus is digging this stretch of the race season, he definitely would like to put the early part of it in his rear view mirror.

    “The biggest challenge has been the first part of the season,” Mingus said. “We had some setbacks and didn’t make the first race of the season at Daytona due to the group qualifying situation that we were put in. We had a good truck there but just didn’t get it in the draft in qualifying.”

    “A couple things we had to go through at the beginning of the season were tough but now that we are building good trucks, we’re having a lot faster equipment, as well as opportunities to run up front.”

    The young racer is also digging moving through the ranks of racing as he has throughout his career to date. He started his racing career when he was seven in quarter midgets and has progressed to Late Models, ARCA and now the Truck Series.

    “For whatever reason, I really wanted to start racing,” Mingus said. “I kept bugging my dad about it and then when I got into that quarter midget, I fell in love with it from there.”

    “Nobody in my family raced except my uncle. But I didn’t even know about that until I started racing. For whatever reason, it just really interested me.”

    “I started there and moved up to different series and then got into Pro and Super Late Models and then into ARCA. Once I started racing, I did find out my uncle raced local short tracks. He had quit by the time I was born. But he did come back and I got to race against him. So, that was pretty cool.”

    “I won, but I had the better equipment. They took the good parts and put them all on my car. He got cheated a little bit I think.”

    Digging is also a part of Mingus’ sponsorship as well. He promotes “Call 811,” the underground damage prevention phone line, with the tagline “Call before you dig”.

    “Call 811, they’ve been on board with me just about since I started racing,” Mingus said. “My dad owns a construction company in Tennessee so he was actually on the Board at 811. So, we developed a relationship there.”

    “Basically they come out and locate underground utilities. So, my Dad used them a lot for his business because they need to locate underground utilities before they dig. A lot of people like my dad and those involved in construction already know this, but Call 811 is trying to get that same message out to the public.”

    “People who want to put in a new mailbox or plant a tree need to know to Call 811 because there may be dangers underground. That’s the message we are trying to get across to the general public and to race fans sitting in the stands.”

    “Call 811 got on board with me when I was twelve years old and from there we’ve gotten more and more states on board. We’ve got about ten or twelve states onboard right now.”

    “Every race track we go to, we have people asking us what Call 811 is. We travel so much across the country so to be able to educate so many people in the matter of a race season is pretty cool.”

    “This is a great organization to call that can potentially save lives and money as far as damages.”

    While Mingus is digging his current Truck ride, hoping to better his career best finish of ninth this year, he is also hoping to at some point take that next step into an even bigger series.

    “As far as the next step, we’ll take it as it comes,” Mingus said. “I’d love to be in an Xfinity car but obviously my ultimate goal is to race on Sunday in the Cup Series.”

    “But we have to take it one step at a time. Right now we are just worried about the remainder of the Truck season and trying to run as well as we can. We want to run upfront and contend for the wins as much as we can.”

    “So, we’ll see what comes next year.”

  • Darrell Wallace Jr. Fastest in Practice for UNOH 200 at Bristol

    Darrell Wallace Jr. Fastest in Practice for UNOH 200 at Bristol

    Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) driver, Darrell Wallace Jr. was fastest in practice for the UNOH 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event slated for Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Wallace turned in a lap of 125.264 mph in his ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra to edge out his boss, KBM team owner, Kyle Busch. Busch was .041 seconds slower than the up and coming star who has visited victory lane twice already this season – once at Gateway Motorsports Park and then at the only dirt track on the series schedule – Eldora. The KBM team has visited victory lane seven times this season.

    This practice session will be the only session for the Camping World Truck Series drivers, as two thunderstorms passed through the area causing some items on the schedule for today to be postponed or cancelled.

    Another up and coming star in the series, Gray Gaulding, was also very impressive in practice. Gaulding wound up third on the practice sheet with a lap of 123.970 mph in his Gemini Southern/Krispy Kreme Chevrolet.

    Series veteran, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Cole Custer rounded out the top-five.

    The green flag will fall on the UNOH 200 at 8:30 pm local time on Wednesday night.

  • Darrell Wallace Jr. Transitions from Eldora Win to Tackling the Tricky Triangle

    Darrell Wallace Jr. Transitions from Eldora Win to Tackling the Tricky Triangle

    Darrell Wallace Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 54 ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is ready to make the difficult transition from one of the sport’s highest highs, a coveted Truck win at Eldora Speedway, to the trickiness of Pocono Raceway where he will race the Pocono Mountains 150 in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.

    Even though he is in Long Pond, PA, he is still savoring his ‘W’ in the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora and in fact, just recently had the opportunity to celebrate with his race team.

    “Luckily the race was a Wednesday night race so we had the whole weekend to sit back, reflect on it and let it sink in,” Wallace said. “I’m still pumped up about it of course. We had our team dinner last night and we were talking about it.”

    “It’s been a fun week.”

    “Eldora was a surprise; a shocker,” Wallace said. “But we did it. If we can just finish out the rest of the season strong and we can keep it going, we will be fine.”

    While Wallace now has turned his attention to Pocono, he admits that the track is more difficult to figure out than even racing on the dirt, at least in his book.

    “It is a tricky triangle for a reason,” Wallace said. “It is grueling on the mindset of a driver, especially me.”

    “It’s just hard figuring out every corner because every corner is unique,” Wallace continued. “The guys brought me a fast Toyota Tundra and we just have to figure out where we need to gain speed. That’s the biggest thing. I think it’s mostly me but we will be fine by race time.”

    Wallace acknowledges that he may just need to lean on not only his crew chief but also his team owner Kyle Busch and teammate Erik Jones to make it around the three corners of Pocono.

    “My crew chief Jerry (Baxter) has been my biggest mentor and coach,” Wallace said. “He has been in the sport for a long time and he knows the ins and outs of it.”

    “I listen to what he has to say, through the frustrating moments to winning moments to losing moments, I try to take in everything he says,” Wallace continued. “We move forward as a team and that’s a huge part of being successful. Having the communication and relationship with your team is critical. Jerry is the team leader and we all listen to him. We’re giving him feedback and we’re trying to help each other progress as one.”

    “I think that is why we’re so dominant at KBM because we have the communication and we’re hitting on every note.”

    “Kyle (Busch) is the centerpiece of this team and we build off him,” Wallace said. “We try to be as fast as him and he is undefeated this season. Toyota is undefeated. We have two wins; Erik (Jones, teammate) has got one. So, we’re on a hot streak right now.”

    “We try to be patient and consistent and be ready to win.”

    Although his teammate Erik Jones is on the quiet-side, at least quieter than Wallace himself, the driver of the No. 54 has the greatest respect for him, especially with Jones’ performance so far at Pocono, where he has practiced consistently in the top-ten.

    “He’s quiet that’s for sure,” Wallace said of Jones. “But Erik is fast and he has speed. We sat on the front row at Iowa and he ended up winning the race. He has always shown speed and he is pretty fast here at Pocono.”

    “We bounce ideas off each other and places where we have been. We grow as a team and we will be just fine here.”

    So, what will success look like at Pocono for Darrell Wallace Jr.?

    “I would definitely be happy with a top five,” Wallace said. “I hate to say it, but we’re on a points run right now. We’re trying to bounce back up through the points.”

    “We have to be smart in the race,” Wallace continued. “The tunnel turn is the trickiest corner that you will ever get through.”

    “We have to be patient, calm and make smart decisions,” Wallace said. “We’ll let those other drivers make a bone head move and then there’s our top five opportunity.”

    “I’m on the level that I want to race,” Wallace continued. “We have to go out there and be smart about every call we make. We can’t get overexcited about what happened before because you get that special moment and then it’s time to get back to work.”

    Wallace finished final practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the 1th position with a time of 55.427 seconds and a speed of 162.376 mph. Wallace will qualify Saturday, August 2nd at 10:10 am and then race the ‘Tricky Triangle’ at 1:00 pm.

  • Darrell Wallace Jr. Recharges With Win at Gateway Motorsports Park

    Darrell Wallace Jr. Recharges With Win at Gateway Motorsports Park

    The Drivin’ For Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series showcased experience levels from veterans to up-an-coming talents, though, at the conclusion it wasn’t a seasoned driver or rookie going to victory lane, it was ‘middle-aged’ Darrell Wallace Jr. capturing his second-career triumph.

    Wallace, 21, led a remarkable 85 laps of the 160 scheduled en route to a dominating win in the Truck Series reappearance at the Madison, Illinois track.

    The win makes Wallace the third victor in the Truck Series this season, joining his team owner, Kyle Busch and defending champion, Matt Crafton.

    It also reinstalls Wallace’s confidence in chasing an elusive Truck Series championship; he’s now ninth in points, 43 markers behind point’s leader Johnny Sauter.

    “To have the troubles that we’ve had, and keep cool and come out and put on a dominate show like we did today shows a lot about (our team).” Wallace expressed post-race. “We are down, but we aren’t out of the fight.”

    German Quiroga Jr., a former NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series champion, had a strong performance, relieving his team from the struggles throughout these past few weeks. He finished a career-best second, coming up a few car lengths short to Wallace in the race’s final laps.

    “I wish it was first, not second,” Quiroga explained in the media center following the effort. “We finished second which is good for our comeback in the championship. We are getting there, closer and closer each week.”

    Timothy Peters finished third, respectively, with Sauter, the new point’s leader, and Ron Hornaday Jr. completing the top five at the finish.

    Cole Custer, who won the pole, setting a new track record for the event, Ryan Blaney, John Wes Townley, Chase Pistone and Tayler Malsam completed the top-10.

    The caution flag flew seven times on the evening, which was the pivotal factor in allowing Wallace to gain track position and score the win.

    Wallace rolled off the grid second and rocketed to the race lead before completing the first turn. He led the first 63 laps before succeeding his position on a green flag pit stop, which was disastrous.

    Wallace’s crew let down the jack too soon when the tire wasn’t attached, causing damage to the right rear and costing him the race lead.

    “It was wild,” Wallace said in victory lane after the race, “We got in a little trouble on the first pit stop, but a little adversity never hurts anybody.”

    John Hunter Nemechek then pounced on the misfortune and muscled to the race lead, where he remained for 53-laps before the veteran Crafton took the top spot.

    Tires issues, though, derailed a promising run for Crafton. His No. 88 machine pounded the outside wall in turn four bringing out the caution and ending his evening in the garage area.

    “Just cut a tire,” said a frustrated Crafton. “Such a fast truck and it was handling great but there was nothing I could do when the tire goes except go into the wall.”

    Under the caution, pit stops began, and prevailing was the 17-year-old Nemechek who won the battle off pit lane, giving him the lead, again, with a mere 30 laps remaining.

    On the restart, though, Wallace resurfaced from the issues on pit lane and powered back to the top spot leaving an intense battle for second and third behind him.

    However, the action was ceased again when Nemechek’s left rear went flat sending him spinning and giving the fans another restart, this time with about eight laps remaining.

    Erik Jones, Wallace’s teammate, stole the lead on the race-deciding restart, however, he was clipped and spun around by Quiroga before leading a lap, sending him hard into the inside retaining wall and into the garage area.

    “I guess we just got dumped again,” said Jones. “I don’t know what to do about that. I felt like it was our race. We had a great truck and I felt like we should have been there in Victory Lane.”

    Quiroga, however, saw the incident in a different fashion.

    “He started getting loose and drove in really deep into (Turn) 1 and he was slowing a lot on the exit and was already sideways, and I just kept on driving straight trying not to hit him,” Quiroga explained.

    Back to the racing, business was picking up.

    With four laps remaining, the machines came back to life and it was Wallace proving his dominance. He snatched the lead and eventually took the checkered flag, claiming his first win since Martinsville last season.

    The Truck Series returns to action June 26th at Kentucky Motor Speedway for the UNOH 225.

  • Matt Crafton: NASCAR Champ, Texas Race Winner and Elladee’s Dad

    Matt Crafton: NASCAR Champ, Texas Race Winner and Elladee’s Dad

    Matt Crafton may be a NASCAR Camping World Truck Champion and the most recent race winner in Texas this past weekend, but his most important role in life to date is that of being dad to daughter Elladee.

    “It’s been a dream come true,” Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Menards Toyota for ThorSport Racing, said. “I had never expected it to be as cool as it’s been to be a dad without a doubt.”

    Crafton credits Elladee Ann, who is now a little over a year old, to being part of the reason for his recent success, winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship last year and winning two races so far in the 2014 season, at Texas this past weekend and Martinsville in March.

    With his Texas win, Crafton also assumed the points lead in the championship standings, moving eleven points ahead of Johnny Sauter, his ThorSport Racing teammate.

    “She is my lucky charm without a doubt,” Crafton said. “She came into our lives and has changed it for sure.”

    “She’s definitely been my little good luck charm.”

    Given that she has brought so much good luck to her daddy, Elladee has not missed a single race yet in her young life. She does, however, hang back with her mother Ashley in Victory Lane until all the Gatorade is sprayed and the confetti has flown.

    “She’s been in every Victory Lane and she hasn’t missed a race,” Crafton said. “It is so special to have her at the track and to be able to spend time with the family. To travel with me is the only way I would want it for sure.”

    “She loves the camera and she loves people,” Crafton continued. “That’s what is so cool. Before the race, when everyone is around, she is just so happy and energetic to be there. And when she is in Victory Lane, it’s the same thing. When we won at Martinsville, she was in the middle of a nap. They woke her up to bring her to Victory Lane and she was tired but she was still hanging in there.”

    Unlike other public figures that sometimes shield their children, Crafton, as do so many parents in the NASCAR garage, thinks it is very important to have Elladee not only with him but with other people to learn life lessons and grow socially.

    “I know that some people hide their kids and don’t want them in the spotlight but most race car drivers have them out and about among everybody,” Crafton said. “I think that is going to be very key later in her life to be able to be around people and be able to talk and communicate instead of being sheltered.”

    “I was always involved with my dad,” Crafton continued. “He raced and I can remember being at the race track from as long as I can remember. I was too young back then to even go into the pits so I would sit in the stands with my grandparents throughout practice and all that. I can remember sneaking into the pits too.”

    “I’ve learned the lesson of just being involved,” Crafton said. “It’s so cool to have her and be able to do the same things with her sitting with me. To have her a part of my life the same way I was with my parents is special.”

    Crafton admitted he is an involved dad, however, there are a few things that give him pause about parenthood.

    “I had her this morning on my own and of course as soon as mom left, she goes ‘number two’ and I’ve got to change the diaper,” Crafton said. “I do it, but if mom’s here, I definitely try to hand her off as much as I can because I’m not going to lie, I have a weak stomach and some of that is bad.”

    While her dad acknowledged that he is open to her pursuing whatever passion, whether racing or not, Elladee has already shown some proclivity toward speed even at her tender young age.

    “Putting her on my quad or in my side-by-side is my favorite thing to do,” Crafton said. “That’s what we were doing this morning before my wife showed up. We were driving down the street and did about ten laps down and back.”

    “She just loves, loves riding around,” Crafton continued. “It doesn’t matter what she’s in. When she was three months old, I would ride her on the golf cart at the race track and if she was fussy, she would immediately stop.”

    “We have ridden for hours on that golf cart to make her happy.”

    While Crafton has no specific plans for the upcoming Father’s Day weekend, he knows there is one thing that he absolutely will do and that is to spend that precious time with his daughter.

    “Hopefully I’ll get to hang out with family which will be the best thing,” Crafton said. “I haven’t thought much about being a father for Father’s Day. It’s just been too hectic to think about it I guess.”

    “I guess when it gets here, it will be a little bit different for sure now that I’m a dad,” Crafton said. “It’s definitely going to be awesome.”

     

  • Kyle Busch Wins Caution Plagued SFP 250

    Kyle Busch Wins Caution Plagued SFP 250

    Kyle Busch threw the monkey off his back at Kansas Speedway by winning the SFP 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race. The race saw a series high number of cautions, with nine. Busch added to his 130 career win tally with the victory.

    Busch led a race-best 104 laps winning Friday night’s SFP 250 NCWTS race. The victory was the second of the season in the truck series for Busch. It was his 37th win in the series. The margin of victory came by 3.021 seconds over second-place Matt Crafton.

    “Kansas? I’m a winner at Kansas?” Busch said in mock shock in Victory Lane. Yes, it’s true. Thanks, he said, to a terrific Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra and an Eric Phillips-led team that were in his words, “flawless.”

    “Just real proud of Eric and all my guys,” Busch said of Phillips, who by winning his 79th race as a truck series crew chief became the series’ winningest crew chief. “It was really good once we unloaded and we just made some slight changes to it, playing around with some things, trying to make it better in practice.”

    Matt Crafton finished second a year after winning at Kansas, and Joey Logano, Busch’s former Sprint Cup teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, finished third.

    Crafton said despite his second-place finish, he had nothing for Busch. “He had a very, very fast truck,” Crafton said. “We were just a little bit scared – we wanted to make a maybe a track bar change – but we were tight center-off all night. We made one adjustment and made it quite a bit better. But then I got a little bit free and tight-off but I was afraid to make any more adjustments to help my off because I knew it was going to hurt my entry.”

    The race was halted nine times by cautions. The most serious being a multi-car incident that involved Johnny Sauter and Ryan Blaney. Blaney spun in turn two and Sauter was hit from behind shoving him straight into the wall and then into the truck of Blaney.

    “We were three wide.” Sauter said, “and I think another truck ran into me in the back and sent me from the bottom of the race track to the top. When I got there, Ryan was sideways and stopped and there just wasn’t enough room between him and the wall.”

    “We were racing hard with Joey and I took it to the fence and they got kind of bottled up there behind me and destroyed our truck,” Blaney, who started the race fourth in points, said.

    “Just hard racing. He (Logano) was just too (close) on my door and it just sent me around, that’s how we got on the apron. Just unfortunate, we had a good truck.”

    The race was slowed for one more caution when Bryan Silas spun. Austin Dillon would lead the charge out of the pits but Busch would take the lead with 21 laps to go and never looked back.

    1 51 Kyle Busch Toyota 1 167
    2 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 9 167
    3 19 Joey Logano Ford 5 167
    4 20 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 7 167
    5 32 Tayler Malsam Chevrolet 13 167
    6 13 Jeb Burton Toyota 6 167
    7 77 German Quiroga Jr Toyota 17 167
    8 30 Ron Hornaday Jr Chevrolet 14 167
    9 8 Joe Nemechek Toyota 16 167
    10 35 Mason Mingus Toyota 18 167
    11 5 John Wes Townley Toyota 11 167
    12 21 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 10 165
    13 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Chevrolet 27 163
    14 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 8 158
    15 54 Darrell Wallace Jr Toyota 21 156
    16 63 Justin Jennings Chevrolet 26 154
    17 50 T.J. Bell Chevrolet 24 150
    18 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 29 140
    19 99 Bryan Silas Chevrolet 22 125
    20 31 Ben Kennedy Chevrolet 30 115
    21 98 Johnny Sauter Toyota 3 85
    22 29 Ryan Blaney Ford 2 84
    23 02 Tyler Young Chevrolet 15 84
    24 9 Brennan Newberry Chevrolet 12 76
    25 07 Jimmy Weller III Chevrolet 20 49
    26 08 Todd Shafer Chevrolet 23 37
    27 7 Brian Ickler Toyota 4 9
    28 0 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 28 8
    29 42 Charles Lewandoski Chevrolet 25 3
    30 23 Spencer Gallagher Chevrolet 19 0
    31 36 Scott Stenzel Chevrolet 31 0
  • Landon Cassill Hitting His Acme; Finishes 12th in Darlington

    Landon Cassill Hitting His Acme; Finishes 12th in Darlington

    Landon Cassill silenced critics on Friday after wheeling his No. 01 JD Motorsports Chevrolet to an astounding 12th place finish at Darlington Speedway – his career-best at the track given the moniker ‘Too Tough To Tame’ and ‘The Lady in Black’.

    However, looking at the big picture, it appears after seven seasons in the NASCAR National Touring Series that Cassill is hitting the acme of his career, and in a matter of weekends, he could be celebrating a few top fives, and top-10 finishes.

    Cassill’s relationship with racing was solidified at 10-years-old when he finished second in the Pro Kart Tour at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) – little did he know that was the beginning of a lifetime in Motorsports.

    He returned to the Pro Kart Tour the next season, earning a remarkable two national championships, in addition, to winning four International Kart Federation championships – some coming on dirt tracks, and others on pavement.

    His karting career continued for two more years, where he racked up a few more state championships, including a handful of victories. He also ventured into a midget car class where he added to his resume with a few more titles in the Newton Kart Klub, located in Newton, Iowa – right around Iowa Speedway.

    His breakthrough opportunity occurred when he began racing SK Modifieds at Hawkeye Downs Speedway and joined the ASA Late Model Series (ASALMS) – all while in high school at JeffersonHigh School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

    However, his career-making race was at Lake Erie Speedway on June 9, 2006 when he dominated the ASALMS race, and became the youngest winner in the series history at 16-years-old – that record was held until Erik Jones bettered the mark.

    He notched is second career ASALMS triumph at South Georgia Motorsports Park – becoming the first competitor to win in both Northern and Southern divisions. Despite posting multiple victories in the ASALMS, he never experienced a championship in the series, but did finish a career-best second in the driver standings, losing to Kelly Bires.

    His NASCAR tenure began during the 2006 season when he was inducted into the GM Racing Developmental competition – which was basically a three-stage test that occurred at Caraway Speedway, Nashville Speedway and North Georgia Speedway. The program allowed higher organizations to recognize the up-and-coming talents in racing.

    Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) signed Cassill, not to a full-time driving deal, but to an apprenticeship, to learn the ropes. He tested their cars at Greenville-Pickens Speedway and Lakeland Speedway, in addition to helping assist the team’s research and development program.

    He made his debut in NASCAR with HMS at Gateway International Speedway during the 2007 season and finished in a dismal, but knowledge-gaining, 32nd position. Memphis International Raceway witnessed him almost secure his first top-10 finish, but he was spun out on the final lap and didn’t clinch the finish he expected.

    During his ‘trial run’ with HMS he started six races and finished a best of 18th at Dover International Speedway.

    His talent was recognized, and JR Motorsports placed him in their No. 5 for 16 races during the 2008 Nationwide Series season. He captured his first top-10 finish at Nashville Speedway when he finished ninth, and also added a pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to his record.

    He concluded 2008 with four top-10 finishes, and also won Rookie of The Year (ROY) honors, and also garnered three top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving for Randy Moss Motorsports.

    Despite the decent finishes, the developing driver was left ride-less during the 2009 season, forcing his to watch from the sidelines.

    However, in 2010 he came back with vengeance, starting six Nationwide Series events, three for JR Motorsports and the other couple with RAB Racing. He also received 16 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with James Finch, TRG Motorsports and Larry Gunselman, finishing 38th in his Cup debut.

    Again, in 2011, he didn’t have any stability with a certain organization, but did finish an impressive third in the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway, and competed in 32 Sprint Cup events, finishing a career-best 12th at Michigan International Speedway.

    Finally, after working his entire career for the opportunity, Cassill was signed to a full-season deal with BK Racing to drive their No. 83 in the Sprint Cup Series. During his rookie season with the organization he finished 31st in the driver standings and just missed winning the ROY honors.

    Entering 2012 it seemed BK Racing and Cassill would continue their relationship, however, the deal fell through when they had contract disagreements.

    The setback forced Cassill to join forces with Circle Sport, driving the No. 33 for the remainder of the season. He ran mildly, and very quiet, the entire season, finishing well outside the top-30 in the driver standings

    Now, in 2014, Cassill is starting to ‘settle in’ with the JD Motorsports and Circle Sport organizations, while developing chemistry, and remaining loyal, all things he’s struggled to achieve in the past.

    Finishing 12th in Darlington proves that Cassill is reaching the acme of his career, and with the potential he possesses, it’s possible he could wind up in victory lane, very soon.