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Tag: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

  • Crunching The Numbers: Bristol

    Crunching The Numbers: Bristol

    It’s that time of year again. The weekend in late August that race fans circle on their calendars every year, the Bristol night race. Bristol Motor Speedway always produces great racing, but once night falls and the lights come on at the half-mile bullring, the intensity and action jumps up tenfold. That is also a big reason why Bristol is called “The Last Great Coliseum”. The Camping World Truck Series kicks off the racing at Bristol with their race on Wednesday night, followed by the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series on Friday and Saturday night, respectively.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Irwin Tools Night Race

    With only three races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, the Sprint Cup Series heads into one of the most treacherous races of the season with the points standings extremely tight in the bottom half of the top ten. Only 29 points separate Matt Kenseth in sixth place with Kasey Kahne in 11th place and any kind of issues by those fighting for a Chase spot and the points standings could have another big shakeup after this weekend. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are a few drivers who could leave Bristol with a locked in spot in the Chase based on points if they are 97 points ahead of 11th and the drivers in second, third, and fourth in the points (Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, and Kevin Harvick) are the most likely candidates to accomplish that.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Busch 17 5 8 12 1 1431 18.2 9.8
    Dale Earnhardt Jr. 27 1 7 13 0 758 21.7 11.6
    Brad Keselowski 7 2 3 3 0 409 13.7 12.1
    Greg Biffle 21 0 6 11 1 438 13.4 12.1
    Jeff Gordon 41 5 16 22 5 2713 6.9 12.4
    Kevin Harvick 25 1 9 12 0 427 17.8 12.6
    Matt Kenseth 27 2 10 17 1 1007 16.8 12.9
    Kurt Busch 25 5 7 14 1 841 19.2 13.4
    Mark Martin 46 2 16 23 9 1200 10.3 13.7
    Jimmie Johnson 23 1 7 13 1 789 15.7 14.3

    Who To Watch: As the only driver to sweep the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series races at Bristol in one weekend, it is no surprise that Kyle Busch finds himself at the top of the heap statistically at Bristol. In 17 races, Busch has five wins, eight top fives, 12 top tens, one pole, 1431 laps led, and an average finish of 9.8. Busch is also coming off of a second place finish in the last race at Bristol in March.

    Next up is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has one win, seven top fives, 13 top tens, 758 laps led, and an average finish of 11.6 in 27 races at the track. Earnhardt finished in sixth in the March Bristol race.

    Others to keep an eye on during the madness Saturday night include: Brad Keselowski, who has two wins, three top fives, three top tens, 409 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in seven starts; Greg Biffle, the only driver in the top ten statistically without a win, but with six top fives, 11 top tens, one pole, 438 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in 21 starts; and Jeff Gordon, with five wins, 16 top fives, 22 top tens, five poles, 2713 laps led, and an average finish of 12.4 in 41 starts. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Food City 250

    Just like the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series has a close points battle on their hands heading into Bristol this weekend. The top five in Nationwide Series points are only separated by 18 points and with that close of a points race, there is no margin for error for points leader Sam Hornish Jr, and the rest of the top five: Elliott Sadler, Regan Smith, Austin Dillon, and Brian Vickers. Given the history of the action at Bristol, the points standings could be jumbled up again after this weekend.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Larson 1 0 1 1 0 0 12.0 2.0
    Parker Kligerman 3 0 0 3 0 0 23.7 9.0
    Austin Dillon 3 0 1 1 0 0 5.0 9.0
    Kyle Busch 18 5 11 14 2 1170 9.3 9.4
    Sam Hornish Jr 4 0 1 2 0 0 13.8 10.2
    Cole Whitt 2 0 0 1 0 0 16.5 11.0
    Brad Keselowski 12 1 5 7 2 227 12.1 11.9
    Alex Bowman 1 0 0 0 0 0 15.0 14.0
    Michael Annett 8 0 0 3 0 1 21.6 14.4
    Elliott Sadler 13 2 5 6 1 172 13.1 15.6

    Who To Watch: Rookie Kyle Larson has been the talk of the sport with his impressive runs this season, especially at Bristol back in March when Larson and Kyle Busch finished side by side, beating and banging all the way to the line. Busch narrowly beat Larson, but everyone knew that Larson would be a contender week in and week out after battling one of the best for the win.

    Parker Kligerman is another young talent who has run well at Bristol. In three starts, Kligerman has three top ten finishes and an average finish 9.3.

    Others to watch on Friday night are: Austin Dillon, with one top five, one top ten, and an average finish of 9.0 in three starts; Kyle Busch, with five wins, 11 top fives, 14 top tens, two poles, 1170 laps led, and an average finish of 9.4 in 18 starts; and points leader Sam Hornish Jr., with one top five, two top tens, and an average finish of 10.2 in four starts.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – UNOH 200

    For only the second time this season, the Camping World Truck Series will be racing on a Wednesday night with the other time being at Eldora last month. The Truck Series has always been known for its rough and tumble style of racing and the high banks of Bristol make the Truck Series race at Bristol one of the can’t miss races of the year. The points aren’t really a factor for the Trucks with points leader Matt Crafton leading by a whopping 51 points with 10 races left in the Truck Series schedule.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Joey Coulter 2 0 1 2 0 0 9.0 5.0
    Ryan Blaney 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.0 6.0
    Justin Lofton 3 0 1 3 0 0 25.3 7.3
    Kyle Busch 7 3 4 5 1 343 6.0 8.4
    Matt Crafton 10 0 2 5 0 0 18.3 10.8
    Ron Hornaday Jr 13 2 4 8 2 388 10.9 11.2
    Johnny Sauter 5 0 1 1 0 0 14.8 13.4
    Brendan Gaughan 7 0 3 3 0 39 9.9 13.9
    James Buescher 4 0 1 2 0 0 14.2 14.2
    David Starr 11 0 1 4 0 0 15.8 14.3

    Who To Watch: Joey Coulter tops the list statistically at Bristol with one top five, two top tens, and an average finish of 5.0 in two starts at the track.

    Rookie Ryan Blaney also has had a good track record at Bristol with a sixth place finish in one start at the track.

    Others to watch are: Justin Lofton, with one top five, three top tens, and an average finish of 7.3 in three starts; Kyle Busch, with three wins, four top fives, five top tens, one pole, 343 laps led, and an average finish of 8.4 in seven starts; and points leader Matt Crafton, with two top fives, five top tens, and an average finish of 10.8 in 10 starts.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Michigan

    Crunching The Numbers: Michigan

    After a wild weekend of turning left and right at the fast road course at Watkins Glen, the three national NASCAR series head their separate ways this weekend with the Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series heading to Michigan to take on the 2 mile Michigan International Speedway and the Nationwide Series heading to their second road course race in a row for their inaugural race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway

    With only four races left until the cutoff for the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins at Chicago, the battle between those fighting for a spot in the 12 driver playoff keeps ratcheting up with only 31 points separating the drivers between 10th and 17th in the standings. From this point on every race, every position, and every point matters that much more. Drivers at Michigan will have a balancing act between playing it safe for points or gambling for a win and putting themselves in position for a Wild Card Chase berth.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Carl Edwards 18 2 9 14 1 291 19.9 8.2
    Matt Kenseth 28 2 12 18 0 284 17.9 9.4
    Greg Biffle 21 4 10 13 1 565 13.5 11.3
    Jeff Gordon 41 2 18 25 5 954 11.5 12.4
    Danica Patrick 1 0 0 0 0 0 37.0 13.0
    Mark Martin 55 5 18 31 1 965 11.9 14.2
    Kevin Harvick 25 1 4 9 0 149 18.2 14.3
    Denny Hamlin 15 2 5 7 0 149 14.3 14.7
    Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 28 2 6 10 2 327 14.9 15.6
    Kyle Busch 17 1 4 6 0 169 14.6 15.6

    Who To Watch: Coming off of an eighth place finish in the first race at Michigan in June, Carl Edwards boasts the best statistics in the Sprint Cup Series at the track with two wins, nine top fives, 14 top tens, one pole, 291 laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in 18 races.

    Matt Kenseth comes up next with two wins, 12 top fives, 18 top tens, 284 laps led, and an average finish of 9.4 in 28 starts. Kenseth finished in sixth in June in his first race at Michigan for new car owner Joe Gibbs.

    Others who run well at the track include: Greg Biffle, who won in June and has a total of four wins at the track, along with 10 top fives, 13 top tens, one pole, 565 laps led, and an average finish of 11.3 in 21 starts; Jeff Gordon, with two wins, 18 top fives, 25 top tens, five poles, 954 laps led, and an average finish of 12.4 in 41 starts; and Danica Patrick, who finished in 13th in her first start at the track in June.

    The remainder of the top ten statistically (Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Kyle Busch) also run well at Michigan and have a total of 11 wins between them.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Inaugural Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio

    Since there have been no Nationwide Series races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, there are obviously no statistics to pull from to see who will run well at the track. So, the best bet for Saturday’s race will be to go with drivers who run well on road courses. Drivers such as Ron Fellows in the JR Motorsports No. 5, Marcos Ambrose in the No. 9 for Richard Petty Motorsports, A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 22 for Penske Racing, and Max Papis in the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing should find themselves up front along with Nationwide regulars Sam Hornish Jr. and Justin Allgaier.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Michigan National Guard 200 at Michigan

    After a few weeks off since last racing at Pocono, the Camping World Truck Series makes their return at Michigan with points leader Matt Crafton holding onto a commanding 52 point lead over rookie Jeb Burton in the standings. The race also marks the return of the Truck Series for consecutive weekends and the debut of Fox Sports 1 for the broadcast of the Truck Series race on Saturday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 3 5.0 6.0
    Miguel Paludo 2 0 1 2 0 3 6.0 6.5
    Kyle Busch 6 0 4 5 1 149 5.8 6.8
    Brendan Gaughan 7 1 3 4 0 48 18.4 8.9
    Joey Coulter 2 0 0 1 1 7 10.5 12.5
    Ron Hornaday, Jr. 9 0 1 6 0 15 10.3 12.7
    Dakoda Armstrong 2 0 1 1 0 0 20.5 13.5
    Johnny Sauter 4 0 0 0 0 1 8.0 13.5
    James Buescher 4 0 2 2 0 5 7.8 14.5
    Timothy Peters 6 0 1 3 0 0 16.7 14.8

    Who To Watch: Championship contender Ty Dillon leads all active drivers at Michigan with three laps led and a sixth place finish in his lone start at the track last season.

    A driver who has been running strong as of late is Miguel Paludo and he falls in second statistically at Michigan. Paludo has two starts at the track and in the two starts has one top five, two top tens, 3 laps led and an average finish of 6.5.

    Others who could find their way to Victory Lane include: Kyle Busch, who has six starts at the track, and in those six starts has four top fives, five top tens, one pole, 149 laps led and an average finish of 6.8; Brendan Gaughan, who has one win, three top fives, four top tens, 48 laps led and an average finish of 8.9 in seven starts; and Joey Coulter, who has one top ten, one pole, seven laps led and an average finish of 12.5 in two starts.

    Last, but certainly not least would be the promising crop of rookies in the series this year (Jeb Burton, Ryan Blaney, Darrell Wallace, Jr.), who are giving the veterans a run for their money. It certainly would not be a surprise to see one of those drivers win either.

  • Ryan Blaney Survives Restart Mayhem to Score Second Career Truck Win at Pocono

    Ryan Blaney Survives Restart Mayhem to Score Second Career Truck Win at Pocono

    After two green-white-checkered restarts, rookie Ryan Blaney emerged victorious through the mayhem to score his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck victory in the 4th Annual Pocono Mountains 125.

    This was the first victory of the 2013 season for the nineteen year old driver of the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford for Brad Keselowski Racing. This was also Blaney’s first win at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “We were good all day,” Blaney said. “We started up toward the front and I was able to get the lead pretty early.”

    “We lost some on the pit stop but restarts were the only time you could make something happen,” Blaney continued. “Luckily, we were able to get some good restarts and get the lead.”

    “Overall a good day and a good turning point for this team.”

    Blaney also credited Ford motors for his trip to Victory Lane.

    “These Ford motors really gave us the pull we needed on restarts and that’s what it came down to,” Blaney said. “The leader is a sitting duck but I was fortunate enough to get a good restart at the end.”

    “This is cool and a lot of fun.”

    Although Blaney had not yet heard from team owner Brad Keselowski, who was en route to race in the Nationwide event at Iowa, he had heard from his dad Dave Blaney, both before and after the race.

    “I’ve been really lucky to have my dad at both of my truck wins,” Blaney said. “Having him give me advice, especially on restarts, I’ve been really fortunate.”

    “We actually talked about restarts and choosing the right lines,” Blaney continued. “That was pretty funny that that’s what it came down to.”

    “Very few dads can do that.”

    Doug Randolph, young Blaney’s crew chief, also has history with Dave Blaney, having started his crew chief career with the veteran driver.

    “My first crew chiefing job was with his dad so it’s come full circle for me,” Randolph said. “I have kids Ryan’s age myself so it’s been really fun.”

    “He will go a long way.”

    “Ryan did a great job and we did have a pretty good piece,” Randolph continued. “He does a great job when we have adversity and a great job keeping his composure.”

    “The restarts are always very hairy and the two Truck races he has won had multiple restarts.”

    “It’s a great day for everybody at BKR and Ford,” Randolph said. “To get this win, we hope this just starts the momentum rolling our way.”

    Miguel Paludo, driver of the No.32 AccuDoc Chevrolet, scored his career best finish in second place. This was his first top-10 finish in three races at Pocono Raceway and his seventh top-10 finish in 2013.

    “It was a really solid day for us starting yesterday,” Paludo said. “We were fastest in practice and started on the pole.”

    “I made a mistake choosing the outside for the start of the race and lost the lead,” Paludo continued. “And from that time on, I was just trying to get the lead back.”

    “By lap 42, I was getting closer and then we had the caution,” Paludo said. “And from that time on, it was just wild restarts trying to be aggressive but not put myself in a bad position.”

    “But it’s so hard here because of the long straightaway,” Paludo continued. “Even if you don’t have a good start, you have time to get to the guy in front of you.”

    “So, I think it’s a really good day for us,” Paludo said. “We had the fastest truck all day long.”

    “It’s a little frustrating to come second but I’ll take it.”

    Another driver, rookie driver German Quiroga, behind the wheel of the No. 77 Otter Box Toyota also matched his best career finish with a third place run. This was also Quiroga’s first top-10 finish in his solo Pocono race.

    “I’m very happy,” Quiroga said. “This is our second third place.”

    “I want to thank Miguel because he helped me in one of the restarts,” Quiroga continued. “We started fourth and lost a couple of positions.”

    “But then we came back and I’m very proud and happy about that,” Quiroga said. “We were very consistent and we were having fun.”

    “I love this track,” Quiroga continued. “It was my first time and I really, really like it.”

    “I like the Truck Series,” Quiroga said. “What else can I say?”

    “Hopefully I can bring that 77 truck to Victory Lane soon.”

    Joey Coulter, with his new No. 18 Fox Sports 1 Toyota Tundra, finished fourth and Ross Chastain, behind the wheel of the No. 2 Watermelon.org Ford, rounded out the top five.

    “It was just wild,” Coulter said. “That’s the fun part about Pocono.”

    “It turned out to be a pretty good day for us.”

    The race was not without controversy. Veteran Todd Bodine, driving the No. 30 Team Fox/Whelen Chevrolet, was not happy when the caution flew, taking away his lead and relegating him to an 11th place finish after spinning on one of the green-white-checkered restarts.

    Other unhappiness broke out between Ty Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Bass PRO Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, and Johnny Sauter, behind the wheel of the No. 98 Carolina Nut Co. Curb Records Toyota, who tangled with one another in the melee.

    Matt Crafton not only maintained the points lead, currently at 52 points ahead of Jeb Burton, but he also continued his streak of top-10s. The driver of the No. 88 Rip-It/Menards Toyota finished in the eighth position.

  • Brendan Gaughan Is Living Long and Prospering

    Brendan Gaughan Is Living Long and Prospering

    While Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 62 South Point Chevrolet, is pretty much an open book thanks to his regular appearances on the Sirius NASCAR radio channel, one thing that fans may not know about the charismatic driver is that he is an admitted Star Trek nerd.

    Given that, the lanyard around his neck with the ‘Live Long and Prosper’ motto suits him perfectly and is exactly what the driver is experiencing this season with team Richard Childress Racing.

    “All I’ve cared about in my career, whether Truck, Nationwide or Cup, is having good equipment,” Gaughan said. “If you have great equipment in this sport, life is easy.”

    “I spent my career in decent equipment but at RCR, this is the first time that I’ve had great equipment and great people,” Gaughan continued. “So, for me, I don’t care what series, all that I have wanted is sitting here.”

    “It just took me eight years of my career to find it.”

    “So, I’m happy whether it is Truck or Nationwide and I am running Nationwide next week,” Gaughan said. “Every time you touch a car at RCR, you are going to be fast.”

    “So when you come to the track, you smile,” Gaughan continued. “And when you come to the track, you have a sigh of relief because even when you come to the track experimenting and it doesn’t work, you just chuckle and say ‘Put the other stuff in and we will be fine.’

    “I’m just so happy with the equipment.”

    Gaughan is also living large and prospering thanks to his success at Eldora, with a top-five finish, and his hopeful success at Pocono Raceway this weekend.

    “We all went to Eldora with cautious optimism,” Gaughan said. “We went into it not knowing formats and worrying that guys were going to spin every two laps and that it might end up being a bad show, but Eldora ended up being the coup of the 21st century so far for NASCAR.”

    “It was a phenomenal event,” Gaughan continued. “The fans showed up.”

    “The fifty-fifty drawing was $17,000 to a fan so that was amazing,” Gaughan said. “I told Tony Stewart right before the race that I wanted a couple of raffle tickets because it was more than I would win for winning the race.”

    “On TV, it showed great,” Gaughan continued. “The format worked out really well for NASCAR.”

    “You had passing and slide jobs and from inside the race car, it was a ton of fun.”

    Gaughan is also hoping to live large and prosper at Pocono Raceway, which will be relatively new to him since he has never raced on the re-pave.

    “I ran Cup here and then it was off the schedule,” Gaughan said of the ‘Tricky Triangle.’ “When they added it, I raced with Germain Racing in 2011 but this is my first time on the new asphalt.”

    “The track is unique,” Gaughan continued. “Some people say this race sometimes gets boring but as a driver, it’s fun because you have three completely different corners.”

    “That makes for a difficult day as a driver.”

    “You’re working hard, your spotter can’t see a damn thing because he is a mile and half away with binoculars,” Gaughan said. “My favorite is when my spotter says ‘clear’ on a close call in turn one and you’re like, you are so full of crap.”

    “You know he has got no clue and is just guessing.”

    “It’s a fun race when you understand all of it,” Gaughan continued. “It’s a really neat race from a strategy perspective because you can almost run it backwards like a road course.”

    Gaughan is also fond of the area around the race track and is especially effusive when it comes to the Pocono Raceway family ownership.

    “I like the area,” Gaughan said. “I’m an outdoorsy type guy and this is just a really pretty area when it comes to that.”

    “There’s four ski mountains here and Pocono is a pretty famous place.”

    “And when you talk the track you can’t say anything but talking about the Mattioli family, who are one of the greatest all time owners in the sport,” Gaughan continued. “You have to like a place that has such great family history.”

    Gaughan is also living large and prospering in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he currently sits seventh in the point standings, with his sights still set on a championship run.

    So, what does Gaughan value the most about competing in the Truck Series?

    “First, we had Eldora,” Gaughan said. “This is a series that NASCAR can get away experimenting with.”

    “The trucks put on some of the best racing,” Gaughan continued. “The races are shorter and that fits into the shorter attention spans of the fans.”

    “And because it is shorter, there is no room to ride.” Gaughan said. “You have to go and you have to make your moves early.”

    “And then you beat and bang more than the Cup guys,” Gaughan continued. “You have a little less to lose so to speak and you can kind of get a little more aggressive.”

    Gaughan also appreciates the battles between the veterans, of which he considers himself one, and the young up and comers in the Truck Series, which he feels makes the Series most unique.

    “It’s fun watching the teenagers versus the Hornadays and the Todd Bodines,” Gaughan said. “In this series you have such a big age gap.”

    “In Cup, you get the phenom and he gets the big ride and there is a ton of pressure and he doesn’t get to be himself,” Gaughan continued. “You come down here and oh my goodness, you get to see who the person really is.”

    “You start in the Truck Series and you see great kids like a Ross Chastain, who is really trying to make it in the sport and you’ve got kids like James Buescher, who is finding his own way,” Gaughan said. “And you’ve got my teammates Ty and Austin (Dillon), who both have learned what they want to be without the pressure of being a Sprint Cup star.”

    “It’s a fun series and NASCAR has done a great job of making it that home for those who want to have careers and start careers.”

    Gaughan also is living large and prospering because he knows just how to balance having fun with the sport and putting on his game face when it is time to race. And even he admits that he still gets just a little bit nervous when it comes time to cinch his belts tight.

    “I don’t like to use Bobby Knight much for quotes because I’m a John Thompson guy, but I like his famous quote of what is a game face and he may a bunch of goofy faces illustrating that,” Gaughan said. “Everybody has a different way that they take their competitiveness.”

    “We all have our different rituals as to how we prepare and how we balance having our own personalities and putting the game face on when we are behind the wheel of our race trucks,” Gaughan continued. “But if you don’t have butterflies before every race, like I do, then it is time to hang it up because you are not getting excited anymore about your sport.”

    “I still get butterflies every time and when I quit getting them, then I will know it’s time for me to think about moving on.”

    But most of all, Gaughan is living large and prospering thanks to his family including his wife Tatum and two young sons.

    “That is one of the most difficult things to do is to find that balance between racing and family life,” Gaughan said. “I try to bring the family along as much as I can but so much of it falls to my wife to make those arrangements and pack everybody up.”

    “I’ve been lucky this year that I have a motor coach available to me and I try to bring my family to the track as much as possible,” Gaughan continued. “And that’s how I try to maintain my balance.”

    So, does Brendan Gaughan think that he will continue to live long and prosper for the remainder of the 2013 season?

    “I’ve been pleased with the season so far,” Gaughan said. “We have the most top-five finishes so far and we are definitely fast and we are not out of the championship hunt yet.”

    “But overall, I just love my scuba diving and my family and I am just that every day nerd that hopes to ‘Live Long and Prosper.’

     

  • Crunching The Numbers: Pocono & Iowa

    After a weekend of racing at the Brickyard for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Wednesday night of dirt racing at Eldora for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, all three series head off to new destinations this week with the Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series heading to Pocono and the Nationwide Series heading back to Iowa Speedway for the second time this season.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway

    From the rectangular shaped Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend to the triangular shaped Pocono Raceway this weekend, this section of the Sprint Cup Series schedule takes the drivers to tracks that are anything but your run-of-the-mill oval. Especially Pocono, with its three distinct turns all based off of turns from three different tracks. Turn 1 is based off of Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 is based off of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Turn 3 is based off of The Milwaukee Mile. Many say that drivers who run well at Indianapolis tend to run well at Pocono, so at the end of 400 miles on Sunday, we’ll see if that holds true.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 23 3 10 16 2 690 9.0 8.7
    Jeff Gordon 41 6 18 28 2 965 11.4 10.2
    Denny Hamlin 15 4 8 10 2 663 6.3 10.5
    Tony Stewart 29 2 12 21 2 156 12.7 11.0
    Mark Martin 53 0 20 34 3 448 9.4 11.2
    Ryan Newman 23 1 8 11 2 182 10.3 12.0
    Carl Edwards 17 2 5 8 0 221 18.0 13.5
    Kevin Harvick 25 0 5 9 0 5 19.2 13.9
    Matt Kenseth 27 0 3 10 0 54 18.0 14.7
    Brad Keselowski 7 1 2 2 0 31 18.1 14.7

    Who To Watch: Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson seems to be having another one of those championship caliber seasons this year with his 75 point advantage heading into this weekend, so it’s no surprise that he leads all active drivers at Pocono. In 23 starts, Johnson has three wins, 10 top fives, 16 top tens, two poles, 690 laps led, and an average finish of 8.7. Let’s not forget just how dominant Johnson was during his June Pocono win. If anyone is going to win this race, Johnson will be the man to beat.

    Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, also has an impressive career at Pocono with six wins, 18 top fives, 28 top tens, two poles, 965 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in 41 starts.

    Others who run well at Pocono include: Denny Hamlin, with four wins, eight top fives, 10 top tens, two poles, 663 laps led, and an average finish of 10.5 in 15 starts; Tony Stewart, with two wins, 12 top fives, 21 top tens, two poles, 156 laps led, and an average finish of 11.0 in 29 starts; Mark Martin, with 20 top fives, 34 top tens, three poles, 448 laps led, and an average finish of 11.2 in 53 starts; and winner of last weekend’s race at Indianapolis, Ryan Newman, with one win, eight top fives, 11 top tens, two poles, 182 laps led, and an average finish of 12.0 in 23 starts.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa

    For the second time this season the Nationwide Series heads to Iowa Speedway for a standalone event on the short track. With the Sprint Cup Series in Pocono for the weekend, the Nationwide regulars will practically have the track to themselves, except for a Cup regular or two that will be making the double duty trip down to Iowa.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 3 1 3 3 0 151 8.3 2.7
    Elliott Sadler 5 1 5 5 3 100 3.2 2.8
    Kyle Larson 1 0 1 1 0 0 10.0 5.0
    Regan Smith 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.0 7.0
    Sam Hornish Jr. 4 0 2 2 0 91 3.5 10.8
    Justin Allgaier 7 0 1 5 0 150 6.6 10.9
    Parker Kligerman 2 0 0 1 0 0 11.0 11.0
    Austin Dillon 5 0 2 3 1 260 5.8 11.8
    Michael Annett 7 0 1 2 0 6 20.3 13.0
    Cole Whitt 3 0 0 1 0 4 14.3 14.0

    Who To Watch: As the only Cup regular in the field, Brad Keselowski also boasts the best statistics in the Nationwide Series at Iowa. In three starts, Keselowski has one win, three top fives, three top tens, 151 laps led, and an average start of 2.7. The No. 22 car that Keselowski will be driving has won three times previously this season, so Keselowski should be strong on Saturday night once again.

    Elliott Sadler is the top Nationwide regular at Iowa with one win, five top fives, five top tens, three poles, 100 laps led, and an average finish of 2.8 in five starts.

    Others who run well at Iowa include: Rookie Kyle Larson, who finished fifth in his lone start this season; Regan Smith, who had a top ten of his own earlier this season at Iowa with a seventh place finish; Austin Dillon, who was well on his way to a victory in the first race at Iowa this year before fading late, and has two top fives, three top tens, one pole, 260 laps led, and an average finish of 11.8 in five starts; Trevor Bayne will also be strong as he won the first race at the track this year by overtaking Dillon late in the race.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Pennsylvania Mountains 125 at Pocono

    After a historic night of dirt racing last Wednesday night at Eldora, the Camping World Truck Series heads back to the pavement to take on the Tricky Triangle at Pocono. The Trucks have only been racing at Pocono for the last three seasons as a companion to the second Cup Series date at the track. There will be no Cup regulars racing this weekend, so who wins this race is pretty much up in the air as to who can get the job done on Saturday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Joey Coulter 2 1 1 2 0 7 8.0 2.5
    Matt Crafton 3 0 2 3 0 0 13.3 5.0
    James Buescher 3 0 2 2 0 6 7.3 5.3
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 6.0
    John Wes Townley 1 0 0 1 0 0 11.0 8.0
    Ross Chastain 1 0 0 1 0 0 20.0 10.0
    Timothy Peters 3 0 0 2 0 2 10.7 13.3
    Johnny Sauter 3 0 1 1 0 0 13.7 15.0
    Miguel Paludo 2 0 0 0 0 0 8.5 16.0
    Ron Hornaday Jr. 3 0 0 1 0 0 8.3 19.0

    Who To Watch: Since the Truck Series has only run at Pocono for a few years now, the only winner at Pocono in the field is Joey Coulter, who has the one win, one top five, two top tens, seven laps led, and an average finish of 2.5 in two starts.

    Others who have raced at Pocono previously and run well there include: Series points leader, Matt Crafton, who has two top fives, three top tens, and an average finish of 5.0 in three starts; 2012 champion James Buescher, with two top fives, two top tens, six laps led, and an average finish of 5.3 in three starts; and Ty Dillon, with a sixth place finish in his first start at the track last year.

    Any conversation on who is likely to win a Truck Series race this season also has to include the rookies in the series who have been running strong all season long . So, Jeb Burton, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Ryan Blaney could find themselves in Victory Lane this weekend as well.

  • NASCAR Gets it Right at Eldora Speedway

    NASCAR Gets it Right at Eldora Speedway

    The Mudsummer Classic Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway Wednesday night was everything a race fan loves. It wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but it showcased the best racing action that NASCAR has to offer.

    The event marked NASCAR’s first national series dirt race since 1970. It was filled with side-by-side racing, exciting passes and enough beating and banging to keep the sold-out crowd on their feet. Austin Dillon fought off Kyle Larson and Ryan Newman to win the inaugural race and become the first driver to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race on dirt.

    In an attempt to make stock car racing more mainstream and to attract more fans, NASCAR often hides its past like a closely guarded family secret. Historic tracks are left behind in favor of newer venues. The exploits of bootleggers like Raymond Parks and moonshine runners like Junior Johnson are relegated to the shadows.

    But NASCAR wasn’t always about corporate sponsors and media savvy drivers. It was built on the backs of blue collar drivers who raced for little more than bragging rights. In fact, the first NASCAR Strictly Stock Series (now Sprint Cup Series) race was held on a ¾ mile dirt track in Charlotte, North Carolina.

    The race at Eldora was one of the most highly anticipated events of the current NASCAR season and will undoubtedly be one of the highlights at year’s end. Comments from fans on Twitter and Facebook were rich with superlatives such as “beyond awesome and fantastic” and the general consensus was, “I want more.”

    Much like the decision to bring the NCWTS back to the legendary Rockingham Speedway in 2012, this nod to NASCAR’s beginnings should serve as a continued incentive to the powers that be. Change is inevitable, but NASCAR should never forget its roots. This back to basics stripped down version of racing is the heart and soul of a sport that many feel has lost its way.

    Thanks to the vision of NASCAR executive Steve O’Donnell, track owner Tony Stewart and General Manager/Promoter Roger Slack for listening to the fans and honoring those traditions at Eldora Speedway.  It was a night to remember.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Indianapolis

    Crunching The Numbers: Indianapolis

    After taking their final break of the season last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Brickyard 400 to begin the 17 race stretch run to finish off the season. The Nationwide Series will also be joining their Sprint Cup brethren at Indianapolis, while the Camping World Truck Series heads to Eldora on Wednesday night for the first NASCAR sanctioned dirt track race in several years.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com

    Twenty years ago, the Sprint Cup Series had their first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in the 19 races since the inaugural race in 1994, the Brickyard 400 has become one of the crown jewels of the sport. The list of drivers that have won this race is a who’s who of Sprint Cup champions and current and future Hall of Famers. Only four times has a driver won the race and not gone on to win the title. Look for whoever comes out on top on Sunday to be a strong championship contender.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Tony Stewart 14 2 6 10 1 227 16.7 8.2
    Jeff Gordon 19 4 11 15 3 477 12.4 8.8
    Kevin Harvick 12 1 4 7 1 92 15.6 10.2
    Kyle Busch 8 0 2 6 0 42 21.1 11.8
    Greg Biffle 10 0 3 6 0 53 15.3 12.1
    Clint Bowyer 7 0 2 2 0 2 20.4 12.3
    Brad Keselowski 3 0 0 2 0 39 12.7 12.3
    Mark Martin 19 0 6 11 1 67 12.2 12.8
    Carl Edwards 8 0 1 3 0 5 22.0 13.2
    Jamie McMurray 10 1 3 5 0 43 15.4 14.0

    Who To Watch: With the race at Indianapolis, it’s no surprise that an Indiana native tops the list with the best statistics. Tony Stewart, who hails from Columbus, IN, has amassed some impressive numbers at the track with two wins, six top fives, 10 top tens, one pole, 227 laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in 14 races.

    Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon falls in just behind Stewart with four wins, 11 top fives, 15 top tens, three poles, 477 laps led, and an average finish of 8.8 in 19 starts.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Kevin Harvick, 2003 Brickyard 400 winner, who also has four top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 92 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in 12 starts; Kyle Busch, with two top fives, six top tens, 42 laps led, and an average finish of 11.8 in eight starts; and Greg Biffle, with three top fives, six top tens, 53 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in 10 starts.

    Defending race winner, Jimmie Johnson, didn’t make the top ten statistically at Indianapolis, but has four wins at the track, along with four top fives, five top tens, one pole and has led 229 laps in 11 starts.

    One last thing to keep in mind for Sunday’s 20th running of the Brickyard 400 is the dominance that Chevrolet has had at the track. Chevrolet has won the last 10 and 14 of the 19 races at Indianapolis. Can Chevrolet win yet another Brickyard 400 or will one of the other two manufacturers finally find their way to Victory Lane?

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Indiana 250

    After running at the short track across town in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Raceway Park for years, the Nationwide Series made the move to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a companion weekend with the Sprint Cup Series starting last year and will have their second running at the 2.5 mile speedway this weekend.

    Last year, Penske Racing swept the top two spots with Brad Keselowski taking the win and teammate Sam Hornish, Jr. finishing in second. Hornish regained the points lead after a second place finish in last weekend’s race at Chicago and the Indy 500 champion brings his momentum into a track that he is very familiar with.

    Indianapolis also marks the last leg of the Nationwide Insurance “Dash 4 Cash” with Austin Dillon, Hornish, Elliott Sadler, and Brian Vickers eligible for the $100,000 bonus. Dillon will be going for his third “Dash 4 Cash” bonus after winning the bonus last weekend at Chicago and at New Hampshire.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – 1-800-CARCASH Mudsummer Classic Presented By CNBC Prime’s “The Profit” at Eldora

    For the first time since 1970 at Raleigh, NC, NASCAR returns to dirt racing with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series making their inaugural trip to Eldora Speedway in Ohio for a Wednesday night feature on the half-mile dirt track. The race, which is a sellout, will not only feature points eligible Truck Series drivers, but will also have several dirt racing specialists going for the win. Those specialists include: Dave Blaney, Tracy Hines, Scott Bloomquist, Ken Schrader, Ryan Newman, Kenny Wallace, and former Truck Series champion, Austin Dillon, who will be facing off with his brother and championship contender, Ty Dillon.

    Matt Crafton leads the Truck Series standings by 39 points heading into Eldora, but the points could face a big shakeup after what is sure to be a wild race on Wednesday night in Ohio.

  • Crunching The Numbers: New Hampshire & Iowa

    Crunching The Numbers: New Hampshire & Iowa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – American Ethanol 200 at Iowa

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

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

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

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

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

  • Crunching The Numbers: Kentucky

    Crunching The Numbers: Kentucky

    After a weekend of turning left and right at the road courses at Sonoma and Road America, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series, joined by their NASCAR Camping World Truck Series counterparts, head back east to the 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway for the second tripleheader of the season. This time around all three races will be under the lights of this oval that is a relative newcomer to the schedule, having only hosted all three series for the past two years.

    Sprint Cup Series – Quaker State 400

    As the Sprint Cup Series heads into Kentucky Speedway for a Saturday night showdown under the lights, the series reaches an important milestone for the season. This weekend’s race marks the beginning of the 10 races before the start of the “Chase for the Sprint Cup”. The so-called “Race for the Chase” sets off a mad dash for drivers trying to accumulate wins and rack up points to either make the Chase or improve their position in the standings for a better seed once the Chase starts. There are also a couple of unknowns surrounding this race since the teams have a slim notebook on setups for this track since it has only been on the schedule since 2011 and the Gen6 makes its Kentucky debut this weekend as well.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 2 1 1 2 0 147 7.0 4.0
    Jimmie Johnson 2 0 1 2 1 21 3.0 4.5
    Kyle Busch 2 1 1 2 0 243 1.5 5.5
    Matt Kenseth 2 0 0 2 0 0 16.5 6.5
    Denny Hamlin 2 0 1 1 0 63 14.5 7.0
    Kasey Kahne 2 0 1 1 0 1 11.5 7.5
    Jeff Gordon 2 0 1 2 0 0 11.5 7.5
    Carl Edwards 2 0 1 1 0 0 16.0 12.5
    Martin Truex, Jr. 2 0 1 1 0 1 13.0 13.0
    Kevin Harvick 2 0 0 0 0 0 11.5 13.5

    Who To Watch: As one of the only two winners at Kentucky and the defending race winner, Brad Keselowski has found a way to get around the 1.5 mile oval better than anyone else, with his one win, one top five, two top tens, 147 laps led, and an average finish of 4.0. Five-time Sprint Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, comes in right behind Keselowski with one top five, two top tens, one pole, 21 laps led, and an average finish of 4.5. Kyle Busch, the inaugural race winner at Kentucky, falls in just behind Keselowski and Johnson with one win, one top five, two top tens, 243 laps led, and an average finish of 5.5.

    Others who run well at Kentucky include: Matt Kenseth, with two top tens and an average finish of 6.5; Denny Hamlin, who could really use a win to boost his Chase hopes, with one top five, one top ten, 63 laps led, and an average finish of 7.0; Kasey Kahne, with one top five, one top ten, one lap led, and an average finish of 7.5; and Jeff Gordon, with one top five, two top tens, and an average finish of 7.5.

    Nationwide Series – Feed The Children 300

    As the second half of the weekend tripleheader, the Nationwide Series has been running at Kentucky since 2001 and moved to two races per year at the track last season. Only two Sprint Cup Series regulars will be running on Friday night and if the Nationwide Series regulars can get past those two drivers then a Nationwide Series regular should find their way to Victory Lane. For even more incentive for a Nationwide regular to run well in this race, this is the qualifier for the first “Dash 4 Cash” race at Daytona. The top four finishers among Nationwide Series regulars at Kentucky will have a shot at a $100,000 bonus in the race next week at Daytona.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Austin Dillon 2 2 2 2 2 257 1.0 1.0
    Brad Keselowski 5 1 4 5 0 132 11.0 3.6
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 2 0 1 2 0 5 3.5 4.0
    Elliott Sadler 3 0 2 3 1 101 7.0 6.3
    Justin Allgaier 5 0 2 4 0 29 6.2 9.0
    Kyle Busch 5 1 3 3 0 311 12.2 9.8
    Cole Whitt 2 0 0 1 0 0 12.5 10.0
    Trevor Bayne 3 0 0 0 0 0 10.0 11.3
    Michael Annett 5 0 1 4 0 5 13.0 11.8
    Brad Sweet 2 0 0 1 0 0 16.5 13.0

    Who To Watch: Austin Dillon made his first two starts at Kentucky in 2012 and has a perfect record thus far at the track with two wins, two top fives, two top tens, two poles, 257 laps led and an average finish of 1.0 in his two starts. If Dillon can continue his Kentucky magic, the No. 3 Chevrolet will be tough to beat Friday night.

    Others to keep an eye on include Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, who will be running all three races during the weekend, with one win, four top fives, five top tens, 132 laps led, and an average finish of 3.6 in five starts; Sam Hornish, Jr., with one top five, two top tens, five laps led and an average finish of 4.0 in two starts; Elliott Sadler, with two top fives, three top tens, one pole, 101 laps led, and an average finish of 6.3 in three starts; Justin Allgaier, with two top fives, four top tens, 29 laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in five starts; and Kyle Busch, who is always a threat in these Nationwide Series races, with one win, three top fives, three top tens, 311 laps led, and an average finish of 9.8 in five starts.

    Camping World Truck Series – UNOH 225

    For the first time in three weeks, the Camping World Truck Series heads back to the track to kick off the weekend tripleheader with their race on Thursday night. As in the Nationwide Series race, a couple of Sprint Cup regulars, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, will be running this race to try and complete the tripleheader weekend. With that in play, we will see a battle between the up and comers that are regulars in this series and the Sprint Cup regulars that have reached the upper echelon of the sport. Who will win out between the two? Tune in Thursday to find out.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Busch 3 1 1 3 0 177 4.7 4.7
    James Buescher 6 2 3 5 0 188 10.5 7.3
    Joey Coulter 4 0 1 3 1 47 8.0 7.8
    Ty Dillon 3 0 2 2 0 3 7.3 8.0
    Ryan Blaney 1 0 0 0 0 13 16.0 11.0
    Ron Hornaday, Jr. 10 3 3 6 1 141 10.9 11.6
    Matt Crafton 14 0 4 9 1 36 11.2 11.6
    Johnny Sauter 6 0 1 3 1 50 6.7 12.3
    Timothy Peters 9 0 2 3 0 13 14.3 15.7
    Brad Keselowski 3 0 1 1 0 4 22.7 16.7

    Who To Watch: Kyle Busch leads all active drivers at Kentucky with one win, one top five, three top tens, 177 laps led and an average finish of 4.7 in three starts at the track. 2012 Truck Series champion James Buescher comes in just behind Busch with two wins, three top fives, five top tens, 188 laps led, and an average finish of 7.3 in six races. Joey Coulter, driver for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is next with one top five, three top tens, one pole, 47 laps led, and an average finish of 7.8 in four starts. Ty Dillon also has a good record with two top fives, two top tens, three laps led, and an average finish of 8.0 in three starts.

    Others to keep an eye on include rookies Jeb Burton and Darrell Wallace, Jr, both of whom have never raced at Kentucky and Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, who will be driving his own team’s truck and trying to capture the Truck Series win that has eluded him thus far in his career.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Pocono/Iowa/Texas

    Crunching The Numbers: Pocono/Iowa/Texas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Nationwide Series – DuPont Pioneer 250 at Iowa

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

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

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

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

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

    Camping World Truck Series – Winstar World Casino 400 at Texas

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

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

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

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