Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series

  • Hamlin to reach 700 starts across NASCAR’s major series at Kentucky

    Hamlin to reach 700 starts across NASCAR’s major series at Kentucky

    When the green flag waves on Sunday, July 12, for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway, Denny Hamlin will reach a significant milestone of his racing career. By starting this Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at the Bluegrass State, Hamlin will reach 700 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. 

    A native of Chesterfield, Virginia, who started his career by racing go-karts and Late Model Stock Cars, Hamlin made his first NASCAR division series start at the Indianapolis Raceway Park in August 2004. Racing as a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin drove the No. 03 Decoma/Gibbs Performance Chevrolet for EJP Racing to a 10th-place result in his NASCAR Truck Series debut. He competed in four more Truck races with the team and made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Darlington Raceway in November 2004, where he drove JGR’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Performance Racing Oil Chevrolet to a 33rd-place result.

    The following season, Hamlin graduated to a full-time driving role in the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series. Through the 35-race schedule, Hamlin went winless, but he recorded 11 top-10 results, a best finish of third at New Hampshire International Speedway in July and finished fifth in the final standings. In October, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Kansas Speedway in JGR’s No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet, replacing Jason Leffler. He finished 32nd in his Cup debut, but he competed in the final six Cup races of the season. In those six races, he recorded three top-10 results and notched his first career pole at Phoenix International Raceway in November. His strong performances late in the season were enough for him to earn a full-time ride for the 2006 Cup Series season and in the No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet as one of three Cup competitors representing team owner Joe Gibbs.

    Based on his pole at Phoenix, Hamlin made his first start of the 2006 season in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway in February. In his first superspeedway race in the Cup level, Hamlin won the 70-lap feature race and became the first rookie candidate to win the annual exhibition event at Daytona after beating icons like teammate Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson in a two-lap shootout. At Pocono Raceway in June, Hamlin started on pole and rallied from a spin due to a cut left-rear tire around the one-quarter mark of the race to claim his first Cup win in his 21st start. When the series returned at Pocono in July, Hamlin notched his second Cup career win as he swept both Pocono races and became the first rookie competitor to sweep two wins at the same track since Johnson made the last accomplishment at Dover in 2002. 

    Hamlin’s two wins along with earning 13 top-10 results throughout the 26 regular-season races were enough for him to qualify for the Chase, thus becoming the first Cup rookie candidate to make the premier series’ postseason battle for the title. He achieved six more top-10 results in the final 10 races before settling in third in the final standings, 68 points shy of the title. When the season concluded, Hamlin was named the 2006 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year recipient as he became the highest-finishing rookie candidate in the standings since the late James Hylton finished second in the 1966 standings.

    Throughout the 2006 season, Hamlin also raced as a full-time competitor in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet. He achieved his first two career wins in the series at Mexico City in March and at Darlington Raceway in May. He also competed in one Truck race for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway in October, where he finished eighth. At the conclusion of the 2006 season, Hamlin also surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    Following the 2009 season, Hamlin had competed in 280 races across the three division series and had tallied 17 victories, nine in Xfinity and eight in Cup. By then, Hamlin was still in JGR’s No. 11 FedEx car, but sporting the Toyota nameplate, a move made by JGR in 2008 across NASCAR. The 2010 season was among Hamlin’s strongest seasons to date, where he won a season-high eight races, including one win in the XFINITY Series at Darlington, and was in contention to achieve his first Cup title until late misfortunes in the final two races left him 39 points shy of the title to Johnson. Prior to the season’s conclusion, Hamlin reached 300 starts across the sport’s division series.

    The following season, Hamlin also recorded a single victory across NASCAR’s three series. This included his first Truck Series triumph at Martinsville Speedway in October while driving for team owner/Cup teammate Kyle Busch. Through July 2020, Hamlin is one of 32 competitors to win a race across NASCAR’s three major division series. 

    Hamlin went on to surpass 400 starts following the 2012 season, 500 at the conclusion of the 2015 season and 600 when the 2017 season concluded. By then, he had tallied his Cup career wins to 31, his Xfinity career wins to 26 and his Truck career wins to two. Among his accomplishments included winning five races in 2012 with veteran Darian Grubb, recording the 100th Cup win for Joe Gibbs Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2012, winning in his 300th Cup career start at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2014, recording the 100th Xfinity victory for Toyota at Richmond International Raceway in April 2015, notching Joe Gibbs Racing’s first All-Star win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2015, achieving his first Daytona 500 win in a photo finish with Martin Truex Jr. in February 2016 and winning his second Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in September 2017. His best points result from 2011 to 2017 was third in 2014, where he utilized consistency to make it all the way to the Championship Round, only to fall short of the title to Kevin Harvick.

    After going winless in 2018, which marked the first time he concluded a Cup Series season without a victory, Hamlin rebounded in 2019 by winning six races, including the 61st running of the Daytona 500 in February and the penultimate event at Phoenix in November to clinch his spot to the Championship Round, all while working with new/current crew chief Chris Gabehart. In the finale at Homestead, Hamlin had a potential-winning car in the closing laps and was prepared to make a late charge for the championship, but his title hopes were dashed due to overheating issues that forced Hamlin to make an unscheduled pit stop. He finished 10th in Miami and fourth in the final standings, watching from a distance as teammate Kyle Busch won his second Cup title.

    This season, through the first 16 Cup races, Hamlin has won four races, including the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. He has also recorded three stage wins, nine top-five results and 10 top-10 results in 2020. He is ranked fifth in the regular season standings and trails points leader Kevin Harvick by 109 points, though he is also guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of his four regular-season victories.

    Sunday’s race at Kentucky will mark Hamlin’s 10th Cup start in the Bluegrass State, where he is set to start in 12th based on a random draw. In his previous nine starts at the track, Hamlin has logged four top-five results with a best result of third place in 2012 and in 2015. He holds an average result of 14.89 at Kentucky.

    Catch Hamlin’s milestone start in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky on July 12 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Episode 2: Rolex 24 Results, NGOTS Playoff expansion, GM Tech Center to open in Charlotte

    Episode 2: Rolex 24 Results, NGOTS Playoff expansion, GM Tech Center to open in Charlotte

    SpeedwayMedia.com’s Senior Writer Briar Starr joins the show to talk the Rolex 24 results, NGOTS Playoff expansion, and the new GM Tech Center in Charlotte

  • Ross Chastain wins Most Popular Driver Award in Gander Trucks

    Ross Chastain wins Most Popular Driver Award in Gander Trucks

    By Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    Ross Chastain, the breakout star of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season, has claimed one final honor: 2019 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Most Popular Driver.

    Chastain didn’t even plan to even be a full-time Gander Trucks driver in 2019, but he quickly became the busiest driver in NASCAR after his 2018 plans fell through, driving as many races as he could in all three NASCAR national series.

    The fans took notice as Chastain won the award for the first time, with the news coming on his 27th birthday.

    In June, Niece Motorsports – which supplies the No. 45 Chevrolet for Chastain – announced Chastain would change his points declaration from the Xfinity Series to Gander Trucks, allowing the driver to compete for the series championship … and the Most Popular Driver in this series.

    While Chastain fell short of lifting the big trophy, he provided a summer stretch for the ages that saw him grow into one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers on any level, and introduced a new celebration in the process – smashing a watermelon to smithereens.

    Chastain won three Gander Trucks races this season (plus one for good measure in the Xfinity Series) while logging 10 top-five finishes and 19 top 10s in 23 starts. He advanced to the Championship 4, finishing second on the season to champion Matt Crafton.

  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race at Homestead-Miami

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race at Homestead-Miami

    Homestead-Miami Speedway saw its series finale Friday night for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. It is hard to believe the final race has come and gone just like that. In some ways, it feels like yesterday when the series opened up their season in Daytona with Austin Hill as the winner.

    Now fast-forwarding 22 races later, we have a three-time champion in the series and that’s Matt Crafton who finished second in Friday night’s race to become the second three-time champ in a tie with Jack Sprague. It’s pretty remarkable since Crafton is only one away from tying Ron Hornaday’s record with championships.

    Before we got there, we had to wait an additional 90 minutes due to weather in the area and track drying. There were some doubts about whether or not the race would even be run on Friday night, but somehow, someway, the championship race ran as advertised, just a couple of hours later.

    With that in mind, here are Four Takeaways from the Ford Ecoboost 200.

    1. Hill Wins in Southern Florida – Somewhat overshadowed in the championship celebration was Austin Hill sweeping the Florida races this season by winning the first race in Florida and the last race in Florida, something that is very unique and can be added to a driver’s resume. It’s what could have been though for the Georgia native had he won at Phoenix the week before and locked himself into the Championship 4 instead of Stewart Friesen or someone else. Had that happened, we could have been talking about a different champion by now. Though hindsight is 20/20 and we can only think about the future. That future is Hill will have another chance to chase for the title next season, as he returns to Hattori Racing in a bid to win his first ever NASCAR title.
    2. Driver Lineups for 2020 – In what was already a busy weekend for NASCAR and Homestead holding Championship 4 races, Thursday was media day for those drivers which also included driver announcements for the 2020 season. Kyle Busch Motorsports announced two new full-time drivers with Raphael Lessard and Christian Eckes joining the team to compete in the No. 4 and No. 18 Tundra. It is likely the No. 51 returns with a crop of all star drivers competing throughout the season. Chandler Smith is returning to compete on a part-time schedule before he turns 18 next summer. GMS Racing also added to the list of announcements as former DGR-Crosley driver and playoff contender Tyler Ankrum joins the team full-time along with Brett Moffitt and Sheldon Creed. Also recently announced this past week was part-time Xfinity Series driver Zane Smith going full-time next season as well. It’s going to be an interesting season to watch KBM vs GMS vs ThorSport Racing in the title chase with a crop of new talent.
    3. Todd Gilliland Has Interesting Night – While Gilliland had his last race with KBM for now, it was certainly a unique outcome for the KBM driver. When teams were cleaning the trucks and getting them ready to load up and go back to Charlotte, one of the KBM crew members found a dead fox from the grille after running over it on the track. Quite the way to end an entertaining season for Gilliland who doesn’t know his 2020 plans yet. Here’s hoping the talented star will find something for next year and have a better year than he did this year. Condolences to the fox that was gone too soon.
    4. Parker Kligerman Returns with Top-10 Finish – Parker Kligerman doesn’t compete in many Truck Series races, but when he does, you can normally expect him to have a decent finish. The 2019 season hasn’t been the best for Henderson Motorsports with finishes of 20th at Atlanta and 13th at Bristol, but they entered the season finale and wound up with a 10th place finish. It was their first top-10 finish since Charlotte of last year. Henderson Motorsports is the ultimate underdog team in the Truck Series and can perform when the opportunity is presented to them.
  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Homestead-Miami

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Homestead-Miami

    Homestead-Miami Speedway saw its last Truck Series championship race for at least a couple of years this past Friday night. The race was delayed by a couple of hours due to rain but it was well worth the wait. The checkered flag flew shortly after 11 p.m. ET and in the end, there was a race winner, a new series champion and an owners champion. Four drivers in the Championship 4 had all the media focused on them, but what about the other drivers that were also fighting for points? 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Ford Ecoboost 200. 

    1. Austin Hill – Hill opened the season in Florida with a win and closed the season in Florida with a win. The Hattori Racing driver no doubt had the best Truck out of anybody throughout the night, even against the Championship 4 drivers. Hill swept both the stages, led 56 of the 134 laps and earned his fourth win of the 2019 season. He took the lead with 22 to go and never looked back. Despite not making it to the Championship 4, the Georgia native will have another chance in 2020 as he returns for a second season at Hattori Racing Enterprises.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    2. Christian Eckes – Newly announced Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christian Eckes had a solid run after signing a full-time contract for 2020. Previously, he had already made 11 starts over the past two years with a best finish of third in Las Vegas before Homestead. Coming into Homestead, he knew the pressure was on as he and the No. 51 team were racing for an Owner’s Championship. Qualifying was washed out, therefore, Eckes inherited a second-place starting spot due to owner’s points. The New York native finished fifth in Stage 1 before finishing third overall. The third-place finish was just enough to give KBM their seventh Owner’s Championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Matt Crafton – Crafton got it done Friday night even though he didn’t win the race this past weekend. He most certainly didn’t have the fastest Truck early on, but later came to life on the long run. In the final stage, Crafton was the best out of the Championship 4 drivers and was at one point, leading the race. While it looked like the California native was going snap his two-year winless streak, he eventually got passed by Hill with 22 to go and ultimately had to think about the bigger picture. Crafton did so, finished second and locked up his third Truck Series championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Ross Chastain – In the early run of the race Friday night, Chastain was the fastest among the Championship 4 racers. He almost took the Stage 1 win before getting passed by Hill. Even though the Niece driver was passed, Chastain remained up front and consistent through at least the second stage, where he finished third. However, it was the long run that eventually hurt his chances at his first NASCAR Series title. The Truck began to go away and there was nothing he could do about it. In the end, Chastain wound up with a disappointing fourth-place finish, second in the Truck Series standings. Certainly, not the night the Florida native wanted after having a strong year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    5. Brett Moffitt – Like Chastain, Moffitt had the chance to defend his title and become the first-ever second consecutive Truck Series champion. But the Iowa native fell short, finishing fifth after a fourth-place starting spot. The GMS team fought conditions all night in the Truck. Moffitt couldn’t quite keep up with a green track and couldn’t defend his title. It was a disappointing night for the GMS driver but he will have another chance in 2020 to add another title to his name.

      Previous Week Ranking – First

      Fell Out

      1. Stewart Friesen – Friesen didn’t get the job done either despite being one of the favorites coming into the race. The Canadian inherited the pole when qualifying was canceled due to weather which somewhat helped Friesen’s chances of getting a championship. He finished third and fifth in both stages, respectively. After the second stage, the Halmar driver knew it was time to go and race for that championship. His Truck, though, didn’t know it was time to race. Like many others, Friesen struggled with the handling on the longer runs and couldn’t do much about it. Ultimately, he finished 11th, leading zero laps. He has no 2020 plans set for next season but if Friesen does return, you can expect the team to be even stronger than ever and fight for the title once more.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second

      2. Chandler Smith – Did not compete in Friday night’s race.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third

      3. Grant Enfinger – It was quite a night for Enfinger and the No. 98 ThorSport team as they finished seventh. The team finished ninth and sixth in both stages. Though, it’s probably what could have been for Enfinger and the team if they had been able to continue on in the Playoffs and race for a title.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

  • Moffitt’s and Friesen’s bid for a championship comes short

    Moffitt’s and Friesen’s bid for a championship comes short

    Brett Moffitt was hoping to be the first driver to win a second consecutive Truck Series title and he was certainly capable of doing so. However, he came up short Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Despite winning at Bristol and Canada, the GMS driver was winless throughout the rest of the Playoffs. But his consistency kept him in play and he had a sizable points lead in the rest of the rounds. Moffitt knew it was going to be tough to outlast the other Championship 4 drivers, but if it was going to be anyone, he had one of the best chances with the powerhouse GMS Racing team.

    Moffitt started fourth based on owner points but never could get his Truck in a winning position. The No. 24 machine struggled most of the night, finishing fourth in both stages and only being able to lead three laps. The team tried some adjustments throughout the race, even winning the race off pit road after one of the stages to put Moffitt in the lead for one restart.

    However, it would be the only time we saw the Grimes, Iowa native out front. In fact, the GMS driver ran as low as 21st at one point. Then, with a late race pit stop, he had one more chance to run for the title. Moffitt fell short though and wound up finishing fifth in the running order and third in the championship.

    “We were missing speed overall,” Moffitt explained to MRN Radio. “We struggled all day from the time we unloaded. The Truck got a lot better, everyone worked hard. Jerry (Baxter, Crew Chief) and all my guys made improvements, but we just missed it. It is what it is, we’ll regroup and get better, and we’ll go for it in 2020. Just can’t thank the Maury Gallagher family enough for this opportunity and everyone that helped us out all year. CMR Roofing and all the countless sponsors we had throughout the season. It’s a bummer, we’ll move on and get better as an organization.”

    Moffitt finishes the year with four wins, 13 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes, while also achieving three poles.

    Moffitt’s technical teammate and last week’s winner Stewart Friesen also had an opportunity to secure the title. With qualifying rained out, the Canadian inherited the pole based on owner points. This gave Friesen the advantage to be out front at a track where track position means everything.

    Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar team had a good run early in Stage 1, running up front with Ross Chastain and finishing third when the stage ended. Though it seemed like his Truck began to go away and it became challenging for Friesen in the rest of the remaining laps. Stage 2 saw him finishing fifth but he had to deal with an ill-handling Truck.

    As the handling became an issue, Friesen was unable to get the Truck to his liking. The team continued to struggle to fight for track position with a long green-flag run. Stage 3 went the distance and saw no cautions, which could have helped Halmar Racing find the adjustment they needed. Ultimately, Friesen finished a disappointing 11th, last out of the Championship 4 drivers.

    “An uphill battle,” Friesen described to MRN Radio. “Thanks to Halmar and all these guys that worked so hard. Thanks for all the support, got a lot of friends and family here. I appreciate everyone watching at home and those who came down here to support us. We just didn’t have a chance, we struggled. We could hang a little bit on the short end, but not on the long run. It was just a swing and a miss tonight.”

    Even winning two races this season was not satisfactory for Friesen at the moment following the final race.

    “It’s good to win a couple of races,” he added. “It would have been a lot cooler to have had a chance at it tonight. Like I said, we could hang on the short run, but it would just back up. We’ll hopefully put something together and come back stronger for next time.”

    The Canadian finishes 2019 with two wins, 12 top fives and 16 top-10 finishes along with one pole to his name.

  • Austin Hill wins the race, Crafton collects his third championship

    Austin Hill wins the race, Crafton collects his third championship

    After a 90-minute rain delay, the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race got underway shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET. While Austin Hill didn’t qualify on the pole, he most certainly had the fastest truck of the night, winning both stages and ultimately winning the race. Hill took the lead from Matt Crafton with 22 laps to go to secure his fourth win of the season.

    “This Truck was on rails all night,” Hill said to MRN Radio. “We started off just a little on the tight side. Scott (Zipadelli, Crew Chief) made some awesome adjustments there and got the Truck a little bit better. That pit stop, I kind of took it a little too easy coming down to pit road, I think that hurt us just a tad coming back out third. I had to work extra hard to get back up there and get the lead. Can’t thank Toyota enough. Chiba Toyopet Toyota Tundra was really good all night long. TRD, United Rentals can’t thank those guys enough.”

    “To be able to win this race and lock down the Toyota manufacturer championship means a lot to me. So, I’m glad I could help Toyota out with that.”

    Early rain showers pushed the race back for a couple of hours, before finally getting underway shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET. The starting grid was set by owner points with Stewart Friesen on the pole.

    Before the race got started, the No. 15 of Anthony Alfredo had an oil leak on his Truck. With that issue, Alfredo was never able to make a lap and was credited with a last-place finish. Stages were broken up in 30/30/74 laps to make up the 134-lap race.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 30

    Nothing too crazy happened in the first stage to affect the race but there was some great racing action between the Championship 4 drivers. Ross Chastain led the first 28 laps of the first stage before Hill took the lead with just a few laps to go and won the stage. Championship 4 driver Chastain was second, Friesen was third, Brett Moffitt was fourth and Matt Crafton finished sixth in Stage 1.

    However, while the Championship 4 drivers finished in the top-10 none of them collected any stage points.

    Stage 2: Lap 35- Lap 60

    Like Stage 1, the second stage almost went green the whole way. The first real incident of the night came on Lap 50. The No. 49 of Ray Ciccarelli’s Truck had fluid coming out of the back end which prompted officials to throw the yellow flag.

    From that point on, the stage remained green and Hill once again picked up the stage win. Crafton was second, Chastain was third, Moffitt was fourth and Friesen finished fifth in Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 67- Lap 134

    It was crunch time for the Championship 4 drivers as Stage 3 began with 67 laps to go. While Chastain and Friesen certainly had the best Trucks early on in the night, Crafton’s Truck started to come to life near the end.

    Pit stops broke out with 38 to go. Both Chastain and Friesen pit. Crafton and Moffitt elected to come down pit road one lap later to stay on the lead cycle. Race leader Hill pitted with 35 to go. After pit stops, Crafton cycled back out into the lead five laps later. However, Hill retook the lead with 22 to go and led the rest of the way, taking the checkered flag to win.

    As much as Crafton wanted to win the race and the championship, the bigger picture was to collect his third Truck Series championship in 453 starts. The Tulare, California native is now tied with former series champion Jack Sprague.

    “We didn’t win the battle, but we won the war,” Crafton excitedly said. “It was such a sweet deal to put this Ford Menards F-150 into victory lane. I know it’s Fords last time here championship weekend and nothing sweeter than to put the Ford into the championship. Ford and everybody has worked so hard here.”

    Knowing Crafton could win the race at one point in the race, he quickly realized it was all about winning the championship.

    “That was really hard to do,” he added. “I wanted to race the 16 (Hill) so hard. He definitely was a little faster than us there at the end. I knew what it was about and hoisting this big trophy at the end of the night, that’s what we’re here to do and that’s what we did.”

    With Crafton locking up his third Truck Series championship, he becomes one of the few drivers to do so in Truck Series history.

    “Oh, it’s awesome. Like I said, one step closer to the great Truck Series guy Ron Hornaday. We can battle with them again next year and maybe we can get number four.”

    Quite possibly lost in the shuffle was the Owner Series Championship. Four drivers were also battling for that as well. In the end, however, it was newly announced Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christian Eckes who helped the team secure its seventh owner’s championship in the team’s existence.

    “I struggled for most of the race, honestly,” Eckes said to MRN Radio. “Got a little better out there in front. Rudy (Fugle, Crew Chief) made a great call, able to lead some laps and come home third. It’s awesome to get another championship with these guys. Just ready for 2020.”

    Hill led five times for 56 laps en route to the fourth win of his career. There were three cautions for 14 laps and 12 lead changes among six different drivers.

    Official Results

    1. Austin Hill – led 56 laps, won both stages
    2. Matt Crafton – led nine laps, 2019 Truck Series Champion
    3. Christian Eckes – led 26 laps, won Owners Championship for KBM
    4. Ross Chastain – led 36 laps
    5. Brett Moffitt – led three laps
    6. Johnny Sauter
    7. Grant Enfinger
    8. Todd Gilliland
    9. Sheldon Creed
    10. Parker Kligerman
    11. Stewart Friesen
    12. Ben Rhodes
    13. Harrison Burton
    14. Joe Nemechek – one lap down
    15. Gus Dean – led four laps, one lap down
    16. Tanner Gray – one lap down
    17. Jesse Little, one lap down
    18. Tyler Dippel – one lap down
    19. Austin Wayne Self – one lap down
    20. Natalie Decke1r – one lap down
    21. Jordan Anderson – two laps down
    22. Tyler Ankrum – 2019 Truck Series Rookie of The Year, two laps down
    23. Tyler Hill- two laps down
    24. Colby Howard – two laps down
    25. Danny Bohn – two laps down
    26. Codie Rohrbaugh – four laps down
    27. Cory Roper – five laps down
    28. Jennifer Jo Cobb- six laps down
    29. Angela Ruch – seven laps down
    30. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Electrical
    31. Ray Ciccarelli, OUT, Oil Line
    32. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Engine, Did Not Start

    Up Next: The 2019 Truck Series season is officially over after race No. 23. The next on-track action will be the 2020 season opener at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 14.

  • Chastain comes up short at Homestead

    Chastain comes up short at Homestead

    Coming into the Truck Series championship race, there was no doubt that nearby Fort Lauderdale native, Ross Chastain, had high hopes of winning his first NASCAR Series championship after a long and rocky road to the top.

    At the beginning of the 2019 season, the Niece Motorsports driver wasn’t even running for the championship. It was more about helping the team get to a point where they could be in contention to win a championship down the line with the right driver. But they had already found the right driver.

    Chastain opened up the season at Daytona with a third-place finish in a beat-up race truck. While many may consider it luck after the whole field had been involved in some sort of incident, he followed it up the next week at Atlanta with a sixth place finish. This consistency was likely going to put Niece Motorsports in a spot to win the Owner’s title this year at Homestead.

    Then Kansas happened and Chastain got his first career Truck Series victory, actually, the first win in NASCAR of any kind. As you would expect, the victory was a popular one among the fans. With the victory, Chastain gained more fans and quite possibly more respect within the racing world, giving him even more motivation and fight to rise to the top.

    Just a few weeks later, the team decided to run for the Truck Series championship after having early success. Then, an unfortunate circumstance occurred at Iowa. NASCAR has a new post race procedure that stipulates if a driver in any series fails the post-race technical inspection, either their win or finishing position will be stripped from them, ultimately resulting in a last-place finish.

    Unfortunately, it happened to Chastain at Iowa where he had the best truck out of anyone, leading 141 out of the 200 laps. In post race inspection, however, his truck was found to be too low. Due to the infraction, the Niece Motorsports team was credited with a last-place finish.

    Knowing they did nothing wrong, the team tried to appeal the issue in order to get the win back. Despite their efforts, Chastain and Niece lost the appeal and had to focus their attention on the next race at Gateway. At Gateway, the Florida native once again proved the doubters wrong and earned another popular victory which put him in the running for the championship.

    Chastain continued to find success by finishing in the top-10 and winning at Pocono.

    Then the Playoffs began at Bristol and Chastain knew he had to have a strong Truck in order to beat the other contenders and fight for the championship. Despite crashing out of the race at Talladega, the Niece driver finished second at Martinsville and ninth at ISM Raceway. The ninth-place finish locked him into the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Qualifying was washed out at Homestead due to rain showers and Chastain started third based on owner points. The team ran solid all night, leading the first 28 laps before being passed by Austin Hill late in the stage. Chastain had to settle for a second place position in Stage 1. In Stage 2, he was strong once again and finished third.

    The last round of green flag pit stops began with 38 laps to go. Chastain was the first down pit road to make adjustments to his Truck. But, the Florida native continued to struggle late in the going and ultimately needed a late race caution in order to help his chances.

    By night’s end, Chastain did not catch the break he needed and finished fourth in the race and second in the Truck Series championship. It was not enough to secure his first NASCAR title though the effort did not go unseen by his No. 45 Niece Motorsports team.

    “Just too lose,” Chastain said to MRN Radio. “It’s crazy. I am not disappointed in second by any means. From where we were a year ago, to when we made the switch and everything we’ve been through, I’m living my dream out here. It sucks right now, but it’ll be okay. The sun will come up tomorrow and we’ll be just fine.”

    “So proud of the Niece Motorsports Car Shield and everybody that helps on this deal, Al Niece (Team Owner). We gave it all we had, there’s nothing left, I can tell you that. Thank you to everyone that came out tonight. We did not go unnoticed tonight, they knew we were here and we’ll be back.”

    Despite falling short, Chastain never gave up no matter what challenge came his way.

    “Just don’t quit,” he added. “This sport, it’s all of our dreams. Everyone is out here working in this industry. Even the people that came out to watch the race tonight, it’s what we worked for to do this. To come up one spot short in the championship is not the end of the world. The sun will come up tomorrow and I’ll still have my faith, family and everyone around me. I’ll just keep going.”

    With the focus now switched to the NASCAR Xfinity Series competition full-time for Kaulig Racing, Chastain ends his 2019 efforts with three wins, 10 top-fives, 19 top-10s along with 591 laps led and an average finishing position of 8.6.

  • Kyle Busch Motorsports announces driver lineup for 2020

    Kyle Busch Motorsports announces driver lineup for 2020

    Kyle Busch Motorsports announced its driver lineup for the 2020 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season late Thursday afternoon.

    Canadian superstar, Raphael Lessard will replace Todd Gilliland in the No. 4 Toyota Tundra, competing full-time in the Truck Series next season. The Quebec native has just three race starts this year for KBM earning a best finish of 11th at Dover this past spring. Lessard is excited to contend for Rookie of The Year in 2020.

    “I’ve been working really hard the last few years to put myself in position to drive full-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series so this opportunity is a dream come true,” Lessard said. “I can’t thank Kyle and everyone at KBM, Toyota and TRD enough for having the confidence to put me in their truck and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of my parents and everyone that has invested in getting me to this point. Being able to drive for such a great organization in one of NASCAR’s top three series is going to be awesome and I’m going to work hard on and off the race track to learn as much as I can to get better every race.”

    Team owner Kyle Busch commented about Lessard’s move to full-time.

    “We’ve watched Raphael grow as both a driver and a person since joining our Super Late Model program in 2018 and we’re looking forward to being a part of his continued progression as he graduates to a full-time role in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series next year,” owner Kyle Busch said. “Similar to Erik Jones and Christopher Bell before him, Raphael joined our Super Late Model program and immediately won some big races. Then, when given a part-time Truck Series schedule, they all proved capable of running up front and earned the right to compete full time. Erik and Christopher went on to win races and a championship in trucks, now Raphael has the opportunity to continue to follow their blueprint.”

    The 2018 ARCA Menards Series Champion, Christian Eckes, will also join Kyle Busch Motorsports full-time. Eckes will take over the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra, as Harrison Burton jumps to the Xfinity Series to compete with the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team.

    “Returning to KBM to compete full-time for a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship with the support of Safelite AutoGlass and Toyota is an opportunity that I’ve worked my whole life for and I’m ready to take advantage of it,” Eckes said. “Being around the Truck Series the last few seasons, I’ve been able to see firsthand how much effort Safelite puts into their racing program and I’m excited to represent them not only on the track but in the communities that we race in.”

    Busch also commented on Eckes’ move to driving full-time in the Truck Series.

    “Christian has won races and a championship in the ARCA Series and we feel like he’s capable of doing the same driving for us full-time in the Truck Series next year,” owner Kyle Busch said. “He’s shown speed while running a part-time schedule for us the past couple of seasons — he’s won poles, led laps and been in a position to win a few races. We feel like it’s just a matter of time before he puts everything together and starts winning at this level.”

    In his short career, the Middletown, New York native has made 11 starts in the past two years for KBM. Eckes has four poles with a best finish of third this past fall at Las Vegas. The new KBM driver also achieved two top fives and three top-10 finishes. Eckes previously competed full-time with Venturini Motorsports this season and won the ARCA Menards Series Championship at Kansas last month in October.

  • Weekend Schedule for Homestead – Updated

    Weekend Schedule for Homestead – Updated

    NASCAR heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the season finale as all three series race to determine their 2019 champion.

    Stewart Friesen, Ross Chastain, Brett Moffitt and Matt Crafton will vie for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship Friday night. The Xfinity Series title will be decided Saturday afternoon between Justin Allgaier, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer.

    Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch will close out the season Sunday as they race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.

    All times are Eastern.

     Friday, November 15

    9:05 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.: Truck Series First Practice – No TV

    10:35 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV

    2:35 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    3:35 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice -CANCELED

    4:35 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1 – CANCELED – Lineup set by rulebook

    5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice -CANCELED

    6:30 p.m. – 7:20 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – CANCELED

    9:35 p.m.: Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 (Stages 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles ) – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, November 16

    12:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle / One Lap All Positions) – NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    2:05 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice (In place of qualifying, the lineup will be set by rule book) NBCSN/MRN/TSN

    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Ford EcoBoost 300 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles) – NBCSN/MRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, November 17

    3:00 p.m.: Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 (Stages 80/160/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles) – NBC/MRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

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