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Four takeaways from the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series at Atlanta
1. Kyle Busch Finally Breaks Ron Hornaday’s Record – After waiting since victory lane of Pocono last summer, Kyle Busch finally broke the illustrious record of Hornaday’s all-time wins. It took Busch 145 starts to get to win number 52. He’s had a lot of victories and memorable moments, such as winning the Truck Series owners championship two times. Busch catches a lot of flack but he could be one of the greatest drivers to race in today’s generation. Busch is only 33-years-old and he will more than likely have at least 10 to 15 more years in the sport to capture more victories and possibly break more records as well.
2. Unhappy Fans – Five to 10 years ago, we had Cup Series drivers racing in almost every Xfinity and Truck Series race. However, some fans were outraged by them winning all the time. With that, the fans pushed and pushed in an attempt to ban veteran drivers from racing in lower tier series. Eventually NASCAR put a limit on Cup Series drivers competing in other series. This weekend at Atlanta, there were no Cup Series drivers in the Xfinity race and only one in the Truck race. Low and behold, once Kyle Busch took the checkered flag, many fans were complaining about this issue. However, when I looked in the stands, there was hardly anyone there for either race that day. Sure the weather forecast looked gloomy but that crowd was pathetic. When FOX showed a flashback to Kevin Harvick winning the Xfinity race at Atlanta in 2009, those grandstands were packed. I know times are different and that was 10 years ago. But, I watched a 2001 NASCAR Busch Series race the other night that was held in Colorado at Pikes Peak and the crowd was packed. This particular Busch Series race has only one Cup Series driver in it and that was Harvick, who at the time, was racing in both series. Yet, there was no outrage then. If the fans want to see only Xfinity and Truck Series drivers compete in their respective series, then I need to see more support than what I saw on Saturday.
3. NASCAR Restarting The Race – I think we all won on this one. Kudos to NASCAR for waiting out the rains and heavy fog instead of calling the race nine laps early. We got to see an entertaining finish and Busch had to work hard for that win. Now if NASCAR can continue this consistency throughout the year, then this would be great.
4. NASCAR.com Streaming Service – In today’s day and age, you see a lot of streaming services offered like Netflix, MLB Network, NFL Network, Fox Sports Go, NBC Sports App and NBC Sports Gold (a premium package for race fans that is offered). This past Friday, we saw a new era when it comes to streaming in NASCAR. Most practice sessions were steamed on the website before Fox Sports took over at 2 p.m. on live TV. This will take place every Friday when Fox Sports has coverage through June. It’s unknown if NBC will follow suit when they over coverage of the races. Like many of you, I was skeptical about how this would turn out. I have watched some Formula E practices on Facebook and YouTube, and it wasn’t that great. So I was leery. So at 10:30 a.m. I logged on to my phone to stream practice. When I logged on, I had to submit my email to access the stream. Not only that, but I had to agree to subscribe to NASCAR’s newsletter, which is a smart marketing move by NASCAR. However, my excitement was drained when I heard no sounds from the racecars but eventually, sound was added on and all was right in the world. I had to get the quality right a couple of times for the video, as it kept going back to 240p instead of 720p. The radio announcers brought a unique twist and covered almost everyone. Not just the top drivers, which was refreshing. Seeing the whole practice without commercial breaks was also a plus. Now if this could change but it seems that NASCAR is testing the waters to possibly have a streaming service offered somewhere down the road once the TV contract expires in 2024. Already, Fans Choice TV will be broadcasting every regional NASCAR race. Dirtvision has an option to pay for a weekend pass to watch their coverage of the World of Outlaws. NHRA also has their own network where you can watch races live, instead of tape delay on FOX Sports 1. CARS-Short Track Tour also has premium service options as well for their live coverage at the track. It’ll be interesting to see if NASCAR follows suit on this in the coming years. As the old saying goes, “the times, they are a changing.”
February 27, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series power rankings – Atlanta
The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series headed north of Daytona this past weekend as they went to the typically sunny Atlanta Motor Speedway.

But it wasn’t so sunny on Saturday for the Truck Series, as fog, mist and even rain interfered during the Ultimate Tailgaiting 200 by delaying the race with nine to go.

However, as the race resumed, history was seen as Kyle Busch was back to his winning ways when he went to victory lane for career win No. 52 breaking Ron Hornaday’s former record for the most all-time Truck Series wins.

But who topped this weeks power rankings?
1. Grant Enfinger – After coming oh so close last weekend at Daytona, Enfinger finished third this weekend for the 20th top-five finish of his career. After qualifying was canceled, he lined up fifth. Enfinger carried his momentum throughout the race by finishing third in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2. A late restart was seen, but it wasn’t enough for Enfinger and the No. 98 Thorsport team as they wound up third.
Previous Week Ranking- First

2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter was looking to finally capture that Atlanta win this past weekend as he has no wins in his starts there. He lined up 12th when qualifying was rained out early Saturday morning, but it didn’t take him long to get to the front. Sauter finished fourth in both stages. He led twice for nine laps and had a shot to win late on a restart with five to go, but had to settle for a second place. Sauter might be a little disappointed with second, but it was much better than his Daytona outing. Sauter sits fourth, 18 points behind.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

3. Brett Moffitt – After being wrecked out last weekend, not of his doing, Moffitt rebounded for a solid but quiet fourth place finish even after an early pit road penalty early on. Moffitt didn’t contend much for the lead but came home fourth as he finished fifth in Stage 2. The No. 24 GMS team will look to put the past two weekends behind them and look forward to Las Vegas this weekend.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

4. Ross Chastain – Chastain and the small team of Niece Motorsports that could, followed up last week with another top-10 finish at Atlanta finishing sixth. He worked himself up to 10th in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2. Like others, Chastain had a shot to win late but his truck wasn’t enough and had to be content with a sixth-place.

Previous Week Ranking- 3rd

5. Austin Hill – The No. 16 Hattori Team was looking to carry their momentum over to Atlanta after winning at Daytona last week. The weekend got off to a rocky start, as the transmission and clutch broke in first practice, causing him to miss the entire practice. However, his day got somewhat better Saturday morning when heavy fog washed out qualifying and placed the team on the pole. While Hill finished fifth and sixth, respectively in both stages, he didn’t contend much for the win and settled for a seventh place finish after a quiet day.

Previous Week Ranking- Fourth

Fell Out
1. Matt Crafton – Crafton was running just great until that last caution, where a loose wheel caused him to make an extra pit stop and preventing him from having a shot at the win. Crafton finished 14th and his winless streak is still intact. Previous Week Ranking – 2nd
2. Spencer Boyd- Boyd was caught up in a wreck late with nine laps to go and was pretty much done for the day. After a strong finish at Daytona last week, Boyd wound up 25th. Previous Week Ranking – 5th
February 25, 2019
Ben Rhodes settles for top-five finish

After a strong run in both stages of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway Ben Rhodes had to settle for a fifth place finish.

“I checked up between Harrison Burton on the restart,” Rhodes said to MRN Radio. “The inside lane obviously has the grip at the racetrack, I knew on the outside it was going to be an issue, Kyle (Busch) was really good on making everyone unexpected and catch them off guard.”

“So he (Kyle Busch) did a good job on the restart, I just got held up behind the No. 18,” Rhodes explained to MRN Radio. I thought the Ford F-150 had a ton of speed tonight, but we got some stuff we need to work on overall as a team and also some stuff on the truck. We got some good areas to work in on Las Vegas and missed it a little bit. I just needed a better restart there at the end.”

Rhodes finished sixth and second, respectively in both stages.

His top five finish was Rhodes’ 18th of his career.

February 24, 2019
Johnny Sauter comes up short for first win of the season

Johnny Sauter was eagered to get back in to victory lane this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway after having a strong 2018 season.

After placing fifth in both NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice sessions, it appeared Sauter would have the truck to contend for the win. When qualifying was canceled, he started in the 12th position based on the rule book.

As the race started, Sauter had a strong truck and remained in the top five for Stage 1 by finishing fourth. Stage 2 saw the same finishing position as well.

After the Stage 3 restart with 43 to go, Sauter led for 15 laps before being passed by eventual race winner, Kyle Busch.

Sauter was trying all he could to catch Busch, but it wasn’t enough. However, a timely caution came for Sauter and he had another chance. But the rains came, the fog got heavy and seeing the race go back to green did not look promising.

However, NASCAR got the track dried and Sauter was ecstatic for another shot. He gave it all he could but fell .932 seconds short of the win, finishing in second place.

“I was trying my damnest,” Sauter told MRN Radio. “I honestly was hoping he (Kyle Busch) was going to spin out off the nose of my truck and he did a great job of blocking there. If I went to the top, I wouldn’t have had enough momentum.”

“In hindsight, when I go watch the replay, I might think differently but so proud of everyone of Thorsport, I can’t thank them enough.”

With a second place finish, it was Sauter’s 103rd top five finish of his career.

“I really wanted to deliver a win tonight,” Sauter told MRN Radio. “We just didn’t get it done. I might feel differently of what I could have done at the end there. We had a shot. NASCAR did the right thing there to go back green.”

February 24, 2019
Grant Enfinger has quiet third-place run

Grant Enfinger had a quiet night at Atlanta Motor Speedway but finished in the third position. Even though it was quiet, there were times in the race where he was with his Thorsport teammates battling for the lead and the win.

Ultimately, Enfinger ended up with a third place NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series finish after a restart with five to go.

“I didn’t think we were going to get all the way there,” Enfinger told MRN Radio. “Kyle (Busch) and Rudy (Fugle) was gonna have to beat themselves tonight and made us look silly all night.”

“Outside of that, all four of these Thorsport F-150’s were really good. We’re making gains on it, but we got a little ways to go before we can run with Kyle (Busch).”

Enfinger finished third and eighth, respectively in both stages.

February 24, 2019
Brett Moffitt content with fourth-place finish

A year ago, Brett Moffitt won this race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and went on to set the season on fire to win six races, as well as the Truck Series championship. Moffitt was looking to recapture that Atlanta magic this year but came up short, finishing fourth.

However, it wasn’t for lack of trying.

“It was just being unfournate being on the inside lane there,” the 2018 Truck Series champion told MRN Radio. “It was tough on the outside, started on the outside next to Kyle (Busch) and restarted like I’ve never done it before.”

“It was a terrible restart,” Moffitt said to MRN Radio. “I was just happy we got to go back racing, I was not too happy if they (NASCAR) was gonna red flag it and end it. All in all, it was a good recovery, we need to get our Silveradoes to drive a little bit better as a team. We all three kind of struggled, we were at the front at times and lacking at times. We need to reevaluate and try again next week.”

Moffitt finished fifth in Stage 2 and fourth overall in the race after an uncontrolled tire penalty when Stage 1 ended.

February 24, 2019
Kyle Busch becomes all-time winningest Truck series driver with Atlanta victory

Kyle Busch overcame a loose wheel to win the Ultimate Tailgating 200 and become the Gander Outdoor Truck Series all-time winningest driver.

The win was Busch’s 52nd career series victory, which moved him past NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. to take sole possession of first on the all-time wins list. The victory is also Busch’s fifth at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 195th of his NASCAR career across the three series.

Busch held off Johnny Sauter on a restart with five laps to go to win. Sauter finished second and completing the top five were Grant Enfinger, Brett Moffitt, and Ben Rhodes.

Busch was forced to come to pit road on Lap 54 due to a loose wheel. It took 24 laps for the 33-year-old to recover the lead. Despite the adversity, Busch still managed to win the first two stages.

“It certainly means a lot. I want to thank our amazing partners that allow us to do what we do,” Busch said in Victory Lane. “I can’t say enough about my guys at Kyle Busch Motorsports – they do a phenomenal job.

“I slipped getting out of my truck – it’s a little wet out here in case y’all didn’t notice. It was a great race out there. I wish it would have ended. I would have liked to have seen Harrison (Burton) finish second. I’m not sure how far he fell. He ran a great race today.”

Busch dominated to win Stage 1 over his KBM teammate Harrison Burton.

Austin Hill, last week’s winner, started on the pole after qualifying was washed out and 2018 owner points set the lineup.

On Lap 16, Natalie Decker spun off Turn 4 to bring out the first caution.

Busch drove through the field and beat Ben Rhodes to take the Stage 2 win.

The caution came out on Lap 53 for debris when Joe Nemechek got into the grass, which resulted in dirt getting onto the racing surface.

With 25 laps left in the race, Busch held a one-second lead over Johnny Sauter with Matt Crafton running in third.

On Lap 112, the second time was a charm for Decker as she spun off turn four again to bring out the caution. Busch won the race off pit road, but Matt Crafton was forced to pit again with a loose wheel.

The race returned to green with 13 laps to go, but several trucks wrecked on the restart, which resulted in a red flag.

Spencer Boyd, Chad Finely, Parker Kligerman, Jesse Little, and Austin Wayne Self were among those involved.

But there was no stopping Busch, who made history in just his 146th series start.

February 24, 2019
Kyle Busch gets record-breaking win by holding off Johnny Sauter

After a lengthy red flag for rain/mist, Kyle Busch was able to hold off 2016 Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter for his 52nd career win in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, breaking Ron Hornaday’s former record of 51 series wins.

“I think I had a vibration there at the end of Stage 2 or loose wheel,” Busch told MRN Radio. “I just wanted to make sure everything was right. Last year we had a wheel fall off, so we don’t want to see that happen again. We were able to power through the field there, our truck was just super fast. It’s cool to be able to put this Cessna Tundra back in victory lane again and get number 52 here this weekend and Billy Ballew here with us. It took me something driving with Billy Ballew’s name on it to win here at Atlanta.”

With early morning fog and mist, qualifying was canceled and the starting lineup was based on the rule book, meaning Austin Hill and Harrison Burton Sat on the front row.

Stages were broken up in 40/40/50 laps to make up the 130-lap advertised distance.

After a crazy start, it didn’t take long for Busch to take the lead on Lap 6. On Lap 15, the first yellow was brought out from Natalie Decker who spun off of Turn 4. That was the only incident in Stage 1 and after a Lap 19 restart, Kyle Busch easily dominated and won Stage 1.

During the pit stop, one penalty was issued for Brett Moffitt, as he had an uncontrolled tire.

Stage 2 began on Lap 46 and it was four wide off the restart. Busch took the lead after the restart during a battle with Johnny Sauter and Grant Enfinger. However, during the middle of Stage 2, Busch reported “a loose wheel.” A timely caution came out for Busch, as Joe Nemechek lost his front splitter on Lap 52. Busch was able to fix his loose wheel.

The restart came out on Lap 57 and Ben Rhodes took the lead. Busch restarted in the 24th position and worked his way up to the top five on Lap 65. Busch caught Rhodes and with a stronger truck, passed Rhodes to win Stage 2.

With 43 to go, Stage 3 began and Sauter took the lead. Just 15 laps later, Busch retook the lead from Sauter. Just as it looked lik Busch had set sail to win, a caution came out with 19 to go for Decker, who spun again off Turn 4.

After the pit stops, Matt Crafton had to come back down pit road to fix a loose wheel, while Sheldon Creed and Jordan Anderson were penalized.

This set up a 13-lap dash to the finish, but a wreck broke out on the restart as Jesse Little got loose and a melee happened behind him. Parker Kligerman, Chad Finley, and Austin Wayne Self were all involved.

Then the clouds broke loose. After a light mist most of the day, the mist got heavier and heavier, heavy enough to bring the trucks down pit road and red flag the race. After multiple track drying attempts by NASCAR, the race resumed with nine laps to go.

A five-lap restart was shown, but Kyle Busch was able to hold off Johnny Sauter for record-breaking win No. 52, breaking Ron Hornaday’s record of 51 series wins.

“We obviously bounced around with good people and been able to have good people, have fast trucks over the years driving for Billy (Ballew), driving for me,” Busch told MRN Radio. Just fun and working with a great group of guys like we got here this weekend.”

There were six cautions for 30 laps with 10 lead changes. Busch led 92 of 130 laps.

The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Friday night for race number three of the season.

February 23, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Preview – Atlanta
The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series continues their schedule momentum this weekend by hearing north of Daytona and just right off of I-85 south to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

There are many storylines to watch this weekend at Atlanta, where the trucks will be making their 18th appearance at the 1.5-mile speedway since they began hosting Truck Series races in 2004.

Currently, there are 34 trucks on the preliminary entry list for 32 spots for Saturday’s race.

Here’s a look at who to watch for this weekend during Saturday’s race.
1. Kyle Busch – Busch will be making his first Truck Series start since his win at Pocono last year, tying Ron Hornaday’s all-time wins record. He’ll be looking to break that record this year and Busch will more than likely do it. He has won pretty much everywhere on the schedule. Last season, Busch averaged a 2.6 start with a 5.4 average finish in the series total. He also had two wins in 2018, but Busch finished second at Kansas and Charlotte, where he could have broken Hornaday’s record. He has four wins out of 10 starts at Atlanta, his first win coming in 2005 and winning three in a row until 2008. Busch’s last victory came in 2009, 10 years ago. He has completed 99.7 percent of the laps with 387 laps led, earning seven top fives and eight top 10 finishes, with an average start of 3.0 and an average finish of 6.6. Recently, however, Busch has not found his winning ways as he had in the past. Last year, a tire fell off the truck after a late-race pit stop, relegating him to a 21st place finish after starting on the pole. In 2017, he finished 26th. He’ll look to get back to his winning ways in Saturday.
2. Ben Rhodes – After wrecking out of the lead last week at Daytona, Rhodes looks to get back in victory lane this weekend since his win at Kentucky last year. He has a good shot, as Rhodes has two top fives and three top 10 finishes. Rhodes has three starts at Atlanta since 2016, all finishing in the top 10. He has a driver rating of 99.9 and 30 quality passes with 42 green flag passes in 2018.
3. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt will look to recapture that Atlanta magic as he did a year ago, which propelled him to winning the championship. He is the defending race winner after leading just two laps. Moffitt finished fourth and third in both stages last year.
4. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland will be making his first truck start this weekend at Atlanta, but will have an experienced crew chief on top of the box, Marcus Richmond. Richmond has one win back in 2012 with Ty Dillon. The truck Gilliland will be using races at Pocono, Chicago, and Texas. Busch also used this chassis last year at Kansas, where he finished second. Gilliland will have practice time, an experienced crew chief and an veteran owner to rely on throughout the weekend. It’s hard to imagine counting Gilliland out of winning.
5. Matt Crafton – Crafton is looking to snap that long winless streak this weekend and Atlanta could be the place to do it. He has the most starts out of all active drivers with 17, won in 2015, has one DNF, six top fives and 10 top 10 finishes, along with an average start of 13.0 and an average finish of 11.6. In the past five races, Crafton has finished fifth, second, 30th, first, and ninth. Crafton also has 180 laps led. Look for Crafton to be back in victory lane this weekend on Saturday.
Who To Keep An Eye On:
1. Parker Kligerman – Kligerman is making his first Truck Series start of 2019 this year at Atlanta with Henderson Motorsports. The team has surprised the field a few times, especially winning at Talladega a couple of years ago. At Atlanta, he has five starts, one top five and two top 10 finishes with a best finish of fourth in 2012. The No. 75 team finished 11th and 31st the past two times.
2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter will be looking for his first Atlanta win this weekend and it’s hard to believe he does not have a win at the track yet. He has two top fives and four top 10s with a best finish of third twice.
Anthony Alfredo will be making his truck debut for DGR-CROSLEY and Jesse Little returns with his family owned team.

There have been 17 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since their first event in 2004 with 13 different winners. Ron Hornaday is the only series regular to win multiple times with two victories while Kyle Busch has won four times at Atlanta.

The lowest a race winner has come from was 18th set by Ron Hornaday in 2005 and John Hunter Nemechek in 2016.

A winner has came from the pole in 2006 by Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner in 2007, Kyle Busch in 2009, Ty Dillon in 2012 and Christopher Bell in 2017.

There has been five different winners in the past five races.

The Truck Series get on track Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET on nascar.com/live and final practice at 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Qualifying will take place Saturday morning at 10:40 a.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

The Ultimate Tailgating 200 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon following the Xfinity Series race live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 4:30 p.m. ET. Stages are broken down into 40/80/130, all weather permitting.
February 22, 2019
Hattori Racing-Cinderella Story No More

Hattori Racing may be one of the greatest Truck Series stories in recent years.

In the past, you didn’t hear about Hattori Racing who is owned by Shigeaki Hattori until their incredible success story last year. With driver Ryan Truex competing for them in 2016 and 2017, they ran a combined 38 races and had a best finish of second at Daytona in 2016.

In 2016 the team only ran 15 races with Truex, completed 94 percent of the laps, led 14 laps, one top five and four top 10 finishes, along with two DNFs. The team even withdrew from the Iowa race. Needless to say, it was a learning year for Shigeaki’s team.

The following season, 2017, was a much better year as current crew chief Scott Zipadelli came aboard. They had a much better-showing stats wise, with the top fives up to eight, and their top 10s up to 13, but the DNFs increased to five and they completed fewer laps (92 percent). However, there was an increase in laps led to 115.

With an unfortunate start at Daytona in 2017, not even completing a lap and finishing 28th, the season got off to a rocky start. However, the tide began to turn at Martinsville, where driver Ryan Truex finished 10th. They followed it up at Kansas with a sixth, fourth at Charlotte, 10th at Dover, fourth at Texas, and seventh at Gateway but had issues at Kentucky and Eldora.

At the Chicago race where the playoffs standings were decided, all the team needed to do was win or find a little bit of luck. The team almost pulled it off by starting on the pole and finishing fourth after leading 29 laps.

Unfortunately, the team fell short of that goal and missed the Playoffs by a tiebreaker. In the Playoffs, Hattori’s team finished second at Loudon and even had a pole at Las Vegas. At Homestead, the team finished their year with a fourth place finish at a track that would decided their fate one year from now.

With a new season in 2018, came in a new driver. Insert, Brett Moffitt who has had up and down seasons throughout his career, finding himself out of a ride at multiple organizations.

It all came for full circle for Hattori when they hired Moffitt to drive for them in 2018. Moffitt had driven for them in his second start in 2013 when they were a part-time team.

Just like 2017, the Daytona race similar results due to a crash and their season was off to a rough start with a finish of 26th. However, one week later at Atlanta, Hattori won their first ever race with Moffitt. Even then, fans thought they still didn’t have a chance to compete for the championship.

But the team sparked fire at Vegas and Martinsville, finishing third at both tracks. And while Dover, Kansas and Fort Worth saw poor finishes, the team rebounded in Iowa with a thrilling finish to win the race. For race fans, it started to sink in that this team might end up competing and possibly winning the championship that year.

However, winning a championship was far from Hattori’s mind after the Iowa race, as they did not have funding to race at Chicago a week later.

But thanks to Fr8auctions, the team received support and was able to go to Chicago. And what did they do that weekend? They went out and won the race.

More sponsors came aboard such as Iracing, Toyota Tsusho, Otics USA, Don Valley North Toyota/Weins Canada, TZ/Osaka Toyota, American Red Cross, AW N.C., Kobe Toyopet and of course, the Aisin Group.

Hattori was on a week-to-week basis sponsorship-wise, not knowing when their final race would be. The team pulled out two more wins at Michigan and the cut-off race at Phoenix which solidified their spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead.

The time for redemption came at Homestead for the championship race. After all those years of frustration, going through different drivers, sponsors and late nights at the shop, Hattori’s determination finally paid off, as they won the 2018 Truck Series championship with Moffitt.

Unfortunately, the team didn’t have enough backing to bring Moffitt back to the team for the 2019 season and was let go. The team searched and found a new driver, Austin Hill who previously drove for Young’s Motorsports last year.

It may have been a wreckfest for the season-opener but the team picked up right where they left off at Homestead and won at Daytona.

Maybe to some, Hattori could still be anunderdog team, but you can throw out the Cinderella story as they are a team that can win, week-in and week-out. Sure, they will have trying times with a new driver, but every team has a off-weekend at some point.

Considering where the team has come from when they started in 2013 competing in only one race and as a part-time effort in 2015-2016, Hattori Racing has made a name for themselves and become both fan and championship favorites in 2019.

February 21, 2019