Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Charlotte

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Charlotte

    In what feels like forever, the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will return to on-track action Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway after a two-month hiatus from racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last race took place on Feb.ruary 21 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    During that time period, NASCAR had announced they were expanding not only the Xfinity Series field, but the Truck Series field to 40 vehicles to compete in the race. Originally, the Truck Series field was limited to 32, but COVID-19 has made an impact financially, therefore NASCAR increased the field size to help with the financial health for each series. 

    After that rule was announced, the entry list saw up to 47-Trucks entered to compete. However, a random draw took place on Sunday afternoon and seven of those trucks had to go home. While seven of those went home, there were some familiar faces back in the field including Richie Waulters, Trey Hutchens, Bryan Dauzat, Charlie Henderson of Henderson Racing, and Norm Benning. Unfortunately, Erik Jones, Richie Waulters, Trey Hutchens, Dawson Cram of Boyd Long, Tim Viens of Mike Affrano, Bryant Barnhill of Reaume Brothers Racing, Parker Kligerman of Henderson Racing and Norm Benning missed the cut after the random draw. ThorSport’s Ben Rhodes got the pole when the draw was over. 

    With that in mind, here are five drivers who might just get the victory Tuesday night at Charlotte. 

    1. Matt Crafton – The three-time champion and veteran Matt Crafton has the most starts out of any active drivers at Charlotte. The ThorSport driver has a total of 17 starts with two wins, including his first career win that came in 2008. Overall, Crafton has seven top fives and 13 top-10 finishes along with 108 laps led. He also qualified on the pole last year and finished fifth in the race after leading seven laps. Crafton also won Stage 1 as well. The last time he got the victory at Charlotte was four years ago in 2016.
    2. Stewart Friesen – The Halmar International Racing driver has made three starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a best finish of third that came in last year’s event. He has yet to lead any laps at the 1.5-mile speedway but finished a respectable sixth place in both stages in 2019. The Canadian also qualified second in 2019 as well, which was his best qualifying effort out of the three starts. Friesen will start 10th on Tuesday night due to the random draw.
    3. Sheldon Creed – It’s hard to go off one start at any particular racetrack, but the GMS Racing driver Sheldon Creed had a solid finishing position in his first Truck start by finishing 12th. He ran as high as fifth and spent 103 laps in the top-15. In doing so, Creed also finished eighth and seventh respectively in both stages. The GMS driver also finished runner up in last year’s ARCA event with GMS Racing.
    4. Brennan Poole – Poole surprised everyone in his first Truck Series outing in last year’s race at Charlotte. He qualified in the 17th position but had a solid outing by managing track position and taking advantage of a late-race restart. In fact, Poole found himself in position to be an upset winner and had the potential to beat Kyle Busch in a three-lap dash to the finish. Unfortunately, he came up short, but scored a second-place finish, scoring Steven Lane’s team his best finish as a team owner.
    5. Kyle Busch – It would be hard to imagine counting Busch out of any race that he competes in, especially in the Truck Series at Charlotte. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has an impressive record scoring eight wins in the 13 races he has competed in. That’s a 62% winning percentage, well over half. Busch even won four races in a row in a stretch from 2010-2014. While Matt Crafton scored his first-ever NASCAR win at Charlotte, Busch did the same in 2005 when driving for former owner, Billy Ballew after starting third in that race. Busch’s worst finishing effort was 11th, which came in 2007. Otherwise, it ’s been runner-up or win. Don’t be surprised if the KBM team owner can make it nine wins on Tuesday night, as he will already have two races under his belt.

    The Truck Series started racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2003 and has seen eight different winners including Ted Musgrave, Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Dennis Setzer, Ron Hornaday Jr, Justin Lofton, Kasey Kahne, and Johnny Sauter. Of those drivers, Busch has the most wins with eight followed by Hornaday and Crafton with two apiece, as all other drivers only have one win. 

    The highest a driver has won from was the pole position also set by Busch that occurred four times, the last taking place two years ago in 2018. The lowest a driver has ever started to win the race was set by Busch as well, which was seen in 2006 where he qualified 20th. 

    Chevrolet has the most wins with nine for a manufacturer and Toyota with eight. Dodge has one win while Ford surprisingly has zero wins. 

    The most cautions that took place in this event were 10 cautions for 47-laps, back in 2011. The fewest was in 2016 which saw three cautions for 14 laps. The most lead changes occurred in last year’s race with 19.  

    Busch also has the most stage wins with three, while Crafton, Brett Moffitt, and John Hunter Nemechek have all picked up a stage win since stages were implemented in 2017. 

    To limit exposure and prevent more COVID-19 cases, there will be no practice or qualifying. The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 can be seen live on Fox Sports 1 and heard on MRN Radio at 8 p.m. ET. 

  • A strong start ends with mixed results for Kaulig Racing at Charlotte

    A strong start ends with mixed results for Kaulig Racing at Charlotte

    Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley returned to Charlotte Motor Speedway looking to gain more momentum into the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Both competitors started the race strong, but Chastain came through with a strong fourth-place result while a late accident left Haley in 29th.

    Based on a random draw, Chastain started on the pole while Haley started third. When the green flag dropped, both Kaulig Racing competitors ran first and second through the competition caution on Lap 20. 

    When the race restarted on Lap 26, Chastain used the high lane to maintain the lead while Haley dropped to fourth. During another restart six laps later, Chastain would engage in a heated battle for the lead against Kyle Busch. 

    With seven laps remaining, after spending a series of laps battling Busch for the lead and refusing to surrender an inch, Chastain was overtaken for the lead. During the final laps of the first stage, Chastain would not have enough to mount another challenge for Busch. When the first stage concluded, Chastain was second while Haley settled in third as both teammates earned valuable points towards the playoffs.

    At the start of the second stage, Chastain, who restarted second, overtook Busch for the lead and held his advantage as high as two-tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Haley, who restarted fourth but was battling loose conditions, fell back to ninth. 

    As the race progressed, Chastain would engage in another battle with Busch for the lead. On Lap 70, Busch attempted to overtake Chastain for the lead, but Chastain continued to hold his ground and make Busch earn the lead. A lap later, Chastain was able to hold a reasonable lead when Chase Briscoe challenged Busch for the runner-up spot. 

    With nine laps remaining, however, Busch made his way back to Chastain and used lapped traffic to his advantage to reassume the lead in Turn 3. Chastain mounted a final challenge behind Busch’s rear bumper in Turn 4, but Busch benefited with a strong car on the following corner and was gone. Like the first stage, Chastain would not have anything for Busch as he finished second. Meanwhile, Haley, who continued to deal with loose-handling conditions, finished ninth.

    Both Kaulig Racing teammates pitted under the stage break for air pressure adjustments along with four fresh tires and fuel. Chastain exited second after barely being beaten by Busch while Haley exited eighth.

    When the green flag returned for the start of the final stage, Chastain went at it again for the lead over Busch and refused to surrender. Though his valiant efforts allowed him to lead three laps, Busch would regain his commanding lead. Behind the leaders, Haley, whose car handling started improving, made his way back into the top five.

    Both teammates remained in the top five until green flag pit stops occurred with 56 laps remaining. Haley received a smooth stop while receiving an air pressure adjustment to his No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet. Chastain, however, ran into a pair of misfortunes. It all started when he slid his No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet barely outside of his pit stall and reversed, which cost him extra time during his stop. When he returned on track with 46 laps remaining, the engine of Timmy Hill’s machine blew up in a cloud of smoke in Turn 3, causing oil to fall on the racing surface. Chastain ran over the oil and made contact with the wall, causing him to pit for repairs. When he returned on track, he was one lap down and had fallen into the top 20.

    Through all of his teammate’s misfortune, Haley found himself in second, restarting next to Austin Cindric with less than 40 laps remaining. Haley would keep his car inside the top five despite the race cycling through more cautions as more chaos ensured.

    Following a wreck between Austin Hill and Jeremy Clements with 25 laps remaining, Chastain was able to race his way back onto the lead lap. Haley was prepared to restart fourth alongside Busch.

    Both Kaulig Racing teammates would dodge a wreck with 17 laps remaining, but Haley would run into his own misfortune after sustaining damage and being involved in an incident with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Riley Herbst and Brandon Jones with less than 10 laps remaining.

    Under caution, Haley made a pit stop to have the damage repaired, thus surrendering a potential top-five run. On a restart with three laps remaining, Haley’s night went from bad to worse when he was unable to avoid a spinning Tommy Joe Martins and made hard contact with Martins’ No. 44 Chevrolet before he slapped head on into the inside wall in the midst of a multi-car wreck. The damage was enough to end Haley’s race in 29th, but he emerged uninjured from the infield care center. 

    In the midst of the chaos, Chastain made his way back into the top-10 and was prepared to restart in sixth. In overtime, Chastain made a bold move in Turn 1 to move into fourth, but he could only watch from a distance as Busch battled Daniel Hemric and Cindric for the victory on the final lap. When the checkered flag flew, Chastain came home in fourth.

    “Dream come true, man,” Chastain said on FS1. “To go head to head with Kyle [Busch] and not lose a restart to him, [I] checked a lot of boxes in my mind. Still a lot of things for me to clean up. He’s still so dang good at all points of a run. Even though I was strong on the restarts – Lap 5, Lap 10, Lap 15 – [it] was tough for me to put together the consistent aggressiveness that he’s able to. This was a big improvement.” 

    With his first top-5 finish of this season, Chastain moved from fifth to third in the standings and trails points leader Briscoe by 12 points. Haley dropped from sixth to eighth, tied with Brandon Jones, while trailing Briscoe by 65 points.

    Chastain and Haley, along with their fellow Xfinity Series competitors, will return for the next scheduled event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR schedule for Charlotte Motor Speedway

    NASCAR schedule for Charlotte Motor Speedway

    Charlotte Motor Speedway will host four races on four consecutive days, beginning with the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday. Monday will feature the Xfinity Series Alsco 300 followed by the Gander Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Tuesday. The Cup Series will wrap up the events in Charlotte with the Alsco Uniforms 500 Wednesday evening.

    The track will once again pay tribute to U.S. Armed Forces members who made the ultimate sacrifice with “600 Miles of Remembrance.” Each of the cars will display the name of a fallen soldier across the windshield.

    All times are Eastern.

    Sunday, May 24

    Cup Series
    Race: Coca-Cola 600
    Qualifying: 2 p.m. (no practice)
    Race Time: 6 p.m.
    TV: FOX, 5:30 p.m.
    Radio: PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 600 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 100),
    Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 200), Stage 3 (Ends on Lap 300), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)
    2019 Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

    Monday, May 25

    Xfinity Series
    Race: Alsco 300
    Race Time: 7:30 p.m. (no practice or qualifying)
    TV: FS1, 7 p.m.
    Radio: PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
    Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
    2019 Race Winner: Brad Keselowski

    Tuesday, May 26

    Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
    Race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200
    Race Time: 8 p.m. (no practice or qualifying)
    TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m.
    Radio: MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 201 miles (134 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
    Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)
    2019 Winner: Kyle Busch

    Wednesday, May 27

    Cup Series
    Race: Alsco Uniforms 500
    Race Time: 8 p.m. (no practice or qualifying)
    TV: FS1, 7 p.m.
    Radio: PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 310.6 miles (205 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 55),
    Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 115), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 208)

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

  • A new wave of firsts in NASCAR’s revised schedule

    A new wave of firsts in NASCAR’s revised schedule

    With NASCAR set to embark on its first wave of the revised 2020 racing schedule this weekend, a second wave has been revealed that will follow suit at the conclusion of May. Compared to the original wave, the new one is bigger and features additional twists from the sanctioning body’s original approach to this year’s schedule.

    In a continuous effort to make up the two-month hiatus of racing amid the Coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR revealed the next five Cup races that will occur following the May 27 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Also revealed were the upcoming five Xfinity Series races, two Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races and one ARCA Menards Series race. Tracks that includes Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway have racing dates established after originally being postponed. From the upcoming tracks that are featured in the revised schedule, beginning on May 30, Martinsville and Homestead will provide a first of its own in NASCAR history.

    When the original 2020 schedule was revealed in March 2019, Martinsville Speedway, one of NASCAR’s ancient tracks raced on since 1949, was set in making its highly anticipated debut as a night race for the Cup Series. While the first night race at the half-mile Paper Clip track will proceed as planned, it will occur on a Wednesday night, June 10, from its original date, May 9, during Mother’s Day weekend. The last time Martinsville raced on a weekday was in 2018, when rain and snow pushed all on-track activities scheduled for Saturday and Sunday to Monday. This, however, will be Martinsville’s first time hosting a midweek race for NASCAR’s premier series. Martinsville becomes the third Cup event to race on Wednesday night this season, joining Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will also be the only NASCAR activity at Martinsville scheduled in June as the Whelen Modified Tour’s return to the track, scheduled on May 8, has been cancelled.

    For Homestead-Miami Speedway, as originally announced, this season will mark the first time since 2001 where NASCAR’s weekend finale will not occur at the 1.5-mile track. Prior to the pandemic, however, Homestead was set to host a triple-header on March 20-22. In NASCAR’s revised schedule, Homestead will host a quadruple-header for NASCAR’s three major touring series, a first in the sport, with two races a piece. In this occasion, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will have back-to-back races at the track on the same weekend, a first in the series’ history. The Xfinity Series will run its first race at Homestead on Saturday, June 13, at the conclusion of the Truck Series race the same day before returning on Sunday, June 14, prior to the Cup Series. Saturday’s Xfinity race at Homestead will also serve as a makeup race for Iowa Speedway, originally scheduled for June 13, as NASCAR canceled its events at Iowa this season.

    The three additional venues announced in NASCAR’s second scheduling phase, (Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway), will provide a first in the sport. Bristol, which is scheduled to host a doubleheader between the Xfinity and Cup Series on May 30-31, will feature a NASCAR event in May for the first time since 1983. Atlanta, which will hold a triple-header between NASCAR’s major touring series for a sixth consecutive season on June 6-7, will host NASCAR in June for the first time since 1965. Talladega, which will feature the ARCA Menards Series return to racing along with the Xfinity and Cup Series on June 20-21, will feature racing in June for the first time in the track’s history.

    Overall, the second phase of the 2020 NASCAR schedule features 13 races spanning 22 days.

    The announcement of the sanctioning body’s second phase of a revised schedule comes as NASCAR prepares to return to on-track racing on May 17 in its first of an 11-day span across the Carolinas, from Darlington Raceway to Charlotte Motor Speedway. All scheduled races through mid-June will air on FOX or FOX Sports 1 and occur without fans in attendance as a safety precaution amid the Coronavirus pandemic as NASCAR continues to work with public health officials in monitoring and providing a safe, healthy environment for the drivers and teams for the upcoming races.

    Further announcements for the remainder of this year’s NASCAR schedule will be announced at a later date.

  • Back to almost normal

    Back to almost normal

    With a deep breath, we will see live racing on Sunday. No, you will not hear the roar of the crowd, and you won’t see much of a victory lane celebration, but in these days of pandemic, it’s still much better than virtual racing, that depended on how well the driver had experienced the computer program. I had grown tired of the “computer racing.” I’m glad to get back to man and machine. I’m looking forward to real racing.

    It’s going to be different, though. Most events this month will probably be one-day events and qualifying based on a draw. Media availability will be shortened to only a few outlets, and driver reactions after the race will be done remotely. Yes, it won’t be the same. Races at Chicagoland, Richmond, and Sonoma will be replaced with the Darlington-Charlotte marathon this month. My sources tell me that Fox will have all races as it stands.

    NASCAR is the first major sport trying to do this, so they will be under the microscope, thus the harsh requirements. All must wear masks. Teams are allowed fewer people. Big fines or punishments will follow. Yes, the days of old are gone. Cleanliness is important. Following the rules will depend on whether we see a season or not. MLB, the NBA, and all major sports are watching us. Our success means their success. We must make this work.

    So, we head to Darlington, as far as I can tell, the series’ second-oldest track, and have a race. I love Darlington. I’ve covered races there, even when the little red press box used to feel the vibrations when drivers hit the wall in front of it and you had to run to the back of the press box to post stories. It’s altogether good and proper we start this new experiment there. The good news is the statement that we will have a fall race – a throwback race at the track in September if all goes well. It must, not only for NASCAR but all big-time professional sports. Cross your fingers and pray, if you pray, for success this weekend for these races.

  • NASCAR realigns 2020 schedule, shifts events from Chicagoland, Richmond, Sonoma

    NASCAR realigns 2020 schedule, shifts events from Chicagoland, Richmond, Sonoma

    Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    NASCAR officials announced Friday three tracks will have races reassigned to Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway later this month as the sport attempts to hold its first events since the COVID-19 outbreak.

    The realignment shifts events away from Chicagoland Speedway, Richmond Raceway (spring) and Sonoma Raceway on the 2020 calendar. According to officials from the sanctioning body, future adjustments to this season’s schedule “will be released in the near future.”

    NASCAR initially announced portions of a revised May schedule on April 30, adding national series events at Darlington and Charlotte. Those tracks were chosen for NASCAR’s return to competition in part because of their proximity to the industry’s Charlotte-area hub, as officials try to minimize travel demands and limit the amount of at-track personnel with one-day events.

    “Due to the current pandemic, NASCAR has faced several difficult decisions, including realigning race dates from several race tracks,” the NASCAR statement read. “These decisions were made following thorough collaboration with local and state government officials from across the country, including the areas of the affected race tracks. We thank all our fans for their support, and we look forward to our return to racing.”

    Further details about the changes to the 2020 racing schedule:

    • Chicagoland’s NASCAR Cup Series race — originally set for June 21 — has been reassigned to Darlington on May 17. The 1.5-mile Illinois track’s Xfinity Series race that was scheduled June 20 will be held May 19 at Darlington. Chicagoland was also set to host the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (June 19) and ARCA Menards Series (June 18); officials indicated those races will be reassigned at a later date.

    • Richmond Raceway’s springtime Cup Series event on the initial schedule for April 19 has been moved to Darlington on May 20. A Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race that was to be run April 18 remains postponed, with officials saying details would come later for rescheduling. The .75-mile Virginia track’s Sept. 11-12 race weekend remains on the schedule.

    • Sonoma Raceway’s Cup Series date for June 14 has been moved to Charlotte on May 27. Officials for the road course said in a release they had worked with NASCAR to find an alternate date on the schedule, but a suitable replacement could not be reached, “given the ongoing uncertainty around large events in California.”

    Each of the three tracks released statements, saying ticketholders for the canceled races would receive a full refund or a 120-percent credit toward a future event.

    • Chicagoland Speedway president Scott Paddock: “The difficult decision to realign our race events was a combination of where we fell on the schedule, proximity to NASCAR’s teams and the safety and well-being of our community and larger NASCAR industry. We will miss the roar of the engines at Chicagoland Speedway this season, but we will be rooting for and supporting our NASCAR colleagues at Darlington Raceway as competition returns on Sunday, May 17.”

    • Richmond Raceway president Dennis Bickmeier: “As a sport, we continue to be united in the best interests of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, stakeholders, and track personnel. There will be brighter and healthier days ahead in the greater Richmond region when NASCAR returns to Richmond Raceway for the NASCAR Playoff Race Weekend on Sept. 11-12. We look forward to NASCAR’s best getting back on the track at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17 as we launch a new countdown to the return of racing in RVA this fall.”

    • Sonoma Raceway president and general manager Steve Page: “We work all year for this event, so this is a huge disappointment for us, for our fans and our sponsors, but we realize it’s part of a larger challenge facing our nation and everyone in the live events business. We are excited that NASCAR is coming back to broadcast television and are ready to support the upcoming events at our Speedway Motorsports tracks. We look forward to NASCAR’s return to Sonoma in 2021.”

  • Episode 9: No racing? Throwback plans coming!

    Episode 9: No racing? Throwback plans coming!

    On this episode of News and Views from SpeedwayMedia.com, we discuss the unfortunate postponement of some of the upcoming races. Speedway Media, however, has some awesome plans in store for you guys.

  • CMI Motorsports Withdraws From Atlanta Truck Race

    CMI Motorsports Withdraws From Atlanta Truck Race

    Announced today via CMI Motorsports, Team Owner Ray Ciccarelli will be withdrawing from the Atlanta Truck Series race scheduled to take place Saturday afternoon. While the coronavirus had an impact on the decision, the weather forecast was also a factor. Ultimately the team decided to stay home and focus on the upcoming races. Below is a report from team owner Ray Ciccarelli.

    “We had a very hard decision to make today, but with everything going on and the potential of rain Friday, we thought it was best to withdraw from Atlanta and focus on completing our move into the new building,” Ciccarelli said. “We’re getting both Trucks ready for Miami and Texas. We can’t thank Springrates enough for there support.”

    “Thanks to all our fans as well for their understanding and supporting.”

    So far in 2020, CMI Motorsports has only made one start with Stefan Parsons, which occurred at Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Parsons was credited with a 29th place finish after some issues with the truck earlier in the night. He was 22 laps down.

    Overall, CMI has made 11 starts over a span of three years since debuting at Pocono in 2018. Their best finish took place last year at Michigan, where Ciccarelli finished ninth after starting 30th.

    For more info on CMI Motorsports, you can follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

  • Weekend schedule for Atlanta – Racing postponed

    Weekend schedule for Atlanta – Racing postponed

    Update from NASCAR:

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 13, 2020) – “NASCAR has decided to postpone the race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend. We believe this decision is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, officials and everyone associated with our sport. We will continue to monitor this dynamic situation as we assess future race events.”

    All three national series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a weekend of competition. Brad Keselowski has won two of the last three NASCAR Cup Series races at the 1.54-mile track (2019,2017) and finished second in 2018.

    Christopher Bell, who currently competes in the Cup Series, won last year’s Xfinity Series race at Atlanta but is not entered in this weekend’s race. Kyle Busch won the 2019 Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series race and will compete in Saturday’s event.

    After Busch scored his 57th career victory last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, there was the usual uproar about Busch competing in a lower series. This prompted Kevin Harvick to offer a $50,000 bounty for any full-time Cup Series driver who could beat Busch in one of his four remaining Truck Series races. RV & Outdoors CEO Marcus Lemonis responded by matching Harvick’s bounty, for a total payout of  $100,000. This weekend at Atlanta, Chase Elliott will try to collect the bounty.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 13

    1:35 p.m.- 2:25 p.m.: Truck Series first practice – Stream on NASCAR.com

    2:35 p.m.- 3:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series first practice – FS1

    3:35 p.m.- 4:25 p.m.: Cup Series first practice – FS1

    4:32 p.m.- 4:57 p.m.: Truck Series final practice – FS1

    5:02 p.m.- 5:27 p.m.: Xfinity Series final practice – FS1

    5:35 p.m.-6:25 p.m.: Cup Series final practice – FS1

    Saturday, March 14

    10:05 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1

    11:05 AM Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1

    12:05 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1/PRN

    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series Vet Tix/Camping World 200 race (Stages 30/60/130 Laps = 200.02 Miles) – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    4 p.m.: Xfinity Series Echo Park 250 race (Stages 40/80/163 Laps = 251.02 Miles) – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, March 15

    2 p.m.: Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 race (Stages 105/210/325 Laps = 500.5 Miles) – FOX/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Atlanta/The Bounty Part 1

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Atlanta/The Bounty Part 1

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series return to on-track action this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. While you may have looked at this as just another race prior to the 2020 season, all eyes will be watching this Saturday.

    Last time out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch stole the show and went to victory lane in the Truck Series once again. This caused another round of outrage from some NASCAR fans about Busch winning in the lower series.

    The outrage got the attention of the 2014 Cup Series champion and future Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick who finally had enough of it. The day after Busch’s win, Harvick took to Twitter and issued what was originally a $50,000 bounty to any full-time Cup driver that can beat Busch. Not only did it get the attention of Harvick but the bounty that Harvick offered also got the attention of the CEO and sponsor of the series, Marcus Lemonis. Lemonis took to Twitter and matched Kevin’s bounty to equal $100,000. Of course, this got the attention of several Cup Series drivers who right away tried putting plans together with Truck Series teams.

    While it would have been interesting to see a Cup vs. Truck field at Atlanta this weekend, the realization came into play on how tough it actually would be to get a ride in the Truck Series, as there would be many sponsor and manufacturer conflicts in some instances. However, a couple of Cup drivers were able to get a deal worked out. Those drivers include Chase Elliott who will drive the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevy, Brennan Poole who will pilot his own No. 29 Toyota entry and John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports entry. Whether or not, one of these three can beat Kyle by finishing ahead of him remains to be seen but the bounty will certainly put on a good show.

    Before we get to The Bounty, let’s take a look at five other drivers that have shot to win in this weekend’s Vet Tix Camping World 200 at Atlanta.

    Currently, there are 38 Trucks on the preliminary entry list, meaning six trucks will go home after qualifying.

    1. Kyle Busch – Anytime Kyle Busch is in the field, it will be really tough to beat him head-to-head on his good days and that has been the case here at Atlanta for at least nine of 11 starts. In last year’s race, Busch swept both the stages and won in his second straight Truck start of the season after leading 92 laps. In total, the Las Vegas native has an average finish of 6.1 with an average start of 3.4. He has five wins to his credit with eight top fives, nine top-10 finishes and 479 laps led. Busch’s stats at Atlanta are impressive as he won three in a row in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Had he not finished eighth in 2008, Busch could have won five in a row which is really impressive, to say the least. Despite his success at the 1.54-mile speedway in Atlanta, the KBM owner has also faced some adversity at one point or another. In 2017, he started second and finished 26th, three laps down while in 2018, Busch was on the pole but finished 21st after having a wheel come off under a pit stop. It’s rare for Busch to have a problem in the Truck Series, but it’s also rare for anyone to beat him. The KBM owner will be pretty tough to beat on Saturday for the bounty.
    2. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt has yet to find victory lane this season in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevy. Though it has not been the start Moffitt has been looking for, that could all change this weekend at a track where he has had limited success. The Iowa native won here back in 2018 after starting 10th and only led two laps after a late-race restart with two to go. To date, that has been Moffitt’s only victory in the Truck Series at Atlanta. In last year’s outing for GMS, he finished fourth after starting third but only registered a fifth-place stage finish in the second stage. Overall, Moffitt has an average finish of 5.3.
    3. Grant Enfinger – Quite simply put, Atlanta has been one of the best tracks that Grant Enfinger has not won at yet. Since making his first start there in 2016, the Alabama native has had consistent finishes in the top fives and 10s with a best finish of third coming in 2019. He’s managed to lead eight laps and earned an average finish of 6.2. In total, Enfinger has two top-fives and four top-10 finishes. He was able to finish third in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2 in the 2019 race. Surprisingly, the ThorSport driver has not won yet at Atlanta, but that could change this weekend.
    4. Ben Rhodes – Another driver who has had some success at Atlanta is the driver of the No. 99 Carolina Nut Company Ford, Ben Rhodes. Rhodes has four starts dating back to 2016. His best finish was fourth (twice, 2017 and 2018). In those four starts, he’s also led 20 laps which came in last year’s race. All in all, the ThorSport driver has completed all the laps since his first race, which is really remarkable. Rhodes has yet to grab a stage win in this race, but that may very well come this weekend along with a win.
    5. Ross Chastain – Chastain is back for another race in the Niece Motorsports entry for 2020. At Atlanta, he has three starts in 2012, 2017 and 2019. Chastain’s best finish of those three starts was sixth in last year’s race after starting 21st. He didn’t make a lot of noise, but still got the job done by earning a top-10 finish. Chastain also finished 10th and seventh in both stages in the 2019 race.

    As for the bounty hunters, Chase Elliott has one start at Atlanta that came in 2017 driving for GMS. Elliott finished fifth after starting ninth. He also managed to finish eighth in the second stage of that race. For Brennan Poole, his only start was in last year’s race where he finished 13th. John Hunter Nemechek has two starts at Atlanta in the Truck Series. Nemechek won this race in 2016. Though, his last Truck start was three years ago in 2017, where Nemechek was credited with a 29th place finish due to an accident.

    There will be a few somewhat new faces in the field this weekend making their start of 2020. T.J. Bell returns to drive the No. 12 Youngs Motorsports Truck, while Danny Bohn is scheduled to pilot the No. 30 of On Point Motorsports, J.J. Yeley will pilot the No. 33 of Reaume Brothers Racing, Ryan Truex will compete in the No. 40 Niece Motorsports entry and Jeb Burton will be in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy.

    A couple of drivers will be making their first at-track debut. Those include Zane Smith, Tate Fogleman, Raphael Lessard, Tanner Gray, Derek Kraus, Tyler Ankrum, Stefan Parsons, Danny Bohn, and Angela Ruch.

    Since 2004, Atlanta Motor Speedway has seen 18 Truck Series races. The winners include Bobby Hamilton, Ron Hornaday Jr., Kyle Busch, Todd Bodine, Mike Bliss, Mike Skinner, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Ty Dillon, Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, and Brett Moffitt. Kyle Busch has the most wins with five occurring in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2019.

    As for manufacturers, Chevrolet has nine wins with Toyota directly behind with eight. Toyota has won the last three races. Dodge only has one victory which came in 2004 while Ford has zero wins throughout the 18 race span.

    The race winners starting positions have been a mixed bag as well. At least seven times a race winner has come from outside the top-10, while four times a race winner came from the top five and only two times the winner has come from the top-10. The lowest a winner has ever started was 18th (twice) set by Hornaday in 2005 and John Hunter Nemechek in 2016. The winner has started from the pole only five times by drivers Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner, Kyle Busch, Ty Dillon, and previously Christopher Bell in 2017. There have been zero races dating back to 2004 that have not ended under yellow.

    As far as stage wins go, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson, and Busch have been the only stage winners so far since stages were implemented in 2017. Twice the stages have been swept by Bell and Busch, as both went on to victory lane later that day.

    The most lead changes that took place was 21 in 2006. The least amount of lead changes were six (twice) in 2015 and 2017. The most cautions occurred in 2007 with nine for 45 laps. The least amount of cautions took place in 2015, where only three caution flags were flown for 13 laps.

    The first time the Truck Series drivers will get on-track is slated for 1:35 p.m. ET for their first practice with no live TV. Final practice is scheduled for 4:32 p.m. ET with live coverage on Fox Sports 1. Truck Series qualifying is set for Saturday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1. The Vet Tix Camping World 200 is set for Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages will be 30/60/40 to make up the 130-lap race.