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  • Penske Racing Dominates Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

    The three Penske cars combined to lead 73 of the 82 laps in the Zippo 200 and swept the top two spots while leaving the rest of the field to fight for the leftovers. Logano was running inside the top five on the final lap as well but ran out of fuel which relegated him to a disappointing 21st place finish. Brad Keselowski was able to hold off teammate and NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) title threat, Sam Hornish Jr for the victory; the 24th of his NNS career and his 4th in his last four starts.

    The race started off with a jaw-dropping moment when Kyle Busch spun just seconds after the initial start while trying to take the lead. He escaped with only minor damage until Mike Wallace made heavy contact with the left front of the No.54. Kyle Busch finished the race 24th and five laps down while his rival in the owner’s championship, Brad Keselowski put the No.22 in victory lane and significantly cut down the 54’s points lead.

    Austin Dillon was able to maintain his position at the top of the standings, although it did shrink after a 12th place finish which could partly be attributed to fuel pick-up problems.

    Sam Hornish Jr. is just eight markers back of Austin with Regan Smith five points back. Sadler and Vickers are also within reasonable striking distance.

    The NNS will return to a road course again next weekend with their inaugural trip to Mid-Ohio.

    1.) Brad Keselowski

    2.) Sam Hornish Jr.

    3.) Brian Vickers

    4.) Regan Smith

    5.) Elliott Sadler

    6.) Parker Kligerman

    7.) Justin Allgaier

    8.) Cole Whitt

    9.) Nelson Piquet Jr.

    10.) Trevor Bayne

    11.) Brian Scott

    12.) Austin Dillon

    13.) Alex Bowman

    14.) Brendan Gaughan

    15.) Travis Pastrana

    16.) Reed Sorenson

    17.) Landon Cassill

    18.) Kasey Kahne

    19.) Kyle Kelley

    20.) Jeremy Clements

    21.) Joey Logano

    22.) Michael Annett

    23.) Bryan Silas

    24.) Kyle Busch

    25.) Derek White

    26.) Andrew Ranger

    27.) Mike Bliss

    28.) Eric McClure

    29.) Tony Raines

    30.) Kyle Larson

    31.) Carl Long

    32.) Anthony Gandon

    33.) Joey Gase

    34.) Kenny Habul

    35.) Morgan Shepherd

    36.) Blake Koch

    37.) Jeff Green

    38.) TJ Bell

    39.) Josh Wise

    40.) Mike Wallace

  • Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    After some exciting races at Pocono Raceway and Iowa Speedway last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series head north for some road course racing at Watkins Glen International, the always entertaining 2.45 mile road course in Upstate New York. This weekend will mark the second road course race for both series after the Sprint Cup Series visited Sonoma Raceway and the Nationwide Series was at Road America back in June.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    As the Sprint Cup Series heads into Watkins Glen for the second road course race of the year, the Race to the Chase is also heating up with only five races remaining until the Chase begins and several drivers still in contention for those coveted spots. There are several drivers, including some in Chase contention who always run well at this track, so this race should be a fight from beginning to end as we get one step closer to finalizing the field for the Chase.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Marcos Ambrose 5 2 5 5 0 46 13.2 2.0
    Brad Keselowski 3 0 2 2 0 39 16.0 8.0
    Kyle Busch 8 1 3 7 1 159 7.4 9.0
    AJ Allmendinger 4 0 1 2 0 8 15.2 9.0
    Carl Edwards 8 0 3 5 1 1 12.5 9.4
    Kevin Harvick 12 1 2 6 0 29 13.2 13.1
    Jimmie Johnson 11 0 4 6 1 11 6.2 13.2
    Martin Truex Jr. 7 0 2 4 0 0 18.7 13.7
    Jeff Gordon 20 4 6 9 2 233 9.4 14.8
    Juan Pablo Montoya 6 1 2 4 1 81 10.3 15.0

    Who To Watch: After winning at Watkins Glen in the past two seasons, the driver who runs best at the track is none other than road course ace Marcos Ambrose, whose stellar Watkins Glen career includes the two wins, five top fives, five top tens, 46 laps led, and an average finish of 2.0 in five starts. The lowest that Ambrose has ever finished is third, so the road to victory on Sunday will have to go through Ambrose.

    Tony Stewart falls in second statistically at this track and is undoubtedly one of the best at Watkins Glen with five wins, but unfortunately Stewart will be missing the race Sunday due to a broken leg that he suffered in a Sprint Car wreck on Monday night.

    With Stewart out, the next driver in line statistically is Brad Keselowski, who has finished second to Ambrose the last two years, and in three starts has the two top fives, two top tens, 39 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0.

    Others who run well at the road course include: Kyle Busch, who has one win, three top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 159 laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in eight starts; A.J. Allmendinger, who won the Nationwide Series race at Road America in June, with one top five, two top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in four starts; and Carl Edwards, with three top fives, five top tens, one pole, one lap led, and an average finish of 9.4 in eight starts.

    The others in the top ten statistically (Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya) will also be strong contenders for the win this weekend. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Zippo 200 at the Glen

    This weekend at Watkins Glen marks the second of three road course races this season for the Nationwide Series with a date at Mid-Ohio awaiting the drivers next weekend. With the points lead swapping between Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish Jr., and Regan Smith over the past few weeks, the unpredictability that is Watkins Glen is sure to shake up the points standings once again.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 4 0 2 4 0 44 7.8 5.2
    Nelson Piquet Jr. 1 0 0 1 0 0 10.0 7.0
    Kyle Busch 6 0 4 5 0 90 7.2 9.3
    Kasey Kahne 2 0 0 1 0 0 6.5 10.0
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 1 0 0 16.7 12.3
    Joey Logano 5 0 2 3 0 8 8.4 13.4
    Elliott Sadler 4 0 0 1 0 0 13.0 14.8
    Michael Annett 4 0 0 0 0 0 26.2 17.2
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 0 1 0 1 17.0 18.0
    Trevor Bayne 2 0 0 1 0 0 15.0 19.0

    Who To Watch: While Brad Keselowski has been a runner-up on the Sprint Cup side statistically, he takes one step up in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen with the best statistics of the drivers entered on Saturday. In four starts, Keselowski has two top fives, four top tens, 44 laps led, and an average finish of 5.2.

    Next is Nelson Piquet, Jr., who has a Nationwide Series road course win at Road America and in his lone Watkins Glen start in 2010 finished in seventh. Piquet’s road course skills are likely to have him in contention for the win.

    Others who run well at the track include: Kyle Busch, with four top fives, five top tens, 90 laps led, and an average finish of 9.3 in five starts; Kasey Kahne, with one top ten and an average finish of 10.0 in two starts; Brian Scott, with one top ten and an average finish of 12.3 in three starts; and Joey Logano, who will be driving a special No. 48 Ford this weekend, with two top fives, three top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 13.4 in five starts.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Indianapolis

    Crunching The Numbers: Indianapolis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Indiana 250

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Crunching The Numbers: Chicago

    Crunching The Numbers: Chicago

    With the Sprint Cup Series drivers and teams enjoying their final off weekend of the year before beginning the grueling 17 race stretch to end the year and the Camping World Truck Series drivers gearing up for their dirt racing debut at Eldora next week, the Nationwide Series takes center stage this weekend in Chicago.

    This weekend’s STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway marks the first of two trips the series will make to the Windy City this season. This race also marks the third leg of the Nationwide Insurance “Dash 4 Cash” with Austin Dillon, Brian Vickers, Brian Scott, and Michael Annett vying for the $100,000 bonus this weekend.

    Driver Races Wins Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Austin Dillon 2 0 1 2 0 53 2.0 4.5
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 3 0 1 3 0 23 4.7 6.3
    Joey Logano 4 1 2 3 1 214 4.2 7.8
    Justin Allgaier 6 1 2 4 0 9 12.0 8.2
    Brian Scott 5 0 2 3 1 5 15.0 8.8
    Reed Sorenson 6 0 0 5 0 30 15.7 9.5
    Parker Kligerman 2 0 0 1 0 0 15.0 10.0
    Brian Vickers 4 0 3 3 0 3 7.5 10.2
    Michael Annett 6 0 1 3 0 2 17.7 11.3
    Trevor Bayne 4 0 1 1 0 0 12.8 14.5

    Who To Watch: Although he’s never won at Chicago, Austin Dillon has the best statistics of the current Nationwide Series drivers at the track. In two starts, Dillon has one top five, two top tens, 53 laps led, and an average finish of 4.5. Dillon also has the best average start of 2.0 and with the way he has been winning poles this season, could be a serious threat for both the pole and the win.

    Others to keep an eye on on Sunday include: Sam Hornish, Jr., who has one top five, three top tens, 23 laps led and an average finish of 6.3 in three starts; Joey Logano, the only Sprint Cup regular who will be racing on the off weekend, with one win, two top fives, three top tens, one pole, 214 laps led, and an average finish of 7.8 in four starts; Justin Allgaier, the only other driver in the field with a win at Chicago, also has two top fives, four top tens, nine laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in six starts; and Brian Scott, with two top fives, three top tens, one pole, five laps led and an average finish of 8.8 in five starts.

  • Kyle Busch Thanks Lord, Wife, and Gas Man for New Hampshire Nationwide Win

    Kyle Busch Thanks Lord, Wife, and Gas Man for New Hampshire Nationwide Win

    Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, was giving thanks in Victory Lane to everyone from his higher power, lovely wife and probably his gas man for helping him survive three green-white-checkered restarts to score the Nationwide Series win in the CNBC Prime’s The Profit 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    This was Busch’s 58th victory in 258 Nationwide Series races, his seventh win in 2013, and his fourth victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    “We didn’t want to have those late restarts,” Busch said. “We felt like we just had enough fuel to make it to the end and then everything keeps happening where guys keep wrecking and spinning to cause the cautions.”

    “Besides the hiccup on pit road, we showed our strength and am just glad we were able to take the checkered flag first,” Busch continued. “All in all, we had a great race car today.”

    Busch and his crew chief Adam Stevens admitted that fuel was of paramount concern, especially with the multiple green-white-checkered restarts. But they were able to not only have enough to do a burnout but also to drive the car into Victory Lane.

    “I knew we had a buffer of fuel but I didn’t know exactly how much,” Stevens said. “When you get down to the small numbers, the calculations get a little bit fuzzy.”

    “We kept him out there as long as we felt safe to set it up for that situation at the end,” Stevens continued. “That’s what sealed the deal for us.”

    “We pitted two laps after Brian (Vickers, runner up)  so that was part of it,” Busch said. “Brian and the No. 3 car were racing really hard to beat each other too.”

    “That all just compounded the fuel situation,” Busch continued. “I bet you there’s still probably a couple of gallons left in our tank.”

    Busch also tied Sam Ard’s record for wins from the pole in a season set in 1983, with this his fourth win from the Coors Lite Pole in 2013.

    “Wow, every time I get in Victory Lane there’s some sort of record that I tie or break,” Busch said. “That’s cool.”

    “Sam was a huge part of the sport and so there’s been a lot of records that I’ve been able to tie or break of his,” Busch continued. “It’s been fun to do.”

    “We still pay heritage to those that have made this sport and it is guys like Sam that have done a lot of great things for the sport,” Busch said. “Even down the road, maybe somebody’s going to break my records.”

    “Records are always made to be broken so we’ll see who will be better than me.”

    Brian Vickers, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, finished in the runner up spot. This was his second top-10 finish in three races at New Hampshire and his ninth top-10 finish of the season.

    “It was a good run,” Vickers said. “The guys did their homework back at the shop and we had a good starting spot.”

    “We had a really fast car until we had the overheating issue,” Vickers said. “I got some trash on the grill and that definitely hurt us.”

    “Once we got that off the grill when the caution came out, we were much better,” Vickers continued. “But the third green-white-checkered, we started to run out of gas and I completely ran out coming to the finish line.”

    Austin Dillon captured not only the third place, his second top-10 at New Hampshire, but also secured the $100,000 Dash for Cash winnings for himself and the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team.

    “This race played out exactly like last year’s did for us,” Dillon said. “We didn’t get the track position we wanted after the first stop and then had a four-tire stop and the car just came to life.”

    “Super excited to win the Nationwide Dash for Cash,” Dillon continued. “With all those restarts and so close on fuel, I just thank the good Lord above for keeping fuel in that thing for us.”

    Brian Scott, driver of the No. 2 ShoreLodge Chevrolet, finished fourth and then a bevy of Ford Mustangs, driven by Michael Annett, Trevor Bayne and Sam Hornish Jr., finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

    “This was a great run for Richard Petty Motorsports,” Annett, driver of the No. 43 Pilot Travel Centers Ford, said. “We came back at Charlotte after the injury and just had the worst racing luck I’ve had since I’ve been in the Nationwide Series.”

    “Finally, nothing stupid happened and we kept our nose clean and brought home a top-five.”

    “We were 15th with five to go so to come out sixth was a good day,” Bayne said. “Overall it wasn’t a great day though because I felt like we had a car that could win the thing.”

    “To come out of here sixth, I will take it.”

    “Our Ford Mustang was awesome today,” Hornish Jr. said. “We were really good on a long run.”

    “We didn’t have any fall off which would have made us really good but we just didn’t get the run we needed to toward the end.”

    Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 99 SchoolTipline.com Toyota, was the highest finishing rookie, scoring the tenth spot in the race.

    “I think if anybody would have told me I would be sitting in the media center after how we were in practice and at the beginning of the race, I would have laughed,” Bowman said. “We never gave up and my crew chief made a lot of good calls and some people decided to take themselves out at the end.”

    “So, we were able to capitalize on the opportunity and come home in tenth.”

    With his eighth place finish, Regan Smith, driver of the No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet, now has a five point advantage over Sam Hornish Jr. in the point standings. The Nationwide Series will next race at Chicagoland Speedway next week.Kyle

  • Crunching The Numbers: New Hampshire & Iowa

    Crunching The Numbers: New Hampshire & Iowa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – American Ethanol 200 at Iowa

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

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

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

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

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

  • Crunching The Numbers: Kentucky

    Crunching The Numbers: Kentucky

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

    Sprint Cup Series – Quaker State 400

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

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

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

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

    Nationwide Series – Feed The Children 300

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

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

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

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

    Camping World Truck Series – UNOH 225

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

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

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

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

  • Crunching The Numbers: Sonoma & Road America

    Crunching The Numbers: Sonoma & Road America

    That time of the year has come again when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series head for the first road courses of the season in Sonoma, CA and Elkhart Lake, WI, respectively. Many of the road course races in recent memory have turned into races that resemble short track races than the follow the leader races of old and this weekend’s events should be more of the same beating and banging all the way to the finish. Add in the addition of so called “road course ringers” and the road courses make for very entertaining races.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

    This weekend marks the annual trip to California Wine Country and Sonoma Raceway’s lone Sprint Cup date. With the advent of double file restarts, this race has become a must see event due to the narrow course that these drivers are trying to navigate while running two wide. That factor often leads to cars being spun off course and tempers flaring among the drivers. In addition to that, the Sprint Cup Series will debut group based qualifying this weekend and this will also be the Sonoma debut for the Gen6 car, which throws more uncertainty into this race that has not seen a repeat winner in the past eight races.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jeff Gordon 20 5 12 16 5 450 7.4 8.6
    Clint Bowyer 7 1 4 5 0 73 17.1 9.7
    Tony Stewart 14 2 5 9 1 82 11.1 10.9
    Marcos Ambrose 5 0 2 4 1 46 5.0 12.8
    Ryan Newman 11 0 2 5 0 11 10.8 12.9
    Juan Pablo Montoya 6 1 1 4 0 9 18.8 13.2
    Jimmie Johnson 11 1 4 6 0 85 16.0 13.8
    Greg Biffle 10 0 2 4 0 9 16.4 14.9
    Kevin Harvick 12 0 3 4 0 10 16.7 16.1
    Joey Logano 4 0 0 2 1 5 11.8 17.0

    Who To Watch: Four-time Sprint Cup champion, Jeff Gordon, has proven himself to be one of the best on road courses, especially at Sonoma, with five wins, 12 top fives, 16 top tens, five poles, 450 laps led, and an average finish of 8.6 in 20 races.

    2012 winner, Clint Bowyer, has also proven his mettle at Sonoma with one win, four top fives, five top tens, 73 laps led, and an average finish of 9.7 in seven races.

    Others who run well on the road course include: Tony Stewart, with two wins, five top fives, nine top tens, one pole, 82 laps led, and an average finish of 10.9 in 14 races; Road course ace Marcos Ambrose who has yet to win at Sonoma, but has two top fives, four top tens, one pole, 46 laps led, and an average finish of 12.8 in five races; Ryan Newman, with two top fives, five top tens, 11 laps led, and an average finish of 12.9 in 11 races; 2007 winner, Juan Pablo Montoya, with one win, one top five, four top tens, nine laps led, and an average finish of 13.2 in six races; and Jimmie Johnson, with one win, four top fives, six top tens, 85 laps led, and an average finish of 13.8 in 11 starts.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Johnsonville Sausage 200 at Road America

    For just the fourth time, the Nationwide Series will be making the trek to Wisconsin to take on the daunting 4.048 mile road course, the longest on the circuit. The field will be full of drivers who have never raced at the track or only have one start, leaving the field wide open for a new winner. With none of the Sprint Cup regulars attempting the double and a few “ringers” joining the field, the odds are high that one of the Nationwide regulars will find themselves in Victory Lane for the third race in a row.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Nelson Piquet, Jr. 1 1 1 1 1 19 1.0 1.0
    Reed Sorenson 1 1 1 1 0 1 12.0 1.0
    Brendan Gaughan 1 0 1 1 0 0 6.0 3.0
    Owen Kelly 1 0 1 1 0 0 9.0 5.0
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 1 0 1 1 0 3 8.0 5.0
    Cole Whitt 1 0 0 1 0 0 14.0 9.0
    Elliott Sadler 2 0 1 1 0 0 10.0 9.5
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 1 0 10 13.3 12.0
    Max Papis 2 0 1 1 0 1 3.5 13.5
    Blake Koch 1 0 0 0 0 0 24.0 14.0

    Who To Watch: With a win and a pole in his only race at the track last season, Nelson Piquet, Jr. is at the top of the list statistically of the drivers who have competed at Road America. Piquet led 19 laps en route to victory last season and is looking to become the first repeat winner at the track in the short history that the Nationwide Series has there.

    The only other driver in the field with a win is Reed Sorenson, who along with his one win has one top five, one top ten, one lap led and an average finish of 1.0 in one start.

    Others who run well at Road America, but have yet to win include: Brendan Gaughan, with a third place finish in his lone start; Owen Kelly, piloting Kyle Busch’s No. 54, with a fifth place finish in one start; Sam Hornish, Jr., currently sitting second in points, with a fifth place finish in one start; Cole Whitt, who recently returned to the Nationwide Series, with a ninth place finish in one start; and Elliott Sadler, who is the highest ranking driver with more than one start and has one top five and one top ten in his two starts at the track.

  • Threat of Rain a Recipe for Exciting Nationwide Finish at Michigan

    Threat of Rain a Recipe for Exciting Nationwide Finish at Michigan

    As rain loomed over Michigan International Speedway, every driver scrambled for position, and every crew chief formulated a strategy in an effort to beat Mother Nature.  Several teams elected not to pit in an effort to gain track position hoping to be at the front of the pack in case a red flag fell on the field.   A timely caution gave No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet driver, Regan Smith the track position he needed to grab his first victory at Michigan International Speedway.

    Winning the 22nd Annual Alliance Truck Parts 250 is Smith’s second victory this season after winning the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway, and is his third victory in 116 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.  JR Racing driver, Smith, has finished in the top-10 in eleven consecutive races.  He now leads Sam Hornish Jr. by 58 points in the Nationwide Series points standings.

    No. 32 Cessna Chevrolet driver, Kyle Larson, posted his first top-10 finish and matched his career-best finish at Michigan International Speedway by finishing in second behind Smith.  This marks his eighth top-10 finish in 2013.

    Driver of the No. 33 Menards/Rheem Chevrolet, Paul Menard, posted his seventh top-10 finish in eight races at Michigan International Speedway by finishing third in Saturday’s race.  Primarily competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Saturday’s race marked Menard’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series start this season.

    Another Sprint Cup Series regular,  Kyle Busch, finished the race in fourth position.  When crew chief of the Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Adam Stevens, was asked if it was a difficult race to call knowing that rain was in the area, he responded, “The radar showed the rain here pretty much all day.  It wasn’t hitting the ground.  I’m glad we got to run the full distance—it took a while to make some progress, but we did and we got the car better.  We just weren’t going to make it any better on pit road.  I really felt like if we could have had a good restart on the last restart that we were in the catbird seat, but the last two restarts just didn’t go our way.  I felt like we had the balances good and we were going to get it, but we were just missing something with overall speed—kind of missing it in qualifying and missed it today in the race too.  All in all, we finished and we don’t have a scratch on it so we’ll take it.”  This marks Busch’s eleventh top-10 finish in fourteen NASCAR Nationwide Series starts this season.

    The rain around the Michigan International Speedway did not cooperate with the No. 77 Bandit Chippers Toyota of Parker Kligerman.  Kligerman’s crew chief, Eric Phillips, molded his team’s race strategy on the high possibility of rain causing the race to be red flagged.  Kligerman did not pit when he had the opportunity gambling on the fact that the rain would come before they ran out of fuel.  It was a gamble that did not pay off.   The No. 77 team finished in 25th when they were forced to pit under green.  When asked if he was praying for rain while leading, Kligerman commented, “Yeah, we played it perfectly for that situation and I’m not down on Eric (Phillips, crew chief) or anyone about that.  I was fully for it, but it sucks when you run top-five all day.  This Bandit Chippers Camry right in front of a Bandit Chippers home crowd and a car that could win on speed alone and –we drove away from the field there—and it just didn’t go our way.  There was debris everywhere the last 20 laps.  Of course, no one threw a caution, so we ran out of fuel and finished wherever we finished.  Disappointing day result-wise, but a lot of positives in terms of the speed we had in our Camry and we’ll get them next time.”

    At a track where fuel strategy races are common, today’s chess match with Mother Nature put an interesting twist on things that left some teams frustrated  as Regan Smith declared check mate at the end of the day.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Pocono/Iowa/Texas

    Crunching The Numbers: Pocono/Iowa/Texas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Nationwide Series – DuPont Pioneer 250 at Iowa

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

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

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

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

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

    Camping World Truck Series – Winstar World Casino 400 at Texas

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

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

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

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