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  • Almirola Upset after Contact with Logano at Texas

    Almirola Upset after Contact with Logano at Texas

    FORT WORTH, Texas — Hard feelings were had following the AAA Texas 500 when eighth-place finisher Aric Almirola had harsh words for third-place finisher Joey Logano after contact between the two pushed Almirola out of the top-five.

    “We worked diligently all day to get to the front and finally got ourselves in position to at least have a shot,” said Almirola. “then the 22 just put it right on my door and about wrecked us both.”

    “I don’t have to talk to him but he just continues to make things harder on himself. If that’s the way he wants to race me when he’s already locked into Homestead and we’re out here fighting for our lives, that’s fine. When Homestead cones around, if I’m not in, he’ll know it.”

    When asked how far he’d be willing to take things with the 22, Almirola was clear he’d make it difficult on the Penske driver when Homestead arrives on the schedule.

    “I’m fired up. Let’s go.”

    While Logano is currently locked into the Championship round in Miami, Almirola goes into ISM Raceway in a must-win situation as he sits seventh on the Playoff grid. He holds an average finish of 16.3 at ISM Raceway despite finishing seventh there in the Spring.

    The final race in the Round of Eight will be the Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway on November 11. The four contenders for the championship round at Homestead on November 18 will be decided following this race.

     

  • Noah Gragson Sets his Sights on a Win at Phoenix

    Noah Gragson Sets his Sights on a Win at Phoenix

    The 2018 season has been a stellar year so far for Noah Gragson, the young Las Vegas native, who has posted six top fives and 15 top-10 finishes, along with a win at Kansas in May, to put him in championship contention.

    Stage wins and finishing in the top 10 for most stages gave him enough points to carry him from round to round. Since the Playoffs started, however, circumstances haven’t been too kind to the No. 18 Safelite Toyota driver.

    Gragson was in contention to win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park before making contact with his teammate relegating him to a ninth-place finish. At Las Vegas, he won the pole, but issues caught him one lap down to finish 18th. In Talladega, Gragson was leading on the last lap before getting turned around and making some airtime before settling back down to finish 13th.

    Martinsville was a better showing for the Kyle Busch Motorsports team as he was up front and finished seventh. However bad luck caught Gragson again Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

    On Lap 40, Gragson was involved in a big wreck that involved several others on the track. This saw him collect damage on the side of his truck leaving it tough to handle. However, he was able to rally back and finish in the top 10, but he wanted more and was somewhat disappointed with the finish. But, Gragson knows what to do next week at ISM Raceway.

    “Just rough,” Gragson said to MRN Radio, describing his race. “Got set back on a pit stop and took fuel only. I could never get the balance right in traffic and just really struggled tonight. Got some damage on the right side. No excuse. I’m going to work my ass off this week and next week, and do whatever we have to do. Just unacceptable. Just got to get out there to Phoenix and go win that one.”

    “Win,” the No. 18 driver told MRN Radio. “That’s it.”

    With the 10th place finish at Texas, his 15th top 10 this season, Gragson sits fourth in the standings, just 22 points to the good.

     

  • Ben Rhodes Places A Quiet Second At Texas

    Ben Rhodes Places A Quiet Second At Texas

    After qualifying for the Playoffs with his win at Kentucky earlier this season, Ben Rhodes and the Camping World Truck Series No. 41 Thorsport team were looking to compete for their third championship. Unfortunately, Rhodes got caught up in an incident at Talladega which left him eliminated from the Playoffs.

    However, NASCAR is a sport like any other where you can still compete even after being eliminated from competing for the championship. Rhodes and company were determined to finish the season strong and hoped to collect more wins. Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway almost saw them do just that.

    After race leader Todd Gilliland had fuel issues on the last lap of the Jag Metals 350 and fell off the pace, eventual race winner Justin Haley drove by to pick up the win. But lurking close by was Rhodes who finished second after all the craziness.

    “Yeah, we pretty much had to start last after scruffing the wall in qualifying,” Rhodes told MRN Radio. “Disappointed in that, but very proud of how the team has rallied and put this Carolina Nut F150 up in second place. I feel like overall this race was run on track position and managing restarts, and pit stops. The disappointing part for us is I feel like we were even better than where we finished tonight.”

    “We just burn the tires up. A lot of people were blocking tonight and you know, blocking was the name of the game it seemed like for everybody, except us. It was just a weird race on how that all played out. Congrats to the 24 getting the win and to Homestead. We’ll continue to do our best to compete for the owner’s championship.”

    Rhodes’s second place was his eighth top five of the season.

  • Custer edges Reddick in third closest NASCAR XFINITY Series race in Texas Motor Speedway history

    Custer edges Reddick in third closest NASCAR XFINITY Series race in Texas Motor Speedway history

    • Twenty-Year-Old Passes Reddick On Final Lap To Win Second Xfinity Series Race Of His Career To Punch Ticket To Championship 4
    • Regular-Season Champion Allgaier, Six-Win Bell In Danger Of Missing Championship Race At Homestead-Miami Speedway On Nov. 17

    FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 3, 2018) — Cole Custer pulled off a dramatic, last-lap pass under Tyler Reddick to win Saturday’s 14th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 by .162 of a second in the third-closest NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Texas Motor Speedway history.

    Custer became the first Round of 8 Playoff contender to punch his ticket into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in two weeks. Custer took the lead on Lap 199 of 200 around the 1.5-mile TMS oval, moving under Reddick while barreling into Turn 1, maintaining as much focus as someone would need for online gaming. The two title contenders bounced off each other briefly down the backstretch but each kept their cars straight before entering Turns 3 and 4.

    “I knew I had to make it happen in Turns 1 and 2 because it was harder to pass in Turns 3 and 4,” said Custer, driver of the No. 00 Autodesk Ford Mustang fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing. “I drove it maybe five car-lengths deeper than I did all day. We side-drafted down the backstretch and got together but it worked out.

    “I can’t believe it. Going to Homestead – it’s awesome. We haven’t won all year but have been so close. This is the perfect time to do it. We had this fairly long winless streak and you begin to question everything you’re doing. Today, I was put in a situation to make something happen and it worked out. But you’ve got to put yourself in that situation in the first place.”

    Custer, 20, scored his second Xfinity Series victory in 69 career starts but first of 2018. It also was his first win and fourth top-five finish in four starts at “The Great American Speedway.”

    “He drove his butt off that last restart,” crew chief Jeff Meendering said of Custer. “He knew he had to be aggressive … stepped it up and that’s what we can do the rest of the year now. I got a lot of confidence going into Homestead.”

    The final shootout was set up following a restart on Lap 198 after the race’s record 13th caution for a seven-car melee in Turn 4. The former series record for cautions of 10 was set on March 29, 2003. Starting on the inside lane, Reddick jumped out to an early lead, followed by Custer and fellow-Playoff contender Austin Cindric. Moments after completing Lap 199, Custer pointed the front end of his Ford under Reddick’s No. 9 BurgerFi Chevrolet Camaro SS through the track’s reconfigured/wider Turn 1-2 section and cleanly took the lead.

    “It’s very treacherous,” Reddick, a series rookie, said of the Turn 2 exit. “You got to get all you can off that corner … but at the same time, it can put you in a bad spot and tear up some stuff.” Reddick’s 18th top-10 result of 2018 moved him into the point lead by seven over previous leader/JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler, who finished eighth in the No. 1 OneMain Financial Camaro.

    The record 13 caution periods consumed 54 laps, starting with a nine-car mishap on Lap 2 triggered by the spinning car of pole-sitter/Playoff contender Christopher Bell. Ironically, Bell crashed out of the previous Playoff race at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway two weeks ago. At TMS, he rallied from his opening spin but ultimately was forced to retire after contact with Cindric put Bell into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 134. Bell’s No. 20 GameStop NBA 2K19 Toyota Camry suffered extensive suspension damage en route to a 32nd-place finish.

    Bell said he was “caught off-guard” by the Turn 1 spin. “You saw the same thing from the No. 7 (Justin Allgaier) at Kansas,” said Bell, of Joe Gibbs Racing. “I didn’t feel like I was up to speed at all. The next thing I knew, I spun out. I don’t know, it has to be the tire combination. It’s tricky. There wasn’t much room for error.”

    Despite his poor finish, Bell was upbeat about his chances at the 1-mile ISM Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., near Phoenix next week. “I won six races this year,” said Bell, the Norman, Okla., native who considers TMS his home track. “I’ve had a great season.  We had a solid GameStop Camry today. We got a chance to win two more.”

    Reddick led a race-high four times for 54 laps, while Custer also led four times but for only 16 laps. Hemric, who led three times for 42 laps in the No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Camaro, is third in the point standings following his 10th-place finish. Hemric, of Richard Childress Racing, is eight points behind Reddick but only one behind Sadler.

    Playoff contender Allgaier led twice for 37 laps before finishing fifth in the No. 7 Suave MEN Chevrolet fielded by JR Motorsports. Allgaier occupies the fourth and final cutoff spot for Homestead, 20 points behind Reddick and 12 behind Hemric. Allgaier is only two points ahead of fifth-place Matt Tifft, who finished seventh Saturday in his No. 2 Andersons’s Maple Syrup Chevy, also fielded by RCR.

    Custer is sixth in points but doesn’t have to count now that he is set for HMS. Bell, meanwhile, faces a must-win situation at ISM Raceway next week. He is 42 points behind the leader and 18 behind Custer.

    Cindric, the final Playoff contender, is eighth in points after his third-place finish in the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford fielded by Team Penske. Cindric also faces a must-win scenario next week as he is 69 points behind Reddick and 27 behind Bell.

    “After everything that happened today, this is great,” Cindric said after his second top-10 finish in two races at TMS. “I would have just been happy to finish the thing not in the fence. Every opportunity to be in the middle of something it seemed we were there. It is just perseverance by everyone. The guys over the wall did an amazing job getting the right front fender fixed (after opening-lap contact). We almost had a tire go down because of it.

    “I’m really thankful to still be in the Playoffs and still have a shot to win a race. We were a few bumps and bangs away from really benefiting from that one. I was yelling all the way down the backstretch for something to happen (on the final lap). I’m thankful to everyone at Team Penske for really pushing hard this weekend. Obviously, it’s no doubt that these guys are the best in the business. To be able to unload a backup car and have a top three finish is unheard of.

    “I’m really pumped. I’m ready to go to Phoenix and go put on a show and have a little fun.”

  • Victory Eludes Stewart Friesen Once More

    Victory Eludes Stewart Friesen Once More

    Stewart Friesen and the No. 52 team of Halmar Racing are still searching for their first win. Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway looked promising until a late pit stop resulted in a penalty.

    Friesen started the race in third after a strong qualifying effort and ran in the top 10 for most of the stages, staying out of trouble. Then, with 40 to go, he passed Todd Gilliland for the race lead. Just a few laps later, both went in to pit with 33 to go but misfortune came for Friesen as he was penalized for speeding during that final pit stop.

    He could never catch the break he wanted in hopes of a caution but ultimately finished eighth after leading 12 laps.

    “Just blew the green flag stop, Friesen told MRN Radio. “Got in there and wheel hopped, I don’t know, there was a little confusion on when we were actually going to pit. They called me into the pits in Turn 3 outside of a guy and I screwed up. I should have just made another lap and came in to take my time. It is what it is, just thanks to Halmar and Chris Larsen, everybody. They work so hard and bust their ass. They deserve to win more than I did.”

    This was Friesen’s 14th top 10 of the year.

  • Johnny Sauter Salvages 11th Place Finish At Texas

    Johnny Sauter Salvages 11th Place Finish At Texas

    After a week removed from being locked into the Championship 4 with his win at Martinsville Speedway, Johnny Sauter took on the Lone Star State at Texas Motor Speedway in hopes of carrying the momentum with him.

    It started out well in qualifying as he ended up winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole for the seventh time in his career. Unfortunately, his night went sour as soon as the race started.

    His truck was loose from the get-go and he slipped back several spots. Sauter ended up bringing out the caution on Lap 7 due to a right rear flat going down. Throughout Stage 1, he continued to report on his truck, saying it was “loose center off 1 and 2” and pitting for chassis adjustments.

    Sauter continued to fight his truck as it continued to get loose and made his way up to 19th after a caution. Ultimately, this is where he would finish for Stage 1. Sauter made adjustments for his loose handling truck during the pit stop.

    On Lap 40, he was involved in the multi-truck crash that occurred and Sauter collected damage. His night continued to go south as he had another tire go down, this time occurring with a flat left rear. He continued to battle an ill-handling truck for the rest of Stage 2, and wound up 17th.

    Even with the truck Sauter had, he managed to make it into the top five and ran in the top 10 for part of the final stage. The No. 21 GMS Racing team and Johnny Sauter did the best they could, and he salvaged an 11th place finish.

    After the race, Sauter told MRN Radio, “That’s why last week was so important. Just proud of everybody at GMS on our ISM Connect Chevy. I got a flat rear tire right there at the beginning of the race and got a lap down, and the lucky dog or whatever they call it nowadays.”

    “We were getting ready to back to green again and I was like, hey the left rear tire is flat. So we came and changed left sides, and from there I don’t even know what happened. We didn’t have any tires left obviously because we were out of tires at that point. We ran the last however many of laps on 10 set of tires. A night like tonight and you still finish 11th, that’s just persevering.”

    “All in all, not the day we wanted,” he said, “but that’s the way it goes in racing.”

     

  • Justin Haley Wins Action Packed Race at Texas, Punches Ticket to Championship 4

    Justin Haley Wins Action Packed Race at Texas, Punches Ticket to Championship 4

    Justin Haley passed Todd Gilliland on the last lap of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race to win at Texas Motor Speedway after Gilliland ran out of fuel on the backstretch. It was his third trip to victory lane this season as he advances to the Championship 4.

    Haley will join his GMS Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, who won at Martinsville Speedway last week, in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    “Yeah, we had a really fast truck where we were closing in there and I was hoping there would be a teammate that would kind of block him (Todd Gilliland),” Haley told MRN Radio. “You know we don’t want to win like that, but it’s the playoffs man, you got to go for it. Todd stuck with me and I kept my faith in it, and I just had an amazing year. You know, Fraternal Order of Eagles, GMS Fabrication, it’s been amazing. Third win of the season, I just wanted one.”

    Playoff drivers Johnny Sauter and Noah Gragson started on the front row for this race.

    Stage 1 began and it saw cautions from the get-go. On Lap 2, Bo LeMastus hit the wall off Turn 2 ending his night. Sauter had issues with a flat right rear on Lap 7, David Gilliland had a flat right front on Lap 13 and Codie Rohrbaugh brought out two cautions on Lap 20 (flat tire) and on Lap 31 for an incident.

    The first stage ended under yellow on Lap 35 and it saw GMS driver, Justin Haley, pick up the stage win.

    Six drivers stayed out and it was Myatt Snider who picked up the lead for Stage 2 on Lap 40. And just like Stage 1, Stage 2 saw numerous incidents.

    On the restart, there was a big wreck in Turns 3 and 4 with several drivers involved. These included Cory Roper, Joe Nemechek, Tyler Young, Noah Gragson, Tanner Thorson, and Sauter. Throughout Stage 2, Jordan Anderson’s motor blew up, and he went behind the wall.

    On lap 59, 10 laps after the restart, ARCA champion Sheldon Creed spun out off of Turn 2 to bring the yellow out once more. Then on Lap 66, debris came from Creed’s truck which brought out another caution with Stage 2 ending under caution. Myatt Snider won Stage 2.

    The final stage resumed with 73 to go with race leader, Todd Gilliland. With 40 to go, Stewart Friesen closed in and made the pass for the lead. Pit stops began with 33 to go, as Friesen and Gilliland pit with each other. Unfortunately, Friesen received a speeding penalty for too fast entering.

    As green-flag stops cycled through, Gilliland resumed with the race lead with 22 to go. He was maintaining his pace until the last lap when low fuel caused him to slow on the backstretch and Haley was able to go by him for the lead.

    With that last lap pass, Haley wound up winning the race and has now punched his ticket to the Championship 4 along with his teammate, Johnny Sauter.

    “I’m relieved,” he told MRN Radio. ” That was good. That was I wanted to do. Texas isn’t always our best track, so to finally cap it off is amazing.”

    This is Haley’s third win of the year and his first since Mosport in Canada.

    Playoff Point’s

    1. Johnny Sauter (W, Clinched)

    2. Justin Haley (W, Clinched)

    3. Brett Moffitt +22

    4. Noah Gragson +18

    Below The Cut Line

    5. Grant Enfinger -18

    6. Matt Crafton -23

  • Weekend schedule for Texas tripleheader

    Weekend schedule for Texas tripleheader

    Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series will be in action at Texas Motor Speedway. The Monster Energy Series and Xfinity Series head into their second races of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs, while the Camping World Truck Series enters the second race in the Round of 6. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

    Note: All times are ET

    THURSDAY, NOV. 1
    4:05-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice (No TV) (Results)
    6:05-6:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (No TV) (Results)

    FRIDAY, NOV. 2
    2-2:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    3:05-3:50 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    4:10 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS2 (Follow live)
    5:35-6:25 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    7 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series JAG Metals 350 (147 laps, 220.5 miles), FS1 (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    12:30 p.m.: Joey Logano
    12:45 p.m.: Chevrolet
    1 p.m: Gray Gaulding
    1:15 p.m.: Aric Almirola
    1:30 p.m.: Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and Daniel Hemric
    3:30 p.m.: Kyle Busch
    3:45 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    4 p.m.: Hailie Deegan
    7:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
    10:30 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race

    SATURDAY, NOV. 3
    12:30-1:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series second practice, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    1:40 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    3-3:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBC Sports App (NBCSN joins in progress at 3:30 p.m. ET) (Follow live)
    4:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (200 laps, 300 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    6:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

    SUNDAY, NOV. 4
    3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA Texas 500 (334 laps, 501 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    6:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

    MORE: How to find NBCSN

  • Todd Gilliland’s Night Ends with Disappointing Fourth Place Finish

    Todd Gilliland’s Night Ends with Disappointing Fourth Place Finish

    In what could have been the night for his first victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it quickly turned into a night of disappointment for the 18-year-old rookie, Todd Gilliland.

    Gilliland was just a half lap away from taking home his first ever truck series victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, fuel issues with his truck on the backstretch denied him his first win and relegated him to a fourth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night.

    “We were in position to win that race … it sucks, it’s horrible. We were just a touch short on fuel,” said Gilliland. “I didn’t know there was anything happening (on fuel). I’m incredibly disappointed … but I’m super-proud to be in position to be fighting for wins.

    “It’s just heartbreak and kind of disbelief. You’re a half-lap away from my first win at a place like this that’s so special and after everything we did today coming from the back, I felt like we executed a perfect race, honestly. Besides lacking a little bit of speed to beat some of those guys straight-up. With what our cards were dealt for the race, we ran 100 percent perfect, I felt like, minus the last half-lap. That’s all we can do is look forward now. It’s over and just need to move on.”

    Gilliland finished 10th and ninth respectively in both stages and led for a race-high 60 laps while Justin Haley took home the winner’s trophy for his third victory of the season at Texas.

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview- Texas II

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview- Texas II

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continues their Round of 6 playoff run in the Lone Star State in Fort Worth, Texas for the annual running of the Jags Metals 350. Three spots are still up for grabs in the Championship 4 and five drivers have just two more chances. There is a great chance of another driver locking himself into the Championship 4 race at Homestead Miami.

    Here’s a look at who could punch their way into victory lane Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Currently, there are 35 trucks entered on the preliminary entry list. There are also some familiar faces in different rides.

    These include Reed Sorenson in the 49, Baley Currey in the 83, Bo LeMastus in the 54, Parker Kligerman in the 35, Timmy Hill in the 87, David Gilliland in the 17, Corey Roper in the 04, Mike Harmon in the 15, Reid Wilson in the 7, Codie Rohrbaugh in the 9, Tyler Young in the 12, Camden Murphy in the 0, and Ross Chastain in the 38.

    1. Johnny Sauter – It’s hard to beat a man who is just on a roll this year in the Truck Series. That person just happens to be six-time winner and 2016 champion, Johnny Sauter. In the last five fall races, he has won twice,  finished 13th in 2015, 16th in 2014, and second in 2013. The 2016 race saw him advance to the Championship 4, and he ultimately won the championship that year. Last fall Sauter finished second and ninth respectively and led 21 laps. He finished fifth here in the spring race. Sauter has won at Texas overall five times giving him 20 starts, 10 top five and 16 top 10 finishes, with 360 laps led, an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 6.0. He’ll be tough to beat as he a man on a mission looking to collect his second championship.

    2. Matt Crafton – It’s hard to believe that the two-time champ does not have a win this year and he could go winless. However, much more is on the line than just a win – a spot in the Championship 4. Crafton is currently 10 points below the cutline, but this weekend could be the site for his first win of the season. He has a best finish of second that came in the fall of 2016. In the previous fall race, Crafton finished ninth after finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, in both stages. Overall, he has 35 starts with two wins, 429 laps led, 14 top fives and 24 top 10 finishes, giving him three DNF’s and an average start of 12.5 with an average finish of 9.1. In the spring race, Crafton finished fifth after placing second and 10th in both stages. This weekend could be the site where Crafton once again locks himself into the Championship 4 at Homestead and looks to be a three-time champion.

    3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen only has one start in the fall race which came last year where he finished 14th. In the spring race, Friesen finished third after winning Stage 1 and finishing second in Stage 2 but came up short of winning. Overall in his career, he has just three starts with 13 laps led, one top five and one top 10 finish, giving him an average start of 11.7 and an average finish of 12.7. He might be out of the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean it stops Friesen from winning. Look for Friesen to be a strong contender Friday night.

    4. Grant Enfinger – Like Crafton, Enfinger is on the bubble with just two points to the good. He’ll need two more good runs if he wants a shot at the championship.  He has three overall starts with eight laps led, two top fives and three top 10 finishes. This gives Enfinger an average start of 10.7 and an average finish of 4.7. He has just one fall start that came last year where he finished seventh and led one lap. In the spring race, Enfinger finished fourth after he won Stage 2.

    5. Justin Haley – Haley could be the next GMS truck driver that makes the Championship 4. He has three overall starts that gave him 28 laps led, two top fives and three top 10 finishes. This gives Haley an average start of 7.0 and an average finish of 4.7. He won the pole last fall and wound up fifth. The spring race saw Haley third on the scoring pylon.

    Other notables and stats – Johnny Sauter has won five times at Texas. If he wins this weekend, Sauter will tie Todd Bodine who has six wins at the 1.5-mile track in Fort Worth. Brendan Gaughan is the only one to have won four in a row. Ron Hornaday is a three-time winner.

    Since 1997, the Truck Series has competed at Texas Motor Speedway 41 times with just 19 fall races. Jay Sauter won the first fall race in October 1999. Five drivers have won from the pole with the last time in 2007 by Todd Bodine. The lowest a race winner has come from to win was 22nd in 2004, also set by Bodine.

    The truckers get on track Thursday afternoon with the first practice slated for 4:05 p.m. ET and the final practice scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET. Qualifying takes place Friday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 2.

    The JAGS Metal 350 race coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio with stages of 35/70/147 laps.