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  • Full Weekend Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

    Full Weekend Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Texas

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came to the mid-west on Friday night for the JAGS Metal 350. It was the second race in the Round of 6. Here are four takeaways from the race at Texas Motor Speedway.

    1. Johnny Sauter Continues Dominance At Texas – When the scoring pylon showed Johnny Sauter in victory lane at the end of the night, it was no surprise that he was victory lane, even with the new recent repave of the 1.5-mile track. He now has four career wins at Texas Motor Speedway. Sauter has led a career 96 laps out of a combined 608 laps. Safe to say, Texas is one of Sauter’s best track statistically. He is now locked in to compete for the championship for a second consecutive year.
    2. Christopher Bell Posts Top Three Finish – After winning the June race, Bell had high expectations for this race to run well and that he did. He led once for 20 laps and placed top ten in both stages. With Phoenix looming, he will try to lock himself by winning but if past history is anything, they cannot take anything for granted. See, William Byron’s championship run last year, where it was cut short at Phoenix due to a blown motor.
    3. Matt Crafton Places An Uncharacteristic Ninth – When coming to Texas Motor Speedway, you expect at least two guys to be running up front and challenging for the win. Those are Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton. Crafton had two wins prior to this race at Fort Worth, both coming in 2014 and 2015, respectively. However, on Friday night, he did not have the best truck out there. In stage 1, Crafton finished sixth and eighth in stage 2. He only led five laps but wound up finishing ninth. He sits third -31 behind. Crafton will have to win two stages at Phoenix or win the race, to be locked in the Championship 4.
    4. Must Win For John Hunter Nemechek At Phoenix – John Hunter Nemechek has had a disastrous playoff run in 2017. It all started at Loudon, where he was sent to the garage for problems with the truck and came back out to finish 20th. Nemechek had a couple of solid runs at Las Vegas finishing sixth and eighth at Talladega, despite the damaged truck. However, he had an accident at Martinsville, which took him out of the race and wounded up 30th. And then this past weekend at Texas, Nemechek finished 19th, even though he placed top ten in both stages. It’s win or get eliminated for Nemechek at Phoenix this weekend. He sits 6th, -89 points behind.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continued their championship stretch Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. It wasn’t a surprise as to who the winner was, clinching a spot in the Championship 4.

    Here’s a look at the power rankings from Texas.

    1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter continued his recent success at Texas Friday night by winning and advancing to Homestead-Miami for another shot at the championship. He placed second and ninth, respectively, in Stages 1 and 2. Sauter regained the lead on Lap 135 and held off a hard charging Austin Cindric for his 16th career Truck Series win and fourth career track win at Texas.
    2. Austin Cindric – Cindric had another strong showing Friday night by placing in the second position. After starting sixth, he was consistently in the top 10 most of the night when finishing third and seventh in both stages. Cindric even led once for 36 laps, but ultimately finished .170 seconds behind race winner Johnny Sauter. Currently, he sits fourth, -50 points behind first and is right on the cutoff line for advancing to Homestead. Nonetheless, a great showing by the No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing team, who is closing their doors at the end of the season.
    3. Justin Haley – Haley only had one previous start at Texas, which came in the June race and finished sixth. On Friday afternoon, he qualified on the pole, securing his first ever career pole position in the Truck Series. He did not place in the top 10 at all during both stages, but with pit strategy, Haley worked his way up and finished fifth, giving him his third top five of the season.
    4. Christopher Bell – Somewhat of a decent showing for Bell and the No. 4 JBL Tundra team. After winning the June race, it was expected for him to be up front and challenging for the win, however, Bell came up just two spots short. Bell dominated the first stage by winning and placed third in the second stage. He led twice for 20 laps and finished third.
    5. Chase Briscoe – The other BKR teammate was also in the top five Friday night, finishing in the fourth position. Briscoe started 10th but had a difficult truck to work with after not scoring in the top 10 in both stages. With the help of his crew and adjustments made during pit-stops, Briscoe rallied to a fourth-place finish, earning his eighth top-five finish in 2017.
  • Truex Locks Into Title Race with Runner-up Finish at Texas

    Truex Locks Into Title Race with Runner-up Finish at Texas

    While Martin Truex Jr. didn’t win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his runner-up finish — and points he amassed through the course of the day, via stage finishes — secured him a spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Much of Truex’s day was uneventful. Starting seventh, he drove his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to a runner-up finish in the first stage and fourth in the second stage. It wasn’t until the Lap 187 restart — following Landon Cassill’s spin in Turn 1 on Lap 180 — that he first took the race lead, usurping it from Matt Kenseth.

    Truex gave up the lead to pit under green on Lap 225, and it most likely would’ve cycled back to him if a caution, for Michael McDowell spinning in Turn 2, on Lap 234 didn’t interrupt it.

    He regained the lead on the restart that followed Ray Black Jr.’s spin on Lap 242, once again taking it from Kenseth.

    Everybody hit pit road on Lap 270, after Black brought out another caution, and Denny Hamlin beat Truex off pit road.

    After a 10-minute, 29-second red flag following Kyle Larson’s wreck in Turn 1 with 51 laps to go, the race went back green for the final time with 46 to go. By the time the field left Turn 2, Truex had the lead.

    With 27 to go, Kevin Harvick took second from Hamlin and Truex ran into lap traffic, allowing Harvick to eat away at the one-second gap. With 20 to go, Harvick was less than half a second back of Truex.

    Clean air allowed Truex to stay in front of Harvick for a few laps, but running into another group of lapped cars with 10 to go gave Harvick the opening he needed to pull up to him in Turn 1, alongside him on the outside exiting Turn 2 and take the lead entering Turn 3.

    “[On] the long runs I would get really lose getting into the corners,” Truex said. “As the runs went, I would get looser and looser. Wasn’t much I could do about it. I could hold my own in clean air. As soon as I caught lap cars, I would get loose getting in the corner. We ran up on the 6 (Trevor Bayne) and somebody else racing each other, took up the whole racetrack. I went into (Turn) 1 and started chattering rear tires, chasing it up the hill. Harvick followed me and got loose with me. Somehow got to my right rear corner, got outside me, just carrying that momentum.

    “I thought when we went in there and we both started sliding up, I was going to be okay. He got to my outside and was just faster at the end. Once he got in front of us, he was just gone. Nothing I could do. Just one of those deals where he was quicker. Got me in a bad spot, took advantage, and he was gone.”

    Truex couldn’t muster up a counterattack, as Harvick pulled away to a two-second lead by the time he took the checkered flag, and brought his car home to second.

    “It was an up‑and‑down day for our Bass Pro Toyota,” he said. “Doing what we need to do. Just proud of everybody. We fought hard all day. It was a tough race. Track was slick.

    “At the start of the race, our car wasn’t very good. Track position was a big part of this race. We fought the car, we fought track position. We got the lead, led some laps. Ultimately at the end we weren’t as good as we needed to be to win.”

    While Truex came up short, his runner-up garnered him enough points to mathematically clinch a spot in the Championship 4 in two weeks time at Homestead-Miami Speedway, thanks to leaving Texas 57 points ahead of Brad Keselowski.

    “It feels great. It feels amazing – that’s what we set out to do this year was to make it to Homestead and fight for the title and we feel like we’re right there. I just can’t wait to get there and get back to work,” Truex added. “I wish we could have won today, it would have been a little sweeter going and locking it up in victory lane, but we were off a little bit there at the end.”

  • Harvick Runs Down Truex to Win at Texas

    Harvick Runs Down Truex to Win at Texas

    Kevin Harvick punched his Championship 4 ticket to Homestead-Miami Speedway after chasing down and passing Martin Truex Jr. in the waning laps to win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Restarting with 46 laps to go, Truex took the lead from Denny Hamlin and set sail. But Harvick took second from Hamlin and, thanks to lap traffic, cut the gap down to under half a second with under 20 to go.

    While clean air stalled Harvick’s advance for a few laps, another group of lapped cars allowed him to close up to Truex going into Turn 1, pull up alongside him exiting Turn 2 and pass him for the lead going into Turn 3.

    He pulled away to score his 37th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in his 608th career start.

    “First thing I want to do is thank all these fans in Texas. I’m happy to finally get to victory lane here (Texas Motor Speedway). It’s been a long time coming. I’m really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing and our Mobil 1 Ford, but damn it’s good to be in victory lane here at Texas! Just really want to thank all my guys. I knew I had a really good car and I knew I had to do something different. I started driving it into Turn 1 just a whole lot deeper. I saw the 42 (Kyle Larson) doing that early in the race. I was just afraid I didn’t have the brakes to continue to do that all day. I waited till the end and it was able to get on the outside of Martin. I got him loose as I brushed across the back, I think. Was able to get on the outside and my car was pretty good on the outside down there.”

    Truex finished second and Hamlin rounded out the podium.

    “I knew he (Harvick) was quicker – once he got around the 11 (Hamlin) I guess it was, he started coming really fast and that’s all I had,” Truex said. “Just struggled a little on the long run today, which was normally where we’re our best. He seemed to be better when he got out front – we were good when we got out front toward the middle of the race and we just got too loose in those long runs. I did all I could do on the inside, but we had the 6 (Trevor Bayne) and some other dummy racing side-by-side in front of us and I was way loose in traffic and I got loose going into one and Harvick jumped to my outside. One of those deals, I think we could have held them off on a clean race track, but the 6 car is in the damn way every week – that’s pretty normal.”

    “Really had a solid car all day long,” Hamlin said. “We lost some track position there when a couple guys took two tires, we took four. Then we had a bad restart, and that kind of took us back in the pack 10th, 12th or so. 18 pitted long, tracked us a lap down, then that kind of hurt us a little bit. We just fought back to fourth, I think it was, drove back up to fourth, then it was an easy decision to take two tires there. It was the only way we were going to get out front and hopefully win the race. The 78 passed us on that one restart, then the two tires faded, couldn’t hold off the 4 there.”

    Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five.

    “First run of the day was fun,” Kenseth said. “Everybody was on three-cycle scuffs and we were on stickers. We got to the end, we had a good car when we got to get up through there pretty quick, but just got tight on that last set of tires for some reason and then I would just – I’d always draw the outside lane on a restart and lose a couple spots. It’s just hard to overcome that. That was our worst run of the day and it was still pretty competitive, so it was nice to be competitive.”

    “We had a pretty good car. Something happened on lap one and basically we started the race last and a lap-and-a-half down. That cost us a bunch of stage points, but we rallied with a solid effort to get back to fifth. I’m happy for that,” Keselowski said.

    Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch and Erik Jones rounded out the top-10.

    RACE SUMMARY

    Kurt Busch led the field to the green flag at 2:19 p.m., but didn’t lead the first lap — or a lap all day — because Hamlin powered by him on the outside exiting Turn 2 to lead the first lap. He led the first 46, before pulling to the high-side and allowing Larson to drive by in Turn 3 to take the lead.

    Larson surrendered the lead for 10 laps during a cycle of green flag stops, before it cycled back to him. A few laps later, however, he got loose exiting Turn 2, which allowed Harvick to pull up and pass him to take the lead on Lap 69.

    Harvick then went on to win the first stage on Lap 85.

    Hamlin, who exited the pits under the first stage break with the race lead, led the field back to green on Lap 92. Harvick, who initially got a poor restart, powered off Turn 2 and drove past Hamlin down the backstretch to retake the lead. After caution flew for a two-car spin in Turn 2 on Lap 93, Harvick led the field back to green on Lap 99, only to lose the lead to Larson going into Turn 3.

    Like the first cycle of green flag stops, Larson briefly lost the lead whilst pitting and regained it when it concluded. This time, however, it didn’t end with another driver passing him a few laps later. He kept the lead and drove on to win the second stage on Lap 170.

    Kenseth, who was off-sequence from the leaders, led the field back to green on Lap 179. He lost it to Truex on the Lap 187 restart, that followed Landon Cassill’s spin in Turn 2 on Lap 180.

    The ensuing cycle of green flag stops that started on Lap 225 was interrupted by a caution for Michael McDowell spinning in Turn 2. Kyle Busch, who was in the lead at the time, pitted and the lead cycled back to Truex.

    Kenseth took back the lead on the Lap 239 restart, Truex took it back on the Lap 246 restart and Hamlin exited pit road under the Lap 270 caution with the race lead.

    Larson’s wreck in Turn 1 brought out the eighth caution of the race and set up the run to the finish.

    CAUTION SUMMATION

    The first caution flew on Lap 85 for the end of the first stage. Caution flew for the second time for a two-car wreck in Turn 2 on Lap 93, involving Daniel Suarez and Kasey Kahne. Caution flew for the third time on Lap 170 for the conclusion of the second stage. The fourth caution flew when Cassill spun out in Turn 1 on Lap 180. McDowell’s spin in Turn 2 on Lap 234 brought out the fifth caution. Ray Black Jr. brought out the sixth and seventh caution’s for spins in Turn 2 (the latter collected Jeffrey Earnhardt). The final flew when Larson spun out and slammed the outside wall in Turn 1 with 51 to go.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted three hours, 29 minutes and 52 seconds, at an average speed of 143.234 mph. There were 27 lead changes among 13 different drivers, and eight cautions for 40 laps.

    Truex leaves with a 50-point lead over Kyle Busch. Hamlin, Blaney Elliott and Jimmie Johnson leave in the Round of 8 drop zone.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Texas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Texas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs continues this Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway for the second race in the Round of 6. It’s crunch time for the drivers who are in the Playoffs.

    With Noah Gragson winning last weekend, a non-playoff driver, no one is locked in yet this weekend, so everyone will be on their game because as we’ve seen in previous years, anything can happen.

    Let’s breakdown on who’s hot and who might lock themselves into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami.

    There are 32 trucks on the preliminary entry list for Friday night’s JAG’s Metal 350.

    In the past five fall races, there have been four different winners and one repeat winner, Johnny Sauter in 2012 and 2016.

    Starting position is crucial to stay up front all night. The lowest a winner has ever come from at Texas is 16th done by Sauter in the previous fall race.

      1. Matt Crafton – Crafton is looking for a little redemption after coming up one spot short to race winner Gragson at Martinsville. In five races, he has posted one win, four top fives and five top 10 finishes, with 258 laps led and an average finishing position of 3.6. This could be the race that propels Crafton to the Championship 4. He is the best among active drivers stat wise.
      2. Christopher Bell – Texas is a great track for Bell. He is the previous June winner of the race. However, in the fall race, he finished 11th. Other stats include one top five and two top 10 finishes in four races, leaving him with a 13.0 average finish.
      3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter is another driver to look out for at the 1.5-mile track. In 2012 and 2016, he won the fall races. By winning last year’s race, Sauter was able to go the Championship 4 at Homestead. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he claims the race win Friday night.
      4. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes might be a surprise in the Lone Star State this weekend. In the 2016 fall race, he finished 15th, however, not to be denied is the fact that he has one top five and top 10 finish. Rhodes ended up in victory lane earlier this season at the 1.5 mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Look for him to be a contender Friday night.
      5. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe only has one start here, but in that one start, he finished second on a last-lap pass in June. He finished sixth and second in Stages 1 and 2, respectively. After being knocked out of the Round of 8, Briscoe is looking to end the year strong with wins for Brad Keselowski Racing before they end up closing their doors for good at the completion of the 2017 season.

    The trucks will hit the track for final practice on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET with no television coverage. Qualifying is slated for Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET on FS1 with race coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET, both on FS1 and MRN Radio. The green flag is scheduled for 8:18 p.m. ET.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    NASCAR heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend with all three national series as the Playoffs continue. The Truck Series hits the track Friday for the JAG Metals 350 followed by the XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Saturday night. The Cup Series closes out the action Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBCSN with the AAA Texas 500.

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Nov. 2

    On-Track:
    3-3:55 p.m.: World Truck Series Practice (Follow Live)
    5-5:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice (Follow Live)

    Friday, Nov. 3
    On-Track:
    1-2:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    3-3:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    4 p.m.: Truck Series Texas Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    5-5:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App
    6:15 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBC Sports App (Will air tape delayed on NBCSN at 11:30 p.m.)
    8 p.m.: Truck Series JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief (147 laps, 220.5 miles) – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    12:30 p.m.: Cup Series
    2:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    11 a.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appreci88tion
    11:30 a.m.: Erik Jones
    11:45 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    Noon: Ryan Blaney
    12:15 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    12:40 p.m.: Cole Custer, Brennan Poole, Matt Tifft
    3:15 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    3:45 p.m.: Richard Petty Motorsports announcement
    7:15 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, Nov. 4

    On-Track:
    3-3:55 p.m.: Cup Series Second Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    5-5:50 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    6:05 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – CNBC/NBC Sports App
    8:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    11 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    Sunday, Nov. 5

    On-Track:
    2 p.m.: Cup Series AAA Texas 500 (334 laps, 501 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.)

    Complete TV Schedule

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

    Race Details:

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 
    Race: JAG Metals 350
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Friday, Nov. 3
    Time: 8 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 220.5 miles (147 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 147)

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
    Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, 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)

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    Race: AAA Texas 500
    Place: Texas Motor Speedway
    Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
    Time: 2 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio                   
    Distance: 501 miles (334 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 334)

     

  • Hot 20 – Will the drama continue in Texas and Phoenix on the road to Homestead-Miami?

    Hot 20 – Will the drama continue in Texas and Phoenix on the road to Homestead-Miami?

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. is right when he says NASCAR needs more Martinsville-like dramas to play out every week. What they need is “drama and exciting finishes — the fans sitting there in the grandstands cheering like crazy, and booing, and cheering and booing after every interview, for 15 minutes after the race — we need that every weekend.” Damn right.

    They need more races on tracks that excite us and fewer on those that do not. They need better announcers who can pull off a telecast all on their own, regardless as to the non-action. People we are compelled to tune in to watch just because they are as entertaining, at least, as the product they describe. They, the good folks running NASCAR, need to listen and to act. One thing I am pretty sure of is…they don’t and will not.

    Texas is one of those races where the sport is popular in a large metro area. That might be enough to get folks to actually go to the facility. Tuning in at home might be another question. As for the storyline coming in, we have one driver locked into the final four, one almost there, a wide-open battle for the final transfer spot, and one young gun who has to win or hope somebody, or some bodies, will fall on their face. Eight drivers matter. Thirty-two others are hoping to play spoiler.

    Only a dozen drivers will be worthy of mention come next week. I, for one, will not mention a single one. My focus will be on other things for the next couple of weeks, but we will chat about the outcome after Homestead when the smoke clears.

    The only thing we know for sure is that Kyle Busch and, more than likely, Martin Truex Jr. will be two of the four seeking to win the title. Who the other two shall be is why Texas and Phoenix should keep us tuned in for the answer.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – SEGMENT WIN – 4100 POINTS – 5 Wins
    Saw the post-race celebration with his family. So, who vacuums Brexton’s room afterward?

    2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4117 POINTS – 7 Wins
    If he took Sunday off, he still would be at least 27 points to the good come Phoenix.

    3. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 4079 POINTS – 3 Wins
    Just a Logano cut tire away from victory last week. Teammates can be such fun.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 4053 POINTS – 1 Win
    “It all started when Blaney hit me back.”

    5. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4050 POINTS – 3 Wins
    Nine-time Martinsville winner had just a slightly better chance than you had to win last Sunday.

    6. RYAN BLANEY – 4047 POINTS – 1 Win
    The new generation is getting a lot more comfortable expressing themselves these days.

    7. DENNY HAMLIN – 4045 POINTS – 2 Wins
    The last Virginian to get in this much crap in his home state was Gen. George Thomas.

    8. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4027 POINTS
    In the immortal words of Popeye the Sailor, “That’s all I can stands, cuz I can’t stands n’more!”

    9. KYLE LARSON – 2237 POINTS – 4 Wins
    His elimination from the Playoffs is not a flaw in the system…it is what happens in playoffs.

    10. MATT KENSETH – 2215 POINTS
    If the 10th best driver this season cannot get hired, damn few drivers have much job security.

    11. KASEY KAHNE – 2150 POINTS – 1 Win
    Some refer to Kahne as a Hendrick refugee. To my knowledge, he did not even cross a border.

    12. AUSTIN DILLON – 2148 POINTS – 1 Win
    So…Austin and Rowdy get foiled by Happy again. It must be true. I saw it on Youtube.

    13. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 2146 – 2 Wins
    Could a new teammate be his present housemate?

    14. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2146 POINTS
    Believes the next All-Star race might be a good time to unveil Charlotte’s road course.

    15. KURT BUSCH – 2139 POINTS – 1 Win
    Won the NASCAR title, the Daytona 500, and seen every MLB park. Check, check, and check!

    16. RYAN NEWMAN – 2130 POINTS – 1 Win
    During these times, anytime you sign a new sponsor is a very good time.

    17. JOEY LOGANO – 839 POINTS – 1 Win
    “I missed the call” – Crew chief Todd Gordon. The problem no doubt lost in the billowing smoke.

    18. CLINT BOWYER – 829 POINTS
    Third at Martinsville, a track that produced the kind of racing that “put this sport on the map…”

    19. ERIK JONES – 768 POINTS
    That Jones Boy is down to his final three before taking over the ride Smoke made famous.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 731 POINTS
    An average of 22 points per race gets you on this list. That is an easy top 16. I guess not so easy.

  • Christopher Bell Wins Wild Truck Race at Texas

    Christopher Bell Wins Wild Truck Race at Texas

    Christopher Bell held on to win the winstaronlinegaming.com 400 after a wild finish at Texas Motor Speedway. This was his second series win in 2017 and his fourth career win in the Truck Series.

    It was round seven for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the 2017 season. The race had three stages. Forty laps made up Stages 1 and 2, while 87 laps made up Stage 3. Noah Gragson and Johnny Sauter set the front row in qualifying earlier in the day.

    After Stage 1 began, Noah Gragson had a strong truck early and led his first ever laps in the Truck Series. However, there were a few cautions that took place on Lap 3 for Austin Cindric and Lap 7 for Jordan Anderson. Barring a few cautions early, there were some long green flag runs.

    Last week’s winner, Johnny Sauter, took the lead on Lap 20. From there, Sauter held on to win the Stage 1. Even after pit stops, Sauter won the race off pit road.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 47, with Sauter and Chase Briscoe on the front row. With Sauter dominating most of the stage, Christopher Bell, after starting 21st, took the lead on Lap 70. Not much action happened in Stage 2, and Bell, eventually went on to win Stage 2.

    Stage 3 took place on Lap 86, with Bell and teammate, Myatt Snider, on point. Long green flag runs were the story in the final stage until a caution came out with 50 laps to go for Stewart Friesen who hit the wall on the frontstretch.

    After a restart with 43 laps to go, there were six laps of green flag racing until another caution took place for Snider, who spun off Turn 2.

    Race leader Bell had to survive a few more restarts after having two more cautions on Lap 137 and on Lap 157. During those laps, Chase Briscoe had come alive to be a strong contender for the win.

    With the restart taking place with eight laps to go, it looked like the race would stay green. However, Kaz Grala and Myatt Snider got together in a crash, thus bringing out a caution.

    The restart took place with two laps to go, as Bell and Briscoe were the race leaders. Briscoe had gotten a little bit of an edge on Bell, but Bell stayed side-by-side with him until the final caution took place after the leaders crossed the finish line. The caution was for Timothy Peters and Austin Wayne Self who got into each other, sending Peters into the grass and causing him to flip several times before eventually landing upside down. After the crazy crash, Peters was able to walk away under his own power. He was evaluated and released from the Texas Motor Speedway infield care center.

    However, there was another issue that was taking place and that was deciding the winner. Both Briscoe and Bell were in a dead heat at the finish line. After some confusion, and video reviewing by the NASCAR officials, NASCAR declared Christopher Bell as the race winner.

    There were 10 cautions for 42 laps and five leaders among eight lead changes.

    The next scheduled NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race is Saturday night June 17 at Gateway Motorsports Park.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/T1707_UNOFFRES-Texas-Truck-Race-results-6-9-17.pdf” title=”T1707_UNOFFRES Texas Truck Race results 6-9-17″]

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview Texas – Spring

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview Texas – Spring

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the Lone-Star state on Friday night for the seventh race of the season. There are 28 entries on the preliminary entry list this week.

    Here are the ones to watch in tomorrow night’s winstaronlinegaming.com 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway.

    In the last five spring races at Texas, there have been three different winners with Matt Crafton being the only repeat winner entered.

    Matt Crafton – Crafton has posted two wins (2014, 2015) and five top-five finishes in the spring races at Texas. Considering his past performance at this track, look for another strong run Friday night.

    Christopher Bell – In his only start at Texas coming last year, Bell suffered a blown engine and was credited with a last-place finish. Bell is looking for redemption at Texas and that could come tomorrow night. Bell has gotten off to a good start, posting the fastest speed in the first Truck Series practice Thursday evening.

    John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek was strong in last year’s spring race, posting a seventh place finish. However, when his father, Joe Nemechek drove the truck in 2015 and 2014, he posted one top-1o and one top-five finish. The NEMCO Motorsports stable is expected to have another decent finish at Texas.

    Johnny Sauter – Sauter, the current Trick Series points leader, is coming off last week’s victory with a head of momentum. In June of 2012, Sauter won the spring race giving him three top-five and five top-1o finishes in the last five spring races. Expect him to be a strong contender at Texas on Friday.

    Ben Rhodes – Rhodes is still searching for his first career win. He came close at Kansas earlier this season, which was a 1.5-mile track, the same as Texas. In the spring of 2016 at Texas, Rhodes posted an 11th place finish, thus giving him one top-15 finish.

    Qualifying is slated for Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET. It will not be televised but you can follow along here. The green flag is expected to drop for the winstaronlinegaming.com 400  at 8:19 p.m. and will be broadcast on FS1.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Texas-Truck-Series-Entry-List-June-2017-T1707_ENTNUM.pdf” title=”Texas Truck Series Entry List June 2017 T1707_ENTNUM”]