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  • Trent Owens to call 300th Cup event as crew chief at New Hampshire

    Trent Owens to call 300th Cup event as crew chief at New Hampshire

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Trent Owens, crew chief for Justin Haley and the No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s Cup event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Owens will call his 300th career race as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Davidson, North Carolina, and the nephew of seven-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Richard Petty who made select starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Owens made his debut as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief at Texas Motor Speedway in April for Reed Sorenson and the No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota Camry team that campaigned in select Cup events. By then, Owens was also in his fifth season as an Xfinity Series crew chief for Braun Racing. Throughout the 2010 season, the No. 32 entry qualified for six events and notched a season-best 29th-place result at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July with Quebec’s Jacques Villenueve.

    Two years later, Owens made his lone appearance as a Cup Series crew chief at Daytona International Speedway in July for the 1988 NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who piloted the No. 50 Chevrolet Impala for Turner Motorsports to a 37th-place result after being involved in a late multi-car wreck.

    In 2014, Owens became a full-time Cup Series crew chief for the first time as he was paired with Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Fusion team. The duo commenced the season with a wreck and a 39th-place result in the 56th running of the Daytona 500, but rallied three races later by posting a third-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. Another 14 races later, Owens and Almirola achieved their first career victory in the Cup Series in the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July. The victory occurred on the 30th anniversary where Richard Petty notched his record-breaking 200th victory in NASCAR’s premier series and it marked the first win for Petty’s iconic No. 43 since April 1999. With the victory and a guaranteed spot in the 2014 Cup Playoffs, Owens and Almirola were one of four teams eliminated following the Round of 16 despite finishing as high as sixth during the round. They went on to conclude the season in 16th place in the final standings. 

    The following season, Owens, Almirola and the No. 43 RPM Ford team managed to record three top-five results, one extra than 2014, and six top-10 results, one less than 2014. Despite finishing in fourth place at Richmond Raceway in September, they missed the 2015 Cup Playoffs by 17 points and they went on to finish in 17th place in the final standings.

    Remaining as Almirola’s crew chief for the 2016 Cup season, Owens led the No. 43 team to six top-15 results and a season-best 12th-place result in the 58th running of the Daytona 500. Despite surpassing 100 Cup appearances as a crew chief, he was replaced by veteran Drew Blickensderfer for seven of the remaining eight scheduled events.

    The 2017 Cup season marked a new beginning for Owens, who joined JTG-Daugherty Racing as a crew chief for Chris Buescher and the No. 37 Chevrolet SS team. The team’s best results were a pair of sixth-place results at Michigan International Speedway in August and at Kansas Speedway in October. To go along with an additional two top-10 results, Owens guided Buescher to a 25th-place result in the final standings.

    In 2018, Owens and Buescher commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in fifth place in the 60th running of the Daytona 500. The remaining 25 regular season events, however, were a struggle for the duo as they managed an additional fifth-place result at Daytona in July and were unable to make the 2018 Cup Playoffs. Following the first Playoff event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, JTG-Daugherty Racing swapped the crew chiefs of the team’s two-car lineup that resulted with Owens paired with AJ Allmendinger and the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team while Tristan Smith joined forces with Buescher. During the final nine scheduled events, Owens and Allmendinger achieved two top-10 results as the No. 47 team finished in 22nd place in the final standings, two spots ahead of Buescher. 

    In 2019, Owens, who remained at JTG-Daugherty Racing for a third consecutive season, reunited with Buescher as he returned atop the pit box of the No. 37 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team. Like the previous two seasons, however, the duo struggled with consistency as they only achieved four top-10 results, including a sixth-place result in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, before settling in 25th place in the final standings. By then, Owens surpassed 200 appearances as a Cup crew chief.

    The following season, Owens, who remained at JTG-Daugherty Racing for a fourth consecutive season, was paired with Ryan Preece, who took over the No. 37 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to make room for the team’s newest competitor, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in the No. 47 Chevrolet. Appearing in all but one of the 36-race schedule, Owens and Preece recorded two top-10 results and a season-best result of ninth place at Bristol Motor Speedway Night Race in September before falling back to 29th place in the final standings.

    Owens, Preece and the No. 37 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet team entered the 2021 Cup season without a charter that would guarantee them a spot in every event of the new season. Despite this, they qualified for the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, where Preece finished sixth despite being involved in a multi-car wreck on the final lap. Preece then backed it up by finishing ninth at the Daytona Road Course. Overall, Owens and Preece recorded two additional top-10 results and a season-best fourth-place result at Daytona in August. Despite earning a starting spot for every scheduled event, they ended up in 27th place in the final standings.

    A month prior to the 2022 Cup Series season, Owens was named crew chief for Kaulig Racing’s No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team that was set to campaign on a full-time basis with Justin Haley serving as the driver. Owens’ first campaign with Haley and Kaulig Racing started off on a rough note when Haley, who was running towards the front, was eliminated in a late accident during the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February. Two weeks later, Owens was suspended for four races after Haley’s No. 31 Chevrolet lost a right-front tire during the early stages of the 64th running of the Daytona 500. Despite Kaulig’s attempts to appeal the suspension, which kept Owens atop the No. 31 pit box for the following three events in the West Coast, the suspension was ultimately upheld in late March as Owens was absent from Atlanta Motor Speedway in March through Martinsville Speedway in April.

    A month later and following a stellar third-place run with Haley at Darlington Raceway, Owens was issued another four-race suspension after the No. 31 Chevrolet lost a left-rear tire upon exiting his pit stall during an early caution period at Kansas Speedway. Since returning atop the No. 31 pit box at Nashville Superspeedway in late June, Owens and Haley are coming off a strong seventh-place run at Atlanta. With two top-10 results during the first 19 scheduled events, the duo are ranked in 22nd place in the drivers’ standings as they trail the top-16 cutline to make the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs by 149 points.

    Through 299 previous Cup appearances, Owens has achieved one victory, nine top-five results and 33 top-10 results while working with 10 different competitors.

    Owens is scheduled to call his 300th Cup Series career event as a crew chief at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 17, with the event’s coverage to commence as 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Allgaier to reach 350 Xfinity career starts at COTA

    Allgaier to reach 350 Xfinity career starts at COTA

    Competing in his 11th full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Justin Allgaier is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s inaugural Xfinity event at the Circuit of the Americas, Allgaier will achieve 350 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Riverton, Illinois, Allgaier made his Xfinity Series debut at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October 2008. By then, he was also a full-time ARCA Re/Max Series competitor competing for his family owned team led by his father Mike. Driving the No. 12 Dodge for team owner Roger Penske, Allgaier started 14th before finishing 34th in his series debut after being involved in a wreck in the second half of the event. He returned for the final three races of the season, where he earned an 11th-place result at Phoenix Raceway in November.

    Following his brief appearance in the Xfinity circuit and after winning the 2008 ARCA championship, Allgaier was named a full-time Xfinity competitor in Penske’s No. 12 Dodge for the 2009 season. While he did not record a single victory throughout his rookie Xfinity campaign, he achieved the 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year title in a season where he claimed a pole, three top-five results, 12 top-10 results, an average result of 16.5 and a sixth-place result in the final standings.

    Remaining with the Penske organization in 2010, Allgaier commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in fourth place in the season-opening event at Daytona. Three races later, he achieved his first Xfinity career win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March after leading the final 27 laps while holding off teammate Brad Keselowski. Overall, Allgaier went on to earn two poles, eight top-five results, 20 top-10 results and an average result of 11.5. When the season concluded at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, he finished in fourth place in the final standings and as the highest-finishing Xfinity regular competitor.

    Following the 2010 season, the No. 12 Penske team ceased operations due to sponsorship issues and Allgaier joined Turner Motorsports to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet Impala for the 2011 season. Finishing as high as second place through the first 13 events of the season, Allgaier claimed his first victory of the season at Chicagoland Speedway in June and in thrilling fashion after overtaking Carl Edwards, who had run out of fuel, on the final lap before he too ran out of fuel and had enough to coast ahead to the finish line ahead of Edwards. Overall, Allgaier earned a victory, six top-five results, 17 top-10 results and an average result of 11.8 before settling in third place in the final standings. Following the 2011 season, Allgaier surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    In 2012, Allgaier’s lone victory of the season occurred at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, in August after he overtook Jacques Villeneuve on the final lap. He went on to earn a total of six top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a sixth-place result in the final standings.

    The 2013 Xfinity season saw Allgaier experience his first winless season since his rookie campaign, but he managed to finish in fifth place in the final standings and in a season where he earned a pole, six top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an 11.2 average result.

    Following the 2013 season, Allgaier moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive for HScott Motorsports. After spending the next two seasons in the Cup Series, Allgaier returned to the Xfinity Series as a full-time competitor in 2016, where he joined forces with JR Motorsports to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro. Though he did not win during the entire season, Allgaier utilized consistency to make the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs and all the way to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway before settling in third place in the final standings. He also earned 13 top-five results, a career-high 27 top-10 results and a 9.1 average result. By then, he surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.

    In 2017, Allgaier returned to Victory Lane following a five-year dry spell after winning at Phoenix Raceway in March. He went on to earn his second victory of the season at Chicagoland in September. Returning to the Playoffs and to the Championship Round for a second consecutive season, Allgaier went on to finish in third place in the final standings and in a season where he also earned a pole, 10 top-five results and 17 top-10 results.

    The 2018 season was a career year for Allgaier, who won a career-high five races (Dover International Speedway in May, Iowa Speedway in June, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America in August and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September) and the 2018 Xfinity Series regular season championship. He also earned a career-high 17 top-five results and 24 top-10 results. Despite the momentum throughout the season and the Playoffs, finishes of 38th, fifth and 24th during the Playoff’s Round of 8 were enough to prevent him from reaching the Championship Round as the driver went on to finish in seventh place in the final standings.

    The momentum from the previous season carried forth in the 2019 Xfinity opener at Daytona for Allgaier, who earned a strong runner-up result behind teammate Michael Annett. It was not until the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix in November, though, where he won for the first time during the season. Nonetheless, the victory was enough for the veteran driver and his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet team to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. During the finale, however, Allgaier cut a tire late in the event and settled in fourth place in the final standings. He capped off the season with 16 top-five results, 24 top-10 results and a career-best average result of 9.0. By then, he surpassed 300 Xfinity starts.

    In 2020, Allgaier earned a victory in one of Dover International Speedway’s doubleheader events in August and he won both Richmond Raceway events in a doubleheader weekend in September. Despite returning to the Championship Round at Phoenix, he settled in a career-best runner-up result in the final standings behind the champion, Austin Cindric. He concluded the season with 11 top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a career-high 1,008 laps led.

    Through the first 10 races of this season, Allgaier has achieved two victories (Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and Darlington Raceway in May), three top-five results and five top-10 results. He is ranked in sixth place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 349 previous Xfinity starts, Allgaier has achieved 16 career victories, six poles, 99 top-five results, 200 top-10 results and a 12.1 average result.

    Allgaier is set to make his 350th Xfinity Series career start at the Circuit of the Americas for the Pit Boss 250 on Saturday, May 22, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Mike Shiplett to reach 150 Cup starts as crew chief at Bristol

    Mike Shiplett to reach 150 Cup starts as crew chief at Bristol

    A significant milestone is in the making for Mike Shiplett, crew chief for this year’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contender and Rookie-of-the-Year recipient Cole Custer. When the Cup Series competes in this weekend’s Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Shiplett will call his 150th race in NASCAR’s premier series as a crew chief.

    A native of Amherst, Ohio, Shiplett grew up working on street stock cars for local short track racing with his uncle before he raced his prepared street stock across Ohio at age 16, eventually moving up to late model stock cars. He went on to attain a degree in diesel technology at the University of Northwestern Ohio in 1992. Afterwards, he joined Liberty Racing as a mechanic in the American Speed Association in 1995, which made the eventual move to the NASCAR Truck Series.

    In 1998, Shiplett moved to North Carolina and worked as a car chief for the No. 75 Butch Mock Motorsports team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. Following the 2000 season, Shiplett joined forces with Ultra Motorsports in 2001 and continued to work as a car chief. Two years later, he joined Evernham Motorsports and another four years later, he worked as a crew chief for Evernham’s Xfinity Series program. Working with seven competitors in the 2007 NASCAAR Xfinity season, Shiplett won his first two NASCAR career races as a crew chief with Kasey Kahne.

    In 2008, when Evernham Motorsports became Gillett-Evernham Motorsports, Shiplett was named a full-time NASCAR Cup Series crew chief for the No. 10 Dodge team that started the season with Patrick Carpentier, the 1997 CART Rookie of the Year and Champ Car competitor from LaSalle, Quebec, Canada, behind the wheel. The 2008 season marked Shiplett’s first as a Cup crew chief. From 2008 to 2009, Shiplett worked with five different drivers (Patrick Carpentier, Terry Labonte, Mike Wallace, Reed Sorenson and A.J. Allmendinger) while remaining with the team that became Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009. In August 2008, Shiplett served as a crew chief for Carpentier for the NASCAR Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he finished 25th. Following the 2009 season, Shiplett called 66 Cup career races.

    In 2010, Shiplett worked as a full-time Cup crew chief with Allmendinger and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford team. Together, Allmendinger and Shiplett achieved a pole position at Phoenix Raceway in April, two top-five results and eight top-10 results as Allmendinger concluded the season in 19th place in the final standings. Following the 2010 season, Shiplett reached 100 Cup races as a crew chief.

    For the first 19 Cup races of the 2011 season, Shiplett remained as crew chief for Allmendinger and the No. 43 RPM Ford team as Allmendinger earned one top-five result, four top-10 results and was ranked in 16th place in the standings following the recent Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. Afterwards, Shiplett was replaced by Greg Erwin for the remainder of the season and Allmendinger went on to conclude the season in a career-best 15th place in the final standings.

    In 2012, Shiplett scaled back to the Xfinity Series and worked at Turner Motorsports. He served as a crew chief for 23 Xfinity races while working with Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet, both of whom split driving roles in the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet. He also served as a crew chief for Kahne in the Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway in April, where Kahne went on to win.

    From 2013 to 2014, Shiplett rejoined Richard Petty Motorsports and was involved with the team’s research-and-development program. He also served as an Xfinity Series crew chief for Corey LaJoie in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November when LaJoie made his series debut.

    In 2015, Shiplett rejoined the Xfinity Series and worked as a crew chief for HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi Racing and the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro team driven between Kyle Larson, Justin Marks and Brennan Poole. Shiplett remained with the organization when the No. 42 car returned only under the Chip Ganassi Racing banner in 2016. From 2015 to 2018, Shiplett won a total of 15 Xfinity races between Larson, Marks, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain and John Hunter Nemechek.

    After Chip Ganassi Racing’s Xfinity program shut down due to sponsorship woes, Shiplett joined Stewart-Haas Racing to serve as crew chief for Cole Custer and the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang team. Together, Custer and Shiplett had great success all season long as they achieved seven victories, six poles, 17 top-five results, 24 top-10 results and an average result of 9.0. In the end, however, Custer and Shiplett finished in second place in the final standings behind the champions Tyler Reddick and crew chief Randall Burnett of Richard Childress Racing.

    Following a successful 2019 Xfinity Series season, Stewart-Haas Racing named Shiplett as a full-time crew chief of the No. 41 Haas Ford Mustang driven by Custer for the 2020 season as Custer entered this season as a Rookie-of-the-Year contender. Through the first 16 Cup races of this season, Custer and Shiplett achieved one top-five result, two top-10 results and were ranked in 25th place in the regular-season standings.

    The following race at Kentucky Speedway, however, Custer took advantage on a two-lap shootout and made a bold four-wide pass for the lead on the final lap and against names like Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. to achieve his first Cup career victory in his 20th series start. The win was also Shiplett’s first in the Cup level as the victory guaranteed Custer, Shiplett and the No. 41 team a spot in the 2020 Cup Playoffs. Custer and Shiplett went on to achieve three additional top-10 results throughout the regular-season stretch. By the time the 2020 Cup Playoff field was set following the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway in August, Custer was named the 2020 Cup Rookie of the Year since he was the lone rookie candidate to make the 16-car Playoff field.

    Through the first two Cup Playoff races of this season, Custer and Shiplett achieved 12th- and 14th-place results at Darlington Raceway and at Richmond Raceway. Currently, Custer is eight points below the top-12 cutline and is one of four competitor who are on the brink of elimination from title contention entering this weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Catch Shiplett’s milestone start at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, September 19. The race will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Newman to make 750th start across NASCAR at Daytona

    Newman to make 750th start across NASCAR at Daytona

    A significant milestone is in the making for veteran Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 6 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, as he battles for a spot in this year’s Playoffs. When the green flag waves in the upcoming Cup race at Daytona International Speedway, Newman will achieve 750 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of South Bend, Indiana, who started his racing career in the United Midget Auto Racing Association and the All-American Midget Series before moving to USAC, Newman achieved three ARCA victories while driving for team owner Roger Penske in 2000 before he made his first NASCAR start at Phoenix in the Cup Series in November 2000. Driving the No. 02 Alltel Ford for Penske led by crew chief Matt Borland, Newman started 10th and finished 41st due to an engine failure.

    In 2001, while Newman was pursuing his B.S. degree in engineering at Purdue University, he competed in 15 Xfinity Series events and seven Cup Series events for Penske. In the Xfinity side, he achieved his first career win at Michigan International Speedway in August. He also earned six poles, two top-five results, eight top-10 results and an average result of 12.6. In the Cup side, he achieved his first career pole for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Despite a strong start, where he led the first 10 laps, he wrecked in Turn 3 the following lap and retired in last place of the 43-car field. Overall, he earned two top-five results, including a career-best runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in September behind Jeff Gordon, in seven Cup starts.

    In 2002, Newman graduated to a full-time driving role for Penske and in the No. 12 Alltel Ford for Penske led by Borland. Through the first 11 races, Newman earned a pole and four top-10 results, including a second-place finish at Richmond in May. The following race, which was The Winston (All-Star Race) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Newman was one of two competitors to transfer to the main event from The Winston Open after winning the No Bull 5 Sprint. In a five-lap shootout in the main event, Newman held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win The Winston and a total of $750,000. He became the first Cup competitor to win The Winston after transferring from the Open since Michael Waltrip made the last accomplishment in 1996 and the first to do so from the No Bull 5 Sprint. From the Coca-Cola 600 in May through Richmond in September, Newman earned 11 top-10 results and four runner-up finishes. The following race at New Hampshire, Newman achieved his first Cup career win in his 35th series start. For the final nine races of the 2002 season, Newman earned five six top-10 results and three poles before he concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings. In the end, Newman emerged as the Rookie-of-the-Year recipient over Jimmie Johnson with 14 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. His six poles were the most achieved by a rookie competitor.

    Newman started off the 2003 season on a rough note by flipping in the Daytona 500 in February following contact with Ken Schrader. It took until Texas Motor Speedway in April for Newman to achieve his first victory of the season and the second of his Cup career. The 2003 Cup season was an up-and-down season for the Indiana native. The pros to the season were the driver of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge achieving a season-high eight victories (winning at tracks like Dover, Chicagoland, Pocono, Michigan, Richmond and Kansas), 17 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. In addition, Newman earned a season-high 11 poles and was nicknamed “The Rocket Man” for his strong qualifying efforts and pole awards. The downside to Newman’s sophomore season was that he earned seven DNFs, including his flip at Daytona and after triggering a vicious 27-car wreck in the early laps at Talladega in April when he blew a tire in the middle of the pack, made hard contact against the Turn 1 outside wall and nearly flipped. He went on to conclude the season in sixth place in the final standings.

    Throughout the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series season, Newman won two races (Michigan in June and Dover in September) and recorded nine poles. He also earned 11 top-five results and 14 top-10 results as he was one of 10 competitors to make the inaugural postseason battle in the Cup Series. He concluded the season in seventh-place in the final standings. Prior to the conclusion of the 2004 season, Newman surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    In 2005, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in nine Xfinity Series races in the No. 39 Alltel/Penske Dodge. Throughout the 2005 Cup season, he won only one race (New Hampshire in September) and he earned eight poles, eight top-five results and 16 top-10 results. In addition, he made the Playoffs and concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings for the third time in his career. In nine Xfinity starts, he won six races, including the season finale at Homestead while also winning at Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Dover and Charlotte.

    In 2006, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in six Xfinity races in the No. 39 Mobil 1/Alltel/Penske Dodge. The 2006 Cup season was a down season for the Indiana native, who went winless and only earned two poles, two top-five results and seven top-10 results. In addition, he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 18th place in the final standings. His best result in the Xfinity Series was a runner-up finish at Auto Club Speedway in February. Following 2006, Newman surpassed 200 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    Throughout the 2007 Cup season, Newman achieved five poles, seven top-five results and 15 top-10 results before he concluded the Cup season in 13th place. He also made eight Xfinity starts, where he earned two top-five results and three top-10 results. In 2008, Newman received a draft from teammate Kurt Busch to pass Tony Stewart on the final lap and win the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The victory was Newman’s 13th of his Cup career, it snapped his winless drought dating back to September 2005 and it was the first Daytona 500 win for team owner Roger Penske. Despite winning the 500, Newman only achieved one more top-five results, one pole and a total of eight top-10 results before he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. Throughout the season, he made two Xfinity starts (Watkins Glen in the No. 22 FitzBradshaw Racing and at Homestead in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.). He also made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October while driving the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado for KHI, which he won following a late battle with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. To August 2020, Newman is one of 33 competitors to achieve a win across NASCAR’s three major division series. Following 2008, he also surpassed 300 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    Midway into the 2008 season, Newman announced his departure from Penske to drive for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. Driving the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet for SHR with support from crew chief Tony Gibson, Newman finished 36th in his first start with SHR. Though he did not record a victory, the 26-race regular-season stretch was a consistent run for Newman as he achieved 12 top-10 results and made the 2009 Playoffs along with teammate/owner Tony Stewart, which marked his first appearance in the Playoffs since 2005. At Talladega in October, he was involved in a harrowing accident in the closing laps when he was sent airborne and landed upside down on Kevin Harvick’s hood before he slid across and down the banking on his roof and flipped once before he came to rest on his roof. He was able to emerged uninjured. For the final 10 races, he earned three more top-10 results and concluded the season in ninth place in the final standings. Throughout the 2009 season, he made 10 Xfinity starts between the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc., the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and the No. 1 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. His best run was at Talladega in April, where he started on pole and was in prime position of winning before he was edged by David Ragan at the finish line. He also made two Truck starts in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. as he finished in fourth place in both races.

    Through the first six races of the 2010 Cup season, Newman finished no higher than fourth place. The following race at Phoenix, Newman, sporting the Tornados Ruiz Foods colors on his car and racing on two fresh tires on a two-lap shootout, overtook Jeff Gordon for the lead and held off Gordon to win as he achieved his first victory since the 2008 Daytona 500 and his first with Stewart-Haas Racing. He also recorded the first victory for veteran crew chief Tony Gibson. Though he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings, Newman and the No. 39 Chevrolet team achieved 12 additional top-10 results and a pole. He also made 12 Xfinity starts, all with Phoenix Racing, and he earned seven top-10 results.

    Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch of the 2011 Cup season, Newman won one race (New Hampshire in July) and earned 13 top-10 results as he made the Playoffs for the fourth time in his career. For the remaining 10 races of the season in the Playoffs, Newman recorded four additional top-10 results and concluded the season in 10th place in the final standings while Tony Stewart went on to win his third Cup championship. Newman also competed in one Xfinity event and one Truck event throughout 2011, both with Turner Motorsports. Following 2011, he surpassed 400 starts.

    After finishing in the top 10 in two of the first five Cup races in 2012, Newman, sporting the Outback Steakhouse colors on his No. 39 SHR Chevrolet, made a late pass for the at Martinsville Speedway in April following a restart collision that knocked out Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer, and he went on to win following a late battle with A.J. Allmendinger. Throughout the season, he earned six top-five results and 14 top-10 results before he concluded the season in 14th place in the standings while missing the Playoffs for the second time in the last four seasons. He also made one Xfinity start at Texas in November with Turner Motorsports, where he finished 19th.

    For the first 19 races of the 2013 Cup season, Newman earned eight top-10 results. The following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his home track, he started off the weekend by achieving his 50th Cup career pole. On race day, he and crew chief Matt Borland opted for a two-tire pit stop in the closing laps to beat Jimmie Johnson and achieve his first victory of the season at Indianapolis in front of a home crowd. For the next five Cup races, Newman earned two additional top-five results. At Richmond in September, he took the lead late in the race and was in position of claiming a second victory and qualifying for the Playoffs when Clint Bowyer spun late in the race. Following an ensuing pit stop, where Newman exited in fifth place, he made his way up to third place, but he missed the Playoffs in a tiebreaker with Martin Truex Jr., Bowyer’s teammate. A few days later, however, Newman replaced Truex in the Playoffs along with Jeff Gordon after NASCAR determined that Bowyer’s spin was intentional in an effort for Truex to make the Playoffs and place two Michael Waltrip Racing cars in the postseason. He went on to achieve six additional top-10 results before he concluded the season in 11th place in the final standings. He also competed in the inaugural Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway, where he finished in third place. Following 2013, Newman surpassed 500 starts.

    After five seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman joined forces with Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 31 Caterpillar/Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS led by crew chief Luke Lambert in 2014 while SHR expanded to a four-car operation as Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch joined the organization. He finished 22nd in his first start with RCR in the Daytona 500 and went on to achieve nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. For the first eight races in the Playoffs, he earned five top-10 results. At Phoenix in November, Newman made a heroic bump and last lap pass on rookie Kyle Larson to finish in 11th place and earn a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. At Homestead, he finished second on track and in the final standings to race winner and the champion Kevin Harvick. Overall, he earned five top-five results and 16 top-10 results in his first season with RCR and the runner-up result in the standings was his best in his 13th full-time season in the Cup Series.

    Throughout the 2015 and 2016 Cup seasons, Newman earned seven top-five results and 25 top-10 results while achieving a best points result of 11th place in 2015. He also made one Truck start at Kansas in May in the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet, where he finished second. Following 2016, Newman surpassed 600 starts. In 2017, following the first three races, Newman and crew chief Luke Lambert gambled in the closing laps by remaining on track on old tires with the lead. In a two-lap shootout, Newman held off Larson to win his first Cup race since the 2013 Brickyard 400 and his first with RCR. He concluded the 2017 season with a total of seven top-five results, 13 top-10 results and a 16th-place result in the final standings along with his Phoenix win.

    After five seasons with Richard Childress Racing and coming off a disappointing 2018 season, where he only earned nine top-10 results and concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings, Newman moved to Roush Fenway Racing to pilot the iconic No. 6 Ford Mustang in the 2019 Cup Series season led by crew chief Scott Graves. Newman finished 14th in his first race with RFR in the Daytona 500 and he earned nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. Following finishes of 10th, fifth and 32nd in the first round (three races) of the Playoffs, he was eliminated from title contention. He went on to earn three additional top-10 results and conclude the season in 15th place in the final standings. Following 2019, Newman surpassed 700 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    This season, Newman started off 19th full-time season in the Cup Series on a harrowing note. He was in prime position of winning his second Daytona 500 entering the frontstretch until a bump from Blaney turned Newman’s No. 6 Ford across the track and into the outside wall, where he flipped upside down and was hit on the driver’s side by an oncoming Corey LaJoie. The impact launched Newman into the air and across the finish line in ninth place before he came to rest on his roof with oil leaking and flames bursting out of his car. Following the accident, Newman was transported to a local hospital in Florida, where he sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries. Nearly two days after his accident, Newman walked out of the hospital while holding the hands of his daughters. With Newman recovering from a head injury, Ross Chastain drove Newman’s No. 6 car in three races.

    In May, when NASCAR returned to on-track racing in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Newman was medically cleared to return to racing. He achieved a pair of top-15 results in his first two races back since his injuries at Darlington Raceway. He went on to earn six additional top-15 results in 22 starts through the first 25 Cup races of this season. He is currently ranked in 25th place in the regular-season standings, 245 points below the top-16 cutline, and is in a “must-win” scenario to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

    Catch Newman’s milestone start and final bid to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs at Daytona on Saturday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Reed Sorenson: “We Have a Shot To Win”

    Reed Sorenson: “We Have a Shot To Win”

    reedReed Sorenson began his NASCAR career with Ganassi Racing in the No. 41 Dodge in 2005. He was immediately a force to be reckoned with, scoring his first victory at Nashville Speedway from the pole and crossing the finish line 14 seconds over the competition. He went to victory lane once again at Gateway and lead the standings by 51 points and finished the season fourth overall.

    Beginning a full-time schedule in the Cup series and double duty in the Nationwide series in 2006, Reed completed the season 10th in Nationwide standings and earned five top-10 finishes in Cup. In his rookie Cup season, he became the youngest pole winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the age of 21.

    His career went from the best of highs to the worst of lows when Sorenson was released from driving duties at Turner Motorsports in October 2011. After taking Turner Motorsports to victory lane and to third place in the championship standings, this came as a shock to the NASCAR world. Turner gave no excuse for the release.

    Now at the age of 27, Sorenson finds himself racing full-time in the Nationwide series once again with The Motorsports Group, much to the excitement of his fan base. “I came in and he told me his plan as far as trying to make his race team better and trying to improve his race team with his engine program that he’s started up – he’s hoping that’s a step forward compared to last year and what he had. You know, he kind of filled me in on – this is the year where he’s going to try and put everything he possibly can into the race team and making it better. I felt pretty encouraged about that and we just talked a few more times and said alright let’s do it.”

    Formerly known as Key Motorsports, TMG currently fields the #40, 42, 46 and 47 entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Curtis Key is approaching his 20th anniversary as a team owner in NASCAR’s top three divisions.

    “I hope this year will be the best that this team has ever ran”, Sorenson said when I asked about his expectations for the 2013 season. “I hope that I can bring, as a driver, more experience than they’ve (TMG) had in the past. We know what we’re up against; we’re not a Cup team, as you can see. I mean you’re here, this is a small operation with a handful of people and we all know that – anybody from me, to Curtis, to the guys working down there(in the shop), we know what we’re up against.”

    Unlike most teams, TMG was not able to test their cars in the off season or at Daytona in January. Despite the odds against them, Sorenson is up for the challenge and has a positive outlook.

    “Going into Daytona, the way the racing is there, I feel like we have a shot to win. I love racing there and I’m going there to win. After Daytona, we kind of have to see where we’re at and see what we need to work on. Our expectations, I guess, to put it in a simple form, is to go out there and run well and figure out where we need to get better and do that.”

    The No. 40 is going into Daytona on the right foot with a primary sponsor of E-Swisher for the DRIVE4COPD300. Instead of smoke, e-Swisher electronic cigarettes emit a vapor that evaporates in seconds, with only a faint scent that doesn’t linger. The e-cigarettes are infused with high-quality nicotine, giving you the full satisfaction of a regular cigarette.

    “We’re excited about them, they’ve never been in the sport, it’s a new product,” said Sorenson. “Their excited about their new product and telling people what it is. They will be at the race, so that’s exciting. I’ve been a part of bringing a new sponsor into the sport in the past (with Discount Tire) and they’re still in the sport, so hopefully this is a relationship that can last and we can build on it in the future and I’m excited about them. When you have a new sponsor coming in your kind of want to show them all about NASCAR and what it’s about and how they can get their monies worth out of it. We’ll do the best job we can to show them a good time and show them NASCAR is a place they need to be.”

    Going into the restrictor-plate track of Daytona, Sorenson has one top-five and three top-10 finishes with zero DNF’s.

    To keep up with Reed and his No. 40 TMG team, be sure to follow him on Twitter @ReedSorenson7 and @TMG_team40.

  • Lap by Lap: Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 won by Kasey Kahne

    Lap by Lap: Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 won by Kasey Kahne

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With 46 laps to go, Kahne passed Matt Crafton for the lead and didn’t look back as he led the field off pit road with 26 laps to go after a caution for debris.

    Green flag as Nelson Piquet Jr. gets a solid start

    Lap 3 Nelson Piquet Jr. leads Jason Leftler, Paulie Harraka, Parker Kligerman, Timothy Peters, Matt Crafton, Todd Bodine

    Caution Lap 5 Points Leader John King gets into the inside wall. Got loose off of turn two and gets into the inside wall.

    Restart Lap 9 as Nelson Piquet Jr. gets a good restart and pulls ahead

    Lap 10 Ross Chastain bounced off the wall in turn two

    Lap 11 Piquet Jr. leads Leftler, Crafton, Kligerman, Bodine, Harraka, Peters, Ty Dillon, Johnny Sauter, James Buescher

    Lap 15 Sauter passes Dillon for eighth

    Lap 16 Buescher passes Dillon for ninth

    Lap 19 Peters, Sauter and Buescher pass Haraka

    Lap 19 Crafton passes Leftler for second as Leftler heads down pit road with motor problems

    Lap 21 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Kligerman, Bodine, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Dillon, Justin Lofton and Harraka

    Lap 29 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Kligerman, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Bodine, Dillon, Lofton and Joey Coulter

    Lap 31 Kasey Kahne passes Coulter for 10th after starting in the rear

    Lap 36 Dillon, Lofton and Kahne pass Bodine for position

    Lap 39 Coulter passes Bodine for 10th

    Lap 47 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Kligerman, Peters, Buescher, Sauter, Kahne, Dillon, Lofton and Coulter

    Lap 50 Piquet Jr. puts Cale Gale a lap down. Only the top 13 are on the lead lap

    Lap 52 Lofton passes Dillon for eighth

    Lap 54 Dillon passes Lofton back for eighth

    Lap 55 Coulter passes Lofton for ninth

    Lap 58 Piquet Jr. has a half a lap lead on second place Crafton

    Lap 60 Caution for debris……Piquet Jr. leads Peters, Kligerman, Crafton, Buescher, Kahne, and Sauter off pit road……Jeb Burton got the lucky dog….

    Restart Lap 66 as Piquet Jr. gets another strong start

    Lap 68 Crafton takes the lead from Piquet Jr as they lead Peters, Kahne, Dillon, Sauter, Buescher, Kligerman, Lofton and Coulter.

    Lap 70 Problems for Todd Bodine as he hit the wall off of turn two

    Lap 71 Bodine brings the truck down pit road. No caution

    Lap 73 Crafton leads Piquet Jr., Kahne, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Dillon, Kligerman, Lofton and Coulter

    Lap 87 Piquet Jr. now leads Crafton, Kahne, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Dillon, Kligerman, Lofton, Coulter

    Lap 94 Peters passes Kahne for third

    Lap 95 Sauter passes Kahne for fourth

    Lap 100 Coulter passes Lofton for ninth

    HALFWAY as only 11 trucks are on the lead lap as Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Peters, Sauter, Kahne, Buescher, Dillon, Kligerman, Coulter, Lofton and Jeb Burton

    Lap 108 Kligerman passes Dillon for seventh

    Lap 109 Crafton and Piquet Jr. battle side-by-side for the lead

    Lap 110 Piquet Jr. holds Crafton off

    Lap 111 Buescher passes Kahne for fifth

    Lap 112 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Kahne, Kligerman, Dillon, Coulter, Lofton and Burton

    Lap 113 Kahne, Kligerman and Dillon pass Buescher as Burton passes Lofton

    Lap 116 Ron Hornaday runs in the lucky dog spot.

    Lap 117 Jason White hits pit road

    Lap 118 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Peters, Sauter, Kahne, Kligerman, Dillon, Busecher, Coulter, Burton, Lofton and Hornaday

    Lap 121 David Reuitmann brings out the caution as he goes for a spin, collecting Bryan Silas…..Pit stops…..Peters leads Crafton, Sauter, Kahne, Piquet Jr., Dillon, Buescher and Kligermann off pit road. Sauter had to come back down pit road as they did not get it full of fuel. He’ll restart 11th. Ron Hornaday gets the lucky dog to make it 12 trucks on the lead lap.

    Restart Lap 131 as Crafton gets a good restart and takes the lead from Peters

    Lap 133 Crafton leads Peters, Kahne, Dillon, Buescher, Piquet Jr., Kligerman, Coulter, Lofton, Burton, Sauter and Hornaday. Starr runs in the lucky dog position.

    Lap 136 Piquet Jr. passes Buescher for fifth

    Lap 139 Lofton passes Coulter while Sauter passes Burton

    Lap 140 Buescher passes Piquet Jr. back while Kahne passes Peters

    Lap 141 Crafton leads Kahne, Peters, Dillon, Buescher, Piquet Jr., Kligerman, Lofton, Coulter, Sauter, Burton and Hornaday. Starr still runs in the lucky dog position.

    Lap 142 Sauter passes Coulter for ninth

    Lap 143 Sauter passes Coulter for eighth; Piquet Jr. passes Buescher for fifth

    Lap 144 Coulter passes Lofton for ninth

    Lap 146 Piquet Jr. passes Dillon for fourth

    Lap 148 Buescher passes Dillon for fifth; Sauter passes Kligermann for seventh

    Lap 150 Crafton leads Kahne, Peters, Piquet Jr., Buescher, Dillon, Sauter, Kligerman, Coulter, Lofton, Burton and Hornaday. Starr still runs in the lucky dog position.

    46 to go Kasey Kahne passes Matt Crafton for the lead

    40 to go Kahne leads Crafton, Piquet Jr., Peters, Buescher, Dillon, Sauter, Kligerman, Coulter, Burton, Lofton, Hornaday. Starr still runs in the lucky dog position

    35 to go Piquet Jr. passes Crafton for second

    33 to go Kahne leads Piquet Jr., Crafton, Buescher and Peters

    Caution 26 laps to go for debris. David Starr gets the lucky dog to put 13 trucks on the lead lap…..Pit stops…….Kahne leads Piquet Jr., Buescher, Peters, Crafton, Dillon, Sauter, Coulter, Kligerman and Burton off pit road. Piquet Jr. too fast exiting pit road so will need to go to the tail end of the longest line.

    Restart 20 to go as Kahne keeps the lead from Buescher

    14 to go Kahne leads Buescher, Crafton, Sauter, Peters, Coulter, Kligerman, Dillon, Lofton, Burton, Hornaday, Piquet Jr., Starr. Daykota Armstrong is in position for the lucky dog.

    12 to go Dillon passes Kligerman for seventh

    10 to go Piquet Jr. passes Hornaday 11th

    9 to go Piquet Jr. passes Burton for 10th

    8 to go Piquet Jr. passes Lofton for ninth

    7 to go Piquet Jr. passes Kligerman for eighth

    Kasey Kahne wins over Buescher, Crafton, Saute, Peters, Coulter, Piquet Jr., Dillon, Kligerman, Lofton, Burton.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200, Rockingham Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=3
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 4 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 0
    2 16 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 42
    3 8 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 42
    4 10 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 40
    5 3 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 40
    6 17 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 38
    7 1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 39
    8 12 3 Ty Dillon * Chevrolet 36
    9 6 29 Parker Kligerman Ram 35
    10 19 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 34
    11 27 27 Jeb Burton * Chevrolet 33
    12 22 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 32
    13 21 81 David Starr Toyota 31
    14 11 98 Dakoda Armstrong * Toyota 30
    15 23 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 29
    16 29 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 28
    17 13 33 Cale Gale * Chevrolet 27
    18 15 24 Max Gresham * Chevrolet 26
    19 18 92 David Reutimann Chevrolet 0
    20 20 9 John Wes Townley * Toyota 24
    21 24 275 Caleb Holman* Chevrolet 23
    22 32 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 22
    23 30 214 Brennan Newberry Chevrolet 21
    24 28 23 Jason White Ford 20
    25 14 8 Ross Chastain * Toyota 19
    26 2 5 Paulie Harraka * Ford 18
    27 36 170 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 17
    28 26 202 Tyler Young Chevrolet 16
    29 33 93 Chris Cockrum Chevrolet 15
    30 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 14
    31 7 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 13
    32 31 99 Bryan Silas * Ford 12
    33 25 7 John King * Toyota 11
    34 4 18 Jason Leffler Toyota 10
    35 34 7 Johnny Chapman Toyota 9
    36 9 60 Grant Enfinger Chevrolet 8
  • James Buescher wins DRIVE4COPD 300 after Last Lap Crash

    James Buescher wins DRIVE4COPD 300 after Last Lap Crash

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]Going into the final corner, it looked as if Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, or Joey Logano would find themselves in victory lane. However, coming out of turn four, Kurt Busch would slide up, getting into Logano, who would get into Stewart, wrecking the entire front of the field. As the mess sorted out, James Buescher would find himself as the first driver crossing the finish line to win the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    “Nobody wanted to work with us at the end,” Buescher said in victory lane. “We just got the best draft we could after everybody. I saw everybody wrecking there, I just went to the bottom and tried to get by all of it. We didn’t have a lot of track position there, but we stuck with it and we won.”

    The victory marked the first victory for Buescher in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

    “Anytime you win a race, it means a lot,” car owner Steve Turner said. “But with our goal of working with young drivers, gives us a good shot and makes me feel comfortable that we’ve put the right guys in the right place. We’ve really changed our organization over the off-season to cater to the young drivers.”

    Buescher hadn’t escaped trouble all day long as he was involved in the caution on lap 75. Michael Annett got into Brian Scott, turning him into the side of Buescher before Scott hit the wall. The team worked on fixing the damage and were trying to work their way up at the end.

    Brad Keselowski, who had fallen back in the pack with Buescher, would be credited with finishing second.

    “I don’t know how we brought the Discount Tire Dodge home; lots of squirming around there,” Keselowski said. “If we could’ve got through without that minor damage, we could’ve won.”

    Sadler, who was pushing Stewart at the time of the incident, would escape being wrecked to finish third and be the highest driver in the finishing order that’s running the full Nationwide Series schedule.

    “It felt like the leader came up and tried to block, and blocked too late, and pinched the 20 into the wall in front of us,” Sadler said. “We had a run there and a good shot to win the race. It’s so fun running with Tony Stewart as he always knows how to use the right lane.”

    Rookie Cole Whitt would find his way around the incident to finish in the fourth place position. Whitt had a rough day himself. On lap 49, he got into the back of Danica Patrick to push her at the wrong time in the middle of the corner, turning her into the wall.

    “I don’t think it’s ever great when teammates come together,” Patrick, who finished 38th, said. “We’ll have to figure out what happened and move forward.”

    “We’re teammates,” Whitt said. “We want our team to win. I mean, that’s why we were pushing each other anyways – we want to get our team up front together.”

    Patrick quickly displayed her displeasure with Whitt, which Whitt said, “I wouldn’t expect her to be happy about it. I wouldn’t be happy about it either. I don’t know why anyone would expect her to be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s great.’ ”

    Then once on pit road after the incident, Whitt would get turned around backwards on pit road as he was coming into his pit while Kyle Busch was leaving his.

    Rookie Austin Dillon would survive the last lap scramble to come home in the fifth position.

    “We didn’t get to stick to our game plan like we wanted to at the beginning of the race,” Dillon said. “Changed up, got dropped to the back.  Had to work our way back to the front.  Got hooked up with Elliott at one point in time.  Got back up to a decent stop.  Got some track position. Then we got faded back again.  Hooked up with Jr.  Drove to the front.  That one run felt really good pushing with him and Elliott, too.  It was fun.  It was difficult to tandem through the pack.  You had to fish your way through the pack.  When you had a gap to push, you could push.

    “My car was really good at pushing today.  The Advocare Chevrolet was fast enough to get to the front.  Ended up in the front.  Doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you finish up there, so it was fun.”

    Tayler Malsam and Timmy Hill sneak by the wreck to finish sixth and seventh, while Tony Stewart would finish eighth, going for his fifth consecutive Daytona victory.

    “I don’t know that we even made it to turn four,” Stewart said. “We got a big run on the outside and all of a sudden the door got slammed on us. I don’t know why whoever it was turned right, but it wasn’t a very good time to either try blocking or moving. It was definitely not the finish we wanted for sure. We had an awesome (car) today.”

    Kasey Kahne would finish ninth with Kurt Busch rounding out the top 10.

    “We were up front, leading laps and doing exactly what James Finch would have wanted,” he said. “We took the white leading and had the lead halfway down the back. Everybody was side drafting and we got separated.

    “I went to crowd the outside lane, didn’t know that there were two cars up there. I thought it was just a single lane. I was trying to side draft to get the best finish I could at the end. Everybody was racing to the end. Man, a lot of tore up cars. That’s just everybody full throttle at the end.”

    This wouldn’t be the only incident of the afternoon that Busch would receive the blame for as with 17 to go, he would try to squeeze through a hole three-wide that wasn’t there. The result would be a 20-car wreck that included Robert Richardson Jr., Denny Hamlin, Justin Allgaier, Kenny Wallace, Casey Roderick, Reed Sorenson, Johanna Long, Ryan Truex, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dillon, Mike Wallace and TJ Bell.

    “I quickly reminded myself why I don’t run these races,” Hamlin said. “It’s hard to control your fate in these races….had been running up front, was up front there, and just a chain reaction. Looked like Kyle and Kurt got a run up through the middle there and scared some people.”

    The middle part of the wreck saw Sorenson drive partly under Allgaier’s car.

    “I saw guys spinning in front of me and tried to get around them, but got caught up with another guys,” he said. “With having the two-car tandems and pack racing, guys are getting runs there that shouldn’t be.”

    The next race for the Nationwide Series is next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

  • Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 Lap-By-Lap

    Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 Lap-By-Lap

    [media-credit name=”daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”272″][/media-credit]After a wreck on the final lap, James Buescher would be crowned the winner of the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    Green flag as Dale Earnhardt Jr. quickly gets on Danica Patrick’s bumper to push her ahead

    Lap 1 – Patrick leads with Earnhardt Jr. as Bayne/Sadler try to run them down

    Lap 2 – Bayne to the lead around the outside with help from Sadler, putting Patrick/Earnhardt Jr. behind them

    Lap 5 – Sadler and Bayne swap so Sadler leads, but Tony Stewart/Sam Hornish Jr. go by them and take the lead

    Lap 7 – Patrick brushes the wall and falls back as her partner Earnhardt Jr. goes looking for.

    Lap 9 – Stewart and Kurt Busch become the newest team as Hornish tried to get his car cool.

    Lap 11 – Kahne/Earnhardt Jr. to the lead as they go to the outside of Stewart/Busch while Bayne/Sadler chase them.

    Lap 13 – Bayne/Sadler leading

    Lap 14 – Hornish/Brad Keselowski takes the lead through turn 4 as Bayne/Sadler fall back

    Lap 18 Hornish/Keselowski, Mike Bliss/Joe Nemechek, Michael Annett/Kurt Busch, Kenny Wallace/Mike Wallace

    Lap 20 Hornish/Keselowski still hold the lead as Bliss/Nemechek try to chase them down. Annett/Busch battle side-by-side with the Wallaces for the next position

    Lap 22 Bliss/Nemechek pass Hornish/Keselowski for the lead

    Lap 26 Earnhardt Jr/Kurt Busch to the lead past Bliss/Nemechek

    Lap 27 Bliss/Nemechek take the lead as Busch/Earnhardt Jr. swap positions in their tandem

    Lap 28 Bliss, Nemechek, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Kahne, Stewart, Patrick, Hornish Jr., Mike Wallace

    Lap 29 Busch/Earnhardt Jr. back to the lead in the tri-oval, ast Bliss/Nemechek as Logano/Kahne try to chase them down

    Lap 30 Earnhardt Jr./Busch swap as Earnhardt Jr. keeps the lead through the lap traffic

    Caution Lap 31 Debris on the track as Jason Bowles has an engine problem. Pit stops as some take two tires, some take four tires. Kurt Busch leads Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Cole Whitt and Michael Annett off pit road. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has issues getting into his pit, but solved the problem by using his cup sign for the rest of the day. Kyle Busch had the right rear window vibrating so they sealed it.

    Restart Lap 36 as Kurt Busch pulls slightly ahead through turns ½ with help from Kasey Kahne

    Lap 37 Tony Stewart/Joey Logano side-by-side with Kurt Busch/Kasey Kahne for the lead

    Lap 38 Stewart/Logano pull ahead to the lead with Busch/Kahne in toe followed by Danica Patrick

    Lap 40 Stewart leads Logano, Busch, Kahne and Sam Hornish Jr. as Patrick falls back through the field

    Lap 44 Logano/Stewart make the swap, allowing Busch/Nemechek to take the lead.

    Lap 45 J.J Yeley has smoke trailing from his car, quickly gets outta line.

    Lap 46 Busch/Nemechek lead as Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kyle Busch chase them down, followed by Hornish Jr.

    Lap 48 Richardson Jr. makes a big save in the middle of three-wide to prevent a wreck

    Lap 49 Kurt Busch leads Nemechek, Earnahrdt Jr., Kyle Busch, Hornish Jr., Hamlin, Logano, Ryan Truex, Kenny Wallace

    Caution Lap 49 as Danica Patrick gets into the wall after contact from teammate Cole Whitt. Patrick has enough damage to send her behind the wall. Sadler got some damage after running down off the track to the apron to avoid Patrick, fixed it on pit road. Reed Sorenson gets the lucky dog……Pit stops: Cole Whitt gets turned around backwards on pit road, after contact from Kyle Busch. Cole was coming in as Kyle was going out.

    Restart Lap 54 as Denny Hamlin leads the field to the green, but Kurt Busch quickly goes back to the points with help from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Lap 55 Busch/Earnhardt Jr. have spaced themselves from the field as Kenny Wallace/Mike Wallace are next in line, followed by Brad Keselowski/Kasey Kahne

    Lap 58 Trevor Bayne has a flat tire as he brings the car to pit road. This came after contact with Brian Scott.

    Lap 59 Busch/Earnhardt Jr. lead Hamlin/Logano as they have separated themselves from the pack

    Caution Lap 60 Mike Bliss has wrecked at the halfway mark. He backed off and Joe Nemechek got into the back of him. Pit stops: Some choose to pit while others stay out. Kurt Busch now leads Earnhardt Jr. as they both stayed on track

    Restart with 56 laps to go as Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. run side-by-side for the lead through turn 2. Earnhardt Jr. is able to get by Busch, but it is Elliott Sadler/Austin Dillon driving by him in a two-car tandem.

    55 to go Sadler/Dillon pull out to a pretty sizable lead as the pack runs three-wide all the way back.

    50 to go Sadler/Dillon continue to lead, in front of Kurt Busch, Nemechek, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Hornish Jr.,

    Caution Lap 75 Brian Scott wrecks in the tri-oval. Michael Annett got into Scott, turning him into James Buescher, and then Scott hit the wall. Kurt Busch leading…..Pit Stops as most can make it from this point: Joe Nemechek leads Hornish Jr. and Mike Wallace off pit road…..Trevor Bayne took the wave around so he’s only one lap down now.

    Restart 42 laps to go as Nemechek and Hornish Jr. are side-by-side through turns 1 and 2.

    41 laps to go Hornish Jr. leads with help from Mike Wallace.

    40 laps to go Hornish Jr. leads Wallace, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch as they’ve separated themselves from the pack

    39 laps to go Hornish Jr. and Wallace get separated, allowing the Busch brothers to go by on the outside.

    38 laps to go Stewart/Sadler go by the Busch brothers for the lead with Stenhouse/Hamlin in toe.

    37 laps to go Stewart/Sadler lead the Busch brothers and then Stenhouse/Hamlin

    30 laps to go Hamlin/Stenhouse to the lead coming across the finish line but its Earnhardt Jr./Austin Dillon taking the lead coming out of turn two.

    29 laps to go Earnhardt Jr./Dillon and Stewart/Sadler are side-by-side for the lead

    28 laps to go Stewart/Sadler surge ahead

    27 laps to go Joey Gase blows the motor, bringing out the caution, which puts Trevor Bayne back on the lead lap…..Pit stops as mostly everyone gets a splash of gas. Hamlin leads Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. off pit road. Timmy Hill stayed out so he’s the leader

    Restart 22 laps to go. Kenny Wallace takes the lead down the back straightaway with help from Robert Richardson Jr.

    21 laps to go three-wide for the lead as Denny Hamlin now leads with help from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    20 laps to go Hamlin/Earnhardt Jr. have left the field as the rest of the pack battles side-by-side.

    19 laps to go Sam Hornish Jr. brushes the wall, Brian Scott gets into the wall hard – no caution. Tony Stewart takes the lead with Elliott Sadler’s help as Denny Hamlin/Earnhardt Jr. run behind them. This marks lead change no. 36 to break the record for the most lead change.

    17 laps to go big wreck including Robert Richardson Jr., Denny Hamlin, Justin Allgaier, Kenny Wallace, Casey Roderick, Reed Sorenson, Johanna Long, Ryan Truex, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Austin Dillon, Mike Wallace, TJ Bell……Kurt Busch tries to squeeze through a hole that wasn’t there, and everybody started back off – Trevor Bayne got sideways once he slowed up and went up towards the wall, collecting the others…..Red flag…..

    Restart 9 laps to go as Kurt Busch goes to the lead with help from Kyle Busch.

    8 laps to go Stenhouse/Hornish battle three-wide for the race lead with Stewart/Sadler and Busch brother combo.

    Caution with 7 to go as three-wide does not work out as Sam Hornish Jr. goes around, collecting Michael Annett, David Ragan, Joe Nemechek, Dale Earnhardt Jr……Ragan got a push from behind, causing him to get into the back of Hornish and spinning him in front of Earnhardt Jr., collecting others.

    Restart 2 to go as Kurt/Kyle get the run off the top, go to the bottom and lead the field.

    White flag as Kurt/Kyle pull to the lead with Logano/Bayne in toe, trying to pass.

    Coming out of turn 4, Kurt Busch got into Joey Logano, sending him up into Tony Stewart, collecting the rest of the leaders.

    WRECKED: Stewart, Bayne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Whitt, Logano,

    James Buescher misses the wreck and is scored the winner after coming through turn four in 11th.

  • Joey Logano Wins The Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona After Spinning Out

    Joey Logano Wins The Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona After Spinning Out

    After spinning on lap 26, Joey Logano came back to through the field with a mass of different partners and hooked up with teammate Kyle Busch at the end to win the race.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]”Man, its great to be on the other side of the fence,” Logano said in victory lane. “This is Daytona; I am totally pumped. Gotta thank Kyle for pushing. I could him calling 8 back, 6 back – I knew we had to go. Both spotters did good today.”

    The win marks the first win for Logano at Daytona after pushing numerous drivers to wins.

    “To win here at Daytona is the coolest win of my life,” Logano added. “For me personally, I really needed a win and that is going to help us.”

    With a couple laps to go, Logano and Busch found a way around Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart. They pulled out to a lead and then lost it near the end as Jason Leftler and Reed Sorenson caught them, but couldn’t get by. Leftler was credited with second, with Sorenson getting third and Busch in fourth.

    The third-place finish for Sorenson allows him to extend his points to eight points over Sadler while winning the Nationwide Dash for Cash $1000 bonus.

    “At the end, I didn’t know where we were going,” Sorenson said. “Gotta thank Jason for coming and getting me as we were stuck back there. We talked about that before the race. I didn’t know where we were going but we had a run. It had to be close at the end for Jason.”

    Justin Allgaier finished fifth while a crashed happened as everybody was racing for sixth on back that began with contact between Mike Wallace and Danica Patrick in the middle of a three/four-wide battle.

    Michael Annett was credited with sixth while Kenny Wallace slid through the grass to finish seventh. Sadler got eighth, followed by Aric Almirola and Patrick.

    Making her 19th NASCAR start, Patrick led 13 laps and was up front all night before being collected in the wreck at the end.

    “Got disconnected about half a lap to go and dropped back to get reconnected with Aric,” she said after scoring the third top 10 of her NASCAR career. “It looked like Mike was struggling there. I kept the car straight and my foot in it, probably not the right thing to do in a wreck.

    “I learned a lot out there. I was glad I got to push a bit as I was thinking, ‘Am I only good as a leader?’.” But the guys did a good job on the Go Daddy Chevrolet.

    Numerous drivers were involved in the wreck, including Steven Wallace who came to rest on pit road and was credited with 11th.

    “It was just a tough day,” he said. “Me and Michael had a shot to win that race and the water temperature kept going up. The motor blew up and all hell broke loose on the front stretch. That’s just craziness at Daytona.”

    A couple of different minor wrecks happened throughout the night involving a couple different drivers. One of the worst wrecks involved Eric McClure, who was transferred to Halifax Medical Centre for precautionary further evaluation.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    Subway Jalapeno 250, Daytona International Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=17
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 18 20 Joey Logano Toyota 0
    2 15 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 42
    3 9 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 42
    4 14 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    5 10 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 39
    6 22 62 Michael Annett Toyota 38
    7 42 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 37
    8 3 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 38
    9 13 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 36
    10 7 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 35
    11 19 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 33
    12 17 11 Brian Scott Toyota 32
    13 2 9 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 0
    14 8 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0
    15 21 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 29
    16 6 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 0
    17 11 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0
    18 1 4 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    19 27 141 Jeffrey Earnhardt Chevrolet 0
    20 32 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 24
    21 16 21 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 24
    22 5 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 22
    23 25 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 21
    24 35 39 Josh Wise Ford 20
    25 24 87 Kevin Conway Toyota 19
    26 23 97 Joe Nemechek Toyota 18
    27 12 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 18
    28 30 81 Blake Koch * Dodge 16
    29 39 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 15
    30 43 107 Danny Efland Chevrolet 14
    31 26 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 13
    32 36 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 12
    33 40 52 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 11
    34 4 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 0
    35 41 70 Dennis Setzer Dodge 9
    36 33 113 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 8
    37 37 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 7
    38 34 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 6
    39 20 30 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 0
    40 38 40 Charles Lewandoski * Chevrolet 4
    41 29 174 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 3
    42 31 168 Carl Long Chevrolet 2
    43 28 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 1
  • Steve Arpin Begins New Venture with Turner Motorsports in Camping World Truck Series

    Steve Arpin Begins New Venture with Turner Motorsports in Camping World Truck Series

    Earlier this week, Steve Arpin made the announcement that he would be joining Turner Motorsports to drive the No. 32 Mike’s Hard Lemonade Truck for five races.

    [media-credit name=”stevearpin.com” align=”alignright” width=”243″][/media-credit]Arpin, a native of Fort Frances, Ontario, began his racing career on dirt, though made the transition to asphalt in in 2008, starting in the ARCA Racing Series and working his way up the ranks. Last year marked a breakout year for Arpin as he won three ARCA races for Venturini Motorsports and ran some Nationwide races for JR Motorsports, including a top 10 at Daytona. 

    Before Arpin gets set for his first Camping World Truck Series start at Dover next month, he talked about his deal with Turner Motorsports and more.

    Ashley McCubbin: First of all, what are your thoughts on the announcement with Turner Motorsports?

    Steve Arpin: I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. We’ve worked really hard with Mike’s Hard Lemonade. We had lots of success in the ARCA Series last year. We worked really hard to figure out our best spot for this year and when the opportunity arose at Turner Motorsports, its like I said a bunch of times now we’ve got all the ingredients for the perfect recipe and I’m absolutely thrilled. I’m like a kid jumping around in a candy store. I’d like to get in one of these trucks in drive them.

    AM: You spoke of having all the perfect ingredients. What are some of your thoughts on working with your new teammates?

    SA: We’ve got Ricky Carmichael – They call him the Goat. He’s like the greatest of all-time in motorcross racing; he’s a champion. There’s so much to learn from him on the transition to the truck series and asphalt racing. There’s so much to learn from him from a life in general side in what it takes to be successful and learning things from him from that stand point. Then there’s James Buescher – he has been really successful in the Trucks and trying to do as much as he can Nationwide that I couldn’t be more thrilled than that. I am going to be sharing a truck with Mark Martin, Blake Feese and Brad Sweet and we’re all going to leaning on each other and the four Nationwide drivers as well. It’s a great team and there’s so much knowledge and so much talent just under the Turner Motorsports banner that it promotes a great opportunity for success.

    AM: So with the first start coming at Texas, what are some of your thoughts going into that?

    SA: I am excited about that. It’s like the perfect place to start off a strong ambition with my history at Texas. We got our first intermediate win in the ARCA Series there last year. That’s where everything got kicked off with Mike’s Hard Lemonade; that was the first race with them on board with us last year and it’s Steve Turner home track and it’s my favorite track so its going to be awesome. Texas is such an event. The facility is just unbelievable when you pull into the place and  they do such a good job at Texas Motor Speedway and the fans around Texas are great too so we’re pretty excited about that.

    AM: With the ARCA experience under your belt, how do you think that is going to help you?

    SA: Anytime you can get lots of experience with being with a team and racing knowledge, its good in my situation as I don’t have a lot of asphalt experience. This is still pretty new adventure so I don’t think I can put a price on how beneficial that was to me. I was a great team, Venturini Motorsports, and they put great cars under me and gave me the opportunity to win races and have Mike’s Hard Lemonade, it was just a great experience for me, both as a driver and as a brand ambassador.

    AM: What are some of your thoughts on the competition level in the Camping World Truck Series right now?

    SA: I think its incredible. I think anytime you get into anything under the NASCAR level at that level of motorsports, these people don’t get here by accident. You got to earn your way here and the competition level – we’re going to be racing against guys like Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher, Kyle Busch at times, Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine. It’s absolutely incredible level of competition and it’s definitely going to be a step up from the ARCA Series compettion wise, but I think we’re definitely ready for the challenge.

    AM: What are your expectations going into this?

    SA: I want to win races. I realize there’s going to be a learning curve and we’re definitely going to need to have some curve balls thrown at us and some growing pains, that’s just part of life and anything you do, but its just as matter of how we learn from those mistakes and learn from those growing pains and capitalize on them. Part of being a racecar driver is my job is to get into that racecar and make it go as fast as I possibly can and provide the crew on information about what the car is doing and get the truck just as good as we can possibility it. With Turner Motorsports and Hendrick motors and all the people we have at Turner Motorsports, we’re putting myself in a position to do really well and I don’t think my expectations should be any less than good solid runs.

    AM: What’s your first racing memory?

    SA: My first racing memory was my first go-kart race when I was 10 years old. All I remember was getting out of go-kart and begging my dad the whole trip home, it was an hour trip home, begging my dad the whole way ‘if I could do this for the rest of my life, this was all I wanted to do for the first of my life’. I just absolutely love driving racecars ever since the first time I drove go-karts. Its just most thrilling – like, I’m luckiest guy on earth to do what I love doing for a living. It’s the most thrilling thing to be able to work hard all week long and get going on the weekend to get in that car and drive.

    AM: And what’s your favourite racing memory?

    SA: I think my favourite racing memory was Daytona Speedweeks in 2007. We just had a great week there. At Vulousia Speedway Park, we won a whole bunch – I think we won five in a row there. The other two races were run at Georgia and won both of those. We had seven wins there and that was pretty incredible experience for me.

    AM: Where do you see yourself in five years?

    SA: I’ve got my plans for the next 15-20 years. I’m just trying to figure out how we can get all these team owners to go along with my plan. That’s no word of a lie. I really want to keep up on my progression. I really want to take this opportunity in the Truck Series, whether it’s one year or two years, I really want to take this opportunity and captitalize on it and keep progressing up the ranks. But ultimately, my ultimate goal is to end up in the Cup Series and that’s where I want to be. We want to focus hard and make sure we do this right, both on the competition side and business side, and make sure we have a long-lasting relationship with Mike’s Hard Lemonade as well.