Category Archives: Camping World Truck Series

2002 Daytona Champion making NCWTS debut at Daytona International Speedway

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Hillman Racing today on January 26th that 2002 Daytona 500 Champion Ward Burton will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 27 Hillman Racing Chevrolet with funding from State Waters Heaters in next month’s season-opening NextEra 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Hillman Racing is making its NASCAR debut this season, but the organization is anything but new to the sport.  Team owner Mike Hillman Sr. played a key role in the founding of Germain Racing and was the architect of the group’s two NASCAR championships in 2006 and 2010. Hillman acquired the championship-winning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series assets following the conclusion of the 2011 season and is set to embark as the owner and general manager of Hillman Racing for the 2012 season.

In 375 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Burton has posted fives wins, seven poles and 24 top-five and 82 top-10 finishes. Burton also has four NASCAR Nationwide Series victories, seven poles, 23 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes in 161 starts.

In addition to Burton, a driver development program is being established for Jeb Burton, the 19-year-old son of Ward. Since making his last NASCAR start, Burton has been using that time to focus on helping his son Jeb develop his racing career and his conservation efforts with The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation. Being the son of NASCAR’s 2002 Daytona 500 winner, it would be natural to think that Jeb Burton would have the hope of someday becoming a professional race car driver like his dad. Jeb has been racing since he was a kid, starting in go- karts and racing his way through the ranks in ASA and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, and now at 19, he is ready to step into one of NASCAR’s top tier racing series with Hillman Racing in No. 27 Chevrolet Silverado, sporting the same number that he has been racing in his Late Model division.

 Source: Hillman Press Release

Smoke’s ‘Walk Off Championship’ voted NASCAR’s Top Moment of 2011

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Members of NASCARMedia.com voted in a week-long poll, casting ballots for the top-10 moments from the just-completed NASCAR season. You better believe I did my part and participated! I voted for what I thought should make the Top 10 moments of 2011 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the results are out…. and it looks as though I was thinking right along with everyone else!!

The Top 10 Moments of the 2011 Sprint Cup season are listed below – as well as the the one’s that didn’t make it in, but I thought were worth an honorable mention.

See if you agree with me and my counter-parts:

Tony Stewart clinches the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall/Racingal.com

#1 – Tony Stewart’s Homestead-Miami Clincher

Stewart trailed Carl Edwards by three points entering the 10th and final race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Both drivers had predicted the championship wouldn’t be decided until the final lap, and they were right. Edwards, who started on the pole, led the most laps while Stewart yo-yoed through the field after fixing damage to the front of his Chevrolet. Amazingly, Stewart took the lead with 36 laps remaining. Edwards, in second place, stayed in full-out pursuit mode until the checkered flag waved, but finished 1.306 seconds behind Stewart. Both drivers scored 2,403 points with the tiebreaker – five wins to one – falling in Stewart’s favor.

Trevor Bayne, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quicklane Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2011 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

#2 – Trevor Bayne’s Daytona 500 Win

Winning The Great American Race is a career achievement no matter how many races or championships are won elsewhere. Example: Seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt needed 20 starts to win his Daytona 500 at age 46. All of which made Bayne’s victory both surprising and historic. Bayne, at age 20 years and one day, was making just his second NASCAR Sprint Cup start, although his team – the legendary Wood Brothers – had won the Daytona 500 on four previous occasions. Bayne, who started 32nd and led only the final six laps as a record 74 lead changes were recorded became the youngest Daytona 500 winner and just the seventh to make the race his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory. The win was Ford’s 600th and 98th for the Wood Brothers.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 7 in Long Pond, Pa. Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

#3 – Brad Keselowski’s Wreckers-to-Checkers Win at Pocono

Playing hurt is the measure of athletic success, as Brad Keselowski won August’s Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway just days after breaking his left ankle in a road course testing accident. Few might have projected a healthy Keselowski as a Pocono favorite. He’d won at Kansas Speedway earlier in the summer, but came to Pennsylvania ranked 21st in points. The race turned out to be a coming-out party for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, who followed the performance with three more top-three finishes capped by a Bristol victory, a Chase wild card berth and a fifth place finish in final NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.

#4 – Jeff Gordon’s 85th NASCAR Sprint Cup Win

 Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon fell short in his title bid, but the 2011 season was his first with multiple victories since 2007. He broke a 66-race winless streak at Phoenix International Raceway in February, added another win at Pocono Raceway in June and scored a historic 85th career victory in a weather-delayed AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September. Atlanta’s victory gave Gordon sole possession of third among all NASCAR Sprint Cup winners, breaking a tie with NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bobby Allison and soon-to-be-inducted Darrell Waltrip.

Regan Smith earns his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win after crossing the line first in the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 7, 2011. Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

#5 – Regan Smith’s Southern 500 Win

 What Trevor Bayne began in February, Regan Smith continued in May. Smith entered Darlington Raceway’s SHOWTIME Southern 500 with a lean resume to say the least: no wins, top fives or top 10s in 104 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts. Smith, then 27, became the upset winner of NASCAR’s oldest “crown jewel.” He led just the final 11 laps and held off Carl Edwards by 0.196 seconds to give Furniture Row Racing – a team headquartered in Colorado – its first series victory.

#6 – Jimmie Johnson’s Aaron’s 499 win at Talladega

At the time, Jimmie Johnson’s final-lap victory – with an assist by teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. – appeared to be an early harbinger of a sixth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Johnson’s second Talladega Superspeedway win – and 54th overall – boosted him from fourth to second in the point standings. The race matched records for lead changes (88) and margin of victory under electronic scoring (0.002 seconds).

#7 – Paul Menard Holds Off Jeff Gordon to Win Brickyard 400

Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet, celebrates on the bricks after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31, 2011, in Indianapolis, Ind. Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Surprise winners in 2011, take three. For much of its 19 years, Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Brickyard 400 had been won by the greatest names in NASCAR: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, bill Elliott – champions all. No first-time winners in the bunch – until this July. Midwesterner Paul Menard wound up kissing the start-finish line bricks after prevailing in a torrid battle with four-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon. Menard joined Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne and SHOWTIME Southern 500 winner Regan Smith to score a first victory on the schedule’s largest stages.

#8 – Austin Dillon Becomes Youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Champion

Though a number of young drivers have used their experience in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as a springboard to NASCAR Sprint Cup success – think Carl Edwards, among others – veteran drivers, for the most part, have had a stranglehold on its championships. Only Travis Kvapil (age 27 in 2003) was younger than 30 in the series’ first 16 seasons. All that changed in 2011 as third-generation driver Austin Dillon, 21, became the youngest to win an NCWTS title. Dillon, a two-time winner, finished six points ahead of NASCAR national series veteran Johnny Sauter. Dillon, Richard Childress’ grandson, returned a title to RCR that Mike Skinner won in the series’ 1995 inaugural season.

#9 – Danica Patrick Posts Best Finish in NASCAR by a Female Driver

All agreed that Danica Patrick’s part-time NASCAR career was on the upswing in its second season. Patrick proved that with an exclamation point on March 5 with a solid, fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The performance was record-setting: Patrick became not only the highest-finishing female driver in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race but also in any NASCAR national series event. Patrick’s feat broke a record from NASCAR’s earliest years – Sara Christian’s fifth-place finish in a NASCAR Sprint Cup (then Strictly Stock) race on Oct. 2, 1949 at Heidelberg, Pa.

#10 – 2010 Sunoco Rookies-of-the-Year Win Championship

Two NASCAR national series champions gave media and fans yet another reason to keep an eye on the newcomers. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., whose uneven performance nearly cost him his job with Roush Fenway Racing in 2010, recovered to claim NASCAR Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Roush’s faith was rewarded as Stenhouse won twice en route to the 2011 championship. Austin Dillon’s rookie of the year run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wasn’t quite so dramatic but like Stenhouse, he “graduated” to the champion’s chair. The season marked the first time that both Nationwide and truck rookies became champions in their sophomore years.

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Honorable Mentions

(Eligible, but did NOT make Top 10)

#1 – NASCAR changes Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup to include two Wild Card drivers who have the most wins between 11th and 20th in points.

#2 – Mark Martin wins 50th Coors Light Pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to become the eighth driver to reach that mark.

#3 – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series sets records for average lead changes (27.1), leaders per race (12.8) and races with a margin of victory under a second (23).

#4 – Richard Childress Racing wins 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, as Clint Bowyer wins Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega.

#5 – Marcos Ambrose wins at Watkins Glen, becomes fourth driver born outside of USA to win in NASCAR’s top series.

#6  - Tony Stewart passes Jimmie Johnson on the outside at Martinsville with 3 laps left to win his third race of 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

#7 – Carl Edwards wins NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway then crumples car on celebratory trip through the infield.

#8 – Kevin Harvick wins thrilling Coca-Cola 600 after Dale Earnhardt Jr. runs out of fuel on the final lap.

#9 – NASCAR Nationwide Series returns the muscle car/pony car look to competition with Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang along with the sportier looks of Chevrolet Impalas and Toyota Camrys.

#10 – Kyle Busch becomes the all-time NASCAR Nationwide Series wins leader (now with 51 wins).

# 11 – Kenny Wallace becomes the all-time starts leader in NASCAR Nationwide Series history, now with 522 starts.

#12 – Roush Fenway Racing becomes first NASCAR Nationwide Series team to win driver and owner titles with two different cars – Ricky Stenhouse (No. 6); Carl Edwards, Billy Johnson (No. 60).

#13 – When his engine blows, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. slides across the start/finish line after being slammed by Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards for the season sweep at Iowa.

#14 – As he vowed to do until he went to Victory Lane, Marcos Ambrose returns to Montreal to finally get a win at the track.

#15 – Reed Sorenson survives another wild finish at Road America to return to NASCAR Nationwide Series Victory Lane after a four-year absence.

#16 – Ron Hornaday Jr. extends all-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win total to 51 wins and becomes the fourth driver in NCWTS history to run 300 races.

# 17 -Kevin Harvick Inc. ends its 10 years in the sport with third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s championship and 43 wins, second-most all-time in series history.

# 18 – James Buescher finishes 3rd in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings after failing to qualify for the second race of the season at Phoenix.

#19 – Kyle Busch claims his 100th national series victory with a win at New Hampshire.

#20 – Dylan Kwasniewski at age 16 becomes the youngest winner in K&N Pro Series West history in August at Colorado National Speedway.

NASCAR announces 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule

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NASCAR announced the 2012 schedule for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, highlighted by the sport’s return to historic Rockingham Speedway for the first time since 2004 and a number of familiar venues known for the typically intense battles among the tough trucks.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will race at Rockingham for the first time in its 17-year history, marking the first time the 1.017-mile track will host a NASCAR national series race since February of 2004.

Next season’s schedule, which features 22 races, opens with the traditional Daytona International Speedway Friday night bout, on Feb. 24. The championship will once again be decided at the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

With a nod to the sport’s – and the series’ – roots, the trucks will race on short tracks five times, at three different tracks, next season. Martinsville Speedway hosts the first short-track event, on March 31, with a return engagement on Oct. 27.

Iowa Speedway, the popular 7/8th-mile short track, also hosts two NASCAR Camping World Truck events next season – on July 14 and Sept. 15. Bristol Motor Speedway’s high banks will hold its traditional Wednesday night show, on Aug. 22.

For the third consecutive season, the series will race at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway triangle for its fast 50-lapper.

All races will air on SPEED.

2012 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE
Date                 Site                                                                         
2/24                  Daytona International Speedway
3/31                  Martinsville Speedway
4/15                  Rockingham Speedway
4/21                  Kansas Speedway
5/18                  Charlotte Motor Speedway
6/1                    Dover International Speedway
6/8                    Texas Motor Speedway
6/28                  Kentucky Speedway
7/14                  Iowa Speedway
7/21                  Chicagoland Speedway
8/4                    Pocono Raceway
8/18                  Michigan International Speedway
8/22                  Bristol Motor Speedway
8/31                  Atlanta Motor Speedway
9/15                  Iowa Speedway
9/21                  Kentucky Speedway
10/6                  Talladega Superspeedway
10/13                Las Vegas Motor Speedway
10/27                Martinsville Speedway
11/2                  Texas Motor Speedway
11/9                  Phoenix International Raceway
11/16                Homestead-Miami Speedway

Stenhouse Jr., Dillon, celebrate 2011 Titles in Miami Beach

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2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr and crew chief Mike Kelley Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 21, 2011) — NASCAR’s future was front and center Monday night as four champions in two national series were crowned.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 24 and Austin Dillon, 21, officially were proclaimed champions of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, respectively, on the Americana Ballroom stage at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.

Both were honored with their first NASCAR national series titles. Each became champion in the season following a rookie-of-the-year performance. Dillon becomes the youngest champion in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ 17-year history. Both champions won twice during the 2011 season.

 

 

 

 

 

2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Austin Dillon and crew chief Danny Stockman Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60 Ford Mustang won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner Championship, as driver Carl Edwards won eight times. The title is the second in the series for Jack Roush, his previous owner championship coming in 2002. It also marked the first time that the same owner claimed both the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver and owner titles with different teams.

Kevin Harvick Inc. claimed its third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner Championship. DeLana Harvick’s No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado posted seven victories with three different drivers in adding to KHI’s owner titles from 2007 and 2009.

Timmy Hill, an 18-year-old Maryland competitor, won NASCAR Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors by a single point, tying the series’ closest decision for that award. Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Joey Coulter, 21, won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, the second time the same organization claimed both championship and rookie laurels.

Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier, Aric Almirola and Reed Sorenson finished second through fifth in the championship standings and were honored along with Stenhouse in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Johnny Sauter, James Buescher, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Timothy Peters were second through fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final points and joined Dillon on stage.

After a fan vote on NASCAR.com, in which more than 215,000 combined votes were cast, each series’ Most Popular Driver was revealed. Sadler and Dillon were chosen by the fans in the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, respectively. Each was honored for the first time.

Source: NASCAR Media

Three’s a crowd – Johnson’s reign ends – epic Championship battle underway

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Race: 36 of 36 (11-20-11)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

Race Length: 267 laps/400.5 miles

Banking/Corners: 18 – 20 degrees

Banking/Straights: 4 degrees

Frontstretch: 1,760 feet

Backstretch: 1,760 feet

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (176.904 mph, 30.525 seconds)

2010 race winner: Carl Edwards (126.585 mph, 11-21-10)

Track qualifying record: Jamie McMurray (181.111 mph, 29.816 seconds, 11-16-03)

Track race record: Tony Stewart (140.335 mph, 11-14-99)

 

1 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.8

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

·         Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 5.7 in seven races

·         Series-best Average Running Position of 7.7

·         Series-best Driver Rating of 117.5

·         Series-high 173 Fastest Laps Run

·         Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 162.956 mph

·         Series-high 1,379 Laps in the Top 15 (86.0%)

·         236 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), seventh-most

 

2 – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·         Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.1

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

·         Two wins, three top fives, six top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.4 in 12 races

·         Average Running Position of 14.6, 10th-best

·         Driver Rating of 87.6, 11th-best

·         60 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·         415 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 162.140 mph, 10th-fastest

·         1,037 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), seventh-most

·         235 Quality Passes, eighth-most

 

There are still many different scenarios surrounding Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, but even so much so as it could be as simple if Edwards wins Sunday, he’s the champion. If Stewart wins Sunday, he’s the champion.

Depending on where Edwards and Stewart eventually finish, but, if Edwards finishes ahead of Stewart, he’ll win a championship. The bright side for Stewart: he owns the tie-breaker (most wins), so he needs only to tie Edwards to win his third championship.

 

Some rather notable milestones on tap for Homestead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

- Mark Martin will makes his 830th, which will give him sole possession of fifth on the all-time series starts list.

- Kurt Busch will make his 400th series start, the 48th driver to do so.

- Hendrick Motorsports continues its quest for 200 series victories.

- Ryan Newman continues his attempt to become the ninth driver to 50 career poles.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

 

Stenhouse – who last year was close to losing his ride due to inconsistency and too many wrecked race cars –needs to finish 37th or better, 38th or better with at least one lap led or 39th and lead the most laps in order to vanquish Sadler, his only challenger.

 

His Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards can finally capture the owner title that he ceded to Richard Childress Racing in 2007 when Edwards won the driver championship. His No. 60 RFR team is one point behind the leader, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Denny Hamlin is charged with saving the team’s chance at a series-record fourth consecutive owner title. Kyle Busch was originally scheduled to drive the No. 18 at Homestead.

 

Three drivers are vying for Sunoco Rookie of the Year in what is shaping up to be the closest contest for that award. Ryan Truex, who won’t run at Homestead, has a three-point lead over Timmy Hill and Blake Koch, who are tied for second. They’ll run in the season-finale Saturday.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Austin Dillon – grandson of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner Richard Childress – currently holds a 20 point lead over competitor Johnny Sauter and 28 points over James Buescher.

 

If Dillon can hold on to the top spot in the series finale he will become the youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion at 21 years of age. Dillon also become the first driver to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title and win the series championship the following year.

 

OH, THIS IS GOOD STUFF: Joe Gibbs, along with Kyle Busch, addresses the media

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Finally! I thought it would never happen!!  All day yesterday the media was expecting Joe Gibbs to make an announcement regarding the No. 18 race team…..but it never came.

This morning, 9:30 am MTS, (11:30 AM Est) Joe Gibbs, along with Kyle Busch (with Kyle wearing a plain shirt with no logos for his meeting with the press this morning) and a Mars Representative, took to the podium at the PIR Media Center.

Here’s what was said:

Joe Gibbs started by reiterating that M&Ms WILL be back in full force for 2012, and they have everything worked out, ”We’re all set.”

The No.18 is going through pre-race tech. Photo credit: Joe Gibbs Racing via Twitter

Interstate Batteries, in the meantime, stepped up to the plate and stated in an earlier tweet “We also honor Mars’ request to take a couple weeks off. As a 20-year sponsor of JGR, we thought it best to help the team during this time.”

This will be a rough time for JGR, financial wise.

Said Gibbs,”Kyle’s penalties are gonna be substantial….”will be other financial penalties and stuff that we’re working through, but the biggest thing for everybody on the 18 car is we went from seventh in the points to 11th. That’s a huge deal.”

Kyle Busch said it’s a situation he could never dream something like this would happen. .. said his actions were disrespectful.

Joe Gibbs: “I wanna support Kyle and I feel like this can have a positive impact on him as a person. I’m committed to him as a person. I like him.”

“This has been quite a trying week. I’m apologetic to everyone who has been through this situation. No one to blame buy myself,” stated Busch. ”We want to learn from this. Certainly, there’s some remorse from my side. There is an opportunity for me to become a better person from this. I’m sure I’ve lost respect to team, sponsors and peers.” Busch says he’s remorseful & publicly apologizes to M&Ms.  Busch also stated “I want to be at Joe Gibbs Racing, I want to be in NASCAR and I want to be driving the M&Ms Toyota.”

 

Gibbs then followed with, “Over the last year, I really think he has made great strides but a shame he took a step back here…”

As the press conference continued, Gibbs was asked if M&M’s will receive a refund, whether or not Busch will or will not get paid and/or fined & what Interstate Batteries is paying.
Gibbs was not willing to discuss internal financial situation with team and sponsors.

Moving on.

Busch says “I have more behavioral issues than driving issues,” and JGR was showing anything non-committal towards anger management.

Busch said he’s talked with Ron Hornaday and the conversation ended well. “I’m still invited to the house … so that’s good.” In the meantime, as we all know that Busch is quite a fan of Twitter, he has not checked his Twitter account for comments at all. “The great thing about Twitter, is you can also turn it off.”

So what about the Nationwide Series? Gibbs says he is taking responsibility for Denny Hamlin driving the Z-Line Design NNS car next week. Gibbs said the WHOLE team played a role in discussions with sponsor Z-Line about having Kyle out of Nationwide car at Homestead to focus on Cup.

A message to the fans:

“I do appreciate any of the fan support that has been out there…I do appreciate my fan base…” Busch said. He mentioned he was worried about losing his ride, but never was told by Gibbs that he might lose his ride.

Busch said, “It was a big deal to sit there and watch the race Sunday and see the No. 18 car and I was not in it.”  You’ve got to be smarter. I certainly was not smarter with my actions last Friday night (at Texas). I get that.”

“This week, I definitely got burned by my own fire,” said Busch.

Something to watch for:

According to Kevin Harvick, in trying to make things right, Kyle busch has offered Ron Hornaday the No. 18 truck ride (full-time) in 2012.

And this story keeps on going!!  Stay tuned!

 

 SOURCE: JGR PRess Conference, Twitter

 

 

 

 

Kevin Harvick wins at Texas, but not too “happy” with Kyle Busch

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Photo credit:\ SPEED

Not so “Happy” Harvick won the WinStar Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway. Yes, happy he won; but hot that his driver, Ron Hornaday (KHI’s No. 33 Chevy) was knocked out of contention for the NCWTS Championship.

But can he relate to what happened tonight between Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday? In case you missed the race this evening, this is what blew up Twitter and Facebook this evening. It will be the talk of the rest of the weekend. Trust me.

 

This is Kevin harvick’s response following the race in the Texas Motor Speedway Media Center:

Just as Kevin Harvick was into his first season of taking over for Dale Earnhardt in April 2002 in the No. 29 RCR Chevy, Harvick was officially parked for a Sunday’s Cup race after spinning Coy Gibbs during a Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville. After repeatedly bumping and banging, Harvick rammed Gibbs’ rear bumper and finally spun him exiting Turn 2.

 

NASCAR had enough, black-flagged Harvick and parked him for the day and for the Sunday’s Martinsville race. Harvick parked his #6 Chevy in front of the Truck series hauler near pit road.

 

NASCAR parked Kyle Busch for the rest of the race after a Lap 14 incident that started with Busch and Hornaday racing hard side-by-side and ended with Busch knocking Hornaday into the Turn 4 wall in retaliation and out of the series championship battle.

 

Sound a little familiar?

 

This suspension fell under NASCAR’s rulebook as an emergency action that is “final, non-appealable and non-reviewable.” n addition to the penalties, Harvick was fined $35,000 and his probation was extended. This $35,000 was in addition to the $15,000 that he paid after the Biffle incident.

 

One difference between Harvick and Gibbs and what happened between Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday Friday night, is that Harvick was already ON PROBATION from an earlier incident with Biffle at Bristol. Kyle is not on probation.

 

So, if Kyle Busch is to be fined, I say NASCAR will hit his wallet hard. He intentionally risked the life of another drive, which NASCAR takes very seriously. He’s had issues with his “loss of temper” perviously. With the severity of this wreck, I would like to see NASCAR end his Camping World Truck Series racing, effective tonight, instead of Homestead-Miami, issue a large fine, and follow in Tony Stewart’s footsteps and take an Anger Management course before he does seriously hurt, or god forbid, kill someone.

 

SPEED had reported via Twitter shortly after the race that NASCAR has called a meeting with Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Officials before practice hits the track at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday morning. That’s not a good sign if his Cup car owner is getting involved. Something there is hinting a possible suspension on Sunday.

 

Richard Childress had taken a stance that since the initial incident was during a Busch (Nationwide) race, and the most recent incident occurred during a Craftsman (Camping World) Truck series race, that the penalties should remain in those series and not rolled over into Winston(Sprint) Cup. It’s a fair point, but NASCAR saw that in this case, the driver had demonstrated a lack of ability to control his temper and had intentionally wrecked and risked the life of another driver.

 

But all we can do is wait and see and let NASCAR do their jobs. STAY TUNED!!

Even battle for Championship between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards heading to Texas

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Race #: 34 of 36 
Track Size: 1.5 miles
Race Length: 501 miles
Banking/corners: 24 degrees
Banking/straights: 5 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,250 feet
Backstretch: 1,330 feet

 

Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: Elliott Sadler (195.397 mph, 27.636 seconds)
2010 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 140.456 mph, 11-07-10)
Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (196.235 mph, 27.518 seconds,
11-03-06)
Track race record: Carl Edwards (151.055 mph, 11-06-05)

1 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford)
Three wins, four top fives, five top 10s

2 – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
Three wins, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole

3 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet)
Four wins, nine top fives, 18 top 10s

4 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
Three wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole

5 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)
Two wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s

6 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 MyLowe’s Chevrolet)
One win, seven top fives, 12 top 10s

7 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
Four top fives, five top 10s

8 – Kurt Busch (No. 22 AAA Dodge)
One win, three top fives, 11 top 10s

9 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Heritage/AMP Energy Chevrolet)
Four top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole

10 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
One win, seven top fives, nine top 10s; two poles

11 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)
Two wins, five top fives, eight top 10s

12 – Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
One win, three top fives, three top 10s; two poles

 

This is weird. For the first time in almost six seasons, I am NOT talking about Jimmie Johnson and the Championship. Well, I’ll say it this way… It’s actually a little refreshing!!

Stewart let the world know that he’s after points leader Carl Edwards, whose lead in the Championship points shrunk to only eight points. Edwards started second and finished third at Texas earlier this season. Stewart won at Texas in 2006, and finished 12th there earlier this season.

This is what Carl had to say about Stewart’s threat:

 Video courtesy of NASCAR Media

Three Chase drivers head to Texas where they do not have a win: Brad Keselowski (fourth in points), Kevin Harvick (third) and Kyle Busch (seventh).

Keselowski’s best finish at Texas is 14th and he finished 18th there earlier this season; Harvick’s best finish is third, and he finished 20th earlier this season; Busch’s best finish is second, and he finished 16th earlier this season.

Denny Hamlin swept both races last season, and Matt Kenseth won at Texas earlier this season.

Two of the greatest opposites are in the middle of battling it out for the same thing… the Championship trophy. Tony Stewart carries Office Depot – Carl’s old sponsor; while Stewart’s other sponsor is Burger King – Carl’s is Subway; Tony’s outspoken – doesn’t think twice about speaking what’s on his mind and pays no attention to being reprimanded by NASCAR; Carl, well, he likes to smile – a lot; Stewart likes to eat a man’s meal; Carl will be working out. But one advantage Stewart has… he has a better average finish at Texas than Edwards. However, on the other hand, Edwards has two of his best tracks ahead: Texas and Homestead.

If Stewart can overcome his eight-point deficit, he would become the first owner/driver since Alan Kulwicki in 1992 to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. He would join Cale Yarborough, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson with three championships.

This, my fellow fans, will be interesting!

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Ok, so only three races remain until the champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. The NASCAR Nationwide Series also have three races remaining while coming off two consecutive off weeks.

Danica Patrick is now a full-time NASCAR driver, competing in the final three 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series races as she prepares to run the entire series schedule for JR Motorsports in 2012. In addition, she’ll run a limited schedule in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing. Her start at Texas will be her ninth this year and her first since Kansas.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. holds a 15-point lead over second-place Elliott Sadler in the driver standings.

 

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Only two races remain in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and a hard effort by Austin Dillon at Martinsville last Saturday has put him ever closer to his first championship. He’ll look to increase an 11-point lead over James Buescher in Friday’s WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas.

Kevin Harvick can bring the series owner championship home to the No. 2 KHI Chevrolet at Texas, defeating his nemesis Kyle Busch and KBM Motorsports for that coveted award.

Source: NASCAR Media

Heading into Martinsville, the Championship is up for grabs

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NSCS
Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 30
1:30 p.m. (ET)
ESPN, 1 p.m. (ET)
MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
500 miles (263 laps)

 

Mathematically, it’s anyone of the 12 Chase drivers chance to win the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship – with only four races remaining.

 

Carl Edwards is still the current points lead – coming out with an even bigger lead after Talladega by keeping it clean – and is only 14 points over second place, Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth. Jimmie Johnson sits 50 points behind leader Carl Edwards with just four races remaining. However, Johnson dominates at Martinsville holding six wins. Dale Junior, on the other hand, finished second in the Spring, making Martinsville his favorite short track – statistically speaking.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on Lap 480 of 500 last April. He held that lead for a long while, but Kevin Harvick slowly closed. Each passing lap, the crowd’s anticipation ballooned.Then at Lap 497, just four laps from the race’s end, that balloon popped. Harvick passed Earnhardt, and went on to victory. Brad Keselowski is currently third in points and is the dark horse at Martinsville. Tony Stewart has claimed two victories at Martinsville.

 

When Clint Bowyer won last Sunday’s race at Talladega, it marked just the 14th time in 76 Chase races that a non-Chase driver won a Chase race.

 

Don’t expect that to happen again this weekend. A non-Chase driver has won at Martinsville only once, and it was a biggie: Jeff Gordon in 2005. That was the only season Gordon missed the Chase.

 

In other news, the unique four-inch high curbs guarding the inside of the turns at Martinsville Speedway have been painted pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The newly-painted curbs will be unveiled to the public for the first time on NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice Day on Friday, Oct. 28.

 

NASCAR will hold its third of three Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) tests scheduled this month for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Oct. 31 at Martinsville Speedway. Previous tests have been held at Talladega and Charlotte. The tests are part of the continued development of the EFI Research & Development for the teams. Electronic Fuel Injection will be fully implemented in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning at Daytona International Speedway in February 2012.

 

Current Point Standings:
Carl Edwards 2237
Matt Kenseth 2223
Brad Keselowski 2219
Tony Stewart 2218
Kevin Harvick 2211
Kyle Busch 2197
Jimmie Johnson 2187
Kurt Busch 2185
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2163
Jeff Gordon 2155
Denny Hamlin  2153
Ryan Newman  2149

 

NCWTS
Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 29
2 p.m. (ET)
SPEED, 1:30 p.m. (ET)
MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
200 miles (105.2 laps)

 

 

The No. 2 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet can clinch the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owners championship this weekend if it leaves Martinsville with a 97-point lead over the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck.

 

The NCWTS has three races remaining with Austin Dillion holding a three point lead over James Beuscher, who comes fresh of a truck win at Talladega Superspeedway.

 

Johnny Sauter, who has finished third in points the last two seasons – is just 14 points out of the championship lead and won at Martinsville in April after leading 71 laps.

 

Ron Hornaday is the defending race champion at Martinsville. Hornaday also has two victories and a second-place finish this month, so the veteran driver finds himself back in championship contention.

 

Denny Hamlin and Elliott Sadler will compete in the Kroger 200. Hamlin will pilot the No. 18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports with Sadler returning to drive the No.24 Joe Denette Motorsports Chevrolet. It will be Hamlin’s 12th and Sadler’s 19th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start.

 

Current Point Standings:
Austin Dillon 769
James Buescher 766
Johnny Sauter 755
Ron Hornaday 753
Timothy Peters 727
Todd Bodine 710
Cole Whitt 698
Matt Crafton 687
Joey Coulter 680
Parker Kligerman 659

 

‘Wild Card’ Talladega Superspeedway expected to shake up Chase even more

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Johnson was hit with a hefty deficit when his accident-induced 34th-place finish at Charlotte dropped him to eighth in the standings, 35 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Is he in? Or is he out?

 

The Chase drivers in front of Johnson at this point seemingly refuse to finish outside the top 10, making Johnson work even more harder. Edwards has top-10 finishes in all five races, the only driver to do so. And second- and third-place Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth have each finished in the top 10 in four of the five Chase races. So what does Johnson need from those drivers to get back into position for that sixth Championship? Poor finishes.

 

Talladega is Chevy Country

Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress each carry 11 wins at Talladega, most all-time among owners. And don’t count out Dale Earnhardt, Jr. just quite yet. Earnhardt is always a threat at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ biggest track and runs well on a restrictor plate. He has led laps in each of the last 11 Talladega races. He may very well bring home Hendrick Motorsport’s 200th victory.

 

Don’t forget last April at Talladega when two records were broke… One was for the closest margin of victory since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993. Jimmie Johnson beat Clint Bowyer to the finish line by .002 seconds.

 

The second was number of lead changes, 88. That tied a record also set at Talladega, prompting a rather unique bonus program for Sunday. If there are 100 or more lead changes in Sunday’s event, the driver who takes the lead the most times will win $100,000. Expect the intensity to be ratcheted up.

 

Also this weekend, NASCAR is implementing some rule changes into the mix. The size of the restrictor plate will increase by 1/64 inch and is now going to be 57/64-inch diameter. This will provide the teams with an additional 7-10 horsepower.

 

The pressure relief valve on the cars’ cooling system will be re-calibrated to reduce the pressure by approximately 8 pounds per square inch from this past April’s race at Talladega.

 

There will also be no greasing of any kind to the rear bumpers. as this had aided the pushing car to ‘slide’ and lessen the chance of spinning the pushed car.

 

Nascar is hoping with the rule changes above, will alleviate the two-car tandem racing.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

The top five in the championship – Dillon, Sauter, James Buescher, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Timothy Peters – are separated by just 25 points. All but Hornaday posted top-10 finishes (led by Sauter’s third place) at Talladega in 2010.

 

Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 2 Chevrolet holds a 73-point lead over Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18 Toyota in the race for the series owner championship. Busch returns to the series at Talladega where he is the two-time defending winner of the Coca-Cola 250 Powered by Fred.

 

Last year’s Talladega race saw the closest finish under electronic timing and scoring in series history as Busch edged Aric Almirola by 0.002 seconds.

 

Also, NASCAR driver Donnie Neuenberger will be returning to the NCWTS at Talladega. Neuenberger will be piloting the #16 Eagle Convenience Stores Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing and making his 2nd 2011 start.

Read blog posted, June 2011 >

NASCAR driver Donnie Neuenberger overcomes life’s obstacles.

 

Bracelets supporting The Donnie Neuenberger Foundation will be for sale at Talladega Superspeedway at Donnie’s hauler in the garage area. You can also order directly from The Donnie Neuenberger Foundation at www.dgnracing.com or www.dgnf.org for an order form or by ordering through PayPal. 

WELCOME BACK, DONNIE AND GOOD LUCK!!!