The Camping World Truck Series drivers are racing at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend so here are some fast facts and notes to preview the event.
Tag Archives: Darrell Wallace Jr
Impressive Performance Results in a Rockingham Win for Larson
Kyle Larson, driver of the #30 Autism Speaks Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Carolina 200 at Rockingham Speedway on April 14, 2013
Photo – Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
To say Kyle Larson had a good day would be the biggest understatement so far this year. Larson had a phenomenal day where he led over half of the laps in the race and was able to hold off various drivers for the lead throughout the afternoon. He had never raced a lap in a truck at the Rockingham Speedway until this weekend; and by the end of a race, he looked like he had raced at the Rock all of his life. Besides this win being Larson’s first Truck win, this was his first victory in any of the top levels of NASCAR. Kyle Larson put on a pure dominant performance at the Rock. Continue reading
NASCAR Industry Celebrates 10th NASCAR Day On May 17th
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NASCAR Industry Celebrates 10th NASCAR Day On May 17th
“Ten Days Of Giving” Tour And Camping World Add Luster To This Year’s NASCAR Day
The NASCAR Foundation and many throughout the NASCAR industry will come together on Friday, May 17 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to celebrate the 10th Annual NASCAR Day. This special day is an unprecedented celebration of drivers, corporate partners, media and the sport’s millions of fans uniting with The NASCAR Foundation to support a range of charitable causes relevant and meaningful to those within the NASCAR family. Continue reading
Rookies and Veterans Looking for Martinsville Magic
Martinsville short track racing is on just about every fans’ bucket list of tracks to visit. And for drivers in NASCAR’s élite series, Martinsville is on their bucket list too, whether it comes to racing there for the first time or winning at the historic track. For several, this weekend’s race at Martinsville will be their first as NASCAR drivers in the Camping World Truck Series or Sprint Cup Series. Both rookies and veterans of the sport, look for magic at the flat short track, as they all want to bring home a coveted Martinsville clock.
There are six Camping World Truck Series drivers that have already visited Victory Lane at the 0.526-mile oval. And six others are attempting to make their first NASCAR national series appearance.
Forty-two different competitors have made their first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Martinsville.
Among the group is NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, who debuted in the Kroger 250 on April 17, 2004. Timothy Peters is the only competitor to claim both first series start (2005) and victory (2009) at Martinsville.
Peters, Johnny Sauter, Ron Hornaday Jr., Kevin Harvick, David Starr and Scott Riggs are Martinsville winners expected to compete in Saturday’s race.
Kyle Busch Motorsports brings a pair of first-timers to the event: NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Darrell Wallace Jr. and Erik Jones. Although this is a first-time visit for Wallce in NASCAR’s truck series, it’s not his first time at the track. Wallace finished third in a 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at the track. He’s 19; Jones is 16.
“I’ve got the same truck that Denny [Hamlin] won with here last year so there’s no reason we shouldn’t be up front,” said Wallace during a recent test day. “It’s going to be key for all of us to learn as much as we can from Kyle [Busch]. If we can pick his brain to get as much as we can, we should be pretty good right off the bat.”
Other debuting are Chase Elliott, 17, son of 1988 NSCS champion Bill Elliott and a NASCAR Next9 driver; Grant Galloway, 18, an Indiana midget racer; Devin Jones, 16, a transplanted Californian racing out of Hickory, N.C., and Jonathan Davenport, a 29-year-old late-model dirt touring competitor.
In the Sprint Cup Series, first-time visits to the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway rarely prove successful for even the biggest of talents. Rattle off the names, and then check out their debuts. Jimmie Johnson – now a seven-time winner at Martinsville – opened his Martinsville career with a 35th-place finish in 2002. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart finished 20th in 1999. Kevin Harvick, finally a Martinsville winner in 2011, slogged to a 34th-place finish in his début at the Virginia short track.
Among those who blossomed into Sprint Cup stars, the latest and greatest example of immediate Martinsville success is Denny Hamlin, who finished eighth in his 2005 début. It was a foreshadowing of Martinsville brilliance, as the Virginia native has four wins there. He’ll miss this weekend’s race while recovering from a back injury.
All that begs the question: How will Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick fare this Sunday? Because the NASCAR Nationwide Series has only raced at Martinsville once – 2006 – since 1994, neither Stenhouse nor Patrick has much competitive seat time there.
At this point of the season, Stenhouse and Patrick are tied for the Sunoco rookie standings, each with 54 points. Stenhouse is now 12th in point standings, and in contention to become only the second rookie to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – only Hamlin has this distinction so far.
If Patrick makes the field on Sunday, she’ll make history once again as the first female to start a race at Martinsville. Likewise, neither have much short-track experience to lean on in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Patrick has two Bristol starts with a best finish of 28th this season; Stenhouse’s lone short-track start resulted in a 16th at Bristol three weeks ago. Stenhouse did, however, tally three short-track wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, all at Iowa Speedway.
NextEra Energy Resources 250 Preview
John King, driver of the #7 Red Horse Racing Toyota, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb 23, 2012
Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images
The Trucks will be back in action this Friday at the Daytona International Speedway when they hit the high banks for the NextEra Energy Resources 250. Many new and young faces are entered in the race and they will look to start their season off on a high note. A few returning drivers will also be back and looking to build on their 2012 performance. The Truck race this Friday is sure to be a wild one and it will be a great kick-off to the Truck Series season.
The NextEra Energy Resources 250 will go green on Friday February 22, 2013 at 7:30 PM EST. The race will feature 100 laps and 250 miles. Each lap will surely count this Friday because to be there at the end, you’ll need to remain in the pack on every lap. The weather forecast for Friday night looks mostly cloudy with a high of 82 F and a low of 62 F with a 10% chance of rain. The race will be broadcasted on SPEED and on the radio on MRN. This will be the first race of the 2013 season and everyone will look to get a head start on the chase for the championship.
The 2012 NextEra Energy Resources 250 featured some wild racing including multiple big wrecks and a lot of torn up trucks. John King won the race becoming the first of nine first time winners in the 2012 Truck Series season. King will be in Friday night’s race and he will be competing in the No.33 truck for Eddie Sharp Racing. Likely the most memorable moment from the 2012 race was when Joey Coulter’s truck got air-borne and slid against the catch fence before coming to a rest on the ground. Coulter will look to avoid doing that this season and attempt to end up in victory lane.
Many drivers have been entered in this race but, some won’t be competing for the full season. The Daytona Truck race is always a special one and therefore, it attracts a lot of racers. Notable drivers competing in this race that won’t be running for the championship this season include Tim George Jr. in the No.5 truck, Justin Lofton in the No.6 truck, Todd Bodine in the No.13 truck, Ryan Truex in the No.30 truck, Rick Crawford in the No.50 truck and Kyle Busch in the No.51 truck. Those drivers will look to upset the Truck regulars and take home the hardware. Another note worthy fact about the race is that this will be Darrell Wallace Jr.’s first race in a truck. He will be competing in the No.54 truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports. The field for Friday’s race is definitely a stacked one and all those drivers should put on a great show.
In my opinion, anyone will be able to win the race. With the drafting process that goes on at Daytona, anyone could get the right push and make it to the front when the checkered flag is in sight. Picking a driver that really hasn’t been super strong may not be a bad pick. Anyone will be able to win this race. The first Truck race of the season always happens to be the wildest one and Friday night’s race shouldn’t disappoint. Continue reading