The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run its 500th race this weekend – Saturday’s UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series began in 1995 and is in its 21st season of operation. Ron Hornaday Jr. has won the most Camping World Truck Series championships with four and 51 races. Mike Skinner earned the first series titles driving for legendary owner Richard Childress. Throughout its existence, many NASCAR stars have started their careers in the Camping World Truck Series, including Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Challengers Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski. Continue reading →
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s / Budweiser Chevrolet, sits in the grass after an incident on the track during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 20, 2015 Photo – Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Going into Chicagoland Speedway, Kevin Harvick was one of the favorites to win the first race of the Chase. His swagger of confidence coming into Chicago was clear when Harvick told the media last Thursday, that he intended to pound the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers throughout the Chase. The JGR drivers have won eight of the last ten races leading up to the Chicagoland race – the first in the ten-race playoff. So, obviously, Harvick sees them as his biggest rivals in defending his title this season.
On Sunday, Joe Gibbs Racing responded with a Denny Hamlin victory in the myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The rest of their drivers finished in second with Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth finished fifth and Kyle Busch finished ninth – all four drivers with top-ten finishes. In contrast Harvick finished a rough day in 42nd-place and is now last of the 16 drivers contending for the championship.
An on track incident between Jimmie Johnson and Harvick resulted in a cut tire on the No. 4 car. Harvick blames Johnson for the incident, and confronted Johnson after the race with a shove, before an ally, and his wife Delana intervened and separated the two drivers. Johnson pointed his finger, but that was the extend of the exchange.
The skirmish between Harvick and Johnson certainly contributed to the problem, but Harvick didn’t help his situation by staying on the track until the tire blew.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but Harvick could have changed the tire and would have most likely lost fewer positions and certainly would have lost fewer laps, giving his team a chance to regain their track position and perhaps even contend for the win in the end. By staying out and letting the tire blow out, Harvick wrecked his car, causing his crew to feverishly work to get it fixed enough that he could return to the track. Harvick then finished the race 58 laps down, sending him from first to last in the Chase point standings, not only deflating to his team, but bursting his Joe Gibbs Racing threat bubble.
Perhaps a tire changed in time could have saved Harvick and his No. 4 team, 58 laps in this case.
Harvick is now 43 points behind the Chase points leader, Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Matt Kenseth. Apparently, Hamlin, Kenseth and the other Joe Gibbs drivers were not rattled by Harvick’s threat to pound them in the Chase. Harvick instead pounded himself right into 16th place after the first race of the Chase – seems his threat ended with a back-fire at Chicagoland Speedway.
‘Chasing’ Earnhardt And Petty: Johnson Sets Sites on Seventh Series Title
Ten races separate Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup No. 1 seed Jimmie Johnson from potential immortality. If Johnson wins NASCAR’s 16-driver, four-knockout round playoff, he will capture his seventh series title, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the all-time lead.
Johnson begins his quest in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. He has never won at the Windy City track, but boasts seven top-fives, and seven top-tens to go along with the series-best average running position (7.129) and driver rating (115.5) there. Chicago remains one of four active tracks at which Johnson has not won – Homestead, Kentucky and Watkins Glen.
The No. 48 Chevrolet driver has won four races this season, but has made 13 starts since his last victory. He tends to elevate his élite skill to an even higher level during NASCAR’s playoffs though, as he leads all drivers with 25 total Chase wins.
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR XFINITY Series FURIOUS 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 19, 2015 Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series FURIOUS 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 19, 2015 Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series FURIOUS 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 19, 2015 Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series FURIOUS 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 19, 2015 Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR XFINITY Series FURIOUS 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 19, 2015 Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
In a race where teammates raced like archrivals to the checkered flag, Kyle Busch surged ahead of Matt Kenseth with a crossover move on the next-to-last lap and won the Furious 7 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race by 0.791 seconds over his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate at Chicagoland Speedway Saturday night.Continue reading →
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run its 500th race this weekend – Saturday’s UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series began in 1995 and is in its 21st season of operation. Ron Hornaday Jr. has won the most Camping World Truck Series championships with four and 51 races. Mike Skinner earned the first series titles driving for legendary owner Richard Childress. Throughout its existence, many NASCAR stars have started their careers in the Camping World Truck Series, including Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Challengers Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski. Continue reading 
