Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Byron, Bell celebrated at awards | Start times set for 2018

It’s said that the sequel always has a hard time living up to the original. JR Motorsports is about to test that theory, albeit with one change.

For the 2017 season, JR Motorsports was the class of the NASCAR Xfinity Series placing all four of its drivers – Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier, William Byron and Michael Annett – in the playoffs. Sadler, Allgaier and Byron reached the Championship 4 with Byron besting Sadler for the championship.

A fourth runner-up finish in the Xfinity Series standings was particularly “hard to swallow” for Sadler.

“Homestead hurt,” Sadler said at last month’s NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series Awards. “It’ll be good … that we can get refreshed and re-energized and start from scratch as we head into Daytona,”

Allgaier finished third in the standings for the second straight year. The 31-year-old Illinois native scored his first series wins since 2012 with victories at Phoenix and Chicago.

RELATED: Recap Allgaier’s 2017 season

“I was very pleased with where JR Motorsports was at in 2017,” Allgaier said.  “Very rarely do you put all the pieces of the puzzle into place that put you in a situation to do what we did. To have 75 percent of the field for the Championship 4 as JR Motorsports competitors is crazy.”

Now, the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-co-owned organization looks to replicate or better that feat, although the team will have a driver change with Byron moving up to Hendrick Motorsports and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Tyler Reddick comes into the fold to fill the seat vacated by the 2017 Xfinity Series champ. Sadler, Allgaier and Annett all return for 2018.

Reddick’s Xfinity experience in 2017 driving the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in a part-time capacity – he won at Kentucky in September and notched poles in his final two starts – should help minimize any potential learning curve.

RELATED: Reddick wins at Kentucky | Reddick to join JRM in 2018

“I think Tyler will incorporate very seamlessly,” Allgaier said. “Tyler’s a great guy but he’s also a great competitor. To win this year at Kentucky for him and to see the success he had with the Chip Ganassi Racing team, I think he’s a great addition. He fits in really well with all of our guys that are there. … He’s somebody I can lean on because we have a lot of the same background and a lot of the same experiences and I think it’s going to be fun.”

Sadler echoed Allgaier’s thoughts, but acknowledged that given his UNC basketball fandom, Reddick’s last name made him think of former Duke basketball standout and current NBA player J.J. Redick.

“He definitely seems to have a good attitude and wants to do it, so I honestly think Tyler’s going to fit in just fine,” Sadler said. “I’ve already talked to him and said, ‘Look, man. If I call you J.J., I’m sorry.’ He’s like, ‘What?’ I’m like, ‘J.J. Redick. When I hear the name Reddick, that’s all I can think about it is J.J. Redick. So look, if we’re in the heat of battle or conversation talking about a race and I say J.J., it’s not a … I’m not cussing you. I’m just thinking, that’s being a Carolina fan. That’s what I think of when I hear Reddick.’ “

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Driver, crew chief changes for 2018

A list of full-time drivers and their rides in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the 2018 season (This will be updated as drivers are announced for 2018):

*-indicates a change from the 2017 season

Car No. Driver Team Notable
 1  Jamie McMurray  Chip Ganassi Racing  Has made playoffs three straight seasons.
 2  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske  Reached Championship 4 for first time in ’17.
 3  Austin Dillon  Richard Childress Racing  Scored first win, made playoffs for second year in a row.
 4  Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing  Reached Championship 4 for third time in four seasons.
 6  Trevor Bayne/Matt   Kenseth*  Roush Fenway Racing  Kenseth’s return makes this a split for him and Bayne.
 9*  Chase Elliott*  Hendrick Motorsports  Strong end to sophomore season; first win is close.
 10  Aric Almirola*  Stewart-Haas Racing  New team could yield big dividends for Florida native.
 11  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing  Led most laps since ’12; won in every full-time season.
 12*  Ryan Blaney*  Team Penske*  Driving third Penske car after breakthrough ’17 season.
 13  Ty Dillon  Germain Racing  New crew chief in Matt Borland for second-year driver.
 14  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing  Big bounce back in ’17, but winless drought at 185 races.
 17  Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  Roush Fenway Racing  Two wins at plate tracks a sign of more to come.
 18  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing  Runner-up had career-best in poles, over 2,000 laps led.
 19  Daniel Suarez  Joe Gibbs Racing  Posted eight of 12 top 10s in second half of season.
 20  Erik Jones*  Joe Gibbs Racing  Sunoco Rookie winner steps into Matt Kenseth’s seat.
 21  Paul Menard*  Wood Brothers Racing  Veteran moves from one legendary race team to another.
 22  Joey Logano  Team Penske  Missed postseason for first time with ‘The Captain.’
 24  William Byron*  Hendrick Motorsports  Rookie’s quick climb continues, eyes Sunoco sweep.
 31  Ryan Newman  Richard Childress Racing  Veteran snapped 127-race winless streak at Phoenix.
 32  Matt DiBenedetto  Go Fas Racing  Social media favorite returns for second year at Go Fas.
 34  Michael McDowell*  Front Row Motorsports  Career-best average finish in first full-time season.
 37  Chris Buescher  JTG Daugherty Racing  Career-best in top 10s, average finish for new team.
 38  David Ragan  Front Row Motorsports  Veteran driver just two starts from 400 in top series.
 41  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing  Daytona 500 winner has new crew chief in Billy Scott.
 42  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing  Four wins in ’17 a springboard for bigger things in ’18.
 43  Darrell Wallace Jr.*  Richard Petty Motorsports  Rookie steps into ‘The King’s’ ride with Chevrolet.
 47  AJ Allmendinger  JTG Daugherty Racing  Road course ace has made 145 consecutive starts.
 48  Jimmie Johnson  Hendrick Motorsports  ‘Seven-Time’ at 83 wins, closing in on Waltrip, Allison.
 78  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing  Champ eyes repeat after eight-win, 2,253-laps-led season.
 88  Alex Bowman*  Hendrick Motorsports  Young driver fills Dale Jr.’s seat after fill-in success in ’16.
 95  Kasey Kahne*  Leavine Family Racing  Got back to Victory Lane in ’17; takes over for McDowell.
Posted on by Pat DeCola

MORE: NASCAR Next info | Deegan named to NASCAR Next class

Who’s got next?

That’d be Hailie Deegan, the youngest driver and only female of the current NASCAR Next class, named Wednesday to drive the No. 19 Mobil 1/NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry full-time for K&N Pro Series West powerhouse team Bill McAnally Racing.

The 16-year-old from Temecula, California will challenge for the Rookie of the Year Award and overall title as she runs the full 15-race schedule in the West division of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, while also racing in select events in the East division.

Deegan joins BMR on the heels of the organization’s third straight series title and second straight with fellow Toyota development driver Todd Gilliland. The reigning champ will move up to join Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series for the 2018 season.

The announcement came after BMR hosted an audition of sorts in late 2017 in which Deegan’s talent shone brightly.

“Back a couple months ago, I did a test with BMR that Toyota set up and a couple girls went out there and a couple boys, too,” Deegan told NASCAR.com. “We just kind of drove the K&N cars out there and I ended up doing really well so Toyota put together a great deal for me for K&N for BMR. I’m really excited about it.

“It didn’t feel like an audition at the moment, but then a week later, I realized it was. But when I was there I thought they just wanted to practice since we’re out there but it ended up being like an audition and I ended up getting picked for it, which is really cool. That was a nice little confidence booster.”

Deegan, who began racing off-road trucks at the age of 8, has racing in her blood. The daughter of the most decorated freestyle motocross rider in history and an off-road champion himself in Brian Deegan, the up-and-comer has wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps for most of her life.

“I think (my dad) has been a pro to the whole situation of being a girl in racing and knowing the racing world,” she said. “There’s not too many girl racers out there, let alone girls who want to race or have dads who race. Kind of a total package thing where I get a lot of help from my dad. He’s been in the stock car racing world before.”

Deegan raced a full season of off-road trucks in 2017 — including four podium finishes — and added a handful of late model and super late model races to her plate as well. She had a pair of starts in the CARS Super Late Model Tour, with a best finish of 11th at Tri-County Motor Speedway.

With the path Toyota development stars have been paving over the past few years (see: Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, etc.), Deegan is hopeful to establish herself as the next rising driver to create a buzz.

It all starts with what she’s capable of on the track.

“I just want to be able to run up front. I’m definitely with the best team out there, hands down, with BMR and just the whole crew and everyone around me. I’m going to put in a lot of practice time, a lot of testing just to get seat time,” Deegan said. “That’s really critical for me right now. I just want to be able to run up front to show people that I can run up front.

“For sure (stock car racing is where I see my future). That’s where I’m pushing towards. I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but me and my family are really excited to do it.”

Posted on by David Smith

RELATED: Start times for 2018 Xfinity Series schedule set

Editor’s note: This is the second of three stories on 2018 breakout candidates. Camping World Truck Series breakout candidates can be read here; Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series breakout candidates can be read here.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series lost its champion with William Byron graduating to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but a handful of young drivers are poised to take his place. Using statistics compiled in 2017 to project performance in 2018, here is a list of likely breakthrough competitors for the upcoming season:

Tyler Reddick

Reddick, a three-time winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, gets a crack at full-time Xfinity Series racing, taking the reins of the very JR Motorsports entry that captured the series championship with Byron.

Last season, Reddick made 18 starts behind the wheel of a Chip Ganassi Racing entry he shared with Monster Energy Series regular Kyle Larson. The difference in performance was noticeable. Reddick’s 16.7-place average finish was 10 positions worse than Larson’s (6.1). Reddick eventually scored a win at Kentucky, but overall, his results left a lot to be desired.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

His peripheral numbers provide optimism. Among drivers with 10 or more starts, Reddick ranked 12th in restart position retention from the preferred groove– seventh with Cup drivers omitted — defending his running spot on 82.93 percent of restarts. Races with more restarts were advantageous for him. He averaged a 21.75-place finish in events with less than seven restarts; his average result in races with nine or more was 9.5.

His passing outside the restart window proved effective on the larger tracks — 1.5-mile intermediates, where he earned an adjusted pass differential 19 positions more than expected from driver with his average running position, and the 2-mile, non-drafting tracks where his plus-9.04 percent surplus passing value ranked third among front-runners, trailing only Joey Logano (plus-11.65 percent) and Larson (plus-11.39).

Daniel Hemric

An Xfinity Series rookie in 2017, Hemric acclimated to the higher level of competition in the second half of the season when his 8.73-place average finish was more than seven positions better than his first-half average (15.88). He was one of two rookies to qualify into the Championship 4 and, unlike fellow rookie and eventual champion Byron, he remains in the series in 2018.

Sarah Crabill | Getty Images

Without the need for assimilation, Hemric appears capable of a concentrated bid for the series championship. His passing could act as the foundation to a potential title march. He ranked as the best passer among series regulars on the intermediates of Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas, where he bagged 35 positions beyond the expectation of his average running position. He was also a plus passer on tracks 1 to 1.49 miles in length.

His crash rate of 0.21 times per race was exactly the series average among drivers with six or more starts, and that’s a good thing considering an average young driver’s penchant for crashing. A 2017 Motorsports Analytics study proves a driver’s crash rate dissipates the older he/she gets, meaning Hemric projects as a cleaner driver moving forward.

Cole Custer

Among playoff participants, Custer’s No. 00 was the fastest car, per timing and scoring data supplied to NASCAR.com, in the final seven races of 2017 and at 1.5-mile intermediate tracks all season. If that speed carries into the new season — it’s unclear what the pending merger of Biagi-DenBeste Racing and the Xfinity operation of Stewart-Haas Racing means for the on-track product– Custer will threaten to dominate races in the manner he did during the season finale at Homestead.

Matt Sullivan | Getty Images

It takes talent to go fast in a race car, so Custer’s effort shouldn’t be taken lightly, but his peripheral numbers looked as if they belonged to a rookie. His minus-6.83 percent surplus passing value ranked as the second worst among series regulars and led to an adjusted pass differential 253 positions worse than expected. The restart window proved troublesome. He suffered a net loss of 131 positions, retaining his position far less often than the series average.

Another season in the Xfinity Series means another year of possible growth, and for Custer that is an opportunity to hone his skill set when clean air eludes him.

Christopher Bell

In a miniscule eight-race sample size, Bell looked every bit the part of a future Xfinity Series title contender. The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion receives the full-time promotion to Xfinity in 2018 and at his disposal is a reliable race-winning car from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable.

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

Bell ranked as the 12th most efficient passer, among front-running drivers, across all track types and ranked second and third, respectively, on short tracks and high-banked intermediates, a combination on which he scored a 70-position surplus pass differential, a heavy takeaway from traffic in just four races.

In 20 restart attempts from the preferred groove, he retained his running position 95 percent of the time for a gain of 18 positions, a positive sign for a driver who projects to be in clean air the majority of the time in what is perennially one of the series’ fastest cars.

Chase Briscoe

Briscoe’s exploits in the Truck Series flew below the radar and culminated in a win in the season’s final race. The 23-year-old driver was an effective restarter all year, retaining his running position 80 percent of the time from the preferred groove for a gain of 47 spots, the third highest total behind Ryan Truex (66) and John Hunter Nemechek (57). Additionally, he was a plus passer across all track types, a pleasant designation for a rookie regardless of series strength.

Matt Sullivan | Getty Images

In 2018, he’ll be part of a driving triumvirate in the iconic No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing car alongside Ty Majeski and Austin Cindric. In Briscoe’s starts, restarts could prove bountiful as he represents something Roush Fenway’s Xfinity program did not have in 2017: an above average restarter from the non-preferred groove, where Briscoe was one of the 10 best position defenders in the Truck Series.

David Smith is the Founder of MotorsportsAnalytics.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidSmithMA.

Posted on by Team Release

Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that long-time racing executive Doug Duchardt has been named Chief Operating Officer of the corporation. Duchardt begins the role effective immediately in preparation for the upcoming 2018 seasons while Max Jones is promoted to Managing Director of the team’s NASCAR Operation joining Mike Hull, Managing Director of the team’s INDYCAR and IMSA Operations.

Additionally, a newly formed Corporate Office will include Team Owner and CEO Chip Ganassi, President Steve Lauletta, COO Duchardt, CFO Chuck Gottschalk and Vice President of Human Resources Rob Wilder. The Corporate Office will oversee all of CGR’s racing and commercial activities globally.

Duchardt will work closely with Managing Directors Max Jones and Mike Hull and team President Steve Lauletta to increase collaboration, performance and growth across all of CGR’s worldwide racing activities.

“We are all so pleased to get someone with both Doug’s racing credentials and his business acumen,” said Ganassi. “He has a lot of racing championships under his belt and a strong track record for running successful businesses and has the respect of the racing industry. Doug will be a great addition to help lead what I think is already a very good group of people.”

Duchardt brings a championship pedigree with him as he was most recently executive vice president and general manager at Hendrick Motorsports (HMS). He spent over 12 years at HMS where he directed all racing operations for a NASCAR team that fields four cars in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS). Under his watch, the team won seven MENCS Championships including a run of six consecutive from 2006-11.

“I am excited to become a part of Chip Ganassi Racing,” said Duchardt. “I, along with the rest of the industry have always admired Chip and what he does across so many forms of racing. What has been especially impressive of late has been the turnaround they have made in their NASCAR operation. I am also looking forward to competing in INDYCAR and IMSA once again. Along with Felix Sabates and Rob Kauffman, Chip has assembled a group of championship caliber people on each of his teams that I am looking forward to working with and helping them achieve even more success both on and off the track.”

Prior to HMS, the Morton, Illinois native spent over 20 years with General Motors where he most recently managed their entire North American motor sports initiatives with relationships in NASCAR, INDYCAR, NHRA, IMSA and SCCA.

He is a graduate of Missouri University of Science and Technology with a mechanical engineering degree. He earned a master’s degree in engineering from Purdue University. Most recently he completed his Advanced Certificate for Executives at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.

Duchardt resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife Pam and has three children, Jackson, Hannah and Matthew.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: SHR sets driver-crew chief lineup | Key moments for SHR | Recapping 2017 for SHR

With the calendar turning to 2018, Stewart-Haas Racing is raising the flag — literally — on its 10th anniversary as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series organization.

Tony Stewart and Gene Haas joined forces in 2009 as Stewart moved to the organization following a successful and two-time championship-winning reign behind the wheel for Joe Gibbs Racing. Since that time, SHR has won 39 races and two driver championships in the sport’s top series with Stewart (in 2011) and Kevin Harvick (in 2014).


Last season, the organization made the move to Ford as a manufacturer and won its first Daytona 500 with Kurt Busch driving the No. 41. SHR also expanded into the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2017 with Cole Custer driving the No. 00.

For the 2018 season, SHR will field Fords for Harvick (No. 4), Aric Almirola (No. 10), Clint Bowyer (No. 14) and Busch (No. 41) in the Monster Energy Series. The race team also will field two Xfinity cars in a partnership with Biagl-DenBeste Racing with Cole Custer (No. 00) and the No. 98 with an assortment of drivers.

RELATED: SHR partners with Biagl-DenBeste Racing in Xfinity effort

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Look, despite his 1.52 million followers, I don’t expect you to know who rapper Lil B The Based God is unless you’re a hardcore rap fan, NBA fanatic, or Mark Martin.

But what you should know is that he kinda-maybe-sorta has some mystical power to dish out curses and blessings to athletes that actually seem to work in the way he says they do.

And if prior history is to be believed, your 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion could be … Erik Jones?

 

It may seem innocuous enough, but here’s some background info.

Lil B’s most notorious NBA curse was with superstar Kevin Durant. It started in 2011 with Durant tweeting a diss about Lil B, prompting the rapper to put a curse on KD that he’d never win a championship. After their feud cooled off, Lil B lifted said curse in the summer of 2016, and Durant won the very next NBA championship after signing with the Golden State Warriors. 

There are other examples of Lil B’s blessings and curses, too — heck, he even gave the Denver Nuggets an official curse warning the other day — but this potential blessing for Jones is certainly one to keep an eye on.

If you believe in the power of the Based God, the reigning Sunoco Rookie of the Year could have big things in store for 2018.

Posted on by NASCAR.com

Name: David
Hometown: Bessemer, Alabama
Current City: Canton, Georgia
Member since: 2011

Getting to know David

Q. Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?

“I feel it is very important to have a voice as a fan of our sport NASCAR. As fans and supporters who attend races each year, I felt it would be a great way to express both positive and negatives about the sport and the NASCAR Fan Council offered a great opportunity to do so.”

Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?

“My father and brother-in-law built cars and raced them in Birmingham, Alabama when I was very young. Donnie Allison drove for our family when I was a child and has been a long-time friend. Both he and Bobby were very close to our family. My father, brother-in-law, and uncle were all inducted into the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers at Talladega Speedway. I have been a NASCAR fan all of my life.”

Q. What makes NASCAR special for you?

“NASCAR is a great family sport and each track represents an opportunity for all families to enjoy. NASCAR is one of the few sports that allows members of all parts of our country to attend and enjoy on a local or regional track. NASCAR has kept ticket prices affordable while other sports have not. A great opportunity for families to enjoy a sport together.”

Q: Do you have any favorite NASCAR memories or traditions?

“My favorite memories are from my trips to the tracks I have attended. The best of my memories was attending Bristol Raceway the first time for the night race there. I can remember as a child traveling around the State of Alabama with my parents to the local tracks and watching some of the Hall of Fame Drivers before they were popular on a national series.”

Q: If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?

“Sonoma Raceway for a road course race.”

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

Driver: “Kyle Busch.”

Track: “Talladega Superspeedway.”

Memorabilia: “Lots of memorabilia including large wall mounts of Kyle Busch’s No. 18 and Tony Stewart’s No. 14. A collection of checkered flags from each track attended.”

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

“I love to attend NASCAR racing and The University of Alabama Football games. Also, we love coursing and showing our dogs.”

Q: Where is your dream car?

“I love SUVs so I would say a Cadillac Escalade.”

Q: What would be your dream vacation?

“I have been to Australia once and would love to go back again.”

FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK DAVID FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2018.

Posted on by David Smith

Editor’s note: This is the first of three stories on 2018 breakout candidates. Xfinity Series breakout candidates can be viewed here and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series breakout candidates can be viewed here.

A dominant year by eventual champion Christopher Bell forced performances by a few NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers under the radar. Bell has since graduated to the Xfinity Series, but these five drivers return to Trucks in 2018, primed for breakout seasons:

Ben Rhodes

Rhodes grew to a fringe Truck Series title contender, scoring a Production in Equal Equipment Rating of 2.348, nearly double what is expected from the average 21-year-old driver. Being considerably better than average probably isn’t the only career highlight he covets, though; fortunately, there are other statistical signs that forecast success.

He ended the season with a positive pass differential and was best on 1-mile tracks and 1.5-mile intermediates, where he ranked as the sixth and fifth most efficient passer among series regulars, respectively. These two track types comprise over half the 2018 schedule, making Rhodes a solid bet to become one of the series’ best passers.

Shrinking his DNF tally should be an overarching goal for Rhodes in the upcoming campaign. He failed to finish five races, four of which were crash related, after recording 0.48 wrecks per race, tied for the highest rate among series regulars. A 2017 study by Motorsports Analytics proves crashing dissipates with age; another year in the seat should spell improvement by Rhodes in this category.

Ryan Truex

The younger brother of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion finished inside the top five in a third of his starts in 2017, but never won. If he breaks through for a victory in the upcoming season, his restart prowess will be the reason why — although Hattori Racing Enterprises and Truex announced Jan. 4 the driver would not return, leaving him looking for a new ride in 2018.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Among drivers with 15 restart attempts from the non-preferred groove, no one was better than Truex. He defended his position more than 73 percent of the time and took home a rare positional net gain (plus-11) from the lesser of the restart lanes. He ranked second best from the preferred groove — Kyle Busch was the only driver better — retaining his restarting spot 88.68 percent of the time for a gain of 66 positions.

Truex proved dependent on full-field resets during the year, averaging a 9.45-place finish in races with at least six restarts, nearly four positions better than races with fewer than six restarts (13.25).

 

Justin Haley

The 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion was 17 years old when the 2017 Camping World Truck Series season began, rendering him ineligible for the first two races at Daytona and Atlanta. He joined GMS Racing for the remaining 21 events.

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

Haley thrived in races that offered plenty of clean air and long runs. His 10.45-place average finish in races with fewer than six restarts was over three positions better than his average in races with eight or more (13.6) and his 8.92-place average finish in races that ended with long runs was over five spots better than in races with at least one late-race restart (14.22).

In addition to the scenarios that favor Haley’s chances, he has a history of improvement between his freshman and sophomore years. He averaged a 9.1-place finish in the K&N East in 2015; he returned the next season, throwing down a scorching 3.4-place average result that clinched him the series title.

Todd Gilliland

A two-time champion and 13-time winner in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West, expect Gilliland to burst onto the Truck Series scene in 2018. In six races last season with Kyle Busch Motorsports, he recorded three top-seven finishes, each with a different crew chief. He’ll have more stability in the new season with more starts and appears poised to shine in one of the sport’s stingiest statistical categories.

Jonathan Moore | Getty Images

Seventeen of Gilliland’s 24 restarts emanated from the non-preferred groove, a bad luck of the draw that didn’t deter the 17-year-old in his quest for track position. He retained his running spot 64.71 percent of the time, over 13 percent better than the series-wide rate, and scored a three-position net gain. That’s impressive stuff from a novice.

Though it hasn’t been announced which KBM entry he’ll wheel or for how many races, he won’t be wanting for speed if the status quo is kept. Four KBM trucks ranked as the 10 fastest in the series in 2017, according to timing and scoring data supplied to NASCAR.com.

Stewart Friesen

The 34-year-old Ontario-born dirt-tracker has built a home for himself in the Truck Series. He averaged a 13.3-place finish in the second half of 2017, over seven positions better than his first half average (20.6). The better results were partly due to his Halmar Friesen Racing team aligning with GMS Racing for technical support prior to the race at New Hampshire, from which point Friesen scored four top-seven finishes and averaged an 11.14-place result.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

One doesn’t have to think too hard in pinpointing the track likely to serve up Friesen’s first NASCAR win. He led 93 laps en route to a second-place finish on the dirt at Eldora Speedway, ranking first in average green-flag speed for the race.

Friesen will need to pay closer attention to his own attrition in 2018. He crashed 0.47 times per race, the fourth-highest rate among series regulars.

David Smith is the Founder of MotorsportsAnalytics.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidSmithMA.

Posted on by David Smith

SHOP: 2018 Race Packages

Can Martin Truex Jr. repeat? Will Kyle Busch or Kyle Larson close the competitive gap that plagued them in 2017?

Past performance often is indicative of future results, and after sifting through a slew of statistics compiled by Motorsports Analytics, we’ve identified some early championship favorites and the rationale that supports their candidacy for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

 

Martin Truex Jr
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images

Martin Truex Jr.

There were six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races on intermediate tracks with 20-degree banking or less, including the championship event, in 2017. Truex won all of them.

That’s not to say he has nowhere to go but down — in fact, the addition of a second Las Vegas date to the 2018 schedule means Truex could conceivably go 7-for-7 — but pulling off the first eight-win championship season in a decade is a difficult feat to duplicate. Considering everything that took place in 2017, there’s a higher likelihood of that than one might expect.

Furniture Row Racing, consolidated from two teams to one after Erik Jones jumped to the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota, has its pick of personnel from two quality race teams heading into the new year. They return crew chief Cole Pearn and a deep engineering staff that produced the fastest car overall and specifically on four different track types — short tracks, flat intermediates, steep intermediates and 2-mile, non-drafting tracks. Pearn protected Truex’s running whereabouts a series best 62.5 percent of the time when pitting from a top-five position on green-flag pit cycles. Truex, to his credit, added to the track position his team provided him.

Since arriving at Furniture Row in 2014, Truex grew from a driver with a minus pass differential to a neutral passer to one of the 10 best passers in the series. As his passing acumen climbed, so did the team’s yearly win total from zero to one to four to eight. All this team does, from year to year, is improve.

Kyle BuschKyle Busch

 

Somehow, five wins — and mind you, that’s tied for his second most in a single season — and a second-place finish in points felt like a down year for Busch. Perhaps that’s because he didn’t win until the final weekend of July, or that he crashed more often than any of the eight drivers left standing prior to the final two rounds in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs.

One could argue Busch underachieved in 2017. Given his 81.6 percent of completed laps inside the top 15 forecasted 29 top-15 finishes (he scored 25), there were races, and possibly wins, left on the table. There were four races prior to his breakthrough victory at Pocono in which he led 100 laps but missed out on the winner’s trophy. Odds are, those slip-ups in the upcoming season won’t share the same quantity.

His car was the fastest of the Joe Gibbs Racing stable, fourth overall in the series, and crew chief Adam Stevens is an adept defender of his running position during green-flag pit cycles, over 12 percent better than the series average when pitting from a top-five spot. Stevens also chipped in 85 additional positions thanks to crafty pit planning over the last two years.

Kyle Larson

On intermediate race tracks in 2017, Larson passed 15 more cars than expected from his average running position per 400 miles. This was an average four positions greater than the next most efficient passer. Still, Larson went winless on intermediates.

Larson always has been a proficient traffic navigator, but this past season was his first with elite speed at his disposal. His Chip Ganassi Racing entry ranked third in average green-flag speed, up from 12th in 2016, the biggest improvement among all teams. Even when he took full advantage of his more competitive surroundings — he scored four runner-up finishes and one third-place result on NASCAR’s most prevalent track type, but also amassed three DNFs — there was a twinge of misfortune that allows room for improvement in the new season.

While Truex Jr.’s championship was deserved, one can’t help but acknowledge Larson’s absence in the Championship 4. Larson could’ve been a late-race foil at Homestead; his average speed rank in the fourth quarter of races was within 0.4 spots of Truex’s, and only Joey Logano retained position more often on restarts inside the final 10 percent of a race.

Brad Keselowski

Keselowski’s title hopes are tied to manufacturer performance — namely if the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is a success, the Ford driver is likely to be leapfrogged in the championship hunt by bow-tie branded competitors Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson.

He was the biggest underdog among the Championship 4 solely due to his lack of elite speed down the stretch. His Ford was the eighth fastest car on average, per timing and scoring data supplied to NASCAR.com, and slowest of the four title contenders during the final 10 races.

The good news for Keselowski is that he and his team are good independent of their speed. He held a top-five Production in Equal Equipment Rating five times in the last six years, while crew chief Paul Wolfe has supplied 84 extra positions through smart green-flag pit strategy across the last two seasons.

Kevin Harvick

At age 42, Harvick has exited his prime — a driver’s peak age is 39 according to a 2014 study by Motorsports Analytics — but as long as he has speed, he’ll factor into the championship equation. Since joining Stewart-Haas, he ranked first, first, first and second in average green-flag speed each year, a testament to a forward-thinking, manufacturer-independent infrastructure with its own wind tunnel.

Harvick is a consummate restarter, ranking second in preferred groove retention rate (87.39 percent) and positions earned (plus-94) in 2017. Even his non-preferred groove exploits mitigated what is typically a huge positional loss; across 105 restarts in the least desirable lane, he coughed up just 22 spots. Considering, too, he routinely avoids crashes — across the last three seasons, his crash rate of 0.18 times per race was the lowest among frequent frontrunners — awaiting his falter seems a tedious task.

David Smith is the Founder of MotorsportsAnalytics.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidSmithMA.

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