RELATED: NXS, Trucks Series get Chase elimination | Smith talks Caution Clock

 

The shot-clock era is coming to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

NASCAR announced plenty of changes Tuesday during its annual kickoff to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour, but the superlative for “Most Innovative” or “Most Unique” may go to the advent of a Caution Clock for the truck series this year. It’s the latest wrinkle in an already intriguing 2016 season, which will feature a Chase playoff format for the first time.

Starting with the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19, Camping World Truck Series races will use a 20-minute timer that begins counting down at the start of each green-flag run. If no caution period occurs before the 20-minute limit elapses, the yellow flag will fly, giving teams the opportunity to make pit stops and adjustments under caution.

The rules change will have variations at a handful of tracks. At most tracks, the Caution Clock will be turned off with 20 laps to go. The exceptions are events held at the longer layouts of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Pocono Raceway, where the Caution Clock will be discontinued with 10 laps remaining. The Caution Clock will also not be used at Eldora Speedway, where the series’ annual race on dirt has traditionally been broken into three segments.

RELATED: Drivers excited about Trucks format changes 

It’s another big format change that promises to break up longer runs in a series that’s become a proving ground for young talent.

“Why is it important for us? We think it’s going to add to the strategy during the race,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. “If you look at the Camping World Truck Series, that is an area where some of our younger drivers, our newer teams really can use the competition caution to be able to adjust on the truck.

“We’ve seen that in the (Sprint) Cup Series when we’ve had a competition caution early in the race. It’s allowed teams to make some last-minute adjustments in the race. We think that’s going to be huge for the teams in the trucks throughout the race.”

RELATED: Five young drivers to watch in NCWTS

The rules change takes come cues from basketball, with its shot clocks and regularly scheduled TV timeouts. But it also makes a slight nod toward the trucks series’ infancy, when shorter races used a halftime break.

While contrarians could argue that the natural flow of races might be disrupted by competition cautions at 20-minute intervals, Elton Sawyer — the truck series’ managing director — said the rules change has a groundswell of industry support.

“Actually, all the stakeholders, the teams, the broadcast partners were very receptive,” Sawyer said. “A lot of input went into it, a lot of energy behind the scenes. … Again, I just think it’s another level of excitement, another level of strategy and something our fans at the race track and the ones that are home are going to be tuned into.”

The truck series also will institute a seven-race Chase postseason format, culling a field of eight title-eligible drivers with two stages of eliminations before the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18.

The field, filled by race winners or the highest point-earners in the 16-race regular season, will cut from eight drivers to six after the first three-race stage, then six to four after the final three-race series ahead of the season-ending event. Additionally, drivers who made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs in 2015 will not be permitted to compete in the truck series’ championship race at Homestead.

MORE: Fast facts on the changes in NASCAR’s three top series for 2016

While the postseason format mimics the system now used across all three national series, the truck tour now has its own unique facet in the Caution Clock. NASCAR officials said the change wasn’t implemented solely as a trial balloon for use in other series, but didn’t rule out expanding its reach if it achieves a positive reception in 2016.

“All these changes are really fundamentally with an eye on providing a more exciting product,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR’s new Senior Vice President of Competition. “We’ll always look at concepts, and if it looks like it works well and it’s something that we think would carry over into another series, we’ll always keep that in the back of our minds.”

From a teamwork standpoint, Jeff Gordon‘s new day job won’t be that much different from his old one.

“It’s such a team effort,” said Gordon, who is transitioning this year from the seat of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the FOX Sports broadcast booth. “(There are) so many comparisons to what I’ve done as a driver in the sport, as to what I’ve already seen in the broadcast booth, whether it was XFINITY races that I did last year, or working with these guys (play-by-play man Mike Joy and analyst Darrell Waltrip) when we did rehearsal at the Truck race in Texas.

“And then following that up in December and January with a lot of meetings, and talking about preparation and the technology that they’re bringing to the broadcast and just how we’re working together as a team, coming up with great ideas. It’s going to be a lot of fun — I can’t wait to get to Daytona.”

Gordon landed his new job after a phone call to Eric Shanks, president, COO and executive producer at Fox Sports. Though Gordon expressed interest in a broadcasting career, Shanks wanted to make sure the four-time champion was a good fit with the brand Joy, Waltrip and Larry McReynolds have established over the last 15 years.

“NASCAR on FOX didn’t exist before Larry, Mike and Darrell,” Shanks said on Tuesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “They created what the NASCAR on FOX brand is. When Jeff said this was something he was interested in, you do take a step back and say, ‘OK, can Jeff carry on the tradition and be a part of the group of what you guys have done?’ which is fun and entertaining and self-deprecating.

“You look at the drivers that are coming out. How many other drivers have hosted SNL (“Saturday Night Live”), and have gone through make-up to be a taxi driver to freak somebody out in a Pepsi commercial? Getting to know Jeff really well and his brand and how it fits with what these guys have created — I think it’s going to be really special.”

From a teamwork standpoint, Jeff Gordon‘s new day job won’t be that much different from his old one.

“It’s such a team effort,” said Gordon, who is transitioning this year from the seat of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the FOX Sports broadcast booth. “(There are) so many comparisons to what I’ve done as a driver in the sport, as to what I’ve already seen in the broadcast booth, whether it was XFINITY races that I did last year, or working with these guys (play-by-play man Mike Joy and analyst Darrell Waltrip) when we did rehearsal at the Truck race in Texas.

“And then following that up in December and January with a lot of meetings, and talking about preparation and the technology that they’re bringing to the broadcast and just how we’re working together as a team, coming up with great ideas. It’s going to be a lot of fun — I can’t wait to get to Daytona.”

Gordon landed his new job after a phone call to Eric Shanks, president, COO and executive producer at Fox Sports. Though Gordon expressed interest in a broadcasting career, Shanks wanted to make sure the four-time champion was a good fit with the brand Joy, Waltrip and Larry McReynolds have established over the last 15 years.

“NASCAR on FOX didn’t exist before Larry, Mike and Darrell,” Shanks said on Tuesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “They created what the NASCAR on FOX brand is. When Jeff said this was something he was interested in, you do take a step back and say, ‘OK, can Jeff carry on the tradition and be a part of the group of what you guys have done?’ which is fun and entertaining and self-deprecating.

“You look at the drivers that are coming out. How many other drivers have hosted SNL (“Saturday Night Live”), and have gone through make-up to be a taxi driver to freak somebody out in a Pepsi commercial? Getting to know Jeff really well and his brand and how it fits with what these guys have created — I think it’s going to be really special.”

RELATED: More details on new postseason formats | Drivers react to changes

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Let’s cut to the Chase.

 

Starting this year, the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series will use elimination-based playoff formats to determine their respective champions, just as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has done for the past two seasons.

 

According to NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France, the new approach not only builds on the resounding success of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but it also provides a training ground for drivers who ultimately will compete at NASCAR’s highest level.

 

“The idea is pretty simple,” France said. “When we looked at how successful the format is with the Sprint Cup Series, and the fact that drivers trying to win a championship in those lower divisions are trying to come up to the Sprint Cup, we know the way to win in the future … you’ve got to beat people, you’ve got to be winning, you’ve got to be in the crosshairs of elimination at any given moment.

 

“And that’s how we want our young drivers, at a very early stage, to understand the latest in the competitive style of NASCAR. So no better way to do that than to have our championship formats consistent, and that’s one of the main reasons we did that.”

 

RELATED: Fast facts on all 2016 changes

 

The Chase formats in the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series will feature seven races each and two elimination rounds before the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but beyond that, they diverge in format. The XFINITY Series Chase starts with 12 drivers, four of whom are eliminated after each three-race round, leaving four drivers to race for the title at Homestead.

 

As with the Sprint Cup Series, the highest finisher among those four drivers in the season finale is the champion.

 

 

In the Truck Series, eight drivers will qualify for the Chase, with two drivers eliminated after each three-race round, again leaving four competitors to run for the championship at Homestead.

 

In detailing the fine points of the two new formats, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said the new format in the two lower national touring series would go a long way toward eliminating “points racing,” particularly in the championship race.

 

O’Donnell pointed out that Erik Jones won last year’s Truck Series title by taking care of his equipment and finishing sixth in the finale, given that he had a large enough lead to play it safe at Homestead. By definition, that will change under the new playoff format.

 

“The culture we want in our sport is to go out there and win the race, and I think everybody here in this room knows Erik Jones is capable of that,” O’Donnell said. “And we’re looking forward to seeing that type of racing when we get to Homestead in 2016, as well.”

 

RELATED: How the points work in new formats

 

 

Chase formats aren’t the only innovations, either.

 

O’Donnell also revealed that NASCAR will implement a “caution clock” in the Camping World Truck Series. If 20 minutes of green-flag racing pass without a caution, the yellow will fly as a competition caution.

 

RELATED: Breaking down the Caution Clock

 

O’Donnell also announced a change to the format of the popular Dash 4 Cash bonus program in the XFINITY Series. After knockout qualifying, drivers will compete in two heat races (similar in concept to the Daytona Duel races in the Sprint Cup Series) to set the order for the main event.

 

RELATED: Heat races also on tap

A 2015 rewind and a 2016 preview for the top five finishers last season in the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. Today: Chris Buescher, the XFINITY Series championship driver.

Team: Roush Fenway Motorsports No. 60 Ford

Wins: 2 (Iowa and Dover, Del.)

Strides: Having earned an XFINITY Series championship trophy in only his second full-time NASCAR season, it’s fair to say Buescher seized upon opportunity. The 23-year-old did not disappoint, winning two races (Iowa and Dover, Del.) and leading the championship standings for the final 23 of 33 races. He was never farther back than third place in the overall standings all season, and with 20 top-10 runs and 11 top-five showings, he consistently did what was needed to wrap up his first major title.

Setbacks: After missing the 2014 race at Daytona International Speedway (and still rallying to a seventh place overall finish in the standings) Buescher was adamant to make a full season run at the title in 2015, and his runner-up effort at the Daytona season-opener put him atop the standings from the get-go. It’s hard to find much to improve upon when you lead the standings for a total of 26 of the 33 race weekends and turn in good performances at every sort of track.

Quoteworthy: “The coolest thing is having so many people say congratulations and it shows all the years working up to this point was all worth it. I’ve done so many different things to get to this point and it’s so humbling.

“I think a lot of the success this year was based on the fact we had four teams work together so well. That’s unusual with all the moving parts involved and the chemistry we had with all four teams was incredible.”

What’s next: Buescher will get his big break in 2016 driving full-time in the Sprint Cup Series in the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, which is in a technical alliance with Roush-Fenway. In six starts with the Front Row team last year, Buescher recorded a best of 20th at California. The new alliance with Roush — which includes both engineering and pit road support — was a can’t-pass-up opportunity for the XFINITY Series champ.