Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Cup drivers in the Truck Series | Timeline of the Truck Series

 

Born to modest beginnings in the American Southwest, NASCAR’s launching pad, otherwise known as the Camping World Truck Series, will celebrate a major milestone on Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

There, shortly after 1 p.m. ET (on FS1), the green flag will signal the start of the 500th race in a series that has provided indispensable impetus to the careers of some of NASCAR’s top stars.

Carl Edwards, for one, recognizes the debt he owes to the series and to longtime owners such as Mike Mittler, who gave Edwards his start in trucks.

“The Truck Series means a lot to me, and it means a lot to my career, for the fact that Mike Mittler has owned a truck since the beginning of the Truck Series,” Edwards said. “If it weren’t for that opportunity from Mike Mittler, and Jack Roush hiring me to drive his trucks, I would not be here today.

“So I’m really grateful for the Truck Series, and I had a lot of fun driving those trucks.”

Edwards won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title in the Truck Series in 2003 before graduating to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney are other former Truck Series Rookie of the Year winners currently racing at NASCAR’s highest level.

The Truck Series has changed markedly since its debut on the national stage in 1995 at Phoenix International Raceway, where Mike Skinner, already 38 years old at the time, won the Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic by .09 seconds over Terry Labonte.

In its formative years, the Truck Series was a repository for veteran drivers. Skinner won the first series championship. Ron Hornaday Jr., perhaps the most identifiable name in series history, claimed the title in 1996, the first of his record four championships.

Veterans Hornaday and Jack Sprague were kings of the series from 1996 through 1999 before Biffle won the title in 2000 to advance another rung up the ladder that would take him to the Cup series in short order.

The periodic appearances of Kyle Busch notwithstanding, it’s fair to say that older, more experienced drivers dominated the Truck Series until 2011. Hornaday won his third championship in 2007 and his fourth in 2009, amassing a series-record 51 victories along the way.

Todd Bodine won the second of his two titles in 2010, at age 46, before Dillon and James Buescher notched back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012 at ages 21 and 22, respectively.

Dillon and Buescher are emblematic of the changing face of the Truck Series, which now features more teenagers and 20-somethings than drivers in their 30s and 40s.

For one thing, team owners like Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr., have embraced the Truck Series as an affordable way to give back to the sport by launching the careers of young drivers.

Erik Jones, 19, who drives for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is the current series leader. Tyler Reddick, also 19 and a Brad Keselowski Racing protégé, is second.

“I think the Truck Series is a great division,” Busch said. “It’s certainly a lot of fun. I enjoy it. It’s a level at which I can be competitive owning a race team. …

“This level … I feel it gives us a great chance to bring up the (young) talent to the upper level of NASCAR racing.”

Owning his own team also gives Busch a chance to compete in the occasional race. With 44 victories in the series, he is second only to Hornaday, and he’ll have a chance to move one win closer this weekend at New Hampshire.

“Having its 500th race and being in that race is going to be special for me,” Busch said.

Keselowski is part of the Truck Series’ present and future, but his love for the trucks is rooted in the past. His father, Bob Keselowski, raced in the series debut at Phoenix. Bob Keselowski took his only checkered flag in the series in 1997, and he and Brad remain the only father/son combination to win races in the trucks.

“The Truck Series for me has been a huge part of my career and a huge part of my family from the get-go,” Keselowski said. “My dad ran in the first-ever truck race at Phoenix, and I still remember that day.

“I still remember watching that race, and I remember how big a deal the Truck Series was when it started and how big a deal it is now to young drivers and the future of our sport.”

Two-time defending Truck Series champion Matt Crafton once would have been typical of the series. Now, at 39, he’s a throwback to an earlier era. But Crafton is content to race for wins and titles in the Truck Series, as opposed to driving less competitive equipment at a higher level.

“If I stay here for the rest of my driving career, I’ll definitely be happy with that,” Crafton said. “I know each and every week I can go win races. I have no desire to go somewhere where I’m going to run 15th to 25th and be happy with that.”

A nine-time winner in the Truck Series, Crafton is seeking his first New Hampshire victory this weekend, as he tries to stave off the growing youth movement in the Camping World Truck Series for yet another season.

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Editor’s note: During each week of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, The Joey Logano Foundation will provide grants to a non-profit in each of the race markets in a program called “Chasing Second Chances.” Each week, Logano will detail those plans for NASCAR.com.


Thanks for the support during the first week of the Chase! While we didn’t get the win at Chicagoland, we had a solid finish. I’m proud of my 22 team. Now on to New Hampshire!


This Week’s Cause: Pediatric Cancer


This week, Chasing Second Chances will continue supporting Pediatric Cancer-related organizations.


As I head to my home track, it really got me thinking about family. For this post, I want to focus on the effects having a child with cancer can have on the whole family.


Someone shared this quote with me that was found on www.cancer.gov and it made an interesting point.


” … treatment of childhood cancer inevitably occurs in the context of a family. Frequently, the impact of an adult’s cancer treatment focuses on one or two key adults in the cancer patient’s life. In childhood cancer, the effects are often felt by more individuals, including one or both parents, one or more siblings who are themselves children or adolescents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, friends, and other individuals who may be directly involved in the care or life experience of the child.”


And everyone reacts to the situation in different ways. Families can be brought closer or can be broken apart.


Financially, it can be really tough on these families, too. Many kids have to travel for treatments. A parent may have to quit his or her job in order to be with the child. Out-of-pocket expenses add up and people have to borrow money just to pay bills.


It’s a lot to think about when you look at everything that pediatric cancer can do, not just to a child, but an entire family.


This Week’s Joey Logano Foundation Chasing Second Chances Partner



This week’s charity partner is one that is really close to me because it’s a group that I’ve been working with for many years, even before I was a Sprint Cup Series driver.  This week, we are supporting David’s House. David’s House is an organization that helps families while they are receiving treatment.


David Cyr had acute lymphatic leukemia. The Cyr family lived 20 minutes from where David was receiving treatment, but so many other families lived further away. David’s father Dick would speak with parents who slept in cars, in chairs, anywhere they needed to so they didn’t have to leave their child alone. Financially, these families could not spend the extra money on local hotels. Already in a stressful situation, these families went without comfort so they could be close to their children.


David passed when he was 5. That is when Dick and his family and friends decided they were going to build a house for these families so they could stay close to their children. David’s House provides a home-away-from-home and support for families with children receiving treatment through the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. To date they have helped more than 13,117 families from around the world! 


I am proud to support this non-profit and the work they are doing to help families.

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OFFICIAL NASCAR RELEASE: Chase team among four penalized

RELATED: Busch, Suarez issued penalties

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer now finds himself right back where he started — 16th among a field of 16 drivers battling for this year’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

There is one difference. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver will be without the services of his crew chief, Billy Scott, for the next three races.

On Wednesday, NASCAR officials announced that Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota team had been penalized for a P4 level infraction found during opening day inspection last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

RELATED: See the updated Chase standings

As a result, Bowyer has lost 25 driver points, team co-owner Rob Kauffman has been docked 25 owner points, Scott has been fined $75,000 and suspended for three races. He has also been placed on probation for six months.

Based on rules cited in the penalty announcement, the team was penalized for suspension and track bar issues.

Those noted included:

20.14c — All suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension and/or drivetrain component beyond normal rotation or suspension and/or drivetrain travel;

20.14.2.1.k — Beveled washers and/or other components that allow movement under load will not be permitted on the track bar heim joints or rod end and/or track bar mounting bolts;

12.5.3.4.1.d — Approved parts that are not properly installed or are made adjustable when not normally intended to be;

12.5.3.4.1.f  — Components, devices, systems, configurations, installations, etc. which serve to circumvent NASCAR templates, gauges, measuring devices whether intended or not …

Because Bowyer is competing in the Chase, and the result of any appeal would have an impact on the championship standings going forward, NASCAR’s penalty statement stated that a request had been submitted to the Appeals Administrator of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel seeking to expedite any appeal.

Michael Waltrip Racing officials issued a statement shortly after Wednesday’s penalty announcement.

“Michael Waltrip Racing respectfully disagrees with today’s penalties and plans to immediately appeal,” the statement read. “MWR has made mistakes in the past, but we feel we are correct in this instance. We look forward to the opportunity to present our case to the appeals committee and have no further comment until the process is completed.”

Bowyer, competing in the Chase for the sixth time in his career, was seeded 16th in the field heading into last weekend’s race in Chicago. He finished 19th and improved one position, to 15th, prior to the points deduction, earning 25 points.

Regardless of the appeals process, Bowyer must win one of the next two Sprint Cup races — scheduled for New Hampshire and Dover — or be one of the top 12 in points following the Dover race to advance to the Contender Round of the Chase.

MWR fields two teams in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 15 of Bowyer as well as the No. 55 with driver David Ragan. Team owners announced earlier this year that Bowyer had been granted his release following the ’15 season and that the organization would not field full-time teams beyond this year.


RELATED: MWR begins process of shutting down


Earlier this year, the No. 31 team of Richard Childress Racing was hit with a Level P5 penalty for infractions involving the release of air pressure from the team’s tires.

In addition to the penalty for the No. 15 team, NASCAR officials also penalized the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing team with driver Danica Patrick for modifying the right-side quarterpanel during pre-qualifying inspection.

Crew chief Daniel Knost and car chief Pete White have been placed on probation through Dec. 31 for the Level P2 infraction.

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Officials with Richard Petty Motorsports and transportation services company J.B. Hunt have announced a five-race associate sponsorship agreement that will consist of one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event this season and four for 2016.

The company will serve as an associate on the No. 9 RPM Ford, currently driven by Sam Hornish Jr., at this year’s AAA Texas 500 race weekend (Nov. 6-8) as well as events next season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, one of two stops at Pocono Raceway and at Chicagoland Speedway.

“Nobody does it better than J.B. Hunt and their thousands of employees,” team owner Richard Petty said in a statement announcing the agreement. “We’re proud to partner with them and I’m excited to be a part of their driver recruitment program. Our country’s truck drivers are the backbone of our commerce system and I can’t wait to interact with them.”

J.B. Hunt is based in Lowell, Ark.

“There is no bigger brand in NASCAR than Petty,” Craig Harper, Executive Vice President of Operations for J.B. Hunt Transport said. “All of our drivers know that name and can relate to the race team, their goals and the work and dedication that is required to safely transport the team’s equipment from race to race each week.”

RPM fields two entries in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, featuring drivers Hornish and Aric Almirola. Petty is the sport’s all-time leader in wins with 200 career victories and is one of only two drivers to capture seven premier series titles. He was one of five inaugural members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame inducted in 2010.

Almirola is currently 17th in points, the highest ranked driver not among the 16 competing in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Hornish is 27th in the standings.

The Sprint Cup Series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., this weekend for Sunday’s Sylvania 300 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).

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As far as sports mottos go, it may not be the most inspiring. But coming off a career-best third place finish this past weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace isn’t so sure.
 
“Our motto is ‘suck less,’ ” the Roush Fenway Racing driver said. “Suck less each and every week.”
 
Wallace, 21, earned his third top-five finish in NASCAR’s XFINTY Series at Chicago, trailing Sprint Cup Series regulars Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, both of Joe Gibbs Racing, across the finish line.
 
Running just ahead of another Sprint Cup regular, Richard Childress Racing‘s Paul Menard, Wallace’s No. 6 Ford ran out of gas coming out of the final turn.
 
Wallace’s previous career best was a fifth-place finish at Charlotte earlier this year, a mark he equaled recently at Road America. He has 14 top-10 results in 32 career starts in the series.
 
Another mile-and-a-half track is on tap for this weekend when the XFINITY Series returns to Kentucky Speedway Saturday for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN).
 
“To come out of (Chicago) with a top five, going into these mile-and-a-halves that we’ve got coming up, that definitely builds the confidence,” Wallace said. “It says a lot. Especially going into Kentucky where we were really strong (earlier) and finished seventh or so.
 
“We can definitely go back, we know where we need to improve and get us another top five.”
 
Wallace is sixth in points heading into this weekend’s event. Teammate Chris Buescher is the points leader, with Ty Dillon (RCR), Chase Elliott (JR Motorsports), Regan Smith (JRM) and Elliott Sadler (RFR) completing the top five.
 
Including the Kentucky stop, five of the final seven events for the series will be contested on 1.5-mile tracks. And that’s just fine with Wallace.
 
“I think our only struggle point will be Phoenix,” he said of the season’s next-to-last event. “As a whole we weren’t good there in the spring and personally I am not good there. I definitely need work on that track.
 
“The rest of the season I think we can take this momentum and finish off strong. We need to just keep our heads up and keep digging. We can use (Chicago) as momentum … good to come out of (there) with a third-place-finish.
 
“Chicago … is always a great venue for me. Kentucky, Dover is redemption for sure. We always run good there. I am looking for a strong season from here.”
 
With the Sprint Cup Series competing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend, the only full-time Cup regular scheduled to race at Kentucky is J.J. Yeley.
 
Sprint Cup drivers have won four of the last five XFINITY Series races and 18 of 26 this season.
 
Busch led 102 laps on his way to the win and Kenseth led 84 in the 200-lap event at Chicago.
 
“Every team goes through phases of their strong points and they are hitting on all notes right now,” Wallace said of the JGR program. “We are trying to get there. We are close. We are about a seventh-place car each and every weekend and we need to improve on that. We are hitting on the right notes to get that process better and get where they are.
 
“It is going to take a bit. Those guys have been really hitting on it lately. … That is OK. I am not going to worry about them.”
 
Two practice sessions are scheduled for XFINITY Series teams Friday at Kentucky from 3:30-4:25 p.m. ET and 6-7 p.m. ET.
 
Qualifying is slated for Saturday, beginning at 4:45 p.m.

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His former crew chief made the move after the 2014 season and one of his teammates will move into the broadcast booth full-time next year.

Now comes word that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be stepping behind the microphone next season – albeit only as a guest commentator. NASCAR’s most popular driver and winner of 25 Sprint Cup races isn’t ready to hang up his helmet just yet.

“I don’t know if it’s a career path for me – it just depends,” Earnhardt Jr. told FOX Sports Live co-hosts Dan O’Toole and Jay Onrait.

“I had tweeted that I was interested in doing some XFINITY races, so I think I’d like to try it,” he said. “They extended the offer to me that we can give it a shot.”

Steve Letarte, Earnhardt’s crew chief from 2011-14, took a position as race analyst with NBC Sports beginning this season.

Teammate Jeff Gordon, retiring from full-time competition at year’s end, will move into the FOX Sports broadcast booth in ’16.

FOX has used Gordon, as well as defending Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick occasionally in the booth as guest analysts for XFINITY Series races this year.

“I want to go up there next year and watch a few races, or watch one race, and see what I’m getting myself into,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It looks like a lot of fun. All the drivers (this year) … looked great, sounded great and the seemed to have a lot of fun doing it.”

FOX Sports NASCAR race coverage currently consists of the opening 16 Sprint Cup Series points events, the first 14 XFINITY Series races and the entire Camping World Truck Series schedule.

NBC’s coverage includes the final 20 Sprint Cup races, final 19 XFINITY Series races as well as NASCAR K&N Pro Series and Whelen Modified Tour events.

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Additional tire tests are currently on the books for Homestead-Miami Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to Goodyear officials.
 
Both tests are scheduled to take place after the completion of the 2015 season. The Homestead test is on tap for Dec. 14-15 and the Las Vegas test is slated for Jan. 12-13, 2016.
 
Two final previously scheduled ’15 tests will see Goodyear and teams travel to Phoenix International Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway next month. The AMS test replaces a test originally scheduled for Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
 
Whether an open team test will be included at Atlanta has yet to be determined. A single-day test has followed most of the Goodyear tire tests conducted this season.
 
Because next season’s Atlanta race likely would once again be held early in the season, there is a limited the window of opportunity for potential testing at the 1.5-mile track. NASCAR officials have yet to announce the 2016 race schedule for the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series.
 
“Atlanta is a recent addition,” Stu Grant, Goodyear’s General Manager for Global Race Tires, told NASCAR.com this past weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. “We’ve talked to NASCAR about ‘hey do you want to make an open test for that? It’s most likely that we’ll end up with a different tire for the Atlanta race for 2016. … We want to test the 2016 rules package and you guys may want to have an open test.'”
 
Grant said to his knowledge, an open team test following the Atlanta tire test had not been confirmed.
 
Teams participating in the Goodyear tire tests at Homestead and Las Vegas have not been announced.
 
Because Goodyear tested with the low downforce configuration being considered for 2016 at Darlington (South Carolina) Raceway, and teams raced with a similar package there earlier this month, Grant said it would be unlikely that Goodyear would return to Darlington for testing next year.
 
“But we always have to leave that open just to kind of see how things evolve,” he said. “Because the reality is in this sport you have a rules package and the car configuration and a tire setup, right? You run it and it may look good at the first event of the season; by the time you get to the second event, the cars may be a half a second faster. Things change. So I guess I’d say we’ll have to see how ’16 plays out and see if there is a significant change in how the teams are approaching the car setups and things like that.”
 
NASCAR has also yet to announce its 2016 rules package, but is scheduled to meet with teams and others within the industry this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
 
Under this year’s National Series Unified Testing policy, teams are no longer allowed to conduct private tests. The bulk of the on-track testing has come during scheduled Goodyear evaluations as well as open team tests held the following day.
 
Because of a new rules package in use for ’15, and the additional work toward development of the ’16 package, Goodyear conducted more tests than normal this year, but Grant said he expects the company’s ’16 testing program to be more line with previous seasons.
 
“So you can probably figure that Goodyear is probably going to test about 10 times in 2016 and if NASCAR has the same policy in 2016 then that’s what (teams are) looking at,” he said. “But I don’t know if things are going to change … or not. We don’t know what the race schedule is so consequently we haven’t really laid out a test program. I’m not sure where NASCAR is going to land on that open testing side.”
 
Overall, Grant said, the move to a lower downforce package has provided Goodyear a broader range of possibilities from which to work.
 
“It’s nice to design a tire for the low downforce package because when you take the aero off and the driver and the car is relying more on the tire for grip in the corner, it makes the tire more a part of the package,” he said. “We’re not just designing for wear and heat and durability to handle the load … it gives us a lot more freedom, a lot bigger window to design a tire in.”
 
Live Viewing of Final Inspection at NASCAR R&D
 
Fans can now watch teams as their cars go through final post-race inspection at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center each Tuesday, thanks to live streaming of the process each week on NASCAR.com.
 
First- and second-place finishers from the previous weekend’s Sprint Cup Series race, as well as a random selection, are taken back to the center each week for a more detailed inspection.
 
To watch the process, which begins promptly at 8 a.m. ET, fans can go to https://www.nascar.com/inspection.html.

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CONCORD, N.C. — Hendrick Motorsports is in the midst of playoff season and enjoying the success of three of its drivers who are competing in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. And although one of NASCAR’s most successful racing teams is focused on finishing off the 2015 season with another championship, they are also working on building a brighter future for years to come.

The Hendrick organization hosted its first Signing Day for its developmental pit crew program Wednesday at its lavish No. 48 and 88 shop. Their introduction came against the backdrop of the shop’s banners and trophies, honoring achievements set by the teams of Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and more.

The seven men who participated in Signing Day are all former collegiate athletes and were chosen out of over 150 candidates for the annual recruitment process. The newcomers hope to pursue awards of their own, similar to the ones they are constantly surrounded by and to become a part of the company’s lucrative 31-year history.

Andy Papathanassiou, Director of Human Performance at Hendrick, opened the ceremony saying, “It’s the people (here) that make the difference. And if you treat your people well they’re going to want to perform not only for themselves but for you and for the company and for the team, and not only is that the best solution, it’s the only solution to truly become a champion and to keep that championship mentality going.”

Another thing Papathanassiou highlighted was that the seven chosen are “not just here because they are big, strong guys … they’re here for the way they think.” And they all come from diverse backgrounds, most of which have little to do with NASCAR.

Mike McClure, a former WWE prospect, was an All-American wrestler at Michigan State University and, too, an All-American in academics. McClure was at Michigan International Speedway for a race where he was recruited for the program.

After receiving debilitating injuries in his journey to become a professional wrestler, McClure pursued the opportunity with Hendrick and is now working on honing his craft as a fueler and jackman.

“Even on day one, I could tell they were genuine and they cared about the people here,” explained McClure.

Another recruit, Rod Cox, too, had “briefly seen NASCAR on TV,” but knew he found his passion during his training at Hendrick.

 

Cox, who played football at North Carolina State University and earned a degree in civil engineering, was convinced to join the organization after Coach Keith Flynn, Developmental Pit Crew Director, spoke to his football coach.

“I met Coach Flynn and he was the greatest guy I had ever met,” said Cox, an aspiring tire changer. “Everyone around here loves their job. I wake up in the morning like ‘Man, I can’t wait to go practice and do my drills and lift weights and just enjoy everyone here.’ “

At the end of the event, Papathanassiou told NASCAR.com about how he is excited about the future and looking forward to the next chapter at Hendrick, with a new driver joining its Sprint Cup roster in Chase Elliott.

“I think what’s next for us is … we will have to redefine ourselves as a company. It’s very exciting, especially with a guy like Chase Elliott. We could be on another 20-year run … another 20-year dominance.”

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Talladega Superspeedway announced title sponsorship Wednesday for its Oct. 25 race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.
 
The 2.66-mile track and Camping World/Good Sam CEO Marcus Lemonis jointly announced that the sixth of 10 postseason races would be known as the CampingWorld.com 500. The deal revives an entitlement sponsorship that lasted from 2011-13 for the facility’s October event.
 
“We are glad to be back with Talladega Superspeedway, the most competitive track in all of NASCAR,” Lemonis said. “Not only will the CampingWorld.com 500 be one of the most exciting races of the season, it also gives us the platform to expose race fans to our broad selection of camping and tailgating products. Our company has a great appreciation of what Talladega is in the world of sports.”
 
Track chairman Grant Lynch said the partnership was a natural extension, owing to Talladega’s selected areas of free camping, which Lynch claims are the only such plots on the Sprint Cup circuit.
 
“The CampingWorld.com 500 will be extra special this year since it is the third and final race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup‘s Contender Round in which the field of 12 drivers who have a shot at the title will be dwindled down to eight at the race’s conclusion,” Lynch said. “It’s going to be a great weekend.”
 
Brad Keselowski won last year’s October race at Talladega, converting in a must-win situation to avoid elimination.