Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: See all 43 cars | Starting lineup for Michigan


BROOKLYN, Mich. — Matt Kenseth‘s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crew woke a sleeping giant just in time for qualifying for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) at Michigan International Speedway.
 
But Kenseth jokingly credited a sleepless night — brought on by worry over teammate Denny Hamlin‘s lack of punctuality — for his pole-winning effort in Friday’s time trials at the two-mile track.
 
Getting the most out of the high-drag aerodynamic package in force at the event at Michigan, Kenseth covered the distance in 36.458 seconds (197.488 mph) to win his third Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his first at MIS and the 16th of his career.
 
Hamlin (196.990 mph) was second fastest, and Carl Edwards (196.276 mph) claimed the third starting spot, as Joe Gibbs Racing swept the top three positions on the grid for the 23rd Sprint Cup race of the season.
 
Austin Dillon (195.918 mph) qualified fourth as the top Chevrolet in the field, followed by Tony Stewart (195.477 mph) in a Chevrolet and Kyle Busch (195.450 mph) in the fourth JGR Toyota. Joey Logano, last week’s winner at Watkins Glen, qualified 10th as the only Ford driver to crack the top 12.
 
Based on practice speed, Edwards was a favorite to win the pole, but Kenseth, who was 10th on the speed chart in the opening practice session, closed the gap in time from qualifying.
 
“We were a long ways off Carl in practice, and I don’t even know what changes they made, but they changed a lot of stuff that really woke this thing up and had some speed,” Kenseth said. “I knew I got through (Turns) 1 and 2 good, but Denny put up such a fast lap, and I got into (Turn) 3, and I was bound and determined that I was going to make it wide open.
 
“I had the first half of the corner. It was the second half that was starting to get exciting. I got sliding up the track and bogged down a little bit. I wasn’t sure that we were going have it, but I have to say thanks to those guys (the crew). They gave me a car with a lot of speed.”
 
In Hamlin’s view, Busch’s return from an injury has achieved a critical mass of four talented, veteran drivers at JGR who can benefit from each other’s expertise.
 
“When you have drivers that you can feed off of, like the three teammates that I have, it makes a difference, and so that’s where you’re seeing the results,” Hamlin said.
 
That didn’t prevent the driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry from throwing a barb toward the 43-year-old teammate who beat him for the pole.
 
“Matt was probably too old to remember to lift there,” Hamlin said of Kenseth’s qualifying run.
 
Kenseth provided a different perspective.
 
“I could say it’s because I didn’t get enough sleep,” Kenseth said. “I flew up with Denny today, and he likes to come to everything at the last minute. I didn’t sleep last night thinking that we weren’t going to make it up here, so it’s really just for lack of sleep. I get to credit Denny for the pole.”
 
Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Logano completed the top 10. Reed Sorenson failed to make the 43-car field.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LEXINGTON, Ohio — Team owner Jack Roush sparked rumors that XFINITY Series points leader Chris Buescher could soon be competing for a Sprint Cup Series title in a Wednesday night interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, noting that the 22-year-old is “ready” for Cup racing and there’s consideration for putting him in a car “sooner, rather than later.”
 
This was all news to Buescher.
 
“(We’ve talked about) absolutely nothing. That has caught me so off-guard,” Buescher said Friday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, site of Saturday’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). “My dad called me and asked me about it and I said ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about right now.’ And then the radio interview … came up, and it’s nice to hear. It’s awesome being recognized or being considered to move up.”
 
It’s easy to see why Buescher would garner consideration from the longtime Roush Fenway Racing owner, given that his career has taken off at a tremendous rate since picking up his first career national series victory in this very race a year ago. A 2014 season that started with him failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona hit its stride midway at Mid-Ohio with a win, sparking a streak of dominance that has seen him lead the series’ regulars with an average finish of 8.4 in 2015.

RELATED: Buescher seeks separation in standings at Mid-Ohio
 
While it’s hard to resist the temptation to think about where he could be racing next year, Buescher is keeping his expectations tempered.
 
“Sooner rather than later is a very broad statement,” said Buescher, the only XFINITY regular with multiple wins this year. “I don’t know when that would be, by any means. My progression has typically been a little slower than a lot of the guys that I’ve grown up racing around, when you look at a lot of the guys that are in this series, they typically don’t spend as much time in each series as I have. I’m OK with that, though. I like the fact that I’ve been able to get a lot of seat time in each division that I’ve run and been able to move up when I feel like I’m ready.”
 
Set in motion from Kyle Busch‘s injury to start the season, Buescher has six Sprint Cup starts under his belt this year, which have mostly come when he hopped in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports ride previously inhabited by David Ragan, who filled in for Busch in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18. His average finish in six races is 26.7, but he’s managed to finish better than where he started in every race except last weekend at Watkins Glen.
 
Buescher also mentioned there are no current plans for him to get any more Cup seat time this year, but didn’t rule out spot starts as necessary.
 
Either way, he knows the extra laps behind the wheel amidst the stronger competition are just as important as finishing position right now, and he’s willing to put in the time to learning the ropes.
 
“I’ve had a lot of fun doing the Cup races with Front Row Motorsports. I think it has been a very big learning experience. I’ve learned a lot going through it. I realized it’s not a ‘drop in, good to go, go win a race,’ it’s going to be a learning curve for me,” Buescher said. “I’m ready for the challenge, but it will be a challenge and lot of learning that will go along with it, whenever it may be …  I think I’ll be ready for it. We’ll find out sooner than later.”

For now, Buescher is focused on pursuing a championship in the XFINITY Series. In that regard, the series points leader says that the on-track incidents with teammate and championship hopeful Darrell Wallace Jr. are a thing of the past.

“We’ve got everything rolling along pretty smooth right now,” he said. “We’ve taken care of all of our issues. We feel like, or we know that the best way to make all of our teams competitive is to work together and we’ve had meetings to to basically very firmly say that and get that out there. It’s all good and we’ve all been over-working on sim before this race; watching video, trying to review; going around on some pace car rides this morning with all of our teammates. We feel good about where we’re at right now.

“Obviously it wasn’t so much fun earlier, but it’s on the right path. We feel like we’re focused on going out there are getting more wins for our organization. This year’s been really good for us on the XFINITY side. We’re the only organization that has any XFINITY regulars with any wins, which is pretty special to me, I would say.”

Posted on by George Winkler

BROOKLYN, Mich. — NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell announced Friday at Michigan International Speedway that the rules package for the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will not include either the low-downforce package or the high-drag package.

 

The low-downforce package was used in June at Kentucky Speedway, and will be in use next month at Darlington Raceway.

 

The high-drag package is being used this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, and O’Donnell spent time with drivers, teams and manufacturers following Friday’s qualifying to gather feedback.

 

“The specific topic we wanted to cover with the industry was regarding the Chase, and our decision to keep the 2015 rules package as it is for the Chase and a lot of discussions we had with the industry, that includes a number of folks: The tracks, the drivers, the race teams, the OEMs, all believe that that was in the best interest of the sport,” O’Donnell said. “Excited about the Chase, excited about the package and what’s to come in the Chase, especially when you look back to last year. So that was really the main point we wanted to talk about.”

RELATED: See the Chase Grid as it stands

O’Donnell said the intention all along was to keep the Chase where it was with the 2015 rules package, but some teams wanted to push forward after getting a look at the packages used at Kentucky and Indianapolis. But instead the sanctioning body will gather information from Sunday’s race at Michigan and the Labor Day weekend race at Darlington and use that when formulating the 2016 rules package.

 

The Kentucky race in particular garnered positive feedback, with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Carl Edwards saying at the time that he was sold on it even after just one look in the Quaker State 400. That wasn’t lost on NASCAR.

 

“So absolutely a lot of great things happened during that race, but that was one race and one that we want to learn from and take forward and apply what we can to Darlington and do the same thing,” O’Donnell said. “So I would say a ton of positives we saw from Kentucky, but we’ve got to take the time to dial those things in and make sure that everybody is on the same page. We’ve got the best package to put forth, especially as we look to ’16, so that does have a lot of momentum and lot of positives that we can apply to Darlington and then make some calls post Darlington as well.”

RELATED: Drivers praise Kentucky package

As far as using more races or tests in the future to try out new rules packages, O’Donnell said he didn’t anticipate that would be necessary, that after Michigan and Darlington and more simulation tests and discussions with the major players that the sanctioning body would be in position to make a decision fairly quickly during the offseason. That in turn would give teams the needed time to make adjustments for 2016.

 

“I think the intent would be that we see what happens during the race here Sunday, talk to all of our partners, do the same in Darlington, and then take that information, have a direction, which we feel pretty good about where we may head based on what we’ll see on the racetrack, and then go in and do some sim work with all of our partners directionally on those packages to see if we can fine-tune that,” O’Donnell said.

 

Earlier this week, O’Donnell issued a pair of timelines for a pair of important decisions. One was the Chase rules package; the second was the 2016 schedule, which he said should be announced in three to four weeks.

 

O’Donnell said he did not anticipate major changes with the schedule. He cited the West Coast swing as a positive development in the 2015 schedule, along with attendance at Watkins Glen and Michigan. He said NASCAR would work on striving for consistency going forward.

 

O’Donnell also was asked whether there’d be changes for the October race at Talladega based on the wreck involving Austin Dillon at the July race at Daytona.

 

“We’re still having some discussion with the industry heading into Talladega,” O’Donnell said. “Have not settled on anything yet, but I think you can anticipate something.”

Posted on by George Winkler

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Roush Fenway Racing‘s Greg Biffle likely needs a win in the next four races to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but he’ll have to do so while working with a new spotter.

According to RFR, Jason Reiner will replace Joel Edmonds as Biffle’s spotter this weekend at Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). Reiner has spotted for Chase Elliott.

“It is not one of the changes I was looking for, but it was time to head down a different path for the company,” Biffle said.

“Like I said, it was not preferable to start with a new spotter, especially with Bristol next weekend and four races before the Chase, but it is a business and we will work for it the best we can to get up to speed with listening to a new guy up top.”

Biffle leads active drivers with four Cup victories at Michigan, with his most recent win coming in 2013. He has 15 top-10 finishes in 25 Cup races at the track.

Biffle is 80 points behind Clint Bowyer for the 16th and final Chase slot. He finished in the top five two races ago at Pocono Raceway, one of two top-five finishes this season (the other coming at Charlotte).

“Greg has won two of the most significant races we’ve won here — the 100th anniversary for Ford Motor Company and the 1,000th win for Ford,” team owner Jack Roush said about Biffle’s success at Michigan. “We are looking forward to the new setup here with the aero and we look forward to seeing what we can do.”

Posted on by Brad Norman

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Drivers are taking a wait-and-see approach to handling for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 (2:30 p.m. Sunday, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) with the high drag package making its debut at Michigan International Speedway.

Two veteran drivers, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth, agreed that experience with the package at Indianapolis gives very little indication of how the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars will perform at Michigan since the 2-mile paved oval is so different from Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile flat rectangle.

“Indy is really one lane,” Biffle said Friday morning before the opening Sprint Cup practice session. “It was difficult to get close to that car in front of you because of the extra spoiler and extension on the bumper cover. It made it more difficult to get close to a guy to get a run on him. Here, I think that may change with the different lanes, but we will have to wait and see.

“The car is much looser to drive behind another car, as well, so that is why you look for clean air.”

MIS has wide, sweeping corners, making predicting how the high drag package will affect the cars harder to predict after the experience at Indianapolis.

“I don’t know that it will be a lot different in terms of what you feel in traffic and that type of thing,” Kenseth said of the new package at Michigan compared with Indy. “The race tracks are just massively different. Indy is all by itself. And it’s one of the toughest tracks to pass at no matter what package we bring. We’ll just have to see what it looks like on Sunday.”

The package for Michigan includes a 9-inch spoiler on the rear deck (increased from six inches) with a 1-inch wicker bill; a rear fascia extension panel similar to those used for superspeedway events, a 2-inch leading edge on the splitter and a 43-inch splitter extension panel (radiator pan).



RELATED: Breaking down the high drag package

“The original (aero) package … was for Michigan; we had built this package specifically for Michigan and then worked to implement it into Indianapolis,” Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer for NASCAR, told NASCAR.com on Tuesday. “We feel comfortable with the package we have set up … but we certainly learned some things at Indy.”

O’Donnell left open the possibility of tweaks to the package after Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions.

“I thought I knew what it was going to look like at Indy, and I was a little bit off, but I am looking forward to today and seeing how it drives,” Biffle said, adding race day would still be a bit of a surprise. “Really the first time we race around cars is when the green flag drops.”

One thing NASCAR heard about the package at Indianapolis was higher heat inside the cars. The sanctioning body reacted by adding NACA ducts to right-side windows to allow greater air flow inside the cars at the Michigan race.

“The race really wasn’t that bad for me at Indy, so I don’t foresee any problems,” Kenseth said of concerns about heat.

Kenseth noted that teams had the option to put in extra air ducts before, but those that did have trouble with heat wanted the extra NACA ducts to be part of the rules package so all the cars would be slowed the same amount.

Temperatures at Michigan are expected to reach highs of 85-90 degrees over the race weekend, similar to the weather during the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard.

“Mainly the tail extension doesn’t let the air come out from underneath the car,” Kenseth explained as to why the extra heat builds up. “I think there’s a lot less under body air flow and the heat just stays there from the exhaust pipes and the oil lines and everything that’s making heat.”

Posted on by

RELATED: Rules review on differences between new rules packages

In the summer months, NASCAR introduced new rules packages for a handful of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. A new aerodynamic package with less downforce on the cars to create more side-by-side competition and put more in the hands of the driver was used at Kentucky Speedway in July. A similar package will be used at Darlington Raceway on Labor Day weekend for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 6 (7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).



A high drag rules package was used at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month and will be used again this weekend at Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400 (Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). This rules package reduced the speeds a bit in an effort to create more pack-style competition and drafting.



Drivers have been vocal about their opinions on each new package immediately after using it in a race. And if the drivers have an opinion, surely we do as well. NASCAR.com’s Kenny Bruce and RJ Kraft are back to debate which rules package has been better: The high-drag setup or the low downforce package?

DRIVERS GIVE REVIEWS: Kentucky package | Indianapolis package


Kraft: Well, from our last H2H Kenny, you know I was no fan of tweaking the rules even for one race but I was converted after watching the Kentucky race last month. That race had a track-record number of green-flag passes (22) for the lead and a total of 2,665 green-flag passes overall, creating the exact effect the sport’s governing body wanted: More side-by-side competition and more passing. The racing itself was tremendous and the late-race duel between Joey Logano and Kyle Busch was the best racing we’ve seen all season. The high-drag package did not seem to have any real effect on passing and there wasn’t much drafting to speak. Frankly, if Kyle Busch didn’t score his third straight win, the Indianapolis race doesn’t stand out for any reason. And we can’t forget that the setup on the cars seemed to have a major effect on how hot it got inside the driver’s seat. While a change has been made for an additional NACA duct to be mounted on the right-side window for Michigan, we still need to see if that has a cooling effect greater than what we saw at Indianapolis.

RELATED: Impact of heat at Indy causes slight change to cars for Michigan

Bruce: You want cool drivers or better racing, RJ? Truthfully, I do realize the heat generated is a concern, but nothing a few tweaks here and there likely won’t eliminate. I don’t think officials expected the changes to have an immediate impact on the racing on the track — a slight improvement was probably more hoped for or anticipated. There’s a lot of real-time data to digest that otherwise wouldn’t have been acquired. You can’t get to Point B without going through Point A first. And don’t forget the tire situation — while the Kentucky package seemed to provide better racing even without tires that were built for the low downforce package, those built for Indy weren’t tested with the high drag package either. Just another piece of the puzzle that’s still being built.

TECH TALK: High drag package built specifically for Michigan

Kraft: How about the driver reaction? Despite limited practice time with the low downforce package at Kentucky, pretty much all the drivers loved it and were quite vocal about how much they enjoyed racing with that particular rules package. Drivers liked the fact that they had more control and that there was more passing. As a fan it was exciting to see how often there were cars three-wide and four-wide in that race. And if the drivers are happy and pleased with the rules that are in place, that speaks volumes. While some wanted further tweaks with the low downforce package, the garage seemed to think the Kentucky results were one heck of a first step. That wasn’t the case at Indianapolis after the high-drag package was run. I suppose we should wait until it’s run a second time this weekend before we condemn it, especially since officials have said this package was specifically built for Michigan.


Bruce: There is a world of difference in Kentucky and Indianapolis. Just because the high drag rules didn’t totally change the action at Indy is no reason to toss it out. No doubt some things were learned from the weekend. Michigan is a much wider track with better opportunities to work in another racing groove. Maybe it wasn’t the final answer for Indy, but let’s give it a chance before say it won’t work elsewhere. As Jeff Gordon noted, as long as drivers have room to maneuver around the cars in the turns the package has potential. As teams get more opportunities to work with the different set-ups, some will be able to make them work faster than others, and that’s always been the case. It may not be the final answer, but it might be a step. And we won’t know until we see it in action some more.

Posted on by Staff Report

Former NASCAR driver died earlier this week at 74

RELATED: Baker passes away at age 74 | Drivers react to Baker’s passing

NASCAR will honor the late Buddy Baker in a special way this weekend in events for all three national series.

Vehicles will be affixed with a B-post decal (see below) honoring the former NASCAR driver.

 


Baker, 74, passed away Monday after battling lung cancer. The NASCAR racing legend’s career spanned more than three decades. His father, Buck Baker, was a two-time premier series champ.

Here’s where the decals will go on the vehicles:

The No. 31 of Ryan Newman had Baker’s name spelled out on the door frame, and the No. 21 of Ryan Blaney has an additional sticker on the C-post.

Photos by NASCAR.com’s Kathy Sheldon.

Posted on by Nascar

Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows all about growing up in the shadow of a legend. He knows where that path leads, where it ends and where the next one begins.
 
Buddy Baker did, too.
 
Both are the sons of famous racers. Both followed their fathers into the sport. It was a connection, a common thread leading away from two very uncommon individuals.
 
Baker, the son of two-time NASCAR premier series champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Buck Baker, passed away Monday following a brief battle with lung cancer.
 
The father, tough as an old boot, taught the son plenty.
 
A giant of a man inside and outside the car, Buddy won 19 times, including the 1980 Daytona 500. He’s been among the nominees for the Hall for the past two years.
 
Earnhardt Jr.’s father, Dale Earnhardt, was one of the inaugural members of the Hall selected in 2010. The elder Earnhardt won seven NASCAR premier series titles, tying Richard Petty’s formidable mark. He won 76 races.
 
For many, Earnhardt was NASCAR, helping to fill the void left by the departure of icons that had carried the sport on their shoulders through the 1960s and ’70s — men such as Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough. And Buddy Baker.
 
The father-son connection question has been asked countless times of Earnhardt Jr. He is no longer surprised by it. His father’s shadow loomed large over the sport, even after his death on the race track in 2001.
 
The similarities to Baker’s own circumstances became more obvious to Earnhardt Jr. over time.

“When I was really young, I grew aware of his situation and I hadn’t become a driver yet,” Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I didn’t feel like I could relate to him.

“I obviously knew just what growing up in household must have been like, the yearning to compete and get into the series and do what your father was doing and be a part of it to be more a part of his life.

“To be more of a part of your father’s life is one of the main reasons why you get involved. I maybe could understand that part of it.” 

 

Baker’s on-track accomplishments, and later his move into broadcasting, helped him shed the “son-of” label. Just as Earnhardt Jr.’s eventual success — he’s won 25 races, including a pair of Daytona 500 titles — helped him blaze his own trail.

“You almost forgot about that scenario and how similar it may have been to your own (situation) because of what he was able to accomplish,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He created his own identity outside of Buck (Baker). He did so many things on his own, added to his own identity and legacy that you totally really forgot about having those similarities down the road.”

NASCAR hasn’t lacked for father/son combinations through the years — Lee and Richard Petty; Richard and Kyle Petty; Bobby and Davey and Clifford Allison; Ned, Glenn and Dale Jarrett; David and Larry Pearson; and more recently Ward and Jeb Burton just to name a few.

There are a lot, Earnhardt Jr. said, “that I feel that connection to, that know what that connection is like.”

The situation isn’t specific to racing, but racing is where both Earnhardt Jr. and Baker found themselves. Following in their fathers’ footsteps.

“Wanting to be in that shadow when you’re young and wanting to be a part of his life when you’re young and then trying to get out from under that shadow all the rest of the years of your life is definitely, I wouldn’t call it a struggle, but it’s just a unique situation that only a few of us can say we’ve been through,” said Earnhardt Jr., “and we can relate to each other through that.”

Posted on by Staff Report

After wrecking out of the race for the second straight week at Watkins Glen and falling off the 16-driver Chase Grid last Sunday, Kasey Kahne knows what he has to do to make NASCAR’s playoffs — the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“At this rate we’re going to need to win,” Kahne said. “That’s the only way we’ll go into the Chase. We’ve got to get a little better. I need to get a little better.”

Kahne has four races left to get that win, starting with Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).

The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver claims one victory at Michigan (June 2006) and believes he can adapt well to the high-drag track-specific rule package that will be used there this weekend.

“There were times at Indianapolis when we were really quick with that package,” Kahne said. “I know they’re working hard to bring a little less drag and more downforce there for us, all four of us (at Hendrick Motorsports). So hopefully we can run good at Michigan and maybe get a win there.”

Kahne finds himself in a similar position to where he was last year prior to the Chase. Too low in points to qualify without a victory, Kahne won the second-to-last race of the season at Atlanta to punch his ticket into NASCAR’s postseason.

While Michigan is not Kahne’s best track historically, he has proven he can win at a variety of loops, with victories at 11 different venues including short and intermediate tracks and road courses.

“The main thing is that all of the equipment we get at Hendrick Motorsports is good enough to win every weekend,” Kahne said. “We need to get on the ball here and do that, and I don’t see any better weekend to do that than the next one.”

Posted on by Staff Report

More than 600 miles away from NASCAR hotbed North Carolina, Michigan surprisingly has produced two of NASCAR’s top current talents.

The Great Lakes State churned out 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and is also the home state of up-and-coming star Erik Jones — the winner of the most NASCAR national series races before turning 19 with five victories.


Jones, following in Keselowski’s footsteps, will race in his native state for the first time in Saturday’s Careers for Veterans 200 Presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski‘s Checkered Flag Foundation at Michigan International Speedway (1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).

“It’s pretty special to me,” Jones said about racing in Michigan. “I’m proud of where I’m from and being able to race so close to home at this level is going to be special. For the last two years, everyone has been asking me when I’m going to get to race at Michigan and this is the first year that I’ve been able to tell them that I’ll be racing there.”

Jones enters the race vying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. He ranks third in the series standings, trailing Tyler Reddick by 16 points. On the season, Jones claims one win, seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

The Byron native wants to put on a show for the home crowd.

“I think any time you are at a level in NASCAR, you want to race at your home track,” he said. “Michigan is obviously my home track and this will be the first time that I get to race there. It’s only about an hour from the house I grew up in and I went there quite a few times as a kid to watch races as a young fan. I’m excited that this time I’ll be out on the track — hopefully we can have a good run for all of my friends and my family that will be there to cheer me on.”