Posted on by Staff Report

Find out which drivers are piloting each car for full-time teams

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RELATED: Full-time driver trackers for Sprint Cup Series| XFINITY Series

Car #
Driver
Manufacturer
Team/Owner
02
Tyler Young
Chevrolet
Young’s Motorsports
05
John Wes Townley
Chevrolet
Athenian Motorsports
07
Ray Black Jr.
 Chevrolet
SS Green Light Racing
1
Donnie Neuenberger
Chevrolet
MAKE Motorsports
4
Erik Jones
Toyota
Kyle Busch Motorsports
6
Norm Benning
Chevrolet
Norm Benning Racing
8
John Hunter Nemechek/
Joe Nemechek
Chevrolet
NEMCO Motorsports
10
Jennifer Jo Cobb
Chevrolet/RAM/Ford
Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing
11
Ben Kennedy
Toyota
Red Horse Racing
13
Cameron Hayley
Toyota
ThorSport Racing
14
Daniel Hemric
Chevrolet
NTS Motorsports
15
Mason Mingus
Chevrolet
Billy Boat Motorsports
17
Timothy Peters
Toyota
Red Horse Racing
19
Tyler Reddick
Ford
Brad Keselowski Racing
    23
Spencer Gallagher
Chevrolet
GMS Racing
29
Brad Keselowski/Joey Logano/Austin Theriault/Ryan Blaney
Ford
Brad Keselowski Racing
31
James Buescher/Other drivers
Chevrolet
NTS Motorsports
33
Brandon Jones/
Ty Dillon/Austin Dillon
Chevrolet
GMS Racing
50
Cody Ware
Chevrolet
MAKE Motorsports
51
Kyle Busch/Daniel Suarez/Matt Tifft
Toyota
Kyle Busch Motorsports
54
Justin Boston
Toyota
Kyle Busch Motorsports
88
Matt Crafton
Toyota
ThorSport Racing
94
Travis Kvapil/
Wendell Chavous
Chevrolet
Premium Motorsports
98
Johnny Sauter
Toyota
ThorSport Racing
99
Bryan Silas
Chevrolet
T3R2

Text goes here

Posted on by Staff Report

Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. post fastest times in opening session

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SPRINT UNLIMITED FINAL PRACTICE | Full results

Veteran and four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon topped the final practice session for the annual Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway (Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET, FOX).

The Hendrick Motorsports driver wheeled his No. 24 Chevrolet SS around the Florida oval at a high speed of 196.764 mph.

Denny Hamlin clocked the second-fastest time, rounding the "World Center of Racing" at 196.524 mph in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.

Rounding out the top five were Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch (196.202 mph), Hendrick Motorsports’ Dale Earnhardt Jr. (196.168 mph) and Richard Petty Motorsports’ Aric Almirola (196.113 mph), respectively.

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion, came is as eighth-fastest, posting a top speed of 192.526 mph in preparation for the invitation-only exhibition event.

Several Sprint Cup drivers, including Jamie McMurray, used the final session to practice pit stops under the new pit road guidelines.

Eleven of the 25 Sprint Unlimited drivers did not participate in the final practice session.

The Sprint Unlimited race begins on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET with coverage on FOX.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

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SPRINT UNLIMITED OPENING PRACTICE | Full results

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kurt Busch kicked off the 2015 season as the fastest driver in opening practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway (Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET, FOX).

The No. 41 driver rounded the "World Center of Racing" at 200.749 mph, the only driver to clock a high speed over 200 mph in both practices.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. posted the second-fastest speed (199.769 mph) in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion.

Completing the top five on the leaderboard were 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (199.075 mph), Team Penske’s Joey Logano (197.928 mph) and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne (197.824 mph), respectively.

Posted on by Staff Report

Find out which drivers are piloting each car for full-time teams

RELATED: Full-time driver trackers for Sprint Cup Series | Camping World Truck Series

*Note: Kyle Busch is out for an "undetermined period of time" after sustaining a compound fracture of the right lower leg in the NASCAR XFINITY Series opener at Daytona.

Car #
Driver
Manufacturer
Team
0
Harrison Rhodes
Chevrolet
JD Motorsports with Gary Keller
01
Landon Cassill
Chevrolet
JD Motorsports with Gary Keller
1
Elliott Sadler
Ford
Roush Fenway Racing
2
Brian Scott
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing
3
Ty Dillon
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing
4
Ross Chastain
Chevrolet
JD Motorsports with Gary Keller
6
Darrell Wallace Jr.
Ford
Roush Fenway Racing
7
Regan Smith
Chevrolet
JR Motorsports
8
Blake Koch
Toyota
TriStar Motorsports
9
Chase Elliott
Chevrolet
JR Motorsports
14
Cale Conley
Toyota
TriStar Motorsports
16
Ryan Reed
Ford
Roush Fenway Racing
17
Tanner Berryhill
Toyota
Vision Racing
18
Daniel Suarez
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
19
Scott Lagasse Jr./Mike Bliss
Toyota
TriStar Motorsports
20
Erik Jones/Matt Kenseth
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
22
Ryan Blaney/Brad Keselowski/Joey Logano
Ford
Team Penske
24
Eric McClure
Toyota
JGL Racing
25
John Wes Townley/Dylan Lupton
Chevrolet
Athenian Motorsports
28
J.J. Yeley
Toyota
JGL Racing
33
Brandon Jones/Austin Dillon/Paul Menard
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing
39
Ryan Sieg
Chevrolet
RSS Racing
42
Kyle Larson/Brennan Poole/Dylan Kwasniewski
Chevrolet
HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi
43
Dakoda Armstrong
Ford
Richard Petty Motorsports
44
David Starr
Toyota
TriStar Motorsports
51
Jeremy Clements
Chevrolet
Jeremy Clements Racing
52
Joey Gase
Chevrolet
Jimmy Means Racing
54
Kyle Busch*
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
55
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Chevrolet
Viva Auto Group
60
Chris Buescher
Ford
Roush Fenway Racing
62
Brendan Gaughan
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing
88
Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kevin Harvick/Kasey Kahne/Ben Rhodes
Chevrolet
JR Motorsports
90
Martin Roy
Chevrolet
King Autosport
Posted on by Staff Report

Paul Menard will lead the Sprint Unlimited field to green

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The lineup has been set for Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway (8:15 p.m. ET, FOX).

Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne will be on the front row as was revealed during a lineup drawing Friday afternoon.

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The 75-lap race will be split into two segments this season with a competition caution coming at Lap 25 to separate the segments of the non-points event.

Denny Hamlin won the race last season, edging Brad Keselowski by 0.197 seconds for the victory.

This year’s field was expanded to 25 drivers with eligible drivers including all 2014 Coors Light Pole Award winners, 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers as well as former Sprint Unlimited race winners and former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2014. The remaining spots in the field were filled by drivers highest in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings who are not already eligible.

Four eligible drivers chose not to participate in this year’s event: Brian Scott, David Gilliland, Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger. Their absences opened up spots for Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Casey Mears and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to make the field via 2014 driver points.

The full lineup of 25 drivers is as follows:

Pos Car Driver Team
1 No. 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing
2 No. 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports
3 No. 22 Joey Logano Team Penske
4  No. 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske
5 No. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
6 No. 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing
7 No. 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing
8  No. 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing
9  No. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
10 No. 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing
11 No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
12 No. 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing
13 No. 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing
14 No. 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing
15 No. 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing
16 No. 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing
17 No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
18 No. 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing
19 No. 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports
20 No. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing
21 No. 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing
22 No. 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing
23 No. 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing
24 No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports
25 No. 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing

Posted on by Zack Albert

Driver receives black flag after not taking mandatory driver weigh-in

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — On-track performance might weigh on Tony Stewart’s mind. But off-the-track weighing clearly wasn’t on his mind before Friday’s Sprint Unlimited practice at Daytona International Speedway.

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Stewart was the subject of the season’s first summons to the NASCAR hauler, just after opening practice began on the 2.5-mile track. The consultation came moments after his Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet received the black flag.

The three-time Sprint Cup Series champion had neglected to take the mandatory driver weigh-in before the track was open. He initially ignored a radio communication to report back to the garage, resulting in the hauler call.

Stewart brushed past reporters, vehemently refusing comment after series officials bent his ear. But Stewart issued a statement of sorts via Twitter:

Stewart wasn’t the only driver who failed to pay a visit to the scales before Friday’s pair of Sprint Unlimited practices. Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer were both required to weigh in after initially getting into their cars and taking to the track.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Kennedy makes Red Horse Racing debut in NextEra Energy Resources 250

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ben Kennedy’s balancing act of full-time driver with full-time team owner entered its next chapter Friday morning with the unveiling of its 2015 plans.

Kennedy, 23, took the wraps off his team’s entry in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, debuting the No. 3 Toyota that will be driven by 16-year-old driver Kaz Grala, fresh from his rookie season in the series. Sponsorship will be provided by Kiklos Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

Though Kennedy still qualifies as a young adult as a recent graduate of the University of Florida, fielding a car for Grala — who only has his learner’s permit to drive on the streets of his home state of Massachusetts — has given him some perspective on the relative attributes of age.

"He makes me feel old," Kennedy said with a laugh. "He’s 16 years old, but he doesn’t seem like it, though, because he handles himself so well. But Kaz is really a great driver and I’m looking forward to having him on board. He really impressed everyone last year."

There’s also an element of mutual admiration from Grala, as well as a shared background. Kennedy and Grala both drove for Turner Scott Motorsports last season before that team disbanded, leaving both to seek new opportunities this season. Kennedy found his opening last December by joining Red Horse Racing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; Grala found his with Kennedy. 

"I think he’s a really good driver and a really great team owner," Grala said. "He’s hired some great people for this team. I think this is a top-notch group and I really think that’s going to show in the results. Haven’t turned a lap in the car, so it’s all still a little bit of mystery, but I am really confident in them. After seeing the way they’ve prepared this car in the offseason, if our results are anything like the preparation of this car, I think it’ll be top-level." 

At his tidy Daytona Beach race shop, just a stone’s throw from the shores of the Halifax River, the great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. proudly wears the role of team ownership. Banners heralding the accomplishments of Kennedy’s team sway from the ceiling, all part of a friendly competition for rafter space with his great-uncle, Jim France, and the partnered IMSA VisitFlorida.com Racing team, which shares space in the same city block.

Maintaining dual interests in driving duties and the business side of things bear the risk of spreading Kennedy thin, but it’s more a matter of keeping his options open — if one career arc falters, it never hurts to be invested in a backup plan. 

"Ben is a racer and he’s totally passionate about it. When you talk to him about the business, he’s totally focused on racing right now," said Lesa France Kennedy, Ben’s mother and the CEO of International Speedway Corporation. "That’s all I’ve heard from him. He’s got ambitions in that area and having said that, he’s learning an awful lot about the business through this whole effort and the background here. I think regardless of what he gets involved in down the road, whether it’s the business of NASCAR, maybe he takes it and does something different. I’m open to that; he’s open to that. He’ll have a really deep background."

Both prongs to Kennedy’s 2015 plans set sail in the coming days, both in proximity to his modest shop. Grala will be competing in Sunday night’s K&N East opener at New Smyrna Speedway, and Kennedy will make his Red Horse Racing debut when the Camping World Truck Series lifts the curtain on the season in next Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1) at Daytona International Speedway.

Both sides have kept Kennedy busy, but it’s a rush the driver/owner welcomes. 

"I think just all of it together is a great experience," Kennedy said. "I’m the type of person that I can never stay still — I always want to be doing something, so having this on the side, too, just adds that much more excitement to it. At one point, I had college going on, I was racing, and then I had this team, too. It’s just all this stuff going on. I was really just kind of hitting it off and enjoying it. It came together again this year and it worked out."

Posted on by Nascar

Bruce: Can SHR star join Johnson as drivers to defend title in Chase-era?

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For the first time since he was suddenly thrust into NASCAR’s premier series back in 2001, Kevin Harvick begins the new racing season wearing the title of defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.
 
Thus far the 39-year-old seems to wear it well. Whether it will wear on him, or his Stewart-Haas Racing team, remains one of many unanswered questions before the season gets underway.
 
Defending a title is tricky business in NASCAR, made even more so with the arrival of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the subsequent re-tooling of the original 10-race format and most recently the tweaking of the subsequent retooling of the program.

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Format changes have been just one issue standing between drivers, teams and the title. Jeff Gordon, a four-time champ back in the pre-Chase days, has yet to celebrate a title won under the 10-race system. Thus he’s had no Chase title to defend.
 
Likewise, Matt Kenseth won the last outright "points" title, but so far has been unable to solve the riddle of the Chase despite his many attempts.
 
Kurt Busch won the first title back in in the days of Chase 1.0, but has rarely been heard from since.
 
Others were more fortunate. Tony Stewart was the first to show a team that could win straight up could also win when put into a 10-race showdown, winning a pre-Chase crown, then two more during seasons after the field was reset.
 
Jimmie Johnson has often been lauded (cursed?) for he and his team’s ability to dominate in the "postseason," and while it’s a fact that all six of the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s titles came after the arrival of the Chase, Johnson’s No. 48 was no ugly duckling before that — as his record shows.
 
With Johnson winning so often, few others have had the opportunity to defend a championship, and none done so successfully. Can Harvick turn the tide?
 
Stewart, who co-owns Harvick’s SHR team, says teams can do two things after winning a title, either become complacent with what’s been accomplished and ease off the throttle or continue to feed off the thrill of the battle and the success.
 
One goal has been met, Harvick said, but others remain.
 
Situations change. Rules change. Times change. Harvick, it appears, thrives on those changes.
 
A former team owner himself, Harvick put away his Nationwide (now XFINITY) and Camping World Truck Series teams to focus on his own quest for a championship after the 2011 season.
 
For the first time in his Sprint Cup career, he changed teams, moving from Richard Childress Racing to SHR before the start of 2014.
 
His personal life has had major transformations as well, with the birth of a son and most recently a re-location to the Charlotte area.
 
"In the end, we changed our whole life to try to accomplish everything that we did last year," Harvick said. "We were able to pull that off and in three years, basically, change everything that we have done. So, that’s very rewarding for all the people … everybody who has been involved in it."
 
While 25 teams will return to the track here this weekend at Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited (8:15 p.m. ET, FOX), the official start of the season begins next week with the season-opening Daytona 500, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22 (1 p.m. ET, FOX).
 
The list of NASCAR premier series champions is a short one — Harvick is just the 30th to wear the crown.
 
It’s more important that he got here, he said, than that it took him so long to finally arrive.
 
"I think I respect it a lot more and understand how hard it is to get to this point and really know the work and effort that and how many people it takes to be a part of it," he said.
 
That hard work and effort paid off. Now it’s time to see if success is fleeting, or if the driver and team that ended 2014 on top can continue to be the best.

Posted on by Staff Report

Catch up on the latest driver and crew chief movements

RELATED: Sprint Cup drivers and crew chiefs on the move in 2015
RELATED: Full-time driver trackers for XFINITY Series | Camping World Truck Series

Full-time teams listed. Items in red indicate a change from the previous season.

*Note: NASCAR has suspended Kurt Busch indefinitely. Stewart-Haas Racing has announced that Regan Smith will be the interim driver at Daytona and Atlanta.

**Note: Kyle Busch is out for an "undetermined period of time" after sustaining a compound fracture of the right lower leg in the NASCAR XFINITY Series opener at Daytona.

***Note: David Ragan is subbing for Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota starting at Atlanta. A sub for the No. 34 Ford is not known at this time.

Car #
Driver
Crew Chief
Manufacturer
Team
1
Jamie McMurray
Matt McCall
Chevrolet
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
2
Brad Keselowski
Paul Wolfe
Ford
Team Penske
3
Austin Dillon
Gil Martin
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing
4
Kevin Harvick
Rodney Childers
Chevrolet
Stewart-Haas Racing
5
Kasey Kahne
Keith Rodden
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports
6
Trevor Bayne
Bob Osborne
Ford
Roush Fenway Racing
7
Alex Bowman
Kevin Manion
Chevrolet
Tommy Baldwin Racing
9
Sam Hornish Jr.
Drew Blickensderfer
Ford
Richard Petty Motorsports
10
Danica Patrick
Daniel Knost
Chevrolet
Stewart-Haas Racing
11
Denny Hamlin
Dave Rogers
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
13
Casey Mears
Bootie Barker
Chevrolet
Germain Racing
14
Tony Stewart
Chad Johnston
Chevrolet
Stewart-Haas Racing
15
Clint Bowyer
Brian Pattie
Toyota
Michael Waltrip Racing
16
Greg Biffle
Matt Puccia
Ford
Roush Fenway Racing
17
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Nick Sandler
Ford
Roush Fenway Racing
18
Kyle Busch**
Adam Stevens
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
  19
Carl Edwards
Darian Grubb
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
20
Matt Kenseth
Jason Ratcliff
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
22
Joey Logano
Todd Gordon
Ford
Team Penske
23
J.J. Yeley
Joe Williams
Toyota
BK Racing
24
Jeff Gordon
Alan Gustafson
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports
26
Jeb Burton
Patrick Donahue
Toyota
BK Racing
27
Paul Menard
Justin Alexander
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing
30
Ron Hornaday Jr.
Pat Tryson
Chevrolet
The Motorsports Group
31
Ryan Newman
Luke Lambert
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing
32
Bobby Labonte/Mike Bliss/Boris Said
Frank Stoddard/Clint Cram
Ford
Go FAS Racing
34
David Ragan***
Derrick Finley
Ford
Front Row Motorsports
35
Cole Whitt
Randy Cox
Ford
Front Row Motorsports
38
David Gilliland
Donnie Wingo
Ford
Front Row Motorsports
40
Landon Cassill
Mark Hillman
Chevrolet
Hillman Smith Motorsports
41
Kurt Busch*
Tony Gibson
Chevrolet
Stewart-Haas Racing
42
Kyle Larson
Chris Heroy
Chevrolet
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
43
Aric Almirola
Trent Owens
Ford
Richard Petty Motorsports
46
Michael Annett
Jay Guy
Chevrolet
HScott Motorsports
47
AJ Allmendinger
Brian Burns
Chevrolet
JTG Daugherty Racing
48
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports
51
Justin Alllgaier
Steve Addington
Chevrolet
HScott Motorsports
55
Brian Vickers
Billy Scott
Toyota
Michael Waltrip Racing
62
Brian Scott/Brendan Gaughan
Zach McGowan
Chevrolet
Premium Motorsports
78
Martin Truex Jr.
Cole Pearn
Chevrolet
Furniture Row Racing
88
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Greg Ives
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports
98
Josh Wise
Gene Nead
Chevrolet
Phil Parsons Racing
Posted on by Brad Norman

A look at where you do — and don’t — want your favorite driver to finish

Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live | Vote: Ultimate Daytona Challenge

Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout.

There are no points awarded for performance in the Sprint Unlimited, but there’s still plenty at stake. History has proven that.

Not only is it incredibly likely that the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion is in Saturday night’s field, but it’s also likely that he or she will perform well in the 25-car, 75-lap exhibition at Daytona International Speedway that kicks off the season.

Here’s where you want your driver to finish on Feb. 14 (8 p.m. ET, FOX) if you want him or her to have the best chance to be standing on the championship podium in November. Oh, and where you don’t want them to finish? We’ll go over that, too.

Keep this handy when you watch Saturday’s action, and check back for an updated version of this story after the race ends.

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The Good

33

• There have been 36 Sprint Unlimited races, with the first one coming in 1979. In 33 of 36 races (91.7 percent), the eventual series champion for that year was in the field.

1st or 4th

• The most common finishing position in a Sprint Unlimited for a driver who would go on to win the championship that same year? It’s a tie between first and fourth — there have been seven instances of each (19.4 percent each). Dale Earnhardt won the Sprint Unlimited (then called the Busch Clash) in four of his seven championship seasons. The most recent driver to accomplish this feat is Tony Stewart in 2002. The most recent driver to finish fourth in the Unlimited and then win the title that same year is Brad Keselowski in 2012.

Editor’s note: Matt Kenseth won Saturday night’s race, and Casey Mears finished fourth.

5.8

• The average finish in the Sprint Unlimited for a driver who won the title that same year is 5.8.

Editor’s note: Kyle Larson finished fifth Saturday night, and Joey Logano finished sixth.

The OK

5th place

• A driver has finished fifth place in the Unlimited and then gone on to win the title in four different instances (11 percent). The most recent driver to do this was Kevin Harvick last year.

3rd, 11th, 14th

• Future champions have finished third, 11th and 14th in the Sprint Unlimited three times apiece. The latest: Jimmie Johnson finished 14th in 2013, Tony Stewart finished 11th in 2011 and Johnson finished third in 2008.

Editor’s note: Carl Edwards finished third Saturday night; Kevin Harvick finished 11th and Greg Biffle was 14th.

The Ugly

DNF

• Worried about your favorite driver possibly getting in a wreck or having car problems? The odds are long, but three times a driver did not complete the exhibition race but still won the title that year — Bobby Allison in 1983, Jeff Gordon in 1998 and Johnson in 2013.

Editor’s note: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski did not finish Saturday’s race.

No chance

• Numbers to watch out for. A driver has never finished 16th or worse in the Unlimited and won the title. Other finishing positions that have never produced a future champion: seventh, 10th and 12th.

Editor’s note: Jeff Gordon finished seventh, Danica Patrick finished 10th and Ryan Newman finished 14th.

Posted on by Staff Report

Two-time Camping World Truck champ and sponsor together for 11th consecutive season

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Matt Crafton, winner of the last two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships, and longtime sponsor Menards announced Thursday that their partnership will extend to 11 years in 2015.

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The No. 88 ThorSport Toyota Tundra driver has sported Menards’ day-glow colors for both titles and all five career series wins.

"To be able to continue our partnership with Menards for the 2015 season is incredible," Crafton said in a team release. "We’ve been together at ThorSport Racing since 2005, and it speaks to the longevity of everyone involved. In this era, long-running partnerships are rare, and incredibly valuable. It shows how committed ThorSport Racing is to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and how committed Menards and their partners are to our No. 88 team."

Menards, a Midwest home-improvement store chain with a long history in racing, has three stock-car championships. In addition to Crafton’s titles, the company also earned one in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards with driver Frank Kimmel in the ThorSport Racing No. 44 Toyota (2013).

"Over the last couple years, we’ve seen the No. 88 team step up and compete at the highest level," team owner Duke Thorson said in a team release. "Our relationship with Menards and their vendor partners is the cornerstone of this program, and we’ve been thrilled to deliver two championships to them in the last two seasons.

"It’s important to the success of ThorSport Racing to keep Matt and the No. 88 Menards team together, and renewing our partnership shows the value the NCWTS and our race program offers our partners year after year. Going into 2015, we’re honored to represent Menards, and their partners both on and off the track."