Snapshot: American Ethanol 200

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Zack Albert

Catch up quickly before the Camping World Truck Series race in Iowa

What: 6th annual American Ethanol 200.
Where: Iowa Speedway, a 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa.
When: Friday, July 11; 8:30 p.m. ET.
TV/Radio: FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Distance: 200 laps, 175 miles.

Pit road speed: 40 mph
Caution car speed: 45 mph
Fuel window: 93 laps

Keystone Light Pole Qualifying: 5:40 p.m. ET (7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1)

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On the front row
1. Darrell Wallace Jr., Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 Toyota, 137.279 mph
2. Erik Jones, Kyle Busch Motorsports, No. 51 Toyota, 137.189 mph

Fastest in practice
First practice: Darrell Wallace Jr., Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 Toyota, 137.261 mph.
Final practice: Rained out.

Last year’s winner
Timothy Peters, Red Horse Racing No. 17 Toyota.

They said it: "Usually when we first get there, we’ll take a golf cart or rental car around the track and Dad will show me reference marks and where he lifts, but at the same time I’m not going to learn by just listening." — John Hunter Nemechek, who will make his Iowa Speedway debut in the American Ethanol 200

They said it II: "The first year or so we came here, it was kind of an all-to-itself animal, but I think as the pavement wears out, it reminds me a lot of Richmond (International Raceway) and that’s been just a superb place for me whether it was a Cup car, Nationwide car — I’ve always run well there. This place just seems to take on those characteristics, especially deep into a run." — Johnny Sauter, points leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Triple play: Timothy Peters will be competing for his third consecutive victory in the American Ethanol 200. He is the only two-time winner in the seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races held on the 0.875-mile track.

Law of averages: ThorSport Racing teammates Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton rank 1-2 in average finish at Iowa Speedway among active drivers in the series. Sauter boasts a stellar average finish of 4.9 in his seven races here, and Crafton — the defending series champion — holds a 5.0 mark.

Another checkers: NASCAR Next driver Cole Custer is set for his Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway, but he’s already had success here in other NASCAR circuits. The 16-year-old phenom scored his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series victory here last season in a combined race for the East and West tours.

Up front seems to fit: In seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events at Iowa Speedway, the Keystone Light Pole Award winner has gone on to win the race three times. Two other winners have come from second and third place on the starting grid. Matt Crafton drove from 11th starting position to victory in 2011, the deepest in the field an Iowa race winner has started in the Truck Series.

Former Iowa Speedway winners in the field: Timothy Peters (2); Ryan Blaney, Matt Crafton (1).

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Posted on July 11, 2014 by Nascar

Veteran headed to NBC leads all drivers with four New Hampshire wins

LOUDON, N.H. — Will Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 301 (1 p.m. ET, TNT) be the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for Jeff Burton?

"I can give you a positive that I don’t know," Burton said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"I think it’s a good chance; I think it’s a good chance that it’s my last race. And I’m OK with that."

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Burton is making just his second start of the season, driving the No. 66 Toyota fielded for a handful of races this season by Michael Waltrip Racing. Earlier this year, Burton finished 17th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He is set to roll off the grid from the 30th position on Sunday.

In the interim, he has also worked with MWR’s testing program (he tested at NHMS prior to this week’s race). He will move into the broadcast booth next season as an analyst for NBC Sports when the network returns as a broadcast partner with NASCAR, and he has begun working for NBC Sports Network on its "NASCAR America" weeknight show (5 p.m. ET).

One of the most respected drivers in the garage, and one of the most competitive, Burton has scored 21 wins in NASCAR’s premier series while racing fulltime from 1994 through 2013. He won some of the sport’s most challenging races, including the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and the Southern 500 at Darlington. He also won at Texas, Bristol and Daytona, as well as a series best four times at NHMS.

He won 27 times in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as well.

"I’m really comfortable with what I’m doing," he said. "It’s fun being here; I have a lot of friends here. But I’ve been gone to quite a few races this year.

"If this is my last race, it’s cool for me for it to be here. This isn’t my home track, but a lot of my career has been shaped at this race track. From more than just racing; some of my commitment to safety got started here, understanding that (safety) things had to change got started here."

Burton competed in the first Nationwide Series race at NHMS, finishing 11th in the 1990 Budweiser 300. Two years later, he was in the winner’s circle.

"I’ve won a lot of races here," he said. "This place matters to me. If this is my last race, it’s actually pretty cool that it would be here."

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