NASCAR National Series News & Notes — Charlotte
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Next Race: Coca-Cola 600
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, May 29
The Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 5:30 p.m.
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 600 miles (400 laps)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Hisense 4K TV 300
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 28
The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (200 laps)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Rattlesnake 400
The Place: Texas Motor Speedway
The Date: Friday, June 10
The Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 250.5 miles (167 laps)
NASCAR Programming
- Daniel Suárez, David Ragan and Matt DiBenedetto on “Fluffy Breaks Even” – Thursday, May 26 at 10 p.m. ET on Fuse
- Chase Elliott on “Ridiculousness” – Thursday, June 2 at 10 p.m. ET on MTV
Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Stats Advance
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Smoke Searches For First Coca-Cola 600 Win In Final Start
Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart ranks tied for 13th on the all-time victories list, but has never won the Coca-Cola 600.
The member of the Coca-Cola Racing family will attempt to capture his first checkered flag in his final start in NASCAR’s longest race on Sunday.
Stewart’s best finish in the Coca-Cola 600 was a third-place showing in 2001. In 33 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway (tied with Matt Kenseth for the most among active drivers), Stewart claims one win (fall of 2003), six top fives, 13 top 10s and an average finish of 14.5.
To make NASCAR’s playoffs, Stewart must win a race and finish the regular season in the top 30 in points. He’s currently 37th in the points – 67 markers behind 30th-place David Ragan.
Quality of Racing A Sign Of Things To Come
A third of the way through the season, a ton of numbers have swirled around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – some small, some big, all pointing to fascinating racing.
Eight of the first 12 races this season have ended with a margin of victory less than one second, the most since 2010. (Note: Two of these races ended under caution, so there was no margin of victory.)
The average margin of victory so far has been .877 seconds – the third-closest margin of victory since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993.
Denny Hamlin’s victory in the Daytona 500 by .010 seconds was the closest ever in NASCAR’s premier event and tied for the seventh closest in series history. The margin was duplicated two weeks later at Phoenix when Kevin Harvick edged out Carl Edwards at Phoenix.
Track records for green flag passes for the lead (lead changes all around the race track while under green flag conditions) were set in three races this season: Atlanta Motor Speedway (44), Auto Club Speedway (51) and Bristol Motor Speedway (40).
At Talladega, there were 213 green flag passes for the lead, six passes for the lead shy of tying the record for most green flag passes for the lead in a single race since the inception of loop data in 2005.
In the latest event, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race, there were 17 green flag passes for the lead, the most since 2013. Joey Logano’s pass of Kyle Larson with two laps to go was the latest lead change in the All-Star race in the last seven years. Additionally, this season’s All-Star race was the first in the last three years where one driver didn’t lead for the entire final segment.
Click here for an infographic on 2016 quality of racing highlights
Logano Looks For Second Straight Charlotte Win, May Sweep
Although it didn’t count for the standings, Joey Logano’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race win halted a rough patch of consecutive finishes outside the top 20: Talladega (25), Kansas (38) and Dover (22).
Heading into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET on FOX), Logano sits 10th on the Chase Grid, a comfortable 62 points ahead of Ryan Newman on the cutoff line, but a points-paying win would ensure him a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs.
Logano won the last race at Charlotte in the fall, leading 227-of-334 laps. His highest finish in the Coca-Cola 600 was a third-place showing in 2011.
In 14 Charlotte starts, Logano claims one win, five top five and eight op 10s.
If he wins on Sunday, Logano will become the eighth driver to win both the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (2008) and Kurt Busch (2010).
A Ford driver has not won the Coca-Cola 600 since Mark Martin in 2002.
Marathon Man: Johnson A Master Of NASCAR’s Longest Race
A rabid participant in endurance athletics off the track, Jimmie Johnson is also NASCAR’s top “endurer” on it.
His four wins in the Coca-Cola 600 – NASCAR’s longest race – are the most among active drivers and rank second to only NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip’s five.
The top driver of all-time at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Johnson boasts a record seven wins at the 1.5-mile track. He claims an all-time mark of four victories at CMS in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race that do not count for his total. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver’s 8.6 average running position and 109.0 driver rating at Charlotte are both active series bests.
Johnson’s last Charlotte win came in the 2014 Coca-Cola 600.
This season, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver has two wins, five top-five and six top-10 finishes. He sits third on the Chase Grid and holds six bonus points for the Round of 16 in NASCAR’s playoffs (one for each win).
Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kasey Kahne – a fellow endurance athletics participant – has won three Coca-Cola 600s. Combined, the pair has won seven of the last 13 spring Charlotte races.
Happy Makes It Happen At Charlotte
Since fall 2010, Kevin Harvick has been one of the strongest drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway with three wins, two runner-ups and 10 top 10s in 11 starts.
In his last six Charlotte races, Harvick owns two wins, two runner-ups, a sixth-place showing and a finish of ninth.
That timeframe marks quite the turnaround for Harvick, who logged a high Queen City finish of 10th from 2002 through spring of 2010 – a span of 17 races.
Edwards Eyes Coca-Cola 600 Repeat
Carl Edwards provided NASCAR fans with an abundance of firsts when he won the 2016 Coca-Cola 600.
Edwards’ victory was his first at the track, first driving a Toyota and first for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Now looking even more comfortable with his new team and fresh ride, Edwards looks to defend his victory in Sunday’s edition of NASCAR’s marathon race. The drivers who have won back-to-back Coca-Cola 600s are Darrell Waltrip (1978-79, 1988-89), Neil Bonnett (1982-83), Dale Earnhardt (1992-93) and Jeff Gordon (1997-98). Jimmie Johnson won the event three consecutive times from 2003-05.
On the season, Edwards owns two wins, five top fives and eight top 10s. He ranks second on the Chase Grid behind teammate Kyle Busch.
Two To Go: Busch Needs Wins At Only Charlotte And Pocono To Complete Active Sweep
Only two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tracks have eluded Kyle Busch – Charlotte Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway. He’s won at the other 21 active tracks. Only those two remain.
The 1.5-mile oval and Tricky Triangle happen to be the next two courses on the schedule.
Although Busch has never won at CMS, he does own the second-best driver rating (106.1) and average running position (9.7) among active drivers there. In 24 Charlotte starts, he has 10 top fives and 14 top 10s with a high finish of second (twice, fall of 2010 and fall of 2011).
Busch was on his way to victory at Pocono last season, but ran out of fuel on the final lap. A checkered flag would’ve clinched him his fourth consecutive win.
The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has carried his momentum into this season. He leads the circuit with three wins and nine top-five finishes.
Click here for an infographic on Busch’s wins at each active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series track.
24Shadowing? Elliott Can Grab First Win In Same Race As Gordon
Jeff Gordon captured his first victory in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 via a two-tire gamble on the race’s final pit stop. The triumph launched a career that featured 93 wins, four championships and ensured Gordon future enshrinement in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Could Gordon’s successor in the No. 24, Chase Elliott, be the next driver to jumpstart a legendary career in the Coca-Cola 600?
Maybe.
The 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion’s eight top-10 finishes in the first 12 races in his Sunoco Rookie of the Year contending season are the most since Jimmie Johnson accomplished the feat in 2002. His four top-five showings through 12 races are the most in a rookie season since Kasey Kahne posted the same total in 2004.
Elliott placed third in the last points-paying race at Dover where he nearly tracked down race-winner Matt Kenseth and runner-up Kyle Larson for his first victory.
Kenseth, who won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2000, is the only rookie who’s achieved the feat.
Slightly Off Target: Larson Aims For First Win Following Two Near Misses
Kyle Larson’s first points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win looks like it’s coming soon.
The NASCAR Next alum has showed off his driving skills in the last three races (points and exhibition) – Dover, the Sprint Showdown and the Sprint Unlimited.
At Dover, Larson led 85 laps, but could not catch Matt Kenseth, who beat him to the finish line by a mere .187 seconds.
Larson won the third segment of the Sprint Showdown following one of the best two-car battles all year where he fended off Chase Elliott by 0.015 seconds.
Most recently, the No. 42 Chevrolet driver led the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with two laps remaining, but was passed by Joey Logano and soon wrecked to place 16th.
Larson’s first win could come on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he has a high finish of sixth. He won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at the 1.5-mile track in May of 2014.
Jr. Jostles For First 600 Victory, 5 Years After He Ran Out Of Gas
Five years ago Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading the Coca-Cola 600 on the final lap.
Devastatingly, the Kannapolis, North Carolina native and NASCAR history buff, who desperately wants a 600 win in front of his home crowd, ran out of fuel and was passed for the win by Kevin Harvick.
He’ll get another opportunity at 600 glory on Sunday.
In 32 starts at Charlotte, Earnhardt has six top fives and 12 top 10s. He placed third in last year’s spring Charlotte race.
NASCAR Industry To Honor Fallen Service Members With 600 Miles Of Remembrance
Continuing the sport’s long-standing tradition of honoring the United States Armed Forces, all 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will bear the name of a fallen service member on their race car windshields during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
For the second consecutive year, “600 Miles of Remembrance” will pay tribute this Memorial Day Weekend to those who bravely served and died defending our country.
Windshield headers normally reserved for drivers’ last names will read “SGT HARVEY,” “LCPL RAMIREZ,” and “SPC BEAUDOIN,” among other names of the fallen.
The special tribute will commemorate the launch of NASCAR: An American Salute™, the industry’s collective expression of respect and gratitude for members of the U.S. Armed Forces, past and present. Fans can follow the conversation on social media using #NASCARSalutes.
Click here for full details on NASCAR: An American Salute and 600 Miles of Remembrance
Queen City Kings: Coca-Cola Conquerors Who’ve Won Championships
A past reigning or future NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has won 56% of all Coca-Cola 600 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The drivers who have completed the championship/Queen City double: Jimmie Johnson (6 titles, 4 C600s), Dale Earnhardt (7 titles, 3 C600s), Richard Petty (7 titles 2 C600s), Jeff Gordon (4 titles, 3 C600s), Darrell Waltrip (3 titles, 5 C600s), David Pearson (3 titles, 3 C600s), Bobby Allison (1 title, 3 C600s), Kevin Harvick (1 title, 2 C600s), Rusty Wallace (1 title 1 C600), Bobby Labonte (1 title, 1 C600), (1 title, 1 C600), Dale Jarrett (1 title, 1 C600), Benny Parsons (1 title, 1 C600), Kurt Busch (1 title 1 C600) and Matt Kenseth (1 title 1 C600).
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Etc.
Coca-Cola 600 Military Salute
In addition to NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance tribute, further salutes to the United States Armed Forces will take place before the Coca-Cola 600. Charlotte Motor Speedway will feature skydivers from Team Fastrax, war re-enactments, vintage war planes, a 21-gun salute from the Fort Bragg Firing Squad and a flyover of four F-15s from the 334th Fighter Squadron, Fighting Eagles Seymour Johnson AFB. Buses will also transport thousands of troops to the race through the Patriot Partners program. Through the new CMS Salute the Crews program, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team members who have served in the military will be recognized during the pre-race ceremonies and on the giant Speedway…
Fans From Around The Globe Flock To Charlotte Motor Speedway
Throughout all 10 days of NASCAR Thunder in Charlotte, fans from 25 foreign countries and representing 4,100 cities worldwide have visited or plan on going to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Country Star Lee Brice To Take Stage On Sunday
Grammy-nominated country music artist Lee Brice will perform a pre-race concert prior to the Coca-Cola 600.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Sadler’s Slight Points Lead Not Enough To Get Comfortable
JR Motorsports knew it was getting a solid veteran when it signed Elliott Sadler for 2016.
With 10 races in the books and the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings lead, solid might’ve been an understatement.
Sadler holds a three points advantage over second-place Daniel Suárez, but knows that buffer is not exactly comfortable as the series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Saturday’s Hisense 4K TV 300 (2:30 p.m. ET on FS1).
Sadler’s average finish through 10 starts is 6.6 – tied with Suárez for tops in the series. Sadler has one win (Talladega), four top fives and nine top 10s. In season-to-date loop data, he is ranked sixth in average running position (9.2) and fifth in Driver Rating (99.8).
Early in Sadler’s career he struggled at Charlotte, but as of late he has found his groove on the 1.5-mile speedway, posting six top 10s in his last nine starts. He finished ninth in this event last season.
Dillon/RCR Look To Become Third Driver/Team To Win Three Straight Races At Charlotte
Rising star and former series champion Austin Dillon dominated Charlotte Motor Speedway last season, sweeping both races from the Coors Light Pole. The feat impressed many and now gives Dillon and Richard Childress Racing the opportunity to be just the third driver and third team in series history to win three consecutive races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Dillon can put himself in rare company if he can win this weekend at Charlotte. He would become the third driver to win three consecutive races at CMS, joining 1989 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Rob Moroso (Fall 198, both races of 1989) and Mark Martin (Fall of 1995, both races of 1996).
Dillon has made six series starts at Charlotte, recording two wins, three top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 5.8. Dillon also owns three poles at the famed 1.5-mile track.
Richard Childress Racing has entered four drivers this weekend at CMS: Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Brandon Jones and Brendan Gaughan. If any of the four were to win at Charlotte on Saturday, Richard Childress Racing would become the third team in series history to win three consecutive races at CMS, joining Moroso Performance (Fall 1988, both races of 1989) and Roush Fenway Racing (Fall of 1995, both races of 1996).
Rookie Erik Jones Has A Lot To Smile About Lately
Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Erik Jones has been showcasing his talents over the past several weeks. The Byron, Michigan native jumped two spots in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points following his win at Dover International Speedway.
In 10 starts this year, he has two victories (Bristol and Dover) and two Dash 4 Cash wins totaling $200,000 of bonus money. Plus, the 19 year-old is virtually locked into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase and has six Chase bonus points due to his multiple wins, provided he stays in the top 30 in points and qualifies for the remaining events.
“Charlotte has been a place where I’ve run fairly well myself and JGR has always run well,” Jones said. “We’ll see as the week goes on, but I think our mile-and-a-half program has been pretty stout this year everywhere we’ve gone, no matter what mile-and-a-half it may be.”
Jones has made two starts at Charlotte, posting one top five and an average finish of 8.5.
Assuming Jones continues his streak of success this weekend at Charlotte wouldn’t be foolish. He holds the second-best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks this season – an astounding 2.7.
North Carolina Natives Aplenty This Weekend
Eight drivers with their home state recorded as North Carolina are entered this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series: Ty Dillon (Welcome), Austin Dillon (Welcome), Morgan Shepherd (Ferguson), Harrison Rhodes (High Point), Ryan Blaney (High Point), Drew Herring (Benson), Cody Ware (Greensboro) and Carl Long (Roxboro).
Of the eight entered, Austin Dillon (2015 sweep) is the only active North Carolina driver to win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the series.
JGR’s Suárez Must Keep The Heat On The Standings Leader
With just three points separating himself from the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings lead, 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Daniel Suárez needs to keep the heat on veteran Elliott Sadler to close the points gap between first and second.
In 10 starts, Suárez has posted four top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 6.6. In season-to-date loop data Suárez leads the series in Average Running Position (6.7) and is ranked second in Driver Rating (106.9).
Charlotte provides the perfect stage for Suárez to catapult ahead of Sadler in the points. Suárez has made two starts at CMS, logging one top five, two top 10s and an average finish of 5.0.
Chase Bubble: 16 Races To Go Until Cutoff
As the NASCAR XFINITY Series rolls into Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, the competitors know there are just 16 races left in the regular season. The seven-race NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase will begin at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, and feature 12 drivers and two elimination rounds, with four drivers competing in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
A win in the first 26 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, provided the driver is in the top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race. Drivers who win two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are also all but guaranteed a Chase berth.
Below are a look at the drivers teetering on the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase bubble after 10 races:
- Jeb Burton (+17) – No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Mustang – Burton’s season has been a mix of ups and downs. Burton sits 11th in the standings after posting one top 10 and eight top-20 finishes.
- Ryan Sieg (+10) – No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet Camaro – Sieg’s currently the last driver eligible for the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase as he is 10 points ahead of 13th-place Blake Koch. Sieg’s success this season has been built on consistency. In 10 starts this season, he has posted one top 10 and seven top-20 finishes. He also has two top-10 starts this season.
- Blake Koch (-10) – No. 11 Kaulig Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro – Koch is the first driver on the outside of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase cutoff line looking in. Koch is 13th in the standings just 10 points behind 12th. Koch’s season started strong, but an accident at Texas knocked him outside the top 12 and he has been trying to rebound ever since. In 10 starts, Koch has posted two top 10s and six top 20s.
A Few Truck Men: Gallagher, Custer Sampling Some XFINITY Series
Two of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ rising stars, Cole Custer and Spencer Gallagher, will be strapping into cars this Saturday and competing in the Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Custer will wrangle the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro this weekend in his second career start in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Custer’s series debut came a few weeks back at Richmond International Raceway, where he drove the JR Motorsports No. 5 from 17th to a sixth-place finish.
Custer has made only one NASCAR national series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway – last weekend in the NCWTS race – where he started 16th and finished 13th.
GMS Racing has tapped Spencer Gallagher to drive their No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at CMS. Gallagher has made three starts in the XFINITY Series this season, posting a best finish of 17th (Richmond). This weekend will also be Gallagher’s series debut at Charlotte. Like Custer, Gallagher competed in the Truck Series race at Charlotte last weekend, starting second and finishing sixth.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:
NASCAR XFINITY Series in North Carolina: There have been 796 NASCAR national series races (NSCS, 522; NXS, 187; NCWTS, 18) held in the state of North Carolina. The 187 NASCAR XFINITY Series races held in N.C. have been on seven different tracks: Charlotte Motor Speedway (68), Rockingham Speedway (42), Hickory Speedway (42), Orange County Speedway (27), North Wilkesboro Speedway (four), Caraway Speedway (three) and Asheville Speedway (one). The first NASCAR national series race in North Carolina was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Charlotte Speedway (dirt track) on June 19, 1949 that was won by Jim Roper (Lincoln). The first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held in North Carolina was on April 10, 1982 at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina and was won by Jack Ingram (Pontiac)…
NASCAR XFINITY Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway: The NASCAR XFINITY Series has held 68 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The first NXS race at CMS was held on May 29, 1982 and won by Harry Gant (Pontiac). Four-hundred-sixty-seven drivers have made at least one start in the series at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 56 of the 467 made their first series career start at CMS. Thirty-two different drivers have won at CMS in the NXS, led by Kyle Busch with eight victories. Eight drivers tallied their first series win at CMS (none are active).
North Carolina Drivers in NASCAR: A total of 439 drivers who have made at least one NASCAR national series start have their home state recorded as North Carolina. Of the 439 North Carolina drivers, only 29 have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, led by Richard Petty with 200 victories (series-most). Out of the 439, only 109 have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Of the 109 North Carolina drivers who have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, 21 have visited Victory Lane, led by Jack Ingram with 31 wins. Six North Carolina drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series: Harry Gant, four wins (Taylorsville); Dale Earnhardt, three wins (Kannapolis); Austin Dillon, two wins (Welcome); Dale Jarrett, two wins (Hickory); Phil Parsons, one win (Denver) and Sam Ard, one win (Asheboro). Five NXS champions are from North Carolina: 2013 champ Austin Dillon (Welcome), 2003 champ Brian Vickers (Thomasville), two-time series champ (1998-1999) Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1982 and 1985 champ Jack Ingram (Asheville) and 1983-1984 champ Sam Ard (Asheboro).
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Crafton Cruises To Second Consecutive Win
Matt Crafton led a race-high 47 laps in last Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 to cruise to his second consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory.
The ThorSport Racing driver, who leads the points standings, is the first driver on the circuit to log multiple victories this season. He has totaled at least two wins in his last three campaigns.
Crafton leads the series in wins (2), top fives (3), top 10s (5), driver rating (115.4), average finish (8.5), fastest laps (128), laps led (264) and percentage of laps led (26.7).
His Charlotte victory was his seventh win, 11th top-two showing and 18th top-10 finish in 20 starts at 1.5-mile tracks since 2014.
Standings Snapshot
Two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton paces the points standings six races through the 2016 season. He is followed by Timothy Peters, Daniel Hemric, Spencer Gallagher and William Byron. Ryan Truex, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell and Johnny Sauter round out the top 10.
Crafton, Byron and Nemechek have each captured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase berths by winning races.
The series returns to action at on Friday, June 10 at Texas Motor Speedway for the Rattlesnake 400 (9 p.m. ET on FS1).
GMS Keeps On Rollin’
GMS Racing, the Statesville, North Carolina-based outfit, continued its strong season at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday by producing a third-place finish from Johnny Sauter and a sixth-place showing by Spencer Gallagher.
On the season, Gallagher ranks fourth in series points, 22 markers behind leader Matt Crafton. He is tied with Crafton for first in top fives with five.
Sauter sits 10th in points, but virtually clinched a spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase with his win at Daytona. He claims one win, three top fives and three top 10s this season.
Newly Minted NASCAR Next Member Tifft Registers Career Best Finish
Four days after being selected to the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class, Matt Tifft produced a career high fifth-place finish.
In 18 career starts, Tifft has one top five and seven top 10s.
He started competing full-time in the series for Red Horse Racing at Kansas, replacing Ben Kennedy who moved on to GMS Racing.
KBM’s Bell, Byron On Crusade Of Consistency
Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Christopher Bell and William Byron continued their string of strong finishes in Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Bell finished eighth for his third consecutive top-10 showing, while Byron placed 10th for his fourth consecutive result of 11th or better. Byron also led 25 laps.
Byron and Bell sit fifth and ninth, respectively, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings. Byron sits 26 points behind first-place Matt Crafton, while Bell trails Crafton by 37 markers.
A Charlotte resident, Byron captured a spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase via his win at Kansas. He leads second-place Bell in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by six points.
On Tuesday, Bell served as a special guest in Texas Motor Speedway’s Speeding To Read Championship Assembly. The event culminated a year-long reading competition among nearly 6,500 students from 11 Dallas/Fort Worth-area elementary schools.
Brad Keselowski Racing On The Rise
Brad Keselowski Racing has picked up the pace the last few weeks.
Last season’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship runner-up Tyler Reddick scored a season-high fourth-place finish – his second straight top-10 showing. His teammate Daniel Hemric placed ninth for his third consecutive top-10 finish.
Hemric leads BKR in the points standings where he mans the third spot (17 markers behind leader Matt Crafton) on the strength of two top fives and five top 10s.
Reddick trails in eighth (36 points behind Crafton). He has one top five and two top 10s.
NASCAR INDUSTRY NEWS
NASCAR Diversity Internship Program Welcomes 2016 Class
Daytona International Speedway Takes Home Prestigious Sports Facility of the Year Award
Future Stars Unveiled During NASCAR Next Announcement
For more information, please contact NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications’ Mike Forde at mforde@nascar.com or James Hallas at jhallas@nascar.com.
Sources: NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications