Johnson scores ninth Martinsville win, advances to Championship 4

Jimmie Johnson earned career win No. 79 on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway after topping the board for 92 circuits of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500, clinching a berth in the Championship 4 where he will vie for his seventh championship to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

This marked the Hendrick Motorsports wheelman’s ninth trip to Victory Lane at the short track, equaling him with former teammate Jeff Gordon.

Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford had a late-race surge, finishing his day in the runner-up spot. The 2012 Sprint Cup champion was eliminated from the Chase after last week’s Talladega race.

Johnson and Denny Hamlin went back-and-forth throughout the 500-lapper with aggressive racing and flaring tempers. Hamlin finished third.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates and Chase contenders, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Defending race winner Gordon finished sixth.

Here’s how the rest of the Chase field fared: Joey Logano (ninth), Kevin Harvick (20th), Kurt Busch (22nd) and Carl Edwards (36th).

Logano, Harvick, Kurt Busch and Edwards are the four drivers sitting below the cutoff line.

The next Round of 8 race — the second of three in the round — is Nov. 6 at Texas Motor Speedway for the AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

via NASCAR

Sauter wins at Martinsville, punches Championship 4 ticket

Sprint Cup driver Chase Elliott was all over his bumper, but couldn't pass Johnny Sauter's No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the closing laps, as Sauter held on to win Saturday afternoon's Texas Roadhouse 200 at Martinsville Speedway. Sauter, who led 50 laps around "The Paperclip," also punched his ticket to the next round of theCamping World Truck Series Chase Championship 4.

Marking his first Camping World Truck Series start of 2016, Elliott led a race-high 109 laps and came up second in the No. 71 Chevrolet.

John Hunter Nemechek was third, while Chase drivers Christopher Bell and Timothy Petersrounded out the top five, respectively.

Chase driver Matt Crafton ran into trouble with nearly 50 laps to go, as his No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota began to experience brake issues. The team opted to bring the car, its brakes glowing red, down pit road twice and inspected the car under the hood. Crafton finished 17th and now ranks fifth of eight drivers on the Chase Grid.

After contact with Ben Rhodes with less than 30 laps to go, Ben Kennedy's Chase No. 33 truck spun, collecting John Wes Townley and requiring an extra trip down pit road for repairs. Kennedy ended up 18th and now sits sixth on the Chase Grid. Kennedy confronted Rhodes in the garage after the race.

A handful of drivers made their Camping World Truck Series debuts Saturday afternoon at the short track -- and several discovered the trickiness of Martinsville, too. Harrison Burton spun out with less than 50 laps to go in the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, while Kyle Donahue and Josh White got loose and spun between Turns 1 and 2 at Lap 50 to bring out the first caution.

The Camping World Truck Series is back on track for the second race of the Chase Round of 6 next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway (Nov. 4, 8:30 p.m. ET).

- NASCAR

NASCAR updates driver participation guidelines

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In an announcement that will put an even brighter spotlight on the next generation of stars and bolster the identity of all three of its national series, NASCAR announced on Wednesday driver participation guidelines for the 2017 season. The new guidelines limit the number of events a premier series driver can race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCARCamping World Truck Series.

Starting next season, premier series drivers with more than five years of full-time experience will be eligible to compete in a maximum of 10 races in the XFINITY Series and seven races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Additionally, drivers with more than five years of full-time premier series experience will be ineligible to compete in the final eight races in each series, as well as the Dash 4 Cash races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The final eight races are comprised of the regular-season finale and the entirety of the Chase in each series.

Drivers earning premier series points in 2017 also are not eligible to compete in the 2017 NASCARXFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Races atHomestead-Miami Speedway.

"The updated guidelines will elevate the stature of our future stars, while also providing them the opportunity to compete against the best in professional motorsports," said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. "These updated guidelines are the result of a collaborative effort involving the entire industry, and will ultimately better showcase the emerging stars of NASCAR."

Drivers with more than five years of full-time experience in the premier series still can run for an XFINITY Series or Camping World TruckSeries championship, provided they have declared for championship points in the respective series.

Wednesday's announcement signals the next step in NASCAR's driver participation guideline evolution. Prior to the 2016 season, NASCAR announced that members of the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field would be ineligible to compete in the 2016 Championship Race in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCARCamping World Truck Series. In 2011, NASCAR implemented a rule requiring drivers to select one of the three national series in which to collect championship points.

NCTWS: Texas Roadhouse 200 (Entry List)

The following is the entry list for Saturday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway. We will post all updates to the entry list as they come in.

NSCS: Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 (Entry List)

The following is the entry list for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway. We will post all updates to the entry list as they come in.

- Given to us by our good UNB! Network friends at NASCAR First Alert.

Full schedule for Martinsville

The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will gather for a doubleheader showing at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. Check out the full schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

FRIDAY, OCT. 28:
ON TRACK
-- 11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
-- 12:30-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS1
-- 2:30-3:50 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
-- 4:40 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

SATURDAY, OCT. 29:
ON TRACK
-- 9-9:55 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC
-- 10:15 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
-- Noon-12:50 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
-- 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Texas Roadhouse 200 presented by Alpha Energy Solutions (200 laps, 105.2 miles), FS1

SUNDAY, OCT. 30:
ON TRACK
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Fast Relief 500 (500 laps, 263 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App

- NASCAR

ARCA Daytona Test Dates Announced

TOLEDO, Ohio (Oct. 25, 2016) - Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America announced today that the test dates for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at Daytona International Speedway are on Friday and Saturday, January 13 and 14, 2017. 

The announcement marks the second consecutive year ARCA’s annual pre-season testing sessions will be held exclusively in January. The series had historically held its test sessions in December. 

“Testing in January proved to be very favorable with the teams last year,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “The Daytona test has always been an important part of our schedule and our racing season, and testing in January will once again be beneficial in a number of ways, for our teams, drivers and for the Series.” 

A third day of on-track activity has been scheduled for Sunday, January 15. The Sunday agenda is slated exclusively for testing of the Five Star Composite body, scheduled to debut at Daytona in February of 2018. Series officials announced this fall that 2017 would be the final year that steel bodied cars would be eligible for competition at the two superspeedways annually on the ARCA Racing Series schedule (Daytona and Talladega). 

The Sunday date is also being reserved as a rain date, in the event either Friday or Saturday’s activities are affected by weather. 

Paperwork for teams and drivers will be available from ARCA beginning November 15, including license applications for owners and drivers, and the daily testing schedule. 

- ARCA

Logano wins Talladega to advance to NASCAR's playoffs

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — When an engine failure knocked title favorite Martin Truex Jr. from NASCAR's playoffs, the rest of the top contenders got a little bit of breathing room.

Then Brad Keselowski suffered the same cruel elimination when his engine failed Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

There was suddenly a wide-open competition to earn the final transfer spots into the third round of the Chase, and Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon raced a tense final two laps in overtime to fill the bracket. With each pushing for every last point, it was Hamlin who advanced into the round of eight on a tiebreaker over Dillon.

Joey Logano won at Talladega Superspeedway, and Hamlin edged Kurt Busch by .006 seconds for third place and the one point he needed to tie Dillon in the standings.

Dillon was ninth, but lost the right to move into the next round based on average finish over the last three races.

Hamlin had told his Joe Gibbs Racing team not to give him points updates, and that lack of knowledge forced him to scramble through the final turn as he was undecided on how aggressive he needed to be.

"I wasn't sure whether I needed to finish third," he said. "I told them I didn't want points updates. But that's almost when I probably should have got one to figure out what I was going to do. (Dillon) is in the middle of the pack. He's fighting and getting positions. He could change two positions in the last hundred yards.

"So you can't really predict it. I knew I just had to try to finish as good as I could."

With Truex and Keselowski out of the playoffs before the checkered flag, the suspense came down to final finishing order. Logano was not in a must-win situation, but the victory sure didn't hurt.

Dillon, on a frantic dash over two overtime laps to gain as many spots as possible, called the outcome "heartbreaking."

"It sure stinks to lose it on a tiebreaker," Dillon said.

Also eliminated Sunday was Chase Elliott. Advancing are: Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Logano and Hamlin. There are four Toyotas remaining in the field, all from Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart-Haas Racing has Kurt Busch and Harvick — but the two had a heated exchange after the race over alleged contact on the last lap — while Hendrick Motorsports has Johnson for three Chevrolets in the field. Logano is the only Ford driver.

"Feels good to win on a clutch moment like that with the pressure on," Logano said. "I think we ran like a champ."

The race was stark difference from the spring stop in Alabama, when 35 cars were involved in at least one accident and two cars went airborne . And last year, it appeared that Kevin Harvick intentionally caused an accident on an overtime restart to help his championship chances.

But for mile after mile Sunday, the drivers behaved.

The only glitches came in a harried sequence early in the race in which three championship contenders had uncharacteristic gaffes within minutes of each other. First Logano left pit road with a jack wedged under his Ford, and he had to return to pit road to have it removed. Then Hamlin was flagged for speeding, then Truex lost an engine .

Keselowski's engine went with 43 laps remaining after he'd battled climbing temperatures on his car because of debris on his front grille.

"It is unfortunate for Brad," Logano said. "It happens as a leader picking some (debris up). We picked it up just not as much."

Keselowski was dominant for a huge chunk of the race, even as he battled climbing temperatures on his Ford. Then, with 43 laps remaining, his engine blew and Keselowski was sent to the garage.

Kasey Kahne spun with six laps remaining to bring out the caution for a heart-pounding final restart.

The caution had terrible timing for Hamlin, and was a gift for Dillon. Hamlin was trying to hold off Dillon for the last transfer position and the Kahne spin gave Dillon another chance to gain points that would keep him in contention and bump Hamlin from the playoffs.

The restart was with three laps remaining.

The push was intense for a lap, then a spin by Alex Bowman brought out the caution for an overtime finish.

Over the team radio, Dillon was told to concentrate.

"Focus forward, man. Focus forward on what we've gotta do. That's what matters, OK?" Dillon was told by a team member.

Dillon gained two spots in overtime, but it wasn't enough to pass Hamlin in the standings.

TREUX MAKES EARLY EXIT: His engine failure ended his title chances — one round after he'd moved to the top of the list of favorites.

Truex won a pair of races in the opening round of the Chase, and was above the elimination line Sunday and only needed a decent day to advance into the third round. He appeared to be in good shape after winning the pole — overcoming a qualifying day distraction when his team had trouble in inspection — but the engine blowing on his Toyota sent him to a last-place finish.

"We had a team capable of competing for the championship, and unfortunately we're not going to be able to show that," he said.

KESELOWSKI ELIMINATED: Faced with a must-win situation at Talladega two years ago, Keselowski stepped up and grabbed a monumental victory.

He was certain he could do the same on Sunday and after leading 90 laps, Keselowski was definitely in play for the win.

When his engine failed, his championship chances were done .

"A lot of fun to be leading at Talladega," he said. "We were doing the best we could to have some fun and lead some laps."

OH WHAT A FEELING: Toyota celebrated its 1,000th race at the Cup level by advancing a manufacturer-high four cars into the round of eight.

All four Joe Gibbs Racing entries moved into the third round, with Truex's blown engine the only hiccup on the day.

Having four drivers, from the same team, still in the playoffs led winning car owner Roger Penske to poke the Toyota camp on the stakes.

"They've got more to lose than I do, I guess," Penske said. "They've got four."

UP NEXT: The opening race of the third round of the Chase on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. Logano swept the second round last year and seemed headed to the win at Martinsville until he was intentionally wrecked as payback by Matt Kenseth. The feud between the two ultimately cost Logano a spot in the championship round.

No. 88 crew chief Greg Ives fined, others receive warnings post-Kansas

NASCAR officials handed down a P2 penalty to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team for not having lug nuts properly installed during Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

The infraction also brought a fine of $10,000 to Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 88 Chevrolet. 

The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team received a written warning and a loss of 15 minutes practice time for failing pre-race LIS three times.

The cars of Carl Edwards, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. failed pre-race LIS twice and received written warnings.

The cars of Austin Dillon and Regan Smith failed pre-race template inspection twice and received written warnings.

Cole Whitt's No. 55 Chevrolet failed pre-qualifying LIS twice and received a written warning.

The cars of Jamie McMurray and Martin Truex Jr. failed pre-qualifying template inspection twice and received written warnings.

Other warnings issued after last weekend's events at Kansas Speedway:

The XFINITY Series cars of Cole Custer and Brandon Brown failed pre-race LIS twice and received written warnings. 

Also, the cars of Brennan Poole and Derrike Cope failed pre-race template inspection three times and received written warnings.

- NASCAR

Disqualified Drivers Withdraw Lawsuit; Case Dismissed By Federal Court

ROSSBURG, Ohio (October 18, 2016) – A federal lawsuit filed against World Racing Group, Inc. (WRG) and subsidiary DIRTcar Racing, Eldora Speedway, Inc., and its owner Tony Stewart by five drivers and race teams disqualified following June’s Dirt Late Model Dream was dismissed today in U.S. Federal Court for the Northern District of New York (NDNY).

The Honorable U.S. District Court Judge Mae A. D’Agostino signed the dismissal order in Albany, New York.

“With ticket renewals beginning today for our 2017 Major Event Calendar, we are pleased with the voluntary motion by the plaintiffs and today’s dismissal,” said general manager Roger Slack.  “We trust this marks the end of the matter and everyone can re-focus their energy on the drama which promises to unfold next season on the high-banks of Eldora.”

Plaintiffs Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Gregg Satterlee, Brandon Sheppard, Ricky Thornton, Jr., and team owners R&W Motorsports, LLC, W.G. Satterlee & Sons, Inc., Best Performance Motorsports and JR. Motorsports, LLC, filed a voluntary motion for dismissal on Monday.

The New York law firms of Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer, LLP and Ahmuty, Demers & McManus represented WRG, DIRTcar, Eldora and Stewart in NDNY.  Counsel from IceMiller, LLP (Indianapolis) and Apollo Sports & Entertainment Group Law (Charlotte) complemented the team.

Ticket and campsite renewals for 2017’s $100,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream (June 8-9-10), the $50,000-to-win Kings Royal (July 13-14-15), the Eldora Dirt Derby for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (July 19) and 47th World 100 (September 7-8-9) are now underway.  Holders of advance tickets and campsites for the 2016 event can renew online 24 hours a day at www.EldoraSpeedway.com through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 20 or by calling (937) 338-3815, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET).

Tickets and campsites for the 2017 Major Events go on public sale Saturday, December 3 at 10 a.m.  As is Eldora tradition, renewal customers and those purchasing tickets and campsites before mid-December will have them in hand for Christmas delivery.

About Eldora Speedway:
Since carved from a cornfield in the natural amphitheater that existed between the Eldora Ballroom and the Wabash River by bandleader Earl Baltes in 1954, Eldora Speedway has grown to be a frontrunner in motorsports growth and stability. Baltes chose to sell the legendary high-banked clay oval to motorsports entrepreneur and NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC champion Tony Stewart in 2004. Eldora will celebrate its 64th consecutive season of racing in 2017 featuring the biggest events in short-track racing, including the: $100,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream Weekend on June 8th-9th-10th; the $50,000-to-win Kings Royal Weekend on July 13th-14th-15th; the Camping World Truck Series’ Eldora Dirt Derby – NASCAR’s only race on dirt on July 19th; the 47th Annual World 100 Weekend on September 7th-8th-9th; and the historic 4-Crown Nationals on September 22nd and 23rd. The complete schedule for Eldora’s 64th consecutive season, including ticket and campsite information will be posted at www.EldoraSpeedway.com. Fans can get off-season access from Eldora Speedway by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, hitting ‘Like’ at www.facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and adding to over 4.8-million views of exclusive video on www.youtube.com/EldoraSpeedway.

- Eldora Speedway.

Full schedule for Talladega

The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will gather for a doubleheader showing at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. Check out the full schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

FRIDAY, OCT. 21:
ON TRACK
-- 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS1
-- 2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
-- 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
-- 4:30-5:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

SATURDAY, OCT. 22:
ON TRACK
-- 10:30 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (94 laps, 250.04 miles), FOX
-- 4 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

SUNDAY, OCT. 23:
ON TRACK
-- 2 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Alabama 500 (188 laps, 500.08 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Dakoda Armstrong Snags Top-20 Finish at Kansas

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS (October 17, 2016) - As the NASCAR Xfinity Series winds towards the end of the 2016 season, Dakoda Armstrong remains focused on finishing out the campaign in a strong way.  The New Castle, Indiana native battled a loose handling No. 28 WinField Toyota on his way to a 20th place finish in the running of the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday.

"Our No. 28 WinField Toyota was really strong in qualifying and early in the race," said Armstrong.  "But the longer we got into a run the handling just seemed to go away.  We made gains on it throughout the race but the long runs really hurt our handling.  All of us on this JGL Racing team had some high hopes coming into the race with the car being as good as it was in qualifying. - so really a disappointing day for us."

Armstrong would start the 200 lap event from the 16th position after his qualifying effort earlier in the day on Saturday.  When the green flag dropped Armstrong would surge forward towards the top-10 before he began to relay to his crew that his No. 28 WinField Toyota was getting too loose.  A caution on lap 51 would allow for a trip down pit road for some necessary adjustments by the JGL Racing crew.  Reporting that his car seemed a little better on the short run, a flurry of mid race cautions allowed for a few more trips down pit road and more chances of improving the handling.

The second half of the event would see a long green flag run which again featured the loose condition worsening for Armstrong.  Dakoda would manage all he could behind the wheel of the No. 28 WinField Toyota and safely bring it home to his 19th top-20 finish of the season.

"That just wasn't what any of us on this team were looking for today," added Dakoda.  "We are all focused on finishing the season out strong and it seemed like we had a really good car during qualifying.  This has been a long 16 week stretch for us and the upcoming two weeks off is much needed for everyone.  We will then get focused on those last three races of the season."

The 20th-place finish keeps Armstrong in the 13th position in the overall NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers' standings.

The NASCAR XFINITY Series will have a two week break before returning to action at Texas Motor Speedway for the running of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. The 31st race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season will be Saturday November 5th and can be seen LIVE on NBC at 3:00 pm ET.  It can also be heard on Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Noah Gragson Impresses with Fifth Place Finish at Kansas Speedway

Concord, North Carolina (October 17, 2016) – Eighteen-year old rookie Noah Gragson set a new career best finishing fifth place in Friday night’s ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season finale at Kansas Speedway.

“What a great learning experience tonight,” said Gragson. “I had a lot of fun out there. Venturini Motorsports did a phenomenal job prepping my SPEEDVEGAS-Alert ID Toyota. I feel we were probably better than a fifth-place car, I just need to get better myself, but I had a ton of fun out there and that’s the most important part. Ultimately, I wanted to learn a lot coming to Kansas and that’s what we accomplished. Finishing top-5 on the lead lap and to gain valuable experience means a lot.”

A member of the NASCAR Next program, Gragson impressed in his team debut behind the wheel of his Venturini Motorsports’ No.15 SPEEDVEGAS-Alert ID Toyota, running up front throughout most of the 100-lap Kansas event. ARCA’s Kansas finale was Gragson’s third career start in the series.

"This has been a dream come true...to get the opportunity to race here," said Gragson. "I have a lot to learn that's for sure. I'm new to this mile-and-a-half stuff. Still getting the feel of dirty air and the changing attitude of the cars. I felt like I adopted pretty good, but I need to learn more on the aero deal. We fell back, worked on the race car on pit stops, and I stayed focused. I had a lot of fun out there."

Gragson, a native of Las Vegas, recently signed with Kyle Bush Motorsports (KBM) for full-time driving efforts in next season’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Gragson has spent the last two seasons primarily racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West Tours. Running two full consecutive seasons on the West tour, Gragson earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2015. In 41 career NASCAR K&N Pro Series starts across both regional series, Gragson has tallied 6 wins, 18 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes.
ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:

Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Erik Jones, William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Ryan Blaney, Brennan Poole, Daniel Suarez, Brandon Jones and John Wes Townley. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.

Dalton Sargeant Wraps Up ARCA Rookie of the Year Honors at Kansas; Venturini Motorsports’ 55-Team Wins General Tire Superspeedway Challenge

Concord, North Carolina (October 17, 2016) – Dalton Sargeant wrapped up his impressive first season in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards series by earning the 2016 SCOTT Rookie of the Year (ROY) Award. With fifteen total arca starts, Sargeant collected one win, 10 top-5 and 12 top-10 finishes giving the rookie an impressive 5.9 average finishing position throughout the season.

Seemingly headed for his second career victory in Friday night’s finale, Sargeant settled for a heartbreaking 12th place finish after ignition problems plagued the 18-year old’s No.55 TRD-Windows 10 Toyota Camry while leading during the late stages of the Kansas 150. Sargeant in control, led 25-laps before losing power and relinquishing the lead to eventual race winner Chase Briscoe on lap 76 of the 100 lap event.

“Overall it was a great year for all of us on this 55 team,” said Sargeant. “Winning rookie of the year and the superspeedway challenge is really an accomplishment especially when you look at the field and the amount of talent in the series; it’s truly something special. Each and every week as a driver I’m learning more and more every time I come to the track. It’s absolutely a blast working with the guys on this team and learning as much as I can, especially with my crew chief, Billy Venturini. I’m very thankful for the opportunity and support of Toyota, Windows 10 and everyone else who made this year possible.”

Sargeant becomes the third driver for Venturini Motorsports to earn ROY honors and the second over the last three seasons. Two-time ARCA Series Champion, Bill Venturini, won ROY in 1983 and Justin Boston earned the award in 2013.

In addition to earing the 2016 ROY award, Sargeant also closed out and delivered the General Tire Superspeedway Challenge Championship to his No.55 Venturini Motorsports team.

The General Tire Superspeedway Challenge is a special championship within the season awarding the team (car) with the best combined finishes in ARCA’s eight superspeedway races. The events included Daytona, Talladega, the two races at Pocono, Michigan, Chicagoland, Kentucky, Kansas.

Venturini Motorsports’ Dalton Sargeant and William Byron combined to win the 2016 General Tire Superspeedway Challenge. Sargeant, who competed in seven out of eight General Tire Superspeedway Challenge races earned two top-3, four top-5 and six top-10 series finishes. William Byron, a championship contender in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, kicked-off the season finishing second at Daytona while driving VMS’ No.55 Toyota.

Sargeant will officially be crowned ARCA’s SCOTT Rookie of the Year at this season’s championship awards banquet in Indianapolis, IN on December 10.
ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:

Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Erik Jones, William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Ryan Blaney, Brennan Poole, Daniel Suarez, Brandon Jones and John Wes Townley. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.

Tom Hessert Grabs Top-10 in Kansas Finale; Finishes Season 2nd in ARCA’s Championship Point Standings

Concord, North Carolina (October 17, 2016) – Tom Hessert wrapped up his 2016 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season with a ninth place finish in Friday night’s Kansas 150. It was Hessert’s 15th top-10 finish of the season helping him cement second place in the ARCA Racing Series overall championship point standings.

“I’m certainly really proud finishing second in the championship,” said Hessert. “Obviously our goal was to win but there’s nothing to be ashamed of finishing runner up either. We definitely had our ups and downs throughout the year so I was really proud of the way this team rebounded and the momentum we had during the second part of the season.”

Hessert, driving Venturini Motorsports’ No.25 Toyota throughout the season, set a new career best with his second place finish in the national championship point standings. Over his 10-year career he twice finished third in the point standings.

“I’m really proud of everyone at Venturini and appreciate everything they did and the effort they put in all year. We struggled with consistency early on but brought on Dave Leiner as my crew chief midway through the season which really helped my confidence and the overall performance of the season,” added Hessert.

“Dave and I have always had a terrific relationship, he was my first crew chief when I broke into the series, so when the opportunity came for him to reconnect with the 25 car I jumped at it. He’s got a really calming attitude, great with the race car, really great at breaking down what the race car is doing. He understands what I need and the communication that we have is really important and works well.”

Hessert finished off the season with a strong stat sheet which included earning his sixth career ARCA Series victory (DuQuoin Dirt Mile), two runner-up finishes, seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes to go along with two Menard Pole by Ansell awards at Talladega Superspeedway and Berlin Raceway.

The next activity for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will be the championship awards banquet in Indianapolis, IN on December 10 where Tom Hessert will receive the award for finishing second in the 2016 ARCA Championship Point Standings.
ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:

Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Erik Jones, William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Ryan Blaney, Brennan Poole, Daniel Suarez, Brandon Jones and John Wes Townley. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.

NASCAR executive hints at rule to limit Sprint Cup drivers in Xfinity, Camping World Truck Series

via NBC Sports.

For fans who don’t like Sprint Cup drivers competing in Xfinity and Camping World Truck races, a NASCAR executive says “stay tuned’’ for an announcement “fairly soon’’ on the issue.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, uttered those words Monday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio when asked about limiting Cup drivers in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series.

“It certainly is on our radar,’’ O’Donnell said. “We’ve heard the fans. It’s interesting, it’s been a balance throughout the years. We’ve always had Sprint Cup drivers come into the Xfinity Series and sometimes dominate, back in the Mark Martin days.

“As the sport has evolved one of the great things is we’ve got more of a fan following in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. They like seeing those drivers come up through the ranks and it’s our job to make sure that Xfinity is where names are made. We’ve got to do on that on the racetrack.

“That is something we’re taking a really hard look at for next year, I’d say stay tuned. We’re going to look at and probably have something to announce fairly soon.’’

NASCAR prohibits any Cup driver who was in last year’s Chase from competing in this year’s season finale for the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

One possibility could be for NASCAR to extend such a ban for all future Chase races in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series.

This issue was raised after Kyle Busch won Saturday’s Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway for his ninth victory of the season.

Since 2011, Cup regulars have won 138 of the 196 Xfinity races (70.4 percent).

Nineteen of the 30 Xfintiy races this season have been won by a driver who competes regularly in the Sprint Cup Series. While that is nearly two-thirds of the races won by a Cup regular, the total is down from recent years.

Last year, Cup regulars won 23 of 33 Xfinity races (69.7 percent)

In 2014, Cup regulars won 22 of 33 Xfintiy races (66.7 percent)

In 2013, Cup regulars won 28 of 33 Xfinity races (84.8 percent)

In 2012, Cup regulars won 18 of 33 Xfinity races (54.5 percent)

In 2011, Cup regulars won 28 of 34 Xfinity races (82.4 percent)

Here’s a look at the most wins by a Cup regular in the Xfinity Series since 2011

42 – Kyle Busch

22 – Brad Keselowski

19 – Joey Logano

9 – Carl Edwards

9 – Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick wins at Kansas to reach next round of Chase

via AP.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kevin Harvick won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, going to the front on a late restart and outrunning Carl Edwards to lock up his spot in the next round of the Chase.

Harvick was among the fastest in the final qualifying session, and hung around the front all day while other Chase contenders faltered. He was still at the front when Regan Smith brought out the final caution, and was able to keep Edwards at bay over the final 30 laps.

He joined Jimmie Johnson, the winner last weekend at Charlotte, in the round of eight of NASCAR's playoffs, while the pressure is on the rest of the contenders heading to Talladega.

"These races are hard to win and these guys are so good at the details," said Harvick, the 2014 season champion, "and when you put their backs against the wall they're even better. I'm so proud of them."

Indeed, Harvick found his back against the wall after electrical trouble at Charlotte left him 38th on the day, eight points out of the eighth and final spot in the round of eight.

"They usually when it comes to this situation find a little more speed in their cars," said Joey Logano, who finished third and now sits in the precarious eighth spot in points. "I don't know how, but it seems like in must-win situations they always find a little more speed."

Johnson finished fourth, followed by fellow Chase drivers Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon. Matt Kenseth was ninth after dominating the first half of the race from the pole.

Other drivers competing for the championship dealt with trouble all afternoon.

Martin Truex Jr. again found himself at the front at Kansas, only to have trouble with the refueling mechanism that forced him to pit out of sequence. Kurt Busch finished two spots back in 13th place after having to go to his backup car following a spin into the grass during the final practice.

Denny Hamlin had an issue with the front splitter that creates downforce on his car, forcing him into the pits for repairs. He was also penalized for a loose tire on pit road but rallied to finish 15th.

The biggest losers on the day were Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott.

Keselowski began wiggling with 78 laps remaining, and Hamlin came up behind him and a tap sent the No. 2 car shooting down the track. He slammed into the grassy turf and tore up the front of his car, and wound up 38th and is now seven points out of the eighth spot in the Chase.

Elliott had trouble with his left rear tire rubbing on his fender, which put him a lap down early in the race and then forced another unscheduled stop late. He wound up 31st and is 25 points out of the final spot in the round of eight with Talladega looming next weekend.

Kyle Busch wins at Kansas; XFINITY Chase gets shakeup

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Kyle Busch's domination of Saturday's Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway was about the only predictable thing that happened in the first race of the Round of 8 in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

In winning his fourth XFINITY race at the 1.5-mile track, his ninth of the season and the 85th of his career -- extending his own series record -- Busch led 150 of 200 laps, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez after a restart with 13 circuits remaining.

"It was a hard-fought battle," said Busch, who had surged to a lead of 7.961 seconds before the first caution slowed the field on Lap 57. "Seemed like it was going to be easy for us. We had a super-fast car, and when we were out front, I could take it easy on those long runs and we could drive away.

"The car would turn so well. A lot of things were trying to work against us at the end of the race. We were able to persevere and do the right things and have lucky restarts and be in the right grooves and not get caught up in the melee that was happening."

Suarez had reason to be elated with his eventual third-place finish. An unexplained "popping" sound in his No. 19 Toyota accompanied a loss of horsepower, and Suarez settled for a hard-won result after Elliott Sadler passed him in the closing laps for the runner-up spot.

Because Suarez led laps and Sadler didn't, he and Sadler leave Kansas tied for the Chase lead, but Sadler owns the tie-breaker due to higher finishes.

"I'm proud of my race team," Sadler said. "We just kept working on the car and getting it better and better. I've got to do a better job trying to outrun that 18 car (Busch). He's really good, and he knows how to manipulate the air. But I've got to keep trying."

Blake Koch finished ninth -- third among Chase drivers -- despite a late flat tire, the adverse effect of which was diminished by a timely caution, one of 10 during the afternoon. Koch is seven points behind the two Chase leaders.

Chaos gobbled up the remaining five Chase contenders. A tap from Brandon Jones turned Chaser Justin Allgaier sideways and ignited a six-car wreck that also eliminated Darrell Wallace Jr., who crashed out in 33rd-place. In a severely damaged car, Allgaier soldiered to a 14th-place result and left Kansas tied with Erik Jones for the final transfer spot into the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Jones ran up front through the vast majority of the race, but his No. 20 Toyota was turned into the Chevrolet of Ty Dillon when NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Kyle Larson made an aggressive move after a restart on Lap 183.

Jones pitted with a cut tire and finished one position behind Allgaier, one lap down.

"He (Larson) said it was his fault," Jones said after talking to Larson on pit road. "He owned up to it, got me ran over. It is what it is… He just said he got a good start and there was no hole there, nowhere to go with the run he had just got into my left rear and turned us. It's a shame, we both had fast cars."

Ryan Reed salvaged a 16th-place finish despite a loose plug wire that kept him down on power until his team could troubleshoot the problem on pit road. After contact in heavy traffic on Lap 176, Brendan Gaughan took a wild spin through the infield grass and came home 31st, 18 laps down.

Both Wallace and Gaughan will have yeoman work to do when the Chase resumes at Texas Motor Speedway after a two-week break for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge (Nov. 5, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

- NASCAR

Kyle Busch wins XFINITY pole at Kansas

Kyle Busch won the NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light pole for the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday with a speed of 182.100 MPH.

Erik Jones will start second. The rest of the top 10 is Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Justin Allgaier, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Elliott Sadler, Blake Koch, and Regan Smith.

Josh Wise and Morgan Shepherd failed to qualify.

Kyle Busch leads opening Sprint Cup practice at Kansas

Kyle Busch led first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Kansas Speedway on Friday with a speed of 194.595 MPH.

Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott followed.

Denny Hamlin had the best 10-consecutive lap average at 186.256 MPH.

Josh Wise was slowest at 178.577 MPH.

Casey Mears ran the most laps at 19.

Practice started about 20 minutes late as NASCAR had to finish drying the track from some light morning rain.

Bonsignore Secures Sunoco Rookie Award

Kyle Bonsignore climbs into his car at Caraway Speedway in September. The Bay Shore, N.Y. native finished the season with nine top-10 finishes to help him garner 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. Grant Halverson/NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kyle Bonsignore had one goal as he began his first full-time season of competition in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour: Imprrove on his limited number of starts last season and get better every race. 

Mission accomplished.

Bonsignore used nine top-10 finishes in 11 races to finish a solid seventh in the final championship standings and as a result walks away as the 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year for the southern tour.

Bonsignore and his team never stopped working harder to improve.

“We had some new people on the crew and a lot of learning to do early in the season,” Bonsignore said. “We kept working at it and we found a lot of speed at the beginning of the year.”

The first thing every race car driver will tell you is that they want speed in their race car and while Bonsignore’s car had the speed, there were still several things to work on with a new crew, car and series for the Bay Shore, New York, native.

“We had speed but we needed to work on getting the gremlins out of the way for our team,” he added. “Learning how to work well on the pit stops and just getting the car comfortable to drive were some of the things we concentrated on early in the year.”

In addition to the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honor, Bonsignore also celebrated his first Coors Light Pole Award as the highest southern tour regular to qualify at Bristol with the combination race in August. 

He kept the momentum from that performance at Bristol going and two races latter scored his best finish to date coming home second to James Civali at the fall race at Virginia's South Boston Speedway.

Bonsignore finished the season strong with five consecutive top-10 showings and after that performance he wished the season didn’t end at Charlotte last week.

“Hopefully we’ll pick up right were we left off (at the end of the season),” Bonsignore said. “After learning a lot racing against modified veterans like George Brunnhoelzl III, Burt Myers, Jason Myers and others makes me want to get back out there on the track.”

Austin Pickens finished second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, followed by Shawn Balluzo, Lauren Edgerton and Robert Babb.

Rookie points are earned on a 10-to-1 system with the highest-finishing first-year driver in a race scoring 10, the second nine, and so on down to one point for the lowest finishers.

Bonsignore will receive the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award on Dec. 10 as part of the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Series Awards at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

- Tim Southers, NASCAR Home Tracks

NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase: The Round Of 8 Is On

Daniel Suarez is one of eight drivers in the Round of
8 in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

With the conclusion of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Round of 12, four drivers were eliminated from title contention - Ty Dillon, Ryan Sieg, Brennan Poole and Brandon Jones - leaving eight championship contenders to battle it out at the next three tracks. Kansas Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway will determine who has makes it into the Championship Four and a shot at the title in Miami.

Now five organizations make up the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Round of 8: Joe Gibbs Racing (Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones), JR Motorsports (Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier), Richard Childress Racing (Brendan Gaughan), Roush Fenway Racing (Ryan Reed and Darrell Wallace Jr.) and Kaulig Racing (Blake Koch).

All three manufacturers are represented in the Round of 8: Chevrolet (four), Toyota and Ford (two each).

The next three tracks in the Round of 8 each have their own unique characteristics.

Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, Kansas) - is a 1.5-mile asphalt speedway with variable banking in the turns that changes from 17 to 20 degrees.  The NASCAR XFINITY Series has held 15 races at Kansas Speedway producing 12 different winners, led by Kyle Busch with three wins. None of the eight Chase contenders have won at Kansas. This weekend’s race, the Kansas Lottery 300, can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. ET.

Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, Texas) - is a 1.5-mile asphalt speedway with 24 degrees of banking in all four turns. The NASCAR XFINITY Series has hosted 31 races at Texas Motor Speedway with 15 different drivers taking the checkered flag, led by Kyle Busch with eight victories. Of the eight remaining title challengers, Erik Jones is the only one that has won at Texas Motor Speedway (April, 2015). The Texas Chase race, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, will be broadcast on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Nov. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Phoenix International Raceway (Phoenix, Arizona) - is a 1-mile track with nine degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2, and 11 degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4. The NASCAR XFINITY Series has run 29 races at Phoenix International Raceway producing 15 different winners, led by Kyle Busch with nine wins. Of the eight remaining Chase drivers, Elliott Sadler is the only one that has won at Phoenix International Raceway (March, 2012). Phoenix’s Chase race, the Ticket Galaxy 200, will be broadcast on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

From Jayski.

Armstrong prepares for Kansas

Dakoda Armstrong will be making his fourth career NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Kansas Speedway to go along with two prior starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Armstrong has a best XFINITY Series finish of 19th at the Kansas track which occurred in the 2013 season.

"We have had an interesting last two weeks and to the testament of this JGL Racing team and our never give up attitude we were able to salvage decent finishes each time," Armstrong said. "We really are starting to click on our 1.5-mile program and I think that will show again this weekend in Kansas.  The track is developing some character after the repave a few years ago and it really is a fun track to race on."

Last weekend at Charlotte, for the second straight week, Mother Nature played havoc on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule as Hurricane Matthew delayed the series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway for two days. Once finally given the chance to race, Armstrong and his JGL Racing team withstood a few issues on their way to a 19th place finish in the running of the Race for the Cure 300 at the Concord, North Carolina track.

Armstrong has an average finishing position of 19.2 in 29 starts in 2016.

K&N Pro West Stat Advance: All American

Ryan Partridge trails Todd Gilliland by 25 points headed into the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by TriCo Welding Supplies at All American Speedway. Otto Kitsinger/Getty Images for NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will crown its 2016 champion Saturday at California’s All American Speedway following the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by TriCo Welding Supplies. Below is a look at the past performance of the series and selected driver highlights.

Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 Race Setup:
• Todd Gilliland has a 25-point lead over Ryan Partridge and needs to finish 21st or better in order to win the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship.
• This will be the series’ 18th visit to the Roseville, California, oval.
• Gracin Raz is the only race winner returning to the .333-mile oval this weekend.

At All American Speedway:
History
• This is the series 18th visit to All American Speedway. The track hosted five events between 1977 and 1982 when it was a quarter-mile oval and 11 races since 2008, after it was renovated and became a third-mile track. 
• The series visited Roseville twice each year from 2008-2011 and once each year since 2012.
• All American Speedway is located at the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville, California. It began as a dirt oval in 1955 and was known as Placer County Speedway. It was paved in 1972.

Notebook
• The 17 series races at All American Speedway have produced 13 different winners. Eric Holmes, with four wins, and his former Bill McAnally Racing teammate Paulie Harraka, with two wins, are the only multiple winners.
• Fourteen different drivers have qualified on the pole in series competition at Roseville. Harraka has the most poles, with three.
• Holmes has the most top-five and top-10 finishes at Roseville, with seven and eight, respectively.
• Holmes has the most series starts at All American Speedway, taking the green flag 10 times.
• The race distance was extended for a green-white-checkered finish in five of the 12 most recent series’ events at Roseville.
• Toyota leads manufacturer with seven victories at All American.
• Nine of the 17 races at Roseville were won by the pole winner. Jason Fensler started the furthest back and won, coming from 15th on the grid in 2011.

All American Data:
Race: #14 of 14
Race Date: Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8:35 p.m. PT
Track Layout: .333-mile paved oval
Race Length: 150 laps (50 miles)

All American Qualifying/Race Data:
2015 Winner: Gracin Raz
2015 Pole Winner: Gracin Raz
1-Lap Qualifying Record: Jason Bowles, 13.589 seconds (88.218 mph), April 4, 2009.
150 Lap Race Record: Eric Holmes, 44 minutes 21 seconds (67.576 mph), April 4, 2009.

All American Race Leaders:
Wins:
Eric Holmes … 4
Paulie Harraka … 2
Jason Bowles … 1
Jim Bown … 1
Jason Fensler … 1
Cameron Hayley … 1
Jim Insolo … 1
Dylan Kwasniewski … 1
Sumner McKnight … 1
Christian PaHud … 1
Gracin Raz … 1
Jim Robinson … 1
Tim Williamson … 1

Poles:
Paulie Harraka … 3
Jason Bowles … 2
Chuck Bown … 1
Jim Bown … 1
Jacob Gomes … 1
Eric Holmes … 1
Jim Insolo … 1
Dylan Kwasniewski … 1
Christian PaHud … 1
Greg Pursley … 1
Gracin Raz … 1
Jim Robinson … 1
Bill Schmitt … 1
Derek Thorn … 1

Top Fives:
Eric Holmes … 7
David Mayhew … 6
Greg Pursley … 5
Paulie Harraka … 4
Moses Smith … 4
Five drivers … 3
Ten drivers … 2

Top 10s:
Eric Holmes … 8
David Mayhew … 8
Moses Smith … 7
Greg Pursley … 7
Paulie Harraka … 5
Four drivers … 4
Six drivers … 3

Laps Led:
Eric Holmes … 661
Paulie Harraka … 314
Derek Thorn … 173
Jim Robinson … 150
Greg Pursley … 146
Alex Schutte … 104
Tim Williamson … 100

Selected Driver Highlights:
Chris Eggleston (No. 50 NAPA Filters Toyota)
• Heads into the weekend seventh in the standings with two wins, seven top fives and nine top 10s.
• In his lone start at All American Speedway, he finished third after starting 11th.
• He led a total of eight laps last year before being passed by Alex Schutte.

Todd Gilliland (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
• Sits atop the championship point standings with six wins, 11 top fives and 12 top 10s.
• Needs to finish 21st or better to win his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship.
• This will be his first series start at All American Speedway.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.

Noah Gragson (No. 7 SPEEDVEGAS/AlertID/Colliers International Ford)
• Is third in the championship point standings with two wins, seven top fives and 12 top 10s.
• Finished eighth at the track last season after starting sixth.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.

Riley Herbst (No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Alternators & Starters Toyota)
• Is sixth in the standings with seven top fives and 10 top 10s.
• Earned his best series career finish, third, at Iowa Speedway, Washington’s Evergreen Speedway and Oregon’s Douglas County Speedway.
• This will be his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start at All American.

Jesse Iwuji (No. 36 EXIDE Batteries/BuyInvengoRFID.com Chevrolet)
• Heads into the weekend 10th in the series standings with one top 10.
• Earned his best NASCAR K&N Pro Series West finish, 10th, at California’s Orange Show Speedway.
• This will be his first series start at Roseville after failing to qualify last season.

Julia Landauer (No. 54 Curb Records Toyota)
• Is fifth in the standings headed into Roseville with six top fives and 12 top 10s.
• Earned her best series career finish, second, at Meridian (Idaho) Speedway the last time out.
• This will be her first series start at All American Speedway.
• Is a member of the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class.

Ryan Partridge (No. 9 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Lucas Oil Ford)
• Heads into the finale second in the championship standings with two wins, nine top fives and 12 top 10s.
• In his two starts at All American, he’s finished 14th (2012) and ninth (2015).
• He has an average start of 12.5, an average finish of 11.5 and has led 38 laps at Roseville.

Blaine Perkins (No. 21 Four Star Fruit Chevrolet)
• Is ninth in the standings with one top five and nine top 10s.
• Earned his best series career finish, fifth, at Colorado National Speedway.
• Made his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West debut at All American last season and finished 13th after starting 17th.

Gracin Raz (No. 27 Montana Tech Ford)
• Heads into the weekend ranked fourth in the standings with nine top fives and 10 top 10s.
• He earned his first career pole and victory at All American last season.
• In two starts at Roseville, he has an average start of 5 and an average finish of 4.

Cole Rouse (No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Springs/Lucas Oil Ford)
• Is eighth in the standings with four top fives and 11 top 10s.
• Earned his best series career finish, third, at California’s Kern County Raceway Park.
• This will be his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start at All American Speedway.

Other Driver Notes:
• Nicole Behar will be making her fourth start of the season. She’s finished ninth (Evergreen), 10th (Douglas County) and third (Meridian (Idaho) Speedway).
• Cole Moore will be making his fifth start of the season. He earned his best series career finish, 10th, at Evergreen.

Up To Speed:
• The 2016 season is the 63rd for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
• The 2016 schedule features 14 races at 13 different tracks across eight states.
• Third-generation driver Todd Gilliland won the season opener at California’s Irwindale Speedway on March 19 after leading a total of 33 laps.
• Gilliland expanded his K&N Pro Series West streak to three after winning the second race of the season at California’s Kern County Raceway Park.
• Ryan Partridge collected his first win of the year at Arizona’s Tucson Speedway after leading 127 laps.
• Chris Eggleston, the defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, picked up his first win of 2016 after gaining the lead with nine laps to go at California’s Orange Show Speedway.
• Eggleston made it two-for-two after leading 102 laps at his home track, Colorado National Speedway.
• Chase Elliott scored the first road course victory of the year at California’s Sonoma Raceway after passing Noah Gragson with two laps to go.
• Todd Gilliland scored his third win of the year at Idaho’s Stateline Speedway after crossing the finish line .004 seconds in front of Gragson.
• Todd Gilliland won the K&N Pro Series combination event at Iowa Speedway to make it two-for-two and collect his four win of the season.
• Gilliland continued his win streak at Washington’s Evergreen Speedway after dominating the field and leading all 150 laps.
• Ryan Partridge put an end to Gilliland’s win streak after winning the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Oregon’s Douglas County Speedway. He led a total of 36 laps to take home his second victory of the season.
• Noah Gragson swept the doubleheader weekend at Utah Motorsports Park after making late race passes in both events to record his first wins of the year.
• Todd Gilliland picked up his sixth win of the season at Idaho’s Meridian Speedway after leading 31 of 208 laps.

- NASCAR Home Tracks