No. 6 XFINITY team penalized for unproperly installed lug nuts

Crew Chief Seth Barbour of the No. 6 NASCAR XFINITY Series team was fined $5,000 on Thursday for having lug nuts improperly secured on the car after Saturday’s series race at Auto Club Speedway.

The team violated Sections 10.9.10.4 of the NASCAR Rule Book.

NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Martinsville

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: STP 500

The Place: Martinsville Speedway

The Date: Sunday, April 2

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 263 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 130),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 260), Final Stage (Ends on lap 500)

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: My Bariatric Solutions 300

The Place: Texas Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, April 8

The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 300 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Next Race: Alpha Energy Solutions 250

The Place: Martinsville Speedway

The Date: Saturday, April 1

The Time: 3 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 2:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 131.5 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 70), 

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

California Winning: Larson Notches First Win Of Season At Auto Club

Kyle Larson snapped a streak of three consecutive runner-ups, leading 110 laps and winning Stage 1 on his way to Victory Lane in last Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

The No. 42 Chevrolet driver extended his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points lead to 29 points over Chase Elliott. Because of his victory and stage win, Larson now has six playoff points.

Larson, who also won Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race, became the 17th driver to sweep a national series weekend.

The 24-year-old Californian hopes to start a winning streak at Martinsville Speedway in Sunday’s STP 500 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He owns a high finish of third there.

Bowyer Captures First Top-5 Finish Since 2015

Clint Bowyer’s third-place showing marked his first top-five result since he finished fifth at Bristol on Aug. 22, 2015. It was also Bowyer’s best finish since his third-place showing at Sonoma on June 28, 2015.

Bowyer has two top 10s so far this season, only one less than his mark from last year when he finished a career-low 27th in the final standings.

Right now, the Kansas native sits eighth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 100 markers below leader Kyle Larson.

This is Bowyer’s first season with Stewart-Haas Racing, replacing three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Ford.

"It means a lot to me to be in this 14," Bowyer said. "I have a lot of fun with these guys. Buga (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and all these guys mean business. It’s a confidence thing right now, a momentum-builder, and we’re getting closer. Obviously, this is a good track for me. I wanted to win that damn thing, but to come home with the wild finish and everything that it was, we’ll take it."

Truex Back Up Top

Martin Truex Jr. is showing his breakout in the last two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasons was no aberration. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver, who won a career-high four races last season, has powered to a strong 2017 start with one win, two top fives and three top 10s in the first five races.

Truex leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with eight playoff points and is tied with Kevin Harvick for first in stage wins with three. His 7.4 average finish ranks second-best to Kyle Larson (3.8). Truex sits third in the points standings, 38 points behind Larson.

Plethora Of Young Drivers In Playoff Picture

We’re only five races into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, but if it ended today, six drivers under the age of 27 would make the playoffs: Kyle Larson (24 years old), Chase Elliott (21), Joey Logano (26), Ryan Blaney (23), Erik Jones (20) and Trevor Bayne (26).

Blaney, Jones and Bayne would all be first-time playoff participants. Jones would join Elliott (2016), Chris Buescher (2016) and Denny Hamlin (2006) as the fourth Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender to ever make the playoffs.

Martinsville’s Finest: Jimmie Johnson Leads Active Drivers With 9 Wins At The Paperclip

Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has struggled in the first five races with only one top-10 finish – a ninth-place showing at Phoenix.

Luckily for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver, he’ll get the chance to turn his season around at arguably his top track – Martinsville Speedway.

Johnson leads active drivers with nine wins, 19 top fives, 24 top 10s, a 7.8 average finish and a 117.7 driver rating at "The Paperclip."

He won the fall Martinsville race last year to clinch his spot in the Championship 4.

Hendrick Motorsports boasts a Martinsville track-record 24 wins.

Kyle Busch Attempts To Defend Spring Martinsville Victory

Kyle Busch will attempt to visit Victory Lane for the second consecutive spring at Martinsville in Sunday’s STP 500 at the Southern Virginia short track. Busch led 352 of 500 laps on his way to his first win of 2016. Overall, he claims one win, 11 top fives and 12 top 10s at Martinsville.

On the season, Busch has finishes of 38th (Daytona), 16th (Atlanta), 22nd (Las Vegas), third (Phoenix) and eighth (Auto Club). He won Stage 1 at Daytona.

Busch sits 10th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 107 markers below Kyle Larson.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Parity Party: 5 Different Winners Through First 5 Races: Five different drivers have won the first five Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races: Kurt Busch (Daytona), Brad Keselowski (Atlanta), Martin Truex Jr. (Las Vegas), Ryan Newman (Phoenix), Kyle Larson (Auto Club).

Keselowski Records Fourth Straight Top-Five Finish: Lost in Kyle Larson’s blazing hot start to the season has been the consistency of 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. The No. 2 Ford driver has strung together four straight top-five finishes, including a win (Atlanta) and runner-up (Auto Club).

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Five Different Winners Through First Five NASCAR XFINITY Series Races

This season marks the 14th time in NASCAR XFINITY Series history the first five races of the season have been won by five different drivers. It’s been 11 years (2006) since the last time the series has seen the feat accomplished. Ryan Reed (Daytona), Kyle Busch (Atlanta), Joey Logano (Las Vegas), Justin Allgaier (Phoenix) and Kyle Larson (Auto Club) are this season’s five different winners. Also of note, five different organizations have also visited Victory Lane – Roush Fenway Racing (Daytona), Joe Gibbs Racing (Atlanta), Team Penske (Las Vegas), JR Motorsports (Phoenix) and Chip Ganassi Racing (Auto Club).  The NASCAR XFINITY Series record for largest number of different winners in a single season is 18 – set back in 1988. Last season had 14 different winners. The series resumes in all its grandeur at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 8 on FOX (at 1:30 p.m. ET).  

Sadler Opens Up Points Lead Going Into First Off Weekend Of Season

Over the past three weeks, JR Motorsports veteran and NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings leader Elliott Sadler has been accumulating points and distancing himself from the rest of the pack in the 2017 standings. Following Las Vegas, Sadler had a four-point lead over second-place in the series driver standings, then two weeks ago following Phoenix he opened the lead up to 11 points. Now following a seventh-place finish at Auto Club, he is 17 points ahead of his JRM teammate William Byron in second. In five starts this season, Sadler has posted two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 9.8. He also has two Stage wins that have produced two playoff points. Sadler’s season-to-date loop data stats also point to why he has been so successful early this season. Among drivers that have made all five starts in 2017, Sadler leads the NASCAR XFINITY Series in the following categories: driver rating (101.3), average running position (7.870) and laps in the top 15 (768 laps, 91.8%).

NASCAR XFINITY Series Points Earned In Stages 1 & 2
Rank	Driver	Stage 1 Pts	Stage 2 Pts	Combined
1	Elliott Sadler	26	27	53
2	Justin Allgaier	11	17	28
3	William Byron	18	8	26
4	Brennan Poole	12	5	17
5	Daniel Hemric	9	8	17
6	Cole Custer	8	6	14
7	Darrell Wallace Jr.	7	5	12
8	Matt Tifft	9	3	12
9	Tyler Reddick	3	7	10
10	Blake Koch	7	2	9
11	Ryan Reed	1	7	8
12	Dakoda Armstrong	3	3	6
13	Brendan Gaughan	2	4	6

Stage Racing Can Pay Big Points In New Enhanced Format

The new enhanced formats this season have brought a lot to the table as far as accumulating points is concerned throughout a NASCAR XFINITY Series race. Thirteen different NXS drivers have taken advantage of the new system to earn points by finishing inside the top 10 in the first two stages of a race. Week-in and week-out, the Stage points can add up to be quite the advantage. Here is a look at the Stage point accumulators through the first five races of 2017. 

Of the thirteen NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers that have earned points from the first two stages of the first five races, Elliott Sadler has earned the most. He has nearly double the amount (53 points) of his nearest competitor, Justin Allgaier with 28. Sadler’s stage points are a big contributor as to why he has such a large lead in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings. Sadler has finished inside the top 10 of every Stage except the two at Las Vegas this season.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Stats Through Five Races

With the NASCAR XFINITY Series taking a break this weekend, let’s look at how this season’s competitors have performed statistically through the first five races:

~        Number of Races This Season: 5

~        Number of Winners: 5 -  the most since 2006 (5)

~        Number of Coors Light Poles winners: 4 – the same number as last season through five races

~        Average Number of Leaders: 5.40 - the most since 2015 (6.20)

~        Average Number of Lead Changes: 13.60 – the most since 2013 (16.20)

~        Average Margin of Victory: 0.459 second – the closest MOV since 2010 (0.420 second)

~        All five races this season have had a margin of victory less than a second – the most since the inception of electronic scoring in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 1996.

~        Percentage of Lead Lap Finishes: 59% - the highest since 2005 (62.3%)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Ringing The Bell Into Martinsville

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series picks back up this weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 on Saturday, April 1 (3 p.m. ET on FOX). NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader Christopher Bell will look to capture back-to-back wins for the first time in his young career.

Bell captured his first win of the 2017 season in the Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The win jolted him into the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs and atop of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings.

The No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver has raced in two career races at Martinsville Speedway– both in 2016. He finished 19th in April and fourth in October.

Bell leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings by seven points over reigning series champion Johnny Sauter and Ben Rhodes. Sunoco Rookie contender Kaz Grala (-15) and Matt Crafton (-21) round out the top five.

Sauter Looking To Skip Into Martinsville Speedway History

Defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Johnny Sauter has a chance to make history at Martinsville Speedway this weekend with a win in the Alpha Energy Solutions 250.

If Sauter captures at win at Martinsville on Saturday, he would become the all-time leader in wins in track history with four. Sauter captured his third win at Martinsville last season when he took the checkered in the fall and punched his ticket into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs.

In seven of his last eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Martinsville, Sauter has posted top-10 finishes, including two wins (2016 – fall and 2013 – spring).

In 18 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Sauter has three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s and 386 laps led.

Mixing It Up At Martinsville

The last five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Martinsville Speedway have all been won by different race winners.

Johnny Sauter (2016 – fall)

Kyle Busch (2016 – spring)

Matt Crafton (2015 – fall)

Joey Logano (2015 – spring)

Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014 – fall)

Will Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 produce its sixth-consecutive different NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner at Martinsville Speedway?

There have been seven drivers who have won multiple NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Martinsville Speedway since 1995:

Kevin Harvick (3)

Johnny Saunter (3)

Dennis Setzer (3)

Mike Skinner (3)

Matt Crafton (2)

Denny Hamlin (2)

Darrell Wallace Jr. (2)

Getting Off To A Fast Start

Since 2010, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver who has started on the pole for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway, has gone on to win the race five times. Those winners account for 36 percent of all 14 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins at Martinsville from 2010-16.

Starting with the most recent, below are the drivers to win the pole and the race at Martinsville Speedway between 2010-16:

Joey Logano (2015 – spring)

Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014 – fall)

Kevin Harvick (2012 – spring)

Johnny Sauter (2011 – spring)

Kevin Harvick (2010 – spring)

Based on recent NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history (2010-2016), if you win the pole at Martinsville, you have a 36 percent chance at winning the race.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Crafton Counting Up Martinsville Speedway Records: Matt Crafton has accumulated multiple Martinsville Speedway track records over his 17-year NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. He currently leads the following series categories at Martinsville Speedway:

• Races Run (30)
• Top 10s (17)
• Lead Lap Finishes (26)
• Laps Completed (6,665)

Chase Elliott Trucking At Martinsville: Chase Elliott will run this Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 for GMS Racing. This will be Elliott’s second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of 2017. He started ninth at Atlanta in the Active Pest Control 200 and finished fifth. Elliott’s last win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came in 2013 at Bowmanville.

Ty Dillon Returns To NASCAR Camping World Truck Series For First Time Since 2015:

Ty Dillon was a late addition to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series lineup at Martinsville and will run the No. 99 Chevrolet for Ranier Racing with Mathew Miller in this Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250. Ty’s brother Austin ran in the No. 99 Chevrolet at Atlanta and finished seventh.

Ty last appeared in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2015 and finished 23rd. He has 53 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career starts with three wins, 19 top fives and 35 top 10s.

Harrison Burton Readies to Make 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut at Martinsville: NASCAR Next alumni (Class of 2016) and K&N Pro Series East driver Harrison Burton will make his 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway this weekend in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra. Burton appeared in one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race last season – the fall race at Martinsville Speedway. He finished with a top-25 in the No. 18 KBM Toyota after starting 16th.

Full schedule for Martinsville

NASCAR heads to Martinsville Speedway for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Check out the full weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

FRIDAY, MARCH 31:
ON TRACK
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
-- 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
-- 4:35 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1

SATURDAY, APRIL 1:
ON TRACK
-- 10-10:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 11:05 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
-- 1:30-2:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1
-- 3 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (250 laps, 131.5 miles), FOX

SUNDAY, APRIL 2:
ON TRACK
-- 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 (500 laps, 263 miles), FS1

After early spin, Keselowski rebounds to finish second

FONTANA, Calif. -- Brad Keselowski had troubles early on in Sunday's Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, but rebounded to finish second to race-winner Kyle Larson.

"We were tore all to hell. Gosh, that's unfortunate," Keselowski said. " Got tore up there really early in the race. Went all the way to back, just clawed all the way up to second. I don't know if we had anything for Kyle and those guys. Car was tore up pretty bad. To get that kind of finish is respectable. Certainly we want to win. Felt like we had a shot to do just that. Didn't come together, so... That's the way it goes sometimes when you have a 36-race season. You're going to have some adversity and days that don't go your way. That's the way it was for us today. But we made the most of it, so I'm proud of my guys."

Keselowski spun in the beginning laps of the race after making contact with Jimmie Johnson and spinning into the grass. 

"I got ran into the back of," Keselowski said on the spin. "It did a lot of damage to the car. We were in a lot of trouble, starting to free fall through the field. Then I got ran over again (laughter). So I got ran over. I'm not really sure who, why, what. I haven't seen any of that. 

"The left rear quarter panel on the car is destroyed. The fenders and quarter panels are critical to the car's performance. We made the most of it, so I'm really proud of that, as well."

After string of seconds, Kyle Larson captures victory in Fontana

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif. – What a difference one position makes.

After three straight second-place finishes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, polesitter Kyle Larson finally found Victory Lane, pulling away after an overtime restart to win Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.

Larson took the checkered flag at the end of the second extra lap as team owner Chip Ganassi celebrated from his perch atop the pit box.

"It’s great to be Kyle Larson right now," said the 24-year-old driver.

Resilient Brad Keselowski, whose spin on Lap 3 caused the first caution of the afternoon—and damaged his No. 2 Team Penske Ford—rolled home in second place, .779 seconds behind the driver variously known as "Young Money" and "The California Kid."

Larson, who led a race-high 110 laps, kept his cool through four cautions and subsequent restarts over the final 21 laps, giving up the lead to pit for fresh tires on Lap 193 of a planned 200, as Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Jamie McMurray stayed on the track.

But Larson quickly surged back to the front after a Lap 196 restart, passing Hamlin for the top spot through Turn 2 a lap later and holding it through the overtime.

"I was staying as calm as I could be, but also frustrated at the same time," Larson said of the late-race stops and starts. "It seems like every time I get to the lead at the end of one of these things, the caution comes out and I’ve got to fight people off on restarts. Our Target Chevy was amazing all day. We were able to lead a lot of laps today. Truex was better than us that second stage by quite a bit. We were able to get the jump on him the following restart and led pretty much the rest of the distance.

"I had to fight them off there after the green flag stops (before the final caution), and that was a lot of fun. This is just amazing. We’ve been so good all year long, three seconds in a row. I’ve been watching all the TV like ‘He doesn’t know how to win,’ but we knew how to win today, so that was good."

In posting his second career victory (the first coming at two-mile Michigan last year), Larson completed his first weekend sweep, having won Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series event.

Larson extended his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series lead to 29 points over second-place Chase Elliott, who finished 10th.

Clint Bowyer ran third, posting his best finish since June 2015 at Sonoma, where he also came home third. Truex, who opened a lead of more than eight seconds in winning the second 60-lap stage, was fourth, with Joey Logano recovering a lost lap with a late wave-around to finish fifth.

Keselowski cut a tire during a jam-up at the start of the race, the went for a ride off Jimmie Johnson’s bumper on Lap 3.

All things considered—among them a suspension to crew chief Paul Wolfe for an infraction last week at Phoenix—Keselowski was happy with his second-place result.

"We were tore all to hell," Keselowski said. "Got tore up there really early in the race. Went all the way to the back, just clawed all the way up to second… The last few restarts were obviously key for us. We seemed to get settled into about 10th there, maybe seventh or eighth.

"Then kind of just executed the last few restarts. Good pit calls and so forth. Good timing with the yellows. We caught a few breaks, for sure, and made good adjustments to our car to make up for the damage. It takes a little bit of everything: good execution, good work by the team, and a little bit of luck on the last few yellows."

Notes: With Keselowski having early troubles, Larson is now the only driver who has scored points in both the first and second stages in each of the five races this year… Twenty-first Jimmie Johnson maintained his perfect record at Fontana—but just barely. After a litany of issues throughout the race, Johnson got back on the lead lap as the "lucky dog" under the final caution. He has now finished on the lead lap in all 23 of his starts at Auto Club, completing all 5,306 laps raced at the speedway during his career.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - Auto Club 400

Auto Club Speedway

Fontana, California

Sunday, March 26, 2017

1. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 202.
2. (3) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 202.
3. (17) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 202.
4. (4) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 202.
5. (35) Joey Logano, Ford, 202.
6. (8) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 202.
7. (10) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 202.
8. (9) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 202.
9. (19) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 202.
10. (13) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 202.
11. (11) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 202.
12. (14) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 202.
13. (7) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 202.
14. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 202.
15. (5) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 202.
16. (18) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 202.
17. (24) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 202.
18. (21) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 202.
19. (31) Aric Almirola, Ford, 202.
20. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 202.
21. (37) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 202.
22. (16) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 202.
23. (36) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 202.
24. (15) Kurt Busch, Ford, 201.
25. (20) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 201.
26. (22) Danica Patrick, Ford, 200.
27. (26) Landon Cassill, Ford, 200.
28. (23) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200.
29. (38) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 200.
30. (30) * Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 200.
31. (27) David Ragan, Ford, 199.
32. (28) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 199.
33. (25) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 198.
34. (29) Reed Sorenson, Toyota, 197.
35. (34) * Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 193.
36. (6) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Accident, 184.
37. (39) Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, Accident, 173.
38. (33) * Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 117.
39. (32) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Engine, 99.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  136.359 mph.
Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 57 Mins, 46 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.779 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  7 for 29 laps.
Lead Changes:  17 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   K. Larson 1-5; P. Menard 6-7; K. Larson 8-32; C. Elliott 33-34; J. Logano 35; M. Truex Jr. 36-47; K. Larson 48-63; M. Truex Jr. 64-90; C. Elliott 91-92; M. Truex Jr. 93-122; K. Larson 123; M. Truex Jr. 124-127; K. Larson 128-155; Kyle Busch 156-162; T. Dillon # 163; K. Larson 164-192; D. Hamlin 193-196; K. Larson 197-202.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Larson 7 times for 110 laps; M. Truex Jr. 4 times for 73 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 7 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 4 laps; C. Elliott 2 times for 4 laps; P. Menard 1 time for 2 laps; T. Dillon # 1 time for 1 lap; J. Logano 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 42,78,24,1,18,14,22,77,21,11
Stage #2 Top Ten: 78,42,24,14,77,1,18,22,11,2

Larson hangs on for XFINITY triumph at Auto Club

Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif. -- Kyle Larson kept pole-sitter Joey Logano at bay after a restart with four laps left in Saturday's Service King 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Auto Club Speedway and held on to win by .127 seconds.

Larson and Logano had swapped the lead on three successive laps before Brandon Jones plowed into the outside wall on Lap 142 to bring out the seventh and final caution of the afternoon.

The lead cars pitted for fresh tires under the yellow flag, with Larson exiting pit road first and Spencer Gallagher grabbing the second spot with a two-tire stop. That proved Logano's undoing, as his No. 22 Team Penske Ford was pinned behind Gallagher's GMS Racing Chevrolet for the restart on Lap 147 of 150.

Logano chased Larson to the checkered flag but couldn't prevent the driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet from scoring his first victory of the season, his second at Fontana and the sixth of his career.

"The racing there at the end with Joey was awesome," said Larson, a California native who got his first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at the 2-mile track. "I had just a couple-lap fresher tires than he did, and I was able to chase him down. That was a lot of fun.

"I wish that last caution wouldn't have come out, because it would have been easier for me to win, I think. But a heck of a race. I honestly didn't think we would be here yesterday. I was struggling bad in practice. Fought the balance a lot throughout the race, too. Finally, the last few runs, we hit on it and it felt good for the short run and throughout the long run."

Both the winner and the runner-up had obstacles to overcome. Larson recovered from a pit road speeding penalty to win the race. Logano sped on pit road and subsequently fell to the back of the field when the jack on the left side of his Ford dropped prematurely during an extended stay on pit road.

But Logano -- who led six times for a race-high 70 laps -- was in prime position at the end, though he acknowledged that Gallagher's two-tire call deprived him of the chance to overtake Larson.

"What's his number? 23?" Logano asked. "Yeah, I don't know about that move. That wasn't a good move. I don't know what they were thinking, but that maybe wasn't the best play at this race track. I knew he was going to spin them (his tires). There's no way he couldn't. It wasn't his fault. 

"He was a sitting duck and I was a sitting duck behind him that lost too much track position on that restart being too far behind Kyle. If not for that, we would have probably been door-to-door across the line bumping and banging or something. We were able to catch Larson the last few laps. We were definitely faster, but I needed another lap, maybe two."

Kyle Busch led 55 laps and finished third after scraping the wall on Lap 122 while in pursuit of Logano, who was leading at the time. Erik Jones ran fourth and Sunoco rookie William Byron fifth as the highest-finishing series regular.

The action-filled race wasn't without a number of hard crashes. Paul Menard's Chevrolet nosed hard into the outside wall after contact from Jones, who appeared to misjudge his Turn 4 exit on Lap 94.

"I don't know if he tried to push me or if he was just crossing over," Menard said after leaving the infield care center. "Definitely had a brain fart."

Cole Custer took a wild ride when he clobbered the Turn 1 wall with an assist from Ryan Sieg -- and was upset when he exited the car.

"I just got hooked going into the corner," Custer said. "I think I hit him (Sieg) a tick just on my side-draft going off of (Turn) 4, and then he decided just to hook us going into Turn 1 and wreck us. I thought we could have competed for a win there. We had a bad pit stop. We were going to work our way back up there, but just got our day ended by a clown move."

The incident left him with a wrecked car for the second straight week.

"Last week it was all my fault and I'll take that all on me," said Custer, who finished 35th. "Today it was just a clown. I don't understand what his reasoning was to pay us back that much, but that's just a joke."

Notes: Byron is second in the series standings, 17 points behind seventh-place finisher Elliott Sadler… Darrell Wallace Jr. finished sixth for the fourth-straight race… Busch won both the first and second stages of the race, earning a total of two playoff points toward the owner's championship.

Larson right at home with Coors Light Pole at Auto Club

California native Kyle Larson stormed to the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway.

Larson notched a best lap of 187.047 mph with the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet around the 2-mile track. He'll lead the 39-car field to the green flag in Sunday's Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the series' fifth race of the season and the closing event in the three-race NASCAR Goes West swing.

"Really happy though, our Target team has been amazing to start the season and to get a pole is great," the series points leader said following qualifying. "I haven't gotten a pole since my rookie season. Yeah, this is awesome.

"I can't say enough about everybody at our race shop for all the hard work they have been putting in."

The Coors Light Pole is Larson's first of the season, first at the home-state speedway and second of his Monster Energy Cup Series career. His other pole came at Pocono Raceway during his rookie season in 2014.

Denny Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota will flank Larson's car on the front row after grabbing the second starting position with a lap of 186.979 mph in the last of three qualifying sessions. Hamlin had the provisional pole until Larson knocked him off, leading the JGR driver to playfully fling water at Larson's car as it came back to pit road.

Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and last week's winner, Ryan Newman, completed the top five in Friday's qualifying.

Larson's pole run capped an eventful qualifying session, with five cars failing to make qualifying attempts for different reasons.

Jimmie Johnson, a six-time Auto Club winner, crashed his primary No. 48 Chevrolet near the end of opening practice. With no laps on an untested reserve car, the Hendrick Motorsports team opted to skip the session.

Joey Logano, Trevor Bayne, Gray Gaulding and Matt DiBenedetto failed to log speeds in the opening 20-minute round after their cars did not make it to the grid through pre-qualifying inspection.

"It happens. We're a team, right?" Logano said after missing out on the first round. "Obviously, everyone's trying to push it and get every ounce of speed out of our cars when we can. I don't even know why we didn't make it through on time. ... No big deal."

Keselowski and Paul Menard both drove away after scrapes with the Turn 2 wall during the second of three rounds.

Two more practice sessions are scheduled Saturday for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Two Cup Series crew chiefs suspended post-Phoenix

NASCAR announced the penalties assessed to teams after the past weekend's races at Phoenix International Raceway.

The No. 2 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team of Brad Keselowski was given a L1-level penalty for violating sections 20.17.3.1.2 Post-Race General Inspection Measurements (Note: Race finish is encumbered per Section 12.10 Encumbered Race Finishes. Failed the post-race rear wheel steer on the LIS.) Crew chief Paul Wolfe has been fined $65,000 and suspended from the next three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points events. The team has been assessed with the loss of 35 driver and 35 team owner points.

The No. 4 Cup Series team of Kevin Harvick was assessed an L1-level penalty for violating sections 20.3.3.3 I-4 Track Bar Mount and Supports (Note: Race finish is encumbered per Section 12.10 Encumbered Race Finishes. Track bar slider assembly not approved). Crew chief Rodney Childers has been fined $25,000 and suspended from the next Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points event. Team has been assessed with the loss of 10 driver and 10 team owner points.

Pete Hamilton passes away at age 74

NASCAR driver Pete Hamilton, who won the 1970 Daytona 500 driving for Petty Enterprises, passed away Wednesday. He was 74.

Hamilton won four times during a career that spanned six seasons and included 64 starts in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He won the series' Rookie of the Year title in 1968.

NASCAR issued a statement on Hamilton's passing Wednesday afternoon that read: 

NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of Pete Hamilton. Hamilton’s career may seem relatively brief at first glance, but a careful study of the gentleman racer makes it abundantly clear that Hamilton achieved excellence during his extraordinary tenure in NASCAR. Hamilton captured the NASCAR National Sportsman championship in 1967, the premier series Rookie of the Year Award in 1968 and an abundance of victories throughout a variety of NASCAR-sanctioned series. But, of course, he will be remembered most fondly for his stirring victory in the 1970 Daytona 500 while driving for the iconic Petty Enterprises race team. And for that, his legend will live forever.
A native of Massachusetts, Hamilton earned three of his four wins while driving for the Randleman, North Carolina-based Petty organization. Both seven-time champion Richard Petty and Maurice Petty issued statements on Hamilton's passing.

Richard Petty said: "We ran two cars in 1970, and Plymouth helped introduce us to Pete. They wanted us to run a second car with him on the bigger tracks. 'Chief' (Maurice Petty) led that car and started in the Daytona 500. Pete and 'Chief' won the race, and it was a big deal. Pete won both Talladega races that year. It was great to have Pete as part of the team. He was a great teammate. We send our prayers to his family."

Maurice Petty, who ran the team, said: "Pete was as fast as anyone on the superspeedways in 1970. We had support from Plymouth to run two Superbirds, and they connected us with Pete Hamilton. He was a good match for us, and we won three races together. I enjoyed being around him and will miss him."

While Hamilton was competitive on tracks of all sizes, he excelled on the series' largest speedways with his wins coming at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. His Daytona 500 win came in his 21st career start and featured a late-race battle with David Pearson.

In addition to driving for Petty Enterprises, NASCAR Hall of Fame car owner Cotton Owens as well as Banjo Matthews fielded cars for Hamilton during his brief career.

NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Auto Club

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Auto Club 400

The Place: Auto Club Speedway

The Date: Sunday, March 26

The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 400 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 60),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: Service King 300

The Place: Auto Club Speedway

The Date: Saturday, March 25

The Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 4 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 300 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 150)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Next Race: Alpha Energy Solutions 250

The Place: Martinsville Speedway

The Date: Saturday, April 1

The Time: 3 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 2:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 131.5 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 70), 

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Larson Leads Points Standings Following Third Straight Runner-Up Finish

There’s a new sheriff in town as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series closes out its West Coast swing with Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX).

Kyle Larson has ascended to the top of the points standings following his third consecutive runner-up showing last Sunday at Phoenix. It’s the latest in the season a Chip Ganassi Racing car has led the standings since Sterling Marlin’s Coors Light Silver Bullet led the field in 2002.

Larson is the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity alumnus to lead the points standings.

He is followed in the standings by Brad Keselowski (-6), Chase Elliott (-13), Martin Truex Jr (-31) and Joey Logano (-49). Ryan Blaney (-57), Kevin Harvick (-61), Jamie McMurray (-65), Kurt Busch (-79) and Kasey Kahne (-79) round out the top 10.

The No. 42 Chevrolet driver is the 16th different driver to finish runner-up in three consecutive races. The feat has been achieved 25 times – most recently by Carl Edwards (2011 playoffs). Larson is the first in series history to accomplish the feat in the first four races of a given season.

Four drivers have finished runner-up four consecutive times in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Mark Martin (1998), Harry Gant (1985), Darrell Waltrip (1983) and Richard Petty (1964). No driver has finished runner-up in five straight races.

At 24 years and seven months old, Larson is the sixth-youngest points leader in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history – 1. Kyle Busch (22 years, 10 months, 2008) 2. Jeff Gordon (23 years, 11 months, 1996), 3t. Jeff Gordon (24 years, four months, 1995) 3t. Joey Logano (24 years, four months, 2014), 5. Kurt Busch (24 years, six months, 2003) 6. Larson

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Set For 600th Start

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will become the 25th driver in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history to make 600 or more starts when he hits the track for Sunday’s Auto Club 400.

The 25 drivers with 600 or more starts comprise less than one percent (.009%) of the total number of NASCAR drivers to make at least one start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (2,537).

Only one active driver boasts more than 600 starts (Matt Kenseth, 618).

In his 599 previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career starts, Earnhardt has posted 26 wins, including two Daytona 500 victories (2004, 2014), 148 top fives, 252 top 10s and 13 Coors Light poles.

He las led 8,195 laps and has completed 170,689 laps. His career average starting position is 16.0 and his career average finishing position is 15.6.

Winning In The Sun: Newman Breaks 128-Race Winless Drought At Phoenix

Ryan Newman turned in a gutsy performance Sunday when he stayed out on old tires for overtime and pulled away to victory in the two-lap shootout at Phoenix. The checkered flag snapped a 127-race winless streak for Newman who last visited Victory Lane on July 28, 2013 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Newman’s victory also marked the first for Richard Childress Racing since Kevin Harvick won at Phoenix on Nov. 10, 2013 – 112 races ago.

Newman sits 11th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings (83 markers below Kyle Larson) and claims five playoff points.

In 552 career starts, Newman owns 18 wins, 106 top fives, 226 top 10s and 51 poles.

Suarez And Jones Post Career-High Finishes

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones posted career-best finishes of seventh and eighth, respectively, in Sunday’s Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Suarez leads a tight rookie race by one point over Jones. They are followed by Ty Dillon (seven points behind Suarez), Corey LaJoie (-11) and Gray Gaulding (-21).

Suarez, 25, and Jones, 20, are alumni of the NASCAR Next program. Although Suarez ranks better than Jones in the Rookie of Year race, Jones sits higher in the points standings at 18th (102 points behind Kyle Larson), while Suarez occupies the 21st spot (-112).

Cutting To The Chase: Elliott Continues Strong Start

Although he finished 12th, Chase Elliott continued his strong start to the season by earning his first playoff point via a Stage 2 win on Sunday at Phoenix. On the day, Elliott led four times for 106 laps.

The 21-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver ranks third in the series standings – 13 points behind leader Kyle Larson. He has high finishes of third (Las Vegas) and fifth (Atlanta) this season.

Keselowski Has Most Stage Points

Brad Keselowski must like NASCAR’s new race enhancements. He leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 57 points from Stage 1 and Stage 2 – six points more than Kyle Larson in second – even though he trails Larson by six points in the overall points standings. They are followed in stage points by Chase Elliott (-10), Kevin Harvick (-17) and Martin Truex Jr. (-23).

Keselowski and Larson are the only drivers who have earned points in every stage this season. 

Celebrities Aplenty For Auto Club Weekend

With Auto Club’s proximity to Los Angeles there’s bound to be celebrities in attendance.

Scott Eastwood, from the upcoming movie "Fate of the Furious" will serve as grand marshal. Kaitlin Olson, of "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia," is the honorary pace car driver. Acting as honorary starter is singer-songwriter Pepe Aguilar. Teen music sensation Skyler Stecker will sing the national anthem.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Allgaier, Reed Are The First Two Title Contenders Playoff Bound; Who’s Next?

In the first four races of 2017, the NASCAR XFINITY Series has seen two series championship contenders win races – Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed at Daytona International Speedway and last weekend’s victor, JR Motorsports’ driver Justin Allgaier at Phoenix Raceway. The two drivers not only have scored playoff points (five each), but also guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs provided they attempt to qualify for the remaining regular season races and stay inside the top 30 in points. 

This weekend, on the last stop of the #NASCARGoesWest part of the schedule, the NASCAR XFINITY Series will head to Auto Club Speedway for the Service King 300 on Saturday, March 25, at 4 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). 

The only way to a championship is through the playoffs. Both Reed and Allgaier have accumulated five playoff points each with their wins; which can help them advance through the playoffs later this season. Allgaier’s JR Motorsports teammate and current driver standings leader Elliott Sadler is the only other title contender to earn playoff points through the first four races – Sadler won the first two stages of the season-opening race at Daytona to earn two playoff points. 

Who will be the next title contender to secure their spot in the playoffs with a win this weekend at Auto Club Speedway?

The last NASCAR XFINITY Series championship contender to win at Auto Club Speedway was in 2010, when Kyle Busch swept both races that season. The past six races have been won by drivers that have elected to compete for a championship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Kyle Busch leads the series in wins at Auto Club Speedway with six victories. 

Despite all that, NASCAR’s Loop Data points to Roush Fenway Racing’s Darrell Wallace Jr. as this season’s series title contender with a solid chance to visit Victory Lane this weekend. He has the best Auto Club Speedway pre-race driver rating among series contenders (102.2) and the best average running position (7.2). He also spent 99.3% of his two starts at Auto Club Speedway in the top 15.  He finished in the top-five of this event last season. 

"We had a solid run last season here in Fontana, finishing third," said Darrell Wallace Jr. "I’m definitely looking forward to getting back there this weekend and try to follow that up and maybe get a couple spots better. We’ve gotten off to a great start in 2017, and I’m confident we can keep that momentum going on Saturday."

JR Motorsport’s Fleet A Force To Be Reckoned With In 2017

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s organization, JR Motorsports, is fielding four full-time cars this season, and through the first four races of 2017, they have been quite good. 

How good? Well, JR Motorsports entrants occupy three of the top four spots in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings, and all four of the organization’s full-time championship contending teams are inside the top 10.

Elliott Sadler – No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro – Sadler is the current NASCAR XFINITY series driver standings leader. The Emporia, Virginia, native continues to impress upon the field his veteran mastery as he has an 11-point lead over second-place William Byron. Sadler and crew chief Kevin Meendering have posted two stage wins and three top 10s in the first four starts of 2017. Sadler has made 12 series starts at Auto Club Speedway, posting one pole, four top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 12.5.

William Byron – No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro – Byron is the 19-year old Sunoco rookie rocket. He is currently second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings, 11 points behind his teammate Elliott Sadler. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native and crew chief David Elenz have posted one pole and three top 10s in the first four races of the season. Byron is also on top of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Byron will be making his series track debut this weekend at Auto Club Speedway.

Justin Allgaier – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro – Allgaier snapped an 80-race winless streak last weekend at Phoenix Raceway to become the second NASCAR XFINITY Series title contender to win this season. Allgaier and crew chief Jason Burdett are currently fourth in the series standings, 29 points back from teammate Elliott Sadler. This season, the Riverton, Illinois, native has posted one win (Phoenix-1), two top fives and an average finish of 16.2. Expect Allgaier’s recent success to continue this weekend at Auto Club Speedway, a track he has made eight starts posting three top 10s and an average finish of 14.0.

Michael Annett – No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro – Annett is currently ninth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings, 55 points back from his teammate Elliott Sadler. Annett and crew chief Jason Stockert have posted one top 10 and an average finish of 14.8 in the four races of 2017.  

If all four teams maintain their position in the standings throughout the regular season, then JR Motorsports could possibly become the first organization in series history to field four teams in the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs.

Youth Movement Makes Waves In NASCAR XFINITY Series

The youth movement has once again arrived in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Following the fourth race of the season, the average age of the top 12 in the series driver standings is 26 years old. The average age of the four Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders, William Byron (19), Daniel Hemric (26), Matt Tifft (20) and Cole Custer (19) is just 21 years old.

Over the last 30 years of competition in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, the drivers ranked in the top 12 of driver standings following the fourth race of the season have, on average, become younger and younger. In 1987, the average age of the drivers ranked in the top 12 in points following the fourth race of the season was 34.6 years old. In 1997, the average age dropped to 32.1 years old, while it was 32.6 years old in 2007. Finally, this season the average age of the drivers ranked in the top 12 in points following the fourth race of the season is 26 years old - eight years younger than the average age of the 1987 drivers.

The youngest XFINITY Series race winner at Auto Club Speedway was Joey Logano in 2009 at 19 years, 4 months and 16 days. If William Byron (19 years 3 months) or Cole Custer (19 years 1 month) were to win this weekend, they would break the track record.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

I Wish They All Could Be California.… Drivers: Several native Californians will be returning to their home state this weekend for the Service King 300 at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, March 25. Ryan Reed (Bakersfield), Cole Custer (Ladera Ranch), Kyle Larson (Elk Grove), and Casey Mears (Bakersfield) are entered to compete this weekend. Here is what some of the drivers are saying about going back to Cali.

Cole Custer – "It means a lot. I’ve never raced there (Auto Club) before, so it will be cool. I’ve had some friends come out for a couple of races on the West Coast swing and we’ll have a lot of family in California, so it will be cool having a lot of support there. I’m really looking forward to seeing what it’s like out at my hometown track."

Ryan Reed – "It’s always fun to be home and see family and friends and the fact that we get to race here (Auto Club Speedway), too, makes it a great weekend." …

Casey Mears Returns To The Series For Biagi-DenBeste Racing: Not since 2010 has veteran Casey Mears competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, but this weekend at Auto Club Speedway he will return to pilot the Biagi DenBeste Racing No. 98 Ford Mustang. Mears’ NASCAR XFINITY Series career has seen 93 starts, posting one win (2006), 16 top fives, 32 top 10s and four poles. Mears has made five series starts at Auto Club Speedway with two top fives.

Sunoco Rookie Update Following Phoenix: William Byron (JR Motorsports) has opened a 10-point lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings following Phoenix over second-place Daniel Hemric (Richard Childress Racing). Cole Custer (Stewart-Haas Racing) is 10 points behind second-place Daniel Hemric. Matt Tifft (Joe Gibbs Racing) is one point behind Custer and Spencer Gallagher (GMS Racing) is three points back from Tifft in fourth.

Team Penske Generate Large Lead In Owner Points:  Team Penske’s No. 22 team has opened up a 44-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series car owner points following the race at Phoenix.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Countdown is On: Martinsville

This weekend’s racing at Auto Club Speedway marks the third-consecutive off-week for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

But there is good news. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hits the track next Saturday, April 1, at Martinsville Speedway for the Alpha Energy Solutions 250. The race begins at 3 p.m. ET and broadcasts live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter is the defending race winner at Martinsville and will be looking to capture his first win of 2017, as well as a trip to the 2017 series playoffs.

Martinsville Speedway Rundown

As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series readies for Martinsville Speedway next weekend, below is a rundown of some NASCAR Camping World Truck Series quick facts at Martinsville.

Races:  36

Pole Winners: 25

Youngest Pole Winner: Cole Custer (10/31/2015 - 17 years, 9 months, 8 days)

Oldest Pole Winner: Joe Ruttman (04/07/2001 - 56 years, 5 months, 10 days)

Race Winners:  25

Youngest Winner: Darrell Wallace Jr (10/26/2013 - 20 years, 0 months, 18 days)

Oldest Winner: Jimmy Hensley (04/17/1999 - 53 years, 6 months, 6 days)

Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 8

Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Joey Logano (03/28/2015)

Race Record: Jimmy Hensley 74.282 mph (04/17/1999)

Qualifying Record: Joey Logano 97.088 mph (03/28/2015)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie Report

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has eight Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders in this season’s class. Here is a rundown of how each rookie has done through two races this season:

Kaz Grala: Grala won the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, becoming the youngest pole winner and race winner in series history at the track at 18 years, 1 month and 26 days. Grala currently sits fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings in his first season with GMS Racing. 

Chase Briscoe: Through two races this season, Briscoe has two top-25 finishes, including a third-place finish at Daytona. Briscoe currently sits eighth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings in his first full-time season with Brad Keselowski Racing.

Grant Enfinger: Enfinger scattered multiple NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races over the years prior to the 2017 season, but is now running full-time with ThorSport Racing for his Sunoco Rookie season. The rook scored a top 10 at Atlanta, finishing eighth. Enfinger is ninth in the series point standings.

Cody Coughlin: Cody Coughlin is entering his first full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with ThorSport Racing. He’s scored two top-20 finishes in his first two races this season and is averaging a 13.5 average finish. Coughlin sits 11th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings.

Wendell Chavous: Chavous is running his Sunoco Rookie season with Premium Motorsports. In two races, he’s been a positive place differential king – averaging a +9.5 place differential. He finished 19th at Daytona and 20th at Atlanta. He is currently 16th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.

Noah Gragson: Gragson had a rough start to the season, crashing at Daytona and finishing 26th. He bounced back at Atlanta and placed 14th. He sits 17th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings in his first full-time season with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Austin Cindric: Cindric enters his Sunoco Rookie season with Brad Keselowski Racing. He finished 27th at Daytona after a crash and placed 21st at Atlanta. Cindric is currently 19th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings.

Stewart Friesen: Friesen enters his first full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season with Halmar Friesen Racing. He was involved in an accident at Daytona and finished 31st. He scored a top 20 at Atlanta and currently sits 22nd in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings in his Sunoco Rookie season.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.:

Cindric Goes IMSA Racing - Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Cindric competed in Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh Florida. Cindric finished 13th in the GTD Class in the No. 15 Lexus RCF GT3. It was his second IMSA start this season, finishing 14th at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.