Joey Logano to start today's race at Richmond from the rear

Joey Logano will start today's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond from the rear of the field after his No. 22 Team Penske team changed the transmission in his Ford.

Logano had qualified fifth for the Toyota Owners 400 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and the .75-mile Virginia track is one of his best. Logano has finished in the top five in four of his eight starts here as a member of Team Penske.

Sunday also marks Logano's 300th career start in the Monster Energy Series. For Fantasy Live purposes, Logano still is officially credited with a fifth-place starting position. | Need to update your lineup?

He joins Austin Dillon in the rear of the field. NASCAR officials announced Friday morning that the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet would start from the back after failing pre-race inspection at the Laser Inspection System station five times prior to Monday's race at Bristol.

Knowing he was already sent to the rear, Dillon turned a slow qualifying lap Friday at Richmond -- perhaps to save his tires for Sunday's race -- and qualified 38th.

Larson wins at Richmond; Allgaier takes Dash 4 Cash

Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. – Justin Allgaier had the best car in Saturday's ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Richmond International Raceway.

Kyle Larson isn't very good at Richmond—and isn't bashful about saying so.

Nevertheless, when two late restarts played out at the .75-mile short track, Larson was the race winner in overtime, and Allgaier was a disappointed second, consoled only by the $100,000 check he collected as the winner of the XFINITY Dash 4 Cash bonus as the highest finishing series regular.

"It's a bittersweet day, I'll be honest with you," said Allgaier, who finished second to Larson despite leading a race-high 157 of the 254 laps. "I'm really dejected—I won't lie to you. That's going to hurt for a long time."

What stung so badly for the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet occurred in the final 15 laps of the race. Allgaier was leading, and teammate Elliott Sadler was closing fast on fresher tires, thanks to an aggressive pit call under caution on Lap 184.

But NASCAR had to call a caution on Lap 239 of a scheduled 250 when the engine expired in BJ McLeod's Chevrolet. Allgaier hit pit road along with the other lead-lap cars, including Sadler, whose only option was a set of 17-lap scuffed tires.

Ty Dillon took the lead out of the pits on a two-tire call, but Dillon jumped the restart on Lap 246, mashing the gas before he reached the restart zone.

After a five-car wreck involving William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Brennan Poole, Harrison Rhodes and Kyle Benjamin slowed the field on the restart lap, and Dillon was sent to the rear of the field because of the restart infraction, Larson had the lead at Allgaier's expense and controlled the overtime restart on Lap 253.

Restarting in the inside lane, Larson cleared Allgaier off Turn 2 and crossed the overtime line before a wreck on the backstretch caused the seventh and final caution and froze the field with Larson in the lead.

"I'm not good at this place, so a win is pretty neat," said Larson, who will start 18th as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader in Sunday's Toyota Owners 400 (on FOX at 2 p.m. ET) at Richmond International Raceway. "I still have to work on myself for long runs. I'm terrible on long runs.

"I was OK today, but (on Sunday) the competition is a lot harder. The drivers are better. Just have to be patient. Struggled in Happy Hour (final practice), so we’ll see how we are (on Sunday)."

Polesitter Daniel Hemric ran third, followed by Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney.

Sadler retained the series lead by 41 points over Allgaier, but the driver of the No. 1 Chevy was frustrated, too. Sadler had race leader Allgaier in his sights, having closed the gap from 3.5 seconds to a couple of car-lengths before McLeod’s engine blew.

"I'm proud of the guys for taking the chance we did, and we definitely had the race won," said the Virginia native, who finished seventh on the set of scuffed tires. "It's heartbreaking. We really wanted to win here at our home track, in front of our home fans."

Notes: Larson led 10 laps--the final 10... Allgaier won the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the second time this season, having also taken the prize at Phoenix, where he also won the race… In his XFINITY debut, Kyle Benjamin ran consistently in the top 10 until he had to return to pit road to tighten lug nuts after what should have been his final stop. Mired in traffic, he was a victim of the Lap 246 incident and retired from the race in 32nd-place, seven laps down… Astute pit strategy helped Dylan Lupton to a 12th-place, lead-lap finish in his first XFINITY start of the season… Darrell Wallace Jr. finished sixth for the sixth time in eight races this season. His other two finishes are a pair of 33rds.

Sammy John's replaces Slugger Labbe as No. 3 crew chief for Richmond

Operations Director Sammy Johns will replace Slugger Labbe as the crew chief on the No. 3 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon this weekend at Richmond International Raceway, Richard Childress Racing announced Friday.

Labbe will remain at the Lexington, North Carolina race shop to work on cars for next weekend's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The team released a statement on Friday that read:

"Operations Director Sammy Johns will replace Slugger Labbe as the crew chief on the RCR No. 3 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. Labbe will remain at the RCR shop to work on cars for next weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway."

Dillon has an average finish of 22.3 in six career starts at Richmond, while the fourth-year veteran notched a pair of top-10 finishes at Talladega in 2016. He placed third in last year's May race at NASCAR's biggest track.

The team has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, with an average finish of 19.5 and one top-10 finish through eight races.

Full schedule for Richmond

NASCAR heads to Richmond International Raceway for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series events. Check out the full weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

FRIDAY, APRIL 28:
ON TRACK
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
-- 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1
-- 4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1

SATURDAY, APRIL 29:
ON TRACK
-- 9-9:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 10:05 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series ToyotaCare 250 (250 laps, 187.5 miles), FS1

SUNDAY, APRIL 30:
ON TRACK
-- 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (400 laps, 300 miles), FOX

- NASCAR

Venturini Motorsports Bidding for Third Straight Team Victory at Salem Speedway

CONCORD, NC – Spring is in the air and that means one thing – the return of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at Salem Speedway. A favorite among race fans and drivers alike, Salem’s legendary high-banked, half-mile track has been a mainstay on ARCA’s touring schedule for over sixty-years. On Sunday, engines will come alive marking the series’ 101st running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200.

Venturini Motorsports (VMS) enters the weekend’s event bidding for their third consecutive team victory and seventh overall at the Southern Indiana track. In 2016, Christopher Bell driving his VMS prepared Toyota, dominated Salem headlines winning back-to-back series events at Salem.

This season’s team effort will be led by a trio of highly touted teenage drivers – Christian Eckes, Raphael Lessard, and Zane Smith.

Coming off a career best third-place finish at Nashville, Christian Eckes will make his sixth series start driving VMS’ No.15 New York Bus Sales Toyota Camry. Looking for his first series victory, Eckes made his ARCA series debut in 2016. Eckes made headlines last December winning late model racing’s prestigious Snowball Derby. At 16-years old Eckes is among the country’s top young driver prospects.

Another young gun emerging out of VMS’ driver stable is 15-year old Raphael Lessard. A native of Quebec, Canada, Lessard will make his series debut at Salem driving the No.25 Musselman’s Big Cup Applesauce Toyota. Lessard, the latest Toyota driver to join the series, captured last season’s CARS Tour Late Model Championship driving for David Gilliland Racing.

Seventeen year-old Zane Smith rounds out the trio making his second start of the season and fourth overall series attempt since making his series debut with VMS at Salem last fall. Claiming his second career top-10 finish at Nashville, Smith hopes to break out at Salem while driving his No.55 Icon Vehicle Dynamics – LaPaz Toyota.

Prior to Sunday’s matinee, Smith will make an appearance Friday afternoon at Salem, Indiana’s City Hall. Smith, part of VMS’/Musselman’s Apple Sauce family of drivers, will meet with Salem’s Mayor, Troy Merry, representing Musselman’s and People Against Distracted Driving (PADD) ‘Distracting Driving Community Awareness’ envoy promoting safe and responsible driving.

Previously announced, Musselman’s, VMS and PADD® have joined forces to unveil a year-long distracted driving educational campaign designed to create attention to this modern day epidemic.

With six team victories at Salem Speedway, VMS has visited victory lane five-time since 2010. Winning team drivers include Christopher Bell (2016 x2), Kyle Benjamin (2013), Brennan Poole (2011), Steve Arpin (2010) and team co-owner, Billy Venturini, who captured his sole series victory at Salem in 2006.

Currently in its 35th year of ARCA competition, VMS is widely-known for their success developing young drivers in the ARCA Series, recording 43-team victories during their longstanding series involvement. Thirty of team’s series victories have come since 2008.

The Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 will spread out over two days, Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30. Practice is Saturday afternoon starting at 12:00pm followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying for the ARCA Racing Series at 3:30pm. Raceday festivities get underway Sunday morning with the on-track autograph session from 11:30am. to 12:30pm. The Green Flag is scheduled to drop Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm est. Follow ARCARacing.com or @VenturiniMotor on Twitter for weekend updates.

The race will be taped delayed - airing May 20 at 9:00 pm EST on MAVTV.

NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Richmond

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Toyota Owners 400

The Place: Richmond International Raceway

The Date: Sunday, April 30

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 300 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 100),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 200), Final Stage (Ends on lap 400)

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: ToyotaCare 250

The Place: Richmond International Raceway

The Date: Saturday, April 29

The Time: 1 p.m. ET

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

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 187.5 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 75),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Next Race: Toyota Tundra 250

The Place: Kansas Speedway

The Date: Friday, May 12

The Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 250.5 miles (167 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40), 

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 167)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Dale Earnhardt Jr. To Retire At End Of Season

Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced Tuesday he will retire from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing at the end of the season. He is still under contract to run two NASCAR XFINITY Series races in 2018.

In 603 career starts, Earnhardt has 26 wins, 149 top fives and 253 top 10s. He is a 14-time Most Popular Driver and a two-time DAYTONA 500 champion.

The No. 88 Chevrolet driver, who currently sits 24th in the standings, will attempt to turn his season around at Richmond – one of his better tracks.

In 34 starts at Richmond, Earnhardt owns three wins, five top fives, 14 top 10s and a 13.2 average finish. 

Jimmie Johnson Goes For Third Straight Win And A Tie With Yarborough

Jimmie Johnson maneuvered around Kevin Harvick with 21 laps left in Monday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway and outlasted a hard-charging Clint Bowyer to win his second consecutive race.

The victory gives Johnson 82 career wins. With a third straight victory in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway (2 p.m. ET on FOX), Johnson would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list (83). The No. 48 Chevrolet driver trails Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth on the all-time wins list (84) by a mere two checkered flags.

In 30 career starts at Richmond, Johnson claims three wins, seven top fives and 12 top 10s.

Johnson sits sixth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings – 116 markers below first-place Kyle Larson. His 10 playoff points are tied with Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski for the most on the circuit. Johnson and Keselowski are the only drivers with multiple wins this season.

Bowyer Hopes To Build On Runner-Up Result

Clint Bowyer’s move to Stewart-Haas Racing seems to have revived his career.

The No. 14 Chevrolet driver wheeled his way to a runner-up finish Monday at Bristol – his best showing since placing second at Richmond – the site of this weekend’s race – on April 27, 2013.

Bowyer’s two top-five and four top-10 finishes this season outnumber his totals of zero top fives and three top 10s from last year.

He sits eighth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings – 121 markers behind leader Kyle Larson. The Kansas native hasn’t placed better than 19th in the final standings since finishing seventh in 2013.

Richmond is one of Bowyer’s top tracks. In 22 starts at the Virginia oval, he owns two wins, four top fives and 12 top 10s.

Larson Continues Breakout Season, Extends Points Lead

Kyle Larson continued his breakout season with a stage win and sixth-place finish at Bristol. He now holds a 27-point advantage over Chase Elliott in the standings on the strength of one win, five top fives and six top 10s.

The 24-year-old Chevrolet driver will try to extend his lead in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. In six starts at Richmond, he has posted one top-10 finish – a runner-up showing last fall. He has never finished worse than 16th at the Virginia track and has an average finish of 11.3 there.

Beat Virginia: Hamlin Tough To Pass At Richmond

Chesterfield Virginia native Denny Hamlin returns home to Richmond International Raceway where he’ll go for his second straight win after visiting Victory Lane there in last year’s regular season finale.

In 21 starts at Richmond, Hamlin owns three wins, eight top fives and 12 top 10s. He holds the second-best driver rating (109.9), as well as the third-best average finish (10.1) and average running position (7.8) there.

Hamlin has started the season off slow. He is currently 15th in the points standings – 176 markers behind leader Kyle Larson.

Could Richmond Be The Site Of Kyle Busch’s First Win?

Kyle Busch visited Victory Lane nine times in the previous two seasons, but he’s still searching for his first win of 2017.

That first triumph could come this weekend at Richmond International Raceway – a track where the Las Vegas native has excelled throughout his career. In 23 starts at the .75-mile track, Busch claims four wins, 15 top fives and 17 top 10s. Among active drivers, he boasts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ top average finish (7.0) and driver rating (110.8), along with the second-best average running position (7.7) at the .75-mile track.

Busch led 78 laps in last year’s spring race at Richmond before his teammate Carl Edwards moved him for the win off Turn 4 on the final go-around.

The No. 18 Toyota driver ranks 11th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings – 146 points behind leader Kyle Larson.

Furniture Row Puts On Show At Bristol

Furniture Row Racing continued to display its speed in Monday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr. placed second in Stage 1 and won Stage 2, before finishing eighth due to a pit road speeding penalty that took him out of contention for the race win. He led 116 laps on the day.

The No. 78 Toyota driver’s 20-year-old teammate Erik Jones flashed his immense potential, finishing third in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2, but finished 17th as the result of a wreck and pit road penalty.

Truex is third in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings on the strength of one victory and a series-leading five stage wins. His 10 playoff points are tied with Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson’s totals for the most in the series.

Jones sits 12th in the points standings, the highest ranking among Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

A Look Back: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Career

One of the most iconic figures in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr., announced Tuesday that he will be retiring from NASCAR at the conclusion of the 2017 season. It just so happens that his last NASCAR XFINITY Series victory was this race at Richmond last year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s career in the NASCAR XFINITY Series has been solid to say the least. He has posted two series titles (’98-’99), 24 wins (10th-most all-time), 67 top fives (tied with Clint Bowyer and Sam Ard for 21st-most all-time) and 90 top 10s (38th-most all-time). Below is a timeline of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s accomplishments in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

June 22, 1996 – Made his first NASCAR national series start at Myrtle Beach Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driving the No. 31 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet; he started seventh and finished 14th.

March 28, 1998 – He won his first career NASCAR national series Coors Light pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. at a speed of 122.217 MPH.

April 4, 1998 – He won his first career NASCAR national series race at Texas Motor Speedway driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in just his 16th career series start.

November 15, 1998 – Won his first NASCAR national series title, claiming the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship by 48 points over second-place Matt Kenseth.  Finished the ’98 season with seven wins, 16 top fives and 22 top 10s.

June 27, 1999 – Earnhardt Jr. becomes one of seven drivers in NASCAR XFINITY Series history to win three consecutive races (Dover, South Boston and Watkins Glen) following his victory at Watkins Glen International on this date.  He joins Sam Ard, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Harry Gant, Larry Pearson and Ryan Newman. 

November 13, 1999 – Becomes one of six drivers in NASCAR XFINITY Series history to win consecutive titles (1998-1999); joining Sam Ard (1983-84), Larry Pearson (1986-87), Randy LaJoie (1996-97), Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2011-12). 

November 19, 2005 – Fielded the first car as an owner under the JR Motorsports billing with driver Mark McFarland; the team started 18th and finished 20th. 

July 2, 2010 – Drove the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet, made famous by his father, to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. This would be the final time he would drive the No. 3.

April 23, 2016 – His most recent win in the NASCAR XFINITY Series came at Richmond International Raceway in this event last season.

Dash 4 Cash Round 3 of 4: Richmond International Raceway

For third time this season NASCAR XFINITY Series championship contending drivers will have the chance to battle it out for the Dash 4 Cash, and the giant $100,000 check that comes with it.  JR Motorsport’s driver Justin Allgaier snagged the first Dash 4 Cash win at Phoenix International Raceway, and then last week at Bristol, Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric grabbed the second installment of the program and his first Dash 4 Cash win.

Richmond International Raceway has been a part of the Dash 4 Cash program since 2011. Only two drivers have won the Dash 4 Cash at Richmond – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011 and Ty Dillon in 2016.

A Quick Reminder Of Dash 4 Cash Eligibility

• The top two finishing NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers who have declared for series points in each of the two stages will make up the four-driver Dash 4 Cash field for the Final Stage. Once Stage 1 is complete, the two drivers who lock into the main field won't have their position counted against other Dash 4 Cash-eligible drivers following Stage 2 to ensure a four-driver field.
• The field will then begin the race with Stage 1, followed by Stage 2 and the Final Stage. At Richmond International Raceway: Stage 1 (Ends on lap 75), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250)
• The highest finisher in the final stage among the four Dash 4 Cash drivers wins the Dash 4 Cash and a $100,000 prize.
• Plus, don’t forget if a driver earns two Dash 4 Cash bonus wins over the four Dash 4 Cash races, that qualifies them for the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs. 

JR Motorsport’s Elliott Sadler Extends Points Lead Over Teammate William Byron

Elliott Sadler’s stranglehold on the NASCAR XFINITY Series points continues. Just when it looked like second-place William Byron was going to catch Sadler following Texas, Sadler found another gear and opened the points gap back up to 16 following his third top five of the season.

Sadler is on a six-race streak of finishing inside the top 10; dating back to the second race of the season at Atlanta. In seven starts this season, Sadler has posted three top fives and an average finish of 9.0.

Expect the top 10 streak to continue at Richmond. In Sadler’s last 12 starts at the famous half-mile track, he has posted nine top-10 finishes. 

Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric Arrives In The Top Five In Points

Richard Childress Racing’s Sunoco Rookie Daniel Hemric showed some signs of life last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway winning Stage 2 of the race and posting his first career series top-five finish as he took home the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus. On top of all that, the young Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has moved into the top five in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings, 80 points back from the standings lead and just four points back from fourth-place Ryan Reed.

In seven starts this season, Hemric has posted one top five, three top 10s and an average finish of 15.4.

Hemric will be making his NASCAR national series debut at Richmond International Raceway this weekend.

Kyle Benjamin To Make Series Debut For Joe Gibbs Racing At Richmond

Joe Gibbs Racing has tapped NASCAR Next graduate Kyle Benjamin to pilot the No. 20 Toyota Camry with crew chief Chris Gabehart at Richmond International Raceway in the ToyotaCare 250 this weekend.

Benjamin has built quite the resume working his way up the ranks. He became the youngest pole winner (15 years old) in ARCA Series history at Toledo Speedway in 2013. Later that same season, he became the series’ youngest winner when he took the checkered flag at Madison International Speedway. Not long after that he moved over to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where over the past three seasons he has posted five wins, 14 top fives and 19 top 10s. He also finished a career-best second in the final NKNPSE championship points in 2016.

Benjamin is scheduled to compete in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond this weekend, and then Pocono Raceway (06/10/17), Iowa Speedway (07/29/17) and Kentucky Speedway (09/23/17). 

A total of 79 drivers in NASCAR XFINITY Series history have made their series debut at Richmond International Raceway.  Six of the 79 are competing this weekend – Ryan Blaney (04/27/12), Cole Custer (04/23/16), Austin Dillon (09/07/08), Brandon Brown (09/09/16), Daniel Suarez (04/25/14), and Ryan Reed (04/26/13). 

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.

Virginia Natives To Look For: Three Virginia natives will be attempting to compete this weekend at Richmond International Speedway – series standings leader and JR Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler (Emporia), King Autosport’s driver Brandon Brown (Woodbridge) and Brandon Gdovic Racing’s driver Quin Houff (Weyers Cave).

Playoff Bubble Update: Dakoda Armstrong (11th in points) and Cole Custer (12th) are currently teetering on the playoff bubble following the seventh race of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway. Armstrong is only 11 points ahead and Custer is just two points ahead of 13th-place Brandon Jones. RCR’s Jones has made two starts at RIR, posting a 19.0 average finish.

JGR Tops In Wins Over Last Five Seasons: Over the last five full seasons (not including 2017), no other team has visited Victory Lane more than Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. From 2012 to 2016, the series has run 165 events and nine different organizations have posted at least one win. Joe Gibbs Racing leads the series in wins during that time with 64 (38.7%) victories, followed by Team Penske (33 wins), JR Motorsports (23), Richard Childress Racing (22), Roush Fenway Racing (12), Chip Ganassi Racing (six), HScott Motorsports (three), Biagi-DenBeste Racing (one) and Richard Petty Motorsports (one).

Monster Names To Watch This Weekend: This weekend at Richmond International Raceway, five Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will attempt to compete in the ToyotaCare 250 – Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson.

New RIR Winner Probability Is High: Of the 42 drivers entered this weekend in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Richmond International Raceway only one is a former winner – Morgan Shepherd – who won on Sept. 10, 1983. If Shepherd makes the race, the chances for a new winner are at 97.5%, if he doesn’t it goes up 100%.

Top 10 In Points Still Looking For A Win: Seven of the current top 10 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings are still looking for their first career series victory – William Byron, Daniel Hemric, Darrell Wallace Jr, Blake Koch, Brennan Poole, Matt Tifft and Michael Annett have yet win in the series. Richmond has hosted six first-time series winners in Victory Lane since 1982 – Kyle Busch (2004), Robby Gordon (2004), Jeff Purvis (1996), Bobby Hamilton (1989), Butch Lindley (1982) and Tommy Houston (1982).

Sunoco Rookie of the Year Update: William Byron continues to hold on to the rookie standings lead by 17 points over second-place Daniel Hemric followed by Cole Custer (-30), Matt Tifft (-33), and Spencer Gallagher (-41).

Car Owner Points Update: Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team has opened the lead in car owner points to 53 markers over the second-place Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota Camry team through the first seven races despite not having a win. Penske is looking to win his fourth NASCAR XFINITY Series owner title this season.

NXS Milestones:  Elliott Sadler will be making his 337th series start this weekend, tying Kevin Harvick for 13th on the NASCAR XFINITY Series all-time starts list. … BJ McCleod will attempt to make his 50th NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend. 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Losses Are Frugal For Fugle At Kyle Busch Motorsports

Ryan "Rudy" Fugle has been one of the preeminent crew chiefs in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series over the last couple of seasons. He has guided his team at Kyle Busch Motorsports to three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s championships in all three of his seasons with the team (2013, 2015 and 2016). Fugle captured a driver’s championship with Kyle Busch Motorsports driver and Sunoco Rookie Erik Jones in 2015.

Fugle (33), a New York native, went to UNC Charlotte and studied engineering. He started his career as a crew chief in NASCAR in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2009 when he was atop of the pit box for driver Michael Annett for seven races. In 2010, Fugle was the crew chief for Annett for the entire season.

Fugle went to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011 and was the crew chief for Justin Lofton for nine races.

In 2013, he found his calling as a crew chief in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Kyle Busch Motorsports. He was atop of the pit box that season for a multitude of drivers including current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. In 21 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, he helped guide the No. 51 Toyota Tundra to six wins, 10 top fives and 15 top 10s. Fugle delivered the owner’s championship to Kyle Busch Motorsports that season.

In 2015, Fugle led Sunoco Rookie Erik Jones to one of the most dominant rookie seasons to date…at the time. Fugle and Jones combined to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver’s and owner’s championship, and Jones was awarded the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. The two won three races, scored 11 top fives and 20 top 10s in 23 races.

In 2016, Fugle and Sunoco Rookie William Byron partook in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series record-shattering season. The two won seven races; breaking the previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie wins record of five set by Kurt Busch in 2000. The combo secured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s championship and Byron was bestowed the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award as a result of his record-breaking season with Fugle at the helm.

From 2013 to present, Fugle’s drivers have combined for 17 wins, 10 poles and 35 top-five finishes across his 71 races calling the shots for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Fugle is currently the crew chief for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Christopher Bell. Through three races this season, he and Bell have accounted for one win, two stage wins, two top fives, three top 10s and have led 201 laps.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Young Guns Make The Jump

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has often been viewed at as a talent bed of drivers that have potential to make it to the next level in NASCAR.

Over the last three seasons, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has seen young, talented drivers such as Erik Jones, Darrell Wallace Jr., William Byron, Brandon Jones, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Hemric make the jump to the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

The 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series field has four Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates who all drove full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series a season ago in William Byron, Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer and Spencer Gallagher.

Each driver has shown flashes of greatness in the ‘Series Where Names Are Made’ this season.

Byron has opened his rookie season strong as he currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year race and is second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points standings.

Hemric cleaned up at Bristol Motor Speedway this past weekend where he won the XFINITY Dash 4 Cash and captured his first stage win of the 2017 season.

If the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs began today, Cole Custer would be the last driver in as he currently sits 12th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points standings. He’s had one top five and two top 10s in seven starts this season.

After having a slow start to the 2017 season, Gallagher has straightened it out but scoring four consecutive finishes of 19th or better. He currently is 17th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points standings.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series remains a talent pool for both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series. With nine Sunoco Rookies in this year’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series class, expect to start to see those names make the jump as early as next season.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Countdown: Three Weeks

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is less than a month away from action. The series hits the track next at Kansas Speedway for the Toyota Tundra 250 on Friday, May 12 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

William Byron is the defending race winner. Matt Crafton (second), Christopher Bell (fourth), Ryan Truex (sixth) and Timothy Peters (eighth) all scored top-10 finishes at Kansas last season.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner Standings Update

After three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season, GMS Racing (No. 21 Chevrolet) holds a narrow lead of four points over Kyle Busch Motorsports (No. 4 Toyota) in the owner’s standings.

Kyle Busch is going for his fifth-consecutive and sixth all-time owner’s championship in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season. Busch’s team broke a series record in 2015 when it earned its third-consecutive and fourth all-time owner’s championship.

No. 78 Cup team, No. 22 XFINITY team penalized post-Bristol

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla -- NASCAR on Wednesday announced the following penalties and warnings from the past weekend of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The No. 78 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team of Martin Truex Jr. was levied a safety-level penalty for violating sections 10.9.10.4: (Tires and Wheels) of the NASCAR Rule Book. Lug nut(s) were found to be not properly installed post-race. As a result, crew chief Cole Pearn was fined $10,000.

The No. 22 NASCAR XFINITY Series team was given a L1-level penalty for violating sections 20.17.3.2.1.2. The car violated post-race front body inspection heights. The race finish is encumbered per Section 12.10 Encumbered Race Finishes. The post-race height measurements were outside NASCAR allowed tolerances. The team's crew chief, Greg Erwin, has been fined $10,000 and suspended from the next NASCAR XFINITY Series points race. Also, the team was assessed with the loss of 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series car owner points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR National Series Career Highlights Timeline

June 22, 1996 – Made his first NASCAR national series start at Myrtle Beach Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driving the No. 31 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet; he started seventh and finished 14th.

March 28, 1998 – He won his first career NASCAR national series Coors Light pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. at a speed of 122.217 MPH.

April 4, 1998 – He won his first career NASCAR national series race at Texas Motor Speedway driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

November 15, 1998 – Won his first NASCAR national series title claiming the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship by 48 points over second-place Matt Kenseth.  Finished the ’98 season with seven wins, 16 top fives and 22 top 10s.

May 30, 1999 – Makes Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 driving the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet; he started eighth and finished 16th. He ran five MENCS races in 1999 posting a best finish of 10th at Richmond.

June 27, 1999 – Earnhardt Jr. becomes one of seven drivers in NASCAR XFINITY Series history to win three consecutive races (Dover, South Boston and Watkins Glen) following his victory at Watkins Glen International on this date.  He joins Sam Ard, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Harry Gant, Larry Pearson and Ryan Newman.

November 13, 1999 – Becomes one of six drivers in NASCAR XFINITY Series history to win consecutive titles (1998-1999); joining Sam Ard (1983-84), Larry Pearson (1986-87), Randy LaJoie (1996-97), Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2011-12).

February 20, 2000 – Competes in his first Daytona 500, starting eighth and finishing 13th, and begins his first full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with crew chief Tony Eury Sr. at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

April 2, 2000 – In his 12th series start he won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway driving the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet. In doing so, he became one of seven drivers in the Modern Era (since 1972) to win in 12 starts or less joining Mark Donohue, Ron Bouchard, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski and Trevor Bayne.

May 28, 2000 – Wins his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway driving the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet at a speed of 186.034 MPH. 

July 7, 2001 – Posted his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway the summer following the passing of his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, earlier that season in the Daytona 500.

April 6, 2003 – Became the first driver in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history to win four consecutive races at Talladega Superspeedway.

November 16, 2003 – Finished a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career-best third in the final championship standings.

February 15, 2004 – Won his first Daytona 500 driving the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet with crew chief Tony Eury Sr.

September 11, 2004 – Made his first of eight appearances in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, he ultimately finished fifth in the final championship points with a career-high six wins in 2004.

February 17, 2008 – After eight full seasons with Dale Earnhardt Inc. he decided to move to Hendrick Motorsports. On this date, he made his first career start for Hendrick Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway with crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

June 15, 2008 – Won his first race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driving the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

February 23, 2014 – Won his second Daytona 500 of his career – one of 11 drivers to win the Daytona 500 more than once.

November 15, 2015 – His most recent win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was at Phoenix International Raceway. 

By The Numbers: Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR National Series Career

1 – Won his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race (1998) and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race (2000) at Texas Motor Speedway.

2 – NASCAR XFINITY Series championships (1998, 1999)

2 – Daytona 500 victories (2004, 2014)

6 – Most number Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career wins in a single season (2004)

8 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff appearances

10 – NASCAR XFINITY Series career Coors Light poles

12 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts until his first series win

13 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career Coors Light poles – tied with Brad Keselowski, Dick Rathmann and Greg Biffle for 56th-most all-time

14 – Consecutive Most Popular Driver Awards won from 2003-2016, a NASCAR record

24 – NASCAR XFINITY Series race wins – ranked 10th-most all-time

26 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race wins – ranked 29th-most all-time

50 – Combined NASCAR national series race wins – ranked 20th-most all-time

67 – Career NASCAR XFINITY Series top-five finishes – tied with Clint Bowyer and Sam Ard for 21st-most all-time

88.9 – Career average driver rating in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since 2005 – 12th-best in the series

90 – NASCAR XFINITY Series career top-10 finishes – ranked 38th-most all-time

149 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top-five finishes – ranked 23rd-most all-time

253 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top-10 finishes – ranked 24th-most all-time

603 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts – ranked 25th-most in series history

741 – NASCAR national series combined starts – ranked 33rd-most all-time

8,195 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career laps led – ranked 23rd-most all-time

171,861 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career laps completed – ranked 21st-most all-time

Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retire from NASCAR Cup Series following 2017

CONCORD, N.C. -- After 18 seasons and more than 600 races behind the wheel, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will bring his NASCAR Cup Series driving career to a close at the conclusion of 2017. Today, he shared the news with members of his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team.

The fan favorite and two-time Daytona 500 champion will discuss his decision in a press conference this afternoon. He will be joined by Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, for whom Earnhardt has driven since 2008. The two first met about the driver’s decision on March 29.

Earnhardt, who will turn 43 in October, made his first career Cup Series start on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Since then, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has captured 26 points-paying Cup race wins and been voted by fans as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver a record 14 consecutive years. He has qualified for the NASCAR playoffs eight times.

Now in the midst of his 18th full-time season at the elite Cup level, Earnhardt made his 600th career series start on March 26 at Fontana, California. He will compete in his final NASCAR Cup Series race on Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports will announce plans for its 2018 team alignment at a later date.

Jimmie Johnson stays hot with Monday victory at Bristol

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. – A week off and an extra day at Bristol did nothing to break Jimmie Johnson’s momentum.

Grabbing the lead from Kevin Harvick on Lap 480 of 500 in Monday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Johnson stayed out front for the final 21 laps and beat Clint Bowyer to the finish line by 1.199 seconds.

The checkered flag was Johnson’s second at the .533-mile short track, his second straight this season and the 82nd of his career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, leaving him one victory behind Cale Yarborough for sixth on the career wins list – and two behind Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison.

"That’s just mind-blowing," said Johnson, who started 11th and led three times for 81 laps but didn’t get to the front for the first time until Lap 394. "I wouldn’t be here without (owner Rick) Hendrick’s support. Thanks to him and to Jeff Gordon for believing in me.

"For Hendrick Motorsports to make this job kind of a family environment for all of us to thrive in has been a perfect environment for me and (crew chief) Chad Knaus and for the consistent group of guys behind me through all these years has led to the environment to win 82 races, or whatever it is, which is just insane.

"I’m truly humbled. I’m excited to win back-to-back races. I’m excited to win at Bristol. I guess we’ll be at Indy testing for the next two days (at a Goodyear tire test), and we’ll show up at Richmond and try again."

Bowyer passed Harvick, his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, on Lap 485 to post his best finish since running second at Richmond on April 27, 2013.

Harvick held third, followed by Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano. Polesitter Kyle Larson came home sixth after leading the first 202 laps, but the driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet had to recover from a Lap 421 penalty for speeding on pit road.

The second-place run was bittersweet for Bowyer, who is looking for his first win since the fall Charlotte race in 2012. The driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford had visions of victory after he passed Harvick, but he couldn’t run down the seven-time champion in the last 15 laps.

"It's Jimmie Johnson," Bowyer said. "You try everything you possibly can, and I was starting to do some pretty desperate things with brakes and my line and stuff like that, and then you just realize… your mindset quickly changes, and you're like, ‘All right, let's put it in perspective here, we've come a long ways, it was a long day, and second place is probably a good run for us, and we should be happy with that.’ We shouldn't hang our head about it."

Harvick got the lead by staying out on old tires when the rest of the contenders, except for Denny Hamlin, came to pit road under the final caution on Lap 465.

"I thought our Jimmy John’s Ford was the fastest car," Harvick said. We just needed track position. I think we showed how fast it was there on no tires and kind of able to hold our own… A good weekend, and we’ll just keep going."

Notes: Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell out of the race in 38th place when oil on his tires from a broken oil cooler launched his No. 88 Chevrolet into the Turn 1 wall after a restart on Lap 218… Kyle Busch, one of the pre-race favorites, blew right front tires on two separate occasions. The second instance knocked Busch out of the race on Lap 384, after he had climbed back into the top 10. He finished 35th… Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Erik Jones ran in the top 10 all afternoon until a cut tire and subsequent contact from AJ Allmendinger’s Chevrolet damaged his No. 77 Toyota. Jones salvaged a 17th-place finish as the second car one lap down.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - Food City 500

Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol, Tennessee

Monday, April 24, 2017

    1. (11) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500.

    2. (9) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 500.

    3. (10) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 500.

   4. (22) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 500.

    5. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 500.

    6. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 500.

    7. (2) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 500.

    8. (3) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 500.

    9. (19) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 500.

    10. (16) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500.

    11. (12) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 500.

    12. (8) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 500.

    13. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 500.

    14. (13) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 500.

    15. (24) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 500.

    16. (26) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 499.

    17. (14) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 499.

    18. (23) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 498.

    19. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 498.

    20. (17) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 498.

    21. (31) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 498.

    22. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 497.

    23. (33) David Ragan, Ford, 497.

    24. (35) * Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 497.

    25. (15) Kurt Busch, Ford, 494.

    26. (28) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 494.

    27. (37) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 491.

    28. (34) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 490.

    29. (36) Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 487.

    30. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 482.

    31. (39) * Derrike Cope, Toyota, 465.

    32. (30) Landon Cassill, Ford, 458.

    33. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 452.

    34. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 433.

    35. (7) Kyle Busch, Toyota, Accident, 383.

    36. (29) Danica Patrick, Ford, Accident, 320.

    37. (38) * Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Suspension, 234.

    38. (20) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 218.

    39. (27) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, Accident, 53.

Food City 500 postponed to Monday at 1pm ET

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Sunday's Food City 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway has been postponed due to rain. The race, No. 8 on the 36-race schedule for 2017, has been rescheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start Monday.

FOX will provide live television coverage; radio coverage is on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR.

Larson will start from the pole position in his No. 42 Chevrolet, the result of rain canceling Friday's qualifying and the field being set per the rulebook (owner points). With one victory (at Auto Club Speedway) and four runner-up finishes, Larson leads second-place Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) by 17 points.

"We are close to home so it will be fine," points leader Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing) said Sunday morning. "Our car was good in practice and I don't think the track will be too different."

Rain also interrupted Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race, creating a delay of more than 90 minutes. But when the rain moved out of the area, officials were able to quickly dry the .533-mile track, and that race was run to its scheduled distance with Erik Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing) flagged the winner. Daniel Hemric picked up the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash Prize.

The rain continued throughout the night and through the morning, eventually forcing officials to postpone. It is the first race to be pushed to the following day due to inclement weather since last fall's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Both races at Pocono Raceway last year also were delayed from Sunday to Monday. Last year's Bristol Night Race, the most recent Monster Energy Series event at the track, was postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to wet weather as well.

Jones captures Bristol win; Hemric earns Dash 4 Cash bonus

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Erik Jones found the ideal way to atone from a mistake in Saturday's Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, but it took a bump-and-run for Jones to complete his comeback at the .533-mile short track.

Recovering from a Lap 230 pit road speeding penalty that sent him to the back of the field, Jones worked his way to the front through a series of quick cautions and muscled Ryan Blaney out of the way to take the lead on Lap 280 of 300.

Jones held the top spot the rest of the way, through a caution that slowed the race after William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Brennan Poole and Austin Dillon were involved in a Turn 4 wreck on Lap 291. The race restarted on Lap 298, but Blaney couldn't get to Jones' bumper to return the favor before the checkered flag waved.

"It was just hard racing," said Jones, who won his second straight NASCAR XFINITY Series race of the season, his second at Bristol and the eighth of his career. "We ended up racing hard and getting by him. To come back from a pit road penalty like that, it's a race I won't forget for a long time -- just an awesome day."

Blaney led the field to a restart on Lap 278, but Jones had superior speed on the short runs and quickly pulled up to Blaney's bumper. As they raced hard into Turn 1, Jones applied the bumper of his No. 20 Toyota, sent Blaney's No. 22 Ford up the track and made the decisive pass.

"He was so much better than us on the short runs," Blaney said. "He wasn't going to back out, and I wasn't going to back out either. ... I knew I pushed the issue with him. I knew he was close, and I don't blame him for not backing out at that time.

"You can't do that, so I took a chance, and we had some contact. Fortunately, we were able to get a restart in fourth (on Lap 298) and get to second and just couldn't quite get close to make a run at him."

To Jones, the bump was justified by late-race urgency and the relative speed of his car.

"At that point in the race I think there was less than 20 (laps) to go, and you have to do all you can to try to get to the lead," he said. "I knew clean air was important, and we were quite a bit faster than the 22 just to fire off, and I guess just the track cooled down and we got some speed back in the car.

"We were able to get around him and get the lead, and from there, I think everyone was stuck on the bottom, and we were able to hold them off."

It was a race of radically changing fortunes, and not just for Jones. Polesitter Kyle Larson led 180 laps, but cut a tire after contact with Brandon Jones' Chevrolet on lap 261 -- an incident that started a chain-reaction wreck that eliminated Cole Custer, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Garrett Smithley.

Larson compounded his issues with a penalty for a commitment line violation but came from the rear of the field in the final 30 laps to finish seventh.

Sunoco rookie Daniel Hemric came from a lap down to win the $100,000 Dash 4 cash bonus after the three other qualifiers for the XFINITY-sponsored prize -- Custer, Allgaier and Brendan Gaughan -- all were involved in accidents.

Hemric finished fifth behind Daniel Suarez in third and series leader Elliott Sadler in fourth.

Notes: Blaney finished second in the No. 22 Team Penske Mustang for the third time this season. All told, the 22 car has five runner-up results without a win this year. However, the No. 22 was found to be too low in the left front post race. Any potential penalty will be announced early next week … The action-filled race featured nine cautions for 85 laps.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race - Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300

Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol, Tennessee

Saturday, April 22, 2017
    1. (4) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 300.

    2. (9) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 300.

    3. (10) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 300.

    4. (17) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 300.

    5. (8) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 300.

    6. (6) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 300.

    7. (1) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 300.

    8. (13) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 300.

    9. (16) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 300.

    10. (28) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 300.

    11. (30) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 300.

    12. (19) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 300.

    13. (2) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 300.

    14. (5) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 300.

    15. (21) Quin Houff, Chevrolet, 300.

    16. (7) Matt Tifft #, Toyota, 300.

    17. (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 299.

    18. (23) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 298.

    19. (31) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 298.

    20. (18) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 297.

    21. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 295.

    22. (32) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 295.

    23. (29) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 294.

    24. (34) Timmy Hill, Dodge, 294.

    25. (37) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 294.

    26. (22) Jeb Burton, Toyota, 293.

    27. (36) Carl Long, Dodge, 293.

    28. (38) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 292.

    29. (26) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 292.

    30. (40) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 281.

    31. (11) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Accident, 268.

    32. (3) Cole Custer #, Ford, Accident, 262.

    33. (14) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, Accident, 258.

    34. (35) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, Accident, 253.

    35. (12) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Accident, 243.

    36. (27) David Starr, Chevrolet, Accident, 227.

Rain delays on-track action at Bristol

Wet weather has delayed the anticipated start of on-track actvity at Bristol Motor Speedway for this weekend's NASCAR doubleheader for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series.

The Monster Energy Series was set to take the track for an 85-minute practice at the 0.533-mile track at 11:30 a.m. ET. However, the rains came to prevent that from happening on time.

The rest of Friday's schedule shapes up as this, with all events (including opening Monster Energy Series practice) slated to be televised on FS1:
-- 1-1:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice
-- 3:30-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice
-- 4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy Series qualifying

Entering this weekend's short-track action, Kyle Larson holds the points lead in the Monster Energy Series, while Elliott Sadler has the lead in the XFINITY Series.

Saturday's slate consists of two Monster Energy Series practices (8-30-9:25 a.m. and 11-11:55 a.m.), XFINITY Series qualifying (9:35 a.m.) and the XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The XFINITY Series race is the second of four Dash 4 Cash events in the series, in which the top qualifying XFINITY regular will win a $100,000 prize.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 is set for Sunday (2 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Full schedule for Bristol

NASCAR takes a week off next weekend, but then heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR XFINITY Series the following weekend. Check out the full weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

FRIDAY, APRIL 21:
ON TRACK
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
-- 3:30-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1
-- 4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1

SATURDAY, APRIL 22:
ON TRACK
-- 8:30-9:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 9:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
-- 11-11:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles), FS1

SUNDAY, APRIL 23:
ON TRACK
-- 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (500 laps, 266.5 miles), FOX

- NASCAR

NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Bristol

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Food City 500

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, April 23

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 2 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 125),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on lap 500)

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, April 22

The Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 12 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 159.9 miles (300 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 300)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Next Race: Toyota Tundra 250

The Place: Kansas Speedway

The Date: Friday, May 12

The Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 250.5 miles (167 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40), 

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 167)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Busch Bros At Bristol

The Busch brothers will battle at Bristol Motor Speedway for sole possession of the active track wins lead in Sunday’s Food City 500 (2 p.m. ET on FOX). Kyle and Kurt pace active drivers with five victories each at "The Last Great Colosseum."

Despite their successes, Kyle hasn’t won at Bristol since spring of 2011 and Kurt hasn’t visited Victory Lane there since spring of 2006. In 23 starts at the .533-mile short track, Kyle claims eight top fives, 13 top 10s and a 14.3 average finish. Kurt has nine top fives and 16 top 10s in 32 Bristol starts.

Kyle has the second-best Bristol driver rating (100.5), while Kurt’s is fifth-best (93.1).

Harvick Hopes For Second Straight Bristol Win

Last August’s Bristol winner Kevin Harvick will go for his second consecutive victory at the Tennessee track Sunday. The No. 4 Ford driver led 128 laps last summer to beat Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the finish line by 1.933 seconds. Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.

In 32 starts at Bristol, Harvick owns two wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s and a 15.4 average finish. He boasts the second-best average running position (12.2) and third-best driver rating (95.7) at the .533-mile track.

Harvick ranks first in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 419 laps led (19.6%) this season.

He is currently 10th in the points standings (117 markers behind leader Kyle Larson) and holds three playoff points as a result of his three stage wins.

Logano Looks To Continue Bristol Success

Joey Logano will attempt to continue his recent Bristol success. He has logged four top-10 finishes, including two wins, in his last five starts at the Tennessee short track.

Although he’s done well at Bristol lately, his only career top-10 finish in the spring race there was his 10th-place showing last year.

The 26-year-old Connecticut native has quietly wheeled his No. 22 Ford to a hot start this season. He has finished sixth or better in every race except for Phoenix, where he crashed after leading 82 laps and winning the first stage.

Logano is coming off a season-best third-place showing at Texas. He sits fifth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings – 72 points behind leader Kyle Larson.

Kenseth Can Build Momentum At Bristol

Although, Matt Kenseth has three top-10 finishes, he’s dug himself into a hole to start the season with three finishes of 36 or worse. He currently sits 22nd in the points standings, 189 markers behind first-place Kyle Larson.

Sunday’s Food City 500 could be a panacea for Kenseth. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s and a 14.2 average finish at Bristol.

Kenseth boasts the best average running position (11.4) and driver rating (100.9) at The Last Great Colosseum. He won the Bristol spring race in 2015.

Larson Heads To Bristol As Series Points Leader

Kyle Larson continued his breakout season at Texas with his fourth runner-up showing. The result marked his fifth top-two finish in the last six races.

Only four other drivers have logged as many top-two finishes as Larson’s five through the first seven races of a season: Kevin Harvick (6 top fives; 2015), Dale Earnhardt (5; 1987), Bobby Allison (5; 1972, 1979), Cale Yarborough (5, 1974).

The No. 42 Chevrolet driver has the top average finish (5.4) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but more importantly, he leads the points standings by 17 markers over second-place Chase Elliott. Martin Truex Jr. (-40) sits third, followed by Brad Keselowski (-41) and Joey Logano (-72). Ryan Blaney (-91), Kyle Busch (-104), Jamie McMurray (-106), Clint Bowyer (-111) and Kevin Harvick (-117) round out the top 10.

Larson will attempt to extend his points lead at Bristol, a track where he’s logged only two top 10s in six starts and has an average finish of 21.5.

Remember, the regular season points leader earns 15 playoff points.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Food City Celebrates 25th Year With Bristol Motor Speedway

Food City celebrates its 25th year of partnership for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The company claims the second longest race entitlement sponsorship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and is Bristol Motor Speedway’s longest serving partner.

Bayne Returns To Home State

Knoxville, Tennessee native Trevor Bayne returns to his home state to race in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. In five starts at Bristol, Bayne has an average finish of 18.8 and a high showing of fifth.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

XFINITY Dash 4 Cash Returns With $1 Million Still On The Line

Returning this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway for its second installment of the 2017 season is the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash program. Justin Allgaier took home the first Dash 4 Cash win and the gigantic payload ($100K) earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway. If Allgaier can win the Dash 4 Cash at the next three scheduled events (Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Dover International Speedway) he will not only bring home a total of $400,000 in winnings, but XFINITY will also tack on an additional $600,000 to bring Allgaier’s Dash 4 Cash win total to a cool million dollars.

But, before Allgaier becomes a millionaire, he will need to win the Dash 4 Cash at Bristol this weekend. The Riverton, Illinois native has made 12 starts at Bristol, posting his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win (2010), five top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 12.7. In his last four starts at Bristol, he has finished in the top-10; including a runner-up finish last fall. Justin Allgaier has won the last two consecutive Dash 4 Cash events dating back to 2016 – Indianapolis last season and Phoenix a few weeks back.

The XFINITY Dash 4 Cash program began in 2009. This weekend will mark the third time Bristol Motor Speedway has hosted the XFINITY Dash 4 Cash program. Daniel Suárez won the first Dash 4 Cash check at Bristol in 2015 and Erik Jones won it in 2016.

Quick Reminder of The Dash 4 Cash Race Formats

·         Coors Light Pole Qualifying will determine the starting positions for the race.

·         The field will then begin the race with Stage 1, followed by Stage 2 and the Final Stage.

·         Based on the participation guidelines announced last year, drivers with more than five years of full-time experience are restricted from the four races in the Dash 4 Cash program.

Dash 4 Cash Eligibility

• The top two finishing NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers who have declared for series points in each of the two stages will make up the four-driver Dash 4 Cash field for the Final Stage. Once Stage 1 is complete, the two drivers who lock into the main field won't have their position counted against other Dash 4 Cash-eligible drivers following Stage 2 to ensure a four-driver field.
• The field will then begin the race with Stage 1, followed by Stage 2 and the Final Stage. At Bristol Motor Speedway: Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 300)
• The highest finisher in the final stage among the four Dash 4 Cash drivers wins the Dash 4 Cash and a $100,000 prize.
• Plus, don’t forget if a driver earns two Dash 4 Cash bonus wins over the four Dash 4 Cash races, that qualifies them for the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs. 

Six Different Winners Through First Six XFINITY Races

For the 11^th time in NASCAR XFINITY Series history (since 1982) the first six races of the season have seen six different winners. Ryan Reed (Daytona), Kyle Busch (Atlanta), Joey Logano (Las Vegas), Justin Allgaier (Phoenix), Kyle Larson (Auto Club) and Erik Jones (Texas) are this season’s six different winners.

The NASCAR XFINITY Series record for largest number of different winners in a single season is 18 – set back in 1988. Last season the NASCAR XFINITY Series had 14 different winners.

A total of 44 different drivers have won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Bristol, and of the six different winners that have an opportunity to become the first repeat winner of 2017, four of them have wins at Bristol. Just three are entered this weekend - Joey Logano has two BMS victories, Erik Jones and Justin Allgaier each have one. 

Even At This Point In The Season Stage Points Are Making The Difference

Not only has the addition of Stage racing added great action on the track, but it also creates a new dynamic in the strategy to accumulate points. Teams that have embraced the new format are starting to see the dividends of their hard work.

Not surprising to see, the NASCAR XFINITY Series points leader, Elliott Sadler, is also the driver with the most Stage points at 62 through the first seven races – 26 from Stage 1 and 36 from Stage 2. Sadler’s 62 Stage points account for 27.5% of his overall driver standings total of 225 points. 

Close behind Sadler in Stage point accumulation is his JR Motorsports teammate William Byron, who has the second-most Stage 1 and 2 points at 43 – 25 from Stage 1 and 18 from Stage 2.  Byron is currently second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points just six markers back from Sadler in the standings lead. Byron’s Stage 1 and 2 points make up 19.6% of his overall driver standings total of 219 points.

So why are Stage points so important this season? Consider this: If Stage 1 and Stage 2 points were not in play this season (and points were just awarded for where a driver finishes) Elliott Sadler would not be the current points leader. William Byron would hold that distinction instead (see below chart).

Tracks	Sadler's Finishes	Sadler's Final Stage Points	Byron's Finishes	Byron's Final Stage Points
Daytona	24	13	9	28
Atlanta	5	32	7	30
Las Vegas	8	29	14	23
Phoenix	5	32	4	33
California	7	30	5	32
Texas	10	27	7	30
Avg. Finishes & Total Pts	9.8	163	7.7	176

Byron has posted a better average finish (7.7) than Sadler (9.8) and in doing so has accumulated 13 more Final Stage points than Sadler. Sadler’s 19-point advantage over Byron in Stage 1 and Stage 2 point accumulation is the difference in him leading and not leading the standings following Texas.  Keep in mind, finishing the regular season as the points leader guarantees the competitor 15 playoff points, which will be an advantage to advance them through the playoff rounds.

Stage points are here and as important as ever.    

Five Different Winners In Last Five Races At Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway has a current streak of five different NASCAR XFINITY Series winners dating back to the fall of 2014; boding the question, will we see a sixth?

While it could happen, it may be tough. Four of the five previous winners in the current streak are entered this weekend – Austin Dillon (2016 Fall winner), Erik Jones (2016 Spring), Joey Logano (2015 Spring) and Ryan Blaney (2014 Fall). The series leader in wins at Bristol, Kyle Busch (eight wins), is the only one not entered.

Bristol has hosted six NXS first-time winners: Justin Allgaier (2010), Martin Truex Jr. (2004), Jeff Fuller (1996), Bobby Labonte (1991), Rick Wilson (1989) and Phil Parsons (1982).

Darrell Wallace Jr. Can Tie Jack Ingram’s Series Record This Weekend

Darrell Wallace Jr. and crew chief Seth Barbour are also on a hot streak, finishing sixth in the last five consecutive races.  If Wallace finishes sixth next weekend at Bristol, he will tie Jack Ingram for the series record lead in consecutive single finishing positions inside the top-10. Ingram finished second a series record six times in 1983.

Ingram’s record of six consecutive second-place finishes in 1983 started on June 25, 1983 at South Boston, and carried on to Rougemont (7/2/83), Caraway (7/6/83), Rougemont (7/9/83), South Boston (7/23/83) and Hickory (7/30/83). If Wallace does match Ingram’s feat, he will have done it on six different tracks.

Wallace’s recent success has given him the third-best average finishing positon (10.5) through the first six races this season.

Wallace has made four series starts at BMS, posting an average finish of 14.0; including a seventh-place finish last fall.

"I love racing at Bristol and in Tennessee," said Wallace. "Growing up a huge Vols fan it’s really cool to be racing in Vol Country. This place is a ton of fun to race on and hopefully we can keep our streak going and get a couple spots better than sixth with our Leidos Mustang. I’m definitely looking forward to getting there this weekend." 

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

Additional Milestones & Current Streaks – Elliott Sadler, for the fifth-time in his career, is looking to extend his streak of consecutive top-10 finishes to six straight this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sadler posted a career-record 16 consecutive top-10 finishes last season, tying Brad Keselowski for the fourth-most all-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. … William Byron is the only driver left in the 2017 season to complete every single lap (1,037 laps completed; 100%) of his scheduled laps this season.

Koch & Rice To Give Command For Speedway Children’s Charities 5k - Friday evening, April 21st, Kaulig Racing’s driver Blake Koch and crew chief Chris Rice will give the command to start the Speedway Children’s Charities Spring Race 5K presented by Agero at Bristol Motor Speedway before participating in the event themselves. 

"Speedway Children’s Charities, Agero and BMS have done a great job organizing this event and I’m honored to be a grand marshal, but also look forward to participating in the event with my family," said Koch. "Fitness is such a huge part of what I do in the race car and it’s awesome to be able to share that with NASCAR fans and raise money to help some great kids along the way."

Koch participate in a meet-n-greet with fans at 7:15 p.m. ET before joining Chris Rice and "Ducky" Keller to give the command for the 7:30 p.m. ET start time.  The Spring Race 5K will start at BMS’ Orange Bridge, circle the BMS campgrounds and colosseum and end with a lap around the apron of the famed half-mile speedway.  At the conclusion, fans are invited to stay for a big party at the end--in true Bristol fashion. Registration is $25 with all proceeds benefitting local children through Speedway Children's Charities.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

An Overview: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Top 8

Heading into Kansas Speedway for the Toyota Tundra 250 (Friday, May 12 at 8:30 p.m. on FS1), below is the post-Martinsville NASCAR Camping World Truck Series overview of the drivers currently in playoff contention:

1. Christopher Bell: Bell has been the class of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series field so far in 2017. In three races, Bell has one win (Atlanta), two stage wins and has led 201 laps. In his last two races (Atlanta and Martinsville), the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver has led 95 laps or more in each race. With his win at Atlanta, Bell has virtually earned a 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff berth.

1. Kaz Grala: Through three races in 2017, Grala leads the battle in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Grala captured his first-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Daytona. The win currently places Grala into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs in his Sunoco Rookie season. The GMS Racing driver has back-to-back top-15 finishes and has led 14 laps this season.

1. Johnny Sauter: The reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion has not skipped a beat in 2017. Through three races, Sauter leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in stage wins with three and subsequently has three playoff points. Sauter has led 114 laps so far this season and has back-to-back top-three finishes. 

1. Matt Crafton: Two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton has had a strong start to the 2017 season. Crafton has finished 14th or better in all three races this season and finished a season-best second at Atlanta. He’s led three laps this season and owns an average finish of 8.3.

1. Timothy Peters: Peters, a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 contender a year ago, is right back into the playoff mix through three races this season. He has back-to-back top-10 finishes after a 17th-place showing at Daytona.

1. Ben Rhodes: In his second full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing with ThorSport Racing, Rhodes is sitting pretty through three races. He’s finished top-20 or better in each race so far this season and led 20 laps at Daytona. He’s averaging a finish of 12.0 this season.

1. Chase Briscoe: Briscoe (-7) is currently third in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, behind Christopher Bell and Noah Gragson (-5). The Brad Keselowski Racing driver has three top-25 finishes through three races, including a season-best finish of third at Daytona.

1. Grant Enfinger: ThorSport Racing’s newest driver, rookie Grant Enfinger, has had a solid start to the season in his No. 98 Toyota Tundra. Enfinger has three consecutive finishes of 17th or better and has led four laps this season. He currently sits fourth (-9) in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.

GMS Racing and ThorSport Racing Off To The Races

Through three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season, GMS Racing and ThorSport Racing have been neck-and-neck when it comes to team performances.

GMS Racing – led by reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Kaz Grala – own the top spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings with Sauter and are fifth overall with Grala. With Grala winning at Daytona earlier this season, he’s virtually guaranteed a berth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs.

GMS Racing also netted a win at Martinsville, with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott piloting the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet to victory.

ThorSport Racing – headed by two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Grant Enfinger and Cody Coughlin, has been equally as strong.

Crafton is third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings, followed by Rhodes in sixth, Enfinger in eighth and Coughlin in 13th.

The two powerhouse NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams account for three of the last four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champions (Sauter – 2016 and Crafton – 2014, 2013).

Speaking of Bristol…

As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR XFINITY Series both head to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, it’s a good reminder that the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes a stop to race at the short track in August.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series goes to Bristol Motor Speedway for the UNOH 200, a Wednesday night race on August 16 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1). 

Ben Kennedy is the defending race winner at Bristol. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has seen seven different race winners in its last seven races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Countdown: Four Weeks

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is less than a month away from action. The series hits the track next at Kansas Speedway for the Toyota Tundra 250 on Friday, May 12 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

William Byron is the defending race winner. Matt Crafton (second), Christopher Bell (fourth), Ryan Truex (sixth) and Timothy Peters (eighth) all scored top-10 finishes at Kansas last season.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Hattori Racing driver Ryan Truex will compete in this weekend’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, the Zombie Auto 125, at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Truex last competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2010. He won two races that season for Michael Waltrip Racing – both at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex has five wins, 15 top fives and 17 top 10s in 22 career K&N Pro Series East races.