NASCAR National Series News & Notes: Phoenix

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Can-Am 500

The Place: Phoenix Raceway

The Date: Sunday, Nov. 12

The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

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

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio                   

Distance: 312 miles (312 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 75),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on lap 312)

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: Ticket Galaxy 200

The Place: Phoenix Raceway

The Date: Saturday, Nov. 11

The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC, 3 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

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

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

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 

Next Race: Lucas Oil 150

The Place: Phoenix Raceway

The Date: Friday, Nov. 10

The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 150 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 150)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

5 Drivers To Fight For Final Championship 4 Berth At Phoenix

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Phoenix Raceway for its penultimate race of the season and the Playoffs Round of 8 cutoff event – Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Three of the four berths in the Championship 4 race (Sunday, Nov. 19 at Homestead Miami Speedway, 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) have been claimed. Kyle Busch captured the first with his win at Martinsville, Kevin Harvick took the second with his Texas victory and Martin Truex Jr. clinched the third via points following Texas.

Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson will duke it out on Sunday for the final spot in the Championship 4.

Rank	Driver	Points	Race Wins	Playoff Points	Pts from Cutoff
1	Martin Truex Jr.	4168	-	69	-
2	Kyle Busch	4118	1	42	-
3	Kevin Harvick	4112	1	17	-
4	Brad Keselowski	4111	-	26	-
5	Denny Hamlin	4092	-	14	19
6	Ryan Blaney	4089	-	9	22
7	Chase Elliott	4062	-	6	49
8	Jimmie Johnson	4060	-	17	51

Keselowski sits 19 points above on the cutoff line for the final Championship 4 position. Hamlin is followed by Blaney (22 points behind Keselowski), Chase Elliott (-49) and Jimmie Johnson (-51). A victory at Phoenix by any of the winless Playoff-eligible drivers guarantees him a bid to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The five drivers have the following clinch scenarios:

• Keselowski - If Keselowski wins, he will clinch. If Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver wins, he would guarantee a clinch on points with 37 Points.
• Hamlin - If Hamlin wins, he will clinch.  Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.
• Blaney - If Blaney wins, he will clinch.  Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.
• Elliott - If Elliott wins, he will clinch.  Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.
• Johnson - If Johnson wins, he will clinch.  Could clinch on points with a Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.

Keselowski Readies To Rack Up The Points In Sun Devil State

As it stands, Brad Keselowski has the best chance at making it to the Championship 4 of the five drivers vying for the final berth. He can clinch with a win at Phoenix, or with 37 points if Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick or a non-playoff driver takes the checkered flag at the one-mile track.

In 16 career starts at Phoenix, Keselowski has never won, but claims five top fives, eight top 10s and a 14.0 average finish.

Keselowski, the 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title-winner, has never competed in the Championship 4.

Elliott Tries To Close At Phoenix

Chase Elliott essentially must win Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway to make the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.

The No. 24 Chevrolet driver finished 12th at Phoenix in March, but led 106 laps (second to Kyle Busch’s 114) and won the second stage.

In three career starts at the one-mile track, Elliott has finished eighth (March 2016), ninth (November 2016) and 12th (March 2017) for a 9.7 average finish.

Defending Champ Johnson Must Tame Phoenix To Have Shot At Record Eighth Title

Like his Hendrick Motorsports protégé Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson virtually needs to win at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday to make the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.

Johnson, the defending Monster Energy Series champion, is trying to surpass Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (seven titles) with a record eighth crown.

In 28 career starts at Phoenix, Johnson boasts four wins, 15 top fives and 20 top 10s. Among active drivers at Phoenix he owns the series-best driver rating (111.0), the second-ranked average running position (8.4) and the third-best average finish (9.1).

The No. 48 Chevrolet driver has struggled lately. He finished 27th last week at Texas – three circuits off the lead lap. Johnson hasn’t finished in the top 10 since his seventh-place showing four races ago at Charlotte.

Hamlin Hopes To Muster Phoenix Magic

Despite finishes of seventh and third in the first two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 races, Denny Hamlin sits 19 points behind Brad Keselowski for the final berth in the Championship 4 entering Sunday’s cutoff race at Phoenix.

Luckily for Hamlin, he has a strong resume at the desert track. In 24 starts there, he boasts one win (March 2012), 10 top fives and 14 top 10s. Among active drivers at Phoenix, Hamlin has the fifth-best average finish (10.8) and sixth-best driver rating (95.1).

"Overall we had a good day in Texas," Hamlin said. "We scored a lot of points, and that helped us, we just need to keep digging to give ourselves a shot at a win this weekend. That's the way we're going to pull this thing off. We've been up front to contend for a win at the end of these past two races, and that's our plan again at Phoenix."

Blaney Can Blaze To Championship 4 With Phoenix Victory

It’s been a season of firsts for Ryan Blaney. He earned his first victory and first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs berth. He’ll try to continue that trend by going to the Championship 4 for the first time. To achieve that feat, the 23-year-old North Carolinian either must win Sunday’s race at Phoenix or get a lot of help because he trails Brad Keselowski by 22 points for the final Championship 4 berth.

In three career starts at Phoenix, Blaney has finished 10th (March 2016), eighth (November 2016) and 23rd (March 2017).

Blaney has been in good form lately. He’s posted finishes of third, eighth and sixth in his last three races.

Phoenix Sun: Harvick Goes For Ninth Phoenix Win

Kevin Harvick owns the competition at Phoenix Raceway.

He holds the track record with eight wins at the one-mile track, four more than Jimmie Johnson.

By adding a ninth victory at Phoenix this weekend, Harvick would become the ninth driver with nine or more wins at a single track, joining: Richard Petty (Martinsville, 15; North Wilkesboro, 15; Richmond, 13; Rockingham, 11; Daytona, 10; Nashville Fairgrounds, 9), Dale Earnhardt (Talladega, 10;  Atlanta, 9; Bristol, 9; Darlington, 9), Darrell Waltrip (Bristol, 12; Martinsville, 11; North Wilkesboro, 10), Cale Yarborough (Bristol, 9; Daytona, 9), David Person (Darlington, 10; Michigan, 9), Jimmie Johnson (Dover, 11; Martinsville, 9), Jeff  Gordon (Martinsville, 9)  and Rusty Wallace (Bristol, 9).

Harvick earned a berth in the Championship 4 with his win at Texas last week, but a win at Phoenix could help his title chances by knocking Johnson out of contention.

In addition to his eight Phoenix wins, Harvick has 13 top fives and 18 top 10s at the one-mile track. Among active drivers at Phoenix, he has the second-best average finish of 8.6 and third-best average running position (8.9) there.

Danica Patrick Reaches Milestone 250th Start

In Sunday’s Can-Am 250, Danica Patrick will become the first female to make 250 combined NASCAR national series starts. The list of top-10 female drivers in combined NASCAR national series starts is below:

Driver	Combined Starts
Danica Patrick	249
Jennifer Jo Cobb	178
Patty Moise	138
Shawna Robinson	72
Johanna Long	66
Kelly Sutton	54
Tammy Jo Kirk	47
Erin Crocker	39
Deborah Renshaw	38
Janet Guthrie	33

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Etc.

Manufacturer Championship Clinch Scenario: Toyota currently holds a 23-point lead over Ford in the manufacturer standings. To clinch an early title, Toyota needs to leave Phoenix with a 61-point lead over second place.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Phoenix Raceway Is XFINITY Playoff Drivers Last Chance At The Championship 4 

Eight drivers still have a shot to lock up their spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoff Championship 4 this Saturday, Nov. 4 in the Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix Raceway (on NBC at 3:30 p.m.); as all four positions to move on to Homestead-Miami Speedway and vie for a title are still up for grabs.

Rank	Driver	Race Wins	Points	Leader	Cutoff
1	Elliott Sadler	0	3,103	0	29
2	William Byron	3	3,098	-5	24
3	Justin Allgaier	2	3,094	-9	20
4	Brennan Poole	0	3,079	-24	5
5	Matt Tifft	0	3,074	-29	-5
6	Cole Custer	0	3,066	-37	-13
7	Daniel Hemric	0	3,061	-42	-18
8	Ryan Reed	1	3,046	-57	-33
9	Brendan Gaughan	0	2,124
10	Michael Annett	0	2,106
11	Blake Koch	0	2,083
12	Jeremy Clements	1	2,079

Time To Clinch: The Playoff Eight Will Be Soon Be Four Following Phoenix

Below are the clinch scenarios for each Round of 8 Playoff driver heading into the weekend:

Elliott Sadler (0 Wins This Round, 3,103 Points) – With a win, Sadler would clinch. If a Playoff driver wins, he would clinch with 32 points.  If a Playoff driver doesn’t win, he would clinch with 27 points. 

William Byron (0 Wins This Round, 3,098 Points) – With a win, Byron would clinch. If a Playoff driver wins, he would clinch on points with 37 points.  If a Playoff driver doesn’t win, he would clinch with 32 points. 

Justin Allgaier (0 Wins This Round, 3,094 Points) – With a win, Allgaier would clinch. If a Playoff driver wins, he would clinch on points with 41 points.  If a Playoff driver doesn’t win, he would clinch on points with 36 points. 

Brennan Poole (0 Wins This Round, 3,079 Points) - With a win, Poole would clinch. If a Playoff driver doesn’t win, he would clinch on points with 51 points. He could also clinch on points with help if a Playoff driver wins.

The next four Playoff drivers can clinch a spot in the next round on points, but will need help to do it. They can also clinch a spot in the Championship 4 with a win this weekend at Phoenix.

Matt Tifft (0 Wins This Round, 3,074 Points) – Currently five points back from fourth-place Brennan Poole.

Cole Custer (0 Wins This Round, 3,066 Points) - Currently 13 points back from fourth-place Brennan Poole.

Daniel Hemric (0 Wins This Round, 3,061 Points) - Currently 18 points back from fourth-place Brennan Poole.

Ryan Reed (0 Wins this Round, 3,046 Points) - Currently 33 points back from fourth-place Brennan Poole.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoff Round Of 8 Driver Performances At Phoenix

All eight XFINITY Playoff drivers are digging for the same thing this weekend – a chance at the title in Homestead-Miami. But first, they need to get past Phoenix Raceway to do that. Below are the Playoff Round of 8 drivers’ career performances at Phoenix Raceway:

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating*
1	Elliott Sadler	17	0	1	5	9	1	11.7	93.3
2	William Byron	1	1	0	1	1	0	4.0	109.5
3	Justin Allgaier	14	0	1	5	9	0	8.1	101.0
4	Brennan Poole	4	0	0	0	2	0	13.8	83.4
5	Matt Tifft	1	0	0	0	0	0	12.0	80.0
6	Cole Custer	1	0	0	0	0	0	21.0	75.2
7	Daniel Hemric	1	0	0	0	1	0	7.0	87.4
8	Ryan Reed	8	0	0	0	1	1	15.4	80.1

* – Driver Rating based on last 25 races at Phoenix Raceway (2005 – 2017).

Two things instantly pop out when looking at the above information. First, only two (Sadler and Allgaier) of the eight Playoff drivers have made 10 or more starts at Phoenix, and they are the only two with wins at the 1-mile track.

Secondly, half of the eight Playoff drivers (Byron, Tifft, Custer and Hemric) made their series track debut at Phoenix Raceway earlier this season.

Allgaier Has A Chance To Become The Second Driver In Series History To Sweep Phoenix

JR Motorsport’s driver Justin Allgaier can become just the second driver in NASCAR XFINITY Series history to sweep both races at Phoenix Raceway in a single season if he wins the Ticket Galaxy 200 this weekend; joining Kyle Busch.

Busch has swept both series races at Phoenix in a single season twice - in 2013 and last season.

Of the seven tracks on the series schedule the competitors visit twice in a single season (Daytona, Dover, Iowa, Kentucky, Phoenix, Richmond and Texas) only Texas has been swept in 2017 (by Erik Jones).

Allgaier has made 14 starts at Phoenix, posting one win, five top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 8.1. 

Series Record In Our Midst: 18 Different Winners Would Tie Most In Single NASCAR XFINITY Series Season

Two races are left on the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule, offering two more opportunities for new drivers to extend the current different winners list (17) to a record tying 18 different winners; a record that was set back in 1988 – 29 years ago.

The record-setting 1988 NASCAR XFINITY Series season that saw 18 different winners was composed of a tide of drivers who became the faces of the sport over the last few decades – some even went on to NASCAR Hall of Fame careers – Harry Gant (five wins), Larry Pearson (three), Tommy Ellis (three), Tommy Houston (three), Rick Mast (two), Rob Moroso (two), Bobby Allison, Bobby Hillin Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip, Dick McCabe, Geoff Bodine, Jim Hensley, Mark Martin, Michael Waltrip, Mike Alexander and Morgan Shepherd (each had one win).

The 17 different NASCAR XFINITY Series winners in 2017 includes Kyle Busch (five wins), Erik Jones (three), Kyle Larson (three), William Byron (three), Brad Keselowski (two), Denny Hamlin (two), Justin Allgaier (two), Ryan Blaney (two), Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, Christopher Bell, Jeremy Clements, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Ryan Reed, Sam Hornish Jr., Tyler Reddick (each have one).

The one driver not already on the 2017 different winners list, but who is entered this weekend and is a former series Phoenix winner, is Elliott Sadler. Sadler has made 17 series starts at Phoenix, posting one win, five top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 11.7.

The Streak Continues: 12th Different Winner In A Row Possible At Phoenix

This past weekend at Texas, Erik Jones added his name to the active NASCAR XFINITY Series streak of winners that has reached 11 different drivers dating back August 12 at Mid-Ohio.

The record for the longest streak of different winners in consecutive races in series history is 13 back in 1988.

This season’s streak of 11 different winners is the ninth time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series history a streak of 11 or more different drivers have won. The first time the series witnessed a streak like this was at the conclusion of the 1986 season and the beginning of 1987.  The eight other streaks were in single seasons – 1988 (13 different winners), 1989 (11 different winners), 1991 (11), 1998 (11), 2003 (11), 2006 (11), 2014 (11) and 2017 (11).

2017 NXS Season Streak			Record: 1988 NXS Season Streak
Winners	Tracks	Dates	Winners	Tracks	Dates
Erik Jones	Texas	11/4/2017	Tommy Houston	Rougemont	6/11/1988
Christopher Bell	Kansas	10/21/2017	Bobby Hillin Jr	Dover	6/4/1988
Alex Bowman	Charlotte	10/7/2017	Dale Jarrett	Charlotte	5/28/1988
Ryan Blaney	Dover	9/30/2017	Darrell Waltrip	Nashville Fgds	5/21/1988
Tyler Reddick	Kentucky	9/23/2017	Larry Pearson	South Boston	5/14/1988
Justin Allgaier	Chicago	9/16/2017	Rick Mast	Nazareth	5/7/1988
Brad Keselowski	Richmond	9/8/2017	Tommy Ellis	Hampton (VA)	4/30/1988
Denny Hamlin	Darlington	9/2/2017	Dale Earnhardt	Bristol	4/9/1988
Jeremy Clements	Road America	8/27/2017	Geoff Bodine	Darlington	3/26/1988
Kyle Busch	Bristol	8/18/2017	Jimmy Hensley	Martinsville	3/13/1988
Sam Hornish Jr	Mid-Ohio	8/12/2017	Mark Martin	Rockingham	3/5/1988
			Mike Alexander	Hickory	2/28/1988
			Bobby Allison	Daytona	2/13/1988

If the series has another different winner this weekend, the 2017 different winner streak will stand alone as the second-longest different winner streak in series history behind the record 1988 season (13 different winners in consecutive races). 

Tucson Native Alex Bowman Returns To NASCAR XFINITY Series This Weekend At Phoenix

How good is Arizona native Alex Bowman’s life right now? Pretty good.

The 24-year old from Tucson, Arizona, was named the driver to replace retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet next season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Plus, Bowman has only made one start this season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and did so in impressive fashion, taking the checkered flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway while making his series debut driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

This weekend, the up-and-coming star is back behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, looking to showcase more of his driving talent.    

Bowman has made five series starts at Phoenix, posting a best finish of 11^th back in 2013. His average finish at Phoenix is 22.4. He competed in this event last season driving for JR Motorsports – he started seventh but finished 38^th after being caught in an incident. 

  

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.

Double Dippers – Several drivers from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will try their luck this weekend at Phoenix in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race – MENCS Drivers: Austin and Ty Dillon, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Corey LaJoie, Gray Gaulding and Alex Bowman; NCWTS Drivers: Christopher Bell and Joe Nemechek.  None of the aforementioned drivers are former NASCAR XFINITY Series winners at Phoenix.

Manufacturer Championship (Bill France Performance Award) Update - Chevrolet currently holds a 58-point lead over Toyota in the NASCAR XFINITY Series manufacturer standings. To clinch an early title, Chevrolet needs to leave Phoenix Raceway with a 61-point lead over second place.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Sauter Is The Lone Star At Texas

Reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter has done it again. For the second consecutive season, Sauter has punched his ticket to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway by winning in the Round of 6.

The 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champ won the JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief at Texas Motor Speedway to advance to the Championship 4, and now will have a chance to become the second driver in series history to win back-to-back championships (Matt Crafton – 2013 and 2014).

Sauter has been clutch at crunch time, as he’s won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff race at Texas two years in a row and four times overall.

The win at Texas was Sauter’s third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season – matching his win total from last season. It was his 16th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in 219 starts.

Recap: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff Drivers At Texas

With Johnny Sauter winning the JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief at Texas Motor Speedway, below is where each NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs driver finished in the Round of 6 race in the Lone Star State;

1st:      Johnny Sauter

2nd:    Austin Cindric

3rd:     Christopher Bell

9th:     Matt Crafton

18th:   Ben Rhodes

19th:   John Hunter Nemechek 

Sauter was the only NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs contender to clinch a Championship 4 berth at Texas Motor Speedway.

Cindric On The Rise

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender and Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Cindric is not going down without a fight. The 2017 Playoffs contender entered Friday’s Playoffs race fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs standings.

The Sunoco Rookie finished second – scoring his best finish in the 2017 Playoffs so far, and moved up to the fourth transfer spot on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs leaderboar as the series head to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend.

Cindric – who has not finished outside the top-15 since the Texas race in June – is clearly a Playoffs performer. Cindric was on the verge of missing the Playoffs entirely, but came up with a victory in a must-win situation at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park earlier this season.

He’s finished top-10 or better in every Playoffs race this season and now will have to find a way to maintain his position to get into the Championship 4 at Phoenix this weekend.

Ripping Off The Rookie Stripes

Rookie seasons for professional athletes are supposed to be a year where you learn from your mistakes and continue to improve throughout a given year.

The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie class has been throwing that notion out the window of their trucks and proved it even more this past weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

As mentioned above, Austin Cindric posted a runner-up finish, but five other Sunoco Rookies finished inside the top 10, including: Chase Briscoe (fourth), Justin Haley (fifth), Kaz Grala (sixth), Grant Enfinger (seventh) and Noah Gragson (10th).

When it’s all said and done, the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie class could be one of the most talented in series history.

We’ve seen three Sunoco Rookie winners this season with Cindric, Grala and Gragson visiting victory lane in 2017.

Grala, Cindric and his teammate Briscoe made the Playoffs this season – accounting for three of the eight Playoffs drivers in contention for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship this season.

With two races to go, Enfinger leads Briscoe by a slim four points in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.

Three Championship 4 Spots On The Line At Phoenix

Following the second race of the Round of 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs go west to Phoenix International Raceway for the Lucas Oil 150 on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

With Johnny Sauter capturing a win at Texas, there are currently three Championship 4 spots remaining to be earned at Phoenix this weekend.

2017 Playoffs contenders Sauter (second), Matt Crafton (third), John Hunter Nemechek (sixth) and Christopher Bell (seventh) all finished inside the top 10 in last season’s Round of 6 finale at Phoenix.

Sauter (who had already clinched due to wins), Crafton, Bell and Timothy Peters advanced to the Championship 4 at the conclusion of the Phoenix race last season. Bell and Crafton are both looking to join Sauter as back-to-back Championship 4 contenders in 2016 and 2017.

2017 NASCAR Playoffs Outlook Update: Post-Texas

Following the second race of the Round of 6, below is an updated NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs leaderboard heading into Phoenix:

Rank	Driver	Points	Race Wins	Playoff Points	Pts from Cutoff
1	Johnny Sauter	3131	1	27	-
2	Christopher Bell	3135	-	47	-
3	Matt Crafton	3104	-	14	-
4	Austin Cindric	3085	-	7	-
5	Ben Rhodes	3080	-	13	5
6	JH Nemechek	3046	-	14	39

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Clinch Scenarios

Below is a look at the clinch scenarios for all six Playoffs drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Round of 6 heading into Phoenix International Raceway:

·         Johnny Sauter (1 Win, 3131 Points): Sauter clinched on wins at Texas Motor Speedway and has advanced to the Championship 4 round.

·         Christopher Bell (0 Wins, 3135 Points): Bell would clinch on points with six points and a new winner.  If there is a repeat winner, he would clinch on points with one point.  Bell can also clinch a Championship 4 spot on wins.

·         Matt Crafton (0 Wins, 3104 Points): Crafton would clinch on points with 37 points and a new winner.  If there is a repeat winner, he would clinch on points with 32 points. Crafton can also clinch a Championship 4 spot on wins.

·         Austin Cindric (0 Wins, 3085 Points): If there is a repeat winner, Cindric would clinch on points with 50 points. He could clinch on points with a new winner and help, or with a win at Phoenix.

·         Ben Rhodes (0 Wins, 3080 Points): Rhodes could clinch on points with a new winner and help, or with a win at Phoenix.

·         John Hunter Nemechek (0 Wins, 3046 Points): Nemecheck could clinch on points with a repeat winner and help, or a win at Phoenix.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs By Round

As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs enter its Round of 6 finale at Phoenix International Raceway, below is a look at the remaining NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs races and which tracks line up per round.

ROUND OF 6

Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway

(Friday, November 10 at 8:30 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

CHAMPIONSHIP 4

Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

(Friday, November 17 at 8 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Phoenix International Raceway Quick Facts

As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Phoenix International Raceway for the Lucas Oil 150 Friday (8:30 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), below are some series quick facts at the 1.022-mile track:

Races: 26

Pole Winners: 17

Youngest Pole Winner: Erik Jones (11/07/2014 – 18 years, 5 months, 8 days)

Oldest Pole Winner: Joe Ruttman (03/18/2000 – 55 years, 4 months, 19 days)

Race Winners: 16

Youngest Winner: Erik Jones (11/08/2013 – 17 years, 5 months, 9 days)

Oldest Winner: Joe Ruttman (03/18/2000 – 55 years, 4 months, 19 days)

Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 6

Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Erik Jones (11/07/2014) 

Race Record: Kevin Harvick – 108.014 mph (11/08/2002) 

Qualifying Record: William Byron – 138.254 mph (11/11/2016) 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.

Gilliland To Make Final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Start in ’17: NASCAR Next driver Todd Gilliland will make his last NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of the 2017 season for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra at Phoenix International Raceway. Gilliland has two top fives in his last two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner Standings Update: Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4 Toyota Tundra leads GMS Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Silverado by a rail-thin four points in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner standings after 21 races this season. ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra (-31), Kyle Busch Motorsports’ second entry in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra (-36) and Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 19 Ford F-150 (-51) round out the top five.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Manufacturer Standings Update: Through 21 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season, Toyota holds a 42-point lead over Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings. To clinch an early title, Toyota needs to leave Phoenix with a 60-point lead over second place.