Intermediate Ace Crafton Eyes Repeat At Kentucky

No current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver has had as much success as Matt Crafton at intermediate tracks. Dating back to the 2014, the No. 88 ThorSport Racing driver has logged a top-10 finish in 19 of the last 21 races at ovals measuring 1.5 or 1.54 miles. During that stretch, he has logged seven wins and five runner-up finishes.

He will try to defend his victory from last season at Kentucky Speedway in Thursday’s Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

In 17 Kentucky starts, Crafton owns one win, five top fives, 12 top 10s and an average finish of 10.6.

On the season, he has two wins, four top fives and seven top 10s in nine starts. Crafton’s two victories virtually guarantee him a spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase. The Tulare, California native trails William Byron by one point for first in the series standings.

Crafton leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in average running position (6.0), driver rating (113.6), fastest laps run (210) and laps led (398).

From Jayski.

Brand New Kentucky Speedway Awaits The NASCAR XFINITY Series

Crew chiefs can toss out their old notes because Kentucky Speedway underwent a full repave during the offseason and its new surface debuts from Wednesday through Saturday when all three of NASCAR’s national series head to The Bluegrass State.

In addition to the repave, Turns 1 and 2 had their banking increased from 14 to 17 degrees. The racing groove narrowed in the process. Turns 3 and 4 remain 14 degrees.

The track also added 3,200 feet SAFER barrier and made improvements to its drainage system. The NASCAR XFINITY Series will get the chance to rubber up the newly repaved surface in Friday’s ALSCO 300 (July 8, 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).  

Kentucky Speedway joined the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule in 2001 and Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet) won the inaugural event on June 6. Since then, Kentucky Speedway has hosted 19 series races, one per season from 2001 to 2011, and then two races per season since 2012.

Team Penske leads the series in wins with five at the track, while drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are tied for most series wins at Kentucky with three apiece. Defending race winner, Brad Keselowski, will be in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion this weekend.

The series will have plenty of on-track time to prepare for the race on Friday night with four practices on Thursday, July 7. Qualifying will take place on Friday, July 8 at 4:45 p.m. ET.

From Jayski.

Former Series Race Winners Looking For First Victory Of 2016

Four drivers inside the top 12 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings are former winners looking for their first victory this season - Ty Dillon (62 races since his last win), Justin Allgaier (59), Brendan Gaughan (54) and Ryan Reed (47). One of these four could possibly get a win and lock themselves into the Chase over the next several races. 

Richard Childress Racing teammates Dillon and Gaughan are having solid 2016 seasons, sitting third and fifth in the standings, respectively.  In 15 starts this season, Dillon has managed five top fives and nine top 10s. The 24-year-old is approaching some tracks he runs well at (including Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 23), the site of his first series win). Dillon has made four starts in the Bluegrass State, posting two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 6.8. Among those solid finishes at Kentucky, he wrestled his Chevrolet to a runner-up finish last September.

For the veteran Gaughan, Kentucky Speedway is a welcomed sight. The 1.5-mile track is home to his last series win (2014) and statistically is one of his best tracks. In seven starts at Kentucky, Gaughan has one win, four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 4.7.

JR Motorsport’s driver Justin Allgaier came just a fender shy of getting his first series win of the season last weekend at Daytona. The Riverton, Illinois native is currently fourth in the standings after recording six top fives and 12 top 10s. Though Allgaier has seven starts at Kentucky, he hasn’t competed there since 2013 in the series. He has two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 10.7 at the 1.5-mile track.

Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed is still trying to find his footing in 2016 as he rests 10th in the points with one top-10 finish. Reed’s lone win came in the season-opening race at Daytona in 2015, and since then he has struggled to replicate his performance. But that could change this weekend, as Reed and the rest of the series will compete on a new surface at Kentucky. Reed has made four starts at Kentucky, logging an average finish of 16.8.

From Jayski.

Countdown To The Chase: Eleven Races Till the Playoffs

Just 11 races remain for NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers to secure a spot in the 2016 Chase. This weekend is big for the teams vying for a Chase spot because Kentucky Speedway is the first track in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

The seven-race NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase will begin at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, and feature 12 drivers and two elimination rounds, with four drivers competing in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Only three series title contenders have wins this season - Erik Jones (two), Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suárez (each with one victory) - leaving nine spots to be claimed by points.

Five drivers currently sit on the Chase bubble. In 10th place is Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed who holds a 32-point cushion over 13th place. Just behind Reed sits Ryan Sieg in 11th, coming off his best finish of the season (third) this past weekend at Daytona. Sieg holds a slim 16-point advantage over 13th. In 12th place, and with his back against the proverbial Chase wall, Blake Koch ranks seven points above the cut line. Ross Chastain (-7) in 13th place and Jeremy Clements (-35) in 14th are on the outside looking in.

Expect the five drivers on the Chase bubble to battle it out for points this weekend as four of the five have comparable average finishes at Kentucky: Reed (16.7), Sieg (18.2), Koch (30.2), Chastain (16.0) and Clements (22.0).

From Jayski.

Suarez wins Truck Series pole at Kentucky

Daniel Suarez on Thursday won the pole for the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway with a speed of 182.983 MPH.

Brett Moffitt will start second followed by William Byron, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reddick, Parker Kligerman, Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes and Christopher Bell.

Byron was fastest in the first round at 183.020 MPH.

The full starting lineup is below.

Erik Jones fastest in third XFINITY practice at Kentucky

SPARTA, KY – Erik Jones on Thursday was fastest during the third practice at Kentucky Speedway with a speed of 187.800 MPH.

Daniel Suarez was second, followed by Kyle Busch, Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney, JJ Yeley, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Darrell Wallace, Jr., and Justin Allgaier.

36 drivers practiced during the session.

The full session results are below.

Williams regroups over holiday weekend, ready for Iowa

CONCORD, N.C. (July 7, 2016) - With a weekend off from the steady summer racing grind, Josh Williams and his family-owned team turn their attention to Iowa Speedway, the next event on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards tour. The ABC Supply 150 presented by Casey's General Store is set for take-off Saturday night, July 9 on the Newton, Iowa 7/8ths-mile short track. 

“Iowa Speedway is truly a unique track for us to race at,” Williams said. “It’s a racers racetrack. You can race from the bottom all the way to the top.” 

Williams would know...the Port Charlotte, Florida driver has made five starts at Iowa going back to 2010. Despite being the only repeat winner in 2016 - both victories coming on short tracks at Nashville and Winchester - Williams' best finish at Iowa was 12th in 2013. Based on his performance this year, there is little doubt that he can improve his position on the final result sheet. 

“Our short track program has been excellent this season. The off week allowed us to work on some things for this weekend and for the races coming up. I can’t thank Danny Johnson and all of my JWM guys for all of their hard work and effort. We have a great chance to earn our third win of the season Saturday night.” 

Through 10 races in the 2016 ARCA schedule, Williams, in the No. 6 Chevrolet, has thrived on the short tracks, earning an average finish of 5.4. He's also been good on the big tracks, nearly winning at Talladega, finishing second by about a foot. 

Williams' success on the short tracks has him atop of the Short Track Challenge presented by Protect Plus after five races. The ARCA veteran is also in the thick of the national championship battle, sitting second in driver points behind leader Chase Briscoe, trailing by 165 with 10 races remaining. 

No Repeat ARCA Winners at Iowa
In nine previous ARCA races at Iowa since the inaugural event in 2006, there have been no repeat winners. Steve Wallace won the first ARCA race at Iowa, and hometown hero Mason Mitchell won the most recent in 2015. Other ARCA winners at Iowa include Frank Kimmel (2007), Matt Hawkins (2008), Parker Kligerman (2009), Tom Hessert (2010), Ty Dillon (2011), Alex Bowman (2012), and Grant Enfinger (2013). Dillon is the only repeat Menards Pole winner at Iowa, having done it in 2010 and 2011. 

ARCA Iowa Schedule/Media
Practice for the ABC Supply 150 presented by Casey's General Store is from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m. Saturday with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell following at 3:15. The ABC Supply 150 is live on FS2 at 8 p.m. local Central time. Live Timing and Scoring and live Chat will also be available at arcaracing.com.

From ARCA.

Edwards leads first Quaker State 400 practice at Kentucky

SPARTA, KY – Carl Edwards on Thursday led first Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a speed of  186.451 MPH.

Kyle Busch came in second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson.

Reed Sorenson had the slowest speed at 173.160 MPH.

Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne both made some contact with the wall but the crews fixed the cars and made more runs.

Josh Wise's car was smoking and slowed on the track and headed to the garage, possibly hit the wall. Most teams scuffed tires during the practice.

This was the only practice for Cup on Thursday, the XFINITY Series practices four times on Thursday.

There are two practices scheduled for Friday, July 8th at 11:00am ET and 1:30pm ET, both on NBCSN.

The full session results are below.

Erik Jones fastest in second XFINITY practice at Kentucky

SPARTA, KY – Erik Jones on Thursday was quickest during second practice for the Alsco 300 with a speed of 186.245 MPH.

He was followed by Daniel Suarez, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Ryan Blaney, Brennan Poole, and Blake Koch.

37 drivers participated in the session.

The full session results are below.