NASCAR Promotes Brent Dewar to President

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced today that Brent Dewar is being elevated to the position of President of NASCAR effective immediately. Dewar, who joined NASCAR as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2014, becomes only the fourth person in the sport’s history to hold the designation of President of NASCAR.

Dewar’s promotion to President is in following with NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France's vision for a more inclusive and strategic NASCAR. As COO, Dewar led several monumental initiatives and drove strategic development and opportunity at every turn, while developing a strong leadership team centered on industry collaboration and metric-driven results.   

"Brent has helped lead a cultural transformation at NASCAR," said France. "From collaborating with team owners to building the charter framework; to partnering with tracks, auto manufacturers, entitlement sponsors, and broadcasters to deliver better racing and a more dynamic fan experience; he has spearheaded some of the most impactful enhancements NASCAR has implemented in its history. I couldn’t be more thrilled about the impact Brent has had on our industry and I am confident he will continue to help serve and grow our sport for many years to come."

As President, Dewar will continue to serve on the NASCAR Board of Directors and will work closely with France, Lesa France Kennedy and Vice Chairman Mike Helton in setting the strategic course of the business in continued collaboration with key industry leaders. Steve Phelps, Executive Vice President and Chief Global Sales and Marketing Officer, Steve O’Donnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer will continue to report into Dewar. 

Prior to joining NASCAR, Dewar enjoyed a three-decade career as a global automotive executive, leading many successful initiatives, including assignments in Brazil, Europe, North and South America.

Dewar, who is active on Twitter (@brentdewar), currently resides with his family in Winter Park, Fla.

Stenhouse sets sights on Loudon

Stenhouse Jr. has eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with an average starting position of 23.0 and average finishing position of 21.2.

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Brian Pattie

Twitter: @Stenhouse17Team @StenhouseJr @FastenalRacing and @RoushFenway

ADVANCE NOTES

Stenhouse Jr. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Stenhouse Jr. has eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with an average starting position of 23.0 and average finishing position of 21.2.

Last Time at New Hampshire

With less than 10 laps remaining, Stenhouse made contact with the No. 27 machine, which sent the Fastenal Ford for a spin. The 2013 MENCS Rookie of the Year saved his spinning machine without making any contact.

For the final six lap shootout, Stenhouse lined up in the 25th position and was able to pick up one more position to cross the finish line in the 24th position.

New Hampshire Native

Chris Church, a diehard Boston zRed Sox fan, grew up in Haverhill, MA, which is a little over an hour from NHMS.

On the Car

Fastenal is currently in its sixth season as a primary partner in the MENCS for Roush Fenway. They spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping over to the No. 17 entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 XFINITY team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

Stenhouse Jr. on racing at New Hampshire:

“We always look forward to racing at Fenway Sports Group’s homqqe track. New Hampshire is a fast one-mile track with multiple grooves. Trevor (Bayne) tested at Loudon earlier this year. Our engineering group came back and went to work on trying to find ways to hopefully improve the handling and speed of our Fords. Track position is key, so qualifying on Friday will be really important. If we can execute on pit-road and stay near the front then we should leave Loudon with another strong run.”

Reed eager for racing in New Hampshire

Ryan Reed has competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) three times in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.  In those three starts Reed has never finished lower than 14th. Reed’s average finish at New Hampshire of 12.7 is second only to Daytona (11.2), where he holds his two career XFINITY Series victories. Reed’s best finish at Loudon came in his first start in 2014, he finished 11th after starting 13th. One year ago at Loudon Reed started 22nd and spent the majority of the race fighting the handling on his No. 16.  Reed made gains throughout the race to cross the finish line 14th.

Team: No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Phil Gould

Twitter: @driverRyanReed, @Reed16Team and @RoushFenway

ADVANCE NOTES

Reed at Loudon

Ryan Reed has competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) three times in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.  In those three starts Reed has never finished lower than 14th.

Reed’s average finish at New Hampshire of 12.7 is second only to Daytona (11.2), where he holds his two career XFINITY Series victories.

Reed’s best finish at Loudon came in his first start in 2014, he finished 11th after starting 13th.

One year ago at Loudon Reed started 22ndand spent the majority of the race fighting the handling on his No. 16.  Reed made gains throughout the race to cross the finish line 14th.

Kentucky Recap

Reed was one of multiple competitors to receive damage as the field was taking the green flag to start the race.  The team made repairs on pit road, but a few laps later had to take the car to the garage for an oil leak.  Reed returned to the track and advanced to 36th before retiring for the afternoon as his Lilly Diabetes Ford continued to overheat.

2017 Season Update

Reed is currently ranked eighth in the XFINITY Series point standings.  Reed has one win, two top-five and four top-five finishes.  Reed’s average finishing position is 17.4 from an average starting position of 13.8.

Did You Know?

Ryan Reed was diagnosed at the age of 17 with Type 1 Diabetes.  Through hard work, perseverance and working with his doctors he’s been able to manage his diabetes and set an example to others.  To learn more visit www.LillyDiabetes.com/Drive

Reed on Loudon

“I think as a company we need to get better at short tracks.  Our 1.5-mile program is leaps and bounds ahead of where we were a year ago.  Our road course and speedway stuff if pretty solid.  It’s the short tracks I have circled on my to do list.  I spent some time in the sim working on New Hampshire, running through some changes.  I felt like we found a little bit, but still need to be better.  I’m ready to get there and find some things to see if we can make our short track stuff better.  I really enjoy going up there, the fans are great and the race track is so much fun.  It can be really hard to pass, but it is also racy there.  If you have a good car then you can really make some stuff happen there, so I’m looking forward to this weekend."

Aric Almirola to Return to No. 43 Smithfield Ford at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) driver Aric Almirola, who suffered an acute compression fracture to his T5 Vertebra after a multi-car accident at Kansas Speedway in May, will return to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The injury, which has a standard healing time of eight to 12 weeks, took eight weeks for Almirola to recover. Throughout the recovery process, Almirola did physical therapy, swam and tested in a simulation and on track environment. A test yesterday at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the final step in a multi-step process to return to the No. 43 Smithfield Ford.

“It felt great to be back in the racecar yesterday,” said Almirola. “After racing in the Monster Energy Series for five and a half years, it got to be routine, and I took it for granted. When something gets taken away from you at a moment’s notice like that, it has certainly made me appreciate my passion for racing and my desire to compete at this level. The thrill of running 200 miles per hour in a stock car was something that I had honestly lost a little bit. After being out of the car for eight weeks, the passion is back, now more than ever.

“Physically, I felt great in the car and had no pain associated with the injury during yesterday’s test” Almirola continued. “I’d like to sincerely thank all of the medical personnel that have helped me through this process, my family, my friends, my team and all the fans that supported me. I’m very grateful to Bubba (Wallace), Regan (Smith) and Billy (Johnson) for all of their efforts subbing for me both on and off the track. I’m excited to get back to racing against all my friends and peers in the Monster Energy Series.”

Almirola will return to the seat of the “Petty Blue” No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion at the one-mile track where he has scored one Top-Five and two Top-10 finishes.
About Richard Petty Motorsports

A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields one team in competition in the NASCAR premier series with driver Aric Almirola. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and Fresh From Florida. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.

Erik Jones to drive No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018

Erik Jones will drive the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2018, Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Tuesday.

Jones, 21, currently drives the No. 77 Toyota for Furniture Row Racing. He will take over for Matt Kenseth, 45, who has driven the No. 20 for JGR since 2013. According to a Joe Gibbs Racing statement, Kenseth will not be back with the organization following the 2017 season.

“Matt has been a tremendous asset to our organization over the past five seasons both on and off the track,” Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, said in a team release. “He’s been a great teammate and a great ambassador for our sponsors. We have a great deal of respect for him and we are working hard to get the 20 team into the playoffs to make a run for the championship. We have a great deal of confidence in his abilities to do just that.

“At the same time it’s exciting to have Erik back to run full time with us starting next season. When a number of circumstances made it clear over the past few weeks that a second year for the 77 car was probably not viable at this time for Erik, we all agreed that we wanted to keep him in the Toyota racing family and felt it was the right time to make this transition. He is an exciting driver that has already proven to have the ability to compete at the highest level of our sport. He is also shown to be a great representative to our partners and we believe he is at the beginning of a long and successful career.”

The 2017 season marks Jones’ first season in the Monster Energy Series, and he has five top-10 finishes in the first 18 races, including a season-best third-place showing at Pocono.

Jones has eight victories in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and has seven wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he was the series champion in 2015.

“This is a really exciting time in my career for me to make the move back to Joe Gibbs Racing full time in the Cup Series and continue to have the success I’ve had with them over the last few years,” Jones said. “I will always be grateful for the opportunity given to me by Barney Visser and everyone at Furniture Row Racing this year for my first full year in the Cup Series. I’ve learned a lot this year and I’ve had a great group of guys around me each week to lean on as I figured out my rookie season and how to make my way in the Cup Series.”

Furniture Row Racing pledged its support for Jones, as well as for Jones’ teammate Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, in a statement released to the media.

“Regarding today’s announcement that Erik Jones will drive in the NASCAR Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing starting in 2018, Furniture Row Racing’s commitment to Jones and the No. 77 team remains the same for the remainder of the season,” Barney Visser, owner of Furniture Row Racing, said. “Our goal is for Jones to qualify for the playoffs, make a run for the championship and capture Rookie of the Year honors.

“We are working on our team plans for 2018 but don’t have anything concrete to report at this time except that Martin Truex Jr. will continue to drive the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.”

Kenseth has 38 victories in the Monster Energy Series and won the championship while driving for Jack Roush in 2003. He has earned 14 of his 38 victories while at JGR.

Richmond International Raceway Announces New Brand Identity as Richmond Raceway

Richmond International Raceway officially rebrands as Richmond Raceway (Richmond) reflecting a bold brand identity to forge a greater connection to the local roots of racing in RVA and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The new brand logo unites the past and present to showcase the vibrant future of the sport at Richmond Raceway.

The new Richmond Raceway brand identity has a simplified color palette of red and black. Pantone® Black represents the track’s iconic Richmond night racing experience. Red (Pantone® 185C) signifies the red stripes that are part of the past and present of the track walls and logo. The double RR’s in the logo are inspired by the organization’s Richmond International Raceway logo introduced in 1988 designed by Sam Bass, who is NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist. Bass is a Hopewell, V.A. native and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate.

The new Richmond wall badge announced before the spring race is the foundation of the new brand logo showing the prominence and importance of the region to the future of the track. The red block around the double RR’s is a direct correlation to the red stripes, which returned to the track walls for the first time since 1988.

The checkered flag pattern next to "Raceway" in the logo is a connection to the flag in the vintage Richmond Raceway Fairgrounds logo. It is also a recognition of the Racing Virginia heritage in the Commonwealth as well as our loyal RICHMOND NATION members.

"The new Richmond Raceway brand identity represents the bold, bright future of the track while recognizing our historic legacy in motorsports," said Richmond President Dennis Bickmeier. "When fans come to the track for our iconic racing experience, they will know they are part of the fabric of the greater Richmond region."

The new Richmond Raceway brand identity was developed in cooperation with Madison+Main, a Richmond-based brand communications agency. Richmond Raceway is the first change to the organization’s name since it shifted from the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway to Richmond International Raceway in 1988. It is also the first new brand mark since the track’s "oval" logo was introduced in 2001.

"This rebranding project was a great collaborative effort, and one that our entire team is especially proud of," said David Saunders, Chief Idea Officer of Madison+Main. "Richmond Raceway is an iconic, legendary brand and we wanted to create a simple, bold mark — built on its successful history and vision — in order to create a brand identity that works now and in the future."
In addition to the new Richmond Raceway logo, new brand marks are being introduced for the Richmond Raceway Complex and The Classic Amphitheater. The new Richmond Raceway branding will also extend to additional logos associated with the track including RICHMOND NATION and 3-Wide Hospitality. The Raceway’s charitable arm, RIR Cares, will also undergo a brand change at a later date.

Kyle Busch outruns charging Ryan Blaney for 88th NASCAR XFINITY win

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

SPARTA, Ky. – As Kyle Busch spun his No. 18 Toyota wildly during his celebratory burnout at Kentucky Speedway, the right rear tire exploded with an audible pop after it hit the drain below the apron.

It was an astute call by crew chief Eric Phillips that enabled Busch’s tires to survive long enough to win Saturday afternoon’s rain-delayed Alsco 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at the 1.5-mile track.

In effect, Phillips was the architect of Busch’s second victory this season, his fourth at Kentucky and the 88th of his career, extending his own series record. Busch, the pole winner, was leading on Lap 129, when the engine in Joey Gase’s No. 52 Chevrolet blew up in Turn 3, dumping fluid on the track to necessitate the seventh caution of the afternoon.

That’s when Phillips, thinking several moves ahead, opted for four tires. Busch lost six positions to teams that opted for two-tire stops, but by Lap 148 he had passed Joey Logano, who had two runs on his left-side tires, for the third position.

The four-tire call enabled Busch to stay on the track and inherit the lead when Ray Black Jr.’s crash in Turn 2 brought out the eighth and final caution on Lap 167. Busch remained out front the rest of the way and got some help when Ryan Blaney, whose No. 12 Ford was arguably the fastest car in the race, was penalized for a runaway tire during his final pit stop on Lap 168.

"These guys keep getting better, and we just bide our time a little bit as we did today," Busch said. "We did what we needed to do to be there at the end and gave it our best opportunity there. We took four tires and that kind of got us behind there with two pit stops to go.

"And then some of those guys came in again. Obviously, our car was really fast out front, and once I got in clean air, I didn’t think anybody had anything for us."

 

Blaney restarted at the back of the field and charged to second place, passing third-place finisher Erik Jones for the runner-up spot on the final lap. But Blaney ran out of time where the win was concerned and crossed the finish line 1.097 seconds behind Busch, who won from the pole for the 35th time.

"We got it really good at the end," Blaney said ruefully. "We were good all day. I thought we were the best car all day, personally. Before that last caution. I thought we were going to get by the 20 (Jones) and set sail. The caution came out and we were debating on whether to pit or not.

"It’s easy to look back on it now and say that we should have stayed out and seen what happened. I thought the right call was to pit, and we just had a violation. That stings. It almost stings worse running all the way up there and finishing second than if we would have finished 10th or something."

Kevin Harvick, who stayed on track with Busch for the final restart, held onto fourth place. Ty Dillon ran fifth, followed by Logano and William Byron. Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric and Tyler Reddick completed the top 10.

There was no shortage of action from the outset of Saturday’s race. As the cars reached the start/finish line for the initial green flag, the field bunched up, and the cars of Brendan Gaughan, Black Koch, Brandon Jones, Ryan Reed and Michael Annett were damaged in the resulting melee.

Jones fell out immediately, Gaughan was eliminated by a subsequent accident on Lap 7, and Reed dropped out after 55 laps because of overheating. Annett and Koch were able to continue and finished 16th and 23rd, respectively, but those opening moments set the tone for wild restarts that would follow.

Series leader Elliott Sadler ran 12th and maintained a 45-point edge over second-place Byron, who fell short in his attempt to win a third straight race.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race - Alsco 300

Kentucky Speedway

Sparta, Kentucky

Saturday, July 8, 2017

                   1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200.

                   2. (3) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.

                   3. (2) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200.

                   4. (11) Kevin Harvick(i), Ford, 200.

                   5. (12) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.

                   6. (4) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 200.

                   7. (5) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 200.

                   8. (13) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.

                   9. (10) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 200.

                   10. (6) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 200.

                   11. (8) Cole Custer #, Ford, 200.

                   12. (18) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200.

                   13. (14) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 200.

                   14. (15) Matt Tifft #, Toyota, 200.

                   15. (25) Casey Mears, Ford, 200.

                   16. (23) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 200.

                   17. (22) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 200.

                   18. (27) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.

                   19. (29) Jeb Burton, Toyota, 200.

                   20. (24) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.

                   21. (7) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 199.

                   22. (26) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199.

                   23. (19) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 199.

                   24. (31) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 198.

                   25. (30) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 197.

                   26. (32) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 196.

                   27. (34) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 195.

                   28. (33) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 195.

                   29. (38) Chad Finchum, Chevrolet, 194.

                   30. (40) Angela Ruch, Chevrolet, 192.

                   31. (36) David Starr, Chevrolet, 188.

                   32. (16) Ben Kennedy, Chevrolet, Electrical, 178.

                   33. (35) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Transmission, 125.

                   34. (9) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 102.

                   35. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Engine, 58.

                   36. (21) Ryan Reed, Ford, Overheating, 55.

                   37. (28) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Ignition, 53.

                   38. (37) Timmy Hill, Toyota, Suspension, 31.

                   39. (17) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Accident, 6.

                   40. (20) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 0.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  119.258 mph.

Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 30 Mins, 56 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.097 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  8 for 44 laps.

Lead Changes:  7 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 1-5; E. Jones(i) 6-47; J. Logano(i) 48; R. Blaney(i) 49-99; K. Busch(i) 100-131; R. Blaney(i) 132; E. Jones(i) 133-167; K. Busch(i) 168-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  E. Jones(i) 2 times for 77 laps; K. Busch(i) 3 times for 70 laps; R. Blaney(i) 2 times for 52 laps; J. Logano(i) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,18,22,2,42,00,9,7,12,41

Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,20,18,41,2,9,7,22,42,48

Severe weather forces postpone of NASCAR XFINITY race

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

SPARTA, Ky. – With a dangerous storm approaching Kentucky Speedway, NASCAR opted to postpone Friday night’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Alsco 300 until noon on Saturday (NBCSN), creating a doubleheader with the Quaker State 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

"NASCAR and Kentucky Speedway have decided to postpone tonight’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race until tomorrow," NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said in a statement. "Fan safety is our number one priority.

"Due to extreme weather forecasted deep into this evening, we did not see any opportunity to get the race completed tonight."

When the race starts on Saturday, Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag, having won the pole for both Saturday races at the 1.5-mile track. Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Erik Jones, will start beside him on the front row.

Series leader Elliott Sadler qualified 18th.

Christopher Bell holds off Brandon Jones in Kentucky NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

SPARTA, Ky. – Christopher Bell survived an accident and an early spin to win Thursday night’s Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kentucky Speedway.

Bell picked up his third victory of the season, his first at Kentucky and the fifth of his career, holding off runner-up Brandon Jones by .187 seconds at the end of a closing 32-lap green-flag run.

"This is pretty special," Bell said in Victory Lane. "We had our ups and downs. Practice (on Wednesday) didn’t go very well, but we had a really fast Tundra, and (crew chief) Rudy Fugle made great calls from the pit box after I made a mistake and spun out."

That mistake came on Lap 27, with Bell sliding out of control in his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. But by the time divergent pit strategies sorted out for a restart on Lap 83, Bell was back at the front of the field.

Jones had his own issues, going a lap down after NASCAR penalized him for failure to line up in proper position for a restart. But he returned to the lead lap with a free pass as the highest scored lapped car and took the fight to Bell for the final 35 laps of the race after passing John Hunter Nemechek for the second spot on Lap 114 of 150.

During the final 10 laps, Jones closed to the rear bumper of Bell’s Toyota, but couldn’t find a way around his rival.

"I was trying everything I knew to do in there," said Jones, who has three second-place finishes in the Truck Series but hasn’t won a race. "Just trying to play mind games with him and trick him out some, but he had a hotrod, too."

Rookie Justin Haley finished third, followed by Austin Cindric and Stage 2 winner Noah Gragson, who passed his boss, Kyle Busch, in the closing laps to nail down the fifth spot.

Defending series champion Johnny Sauter finished ninth and retained the series lead by 28 points over Bell. 

Kentucky native Ben Rhodes won the first 35-lap stage, but elation soon turned to abject disappointment after a restart on Lap 42, after Rhodes made a pit stop and took the green flag in 13th.

On the restart lap, Rhodes made a move on the bottom, creating a three-wide logjam with Christopher Bell in the middle and TJ Bell on the outside. The trucks ran out of room as they entered Turn 3, with Christopher Bell moving down slightly on Rhodes’ Tundra, which had gotten loose entering the corner.

Rhodes spun up the track into the path of ThorSport Racing teammate Grant Enfinger, and both trucks were destroyed in the collision.

"I was underneath the 4 (Bell) trying to make a move," Rhodes said. "Then I saw him start to come down on me so I started backing out, and as we were going down to the groove we just all ran out of room. I was trying to give everybody as much room as I could. Just unfortunate. I know all the restarts everybody was going as hard as they can.

"They were four-wide in front of me, so I was trying to do what I could with what I had. Just unfortunate we couldn’t come out a little bit better for our Safelite team. We had a lot of people here tonight to watch the race. Sorry I let them down. Just a big mistake on my part. Miscalculated it, and just need to reevaluate our situation this year and try to get us in the playoffs."

For Enfinger, the wreck ended a string of four straight top-five finishes.

"They just crashed in front of us there," Enfinger said. "I think it was everybody just aggressive on restarts, but you’ve got to be. It’s so hard to pass. It’s just crazy on these restarts. It’s what makes the Camping World Truck Series so exciting, but you’ve got to go for it on those restarts, unfortunately."

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - Buckle Up In Your Truck 225

Kentucky Speedway

Sparta, Kentucky

Thursday, July 6, 2017

                   1. (2) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 150.

                   2. (16) Brandon Jones(i), Chevrolet, 150.

                   3. (10) Justin Haley #, Chevrolet, 150.

                   4. (13) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 150.

                   5. (11) Noah Gragson #, Toyota, 150.

                   6. (27) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 150.

                   7. (30) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 150.

                   8. (4) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 150.

                   9. (1) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 150.

                   10. (18) Austin Hill, Ford, 150.

                   11. (3) Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 150.

                   12. (29) Stewart Friesen #, Chevrolet, 150.

                   13. (15) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 150.

                   14. (20) Regan Smith, Ford, 150.

                   15. (14) Cody Coughlin #, Toyota, 150.

                   16. (6) Myatt Snider, Toyota, 149.

                   17. (25) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 149.

                   18. (9) John H. Nemechek, Chevrolet, 148.

                   19. (21) Wendell Chavous #, Chevrolet, 145.

                   20. (23) Josh Reaume, Chevrolet, 144.

                   21. (22) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 142.

                   22. (32) Austin Wayne Self, Toyota, 130.

                   23. (8) Ryan Truex, Toyota, Accident, 114.

                   24. (12) Kaz Grala #, Chevrolet, Accident, 114.

                   25. (24) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Suspension, 62.

                   26. (19) TJ Bell, Chevrolet, Accident, 54.

                   27. (5) Ben Rhodes, Toyota, Accident, 41.

                   28. (7) Grant Enfinger #, Toyota, Accident, 41.

                   29. (28) Matt Mills, Chevrolet, Accident, 20.

                   30. (26) Camden Murphy, Chevrolet, Electrical, 10.

                   31. (31) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, Overheating, 1.

                   32. (17) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Engine, 0.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  112.703 mph.

Time of Race:  01 Hrs, 59 Mins, 47 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.187 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  8 for 42 laps.

Lead Changes:  10 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   J. Sauter 1-26; G. Enfinger # 27-31; B. Rhodes 32-36; J. Haley # 37-40; N. Gragson # 41-72; M. Snider 73-76; C. Bell 77-92; John H. Nemechek 93-108; C. Bell 109; John H. Nemechek 110-113; C. Bell 114-150.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  C. Bell 3 times for 54 laps; N. Gragson # 1 time for 32 laps; J. Sauter 1 time for 26 laps; John H. Nemechek 2 times for 20 laps; G. Enfinger # 1 time for 5 laps; B. Rhodes 1 time for 5 laps; J. Haley # 1 time for 4 laps; M. Snider 1 time for 4 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 27,16,88,98,8,24,33,66,18,02

Stage #2 Top Ten: 18,46,24,29,51,4,19,21,33,8