2017 Championship 4 / Manufacturer Championship Clinch Scenarios

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Already Clinched: Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr.

Clinching for Championship 4:

• Brad 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.

• Denny Hamlin – If Hamlin wins, he will clinch. Could clinch on points with Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.

• Ryan Blaney – If Blaney wins, he will clinch. Could clinch on points with Kyle Busch/Truex/Harvick or a non-playoff driver win and help.

• Chase 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.

• Jimmie 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.

Manufacturer Championship: 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 60-point lead over second place.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Already Clinched: None

Clinching for Championship 4:

• Elliott Sadler – With a win, Sadler would clinch. If a playoff driver wins, would clinch with 32 Points. If a playoff driver doesn’t win, he would clinch with 27 Points.

• William Byron – With a win, Byron would clinch. If a playoff driver wins, would clinch on points with 37 Points. If a playoff driver doesn’t wins, he would clinch with 32 Points.

• Justin Allgaier – With a win, Allgaier would clinch. If a playoff driver wins, would clinch on points with 41 Points. If a playoff driver doesn’t wins, he would clinch on points with 36 Points.

• Brennan Poole – With a win, Poole would clinch. If a playoff driver doesn’t win, he would clinch on points with 51 Points. Could clinch on points with help if a playoff driver wins.

• Matt Tifft (0 Wins, 3074 Points) – With a win, Tifft would clinch. Could clinch on points with help.

• Cole Custer (0 Wins, 3066 Points) – With a win, Custer would clinch. Could clinch on points with help.

• Daniel Hemric (0 Wins, 3061 Points) – With a win, Hemric would clinch. Could clinch on points with help.

• Ryan Reed (0 Wins, 3046 Points) – With a win, Reed would clinch. Could clinch on points with help.

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

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Already Clinched: Johnny Sauter

Clinching for Championship 4:

• Christopher Bell – With a win, Bell would clinch. If a playoff driver wins, would clinch on points with 6 Points (NOTE: Bell can conceivably clinch a spot following Stage 1.). If Sauter or a non-playoff driver wins, he would clinch on points with 1 Point.

• Matt Crafton – With a win, Crafton would clinch. If a playoff driver wins, would clinch on points with 37 Points. If Sauter or a non-playoff driver wins, would clinch on points with 32 Points.

• Austin Cindric – With a win, Cindric would clinch. If Sauter or a non-playoff driver wins, would clinch on points with 50 Points. If a playoff driver wins, could clinch on points with help.

• Ben Rhodes – With a win, Rhodes would clinch. Could clinch on points with help.

• John Hunter Nemechek – With a win, Nemechek would clinch. Could clinch on points with help.

Manufacturer Championship: Toyota currently 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.

Kevin Harvick wins at Texas with late-race pass, advances to Championship 4

Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Tex. – Martin Truex Jr. isn’t invincible after all.

Kevin Harvick put a serious dent in Truex’s sense of invulnerability on Sunday afternoon, passing Truex with nine laps left in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and pulling away to win by 1.580 seconds.

In beating this year’s unrivaled master of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ 1.5-mile intermediate speedways, Harvick earned a spot in the Nov. 19 Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which Harvick won the first title contested under an elimination format in 2014.

The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford won for the first time at Texas, denying Truex the same accomplishment and ending Truex’s streak of wins on intermediate tracks at four. The victory was Harvick’s second of the season and the 37th of his career.

"Damn, it’s good to be in Victory Lane here in Texas," Harvick said. "I knew I had a really good car. I knew I had to do something different. I started driving a whole lot deeper in (Turn) 1 – a whole lot deeper.

"I started doing that earlier in the race, but I was afraid I didn’t have the brakes to continue to do that all day. So I waited until the end and was able to get on the outside of Martin (off Turn 2) and got him loose and brushed across the back of him and was able to get by on the outside down there."

As consolation, Truex clinched a berth at Homestead on points, leaving Texas 57 points ahead of fifth-place finisher Brad Keselowski, who is fourth in the standings with a 19-point edge over fifth-place Denny Hamlin (third on Sunday).

"At the start of the race, our car wasn't very good," said Truex, who led a race-high 107 laps to bring his season total to 2,175. "Track position was a big part of this race. We fought the car. We fought track position. We got the lead, led some laps. Ultimately, at the end, we weren't as good as we needed to be to win.

"A little disappointed to come up short, but to clinch a spot in Miami is unbelievable. Definitely got the job done today and came here and did what we needed to do."

With Kyle Busch having earned his spot in the championship race by winning last Sunday at Martinsville, one berth remains as the series heads for the final race in the Round of 8 next Sunday at Phoenix.

After Kyle Larson clobbered the outside wall in Turn 2 on Lap 282 and ended his race in a fireball against the fence to cause the eighth and final caution of the event, Truex cleared then-race leader Hamlin off Turn 2 during a Lap 289 restart and pulled out to a half-second lead.

Harvick grabbed fourth from Kasey Kahne after the restart, passed Joey Logano for third on Lap 300 and got past Hamlin for second on Lap 307. Then it was a matter of tracking down Truex.

On Lap 314 Harvick closed dramatically when Truex slowed behind a knot of lapped cars entering Turn 1. Hounding Truex for the next 10 circuits, Harvick finally made the pass on Lap 325 of 334.

"He got to my outside and was just faster at the end," Truex said. "Once he got in front of us, he was just gone. Nothing I could do. Just one of those deals where he was quicker. Got me in a bad spot, took advantage, and he was gone."

Veteran Matt Kenseth ran fourth, after saying this weekend he likely will step away from the sport at the end of the season, with no concrete job lined up for next year. Playoff driver Ryan Blaney ran sixth and heads to Phoenix sixth in the standings, three points behind Hamlin.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson are mired in seventh and eighth places, respectively, almost certainly needing a victory at Phoenix to advance to the Championship 4. Elliott came home eighth at Texas. Johnson lost two laps early because of an unscheduled pit stop and finished 27th, three laps down, his hopes for a record eighth title suffering a telling blow.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - AAA Texas 500

Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, Texas

Sunday, November 5, 2017

           1. (3) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 334.
           2. (7) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 334.
           3. (2) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 334.
           4. (35) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 334.
           5. (10) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 334.
           6. (8) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 334.
           7. (36) Joey Logano, Ford, 334.
           8. (34) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 334.
           9. (1) Kurt Busch, Ford, 334.
           10. (4) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 334.
           11. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 334.
           12. (12) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 334.
           13. (15) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 334.
           14. (6) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 334.
           15. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 334.
           16. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 334.
           17. (14) Danica Patrick, Ford, 333.
           18. (13) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 333.
           19. (5) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 333.
           20. (25) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 333.
           21. (23) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 333.
           22. (26) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 333.
           23. (21) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 332.
           24. (27) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 332.
           25. (28) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 332.
           26. (22) Landon Cassill, Ford, 331.
           27. (9) Jimmie Johnson (P), Chevrolet, 331.
           28. (37) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 330.
           29. (29) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 330.
           30. (24) David Ragan, Ford, 329.
           31. (38) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 325.
           32. (30) * Joey Gase(i), Chevrolet, 322.
           33. (32) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 322.
           34. (31) * Ray Black II(i), Chevrolet, 305.
           35. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 304.
           36. (20) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 303.
           37. (11) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 282.
           38. (33) * David Starr(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 237.
           39. (39) Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, Engine, 227.
           40. (40) * Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, Engine, 159.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 143.234 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 29 Mins, 52 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.580 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 40 laps.
Lead Changes: 27 among 13 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; D. Hamlin (P) 1-46; K. Larson 47-53; A. Dillon 54; C. Elliott (P) 55; M. McDowell 56-59; R. Newman 60; K. Larson 61-69; K. Harvick (P) 70-88; D. Hamlin (P) 89-91; K. Harvick (P) 92-97; K. Larson 98-143; M. Kenseth 144-154; D. Earnhardt Jr. 155-157; K. Kahne 158-160; K. Larson 161-172; K. Harvick (P) 173; M. Kenseth 174-184; M. Truex Jr. (P) 185-225; K. Harvick (P) 226-227; K. Busch (P) 228-234; J. Logano 235; M. Truex Jr. (P) 236-238; M. Kenseth 239-245; M. Truex Jr. (P) 246-271; D. Hamlin (P) 272-287; M. Truex Jr. (P) 288-324; K. Harvick (P) 325-334.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Truex Jr. (P) 4 times for 107 laps; K. Larson 4 times for 74 laps; D. Hamlin (P) 3 times for 65 laps; K. Harvick (P) 5 times for 38 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 29 laps; K. Busch (P) 1 time for 7 laps; M. McDowell 1 time for 4 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 1 time for 3 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 3 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 1 lap; C. Elliott (P) 1 time for 1 lap; A. Dillon 1 time for 1 lap; R. Newman 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 4,78,11,42,41,77,20,21,3,19
Stage #2 Top Ten: 42,4,21,78,24,11,41,20,77,3

Erik Jones completes Texas sweep with NASCAR XFINITY win

Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Tex. – There was no keeping up with Erik Jones on Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway – though Ryan Blaney tried his level best over the closing laps of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

Jones, the pole winner, swept the first and second stages of the event, led 142-of-200 laps and completed the season sweep of NASCAR XFINITY Series races at the 1.5-mile track – the first time that’s happened since Kyle Busch won both races in 2009.

The victory was Jones’ third of the season, his third in six starts at TMS and the ninth of his career. Though the race was decisive in Jones’ favor, it settled little with regard to the XFINITY Series Playoff, with no driver clinching a spot in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Regaining the lead after a cycle of green-flag pit stops, when Ty Dillon pulled onto pit road on Lap 192, Jones kept Blaney behind him the rest of the way and powered his No. 20 Joes Gibbs racing Toyota across the finish line 1.018 seconds ahead of Blaney’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

After last year’s fall race, the track was repaved. If anything, the new configuration made Jones even faster.

"It’s sure been a good race track to me," Jones said. "On the old track and the repave now. It’s just been a place I’ve enjoyed coming to. The first time I came here in a truck, I’ll never forget, I never thought I’d like the place, and ever since then it’s just kind of clicked for me. 

"Just excited to get back to Victory Lane. It’s been a few months since I’ve grabbed a win and the 20 guys have got a win, so happy to get them back here. They’ve brought fast cars for the last month, and we just haven’t found Victory Lane, so cool to get back here again and just happy for these guys."

After Blaney made his last stop for fuel on Lap 185, and Jones pitted a lap later, Blaney trailed the race winner by less than a car length when they both regained top speed. Passing was another matter.

"It just stinks we couldn’t get around him," said Blaney, who is in the thick of the battle for a Championship 4 spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. "I thought we had a shot after the green-flag stop. I thought we were way better, but we got held up a couple times by traffic. 

"I thought we had the car to win – just a matter of trying to get in front of him, and I couldn’t pass anybody. I tried to get him loose a couple times and couldn’t do it. I about wrecked myself trying to get him loose. It’s really hard to get around anybody. Hopefully, that gets a little better for tomorrow."

Kyle Larson came home third after two snafus on pit road cost him a chance to win. Under caution on Lap 92, after the end of the second stage, Larson came to pit road before it was open. Though he didn’t stop for service, Larson lost positions when he blended back in line.

And after a stop on Lap 127, Larson had to return to pit road to allow his crew to tighten a loose lug nut. With the race going green to the finish after the subsequent restart on Lap 131, Larson ran out of time in his pursuit of the winner and runner-up. 

Elliott Sadler ran fourth and took the series lead by five points over JR Motorsports teammate William Byron, who ran ninth. Justin Allgaier, the third JR Motorsports Playoff driver, is nine points behind Sadler after an 11th-place finish.

"My car was really good tonight," Sadler said. "Erik and Blaney were so much better into (Turns) 1 and 2. They had it figured out. I’ve got to go to work before we come back here in the spring. But all in all, it was a great night for us." 

Cole Custer finished fifth, recovering from a punctured tire that dropped him rapidly from his front-row starting position but the driver of the No. 00 Ford leaves Texas in sixth place, 13 points behind fourth-place Brennan Poole, with the Playoff field to be cut to the top four after next Saturday’s race at Phoenix.

Matt Tifft ran eighth and is fifth in the standings, five points behind Poole.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race - O'Reilly Auto Parts 300

Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, Texas

Saturday, November 4, 2017

           1. (1) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200.
           2. (4) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
           3. (10) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200.
           4. (5) Elliott Sadler (P), Chevrolet, 200.
           5. (2) Cole Custer # (P), Ford, 200.
           6. (8) Christopher Bell(i), Toyota, 200.
           7. (12) Brennan Poole (P), Chevrolet, 200.
           8. (3) Matt Tifft # (P), Toyota, 200.
           9. (9) William Byron # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
           10. (7) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
           11. (13) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.
           12. (18) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199.
           13. (17) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 199.
           14. (6) Daniel Hemric # (P), Chevrolet, 199.
           15. (16) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 199.
           16. (14) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 199.
           17. (19) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199.
           18. (21) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199.
           19. (24) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
           20. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.
           21. (23) Dylan Lupton, Toyota, 198.
           22. (25) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198.
           23. (15) Ryan Reed (P), Ford, 198.
           24. (26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 198.
           25. (32) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 196.
           26. (22) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 196.
           27. (28) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 196.
           28. (33) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 195.
           29. (36) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 191.
           30. (34) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 188.
           31. (31) David Starr, Chevrolet, 159.
           32. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Suspension, 104.
           33. (30) Gray Gaulding(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 65.
           34. (38) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Electrical, 62.
           35. (11) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 60.
           36. (29) Reed Sorenson(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 52.
           37. (27) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Vibration, 50.
           38. (35) Angela Ruch, Chevrolet, Accident, 47.
           39. (39) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 25.
           40. (40) John Jackson, Dodge, Fuel Pump, 7.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 133.862 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 14 Mins, 28 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.018 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 33 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: E. Jones(i) 1-48; W. Byron # (P) 49-65; E. Jones(i) 66-80; K. Larson(i) 81; E. Jones(i) 82-93; R. Blaney(i) 94-127; E. Jones(i) 128-185; K. Larson(i) 186-188; M. Annett 189; T. Dillon(i) 190-191; E. Jones(i) 192-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones(i) 5 times for 142 laps; R. Blaney(i) 1 time for 34 laps; W. Byron # (P) 1 time for 17 laps; K. Larson(i) 2 times for 4 laps; T. Dillon(i) 1 time for 2 laps; M. Annett 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,42,1,22,19,18,9,48,7,21
Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,42,48,1,19,21,00,22,9,62

Johnny Sauter holds off fellow playoffs driver Austin Cindric for victory at Texas

Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Tex. – It was a case of déjà vu for Johnny Sauter on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

Now the defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion hopes history repeats itself two weeks hence, when he races for his second straight title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After taking over the lead on Lap 135 of 147 of the JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief, when John Hunter Nemechek ran out of gas while leading at the end of a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Sauter kept fellow Round of 6 Playoff driver Austin Cindric behind him and crossed the finish line .170 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer.

Sauter had passed Cindric for the lead on Lap 109, charging around the outside of the No. 19 Ford into Turn 1. The drivers ran 1-2 until they pitted on Lap 117 to start the pit stop cycle. Attempting to stretch fuel mileage, Nemechek ran out of gas 12 laps short and saw his championship hopes dim considerably.

Sauter won the Playoff race at Texas for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall. With his third win of the season, he raised his career victory total to 16 in the series and guaranteed a run for the title at Homestead.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Sauter, who celebrated the birth of a daughter, his third child, earlier in the week. “I was actually pretty worried about our truck after qualifying — it was pretty loose. And all we did was lower the track bar a half-round.”

Series leader Christopher Bell ran third, followed by Chase Briscoe and polesitter Justin Haley.

Sauter said after the race he would like to think the season is following the same course as last year, but he’d prefer to stay in the moment.

“I’m a realist, and I know you have to execute,” Sauter said. “Yes, this is looking a lot like it did last year, shaping up like it is. Honestly, this is our third win this year. I think we should have six or seven right now …

“We’ve got to be humble and stay nose to the grindstone, so to speak. You can’t let your guard down.”

The 19-year-old Cindric felt he ran the best race of his career on a mile-and-a-half track, but he couldn’t find a way around the 39-year-old Sauter at the end.

“I think it was youth versus experience tonight, and experience won, in more ways than one,” said Cindric, who moved into fourth place in the standings with the cut to four Championship 4 drivers looming next Friday at Phoenix.

“Johnny taught me a few things, but he basically taught me while he passed me for the race win.”

Bell owns a four-point lead over Sauter in the series standings, with two-time champion Matt Crafton 31 points back in third.

Trouble on a late pit stop dropped Ben Rhodes to 18th at the finish and out of the top four in the standings. Nemechek ran 19th and, for practical purposes, must win next Friday at Phoenix to advance to the Championship 4 race.

In postrace inspection, the No. 24 truck was determined to be too low, and the No. 4 truck was missing one lug nut.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief

Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, Texas

Friday, November 3, 2017

           1. (4) Johnny Sauter (P), Chevrolet, 147.
           2. (6) Austin Cindric # (P), Ford, 147.
           3. (3) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 147.
           4. (10) Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 147.
           5. (1) Justin Haley #, Chevrolet, 147.
           6. (7) Kaz Grala #, Chevrolet, 147.
           7. (19) Grant Enfinger #, Toyota, 147.
           8. (5) Ryan Truex, Toyota, 147.
           9. (8) Matt Crafton (P), Toyota, 147.
           10. (2) Noah Gragson #, Toyota, 147.
           11. (17) Austin Hill, Ford, 147.
           12. (12) Myatt Snider, Toyota, 147.
           13. (14) Regan Smith, Ford, 147.
           14. (16) Stewart Friesen #, Chevrolet, 147.
           15. (18) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 146.
           16. (15) Cody Coughlin #, Toyota, 145.
           17. (13) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 145.
           18. (9) Ben Rhodes (P), Toyota, 145.
           19. (11) John H. Nemechek (P), Chevrolet, 145.
           20. (26) Josh Reaume, Chevrolet, 139.
           21. (21) Wendell Chavous #, Chevrolet, 138.
           22. (28) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 130.
           23. (29) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Brakes, 92.
           24. (24) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Power Steering, 70.
           25. (30) Ted Minor, Chevrolet, Engine, 41.
           26. (23) Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, Accident, 24.
           27. (20) Gray Gaulding(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 23.
           28. (27) Ray Ciccarelli, Chevrolet, Electrical, 21.
           29. (25) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 18.
           30. (31) Mike Senica, Chevrolet, Oil Pressure, 8.
           31. (22) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, Vibration, 7.
           32. (32) Tommy Joe Martins(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 3.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 131.38 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 40 Mins, 42 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.170 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 26 laps.
Lead Changes: 11 among 10 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Haley # 1-25; C. Bell (P) 26-37; M. Crafton (P) 38-42; M. Snider 43-63; N. Gragson # 64-72; A. Cindric # (P) 73-108; J. Sauter (P) 109-116; C. Briscoe # 117; C. Bell (P) 118-125; G. Enfinger # 126; J. Nemechek (P) 127-134; J. Sauter (P) 135-147.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): A. Cindric # (P) 1 time for 36 laps; J. Haley # 1 time for 25 laps; J. Sauter (P) 2 times for 21 laps; M. Snider 1 time for 21 laps; C. Bell (P) 2 times for 20 laps; N. Gragson # 1 time for 9 laps; J. Nemechek (P) 1 time for 8 laps; M. Crafton (P) 1 time for 5 laps; G. Enfinger # 1 time for 1 lap; C. Briscoe # 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 4,21,19,27,8,88,51,33,02,18


Stage #2 Top Ten: 18,51,4,33,16,27,19,88,21,8

Schatz Reaches 20-Win Plateau for Fifth Straight Year with Win at Textron Off Road World Finals

CHARLOTTE, NC – No matter who is in the pits, it’s tough to bet against Donny Schatz. That proved true on Night Two of the Textron Off Road World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as Schatz bested a stout field of 53 cars from across the world to win his 20th World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature of 2017. Ian Madsen and 10th-starting Dave Blaney completed the podium. 

The 2017 IRA Champion, Bill Balog, grabbed the early lead from fellow front row starter, Ian Madsen. Balog, a one-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Winner in his career, led the first nine laps of the Feature before extremely heavy lapped traffic slowed his torrid pace. Balog was stalked by the Madsen Brothers in the early going, but it was Donny Schatz that made a three-wide pass for the lead down the backstretch to lead lap 10.

As Balog went high to navigate the lapped cars, Schatz made a jaw-dropping move. The, now nine-time, Series Champion glued his car to the bottom to work by Balog, Kerry Madsen and the lapped car of Parker Price-Miller off of turn two for the lead.

Lap 11 saw a pair of World of Outlaws young guns, Sheldon Haudenschild and David Gravel, succumb to flat right rear tires. Gravel was running third at the time of the misfortune.

The ensuing restart saw Ian Madsen maneuver his way back into the runner-up position. The Australian actually closed significantly on Schatz for the lead, coming as close as a car-length back of the Tony Stewart Racing No. 15.

With six laps remaining, Daryn Pittman’s top five run came to an end due to a flat tire. This set up a double-file restart with Ian to the outside of Schatz. Schatz got a brilliant restart and paced the field comfortably the final six circuits to score the victory.

The first thing Schatz mentioned in Victory Lane was the outstanding World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Feature that was held beforehand. “That [Feature] was pretty cool to watch. It got me motivated to get it done as well,” Schatz, who is doing double-duty this weekend, said.

“My team has worked awful hard lately. We’ve been stuck on 19 wins for a long time, so it was great to finally reach 20. It sucks the season is over, because we are rolling right now,” Schatz added. Tonight’s win marked the fifth consecutive season that Schatz has won at least 20 Features.

Ian Madsen, the 2017 Knoxville Raceway Track Champion, finished second with 1995 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Champion, Dave Blaney coming from 10th to complete the podium.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to run up front with these guys. I thought we had a shot for the lead a couple of times. It was a lot of fun out there,” Madsen said. Schatz echoed Madsen’s statement about the track conditions, “I thought the track would rubber up, but it really cleaned off and made it a lot of fun as a driver.”

Blaney cited restarts being a focal point to his success on the evening. “The car really took off on the starts and restarts. Going forward in the Heat Races is very important with this format,” the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Member said.

Kerry Madsen and Joey Saldana completed the top five. Balog, 20th-starting Logan Schuchart, Jason Johnson, 25th-starting Brad Sweet and Tim Shaffer completed the top ten. Sweet’s effort was good enough to earn KSE Hard Charger Honors.

The 2017 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series concludes tomorrow with the finale of the Textron Off Road World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. If you can’t make it to the track, be sure to tune in to DIRTVision.com for LIVE VIDEO of all the action!

Abbreviated Results from November 3, 2017 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$12,000]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [1][$5,500]; 3. 71M-Dave Blaney [10][$3,200]; 4. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4][$2,800]; 5. 71-Joey Saldana [5][$2,500]; 6. 17B-Bill Balog [2][$2,300]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [20][$2,200]; 8. 41-Jason Johnson [12][$2,100]; 9. 49-Brad Sweet [25][$1,050]; 10. 49X-Tim Shaffer [9][$2,000]; 11. 13M-Paul McMahan [11][$1,500]; 12. 21-Brian Brown [19][$1,200]; 13. 12N-Cole Duncan [23][$1,100]; 14. 2-Shane Stewart [15][$1,050]; 15. 7S-Jason Sides [28][$]; 16. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [26][$]; 17. 5-David Gravel [7][$1,000]; 18. 3-Sammy Swindell [16][$1,000]; 19. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [6][$1,000]; 20. 17-Jac Haudenschild [29][$]; 21. 14-Tony Stewart [18][$1,000]; 22. 9-Daryn Pittman [8][$1,000]; 23. 44-Trey Starks [13][$1,000]; 24. 11K-Kraig Kinser [24][$1,000]; 25. 24-Terry McCarl [14][$1,000]; 26. 19-Brent Marks [27][$]; 27. 59-Ryan Smith [22][$1,000]; 28. 4-Parker Price-Miller [30][$]; 29. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [21][$1,000]; 30. W20-Greg Wilson [17][$1,000]; Lap Leaders: Bill Balog 1-9, Donny Schatz 10-30; KSE Hard Charger Award: 49-Brad Sweet[+16]

Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 5-David Gravel, 12.53; 2. 15-Donny Schatz, 12.584; 3. 71-Joey Saldana, 12.592; 4. 44-Trey Starks, 12.597; 5. 13M-Paul McMahan, 12.605; 6. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.663; 7. 49X-Tim Shaffer, 12.681; 8. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.681; 9. 18-Ian Madsen, 12.694; 10. 19P-Paige Polyak, 12.707; 11. 21-Brian Brown, 12.714; 12. 59-Ryan Smith, 12.72; 13. 12N-Cole Duncan, 12.767; 14. 17-Jac Haudenschild, 12.768; 15. 39-Spencer Bayston, 12.812; 16. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.841; 17. 19-Brent Marks, 12.874; 18. 27-Greg Hodnett, 12.881; 19. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.889; 20. 49K-Scott Kreutter, 12.923; 21. 3G-Carson Macedo, 12.927; 22. 49D-Shawn Dancer, 13.053; 23. 5B-Justin Barger, 13.175; 24. 7KX-Dan Shetler, 13.176; 25. OO-Dane Lorenc, 13.619; 26. 27G-Jay Galloway, 13.707

Qualifying Flight-B: 1. 9-Daryn Pittman, 12.551; 2. 71M-Dave Blaney, 12.558; 3. 17B-Bill Balog, 12.646; 4. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 12.649; 5. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 12.67; 6. 41-Jason Johnson, 12.671; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe, 12.696; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.728; 9. 13D-Danny Dietrich, 12.752; 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.774; 11. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 12.789; 12. 14-Tony Stewart, 12.826; 13. 7K-Cale Conley, 12.856; 14. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.867; 15. 7J-Chad Kemenah, 12.87; 16. 24-Terry McCarl, 12.873; 17. 17X-Josh Baughman, 12.89; 18. 13-Clyde Knipp, 12.946; 19. 4-Parker Price-Miller, 12.977; 20. 3-Sammy Swindell, 12.978; 21. 17C-Caleb Helms, 12.984; 22. 14X-Coleman Gulick, 13.081; 23. 9X-Paul Nienhiser, 13.115; 24. 47-Eric Riggins, 13.366; 25. 12W-Troy Fraker, 13.717; 26. 91-Sadie Siegel, 13.914; 27. 822-John Price, NT

Sauter, Enfinger lead Truck Series practices at Texas

Grant Enfinger was fastest during final practice for Friday's Jag Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief at Texas Motor Speedway with a speed of 185.274mph.

Myatt Snider, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Johnny Sauter, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson, Ben Rhodes, Kaz Grala, and Christopher Bell were the top-10. Remaining Round of 6 playoff driver Matt Crafton was 16th. 31 trucks practiced during the session.

Sauter was fastest during the opening practice for Friday night's race with a speed of 182.871mph.

Gragson, Ryan Truex, Snider, Haley, Bell, Stewart Friesen, Grala, Cody Coughlin and Chase Briscoe were the rest of the top-10. 23 drivers practiced during the opening session.

Team Penske, Discount Tire expand partnership for 2018 season

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Team Penske and Discount Tire announced today that beginning in 2018, the world’s largest independent tire and wheel retailer will build on its established and successful partnership with the motorsports team and become a primary sponsor of the No. 2 Ford Fusion driven by 2012 champion Brad Keselowski in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS).

Under the new multiyear agreement, Discount Tire will provide primary partnership bookends to the 2018 MENCS season, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February and concluding with Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Discount Tire will be featured as the primary sponsor of the No. 2 Ford for 10 races while continuing to serve as a prominent associate sponsor for the remainder of the schedule. Discount Tire will also continue as a primary sponsor of the No. 22 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) for multiple races in 2018 and beyond.

“Team Penske has enjoyed tremendous success with Discount Tire over the past eight seasons in the NASCAR XFINITY Series,” said Roger Penske. “We won our first NASCAR championship together with the 2010 XFINITY Series title and the company will always have a special place in our history. We are excited for a new challenge with Discount Tire as we look to build on that success with Brad and the No. 2 Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Cup Series.”

The partnership between Discount Tire and Team Penske began in 2010 with the No. 22 NXS team that won six races and established a series record with 26 top-five finishes on its way to the championship won by Keselowski. The relationship continued to produce titles as the No. 22 Discount Tire team earned three-consecutive NXS Owners’ Championships from 2013-2015. In total during their partnership, five Team Penske drivers have won 33 NXS races in a Discount Tire-sponsored entry, with Keselowski leading the way, posting 23 victories. The No. 22 team is also currently leading the NXS Owners’ Point Standings with three races remaining in the season.

“Our partnership with Team Penske has been incredibly successful during an exciting time for our company,” said Discount Tire Chairman Bruce T. Halle. “Roger and his team have been wonderful to work with, and of course, all of the wins and championships are fantastic. As we continue to expand Discount Tire across the country, we look forward to celebrating more successes with Brad and all of Team Penske as together we pursue the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship.”

Since 2010, Discount Tire has expanded into 13 new states and added 175 new neighborhood retail tire stores. Team Penske drivers regularly visit Discount Tire stores to interact with customers and staff, and participate in tire safety campaigns promoted by Discount Tire.

“Discount Tire has been an important part of my racing life for a long time now,” said Keselowski. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish together and of the relationships I have built over the years. It will be like coming full circle next year, as many of the current guys on the No. 2 Cup team were also with me during our 2010 XFINITY Championship run. It’s great to see this partnership continuing into the Cup Series while still maintaining an important place in the XFINITY Series.”

The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series regular season begins with the 60th anniversary running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, on Sunday, February 18.

Kyle Busch wins at Martinsville in thrilling fashion

Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The sun went down, the new lights came on and all hell broke loose at Martinsville Speedway.

In a wild overtime finish that took Sunday’s First Data 500 to 505 laps at the .526-mile short track, Kyle Busch beat Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series leader Martin Truex Jr. to the stripe by .141 seconds to take the checkered flag and earn a spot in the Nov. 19 Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

As Busch crossed the finish line, a multi-car wreck behind him scrambled the running order and left a parking lot of mangled cars on the frontstretch.

But that was simply the final act in a drama that saw a succession of Playoff contenders lose excellent chances to win the first event in the Round of 8.

Chase Elliott held the lead with three laps left in regulation distance when Denny Hamlin dumped Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet in Turn 3, causing the 11th caution and sending the race into overtime.

Ten laps earlier, Brad Keselowski appeared headed for victory and a guaranteed ticket to Homestead before Joey Logano developed a severe tire rub after contact from Busch’s No. 18 Toyota in Turn 1.

Logano spun off Ryan Blaney’s front bumper when the tire went flat in Turn 2, and Elliott grabbed the lead after the restart on Lap 497, with Hamlin following. Hamlin punted Elliott a lap later, and hard feelings continued after the race, with Elliott running Hamlin’s Toyota into the outside wall on the cool-down lap.

Elliott’s wreck set the stage for Busch to win for the second time at Martinsville, the fifth time this season and the 43rd time in his career. After Hamlin cleared Busch on the overtime restart, Busch cut to the inside and wheel-hopped into Hamlin’s Camry, forcing his JGR teammate up the track.

Hamlin fell to seventh at the finish behind Clint Bowyer in third, Keselowski in fourth, Kevin Harvick in fifth and Trevor Bayne in sixth.

“I wanted to get a better restart, pinch Denny down a little bit, but it actually kind of worked out better for me that he got ahead a little bit, gave me a gap,” Busch said. “I got down (to the inside lane), and he got into Turn 3 and just pushed up the race track and I knew I had to plug that hole right away cause I was just going to get beat on from behind,

“So I got up in there and rooted him out of the way a little bit, and we drag-raced down the front straightaway and deep into (Turn) 1, I just wheel-hopped, chattered the rear tires and it was sideways getting in there trying to calm it down with the brakes and everything else. Was able to get through there luckily somehow – I don’t know how – and beat Truex off of (Turn) 4 back to the start/finish line.”

Truex retained the series lead by 17 points over Busch. Elliott, on the other hand went from likely winner to major casualty in the space of one corner, finishing 27th and falling 26 points below the cut line for the Championship 4, with the cut coming in two weeks at Phoenix.

“I got punted from behind and wrecked in Turn 3 leading the race,” Elliott said. “I don’t know what his problem was. It was unnecessary. I hadn’t raced him dirty all day long. There was no reason for that, and he comes over and talks to me a second ago and tells me he had somebody pushing him into Turn 3.

“I thought that was funny, because there was nobody within two car lengths of him into Turn 3 behind myself. I don’t know what the deal was, but it is so disappointing. We had the best car I’ve ever had here at Martinsville. And had an opportunity to go straight to Homestead and because of him, we don’t.”

Keselowski is third in the standings, followed by Harvick, who holds a three-point edge over Jimmie Johnson, who ran 12th on Sunday. Blaney is six points behind Harvick and Hamlin is eight back, all but guaranteeing another wild race next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway as the fight for the Championship 4 positions intensifies.

NASCAR on NBC TV Ratings/Info - MENCS at Kansas

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series telecast on NBCSN averaged 2.76 million viewers, +4% vs. NBCSN’s 2016 Fall Cup Series race average (2.65).

Viewership for the race peaked with nearly 3.6 million viewers in the 6:30-6:45 p.m. ET quarter hour.

The 2.76M viewers for the race is +31% vs. the avg viewership of NBCSN’s prior three 2017 NASCAR Playoffs races (2.11).