Crafton on Pole at Texas: Camping World Truck Series

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Crafton on pole at Texas: #88-Matt Crafton won the pole for Friday night's WinStar World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway with a speed of 181.397mph. #23-Spencer Gallagher will start second, followed by: #14-Daniel Hemric, #33-Brandon Jones, #4-Erik Jones, #17-Timothy Peters, #51-Daniel Suarez, #00-Jeb Burton, #11-Ben Kennedy, and #05-John Wes Townley.
#10 'Woman in Racing" Jenifer Jo Cobb starts 24th in the 32 truck field.

Texas Qualifying Notes:
Matt Crafton won the 21 Means 21 Pole Award for the 17th Annual WinStar World Casino & Resort 350 with a lap of 29.769 seconds, 181.397 mph.
This is his 10th pole in 359 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his third pole and 16th top-10 start in 2015.
This is his third pole in 30 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Spencer Gallagher (second) posted his seventh top-10 start of 2015 and his first in three races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Daniel Hemric (third) posted his second top-10 start at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his eighth in 21 races this season.
Spencer Gallagher (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(11-6-2015)

NASCAR penalizes Kenseth, Patrick after Martinsville

Penalty Announcement: Kenseth suspended 2 races; Patrick fined UPDATE:

   Matt Kenseth , the driver of the #20 car, has been penalized for an infraction that occurred during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville Speedway. This is a Behavioral Penalty (Sections 12.1, 12.8). Kenseth has been suspended from NASCAR through the completion of the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events and placed on NASCAR probation for a six-month period following issuance of the penalty notice.
"Based upon our extensive review, we have concluded that the #20 car driver, who is no longer in the Chase, intentionally wrecked the #22 car driver, a Chase-eligible competitor who was leading the race at the time,"said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. "The #20 car was nine laps down, and eliminated the #22 car's opportunity to continue to compete in the race.
"Additionally, we factored aspects of safety into our decision, and also the fact that the new Chase elimination format puts a premium on each and every race. These actions have no place in NASCAR."

Danica Patrick, the driver of the #10 car, has been penalized for an infraction that also took place during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville Speedway. This is a Behavioral Penalty (Sections 12.1, 12.8). Patrick has been fined $50,000, assessed with the loss of 25 series championship driver points and placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.(NASCAR)(11-3-2015)

UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing announces today that driver Matt Kenseth will appeal the penalty issued by NASCAR. The appeal will challenge the severity of the penalty which is believed to be inconsistent with previous penalties for similar on-track incidents. There will be no further comments from JGR personnel during the appeal process.(JGR)(11-3-2015)

KURT BUSCH ‘We Are Down but We Are Not Out’

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Nov. 2, 2015) – When Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) spoke to reporters following Sunday’s race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, he seemed more focused on looking forward than dwelling on what might have been.

 

“We are down but we are not out,” Busch said. “We can go to Texas and win, we can win at Phoenix. We want to get an invite to Homestead.”

 

Busch’s No. 41 Chevrolet was running third after a late-race restart when Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski made contact in front of him, turning Kenseth’s car sideways. Busch ducked to the inside but was unable to avoid hard contact with Kenseth that momentarily sent his No. 41 Chevrolet airborne then into the inside wall.

 

After being in contention for a strong finish, if not a win, in Sunday’s 500-lap race at Martinsville, Busch now heads to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth ranked seventh among the eight remaining Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers. He is 36 points behind Chase leader Jeff Gordon and likely needs to win one of the next two races if he is to continue his quest for the 2015 championship.  

 

Under the previous Chase format, drivers looked at the postseason as a 10-race stretch. Now, it’s taken three races at a time, which leaves little room for error. While the current Eliminator Round did not open the way the 2004 Sprint Cup champion hoped, he feels confident that his No. 41 Haas Automation team can rise to the challenge and earn a victory either this weekend at Texas or the following week at Phoenix International Raceway. A win in either of those races would essentially delete his 34^th-place finish at Martinsville and earn him an invite to the winner-take-all Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Busch saw this very scenario play out last season, when his SHR teammate Kevin Harvick appeared to be on his way to a top-five finish at Martinsville only to have his solid run derailed when he was involved in an on-track incident, ironically enough, with Kenseth. Harvick was able to limp his battered racecar home and was credited with a 33^rd-place finish when the checkered flag waved. He found himself in a must-win scenario to advance to the Championship Round and did just that at Phoenix. That set the stage for Harvick and the No. 4 team to secure the 2014 Sprint Cup championship the following week at Homestead. 

So, while Busch may be down, it would be difficult to count him out. He’s in championship contention during the month of November for the first time since winning his first title in 2004 and has every intention of keeping his drive for a second series championship alive in 2015.

 

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

Where do you feel like you have the best shot to win in the Eliminator Round?

 

“I want it to be Texas because that is a sister track to Homestead. Do well at Texas and that means you will do well at Homestead. I think that is our best chance to win. We sat on the pole there earlier this year.  If you want to win this title, you have to win at Homestead, you’ve got to win at Texas. I feel like at Phoenix we can go out there and mirror our teammate Kevin Harvick for a good, successful finish.” 

 

How is Texas a sister racetrack to Homestead?

 

“I believe that Texas and Homestead are sister tracks because they are both 1.5 miles and they have worn-out asphalt. I believe the tire codes might even be the same.”

 

What are the challenges of racing at Texas?

“It’s a tough mile-and-a-half racetrack. The tire wear is getting greater every year. The speed that you carry at the beginning of a run is very different than the speed at the end of the run. Then, that race, since it’s in November, the sun drops quicker this time of year. It starts in the day and then quickly goes to nightfall and cools off really quickly and then the track changes again.”

 

Will past performance help you at Texas?

“I think the way Texas is going to play out is from the results at Chicago a few weeks ago. We almost won the race there. The Chicago-style track is similar to Texas.”

 

Where do you need to be near the end of the race at Texas, and what do you have to have at Texas to win?

 

“You’ve got to be running top-six. Top-four is preferred. Obviously, starting on the front row is the best with 25 laps to go because I believe the tires there are going to come into play on how much they wear out. Trying to make sure you get the tire wear properly and, once you go into nightfall, your setup comes forward and runs more aggressively instead of falling off. That’s what it’s going to take to win at Texas.”
Source: Rory Connellan

True Speed Communication

 

Champions Night on the Race Chatter

Posted by Wayne G. Barber  Photos from Wayne G. Barber Collection

2015 Thompson World Series record 42nd Victory

Continuing our Champions format of the end of the season Race Chatter on wnri.com


Tentatively scheduled at 6:15pm  ACT Tour 8 time Champion all time winner with 42 Brian Hoar

Woman in Racing updates.


Tentatively scheduled at 6:35 pm with two Modified Championships in 2015 plus the Tri-Track final.

Woody Celebrating his Valenti Modified Championship at Thompson 2015

Woody Pitkat to review his racing seasons and his future 2016 plans.

You can e-mail from now through the broadcast at waynewnri@yahoo.com with your congratulations or any Questions to be discussed.

Woody always available to the press, Thank You !

Bucket List for 2016 NASCAR Martinsville Race

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Did you enjoy the race yesterday ?

$10 holds seat for Spring race at Martinsville:

The STP 500 is five months away, but it's never too early to make sure you've got your seat locked in for the first short-track race of the season. All it takes to hold your ticket for the STP 500 is a $10 deposit. Tickets for the STP 500 range from $45 to $85. There are also great packages and pricing for families. The STP 500 is the first race back on the east coast after the "West Coast Swing" and the first short-track race of the season. To reserve your tickets for the STP 500 and set up a payment plan, call 877.RACE.TIX or visit www.martinsvillespeedway.com.(Martinsville Speedway)(11-2-2015)

9th Grand Father Clock To Jeff Gordon at Martinsville

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Gordon wins at Martinsville: #24-Jeff Gordon won the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway for his 1st win of the season, 9th win at Martinsville and 93rd career win. Gordon led 35 of the 500 laps.
Gordon automatically advances to the Championship round of The Chase with the win.
#1-McMurray finished 2nd followed by #11-Hamlin, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #18-Busch, #78-Truex, Jr., #31-Newman, #4-Harvick, #5-Kahne, and #14-Stewart.
Several Chase drivers ran into trouble during the race. Less than 200 laps into the race, #18-Kyle Busch spun, #47-AJ Allmendinger checked up, and #19-Carl Edwards got into the rear of Allmendinger. He suffered hood damage and lost a lap, before getting it back late in the race. Busch and Edwards recovered for top 15 finishes.
With just over 50 laps remaining, #2-Keselowski got into #20-Kenseth, spinning him into #41-Kurt Busch. Keselowski and Busch had to go to the garage for repairs. Kenseth pitted and stayed on track. Then with 46 laps to go, Kenseth got into the back of Logano in turn 1, sending them both into the wall. NASCAR parked Kenseth for the remainder of the race. Logano called the move intentional, Kenseth denied that.
There were 21 lead changes among 9 drivers and 18 cautions for 109 yellow flag laps.

Only three races left in the 2015 racing season, Texas, Phoenix and then the
 (11-1-2015) NASCAR WIRE SERVICE MEDIA PRESS RELEASE
 Final 4 for the Trophy at Homestead Florida

Matt Crafton won the 17th Annual Kroger 200

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Matt Crafton won the 17th Annual Kroger 200, his 10th victory in 358 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his fifth victory and 16th top-10 finish in 2015.
This is his second victory and 16th top-10 finish in 28 races at Martinsville Speedway.
John Hunter Nemechek (second) posted his first top-10 finish in five races at Martinsville Speedway.
It is his eighth top-10 finish in 2015.
Cameron Hayley (third) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Martinsville Speedway.
John Hunter Nemechek (second) was the highest finishing rookie.
Erik Jones leads the point standings by 10 points over Matt Crafton.
(NASCAR Statistics) (10-31-2015)
Driver standings following Martinsville:
1) #4-Erik Jones, 776
2)#88-Matt Crafton, 766, -10
3) #19-Tyler Reddick, 763, -13
4) #98-Johnny Sauter, 722, -54
5) #17-Timothy Peters, 680, -96
6) #13-Cameron Hayley, 663, -113
7) #14-Daniel Hemric, 644, -132
8) #05-John Wes Townley, 627 -149
9) #11-Ben Kennedy, 595, -181
10) #23-Spencer Gallagher, 574, -202

Three to Go in 2015
 Texas, Phoenix, Homestead