Elliott Among Beneficiaries Of Revised Test Policy

Elliott Among Beneficiaries Of Revised Test Policy

Martinsville Speedway is a traditional entry point for drivers hoping to make their way in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The flat, 0.526-mile track, which hosts the April 6 Kroger 250, offers a variety of challenges – not the least of which are large fields of hopefuls battling for a limited number of starting positions.
In short, a newcomer has to hit the pavement running – fast.
In previous years, driver and crew chief had to be quick studies during the weekend’s short practice sessions. This year, under a modified testing policy, teams were able to visit Martinsville last week for two days of pre-race practice sessions.
Among those testing was NASCAR Next9 competitor Chase Elliott, a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East veteran and son of 1988 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott. Elliott, 17, hopes to make his NCWTS debut in a Chevrolet owned by Hendrick Motorsports.
"I really think the test was a big help for us last week. It helped us come up with a better game plan for when we come back to race at Martinsville," Elliott said. "We got the chance to make a lot of different changes during the test and felt we had a really strong session."
Elliott’s crew chief is veteran Lance McGrew, who guided the late Ricky Hendrick to victory in Kansas Speedway’s inaugural NCWTS race in 2001.
Elliott knows he’ll be compared with his legendary father, winner of 44 Sprint Cup races including two Daytona 500s, as his career progresses.
"I respect my dad a lot and I am proud of what he accomplished, but I'm not him and he's not me," Elliott said. "I have to be my own person and that is what I am going to continue to do."

Beating This Potential Boss A Great Career Move For Jones

Running with the big dogs will get you noticed. Just ask Kyle Busch, who last week announced 16-year-old Michigan native Erik Jones as the driver of the No. 51 Toyota for the Kroger 250 at Martinsville.
Jones practiced Busch’s late model car last fall at the Nashville Fairgrounds then raced – and passed – Busch to win December’s prestigious Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Fla. The field included NSCS veteran David Ragan and Johanna Long, a NASCAR Nationwide Series competitor and former Snowball winner.
"He raced me hard and clean in the closing laps," Busch said. "Doing those types of things is how you get recognized in this sport."
A year ago, Jones became the first 15-year-old to compete in the ARCA Racing Series. He posted four top-five and five top-10 finishes and led 103 laps.
Busch, a 30-time Camping World Truck winner, started Kyle Busch Motorsports with the idea of moving talented young drivers ahead in NASCAR. A tough economy made it difficult to field trucks and cars without Busch being behind the wheel but things have improved.
"Finally, this year we have been able to bring in some talented young drivers – Parker [Kligerman] running full-time for a championship in our Nationwide car, Joey [Coulter] running full-time for a championship in trucks, Darrell [Wallace Jr.] running for Rookie of the Year in trucks and now adding Erik to the mix for five truck races," he said. "It’s an exciting time for everyone at KBM."

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Matt Crafton will tie a record for consecutive NCWTS starts when he takes the green flag at Martinsville. He will match Terry Cook’s 296 straight races, a streak that began Jan. 18, 1998, at Walt Disney World and concluded at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 13, 2009. Crafton began his series career – and streak – on Oct. 28, 2000, at Auto Club Speedway. … Series regular John Wes Townley competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 17th.

Competition Wide Open At Greenville

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will head to Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway for the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 presented by G-Clean on Saturday, March 23. It will mark the first of two events at GPS in 2013 and the 10th at the historic half-mile since 2006.
Darrell Wallace Jr. won this event a year ago, but the competition will be wide open for the 2013 checkered flag with Wallace having graduated to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Among the entrants for this week’s event, nobody has found as much success at the historic half-mile as Brett Moffitt. In five previous appearances there, Moffitt has a win, three top fives and an average finish of seventh. He’s the only driver in series history to earn two poles at the track, and he led all 150 laps en route to his 2011 triumph. Last fall at GPS, he led all but two laps – the last two – as he was passed by Corey LaJoie coming to the white flag.
Could Dylan Kwasniewski shun history and win again this weekend? The only time in the 26-year history of the K&N Pro Series East that a driver opened the season with two consecutive wins was Sean Caisse in 2006. Caisse did, however, get one of those wins at GPS – the first one. Kwasniewski finished seventh in his only previous race at GPS last spring.