XFINITY / TRUCKS SERIES NOTES 10/8/15

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

JR Motorsports On the Move: Team Scores Most Points Over Last Half

JR Motorsports drivers Regan Smith and Chase Elliott have been quite impressive over the last 14 races, posting more points than any other drivers (Top Three: Regan Smith 516; Chase Elliott 509; Chris Buescher 490).

Smith and Elliott have combined to win three of the last eight races and now both are within striking distance of standings leader Chris Buescher in the points. Chase Elliott is currently second in the standings, 24 points behind Buescher, and Regan Smith is third, 36 points back. 

Just five races remain left on the schedule for the JRM duo to catch Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher. On the same five tracks last season to close out the season, both Elliott (8.8) and Smith (12.0) had better average finishes than current points leader Chris Buescher (12.8).

This weekend at Charlotte, expect Smith and Elliott to contend. Smith has made 10 series starts at CMS, posting an average finish of 16.2. He finished fourth at the 1.5-mile track earlier this season. Elliott has made three series starts at Charlotte, posting an average finish of 17.7, with an eighth-place finish at CMS in each of his last two starts.

Also, if momentum is any indication, expect Regan Smith to keep the heat on Chris Buescher in the last five races of the season. Smith has the best average finish (Smith 5.6; Buescher 7.4 and Elliott 10.0) among the top three contenders.

Buescher In Command For 19 Straight Races

Chris Buscher has led the points for 19 consecutive races - and needs to do it for just five more to bring home the title.

Buescher is currently 24 points ahead of second-place Chase Elliott in the series standings. In 28 starts this season he has two wins (tied with Regan Smith for most among championship contenders), and 11 top fives (tied with Chase Elliott for the most among championship contenders). 

Buescher has made four starts at Charlotte posting an average finish of 16.0. He finished 11th in the NXS race at Charlotte earlier this season.

This season Roush Fenway Racing is competing for their fifth NASCAR XFINITY Series driver championship. The previous four champions were Greg Biffle (2002), Carl Edwards (2007) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2011 and 2012).

RFR Teammates Sadler And Wallace Jr. Battle For Fifth In Points

Just one point separates Roush Fenway Racing teammates Elliott Sadler (fifth in points) and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate and Driver for Diversity graduate Darrell Wallace Jr. (sixth in points) with just five races left in 2015.

Time is of the essence for veteran Sadler to hold off the young up-and-coming Wallace from the coveted top five points position, a spot that gets honored during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Awards at season’s end.

The first of the five remaining tracks on the schedule is Charlotte Motor Speedway. Sadler has made 17 series starts at CMS posting four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 16.8. He finished ninth at Charlotte earlier this season.

Wallace made his series debut at Charlotte back in May and put on an exceptional performance; starting second and finishing fifth (his second best-finish of the season). Keep an eye for more from Wallace at CMS; he also has the NASCAR XFINITY Series’ second best pre-race Driver Rating (119.9) at the 1.5-mile track.

Sunoco Rookie Update: Suarez Close To Capturing ROY Honors

Drive for Diversity alum, Daniel Suarez can see his next biggest accomplishment in his racing career just ahead. With five races left on the schedule Suarez has the opportunity to hold off second-place Darrell Wallace Jr. (-25 points) and take home the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors for 2015.

If Suarez can maintain his points lead and win the rookie title it would be well deserved. In 28 starts this season, the 23 year-old Suarez has posted three Coors Light poles, six top fives and 13 top 10s. His average finish in 2015 is 12.7.

Suarez returns to Charlotte this weekend after making his series debut at the track, starting 19th and powering his way to a sixth-place finish at the 1.5-mile facility, earlier this season.

Joe Gibbs Racing Running Out Of Time To Catch Team Penske

With five races remaining in the 2015 season, overcoming a 61-point NASCAR XFINITY Series car owner points lead might seeme farfetched but if any team can do it, Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota team might be the one. In the last three races, the No. 54 Toyota team for Joe Gibbs has sliced 21 points off of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford's lead.

In the last 10 races, the JGR No. 54 Toyota team has posted a series best average finish of 4.4 and in the last five races they have finished even better than that with an average finish of 3.7.

If Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford team can hold on to their points, it would give Roger Penske his third NASCAR XFINITY Series car owner title in as many years. But if Gibbs were to surpass Penske in the closing five races it would give Gibbs his fourth title and he would then hold the record for all-time series owner championships.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

Kyle Busch Foundation Hosting ‘Champions’ at CMS: As part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Kyle Busch Foundation (KBF) will host active North Carolina breast cancer patients from the Pretty In Pink Foundation during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 10. Additionally, the Kyle Busch Foundation is donating $57,000 to cover the medical expenses of the 22 "Champions" who are currently going through treatments for breast cancer. ...

Big Name Sprint Cup Drivers Entered In The NXS Race: This weekend, four drivers will be pulling double duty, racing both Friday and Saturday night: Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski. Dillon won the NXS race at Charlotte earlier this season. ...

Off Week? What Off Week?: Not surprisingly, a couple of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver will use the open weekend to race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Charlotte. Expect to see last weekend’s NCWTS winner John Wes Townley behind the wheel of the No. 25 Chevrolet. Also Joe Gibbs Racing’s rising star Erik Jones will be in the No. 20 Toyota this weekend. ...

NXS In North Carolina: The NASCAR XFINITY Series has hosted 186 races among seven tracks in the state of North Carolina (Charlotte Motor Speedway 67, Rockingham Speedway 42, Hickory Speedway 42, Orange County Speedway 27, North Wilkesboro Speedway 4, Caraway Speedway 3, and Asheville Speedway 1). The first NXS race held in North Carolina was in 1982 at Hickory Speedway and the event was won by Jack Ingram (Pontiac, 04/10/1982). The first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was in 1982 and was won by Harry Gant (Pontiac, 05/29/1982). ...

North Carolina Drivers In The NXS: 436 drivers that have competed in at least one NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as North Carolina. Of the 436 North Carolina native drivers only 109 (25%) have competed in at least one race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Of the 109 that have competed in the NXS, 21 have won, led by Jack Ingram with 31 series victories. This weekend five active North Carolina drivers will attempt to compete at Charlotte: Harrison Rhodes (High Point), Ty Dillon (Welcome), Austin Dillon (Welcome), Morgan Shepherd (Ferguson) and Carl Long (Roxboro).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! Townley Captures First Victory

Zatta’ boy.

John Wes Townley, driver of the No. 05 Zaxby’s Chevrolet, conserved his fuel on the final laps to pass leader Matt Crafton and capture his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in Saturday’s Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Prior to the race, the Georgia native had made 86 career NCWTS starts. With five races left in the season, Townley has already tied his career highs with two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He currently ranks eighth in the NCWTS standings.

Townley’s win spurred many congratulations from drivers around the NASCAR world, including former teammate Ben Kennedy.

“It’s really cool for those guys,” Kennedy said. “J-Wes, he’s upped it a notch this year. I’ve been really impressed with what he’s done. Those guys over there, it’s pretty much my old truck team. So cool seeing him in Victory Lane. Full of emotion and everything I’m sure. Really special for those guys. They’ve worked really hard and I’m proud of them.”

Standings Snapshot: Crafton Gains on Jones, While Reddick Remains in the Hunt

No one has been able to pull away in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings this season.

Erik Jones had the opportunity to put some distance between himself and second-place Matt Crafton as the defending Las Vegas race winner, but failed to do so. Crafton finished eighth at Las Vegas to cut Jones’ lead to four points after Jones placed ninth.

Don’t count out Tyler Reddick. He overcame an early-race accident to finish seventh at Las Vegas and trails Jones by 16 points.

The three drivers continue their championship battle in the Fred’s 250 presented by Coca-Cola (Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX).

Jones placed sixth in his lone start at Talladega, last season. In nine starts at the 2.66-mile behemoth, Crafton’s best finish was fourth in 2010. Reddick won the 21 Means 21 Pole Award in his first start at Talladega in 2014 and finished fourth.

Hemric’s Consistency Puts Him In Standings Top 5

Daniel Hemric is making a case for the title of “Mr. Consistency” in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The NTS Motorsports driver finished sixth for the second straight week at Las Vegas, notching his 11th top 10 in his last 13 starts. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender currently ranks fifth in the NCWTS standings.

Coming At You Like A Red Horse: Peters and Kennedy Roll High Finishes In Vegas

They didn’t play with magic at Las Vegas, but Timothy Peters and Ben Kennedy came at the field like a “Red Horse.” Peters and Kennedy nearly mustered up the perfect storm to clinch Red Horse Racing’s first win of the season, finishing second and third respectively. Peters’ finish was a season best. Kennedy notched his career-best fourth third-place finish, three which have come this season (Atlanta, CTMP, Las Vegas). Peters ranks sixth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, while Kennedy is ninth.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Ben Kennedy and NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Brian Scott conducted a NASCAR 101 driver question-and-answer session at the University of Arizona on Tuesday. … Timothy Peters and Daniel Hemric competed against media in go-kart races at Authobahn Indoor Speedway in Bessemer, Alabama on Wednesday in Advance of the Fred’s 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.