XFINITY SERIES / CAMPINGWORLD trucks 2/17/16

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

2016 Season Brings Some Change And Lots Of Excitement

With a new season brings tons of excitement and also some great new ideas to the table for the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Much like the successful NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase, the NASCAR XFINITY Series has now adopted a new version of NASCAR’s playoff system. Also the fan and driver adorned Dash 4 Cash program returns for 2016, but this time with a tweak to the process. Below are details to the biggest changes the NASCAR XFINITY Series will see in 2016.

·         NASCAR XFINITY SERIES CHASE – The seven-race NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase will begin at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 24, and feature 12 drivers and two elimination rounds, with four drivers competing in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

A win in the first 26 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, provided the driver is in the top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race. Drivers who win two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are also all but guaranteed a Chase berth.

The first round, called the Round of 12, consists of the races at Kentucky, Dover and Charlotte. All drivers will start with their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 26 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 12, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions (1-8) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

Each driver who advances to the Round of 8 (Kansas, Texas, Phoenix) then will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 8 automatically advance to the Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

The four drivers who advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will be crowned the NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.

·         NASCAR XFINITY SERIES DASH 4 CASH – The NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash will be comprised of Two Heats and a Main at four tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway (April 16), Richmond International Raceway (April 23), Dover International Speedway (May 14) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 23).

Qualifying for each Dash 4 Cash event will set the 40-car field and the starting positions for the Two Heats with the fastest qualifier awarded the Coors Light Pole Award. Odd-numbered qualifiers (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) will start in the first Heat in respective order, while even-numbered qualifiers (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) will start the second Heat in respective order.

The Two Heats will set the starting positions for the Main with the top two NASCAR XFINITY Series regulars in each Heat becoming eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus. The highest finishing driver among the four Dash 4 Cash eligible drivers will be awarded a $100,000 bonus. If any driver wins two of the four Dash 4 Cash bonuses available, he/she is all but guaranteed a spot in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. In short, two Dash 4 Cash bonuses are equivalent to one race win in the new NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase format.

Drivers must have declared to earn NASCAR XFINITY Series points in order to be eligible for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash bonus.

Championship Or Bust For Dillon

Ty Dillon has one goal on his mind for the 2016 – a NASCAR XFINITY Series title.

“It’s winning races or bust for me,” Dillon said. “I know with that will come a championship opportunity. So we get locked in that Chase, you have to win the races, just like they have in the Sprint Cup Series.”

The No. 3 Richard Childress racing driver placed third in the series last year on the strength of 12 top fives and 25 top 10s. In 2014, he finished fifth in the final standings with one win, seven top fives and 24 top 10s.

He begins his title quest in Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET). Dillon placed third in the same race last season and has an average finish of 14.8 in five XFINITY Series starts at DIS.

Ryan Reed Looks To Kick 2016 Off Like Last Year… With A Win

As the NASCAR XFINITY Series field roared down the Superstretch and towards Turn 3 on the final lap at Daytona last season, Ryan Reed faked going into the turn high and dove his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford to the bottom of the track and locked it to the double yellow line as he flew into the lead passing Brad Keselowski. Reed was then able to hold off the remaining ensuing efforts at his position as he glided his Ford across the start/finish line and into Victory Lane. It was Reed’s sole win of 2015, but he returns to Daytona looking to become the fifth driver in series history to win back-to-back season-opening races, joining Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip.

Reed has made four career NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Daytona, posting one win (2015), two top fives and an average finish of 9.0. 

Moving On Up: Erik Jones Takes Truck Championship And Graduates To XFINITY Series

Most pundits will agree Erik Jones is the next big thing rising through the ranks of NASCAR. After claiming the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title last season, the 19-year-old Michigan native has turned his full attention to the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Jones has been tapped to drive the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with crew chief Chris Gabehart in 2016.

Jones is no stranger to the NASCAR XFINITY Series. He has already made 26 starts over the last two seasons posting two wins (Texas and Chicago), 13 top fives, 20 top 10s and average finish of 8.9.

The young JGR prodigy has made two series starts at Daytona, posting one top 10 and an average finish of 13.0.

Super Sophomores: Suárez, Wallace Go For Championship In Second XFINITY Series Season

A year after battling for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, Daniel Suárez and Darrell Wallace Jr. are both back ready to compete for the championship.

Suárez, who ended up taking home the rookie honors, finished fifth in the final standings, posted eight top fives, 18 top 10s and three Coors Light Pole Awards last season. He had an average start of 8.1 and an average finish of 11.7. He won the pole in last year’s Daytona summer race.

Last season, Wallace finished seventh in the series standings on the strength of three top fives and 14 top 10s. He recorded an average start of 12.7 and an average finish of 11.8. Wallace has a high finish of seventh at Daytona International Speedway.

Suárez and Wallace are alumni of both NASCAR Next and NASCAR Drive for Diversity.

Former Series Champions Are No Slouches In Daytona 500 Qualifying  

Last Sunday, 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott added his name to a prestigious list of former series champions who have gone on to win the pole for the Daytona 500. Elliott is the ninth driver in NASCAR History to win the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship and go on to start on the pole for the Daytona 500, joining Austin Dillon, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle, Jeff Green and Bobby Labonte. 

Elliott is just the sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie to win the pole for the Daytona 500 joining Austin Dillon, Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson, Loy Allen Jr and Mike Skinner.

Familiar Faces – New Teams In 2016

Don’t be too surprised seeing several drivers wheeling for new teams in 2016. The front offices of several of the race teams were definitely busy during the off-season with roster management. Below is a look at a few drivers who will be competing for a new team in 2016.

Former series champion, Bobby Labonte (1991) will be driving part-time in the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing this season. Labonte will have a full-schedule this weekend as he will be running Saturday with Joe Gibbs Racing before jumping in a car for Go Fas Racing and running his 24th career Daytona 500 on Sunday. 

Labonte has made eight series starts at Daytona, posting two top 10s and an average finish of 20.9.

JR Motorsports will be welcoming a whole new cast of drivers. Elliott Sadler will now be in the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Returning to the series this season is Justin Allgaier in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Sadler has made 13 series starts at Daytona, posting four top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 15.3. Sadler finished second in the July race at Daytona last season. Allgaier, on the other hand, hasn’t driven an NASCAR XFINITY Series car since 2013, but when he did, he made 10 starts at Daytona, posting five top 10s.

Sunoco Rookies to Watch In 2016

Everyone knows the awkward feeling of your first day of school. You don’t know your way around anywhere, and you don’t know very many people, but the excitement of the next stage in your life gets you through it. Many of the 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates will likely feel like that this weekend as they embark on their first season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

As of this week, there are four drivers entered as Sunoco Rookies for 2016: Brandon Jones (Richard Childress Racing), Brennan Poole (Chip Ganassi Racing), Ryan Preece (JD Motorsports) and Erik Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing).

Brandon Jones is from Atlanta, Georgia and turns 19 on Thursday, Feb. 18. He has one top five and two top 10s in five career XFINITY Series starts.

Poole, from The Woodlands, Texas is 24 years old. Poole made 17 XFINITY Series starts last season, logging two top 10s.

Preece is a graduate of the NASCAR Next program. He hails from Berlin, Connecticut is 25 years old. Preece mad three XFINITY Series starts from 2013-14.

Erik Jones, 19, calls Byron, Michigan home. The NASCAR Next alum has made 26 starts over the last two seasons, posting two wins (Texas and Chicago), 13 top fives, 20 top 10s and average finish of 8.9.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Track Facts – Daytona International Speedway

Below is a quick look at some NASCAR XFINITY Series statistics for Daytona International Speedway: Number Races: 48

Number Of Winners: 24

Wins Leader: Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart (7 each)

Number Of Pole Winners: 35

Poles Leader: Joe Nemechek (5)

Most Race Leaders: 20 (2/23/2013)

Most Lead Changes: 41 (07/06/2012)

Most Laps Led (Single Event): 105 (Joe Nemechek, 1998)

Most Cautions: 11 (2/18/2006)

Most Caution Laps: 35 – three times (most recently: 2/25/2012)

Last Season’s Green Flag Passes for the Lead: 56

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Stacked Trucks Field Forecasts Ultra-Competitive Season

Seven returning full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers accounted for 14 wins in 23 of the circuit’s races last season – Matt Crafton (6), Tyler Reddick (2), Timothy Peters (2), Cole Custer, John Wes Townley, Christopher Bell and John Hunter Nemechek.

Custer, Bell and Nemechek hope to visit Victory Lane even more in their first full-time seasons this year. Adding to the competition are returning full-timers Cameron Hayley, Daniel Hemric, Ben Kennedy and Johnny Sauter, as well as up-and-comers Rico Abreu, William Byron and Ben Rhodes.

The Truck Series will showcase much of NASCAR’s top young talent with seven NASCAR Next members/alumni running full-time schedules – Custer, Byron, Kennedy, Hayley, Rhodes, Abreu and Nemechek.

“Killer Bs” Lead Kyle Busch Motorsports In 2016

The “Killer Bs,” 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion William Byron, 18, and 2015 Eldora Speedway Mud Summer Classic winner Christopher Bell, 21, launch their first full-time NASCAR national series seasons in Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

The two youngsters will attempt to bring Kyle Busch Motorsports its third consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s title and second straight driver’s championship.

Bell made seven series starts for KBM last year, registering one win, two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 11.9.

Byron wrecked out of his lone NCWTS start on the sixth lap last season, finishing 31st at Phoneix. In 14 NKNPSE starts, Byron registered four wins, five top fives and 11 top 10s.

Brad Keselowski Racing Eyes First Driver Championship

Tyler Reddick produced a breakout season in 2015, finishing second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final standings on the strength of two wins, 14 top fives and 19 top 10s in 23 starts. The 20-year-old Californian will take another shot at capturing Brad Keselowski Racing its first NCWTS championship this season beginning in Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Reddick is the defending race winner and owns three top-five finishes in four career starts at restrictor-plate tracks.

Daniel Hemric will also attempt to capture a championship for BKR. He finished seventh in the final NCWTS standings last season, competing for now-defunct NTS Motorsports. In 26 career NCWTS starts, Hemric has four top fives and 13 top 10s. His BKR equipment is by far the best he’s raced in at the NASCAR national series level.

Next Meets Best: ThorSport Boasts Former Series Champ And Three NASCAR Next Members/Alumni

ThorSport Racing employs the odds-on favorite to win this season’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship – Matt Crafton. Although he came up short of his third consecutive NCWTS title last season, Crafton won a career-best six races and four poles, which powered him to a third-place finish in the final standings.

Joining Crafton at ThorSport are NASCAR Next alumni Cameron Hayley and Ben Rhodes, and current NASCAR Next member Rico Abreu.

Hayley ran a full schedule for ThorSport in 2015, placing sixth in the final NCWTS standings on the strength of four top fives and 13 top 10s.

Rhodes, the 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, claims one top five and three top 10s in four career truck series starts. He primarily raced in the NASCAR XFINITY Series last season, logging two top-10 finishes in 10 starts piloting the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

Abreu, who has won the last two Chilli Bowl Nationals sprint car competitions, raced stock cars for the first time last year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He logged one win, four top fives and eight top 10s in 14 starts. Abreu ran the last two NCWTS races of the season, posting a high finish of 13th at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Young King Cole Embarks On First Full-Time Season

Cole Custer – the youngest NASCAR national series race and pole winner – finally gets to showcase his talents over a full season. The 18-year-old Californian will run a full schedule in the No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, beginning with Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

In 19 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, Custer owns two wins, four top fives, four top 10s and three poles. For the past two years, he has been a member NASCAR Next, an industry-wide initiative that showcases and develops the sport’s future stars.

Family Affair At Daytona For The Nemecheks
John Hunter Nemechek will be running a truck at Daytona for the first time. The younger Nemechek finished 11th in his lone restrictor-plate race at Talladega in 2015. John Hunter established himself as one of NASCAR’s top prospects by producing one win, nine top fives and 10 top 10s in 18 NCWTS starts last season. He finished the year strong, registering three runner-ups in the final four races.

His father, Joe, will be running Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona .

Red Horse Racing Hopes To Carry Late Season Success Into 2016

If drivers Timothy Peters and Ben Kennedy can carry their late-season performance from last year into 2016, Red Horse Racing will be a force to be reckoned with.

Peters finished sixth or better in the final eight races of 2015 and posted two wins (Talladega, Phoenix) over that stretch.

Kennedy, the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, finished fourth in the season-finale at Homestead to cap off a late season run of three finishes of fourth or better in the final nine races.

Red Horse Racing owner Tom DeLoach has logged 15 wins over the course of 11 seasons fielding a truck.

Sauter Leads GMS Racing In 2016

One of the most notable off-track headlines of the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season was Johnny Sauter’s decision to leave ThorSport Racing for GMS Racing. The 37-year-old Wisconsin native now leads the GMS organization, which also features full-time drivers Spencer Gallagher and Grant Enfinger.

A 15-year NASCAR veteran, Sauter owns 10 NCWTS victories, 63 top fives and 102 top 10s in 175 starts. He has placed fourth in the final NCWTS standings the last three seasons.

Gallagher placed 10th in the final NCWTS standings last season, producing one top five and six top 10s in 23 starts for GMS.

Also joining GMS is Grant Enfinger, who made six Truck Series starts from 2010-12. Enfinger has competed primarily in ARCA the last two seasons, winning six races in each campaign.

GMS earned its first-ever NCWTS victory last season behind the efforts of Austin Dillon in the series’ 500th race (New Hampshire).

NASCAR Implements Caution Clock For Camping World Truck Series

Debuting in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season is The Caution Clock.

The Caution Clock will be utilized in each NCWTS event except for the one held at Eldora Speedway.

The clock will be set to 20 minutes and triggered at the start of each green-flag run during race events. When the clock counts down to zero, a caution flag then will be displayed and no beneficiary will be awarded. A caution occurring before time expires resets the clock when the subsequent green flag is displayed and the first truck a lap down will be the beneficiary.

The Caution Clock will be turned off with 20 laps to go at all events in the series, with the exception of the races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Pocono Raceway, where the clock will be turned off with 10 laps remaining.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have its own Chase format beginning this season.

The NCWTS Chase, beginning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24 will feature eight drivers and two eliminations rounds with four drivers competing in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

A win in the first 16 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, provided that the driver is in the Top 30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each race.

The first round, called the Round of 8, consists of the races at New Hampshire, Las Vegas, and Talladega. All drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 16 races. If a driver wins a race in the Round of 8, the driver automatically advances to the next roun. The remaining available positions (1-6) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

Each driver who advances to the Round of 6 (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix) then will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the Round of 6 automatically advance to the Championship 4. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.

The four drivers who advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will win the championship.

All rules outlined above also apply to both series’ owner championship structure.

Daytona Truck Race Has International Flavor

Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway will feature a handful of international competitors. France native Michel Disdier will pilot the No. 07 for SS-Green Light Racing. Mexican driver/owner Carlos Contreras (No. 71 BellatorMMA Chevrolet and Mexican Daniel Suárez are also set to race. Hattori Racing Enterprises owner Shigeaki Hattori of Japan, will field the No. 81 Toyota for Ryan Truex.