NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500
Bristol Motor Speedway The Purse: $8,182,531
Sunday, March 17 3:30 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 125), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 500)
NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250
Circuit of The Americas The Purse: $1,778,948
Saturday, March 23 5 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 4 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 156.86 miles (46 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 14), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 30), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 46)
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race
Bristol Motor Speedway The Purse: $761,274
Saturday, March 16 8 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 133.25 miles (250 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 65), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 130), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)
NASCAR Cup Series
Reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney is back on top of the points
Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney is once again the NASCAR Cup Series point standings leader, after becoming the only driver this season to post three top-five finishes in the first four races of the season. The reigning Cup champion currently holds a 10-point lead over second place Kyle Larson and third place Martin Truex Jr. in the standings as the series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500 on Sunday, March 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Blaney will look to hold on to the top spot this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. In 14 appearances at the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’, he has led 493 laps and put up two top-five and five top-10 finishes. He finished 22nd in the Bristol Playoff race last September.
If Blaney were to go on and win the NASCAR Cup Series title again this year, he would become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson’s record five straight (2006-2010) to win consecutive championships in the series. A total of 10 drivers have won consecutive titles in the series – Buck Baker (1956-57), Lee Petty (1958-59), Joe Weatherly (1962-63), David Pearson (1968-69), Richard Petty (1971-72, 1974-75), Cale Yarborough (1976-78), Darrell Waltrip (1981-82), Dale Earnhardt (1986-87, 1990-91, 1993-94), Jeff Gordon (1997-98), Jimmie Johnson (2006-2010).
Christopher Bell becomes fourth different winner in as many races in 2024
The Toyota teams were super-fast at Phoenix Raceway and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell managed to pilot his No. 20 to Victory Lane, becoming the fourth different winner in as many races to start the 2024 season.
The Modern Era (1972-2024) record of different winners to start a NASCAR Cup Series season is 10, set back in 2000. That year, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. snapped the different winners streak by winning his second race of the 2000 season at Richmond Raceway (Race No. 11 on the schedule).
This season, Bell joins William Byron (Daytona), Daniel Suarez (Atlanta) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas) as the fourth different driver to lock into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs by virtue of their wins. Bell has earned a spot in the Playoffs the last three consecutive seasons (2021-2023).
Riding the wave of momentum, Bell looks to keep the early season success going this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last September during the Playoff race, Bell qualified on the pole and finished third – a career-best at Bristol. In six series starts on the Tennessee half-mile, Bell has collected two top fives and three top 10s.
Starting Upfront: 27 wins have come from the pole at Bristol
Qualifying is important each week but can be even more so in a race like Sunday’s with how quickly cars can go a lap down at a short track like Bristol Motor Speedway. Interestingly, 27 of the 123 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Bristol Motor Speedway have been won from the pole or first starting position, a winning percentage of 21.95% – the most of any starting position on the grid.
A total of 16 different drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series Bristol race from the pole, three of which are active this weekend – Brad Keselowski (2020), Denny Hamlin (2019) and Kyle Busch (2018).
A total of 53 drivers have won a pole at Bristol, and seven of the 53 NASCAR Cup Series Bristol Motor Speedway pole winners are entered this weekend, led by Denny Hamlin with four poles.
Active Bristol Pole Winners (7) Poles Seasons
Denny Hamlin 4 2019, ’15, ’14, ’13
Kyle Busch 2 2018, ’13
Christopher Bell 1 2023
Chase Elliott 1
2019 Kyle Larson 1 2018
Erik Jones 1 2017
Joey Logano 1 2010
Also, eight different drivers have posted their first NASCAR Cup Series career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway; including two active drivers – Joey Logano (2010) and Erik Jones (2017).
Expect the teams to definitely to try qualify into the top-10 this weekend, as 78% of the Cup races at Bristol have been won by drivers starting 10th or better, with 33.3% of the wins coming from the front row. Busch Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, March 16 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Nine Wins Club: Will Kyle Busch earn his ninth career win at Bristol?
This weekend Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch has the opportunity to join an elite list, known as the ‘Nine Wins Club,’ a group of the most dominant drivers to ever race in the NASCAR Cup Series. To earn a prestigious spot in the statistical club, a driver must win at least nine or more races at a single track, and since 1949 only nine drivers have been able to accomplish the feat.
At Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with eight wins (Spring 2007, 2009 sweep, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019), and can become the only active driver to win nine times at a single track this weekend. Busch also has a win at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track (2022), but that is considered a different track statistically.
Race Winners No. of Tracks Tracks With Nine Or More Wins
Richard Petty 5 Martinsville (15), North Wilkesboro (15), Richmond (13), Rockingham (11) Daytona (10)
Dale Earnhardt 4 Talladega (10), Atlanta (9), Bristol (9), Darlington (9)
Darrell Waltrip 3 Bristol (12), Martinsville (11), North Wilkesboro (10)
Jimmie Johnson 2 Dover (11), Martinsville (9)
David Pearson 1 Darlington (10), Michigan (9)
Cale Yarborough 1 Bristol (9), Daytona (9)
Rusty Wallace 1 Bristol (9)
Jeff Gordon 1 Martinsville (9)
Kevin Harvick 1 Phoenix (9)
Kyle Busch has made 34 series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, posting eight wins, 14 top fives and 19 top 10s.
Denny Hamlin looks to become 13th different driver to win consecutive races at Bristol
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin won last season’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway netting his third career win at the half-mile track. In his post-race TV interview on the frontstretch, Hamlin responded to the booing fans by famously saying, “I beat your favorite driver! All of them!”. Now the Virginia native returns to Tennessee looking to get his first win of 2024 and become the 13th different driver to win consecutive races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol.
In total, 12 drivers have won consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol; led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with eight consecutive victories from 1979-1984. The remaining 11 drivers are Fred Lorenzen (1963-1964 sweep), David Pearson (1968 sweep), Bobby Allison (1972 sweep), Cale Yarborough did it twice (1974 sweep and four straight from 1976-1977), Richard Petty (1975 sweep), Dale Earnhardt also did twice (1985 sweep and 1987 sweep), Alan Kulwicki (1992 sweep), Rusty Wallace (2000 sweep), Kurt Busch (2003 sweep and 2004 Spring race), Kyle Busch has also done it twice (2009 sweep and Fall 2017-Spring 2018) and Brad Keselowski (Fall 2011-Spring 2012).
Hamlin has made 33 series starts at Bristol, posting three wins, 10 top fives and 17 top 10s.
Looking For More: Former Bristol winners to watch this weekend
Bristol Motor Speedway has hosted 123 NASCAR Cup Series races producing 44 different winners since 1961. This weekend, six of the 44 NASCAR Cup Series Bristol Motor Speedway race winners are entered in the Food City 500 and will be looking to add to their win totals this weekend.
Active Bristol Winners (6) Wins Seasons
Kyle Busch 8 2019, ’18, ’17, ’11, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’07
Brad Keselowski 3 2020, ’12, ’11
Denny Hamlin 3 2023, ’19, ’12
Joey Logano 2 2015, ’14
Chris Buescher 1 2022
Kyle Larson 1 2021
After his runner-up finish last weekend at Phoenix Raceway, RFK Racing Chris Buescher is definitely one to watch this weekend at Bristol. Buscher has made 14 series starts at Bristol, posting one win (2022), three top fives and four top 10s.
No Luck: Logano needs a good finish at Bristol
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano is not having the start of the 2024 season he was hoping for. The Team Penske veteran has finished 28th or worse in three of the first four races of the season, and Logano finds himself mired (30th) in the points – the worst points position through the first four races of a season since his rookie year in 2009, when he was 33rd after the fourth race of the year.
Luckily for Joey Logano the NASCAR Cup Series is heading to Bristol Motor Speedway, a track he has found success at before. In 27 series starts at Bristol, he has accumulated two wins, six top fives and 10 top 10s. Logano will have his work cut out for him this weekend though, in the two Next Gen car races on the concrete surface at Bristol, he has finished 27th due to a suspension failure in 2022 and 34th due to being caught in an incident in 2023.
Sunoco Rookie Spotlight: Spire Motorsport’s Carson Hocevar is off to quick start
Four races into the season and Spire Motorsport’s rookie Carson Hocevar is off to a fast start. He leads the 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 22 points over Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry in second.
In four starts this season, Hocevar has won the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award twice after posting two top-15 finishes. He currently ranks 24th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.
Keep an eye on Hocevar this weekend as well, the Michigan native made his series track debut at Bristol last season, and he started 16th and drove up to an 11th-place finish.
Of the four rookies this season, Hocevar, Berry, Zane Smith and Kaz Grala, Hocevar is the only one to have made a previous start at Bristol. Berry, Smith and Grala will be making their series track debuts at the ‘Word’s Fastest Half Mile’ this weekend.
NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.
Josh Berry heads home to Tennessee – A total of 109 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Tennessee, but currently there is only one active in the NASCAR Cup Series and that is Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry from Hendersonville.
Of the 109 Tennessee NASCAR drivers, only 15 have won a NASCAR national series race, and only two have won a NASCAR Cup Series race in Tennessee – Darrell Waltrip (Bristol, 12 wins; Nashville, eight wins) and Joe Lee Johnson (Nashville, one win). This weekend, Berry look to become just the third driver from Tennessee to win at a track in Tennessee in Cup Series history.
This Sunday will be Josh Berry’s NASCAR Cup Series track debut at Bristol, but he has made three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the half-mile track posting one top-10 finish.
More than 20 years since a first-time winner at Bristol – Veterans have been gobbling up the wins at Bristol the last 20 years or so, as there hasn’t been a first-time winner at the track since 2002. Big names have earned their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway including Dale Earnhardt (April 1, 1979), Rusty Wallace (April 6, 1986), Ernie Irvan (March 25, 1990), Elliott Sadler (March 25, 2001) and Kurt Busch (March 24, 2002).
Will we see a new winner this weekend? A total of 12 different drivers (33% of the drivers entered this weekend) are looking for their first career NASCAR Cup Series victory; including Josh Berry, Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, Kaz Grala, Daniel Hemric, Carson Hocevar, Corey Lajoie, John H. Nemechek, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith.
Toyota makes history at Phoenix – At Phoenix Raceway last weekend Toyota became the first manufacturer to have five different drivers lead 50 laps or more in a single NASCAR Cup Series race (Phoenix-1, 2024).
The five Toyota drivers that led laps at Phoenix Raceway are Denny Hamlin (68), Tyler Reddick (68), Ty Gibbs (57), Martin Truex Jr. (55), Christopher Bell (50).
Consistency Counts: Four drivers have completed 100% of their laps attempted – Heading into the fifth race of the season only four drivers have managed to complete every lap and finish on the lead lap of the first four races of the year – Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron.
Six drivers scored their best career finish at Bristol last September – The last time the NASCAR Cup Series competed at Bristol Motor Speedway, six different drivers scored their career-best finish at the half-mile track; including Denny Hamlin (winner), Christopher Bell (third), Ty Gibbs (fifth), Michael McDowell (sixth), Carson Hocevar (11th), Todd Gilliland (16th).
Upcoming Cup Series Milestones: Bristol Motor Speedway – Below are a list of the upcoming milestones to watch for in the NASCAR Cup Series:
Starts
· Bubba Wallace will be making his 225th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Circuit of The Americas in a few weeks.
· Christopher Bell will be making his 150th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Circuit of The Americas in a few weeks.
· Joey Logano is expected to make his 550th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Richmond Raceway. He will become the 39th different driver to reach 550 or more Cup Series starts.
· Chris Buescher is expected to make his 300th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Richmond Raceway.
Wins
· If Martin Truex Jr. wins a race this season, he will tie Brad Keselowski for 24th on the all-time Cup Series wins list with 35 wins.
· If Kyle Larson wins another race this season, he will reach 25 career wins, becoming the 36th different driver all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series to reach 25 victories.
· If the Wood Brothers Racing organization wins this season, it will their 100th NASCAR Cup Series victory, they currently have 99 wins in the series.
Laps Led
The following NASCAR Cup Series drivers can reach milestones in laps led this weekend:
Lap Leaders Laps Led Next Milestone Laps Led Needed
Erik Jones 827 1,000 173
Kyle Larson 7,761 8,000 239
Ryan Blaney 3,746 4,000 254
William Byron 2,640 3,000 360
AJ Allmendinger 631 1,000 369
Chris Buescher 609 1,000 391
Ricky Stenhouse Jr 562 1,000 438
Joey Logano 8,554 9,000 446
Bubba Wallace 537 1,000 463
The Breakfast Club to perform Food City 500 pre-race concert at Bristol – America’s favorite 1980s tribute band, The Breakfast Club, will perform the pre-race concert for the Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday afternoon, March 17, at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The Breakfast Club covers all the greatest hits from the 1980s and is the perfect fit for this pre-race concert given the throwback theme of the race weekend. Some of the artists the band covers include Duran Duran, The Cure, INXS, Beastie Boys, Journey, The Cars, Modern English, Prince, Simple Minds and Wang Chung, to name a few.
“Our guests are going to have a blast singing along with The Breakfast Club as they get revved up for the start of the Food City 500,” said Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “Their catalog of songs is so deep and it’s all of the very best tunes from the 1980s. This weekend we are back on the concrete on the racetrack and at the same time, we are taking our guests back in time with some activities at the track and this band certainly fits the bill to accomplish that.”
The pre-race concert will run from 1:30-2:30 p.m. live from the pre-race stage in the infield near the start/finish line and lead straight into pre-race ceremonies, which will include driver introductions for the Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Chandler Smith takes points lead for first-time in his career
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith took advantage of JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier’s late-race crash to come out victorious in last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway. The win was his first of the 2024 season and the second of his Xfinity Series career. The victory propelled Smith into the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings lead for the first time in his series career. He is currently just one point up on Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill. Smith also joins Hill as the first two drivers to earn a spot in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs by virtue of their wins.
Although Allgaier’s misfortune helped Smith find Victory Lane, his win cannot be attributed to pure luck. Smith came into the weekend strong with a fast qualifying lap that put him in P2 to start the race. He then went on to win the first stage and led a race-high 88 laps.
With the NASCAR Xfinity Series off this weekend, Smith will be able to revel in the spoils of his win before switching gears for the first road course of the season at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on March 23.
Smith has made his series track debut on the Austin, Texas road course last season, where he started 27th and raced his way up to a 12th-place finish.
Up Next: Road course action in the Lone Star state
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will have the weekend to regroup and recharge before heading to the Texas capitol for some road course fun on the Circuit of The Americas’ (COTA) 3.41-mile racetrack.
There have only been three NASCAR Xfinity Series races at COTA, producing two different race winners (Kyle Busch, 2021 and AJ Allmendinger, 2022-2023) and three different pole winners (Kyle Busch, 2021; Ty Gibbs, 2022 and A.J. Allmendinger, 2023).
Two of the three races have been won from the pole – 2021 race (Kyle Busch) and the 2023 race (A.J. Allmendinger).
They don’t call A.J. Allmendinger the ‘King of Road Courses’ in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for nothing, not only does he have the most wins of any driver on road courses in the series, but he is also holding many records at the Circuit of The Americas as well:
· Race record: 75.263 mph
· Qualifying record: 92.173 mph
· Wins: Two
· Top fives: Three
· Top 10s: Three
· Laps led: 58
Xfinity Series drivers will kick off the weekend at Circuit of The Americas with practice on Friday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET followed by Pole Qualifying at 6 p.m. ET.
All gas, no brakes: A.J. Allmendinger heading to Bristol
While Allmendinger’s fellow fulltime NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors will be taking the weekend off, he will be suiting up to get behind the wheel of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, the Food City 500.
This will be the 42-year-old’s second NASCAR Cup Series start of the 2024 season. His first was in the season-opening in DAYTONA 500 where he posted an impressive sixth-place finish.
Allmendinger has given Bristol Motor Speedway a go 23 times in the Cup Series, posting two top-10 finishes (2016, 2022).
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Connor Zilisch to run part-time Xfinity Series schedule with JR Motorsports – Connor Zilisch, who won this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this year at Watkins Glen International with JR Motorsports.
He will pilot the No. 88 Chevrolet for his debut at the New York road course, then will race an additional three races with the team at Kansas Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.
A Mooresville, North Carolina, native, Zilisch, 17, has won multiple national karting championships and set track records at six different venues in his first year in the Sports Car Club of America in 2021. He made his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2023, starting on the front row in the No. 28 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen and finishing runner-up on Aug. 18. Zilisch also signed a multiyear agreement with Trackhouse Racing in January as a developmental driver.
“It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to race in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports for select races this year,” Zilisch said. “I have a lot to learn, considering that I’ve never raced in stock cars on the big tracks, but there’s no better team to learn with than JRM. I can’t thank everyone at Chevrolet enough for all their support in helping me get to this point, and I can’t wait to give my all to make the most of this opportunity.”
Xfinity Sunoco Rookie Update: Jesse Love extends rookie standings lead over Van Gisbergen – Following Phoenix Raceway, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love has opened up his Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings lead to 44 points over Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen in second, and 67 points over Young’s Motorsport’s Leland Honeyman in third.
All four rookie this season – Love, Gisbergen, Honeyman and Dawson Cram – will be making their series track debuts at Circuit of The Americas next weekend.
Xfinity Series Upcoming Milestones – Over the next few races three drivers will be making milestone starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Sheldon Creed will be making his 75th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Circuit of The Americas.
Brandon Jones will be making his 275th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Richmond Raceway.
Cole Custer will be making 150th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
It’s Bristol, baby!
After a week off to regroup and go over some short track strategy, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is headed to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Weather Guard Truck Race on Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Beginning in Spring 2021, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series had been competing on the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track. This season marks the first time the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will have competed on concrete in the Spring since June 5, 1999 – a race won by Jack Sprague in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
There have been 26 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Bristol, producing 21 different winners and 19 different pole winners. Six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Brett Moffitt in 2019.
Here’s a look at who have etched their names in the 0.533-mile track’s Truck Series record books:
Race record: Brad Keselowski 91.919 mph (08/21/2014)
Qualifying record: Kyle Busch 129.413 mph (08/16/2017)
Most races: Matt Crafton (21)
Most poles: Kyle Busch (4)
Most wins: Kyle Busch (5)
Most top fives: Kyle Busch (7)
Most top 10s: Matt Crafton (14)
Laps led: Mike Skinner (562)
Corey Heim is Bristol Motor Speedway’s most recent winner after making a late-race pass on Christian Eckes in the fall to get the victory.
Notably, two NASCAR Cup Series regulars that are no strangers to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series are entered this weekend:
Kyle Busch (No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
Zane Smith (No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet)
Saturday’s Weather Guard Truck Race will be broken up into three stages. The first two stages will be 65 laps each and the final stage will be 120 laps for a race total of 250 laps (133.25 miles).
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Practice will begin Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio followed by Cometic Gasket Pole Qualifying at 3:40 p.m. ET.
Trio of Bristol winners hungry for another trip to Victory Lane
Three previous Bristol Motor Speedway concrete winners are entered in this weekend’s Weather Guard Truck Race, and all three are looking for another trip to Victory Lane.
Kyle Busch: The winningest driver in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will run his second race on his select-tour behind the wheel of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend. In Busch’s 11 starts at the 0.533-mile track, he’s posted five wins (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017), four poles, seven top fives, eight top 10s, and has led 544 laps.
Ty Majeski: In two starts, the driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford has posted one win (2022), one top-five, and one top-10 finish. He’s also led 45 laps. The 29-year-old’s win in 2022 was his first in his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series career.
Corey Heim: The driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota has made two starts on the concrete track. In those two starts, Heim’s posted one win (2023), one top-five and two top-10 finishes. If the 21-year-old wins this weekend, he would be the first driver to post back-to-back wins at Bristol since Kyle Busch in 2010.
Rajah Caruth with potential to continue historic run
When Rajah Caruth earned his first NASCAR national series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 21-year-old became the third African American to win a NASCAR national series race, joining the legendary company of Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace.
Caruth’s victory is part of a string of wins from graduates of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, who have won in each of the first four weeks of the NASCAR season:
Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing (NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series) at Daytona
Daniel Suárez, Trackhouse Racing (NASCAR Cup Series) at Atlanta
Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports (NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series) at Las Vegas
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports (NASCAR Cup Series) at Las Vegas
In three starts this season, Caruth has tallied one win, one pole, two top-five and three top-10 finishes. The driver of the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet currently sits fourth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points standings. Last season, Caruth finished sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway.
If Caruth were to win again this weekend, he would become the sixth different driver in NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series history to win their first two races back-to-back; joined by:
Rich Bickle, 1997: Portland, Evergreen
Kurt Busch, 2000: Milwaukee, New Hampshire
Ted Musgrave, 2001: Homestead-Miami, Mesa Marin
Todd Bodine, 2004: Fontana, Texas
Kasey Kahne, 2004: Darlington, Homestead-Miami
Kyle Busch, 2005: Charlotte, Dover
Johnny Benson Jr., 2006: Michigan, Milwaukee
Ankrum extends points lead slightly, Majeski still in pursuit
Tyler Ankrum extended his lead in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points standings at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to five points over Ty Majeski in second.
The driver of the No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet left Las Vegas with a second-place finish accumulating 42 points and retaining his position as the points leader in the series. It was his best finish at Las Vegas in eight starts.
The San Bernadino, California native, Ankrum, has made five starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. His first venture in 2019 netted a 20th-place finish and when he returned in 2020, Ankrum scored a track-best seventh-place finish. Last season, Ankrum finished 23rd. He has led 53 laps at the short track.
Sitting in Ankrum’s rear view mirror is ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski. The driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford led a race-high 40 of 134 laps and swept both stages at Las Vegas. But a speeding penalty on pit road on Lap 102 ultimately cost him the chance to win the Vegas race.
Now heading to Bristol, Majeski is hoping for another solid run to close the gap on Ankrum. In two starts at the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile,’ Majeski has one win (2022).
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Etc.
Brenden Queen set to join TRICON Garage at North Wilkesboro – CARS Tour late model stock car standout Brenden “Butterbean” Queen will be joining forces with TRICON Garage in his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut to pilot the No. 1 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at North Wilkesboro.
The Chesapeake, Virginia driver had a breakout campaign in 2023 earning four victories, 13 top fives and 15 top 10s in CARS Tour competition enroute to a second-place finish in the series points standings. Beyond the CARS Tour, Queen captured his second Hampton Heat triumph at Langley Speedway and scored victories in the Battle of the Stars at All-American Speedway and the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park.
“I have been dreaming of this since I started racing go karts at six years old,” said Queen. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to team up with TRICON and Toyota to make my Truck Series debut at the track that put my name on the map last year.”
CRC extends entitlement of NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Pocono – Pocono Raceway will open its July 12-14 NASCAR Tripleheader weekend in grand fashion with the longest scheduled CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race ever to run at the historic venue.
The CRC Brakleen 175 will consist of 80 laps and 175 miles on the 2.5-mile tri-oval – an increase of 10 laps and 25 miles from the most recent races. In addition to the CRC Brakleen 175 becoming the longest NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway, it also will be the first ever contested on a Friday evening at ‘The Tricky Triangle’. Of the previous 14 races run, 12 were on Saturday and two on Sunday (2011, 2020).
“We take tremendous pride in our Pennsylvania roots and having another home state company in CRC Industries and their Brakleen products sponsor our first 175-mile CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race is something we are extremely excited about,” said Pocono Raceway President Ben May, referring to CRC’s global corporate headquarters in Horsham, Pa. “We’re looking forward to seeing the stars of the truck series entertain the world’s best fans at the CRC Brakleen 175.”
CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Upcoming Milestones – Several drivers in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will be making milestone starts in the upcoming races this season.
Matt Crafton is expected to make his 550th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. Crafton leads the Truck Series in starts, all of which are consecutive.
Tanner Gray is expected to make his 100th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway.
Bayley Currey is expected to make his 50th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway.
Christian Eckes is expected to make his 100th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Darlington Raceway.
Ty Majeski is expected to make his 75th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Darlington Raceway.
Corey Heim is expected to make his 50th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Darlington Raceway.
NASCAR
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