Harvick Wins at Phoenix, Johnson Takes 28 Point Lead to Homestead

Posted on Author WKVI

Carl Edwards’ Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig wasn’t kidding when he told the driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion that he only had a lap-and-a-half left in the gas tank and to save as much as possible, but Edwards’ car just couldn’t make it to the finish line. What’s worse was he was leading the race with one lap to go when the tank went dry. That allowed Kevin Harvick to drive right past Edwards and take the win Sunday night in the Advocare 500 in the Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix International Raceway.

Edwards went from leading the race to coasting to a 21st place finish.

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Busch Wins 12th NNS Race, Championship to be Settled in Miami

Posted on Author WKVI

Kyle Busch was shuffled back in the top ten a few times today, but found his way to the front again to cross the finish line first in the Servicemaster 200 at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday afternoon. This is his 12th win of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.

Austin Dillon and Sam Hornish, Jr. are vying for the championship and the battle will go to Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hornish, Jr. was not happy with the car’s setup all weekend long, but was able to muscle out a fifth place finish. Austin Dillon was in the top ten all afternoon and finished third. Justin Allgaier passed Dillon on the last lap to take the second place finish. Dillon will enter the last race of the season with an eight point advantage over Hornish in the championship standings.

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Jones Makes History, Crafton Expected to Claim NCWTS Championship

Posted on Author WKVI

He’s 17 and he’s a winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Erik Jones drove the No. 51 Toyota truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports into victory lane in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway Friday night becoming the youngest driver in history to win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).

Ross Chastain didn’t let him have the win easily as they were door-to-door on the final restart of the race with less than 15 laps to go. Chastain had cleared Jones for two laps when Jones came roaring past him to take the lead for the last time of the night. Jones finished more than a second ahead of second place runner Chastain when Jones took the checkered flag.

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Chastain on Pole for Tonight’s NCWTS Race at Phoenix

Posted on Author WKVI

The No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing truck driven by Ross Chastain will be on the pole for tonight’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

The Ford F-150 had the quickest qualifying lap of 133.38. Erik Jones will start on the outside pole, followed by Brendan Gaughan, James Buescher, Max Gresham, Cale Gale, Johnny Sauter, Ryan Sieg, Matt Crafton and Joey Coulter.

Buescher is attempting to reel in Crafton in the championship points. Crafton leads Buescher by 46 points and Buescher is followed closely by Ty Dillon. Dillon will start outside the top 10 in row 6 the 12th position.

Chastain’s teammate, Ryan Blaney, spun on his second qualifying lap and will start deep in the field in 26th position.

The Lucas Oil 150 begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson Ready for Championship Battle at Phoenix

Posted on Author WKVI

This been a memorable Chase for Matt Kenseth, the newest driver for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and for Hendrick Motorsports driver, Jimmie Johnson.

Kenseth won a Championship in 2003 after dominating that year and it’s been an interesting back-and-forth battle in the Chase with Johnson. Only seven points separate Kenseth and Johnson as they go to Phoenix International Raceway this Sunday, Nov. 10.

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Double-Duty Racing for Ryan Blaney at Phoenix

Posted on Author WKVI

Ryan Blaney will have his hands full this weekend as he takes the wheel in the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford F-150 for Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) on Friday and the No. 48 AutoZone Ford Mustang for Penske Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.

This will be Blaney’s second career start at Phoenix International Raceway in the NCWTS. Last season, Blaney finished fifth after starting on the outside pole. His BKR team is 8th in the championship standings.

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2013 ARCA Champion to Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Posted on Author WKVI

Frank Kimmel will be wheeling the No. 13 Ansell/Menards Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) during NASCAR’s championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Kimmel drove the No. 13 in July in the truck series at Iowa Speedway and came away with a 21st place finish. He hopes to have a good run, but the No. 13 will have to have a good qualifying position to make the show. The No. 13 has run 10 races this season with a couple of different drivers and has fallen out of a guaranteed starting position in the Truck Series’ owners’ points.

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Truck Series Teams Look to Turn up the Heat at Phoenix International Raceway

Posted on Author WKVI

The next-to-the-last race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) is this Friday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) and the championship battle is just heating up.

Matt Crafton leads the points by 46 over James Buescher. Buescher is closely followed by Ty Dillon and Johnny Sauter is in the fourth place spot 74 points out of first.

Crafton has been driving in the NCWTS for 13 years and it could be this race at Phoenix that clinches the title for the racer. All Crafton has to do with finish at least 18th at Phoenix and at Homestead. He will drive the No. 88 Splash/Menards Toyota Tundra this Friday.

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Pit Crew Member Offers Advice on Getting Prepped for NASCAR

Posted on Author WKVI

1382041921Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work on a pit crew in any of the NASCAR traveling series? There are pit crew schools available to teach you the skills you need to be a part of a championship team.

The XCalibur Pit School in Mooresville, North Carolina is one such place and co-owner Colin Fambrough said they teach you all the techniques you need to know.

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Johnson Wins at Texas, Takes Seven Point Lead to Phoenix

Posted on Author WKVI

When the green flag dropped Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson was fearless when the throttle went wide-open and he didn’t look back. He won the 334-lap AAA Texas 500 and kept his lead in the championship standings in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This was his sixth win in the 2013 season.

Carl Edwards led the field to green and a quick caution occurred on lap 16 for debris. It wasn’t long after this caution that Jimmie Johnson found clean air. Edwards, who was on the pole for the race, had to drive his car to the garage due to a broken valve spring in the engine at the midway point of the race.

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Brad Keselowski Wins NNS Race at Texas

Posted on Author WKVI

When Brad Keselowski talked to reporters before the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, he said he wanted a cowboy hat. Now he has one after he emerged as the winner in the 200-lap O’Reilley Auto Parts Challenge at TMS.

The Penske Racing Discount Tire Ford was strong throughout the race, but when the first caution came out on lap 70 and yellow flag pit stops occurred Keselowski fell back and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin took over the lead.

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Ty Dillon Gets a New Cowboy Hat at Texas Motor Speedway

Posted on Author WKVI

Ty Dillon dominated the field as he crossed the finish line in the first position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night. This was his third career win.

Dillon was ready to take the trophy and receive a Texas Motor Speedway special: a cowboy hat and the chance to fire a couple of six-shooters.

“Can’t wait to get that cowboy hat!” Dillon stated in a post-race interview on FoxSports 1. “I won at Texas!”

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Carl Edwards on Pole for AAA Texas 500

Posted on Author WKVI

Carl Edwards raced his #99 Aflac Ford for Roush-Fenway Racing straight to the top of the qualifying order Friday afternoon and will start there Sunday afternoon in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Edwards posted a top speed of 196.114 mph. Brad Keselowski will start on the outside pole. This is Keselowski’s 15th top-10 start of 2013. Jimmie Johnson qualified third, followed by Paul Menard and Kyle Busch. Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr, and Marcos Ambrose round out the top 10 qualifiers.

The Sprint Cup race begins at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Burton to Start on Pole in Tonight’s NCWTS Race

Posted on Author WKVI

Jeb Burton has captured the Keystone Light Pole Award for tonight’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a top speed of 179.432 mph. Justin Lofton will start in the second position, followed by Ty Dillon, Miguel Paludo and Max Gresham in the top five.

Brad Keselowski who was fastest in final practice yesterday will start in the 13th position. Points leader Matt Crafton will start right next to Keselowski in the 14th position. James Buescher will have a better starting spot in the 6th position. Buescher sits second in the championship standings.

The Winstar World Casino 350 will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight at Texas Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex, Jr. to Move to Furniture Row Racing

Posted on Author WKVI

Martin Truex, Jr. will be driving for the #78 team in the 2014 season.

That was confirmed in a press conference Friday morning held by Furniture Row Racing in the Samsung Media Center at Texas Motor Speedway. Joe Garone, General Manager of Furniture Row Racing, officially welcomed Truex as the driver of the Furniture Row Chevrolet for the 2014 season. He has signed a multi-year contract with the team.

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Texas Preview

Posted on Author WKVI

Race number eight in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup gets underway Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. ET at Texas Motor Speedway and things are stewing at the top of the points standings.

Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson left Martinsville Motor Speedway last weekend sharing the top spot after Kenseth finished fourth and Johnson fought back for a fifth place finish. Johnson had entered the race in the top spot in the championship hunt with Kenseth only a few points behind.

What will the 1.5-mile oval have for these drivers vying for the championship?

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NCWTS Crew Chief Fined, Crew Member Suspended after Tussle at Martinsville Speedway

Posted on Author WKVI

NASCAR has announced penalties from an incident prior to the end of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Kevin Harvick and Ty Dillon were battling for position during the 200-lap Kroger 200 near the end of the race when an accident ensued. They continued to beat and bang while attempting to drive off the track. Harvick stopped in Dillon’s pit and a crew member proceeded to hurl a hammer at Harvick’s truck.

As result, NASCAR has penalized Dillon’s No. 3 team for violating 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; throwing an object at a competitor’s race truck) and 9-4A (The Crew Chief assumes responsibility for the actions of his/her Driver, Truck Owner and team members).

Crew Chief Paul (Marcus) Richmond has been fined $10,000 and crew member Adam Brown has been suspended indefinitely from NASCAR.