NASCAR returns to Nashville for Champion’s Week

 

As an eventful 2022 race season enters its final turn, NASCAR announced the return of its Champion’s Week celebration to Nashville on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

 

The NASCAR Awards will be held on Dec. 1 at the Music City Center to formally crown this season’s NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champions. Fellow drivers, industry personalities and celebrities will take over downtown Nashville for the third year to celebrate an unforgettable 2022 season.

 

“We are pleased to announce our return to    keting Officer at NASCAR. “We are delighted to bring the celebration to Nashville once again, as the city’s energy and passion for motorsports never cease to amaze us. We are looking forward to being back following the conclusion of the 2022 season.”

 

The formal postseason Awards are a tradition that stretches back to 1981, when the event was held in New York City. It relocated to Las Vegas in 2009 and then called Nashville its home for the first time in 2019. Over the last two years NASCAR has seen a tremendous turnout from the Nashville fans not only at the race track, but for the celebration of Champion’s week. NASCAR looks to continue the tradition and conclude the season at one of the most iconic cities in the country.

 

Celebrate the best of the 2022 season with us!

Catch the #NASCARAwards from Nashville this Saturday at 8 PM ET on @peacock!#ChampionsWeek pic.twitter.com/2Uu4pUVku3

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 29, 2022

 

source: NASCAR Media

Close Competition for Sunoco ROY Contenders

Corey Heim, driver of the #51 JBL Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane
(Atlanta Motor Speedway) Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

 

Close competition for Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contenders - Going into the fourth race of the season the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie standings have tightened with Corey Heim’s win last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway he has jumped to the lead by 12 points over second place Jack Wood.

 

Heim will not be competing this weekend at COTA. It will be Thompson and Perkins series track debuts this weekend. Jack Wood (28th-place finish) and Lawless Alan (23rd) competed in last season’s race.

 

Sunoco Rookie Standings Following Atlanta:

• Corey Heim - 52 points 
• Jack Wood - 40 points 
• Dean Thompson - 34 points 
• Lawless Alan - 34 points 
• Blaine Perkins - 16 points

 

Who impressed you the most with their run Saturday? pic.twitter.com/HEFnH4yx0K

— NASCAR Camping World Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) March 22, 2022

 

source: NASCAR Media

The Glen - America's Best NASCAR Track

Hospitality Selling Out Fast

 

Watkins Glen International's popularity within the NASCAR community has exploded in recent years, as evidenced by the facility being named "America's Best NASCAR Track" on four occasions by readers of USA Today.

 

The venue has also announced reserved grandstand seating sellouts in each of the last five NASCAR Cup Series races, beginning in 2015, accompanying exciting finishes including 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott capturing his first Cup Series victory in 2018.

 

WGI fans you heard what the man from Dawsonville said about y'all 😎 #GoBowlingAtTheGlen x @chaseelliott pic.twitter.com/Z9NtqPDNdA

— Watkins Glen International (@WGI) July 29, 2021

 

Next weekend promises three days of exciting competition:

1. Friday – ARCA Racing 
2. Saturday – NASCAR Trucks & Xfinity
3. Sunday – NASCAR Cup

 

As in past years, several reserved packages are already sold-out.

 

Sold Out

Esses Party Deck

Package Includes: 

• • (1) Weekend General Admission Ticket 
• • Exclusive access to Party Deck with trackside viewing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 
• - Overlooks famed ‘Esses’ of Watkins Glen International (Turns 2,3,4) 
• - Open same hours as grandstands 
• - Partially covered viewing platform 
• - Multiple seating areas 
• - Closed circuit televisions with live race feed 
• • Includes exclusive parking access for first 200 purchases 
• • Special reduced pricing of food and beverage in party deck area

 

Sahlen's Pit Inn

Package Includes:

 

(1) Weekend General Admission Ticket Exclusive Club-like setting with viewing outside the final turn onto the frontstretch. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday; food and beverage service beginning at 12 p.m. (noon) Friday. 

• • Trackside Buffet 
• • Complimentary Wine and Beer (21+) 
• • Complimentary Soda and Water 
• • Preferred Parking - Lot 5 
• • Souvenir Program
• • Motorsports Personality Q&As

 

Jack Daniel's Club

*Please wear business casual attire when attending*

 

The Jack Daniel's Club features a climate-controlled indoor environment with an outstanding view of Watkins Glen International's famed Esses.

 

Guests can also enjoy the equally impressive view from the outdoor deck, in addition to multiple closed-circuit televisions, all in a luxurious and all-inclusive setting.

 

Please call 866-461-RACE with additional questions.

 

Turn 1 Cabanas

Relax, lounge and enjoy the thrilling sites and sounds of NASCAR at The Glen in our Turn 1 Cabanas.

 

Located in a prime location between Turn 1 and 2.

 

Available

VIZCOM Turn 10 Terrace

Package Includes:

 

(1) Weekend General Admission Ticket Exclusive access to Terrace with trackside viewing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

• • Overlooks Turn 10 of Watkins Glen International 
• • Partially Covered Viewing Platform, multiple seating areas
• • Jumbotron View from Terrace

 

Sahlen's Grill Meal Included Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Unlimited Soft Drinks, Discounted Beer/Wine/Cocktails

 

Open same hours as grandstands

 

The BOG sponsored by RED CAT

Package Includes: Exclusive Trackside Viewing on Saturday and/or Sunday 

• • Multiple Motorsports Personality Q&A Sessions 
• • Preferred Parking near Gate 5 (Lot 5) 
• • Upgraded Lunch and Snack Food Experience 
• • Six (6) Daily Genesee beer, Hazlitt wine product coupons (Must be 21+) 
• • Free Souvenir Gift and Ear Plugs 
• • Jumbotron Screen View and Closed-Circuit Televisions with Race Feed 
• • Semi-Private Executive Restrooms

 

*Gate admission tickets are NOT INCLUDED with the purchase of BOG Hospitality. Access to all midway, camping or hospitality areas requires a gate admission ticket. Please call 1-866-461-RACE with additional questions.

 

The #GoBowlingAtTheGlen weekend is coming soon!

Don’t forget to download or print your tickets before you get to the track next week!

Event Info: https://t.co/3yQh3cpU6o

Ticket Delivery: https://t.co/BzIq8CA6Zt pic.twitter.com/ARcVVOZ9SV

— Watkins Glen International (@WGI) July 31, 2021

 

 

source: Watkins Glen International

Charlotte #NASCAR Weekend Recap

Winners: Kyle Larson (Cup); Ty Gibbs (Xfinity) (ARCA); John Hunter Nemechek (Truck)

Kyle Larson Wins; Hendrick Motorsports Breaks NASCAR Record

 

Kyle Larson dominated Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to give Hendrick Motorsports and team owner Rick Hendrick the most wins by a race team in NASCAR history.

 

Larson led 327 of 400 laps in NASCAR’s longest race of the season, securing Hendrick Motorsports its 269th Cup Series win. It broke a tie with Petty Enterprises atop the all-time win list for team owners.

 

As part of a special annual Memorial Day weekend tribute known as 600 Miles of Remembrance, the names of U.S. Armed Forces members who sacrificed their lives were proudly displayed on the windshields of each car.

 

NASCAR also briefly halted the race following Stage 2 for a moment of remembrance to honor those who’ve given the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

 

269 wins. One team.

Thank you to the countless people who have supported us and made this record-breaking win possible. pic.twitter.com/rgEP0IyDHh

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) May 31, 2021

 

Ty Gibbs Converts Spin-And-Win, Lands 2nd Xfinity Victory

 

Ty Gibbs won his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in the sixth start of his career, recovering from a spin off Turn 4 to take the checkered flag in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

The grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs led the final 20 laps, surviving two eventful restarts during that stretch to beat series leader Austin Cindric to the finish line by .437 seconds.

 

Gibbs, who won’t turn 19 until Oct. 4, is the youngest winner at Charlotte in any of NASCAR’s top three national divisions.

 

Wow! What a day!!! Thank you everyone! 2 wins in 6hours!! 😊👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/9bcW9umUeT

— Ty Gibbs (@TyGibbs_) May 30, 2021

 

John Hunter Nemechek Nets Camping World Trucks Win

 

With his third victory of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, John Hunter Nemechek reaffirmed Kyle Busch Motorsports’ mastery of 1.5-mile intermediate tracks Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

Nemechek held off Sunoco rookie Carson Hocevar over a closing 10-lap green-flag run after a violent crash at the entrance to the tri-oval stripped the body off Johnny Sauter’s No. 13 Toyota and slowed the race for nine caution laps. 

 

The victory was Nemechek’s first at Charlotte and the ninth of his career. It came after the driver of the No. 4 KBM Toyota clipped the wall early in Friday’s practice and ran just 10 circuits in the session.

 

“Hats off to all my guys, (crew chief) Eric Phillips , all my guys, everyone who works on this thing — everyone at KBM, the chassis shop, the fab shop… (owner) Kyle (Busch) for this opportunity,” said Nemechek, who beat a fast-closing Hocevar to the finish line by .419 seconds. “I’m so blessed to be in this spot.

 

Winner @CLTMotorSpdwy last night! Thankful I get to drive these fast @ToyotaRacing tundras! Thank you for all the congratulations messages! @Mobil1 | @KBMteam | @ToyotaRacing |#here4wins | #teamtoyota pic.twitter.com/qyX1JjcXil

— John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek) May 30, 2021

 

Ty Gibbs Wins General Tire 150 (ARCA)

 

Driving the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Gibbs led all 100 laps of the General Tire 150 hours after he took the checkered flag in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the 1.5-mile quad oval in Concord, North Carolina.

 

Gibbs now has won four of the six races the ARCA Menards Series has contested in 2021. He won his second Xfinity Series race in his sixth series start.

 

The Saturday sweep makes Gibbs the first driver two win both an ARCA Menards Series race and a NASCAR national series race since Sam Mayer did so with ARCA Menards and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins at Bristol Motor Speedway last season.

 

2 races
2 wins

Not bad for a Saturday's work. @TyGibbs_ WINS the @GeneralTire 150 at @CLTMotorSpdwy pic.twitter.com/WJRssSnCWJ

— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) May 30, 2021

 

 

source: NASCAR Media

Derek Kraus: 2021 NCWTS At Cota: Race Preview

May 22, 2021 “Toyota Tundra 225” (Stages 12/26/42 laps = 143.220 miles)

By Nascarvd Nascarvédé  

 

 

“Everything is bigger in Texas, even the width of the track!”

Now is the time for the second road race of the 2021 NCWTS season of the four on the schedule. The particularity being that it will be an inaugural race. Indeed, it's in Austin, Texas on the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) that the 9th race of the season will take place. The Toyota Tundra 225 will take place in 3 stages for a total of 42 laps. 

This is a 20-turn multi-elevational, 3.41 mile paved road course. The same circuit used by F1 or Indycar for example. A circuit designed by the famous German Hermann Tilke. The world's greatest parking engineer... With rare exceptions, he has been the author of all modern F1 circuits since the end of the 90s. And the least we can say is that he's very talented at designing circuits ... of shit ! Without souls, without flavors, without interest in 99% of cases. You just have to watch races, regardless of the motorsports series on these circuits. The fans are complaining and worse ... the drivers are complaining!

 

But with incredible luck COTA  is part of the remaining 1%. Namely a very beautiful circuit. It's hilly, has varied turns including a nice sequence of "S" (turns 3 to 6) in the purest style of what one can see in England at Silverstone. A benchmark circuit for F1 fans.

 

That's going to require some work. @NASCARatCOTA | 📺: FS2 pic.twitter.com/vA0O1bZdHO

— NASCAR Camping World Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) May 22, 2021

 

Only the part between turns 13 and 18 is not very interesting in terms of driving. And worse, it's impossible to overtake ...

 

Its construction began symbolically on December 31, 2010 and the first race took place on October 21, 2012. The track is very wide, even very very wide in places. Which will be a first in NASCAR, accustomed to “old-fashioned” road tracks like Watkins Glen or Elkart Lake or winding like Portland or Sonoma. The last time NASCAR visited a track with similar straights width was in 1954 at Linden Airport, NJ with Al Keller's victory in a Jaguar XK120.

 

What does this hold in store for us? A boring race as the 40 trucks will be scattered on such a circuit or on the contrary a crazy race with the phenomenon of draft that can generate the huge straights as if we were on a Super Speedway?

 

We will have a first element of response today. Because with this new track, the practice / qualifying / race format is back. This allows drivers and teams to find the right setups.

 

Like the vast majority of his colleagues, Derek Kraus  will discover COTA. However, some have already been able to test there in the past or even participate in it. This will be the case for many road ringers entered just for this race. And despite the fact that they ride for small teams, they could be talked about.

 

Excited to go to @COTA for the first time this weekend with our @NAPARacing @ToyotaRacing Tundra. We have practice and qualifying back too!

Practice: TODAY at 3pm EST (FS1)
Qualifying: Saturday at 9am EST (FS2)
Race: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/o40HVfSYUC

— Derek Kraus (@derek9kraus) May 21, 2021

 

Derek just competed in the first BMRDA road race at Thunderhill Raceway Park, CA. A good way to get used to turning right and left again. Let's just hope that the #19 NAPA AutoCare / Gates Hydraulics NAPA Belts & Hoses of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing led by crew chief Mark Hillman will finally be spared some bad luck. Because this 2021 season is very difficult for them. Let us remember that the only top10 of the season was precisely obtained in the Daytona Road Course last February with a 7th position.

 

Note the debut in NCWTS of Jack Wood with GMS Racing, his team in ARCA. Another former opponent from Derek’s K&N West era arriving in a NASCAR national series.

 

GO Derek GO !!

 

Entry list, starting lineup and much more click here.

 

Race live this Saturday on FS1 at 1:10 p.m. ET

 

 

source: Nascarvd Nascarvédé

What do Moffitt, Reddick, and Logano Have in Common?

First Time Champions

Brett Moffitt, driver of the #16 AISIN Group Toyota, celebrates
in victory lane with the trophy after winning the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 and the NCWTS Championship
at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16, 2018

#NCWTS - Brett Moffitt Cruises to First Truck Series Title At Homestead

In a race that featured a minimum two cautions, both for planned stage breaks, Brett Moffitt drove away from the rest of the field after taking the lead from fellow Championship 4 contender Noah Gragson on Lap 99 of 134.

Moffitt finished 2.000 seconds ahead of pole winner Grant Enfinger, who passed Gragson for the runner-up spot during a cycle of green-flag pit stops at the 103-lap mark. Gragson ran third, 5.006 seconds back.

Driving for underfunded Hattori Racing Enterprises, owned by former driver Shigeaki Hattori of Japan, Moffitt picked up his sixth victory of the season (and second straight) and the seventh of his career. More than 20 years ago, Hattori won the first of his two Indy Lights races at Homestead after leading 64 of 67 laps in a Lola/Buick.

"That was the longest 20-30 laps of my life," Moffitt said of the final run to the checkered flag. "Man, I was just glad we could get to the white flag without a caution and clean sailing. We had a great truck all day.

"It's unreal. We all know the story by now. We didn't know if we were going to race this whole year. I didn't if I would have the opportunity to run for a championship, even after we got our first win. Everyone pulled together hard here.

"We've had so many partners who came in at clutch moments and got us to the race track."

HE DID IT! Retweet to congratulate Brett Moffitt! He is the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion. pic.twitter.com/fyZLRbABgy

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) November 17, 2018

Tyler Reddick, driver of the #9 BurgerFi Chevrolet, celebrates with
the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series
Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on
November 17, 2018 in Homestead, Florida.

#NXS - Tyler Reddick Wins at Homestead In Stunning Xfinity Championship Run

Tyler Reddick was the only driver of the Championship 4 who really liked it on top, and his willingness to run the wall paid off with a race win and a NASCAR Xfinity Series title.

Charging forward in the top lane, even though it meant an occasional brush with the outside wall, Reddick pulled away from pole winner Cole Custer during a long green-flag run to the finish to win Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 by 6.902 seconds.

"I picked a really good time to get my life together and decide to win a race," and elated Reddick said in Victory Lane.

In fact, Saturday’s win was the third in Reddick’s career and his second of the season. Reddick won the 2018 opener at Daytona International Speedway by .0004 seconds over JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler, who finished 14th on Saturday in his final start as a full-time driver.

At Daytona, Reddick’s margin of victory translated to roughly three inches. At Homestead, it was a no-doubter. Once he passed fellow Championship 4 competitor Christopher Bell for the lead on Lap 164 of 200 and stayed within inches with the wall lap after lap, he quickly pulled away for the win, the championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

• "I just knew we had to execute," Reddick said. "I thought we had a chance if we just made it to Homestead. I like this track—it rewards my aggression. Tonight, we hit the wall a lot, but the car kept in one piece, enough for me to get to the end."

Pit strategy also played out in Reddick’s favor. Bell came to pit road under green on Lap 141, and Reddick followed a lap later. Custer didn’t bring his No. 00 Ford to pit road from the lead until Lap 147, after losing roughly two seconds per lap, and exited 8.006 seconds behind Reddick.

Bell passed Reddick for the lead on Lap 154 but within 10 laps the seven-time winner had used up his short-run speed and surrendered the top spot back to Reddick.

"He went out and attacked, attacked, attacked all night, and it paid off for him," Bell said of Reddick’s effort. "I was good on the bottom, and I had glimpses of hope, but we just weren’t fast enough."

Looking back on what was the craziest night of my young life, we overcame the odds and did something special. Our whole team believed that we could be champions all year long and we accomplished our goal, even with the very turbulent path we took. It’s unreal, WE ARE CHAMPIONS!🏆 pic.twitter.com/lahR2R3tza

— Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick) November 19, 2018

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates in
victory lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Ford EcoBoost 400 and the MENCS Championship at Homestead
-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2018 in Homestead, Florida

#MENCS - Late Charge Gives Joey Logano Homestead Victory And First Cup Championship

On Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it was "The Big Three and Me" — with the "Me" being Joey Logano waging vehicular war against the three most prolific winners in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Now "Me" is a champion.

In a thrilling finish that featured all four Championship 4 drivers battling for the race victory and the title—and finishing 1-2-3-4 in the Ford EcoBoost 400—Logano charged past defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 256 of 267 and pulled away to win his first championship.

"Oh, my God, yes!" Logano screamed on his radio as his No. 22 Team Penske Ford flashed across the finish line 1.725 seconds ahead of Truex, establishing a handful of milestones in the process.

"We did it! We won the championship! I can’t believe it. I don't know what to say. This team, (owner) Roger Penske, (crew chief) Todd Gordon, the pit crew. Oh, my God! They gave me the car I needed at the end to do my job. Put me in position to do my job. I couldn’t be more proud of them. We won the championship! Oh, my God!"

The victory was Logano’s third of the season, his first at the 1.5-mile track and the 21st of his career. With the win, he sealed the first manufacturer’s championship for Ford since 2002 and the first driver’s championship for the car maker since Kurt Busch won the first Playoffs in 2004.

Promise fulfilled. @joeylogano is a champion!

🎧: @Shinedown | #TeamJL pic.twitter.com/cnELBfwJId

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 19, 2018

🏁 🏆 Last Five Posts 🏆 🏁

1. Logano | Ford NASCAR Championship Titles
2. Championship 4 - NASCAR Xfinity SeriesNASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4
3. Kevin Harvick On Thriving In The Face Of Adversity
4. Johnny Sauter - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4
5. Brett Moffitt - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4

Johnny Sauter - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4

It wouldn’t be the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs if we didn’t have Johnny Sauter in the Championship 4, would it?

The 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion is back to take his crown. This is Sauter’s third trip to the Playoffs in its current format and he has been in the Championship 4 every one of those trips, winning it all in 2016.

This is Sauter’s 15th year competing in the Camping World Truck Series and his 10th as a full-timer. He has 243 total starts, 23 wins, 102 top fives, 157 top 10s and seven poles. He has led 2,447 laps and has an average start of 9.8 and average finish of 9.6.

Sauter also passed Todd Bodine this season to put himself on the list of top five all-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winners with 23.

Top Five All-Time In NCWTS Wins
Rank	Drivers	Wins
1	Kyle Busch	51
2	Ron Hornaday Jr.	51
3	Jack Sprague	28
4	Mike Skinner	28
5	Johnny Sauter	23
6	Todd Bodine	22

In 2016, Sauter’s first trip to the Playoffs and the Championship 4, he had three wins, 12 top-five finishes, 19 top 10s and one pole. He won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway to secure his spot in the Playoffs and then went on to win back-to-back Playoff races at Martinsville and Texas before winning the championship.

Last year, Sauter had four wins with 13 top fives, 19 top 10s and led 455 laps. Sauter won at Dover to secure his spot in the Playoffs and then went on to win at Chicagoland in the regular season. In the Playoffs, Sauter won at Texas and Phoenix before finishing second in the standings when Christopher Bell took home the championship.

If Sauter wins the championship this year, he will join Ron Hornaday Jr., Jack Sprague and Matt Crafton as multi-championship winners in the series. It appears that Sauter just gets better with time as he accomplished a career-best six wins this season along with 14 top fives, 17 top 10s and one pole. He also led a career-best 585 laps so far. The winning began in the season-opener at Daytona where Sauter started in the front row and ended up winning the race after leading 39 laps. And, as a reminder, the last time Sauter won the season-opener and went to the Championship 4, he won the title. From there, he just kept winning. He won at Dover after starting from second place and won at Charlotte Motor Speedway starting from the pole. Immediately after, he won at Texas to give himself back-to-back victories. He then went on to win at Bristol starting from the fourth position, also where he was crowned the regular season champion.

Find out how a second title would be different from the first for @JohnnySauter? https://t.co/X8UoTMzrdb

— GMS Racing (@GMSRacingLLC) November 14, 2018

Playoff Recap

GMS Racing’s Johnny Sauter kicked off the postseason’s Round of 8 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a sixth-place finish. Then at Las Vegas, he started sixth and finished runner-up and then barely scraped by into the next round with a 22nd-place finish at Talladega. Sauter’s championship run got back on track at Martinsville after starting eighth and racing his way to the win securing his spot in Miami. He closed out the Round of 6 with an 11th at Texas and a seventh at ISM Raceway last weekend.

Homestead-Miami Outlook

Johnny Sauter is the only Playoff driver with some veteran experience at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has made series 11 starts at the 1.5-mile speedway producing one win (2011), four top fives, and eight top 10s. He has also led 64 laps Homestead and has an average finish of 10.1.

His first run at the South Florida track was in 2003. From 2009-2017, Sauter has run at Homestead every season. His past two appearances resulted in third-place finishes (2016, 2017).

Sauter’s first and only win at the 1.5-mile track was in 2011 for Curb Racing, when he started fifth. If Sauter win at Homestead, he will join Kyle Busch as the only two active drivers to have ever won multiple times at the track.

Crew Chief Corner

Joe Shear, Jr. is a very experienced and knowledgeable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crew chief and he has been with Johnny Sauter for the past three years. Shear, Jr. also worked with Sauter earlier in his career from 2004 to 2013.

The two of them have seen a lot of success together with 20 wins, 78 top fives and 106 top 10s and let’s not forget the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship. Shear, Jr. has been a crew chief in the Truck Series for 14 years. Of those 14 years, 10 of them were spent with Sauter either part time or fulltime. This season, Shear, Jr. has 22 starts with six wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s and one pole.

Aside from Shear, Jr.’s Truck Series crew chief career, he was also atop the pit box in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for a brief 10 races with Sauter and Michael Waltrip in 2005 and 2006. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Shear, Jr. was a crew chief for five years (1995, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006) accumulating 96 starts, one win, two top fives, 13 top 10s and one pole. The one win, two top fives, five of the top 10s and the pole were all with Sauter in 2005. Shear, Jr. was also crew chief in 2009 for three races in the K&N Pro Series East and West with driver Brian Ickler where he saw one win, two top fives and two top 10s.

In the Camping World Truck Series, Shear, Jr. has been to Homestead-Miami Speedway eight times. Six of those times were with Sauter (2009-2017). This weekend will mark his seventh start at the track. He has one win, four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 8.4. In 2011, Shear, Jr. won at Homestead with Sauter starting from fifth.

Team Talk

GMS Racing began its NACAR Camping World Truck Series program in 2014 and since has produced 23 series wins, 85 top fives, 174 top 10s, 10 poles and one driver championship (2016). This season marks the third consecutive season GMS Racing has fielded drivers in the Championship 4 – (2016: Johnny Sauter, 2017: Johnny Sauter and 2018 Justin Haley and Johnny Sauter).

🏁 🏆 Last Five Posts 🏆 🏁

1. Brett Moffitt - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4
2. Homestead-Miami ‘Ford Championship’ Weekend Schedule
3. How The Championship 4 Sealed Their Place In The 2018 #NASCAR Playoffs
4. NASCAR, Snapchat to Celebrate 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship with Snapcode Activation, Race Highlights and More
5. #NASCAR Legend David Pearson Passes Away at Age 83