Layne Riggs will be a full-time NASCAR national series driver in 2024, having signed with Front Row Motorsports to compete in the Craftsman Truck Series. Riggs is the newest driver of the No. 38 Ford F-150, vacated by Zane Smith with his move into …
Layne Riggs will be a full-time NASCAR national series driver in 2024, having signed with Front Row Motorsports to compete in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Riggs is the newest driver of the No. 38 Ford F-150, vacated by Zane Smith with his move into the NASCAR Cup Series. The son of former NASCAR driver Scott Riggs, the 21-year-old Layne Riggs has made six starts in the series over the last two years. A third-place finish on the Indianapolis short track in August has thus far been his best result.
“I’m really thankful for this opportunity to compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with one of the best teams in the sport,” Riggs said. “I’ve dedicated my life for an opportunity like this, and I’m incredibly appreciative of Bob [Jenkins] and everyone at Front Row for providing me the opportunity to take my next step in my racing career.”
It is a multi-year deal for Riggs.
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Front Row Motorsports won the Truck Series championship in 2022 with Smith. The organization has eight victories with Smith and Todd Gilliland, who drove the truck in 2020 and 2021.
Riggs has been cutting his teeth in grassroots racing, being crowned the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion. His résumé also includes multiple seasons competing in Limited Sportsman events at Orange County (N.C.) Speedway, where he earned the track championship, as well as the CARS Tour. In the CARS Tour, Riggs has six victories.
“I really appreciate Layne’s dedication to his education while also competing at the highest levels,” team owner Bob Jenkins said. “That comes from great parenting and a sense of dedication from Layne. We’ve already seen a lot of potential in Layne and he’s a perfect fit for our program to develop him into a national series NASCAR winner.”
Dylan Cappello will move from lead engineer to crew chief of the No. 38 team and rookie Riggs. Chris Lawson, who had overseen the team for the last four seasons, is stepping into a consultant role with Front Row Motorsports.
On Thursday night at the Music City Center, the NASCAR Champion’s Week festivities concluded with the honoring of Ryan Blaney, who reached the pinnacle of the sport – claiming the NASCAR Cup Series title – by outdueling three other Championship 4 …
On Thursday night at the Music City Center, the NASCAR Champion’s Week festivities concluded with the honoring of Ryan Blaney, who reached the pinnacle of the sport — claiming the NASCAR Cup Series title — by outdueling three other Championship 4 contenders Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway.
The 29-year-old Blaney finished second to Ross Chastain in the season finale but crossed the finish line ahead of Playoff drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron — both representing Hendrick Motorsports — to earn his first Cup championship and the second in a row for team owner Roger Penske.
“I know, all the competitors, we don’t agree all the time, but it is a true honor to race with the best in the world on a weekly basis, and I do appreciate that,” Blaney said after an introduction from NASCAR president Steve Phelps and a welcome to the stage from one of Blaney’s favorite bands, Whiskey Myers.
Blaney comes from a racing family that includes his father, Dave Blaney and uncle, Dale Blaney, both superstars in the sprint car realm.
“Obviously, growing up, watching Dad race, that’s just what I wanted to do, and I wanted to be like my Dad,” Blaney said. “I was super lucky to be able see that at a young age and get the whole spectrum of seeing what it’s like as a driver, seeing how teams operated.”
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Blaney had special praise for team owner Roger Penske, who has fielded Cup cars for Blaney for the last six seasons.
“Roger and (wife) Kathy Penske — it’s hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since we first met,” Blaney said. “As a kid, there’s nothing more I wanted to do than to win you a championship and just be successful, because I was such a big fan of you, not only in NASCAR but in every form of motorsport.
“I have such a huge respect for what you did. You stuck with me for over 10 years, and it’s been unbelievable.”
Blaney delivered Penske’s first back-to-back Cup championships this season, with Jonathan Hassler as his crew chief.
“Ryan is the champion, but think about his position in the garage area with other teams and other drivers,” Penske said. “He’s a champion with them, too. It’s very important, as you climb the ladder in this sport.”
For the sixth straight year, Chase Elliot won the National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award. Justin Allgaier and Hailie Deegan were most popular drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series, respectively.
Elliott, who is 10 short of the 16 Most Popular Driver Awards won by his father, Bill Elliott, appeared on stage with a sling on his left arm, indicative of recent offseason should surgery.
Ty Gibbs was named Sunoco Rookie of the Year in NASCAR’s top series.
“It’s been a great year, and we want to keep going,” said Gibbs, who scored 10 top-10 finishes with a best result of fourth in his first full-time season.
All 16 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers appeared on stage during the award ceremony. Veteran Michael McDowell perhaps had the best laugh line of the evening.
“It’s taken me a long time not to suck,” said McDowell, a former Daytona 500 winner who earned his second career victory on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course this year.
Kevin Harvick summed up his retirement from full-time Cup racing with a poignant image.
“When I got out of my car in Phoenix, there wasn’t another (race),” said Harvick, who is leaving full-time racing after 23 Cup seasons.
NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton had high praise for Harvick, who will remain prominent in the sport as an analyst in the FOX Sports booth.
“I want to say, ‘thank you’ to everybody in this room,” Harvick said. “It’s been a heck of a ride… “Where’s Bubba (Wallace)? He bet me $100 I’d cry like a baby — I won $100. Thank you!”
Brad Keselowski, co-owner/driver at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, pointed to the progress the organization has made in 2023, with both Keselowski and teammate Chris Buescher, a three-time winner, qualifying for the Playoffs.
Cole Custer takes a bow as Xfinity Series champion. Rusty Jarrett/Motorsport Images
Driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, Cole Custer bested Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer and John Hunter Nemechek to win his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
Custer returned to the Xfinity Series this season after three disappointing years in NASCAR’s top division.
“I think he’s matured a lot, and it’s very gratifying to see him win the Xfinity Series championship,” said team owner Gene Haas.
NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell brought Custer to the stage with high praise for the title-winning performance at Phoenix.
“He dug deep, like he always does,” O’Donnell said, referencing the nail-biting restarts late in the championship race.
“At the end of that race in Phoenix, when we held that championship trophy, I’ve never been more proud to be a part of that (team),” Custer said. “To the whole team, thank you for believing in me — I love you guys.”
Custer also acknowledged the help and advice he received from Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion.
Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes with his ThorSport Racing Ford. Rusty Jarrett/Motorsport Images
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Ben Rhodes won his second title for ThorSport Racing, beating Grant Enfinger, Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim in the Championship 4 finale. Also notable in the Truck Series was Sunoco Rookie of the Year Nick Sanchez, the only rookie driver to qualify for the Playoffs this season.
Rhodes finished the season with Rich Lushes as his crew chief after two in-season changes to that vital role.
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR vice president of racing development and strategy, introduced Rhodes for his champion’s speech.
“I can’t speak for everyone on the team,” Rhodes said, “but I can say they had incredible tenacity. We went through a lot of adversity, and not once did I hear anyone complain… While I stand before you tonight taking recognition, I really defer that to my team, without which none of it would have been possible.”
Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek earned respective driver of the year honors in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series, while Christopher Bell won the 2023 Busch Light Pole Award for his career-best six pole positions this year.
Kurt Busch held back tears as he was recognized for a NASCAR career that spanned more than two decades.
“I want to say thank you to everyone in this room and everyone in this industry for supporting me for all these years,” said Busch, the 2004 series champion. “I want to thank my father, my mother and my brother Kyle — we always pushed each other to get to the next level.”
NASCAR chairman Jim France presented the Bill France Award of Excellence to Rich Kramer, chairman, president and CEO of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
“I’m completely humbled by this acknowledgement,” Kramer said. “The team you see at the track each weekend — anything I’m acknowledged for is due to them…. Goodyear is long-term partner of NASCAR, I think, because we’re cut out of the same cloth.”
Lesa France Kennedy, executive vice chair of NASCAR, announced Molly Moran, a volunteer at Comfort Zone Camp, as the winner of this year’s prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award.
Comfort Zone Camp is a non-profit bereavement organization that transforms the lives of children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, primary caregiver, or significant person.
Ryan Vargas was honored as Comcast Community Champion of the Year for his work with FACES, the National Craniofacial Association. Diagnosed with craniosynostosis as a child, Vargas serves as a board member of FACES and earned a $60,000 donation from Comcast and Xfinity for the organization.
Sherry Pollex, long-time partner of 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., was honored with the NMPA Myers Brothers Award. Pollex lost a valiant, nine-year battle against ovarian cancer this year.
Cautions, restarts, retribution, extra laps and high action marked Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. And that was just the final 50 laps. In the end, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes claimed his second …
Cautions, restarts, retribution, extra laps and high action marked Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. And that was just the final 50 laps.
In the end, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes claimed his second series championship in the last three years with a hard-earned fifth-place finish in the No. 99 Ford while McAnally Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes raced to his fourth win of the season by a slight 0.421s over rookie teammate Jake Garcia in four dramatic overtime periods.
That’s the conclusion to an evening that featured 12 caution periods, 29 laps of overtime competition and plenty of high-stakes racing – especially among the four championship contenders that earned a chance to settle the season title.
Perhaps indicative of the night, Rhodes’ finish and ultimate trophy haul wasn’t secure until the checkered flag with championship runner-up Grant Enfinger giving it his all in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet coming off Turn 4 in an all-out pursuit to the very end.
Both Rhodes and Enfinger had survived close calls in the overtime laps. Rhodes collided with Zane Smith racing for the lead – hitting Smith’s truck when it appeared Smith missed a shift out front in the second overtime restart. Enfinger had close calls in two of the four extra-lap periods and still was able to pull off that final push forward; ultimately finishing one position behind Rhodes in the standings.
The regular season champion and race polesitter Corey Heim finished 18th after contact from fellow Championship 4 driver Carson Hocevar with 30 laps of regulation remaining in the scheduled 150-lap race.
“I can’t even believe it,” the 26-year-old Kentucky native Rhodes said of his dramatic title win. “It’s just so awesome, man. To go 25 laps into overtime, do you know what that feels like? It’s crazy. I didn’t think we were going to make it. I thought we were going to pop a tire, that anything that could have gone wrong was going to go wrong.
“Grant almost got me. But hats off to him, he ran a great race. I wouldn’t want to race against anybody else for the championship. He raced me clean, and I respect the heck out of him for it.”
“I saw him,” Rhodes said of Enfinger’s final push forward in the last corner. “He went for everything, but he ran me clean, and I thank him for that. That’s what these championships are all about.”
Enfinger, whose GMS Racing team is closing shop at the end of the season, was especially gutted to come so very close to his first championship.
“I don’t know,” Enfinger said of doing anything differently on that last lap.
“Obviously we got loose there at the end,” he continued. “Maybe if he didn’t have such a good run down the backstretch, we’d be able to make that pass. It’s a shame the championship came down to a race like that with 15 green-white-checkers or whatever it was. I feel like we did everything we could to win this and just got used up.”
The other two championship contenders, Heim and Hocevar had a more contentious situation on-track. Heim, whose 47 laps out front in the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota were second most laps led on the night, was actually leading the championship-eligible drivers when Hocevar hit him going into Turn 2 with 30 laps remaining. The contact sent Heim’s Toyota into Stewart Friesen’s Toyota which hit the wall and brought out a caution. Hocevar continued on and Heim had to pit for repairs and went down a lap.
Heim viewed the hit as intentional and later in the race, collided with Hocevar, bringing out another caution period. Heim insisted his car just wasn’t steering properly at the time, while Hocevar said he had fully expected the payback. It was enough to sideline Hocevar’s No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet which was credited with a 29th-place finish from the garage.
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“My only goal was to try slow him down,” Hocevar said. “I didn’t want to do that at all. With my track record, I can’t sit here and say I didn’t mean to. I just messed up. I was trying really hard to slow him up and just messed it up.
“I feel bad I robbed him of that and feel sorry for that,” an apologetic Hocevar added of Heim’s championship chances. “I just messed up.”
The 21-year-old Heim had a streak of 15 consecutive top-10 finishes coming into the race and was considered the favorite by many. He had three wins on the season in only his first fulltime year of competition.
“It was a great year, a phenomenal year for us and our worst finish in like six months,” a disappointed Heim said. “Really put together a good race and really hoped the guys would race clean. I had a lot of respect for everybody in the field, but clearly I don’t anymore. It is what it is; it’s part of racing.”
As for the later contact with Hocevar, Heim said it was purely coincidental.
“It wasn’t retaliation,” he said. “I had no side force; he put it on my door, and I wrecked [into him].
“I’ve been racing Carson for a long time. Racing since I was eight or nine years old,” Heim said later. “That’s kind of just what he does. He’ll wreck you and apologize and do it again the next week. So that’s not going to be the last time he does it and certainly [wasn’t] the first time he’d done it. I’ve known him for a long time. … it is what it is. I completely expected it.”
As for his victory, the 22-year-old Eckes tried to reconcile the championship race win with having just been eliminated from Playoff contention. He had a win (at Kansas) and a pair of runner-up finishes (Indianapolis Raceway Park and Bristol, Tenn.) during the Playoff stretch but was eliminated after finished of 19th and 20th in the two races leading into the championship finale.
“Those two races that killed the whole Playoffs pretty much and that’s just kind of the nature of it,” Eckes said. “I didn’t do my job last week and really the week before either.
“That gets us out and that puts us in this situation, but it’s motivating for next year and it was motivating for this race too.
“This one kind of stings, I know it’s a win, but the stupid mistakes the last two weeks of a near perfect Playoffs cost us a championship,” Eckes added.
“It’s kind of hard to be happy right now, but overall, just super proud of everybody for the year that we’ve had and just ready for 2024.
Chase Purdy, Jesse Love and Rhodes rounded out the top five. Enfinger, Dean Thompson, Kaden Honeycutt, Tanner Gray and Nick Sanchez completed the top 10. It was a career best finish for the runner-up Garcia as well as Love and Honeycutt.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season champion Corey Heim insisted Thursday there is no absolute clear-cut championship favorite among the four drivers racing for the big trophy Friday night. But of course. … he certainly likes his chances. …
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season champion Corey Heim insisted Thursday there is no absolute clear-cut championship favorite among the four drivers racing for the big trophy Friday night. But of course. … he certainly likes his chances.
Despite one fewer start than the rest of the full-time field — Heim missed the Gateway race because of illness — the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota leads the series in top fives (12), top 10s (19) and stage wins (seven). He brings a streak of 15 consecutive top-10 finishes to Phoenix. And his 564 laps led is double that of any other full-time competitor.
The 21-year-old Georgia native — who is competing in his first full-time season — has only a single previous Phoenix start; leading five laps and finishing seventh last year driving for Kyle Busch. But he’s been preparing for this race since locking himself in early in the final round of the Playoffs.
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“I’ve heard it go both ways, so I don’t know, but I think we’ve earned that (favorite) label,” Heim said. “I guess it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day until you win it. I feel like we have just been so rock solid and consistent since the springtime. We’ve done a good job of executing every week and we show up with fast Toyota Tundra TRD Pros.
“I feel like ever since around Martinsville when our first win happened, we kind of knew that we were capable of it. It was just a matter of executing from that point.”
Heim and his TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra have consistently been at the front all year but as he readily admits, “I guess it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day until you win it.” Motorsport Images
Since his maiden national series victory at the Martinsville half-miler in April, Heim has led laps in all but one race (Talladega) and finished outside the top five only three times. It’s the kind of track record that has helped generate confidence and expectation.
Heim said he’s got plenty of family coming in from all over the country to support him this week, and he’s been relying on other Toyota Racing Development drivers such as John Hunter Nemechek and Christopher Bell, who have had championship experience, for tips on the sim and what to expect this weekend.
“It was nice to be able to kind of spread out some of my studying and really just sit on it and study on it for six weeks and show up and knowing what I need to do, and that has been really big for me,” Heim said. “I understand the circumstances and with this being my first full-time season and my first Playoffs, being able to sit on it and under the circumstances and the pressure has really let me just come here and feel a lot better about it.
“It would be a lot different if I just won my way in at (the last race) Homestead or something and had a week and a half to think about it. But I feel like I’d be more unprepared and coming in with a lot of pressure on me.
“But to be able to sit on it and study on it for six weeks and show up, kind of know what I need to do, was really big for me.”
Carson Hocevar secured his first NASCAR CRATSMAN Truck Series Championship 4 appearance with a victory Saturday in the Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, earning all four of his career series wins this season – the trophy …
Carson Hocevar secured his first NASCAR CRATSMAN Truck Series Championship 4 appearance with a victory Saturday in the Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, earning all four of his career series wins this season – the trophy Saturday most impactful among them.
Hocevar put his No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet into the lead with 11 laps remaining and held off the hard-charging Zane Smith by 2.705s to claim the win over the reigning series champion, whose runner-up effort was disqualified by NASCAR after a post-race technical inspection found the defending series champion’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford was illegal – using an unapproved windshield support.
“We are disappointed in the disqualification,’’ Front Row Motorsports said in a statement after the NASCAR inspection. “We will continue to work and discuss with NASCAR officials back at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C. before making any further comment.’’
The DQ moved ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes into runner-up on the afternoon helping him to advance to the Playoffs — prevailing in a tiebreaker with rookie Nick Sanchez, the polesitter who finished 17th after making contact with another truck coming to pit road for his final stop.
Regular season champion, TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim, GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger and Hocevar’s Niece Motorsports teammate Bailey Curry rounded out the top five.
Heim, Hocevar, Enfinger and Rhodes will now race for the championship Nov. 3 at Phoenix Raceway.
Hocevar celebrated the win by climbing high atop the flag stand to claim the checkered flag in person. He threw it down to the cheering fans behind the fence then climbed back down on the grandstand side to high-five fans and celebrate the biggest win of his life – to date.
“It kills me I can’t do a burnout but we have to take this truck to Phoenix,’’ a grinning Hocevar said. “This truck was so good. We just got behind on pit stops and just lost track position which was unfortunate, but man, it’s so good to feel [like this]. I love it.
“I thought we could win today with our truck, even with all the setbacks from the debris and everything. We had a shot to win and we did just that.’’
The battle for that final Playoff position was as dramatic as the fight for the victory.
Rhodes came into this final regular season race only five points behind Sanchez for the fourth championship-eligible transfer position. He finished 24th in the opening stage and 10th in the second stage. It still left him outside looking into the Championship 4, so Rhodes’ ThorSport team opted to pit for fresh tires early and out of pit sequence. The move allowed his No. 99 Ford to take the race lead as the other frontrunners pit later.
He held the point with 30 laps remaining only to have Hocevar and Smith chase him back down. Hocevar passed him with 11 laps remaining, Smith a lap later.
“We failed Ben today. We didn’t give him a very good truck and he bailed us out at the end there,’’ Rhodes’ crew chief Rich Lushes said. “It was the only call we had. We had to do something different than everybody else and it all worked out so I guess we’re going to [the championship race] again.’’
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It was a heartbreaking ending for the 22-year old Sanchez, who is from nearby Miami and raced often at Homestead-Miami Speedway as he was coming up the junior ranks. He won the pole and led the opening five laps, only to see his Playoff hopes in jeopardy after a miscue approaching his final pit stop with 34 laps remaining. His No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet hit the back of Tanner Gray’s truck as the two were slowing to enter pit road causing noticeable damage to Sanchez’ Chevrolet.
“Obviously I lost a lot of time there and just lost time in the pits trying to fix it,’’ Sanchez said. “Just my fault, no two ways to it. I really didn’t know the No. 15 was pitting and didn’t slow down [enough], so that’s on me. I apologize to my team. They’re going to support me. To miss by one point is pretty rough, but all you can do is go to Phoenix and try to win.”
Heim led a race-best 57 of the 134 laps and swept both Stage victories. His third place finish marked the series-best 15th-consecutive top-10 finish of the season.
“I really thought we had them covered today. I mean, we were smoking the first two stages and kind of waiting on the third stage and then it went out like a light switch so we’ll look everything over,’’ Heim said, adding, “We’ve got bigger things on the horizon so we’ll focus on that.’’
Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton, Rajah Caruth, Ty Majeski and Chase Purdy rounded out the top 10. Majeski joins Smith, Sanchez and Christian Eckes being eliminated from Playoff contention.
Eckes finished 20th after what looked like a sure-bet top-10 finish was hampered by penalties and miscues on the afternoon. He was called for moving lanes on a restart and another time for speeding on pit road exit late in the race.
“We had a truck able to advance and just kept making mistakes,’’ Eckes said. “Just wasn’t good enough today.’’
IndyCar star Marco Andretti finished 18h in his second series start in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. He’s also scheduled to race at Phoenix in two weeks.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series concludes the season with the Craftsman 150 at the one-mile Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 3 (10:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Brett Moffitt made it a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start to remember, pulling off an amazing three-wide move to the front during an overtime restart to claim the victory in Saturday’s Love’s RV Stop 250 at Talladega Superspeedway – the former …
Brett Moffitt made it a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start to remember, pulling off an amazing three-wide move to the front during an overtime restart to claim the victory in Saturday’s Love’s RV Stop 250 at Talladega Superspeedway – the former series champion’s first series race of the 2023 season ending in his first superspeedway victory.
It was a typically dramatic day on the 2.66-mile Talladega high banks, taking an overtime restart to settle the busy day of competition. Moffitt restarted on the front row alongside NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoff driver Christian Eckes following a 10-truck accident with two laps remaining in regulation time that forced the OT finish.
Christian Eckes moved up track to block Moffitt from a run, but the veteran Moffitt deftly dropped his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford to the middle of the track and pulled away to a 0.099s victory over Playoff driver Ben Rhodes while Kraus lost momentum, drifted backwards and ended up 19th.
All eight Talladega truck Playoff races have now been won by non-Playoff drivers.
“It’s pretty awesome,’’ said the 31-year old Moffitt, the 2018 series champion. “I’ve notably struggled on the superspeedways in the past and dreaded coming to them. But this was an all pressure-off situation that Front Row gave me to go out there and try to help a teammate. Obviously, that didn’t work out for that group. But to come here and have a shot at a win and to do it, is just amazing.
“Reminds me of the good ole days and I want to get back to doing this on a regular basis so we’ll see what happens.’’
It was an especially dramatic day for the eight Playoff drivers still vying for one of the four championship-eligible positions in the Nov. 3 finale. Among them, Rhodes was the top finishing driver – even though he did not lead a lap Saturday.
“This style of racing, you never know what to expect,’’ said Rhodes, driver of the No. 99 ThorSport Ford. “Just all in all, really happy we were able to finish second. We needed this for a points day. I think last year we were seven points out coming to homestead and we made it to the Championship Four. We’re eight out now so we did what we needed to do just one spot short. It would have been a real luxury to lock ourselves in today.”
TRICON Garage driver Dean Thompson finished third with Rackley W.A.R. Racing’s Chandler Smith and TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim, the championship leader rounding out the top five.
There were only three Playoff drivers in the top 10, and that was a true effort for seventh place finisher Nick Sanchez. Although the Rev Racing driver dominated a lot of the afternoon, winning a stage and leading a race best 25 laps on the day, he received a pass through penalty for changing lanes on a restart with 32 laps remaining that set him back in the field. He made his way forward again in the No. 2 Chevrolet only to be involved in the final multi-car accident that forced an overtime restart.
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He still finished seventh and having earned 19 stage points on the day while so many other Playoff driers also involved in incidents, he improved his position in the standings and will go into the next race – at Oct. 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He’s ranked fourth, three points ahead of fifth place Grant Enfinger. The top four ranked drivers following the Homestead race advance to the Championship round, Nov. 3 at Phoenix Raceway.
The GMS Racing driver Enfinger was also among those Playoff competitors caught up in multiple accidents on the afternoon. He finished 13th. Niece Motorsport’s Carson Hocevar was 11th. ThorSport’s Ty Majeski was 21st.
Reigning series champion Zane Smith – race winner Moffitt’s teammate — had a rough afternoon from an incident on pit road to mechanical problems that set him back early. His truck hit his crew member Charles Plank coming into the team’s pit stall on the first stop of the day. Plank, a tire carrier, was okay and even finished out the race.
A lap later, however, Smith’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford suffered clutch problems and made multiple stops on pit road before going behind the wall for more extensive repairs.
He returned to the track in the closing laps and with moved up two finishing positions in the race standings to salvage some points. He drops to last place among in the championship standings, however, 36 points behind Sanchez on the cutoff line and needing to win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“I feel terrible about that, so that wasn’t a great start,’’ Smith said of the pit road incident with his crew member.
“And then after that, rolled off pit road down the backstretch, my clutch started slipping and it got worse and worse and worse. So fighting that and changing the clutch to get back out there.
“Just such a bummer. It’s a tough situation here. ‘’
Heim is the only Playoff driver who has already secured a position in the Championship Four thanks to his win at Bristol. Hocevar leads the points standings — up 23 points on fifth place. Eckes is third and Sanchez fourth.
Enfinger (-3) is ranked fifth, followed by Rhodes (-5), Majeski (-19) and Smith (-36).
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs continue Oct. 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the top four drivers in the standings after the race set to decide the Championship in the Nov. 3 season finale at Phoenix. Majeski is the defending Homestead-Miami race winner.
Following the race, there was an incident in the garage area between the 47-year old former series champion Matt Crafton and the 22-year old Rookie of the Year Sanchez that left Sanchez’ face bloodied. NASCAR is investigating the situation and will announce its finding and any penalties next week.
Kyle Busch will still be involved in the Craftsman Truck Series team he founded next season, even after selling all its assets to Spire Motorsports. Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, a few days after the sale was announced, Busch described his …
Kyle Busch will still be involved in the Craftsman Truck Series team he founded next season, even after selling all its assets to Spire Motorsports.
Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, a few days after the sale was announced, Busch described his future as a consultant for Spire, while also continuing to run the five races he’s eligible for in the series to keep working with partner Zariz Transport.
“It’ll still be worthwhile for me to see that team succeed with all the people and everything we’ve had there over the years,” Busch said. “I’m excited about those that will stay and getting a key fob that turns off at 6 p.m.”
Kyle Busch Motorsports was founded in 2010 and has 100 victories in the series to date. The organization has won two driver championships with Erik Jones and Christopher Bell and a record seven owner’s championships.
Busch sold the race team, which fields two entries, the 77,000-square-foot race shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, as well as Rowdy Manufacturing — a chassis-building company that is housed in the race shop.
Jeff Dickerson, a former spotter for Busch, and T.J. Puchyr co-own Spire Motorsports. The organization debuted in the Cup Series in 2019 and now fields two full-time entries. Spire began fielding a Truck Series entry on a part-time basis last season.
“I just feel I haven’t been able to give it as much of my devoted attention as it needs — being around as much with (son) Brexton racing, and family stuff, and me racing, and trying to focus on that and being with the Cup team,” Busch said. “There were some conversations that happened with the crew chiefs that kind of made me start thinking about it.
“Then [Dickerson] showed up at the door and we had a conversation. The turn of events happened really, really fast [and I’m] excited about the future of it.”
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The veteran driver made it clear that he wasn’t looking to sell his team, though. An opportunity presented itself over the summer predicating that step.
“We had a great deal this year with Chevrolet and Rev Racing and Max [Siegel] and all the guys over there to carry on with [Nick] Sanchez and, of course, the Chase Purdy deal as well,” Busch said. “We were set. We were fine. We were ready to go into next year. This all just kind of came about a month ago, maybe a couple of months ago, where we started talking about forming an alliance and working on chassis and continuing to service them with Rowdy Manufacturing and things like that — what that could look like — and trying to broaden the scope of that to all Chevy teams.
“Then I think it was (Dickerson’s) bright idea, or he was like, ‘Why are you even doing this? Why don’t we just do it? Why don’t we just take it over?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, OK. Make it worth my while.’ That’s kind of how it happened and it literally happened very, very quick,” Busch said. “Time flew by and rumors flew fast, and we obviously made our announcement this week.”
Busch has no regrets about his time as a team owner in the series and said the investment was worth it.
“I feel like a lot of the personal relationships and things over the years, whether it’s been Eric Phillips, Rick Ren, Rudy Fugle, all of that stuff…” said Busch. “Chris Gabehart is another one from our stable. But I think we’ve had a great ride and a great run, and it’s been worth it in a…sense.
“I’ve had a lot of fun racing super late models, racing trucks, winning late models, winning trucks. I’ve got a storage facility now full or needing to get one full of show cars and things of past memories that I’ve accomplished and cars that I’ve accomplished big wins in. I would say yes.”
Frank Kimmel had a fruitful racing career. The only 10-time champion in ARCA Menards Series history, Kimmel earned 80 victories in 503 starts. He also made starts in all three NASCAR national series. So, at 61 years old, no one could blame Kimmel …
Frank Kimmel had a fruitful racing career. The only 10-time champion in ARCA Menards Series history, Kimmel earned 80 victories in 503 starts. He also made starts in all three NASCAR national series.
So, at 61 years old, no one could blame Kimmel for going off and enjoying life with his family away from racing. The only problem is that Kimmel doesn’t know how to do that and has no interest in it, either, which is why you can find him with Dean Thompson in the TRICON Garage pits on a Craftsman Truck Series race weekend.
“I think sometimes when you get my age and people that are my age, when you start sitting around and not doing as much, you fall apart,” Kimmel told RACER. “I don’t want to do that, and (wife) Donna would kill me if I did. So, I’ve got to do what she tells me, too. But I just really enjoy being around the cars, and David Gilliland and all the guys have made it a really good place for me to work.
“It’s the best of both worlds. I can go work on cars and be a part of it, I get to go to the racetrack and still have that urge to do that sort of thing. It’s what we’ve always done, so I don’t know anything a whole lot different.”
Kimmel serves as the truck chief for Thompson, a second-year driver in the Truck Series but in his first with TRICON Garage. With crew chief Derek Smith being so hands-on, which Kimmel can appreciate, Kimmel works alongside the team’s head mechanic, working on the truck every day. And some of the other team members will report to Kimmel, who takes matters to Smith.
“It’s our situation, it’s a little different (from other teams) because Derek’s there all the time, so it’s really not that big of a step one way or another,” Kimmel said. “But on some of the other truck teams that we have, the crew chief acts more like a crew chief, and he really takes care of sim and all the things he has to do to organize the whole program. The truck chief does 90% of all the work and guides all the crew members.
“Each team deals with it a little bit differently. think I’ve fallen into a really good spot here because it’s nice to be able to work on the trucks, but it’s not so bad to where I’m working myself to death.”
Alongside his illustrious career in ARCA, Kimmel, pictured here in 2013, raced in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series and continues to utilize his expertise outside the cockpit. Scott LePage/Motorsport Images
Before going to work for Gilliland’s operation, Kimmel previously spent time with Brad Keselowski’s now-shuttered Truck Series team. BKR was founded in 2008 and ran through the 2017 season before Keselowski made the difficult decision to shut down.
Upon joining Gilliland’s team, formerly known as David Gilliland Racing, Kimmel initially worked on the ARCA Series program, but that went away with the transition to Toyota for the 2023 season as TRICON Garage. In doing so, the focus shifted to its five Truck Series teams.
“Just a natural progression,” Kimmel said. “In some ways, it’s a little easier than the ARCA deal was because it’s not so demanding on each individual crew member. We have more people and more help. The pit stop guys come in and do that and they get all the pit boxes put back together and bring them back to the trailer, which in ARCA, the crew has to do. So, in some ways, it’s a better deal, and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been fun to do something I’ve really never done on a full-time basis before.”
Thompson, shown here with crew chief Derek Smith, finds the experience of Kimmel a great resource to draw on. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images
Thompson is 22 years old and loves working with Kimmel, giving high praise to the veteran for his support and constructive criticism. There are times, Thompson knows, that he’s going to hear when he did something wrong, but Kimmel does it in a way that doesn’t tear down the driver’s confidence.
“I’ve been racing all my life, and I’ve got a lot of experience,” Kimmel said. “Talent is something you can’t really teach, and Dean obviously goes out and does very well when it comes to running fast. We come off the truck almost every single week in the top 10 in speeds, and we’ve been qualifying well and doing better across the board than what he has in the past. So, he’s definitely making big improvements. Some of that is on him, and some of that is on the quality of race truck we bring.
“But when I do see him make a mistake and do something that he can actually change in himself, I feel like that’s part of my job, too. We’ll sit down and I’ll say, ‘OK, this might hurt your feelings a little bit, are you ready to hear this?’”
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But it’s a fine line for Kimmel, who views Thompson as a customer of the team. Kimmel might not be Thompson’s crew chief or team leader, but he speaks up only when he feels necessary. The good news is that Thompson is always receptive to feedback and doesn’t argue.
“And I’ve had the other side that looks at you and thinks you’re crazy, you’re old and don’t know how things are nowadays,” Kimmel said. “There is probably some truth to that, but there are some things I probably still know. Dean has not ever made me feel that I’m talking to a blank wall.
“He’s also taking it in and he may not always agree with me, and that’s OK, but at least he’s listening and hearing what we’re saying, and I think our product that we’re going to the racetrack with has gotten better every time we got out. That’s the most important thing.”
Although it’s been a career year statistically for Thompson, who has three top-10 finishes, it’s also been frustrating for all involved. Kimmel doesn’t shy away from that and doesn’t sugarcoat the performances. There have been great performances where Thompson has run inside the top five but the finish doesn’t reflect that.
On the other hand, there have been weekends where Thompson has caught up in incidents, some not of his own doing and hasn’t finished the race. Thompson has a series-leading (of full-time drivers) 10 DNFs through 20 races.
“There are things we could do better and could have, should have done better,” Kimmel said. “That’s as a group. The thing I’ve tried to help him (Dean) with is just making good decisions in the car and there are times when another guy might wreck you, and it’s your responsibility to say, do I really need to push this at this point? Do I need to step back out of this a little bit, and we’ll go back, and we’ll battle that guy later? Sometimes we haven’t done that.
“It’s a part of growing and that’s why he’s here. He’s trying to learn to be better at his craft and across the board, we’re always trying to improve.”
Kimmel, Thompson and the No. 5 team return to action Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kyle Busch has sold his Craftsman Truck Series team and manufacturing company, Rowdy Manufacturing, to Spire Motorsports. The sale includes the assets of Busch’s race team, the 77,000-square-foot race shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, and the …
Kyle Busch has sold his Craftsman Truck Series team and manufacturing company, Rowdy Manufacturing, to Spire Motorsports.
The sale includes the assets of Busch’s race team, the 77,000-square-foot race shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, and the chassis building operation (which is housed in the race shop). Kyle Busch Motorsports debuted in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2010.
“When we started the Truck Series team back in 2010, I never imagined that we would be able to win 100 races with 18 different drivers and that one day I’d be racing in the Cup Series alongside so many of the drivers that I once mentored at KBM,” Busch said. “I owe a lot of gratitude to so many people, starting with (wife) Samantha and my family, for believing in this dream that I had. It took countless hours by so many amazing people to make KBM the winningest team in Truck Series history.
“I will always appreciate everyone that walked through the doors and gave their all to make this such a successful organization. Not only has it been the people that were employed here, but it’s also the families that supported them while they worked long hours and traveled on the weekend, sacrificing time at home and missing family events. And I certainly can’t say enough thanks to Toyota for the first 13 years of support and to Chevrolet for stepping up to the plate this year. Due to their commitment and that of our great sponsors, we’ve been able to compete at the highest levels and hang a lot of banners.
“I’m at a different point in my life now than I was back in 2010. My family has grown, my Cup Series team changed this year, and our son’s racing schedule has become as demanding as my own. It’s important to me to be able to spend more time with my family and my No. 8 team at Richard Childress Racing. It’ll be hard to walk away from the amazing facility that we’ve built. I’ll miss walking the shop floor talking with our employees, hosting our fan days in the lobby, and spending countless hours there ensuring its success. However, I know at this point in my life and in my career that this is the correct decision.”
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Kyle Busch Motorsports fields two full-time trucks, with Chase Purdy its primary driver in the No. 4 Chevrolet and the No. 51 split amongst various drivers. Busch was victorious in two of his five starts, including earning the organization’s 100th victory at Pocono Raceway.
In its tenure, Kyle Busch Motorsports has won seven owners’ championships and two drivers’ championships (Erik Jones 2015 and Christopher Bell 2017).
Spire Motorsports has fielded a Truck Series entry on a limited basis since last season. William Byron won for the team at Martinsville Speedway last year, and Kyle Larson was victorious at North Wilkesboro Speedway earlier this season (pictured top, with Byron’s KBM Truck).
“I’m confident that our assets and employees are in good hands moving forward,” Bush said. “I don’t see the winning ways changing at all. I’ve known the Spire guys for a long time and their recent investments in NASCAR show their commitment to success.”
After stealing a victory last Saturday at Kansas Speedway, Christian Eckes got his pocket picked by Corey Heim on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. On lap 195 of 200 of the UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics, Heim forced his way beneath …
After stealing a victory last Saturday at Kansas Speedway, Christian Eckes got his pocket picked by Corey Heim on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
On lap 195 of 200 of the UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics, Heim forced his way beneath Eckes’ No. 19 Chevrolet — with the lapped truck of Eckes’ TRICON Garage teammate, Tanner Gray, to the outside — took the lead and claimed the victory by 0.218s over his disappointed rival.
With his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season, his first at Bristol and the fifth of his career, Heim, the regular-season champion, moved one step closer to another possible title. The win propelled him into the Championship 4 race, scheduled for Nov. 3 at Phoenix Raceway.
“This is insane,” said Heim, who led only the last six laps. “I felt like I’ve given so many away this year, to win one like that at the end is so special… Like I said, we’ve given so many away, and we finally got one back…
“Gosh, it’s just so awesome to know we’re in Phoenix.”
Eckes seemed Phoenix-bound himself before Heim made the decisive pass. Eckes led 150 laps and swept the first two stages. The runner-up finish left him one point behind Heim in the Playoff standings but without a ticket to the Championship 4.
“I just think it’s ironic that the 15 (Tanner Gray) is three laps down and waited,” said Eckes, who felt Gray held him up and allowed Heim to close in. “Whatever. Good truck. I got really tight there at the end…
“That one stinks, for sure.”
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If it’s any consolation to Eckes, mistakes and ill-fortune that beset other drivers created a significant spread between those above the cut line for the Championship 4 and those below it.
Defending series champion Zane Smith was penalized for pitting outside his box on lap 116, was relegated to the rear of the fell and fell a lap down to Eckes on lap 161. He finished 24th and heads for the next race — Sept. 30 at Talladega — in fifth place, 14 points behind Grant Enfinger (third on Friday) for the final Playoff-eligible position.
Contact between Heim’s Toyota and Ty Majeski’s Ford cut Majeski’s right front tire on lap 107, three laps before the of Stage 2. Majeski was never a factor after that and finished 19th, leaving him 22 points behind Enfinger.
Carson Hocevar finished fourth and enters the second Round of 8 race at Talladega 18 points above the cut line.
Tyler Gray, Rajah Caruth, Ben Rhodes, Chase Purdy, rookie Nick Sanchez and Matt DiBenedetto completed the top 10.
Sanchez started at the back of the field because of a broken suspension part that prevented him from making a qualifying run. Though he salvaged the ninth-place result, he trails Enfinger by 22 points with two races left in the Round of 8.
