Race Rundown
Harvick wins at Gateway: #2-Kevin Harvick turned in a dominating performance, leading 143 of the 160 laps to win the CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Speedway. This is Harvick's third win in four starts in 2010, and his first victory and first top-10 finish in three races at Gateway International Raceway. #33-Ron Hornaday had another disappointing day after having trouble with the sway bar early on in the race. Hornaday finished in 26th position; ten laps down. Rounding out the top ten were; #29-Brad Keselowski, #13-Johnny Sauter, #30-Todd Bodine, #88-Matt Crafton, #17-Timothy Peters, #3-Austin Dillon, #51-Aric Almirola, #18-Brian Ickler, #5-Mike Skinner. There were 4 lead changes among 3 drivers with 5 caution flags for 27 laps. Complete race results are posted on the Gateway Race Page.(Unofficial)(7-17-2010)
Post-Race Fast Facts:
Race Winner: Kevin Harvick
Age: 34
Team: No. 2 - STUBB'S Legendary Bar-B-Q/Kroger Chevrolet Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: Butch Hylton
*Kevin Harvick won the CampingWorld.com 200, his ninth victory in 105 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
*This is his third victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2010.
*This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in three races at Gateway International Raceway.
*Brad Keselowski (second) posted his first top-10 finish in three races at Gateway International Raceway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2010.
*Johnny Sauter (third) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Gateway International Raceway.
*Austin Dillon (seventh) was the highest finishing rookie.
*Todd Bodine leads the point standings by 101 points over Aric Almirola.
(NASCAR PR)(7-17-2010)
Race Awards:
Featherlite Most Improved Driver: Timothy Peters, #17 21 Places
Keystone Light Pole Award: Kevin Harvick, #2 133.325 mph
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Kevin Harvick, #2
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race: Johnny Sauter, #13
O'Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award: Jennifer Jo Cobb, #10 13 places
Raybestos Rookie of the Race: Austin Dillon, #3
Sunoco Diamond Performance: Kevin Harvick, #2
WIX Filters Lap Leader: Kevin Harvick, #2 143 Laps
(NASCAR PR)(7-17-2010)
Lucky Dog Awards - Who got a lap back on each caution at Gateway: (and finish)
Caution 1: #57-Norm Benning, 25th
Caution 2: #9-Max Papis, 15th
Caution 3: #18-Brian Ickler, 9th
Caution 4: #86-Jamie Dick, 22nd
Caution 5: #60-Stacy Compton, 19th
(NASCAR PR)(7-17-2010)
Driver Point Standings following Race #11 at Gateway International Raceway:
1) #30-Todd Bodine, 1715
2) #51-Aric Almirola, 1614 - 101
3) #13-Johnny Sauter, 1519 -196
4) #17-Timothy Peters, 1510 -205
5) #5-Mike Skinner, 1456 - 259
6) #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., 1454 - 261
7) #3-Austin Dillon, 1434 - 281
8) #88-Matt Crafton, 1418 - 297
9) #81-David Starr, 1390 - 325
10) #23-Jason White, 1369 - 346
Complete driver point standings are posted on the Gateway Point Standings Page.(Unofficial)(7-17-2010)
Owner point standings: following the Camping World 200 at Gateway Int'l Raceway are posted on the Gateway Owner Standings Page.(Unofficial)(7-17-2010)
Harvick wins Gateway pole: #2-Kevin Harvick was the fastest qualifer with a top speed of 133.325 mph to win the pole for the CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Speedway. This is Harvick's first series pole. Rounding out the top ten were; #31-James Buescher, #29-Brad Keselowski, #7-Justin Lofton, #13-Johnny Sauter, #3-Austin Dillon, #17-Timothy Peters, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #88-Matt Crafton, #18-Brian Ickler. DNQ; #73-Chris Fontaine, #21-Butch Miller, #76-Ryan Hackett, #48-Richard Harriman, #95-Brent Raymer. Complete starting lineup is posted on the Gateway Lineup Page.(7-16-2010)
Qualifying Fast Facts:
Keystone Light Pole Winner: Kevin Harvick
Age: 34
Team: No. 2 - STUBB'S Legendary Bar-B-Q/Kroger Chevrolet Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: Ernie Cope
*Kevin Harvick won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the CampingWorld.com 200 with a lap of 33.752 seconds, 133.325 mph.
*This is his first pole in 105 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
*This is his first pole and fourth top-10 start in 2010.
*This is his first pole in three races at Gateway International Raceway.
*James Buescher (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2010 and his first in two races at Gateway International Raceway.
*Brad Keselowski (third) posted his first top-10 start at Gateway International Raceway. It is his second in three races this season.
*Justin Lofton (fourth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, July 16, 2010 @ 07:29 PM Central)
Crafton quickest in final practice: #88-Matt Crafton led the final practice session for the CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Speedway with a top speed of 133.980 mph. Rounding out the top ten were; #2-Kevin Harvick, #7-Justin Lofton, #29-Brad Keselowski, #18-Brian Ickler, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #17-Timothy Peters, #3-Austin Dillon, #60-Stacy Compton, #30-Todd Bodine. There were 39 trucks on track for the final session. Final practice speeds are posted on the Gateway Practice Speeds Page.
Dillon leads first practice: #3-Austin Dillon was the fastest on track with a top speed of 132.994 mph to lead the opening practice session for the Camping World200.com at Gateway International Raceway. Rounding out the top ten were; #2-Kevin Harvick, #29-Brad Keselowski, #60-Stacy Compton, #88-Matt Crafton, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #17-Timothy Peters, #13-Johnny Sauter, #93-Mike Garvey, #51-Aric Almirola. There were 38 trucks on track for the first session. Complete practice speeds are posted on the Gateway Practice Speeds Page.
Official Entry List: There are 41 trucks listed on the final Entry list for the CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Raceway. Complete entry list is posted on the Gateway Entry Page.(7-16-2010)
Preliminary Entry List: There are 44 trucks listed on the Preliminary Entry list for the CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Raceway. Complete entry list is posted on the Gateway Entry Page.(7-12-2010)
Some notes:
#2-Kevin Harvick returns as driver, STUBB's Legendary Bar-B-Q/Kroger Chevy
#07-Tony Jackson returns as driver, TBA Chevy for SS Green Light Racing
#9-Max Papis, returns, GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing
#29-Brad Keselowski returns, Miller Lite Dodge for BKR
#48-Tim Bainey returns as driver, Rockingham Speedway Chevy
#65-Lance Fenton, driver, TBA Chevy for Tagsby Racing
#73-Chris Fontaine, driver, TBA Chevy, for Tagsby Racing second entry
#76-Ryan Hackett returns, JandRSupply.com Ford
#90-Brad Sweet returns, Great Clips Toyota(7-12-2010)
UPDATE:
#6-Jeffrey Earnhardt, driver, making series debut in the RWR Fuel Doctor USA Chevy(7-12-2010)
UPDATE 2:
#95-Dennis Setzer named as driver for the Team Gill Racing Dodge(7-13-2010)
NASCAR's News & Notes
Truck Series News & Notes - Iowa Speedway
Champions Claim Gateway As Their Stomping Ground
Dillon Victory At Iowa Puts Childress Family In Victory Lane
Sprint Cup Regulars Return To Truck Series Action
Champions Shine At Gateway International Raceway
Todd Bodine (#30 Germain.com Toyota) believes it's coincidental that experience appears to be the key at Gateway International Raceway, where a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series-record seven champions have won in 12 races at the 1.25-mile track in suburban St. Louis. "Anybody can hit on that (special) setup, haul the mail and run up front,"; said Bodine, the 2006 series champion and current points leader.
Anybody can – but nobody has. There have been no first-time winners at Gateway. No Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender has won a race there.
The only double winner is Ted Musgrave, who led a whopping 158 of 160 laps of the 2006 event – the year he and series pioneer-owner Jim Smith won the championship.
Often as not, the dominant truck hasn't won at Gateway. A year ago, Mike Skinner (#5 Exide Toyota) was a surprised winner after some late-race fireworks that saw a succession of drivers abdicate the lead in a series of bizarre, late-race incidents. "We won with a fourth-place truck and at the end of the day, when the smoke cleared, the #5 was in Victory Lane,"; Skinner said. "I kept asking myself, ‘How did this happen?' But I'll take it.";
David Starr (#81 Randy Moss Motorsports Toyota) is another driver who won at Gateway when other drivers' ambitions overcame common sense. Starr led only the final lap in 2004 in the last of three green-white-checker attempts. "I was running fifth and I thought I'd finish third at best,"; said Starr, who executed a bump-and-run maneuver with less than a lap to go to claim the victory. Gateway, with its tight turns and relatively flat configuration, requires a lot of braking over the course of 160 laps. By the time a driver is ready to make a final charge, those brakes may not be able to sufficiently slow a 3,400-pound truck.
"It invites you to go deeper and deeper and makes for an exciting (end of the race) when the guy who goes in too deep knocks out the guy who is running second,"; Starr said.
Still, he agrees with Bodine – it's a great feeling to have the perfect truck. It's not something that happens frequently. The Houston driver, who made his 250th start a week ago at Iowa Speedway, remembers having that special setup when he won his first race in Las Vegas in 2002. "It doesn't happen often,"; Starr said. "When it does, it's a feeling you can't describe. It's just awesome.";
Seven different NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champions have won races at Gateway
International Raceway, most of any series track. (* Won in Championship Season)
Driver Year(s)
Greg Biffle, 1999
Jack Sprague, 2000
Ted Musgrave, 2001, 2005*
Todd Bodine, 2006 *
Ron Hornaday Jr., 2007
Johnny Benson Jr., 2007
Mike Skinner, 2009
More Than A Decade Later, NCWTS Still Going Strong In Midwest
"In my opinion, NASCAR has some of its most loyal and vocal fans in the Midwest. That's not to diminish the fan base in my native Southeast but we've proved, year-in and year-out, that NASCAR truly is a major sport with a national following that transcends any single region.
"We saw great crowds last weekend in Iowa, where families – especially those with children – came to cheer the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. This week we can expect the same thing as the series moves south to Gateway International Raceway. We've been a fixture at the 1.25-mile track over more than a decade and we've provided a record book of thrills for the Illinois-Missouri fans.
"There will be a large, pre-race autograph session on pit road. That's always been a highlight of the weekend.
"And this year, we'll be there with the NASCAR Nationwide Series as the first half of a huge NASCAR doubleheader that rolls on to Indianapolis a week later. "Gateway traditionally has been a track where veterans excel, however, this year we anticipate a larger than usual field with many drivers new or nominally new to NASCAR Camping World Truck competition. "The track is a good one for those who have come to the series recently and who are moving up the ladder, so to speak, on their way to racing on the higher speed tracks like Talladega Superspeedway, which we'll visit in October. "Gateway is a meld of short-track turns and high-speed straight-aways where both speed and handling will challenge any driver's talents. Doing well at Gateway is a key to building a young driver's resume and prove he or she has the talent to become a NASCAR star.";- Wayne Auton, Series Director
Huge Win At Iowa For Dillon And RCR Team
In 258 NASCAR starts, Granddad — famed Sprint Cup Series owner Richard Childress — couldn't do it. Neither could Dad — RCR General Manager Mike Dillon — in 154 starts. But it only took Austin Dillon (#3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) 12 NASCAR Camping World Series starts to earn his first NASCAR national series victory. Dillon led 187 laps from the pole Sunday at Iowa Speedway to win both his and the Childress family's first race. He became the second youngest winner in series history, adding his name to the short list of winners under the age of 21. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to win,"; Dillon said. "Luckily, we came through and had a dominating performance.";
During the off season, RCR announced that he would drive the famed black #3 Chevrolet with Bass Pro Shops adorning the hood. A natural fit for the young outdoors enthusiast. "It's so awesome to see that number running well again,"; Dillon said. "To see the #3 when you're leaving the track, it was on top of the board. That was cool for me and my grandfather."; After a less than stellar start to the 2010 season — finishing outside the top 10 five times – Dillon said he earned his rookie stripes.
The team, led by crew chief Danny Stockman, found something in Texas Motor Speedway and hasn't slowed down. Dillon earned his first career pole in June and his first career top-five finish. Since then he has started from the pole and finished in the top five in every race on the schedule. In case you're counting, that's three consecutive poles and three consecutive top-five finishes for the 20-year-old. "You know, I was at the shop last week,"; Dillon said. "The sign out front, we put different stuff up top of the sign. I was looking at it. It said, ‘Life is good.' I think that represents us right now as good as anything.";
Raybestos Rookie Point Standings
Driver Points
1. Austin Dillon, 133
2. Justin Lofton, 105
3. Brett Butler, 87
4. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 34
5. Chris Eggleston, 24
6. Landon Cassil, 7
Germain Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports Battle For Owner Points
There's another battle in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and it's getting white hot. That's the owner points, where the top of the standings is practically deadlocked. Steve Germain's #30 Toyota is first, but only 10 points ahead of Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota. Behind them is DeLana Harvick's #2 Chevrolet (45 points out of first) and Billy Ballew's #51 Toyota (88 points back).
It's a title hunt worth watching, especially with the interesting Kyle Busch-Brian Ickler rotation in that #18 ride. This weekend, Ickler will pilot the successful machine. He had a decent run at Gateway last year, finishing 15th. In that event, Ickler had a Driver Rating of 54.0, an Average Running Position of 18.9, a Pass Differential (passes minus times passed) of plus-five. To keep up with Todd Bodine, Ickler must improve in one key stat this weekend: Laps in the Top 15. Last year, he only ran seven of the 160 laps in the top 15.
Bodine could take advantage of the inexperienced Ickler and put some distance in the owner points standings. Bodine has finished in the top five in three of the last four races at Gateway. Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, Bodine has a Driver Rating of 109.1, an Average Running Position of 7.5, 55 Fastest Laps Run, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 88.0% and a Pass Differential of plus-74.
Germain and Harvick — Delana's the defending owner champion — both have wins at Gateway.
NCWTS, ETC
Sprint Cup Drivers Go Trucking
Three NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars will climb back behind the wheel of a truck Friday at Gateway. Series owner Kevin Harvick (#2 STUBB'S BBQ Sauce Chevrolet) will join Max Papis (#9 GEICO Toyota) and Brad Keselowski (#129 Miller Lite Dodge) on the grid. Harvick and Papis have made three previous starts this season. Keselowski has two. Harvick leads the way with two series victories (Atlanta and Martinsville) in 2010.
Brad Sweet Returns To The NCWTS
Brad Sweet (#90 Great Clips Toyota) returns to the series after skipping last week's race to score a victory in his sprint car. Sweet is no stranger to the mid-west area having raced for Kasey Kahne Racing's World of Outlaws team since 2007. Sweet has three previous starts this season and scored his career-best finish (12th) at Atlanta.
Trucks Abound At Gateway
A season-high 44 trucks are entered in this week's CampingWorld.com 200. Daytona in February was the previous season high, with 42. The NCWTS starts 36 race trucks in each event.
Too Tough To Tame 200
Tickets for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' return to Darlington Raceway are now on sale. The Too Tough To Tame 200 on Saturday, August 14 will be the first series race at the South Carolina track since 2004. Tickets are $25 for adults. Children are admitted free.
Harvick, Hornaday Play Ball
Ron Hornaday (#33 Chevrolet) and Kevin Harvick (#2 Chevrolet) will take part in Ollie's Eastern All-Star Game this Wednesday in Harrisburg, Pa. Harvick will throw out the first pitch.
Home Track Special For Mittler
Sometimes the road to redemption is the route most familiar. At least Mike Mittler hopes so – as he prepares for this week's trip to his home track, Gateway International Raceway. Mittler's #63 Mittler Brothers Machine and Tool Ford, driven by Jack Smith, failed to qualify for last year's event. To make matters worse, a sister truck also missed the show. If Mittler appears fired up this time around, the reasons are obvious. "We have been looking forward to this race since missing it last year,"; he said.
Mittler runs a limited schedule but is the only owner to have fielded an entry in all 16 seasons of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Mittler is pleased with 2010 so far.
"We feel we have turned the corner with a 14th-place run at Kansas and a 15th at Texas and with the new truck, the team is focused on a top-10 run,"; said Mittler, whose shop is located a few minutes west of St. Louis on Interstate 70. "Jack Smith will return as driver and we feel his experience will help us attain our goal of a top 10."; The team has competed in 11 Gateway races with a best finish of 15th in 2000 with Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray. This year's entry is dedicated to the fans.
"We have been promoting a hometown sponsorship program where people sent in $20 and we put their names on the truck,"; said Mittler. "We want to run good for all our hometown fans. I would also like to recognize all the volunteer help that has been part of the team and made all the (16) years possible.";
(NASCAR PR)(7-12-2010)
