Race Rundown
- Sadler wins at Pocono: The second of two green-white checkered restarts, sealed the deal for pole-sitter #2-Elliott Sadler as he picked up the win for the inaugural Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway. This is Sadler's first win in the Camping World Truck Series. With ten laps to go, points leader, #30-Todd Bodine spun after making contact with #3-Austin Dillon, restarted from the rear and finished in 12th position. Tough day for #33-Ron Hornaday as he finished in the 29th position. The #13 got squeezed on the first green-white-checkered restart, got loose making contact with Hornaday; Hornaday spun, hit the inside wall, sustaining significant damage, sending him to the garage. Rounding out the top ten were; #18-Kasey Kahne, #88-Matt Crafton, #51-Aric Almirola, #7-Justin Lofton, #5-Mike Skinner, #3-Austin Dillon, #17-Timothy Peters, #15-Denny Hamlin, #23-Jason White. There were 6 lead changes among 4 drivers and 6 cautions for 18 laps. Complete race results are posted on the Pocono Race Page.(Unofficial)(7-31-2010)
Post-Race Fast Facts:
Race Winner: Elliott Sadler
Age: 35
Team: No. 2 - Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: Butch Hylton
*Elliott Sadler won the Pocono Mountains 125, his first victory in eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
*This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2010. Sadler is the 21st different driver to win a race in each of NASCAR's three national series. He is the series' seventh consecutive different winner in the past seven races and the third to win for Kevin Harvick Inc. in 2010.
*This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in one races at Pocono Raceway.
*Kasey Kahne (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Pocono Raceway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2010.
*Matt Crafton (third) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Pocono Raceway.
*Justin Lofton (fifth) was the highest finishing rookie.
*Todd Bodine leads the point standings by 149 points over Aric Almirola.
(Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, July 31, 2010 @ 02:44 PM Eastern)
Race Awards:
Featherlite Most Improved Driver: Aric Almirola, #51 27 Places
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Elliott Sadler, #2
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race: Matt Crafton, #88
O'Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award: Matt Crafton, #88 15 places
Raybestos Rookie of the Race: Justin Lofton, #7
Sunoco Diamond Performance: Elliott Sadler, #2
WIX Filters Lap Leader: Elliott Sadler, #2 31 Laps
(NASCAR Statistics)(7-31-2010)
Lucky Dog Awards - Who got a lap back on each caution at Pocono: (and finish)
Caution 1:#23-Jason White, 10th
Caution 2: #64-Chase Mattioli, 30th
Caution 3: #01-Joe Aramendia, 24th
Caution 4: #47-Brett Butler, 23rd
Caution 5: #48-Tim Bainey Jr., 25th
Caution 6: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, 27th
(NASCAR Statistics)(7-31-2010)
Driver Point Standings following Race #13 at Pocono Raceway:
1) #30-Todd Bodine, 1993
2) #51-Aric Almirola, 1844 - 149
3) #13-Johnny Sauter, 1800 - 193
4) #17-Timothy Peters, 1791 - 202 [up one]
5) #88-Matt Crafton, 1748 - 245 [up two]
6) #3-Austin Dillon, 1730 - 263
7) #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., 1725 - 268 [down three]
8) #5-Mike Skinner, 1724 - 269
9) #81-David Starr, 1652 - 341
10) #23-Jason White 1627 - 366
Complete driver point standings are posted on the Pocono Point Standings Page.(Unofficial)(7-31-2010)
- Owner point standings: following the Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway are posted on the Pocono Owner Standings Page.(Unofficial)(7-31-2010)
Sadler wins the pole at Pocono: #2-Elliott Sadler was the fastest qualifier with a top speed of 162.602 mph to win the pole for the inaugural Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway. Rounding out the top ten were; #18-Kasey Kahne, #15-Denny Hamlin, #3-Austin Dillon, #51-Aric Almirola, #30-Todd Bodine, #7-Justin Lofton, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #60-Stacy Compton, #5-Mike Skinner. DNQ: #49-Michelle Theriault; #00-Jerick Johnson. Complete starting lineup is posted on the Pocono Lineup Page.(7-31-2010)
Post-Qualifying Fast Facts:
Elliott Sadler won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole with a lap speed of 162.602 mph.
Sadler's best previous start in the series was second in February at Daytona International Speedway.
Kasey Kahne qualified second at 161.917 mph. This is Kahne's best career start in the series. His previous best was fourth in his 2004 debut at Darlington Raceway ¡V an event he won.
Denny Hamlin qualified third at 161.777.
Austin Dillon, who qualified fourth at 161.536, is the highest qualifying Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender.
Two drivers, Michelle Theriault and Jerick Johnson, failed to qualify for today'race.
(NASCAR Statistics)(7-31-2010)
Dillon quickest in final practice: #3-Austin Dillon was the fastest on track for the final practice session at Pocono Raceway with a top speed of 161.461 mph. Rounding out the top ten were; #15-Denny Hamlin, #18-Kasey Kahne, #2-Elliott Sadler, #7-Justin Lofton, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #31-James Buescher, #17-Timothy Peters, #23-Jason White, #51-Aric Almirola. There were 37 trucks on track for the final practice session. Final practice speeds are posted on the Pocono Practice Speeds Page.(7-30-2010)
Sadler leads first practice: #2-Elliott Sadler had the fastest lap with a top speed of 161.562 mph to lead the opening practice session for the Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway. Rounding out the top ten were; #3-Austin Dillon, #30-Todd Bodine, #18-Kasey Kahne, #31-James Buescher, #7-Justin Lofton, #51-Aric Almirola, #60-Stacy Compton, #81-David Starr, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. There were 37 trucks on track for the first session. Complete practice speeds are posted on the Pocono Practice Speeds Page.(7-30-2010)
Official Entry List: There are 38 trucks listed on the final Entry List for the Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway. Complete entry list is posted on the Pocono Entry Page.(7-30-2010)
Preliminary Entry List: There are 38 trucks listed on the Preliminary Entry List for the Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway. Complete entry list is posted on the Pocono Entry Page.(7-26-2010)
Some Notes:
#2-Elliott Sadler, driver, Grand Touring Vodka Chevy for KHI
#6-Bobby Hamilton Jr., first 2010 series start, Rick Ware Racing Chevy
#07-Butch Miller, driver swap with the #21; SS Green Light Racing Chevy
#18-Kasey Kahne, driver, Toyota of Scranton Toyota for KBM
#21-Donny Lian, driver, SS Green Light Racing Chevy
#28-Chad McCumbee, driver, FDNY Chevy
#48-Tim Bainey Jr., driver Delgrosso Chevy(7-26-2010)
UPDATE:
#64-Chase Mattioli, making series debut with a second entry for Turn One Racing; owner Stacy Compton(7-27-2010)
UPDATE 2:
#46-Tim Andrews, named as driver
#89-Mike Harmon, named as driver
#95-Carl Long, added to entry list, driver for the Team Gill Racing Dodge(7-28-2010)
UPDATE 3
#00-Jerrick Johnson, added to entry list, driver for the Koma Unwind/Chillaxation Drink Chevy for DRM(7-29-2010)
NASCAR's News & Notes
Truck Series News & Notes - Pocono Raceway
Inaugural Pocono Mountains 125 Up Next For NCWTS
The Older Hornaday Jr. Gets, The Better He Becomes
Grandfather Clock Finally Will Come Home To Truck Winner
First Visit To Pocono; Not First Visit To Keystone State
The anticipation of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series arriving at Pocono Raceway has been building for over 10 months and for good reason.
The Pocono Mountains 125 will mark the final track on the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule on which the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has not competed, and the shortest in laps on an oval, with 50. It will be a shootout of sorts on the second-longest track where the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competes. Not only will the lap total be short, but so will qualifying with the addition of multi-truck qualifying.
Kasey Kahne (No. 18 Toyota Tundra Dealers Toyota), Elliott Sadler (No.2 Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet) and Denny Hamlin (No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota) are entered to run the event in addition to their normal duties in the Sprint Cup Series.
Kahne, who has not competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since 2004, is attempting to pull off a third victory in his third series start.
He has won every series race he has entered, scoring wins at Darlington Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. And when it comes to Pocono, Hamlin owns the zip code – no matter what he is driving. He has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at the "Tricky Triangle."
But don't count out NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veterans Todd Bodine (No. 30 Germain.com Toyota) and Mike Skinner (No. 5 International Trucks/Monarch RV Toyota), both of whom own a pole at the 2.5-mile track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Of the two, Skinner leads the way with four top-10 finishes at Pocono. Bodine follows with two top 10s. It would be easy to assume Saturday's victory may go to a veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor due to their Pocono experience, but with nine top-five finishes and the largest points lead after 12 races in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history, Bodine might have another plan up his sleeve.
Multi-truck Qualifying On Deck For Pocono Event
Practice is always important to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors, but this Friday's final practice session at Pocono Raceway is crucial.
The qualifying order for the Pocono Mountains 125 will be set by inverting the practice times from final practice. Multi-truck qualifying will be used for the first time to determine the starting lineup on an oval.
"The distance and uniqueness of Pocono afforded us the opportunity to implement this style of qualifying for this event," said NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Director Wayne Auton. "SPEED is excited about the format and we believe the fans, drivers and viewing audience will embrace it, too."
Trucks will be released in approximately 25-second increments. Two laps of qualifying will be allowed with the fastest lap counting. Once a truck comes onto pit road, its respective qualifying lap is complete.
No drafting is permitted. A drawing for qualifying order will be held in case inclement weather cancels the session. The field would then be set according to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rule book.
Wayne's Words: Trip To Pocono Raceway A Long Awaited Visit
"I love going to a new race track for the first time. I am like a kid in the candy store – full of excitement. We have been working for over a year to bring the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the ‘Tricky Triangle.'"Heading to a new track means – for the most part – everyone is a rookie."And it is great to be racing back in Pennsylvania – the Northeast fans are always so supportive of the series. "I remember the good ol' days when we raced in this area at Nazareth Speedway. Lots of great memories there.
"I am also anticipating multi-truck qualifying at Pocono this weekend. It will be the first time we have done something like this on an oval. It will be exciting for the fans in the stands and those at home watching on SPEED. "Just think– we will not know who wins the pole till the last truck goes out for qualifying.
"Several NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars are pulling double duty with us this weekend. Always nice to have them jump back into a truck during companion events.
"Kasey Kahne is going to drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports and attempt to score his third series win in his third start. He has won every race he has entered so far, but he has not competed in our series since 2004. "Think he can do it?"I wouldn't count him out, that's for sure, but I think Pocono King Denny Hamlin (No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports) might have something to say about that."
– Wayne Auton, Series Director
Turning 50 Not A Victory-Lane Issue For Hornaday Jr.
For most, the dreaded 50th birthday isn't cause for a celebration, but for Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Ollie's Bargain Outlet), it proved to be worth going over the hill. His victory last weekend at O'Reilly Raceway Park was his 11th since turning 50 in 2008 and his 50th NASCAR national-series wins.
He sits third on the list – behind Harry Gant and Joe Ruttman – as drivers who have earned the most wins since that milestone birthday.
The ORP victory broke a 22-race winless streak for Hornaday – the second longest such streak in his career.
Statistics prove when Hornaday gets on a roll, he wins – sometimes two or three in a row.
So winning at age 50 does not look like it will be a problem for the defending series champion.
He only needs three more victories to surpass Ruttman and eight to take the lead over Gant.
And for a guy who has won no less than four races in each of the last three seasons, this could turn out to be a race of its own outside the championship run.
Wins % of Driver Past 50 Wins
Harry Gant 18* 46.1
Joe Ruttman 13 92.8
Ron Hornaday Jr. 11 22.0
Mike Skinner 6 20.7
Mark Martin 5 5.2
*Wins Past 50 in Sprint/Nationwide Series
A Martinsville First: Grandfather Clock To October's Series Winner
The stakes for this October's trophy at Martinsville Speedway just went up a notch.
Track officials announced last week that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winners will now be given the coveted grandfather's clock, a longtime tradition at Martinsville.
Previous race winners – 18 to be exact – were sent home with a trophy, but not a grandfather clock.
"When we started giving clocks back in the early sixties, we gave them to Cup winners only because that was the premier event," said Martinsville Speedway President W. Clay Campbell, "but the truck series races here are always so good, so exciting, we decided those guys deserved a shot at the most unique trophy in racing."
Virginia native Timothy Peters (No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota), who won his first series race last October at Martinsville, is itching now for another victory, thanks to the clock."This is a huge deal," he said. "I wish it had started last fall. I would have it sitting in my trophy room right now."
2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings
Driver Points
1. Austin Dillon , 164
2. Justin Lofton, 121
3. Brett Butler, 106
4. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 106
5. Chris Eggleston , 34
6. Landon Cassill, 7
NCWTS, Etc.
Milestone For ThorSport Racing
ThorSport Racing will achieve an impressive milestone this weekend at Pocono. It will be participating in its 328th race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. This moves ThorSport into second place in all-time starts behind Roush Fenway Racing with 353 races, and into the lead among active teams.
Online Auction Benefits Flood Victims
Fans can help victims affected by the tremendous flooding in Nashville by logging onto www.nascar.com/foundation to bid on racing memorabilia. Items up for bid include a Jimmie Johnson signed helmet and a Richard Petty autographed hero card. A Taylor Swift-signed guitar highlights items from the country music industry.
Bodine Hosts Charity Golf Outing On July 29
Proceeds from Todd Bodine's "Onion Slice Open" at the Blue Ridge Top Golf Course in Mountain Top, Pa., will benefit the John Heinz Medical Center. Ron Hornaday, Austin Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet), Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) and James Buescher (No. 31 Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet) are slated to participate.
Kahne Looking For Third NCWTS Victory In His Third Series Start
Kasey Kahne already holds the distinction of being the only driver in NASCAR national-series history to win each of his first two races in any series.
Kahne only has two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, both were victories. Can he make it three-for-three? There's little reason to think he can't. He has more experience at Pocono than just about every driver in Saturday's field. Not only does he have the Pocono know-how, he has success. In theNASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Kahne has finished in the top 10 in three of the last five races – including a win in June of 2008. Over that span, he has put up impressive numbers: an average finish of 11.0, a Driver Rating of 113.3, an Average Running Position of 8.5, 119 Fastest Laps Run, 145 Laps Led and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 83.3%.
Of course, there's another double-duty driver that will likely run up front with Kahne all race – Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin has four victories at Pocono in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, including the last two. Over those two events, Hamlin had an Average Running Position of 2.8, a Driver Rating of 146.5, a Pass Differential (passes minus times passed) of plus-43, 118 Fastest Laps Run and 179 Laps Led.
Up Next: Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is home to one of the most coveted trophies on the 25-race circuit – the Gibson guitar designed by Sam Bass.
And for the first time in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history, two drivers will take home the famed guitar in one season.
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota) won his first race as a team owner during the series' first stop to Nashville in April.
The second guitar is up for grabs next week in the Nashville 200.
Ron Hornaday Jr. made his way to Victory Lane last season, but series veterans Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner are still looking to conquer Nashville Superspeedway.(NASCAR PR)(7-26-2010)
