Event Schedule
Thursday, April 21st
11:30 AM NCWTS HAULERS ENTER
12:30 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION OPENS
1:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE OPENS
5:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION CLOSES
Friday, April 22nd
8:30 AM NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
8:30 AM TRACK SERVICES MEETING
9:00 AM NCWTS ROOKIE & SPOTTER MEETINGS & RANDOM DRAWING
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM [11:00AM - 12:00PM EASTERN] NCWTS PRACTICE
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM [12:30PM - 1:30PM EASTERN] NCWTS FINAL PRACTICE
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM NCWTS & NNS AUTOGRAPH SESSION
4:10 PM [5:10 PM EASTERN] NCWTS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
5:00 PM TRACK SERVICES MEETING-PIT ROAD
5:20 PM NCWTS DRIVER/CREW CHIEF MEETING
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM NCWTS MINOR'S ADMITTED IN THE NASCAR GARAGE AREA [WITH PROPER CREDENTIALS]
6:40 PM NCWTS DRIVER INTRODUCTION
7:00 PM [8:00 PM EASTERN] NCWTS RACE (150 LAPS, 200 MILES)
7:30 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES
Note: All times listed in local / Central Time Zone unless otherwise indicated and are tentative, subject to change.
Race Rundown
Busch wins at Nashville: #18-Kyle Busch, driving the Dollar General Toyota Tundra, dominated the Bully Hill Vineyard 200 at Nashville Superspeedway, leading 140 of 150 laps to take the checked flag ahead of second place finisher, #8-Nelson Piquet Jr. A late-race restart saw #33-Ron Hornaday grab the lead from Busch, but another restart with just three laps remaining put Busch in position take the lead back and pull away to pick up the win. This is Busch's 2nd win this season; his 26th overall in the Camping World Truck Series. On lap 114, Kyle Busch led his 20,000th NASCAR national series lap. Rounding out the top ten were; #17-Timothy Peters, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #31-James Buescher, #88-Matt Crafton, #13-Johnny Sauter, #81-David Starr, #46-Craig Goess, #29-Parker Kligerman Jr. There were 5 lead changes among 4 drivers with six caution flags for 24 laps. Complete race results are posted on the Nashville Race Results Page.(Official)(4-25-2011)
Post-Race Fast Facts
Nashville Superspeedway
2nd Annual Bully Hill Vineyards 200
Race Winner: Kyle Busch
Age: 25
Team: No. 18 - Dollar General Toyota
Owner: Kyle Busch
Crew Chief: Eric Phillips
*Kyle Busch won the 2nd Annual Bully Hill Vineyards 200, his 26th victory in 89 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
*This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2011.
*Busch has won both Nashville Superspeedway races in which he has started.
*On lap 114, Kyle Busch led his 20,000th NASCAR national series lap.
*Busch has now won 10 races driving for his own team. It is Kyle Busch Motorsports' 11th victory overall.
*Nelson Piquet Jr. (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Nashville Superspeedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2011.
*Timothy Peters (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in seven races at Nashville Superspeedway.
*Johnny Sauter leads the point standings by 3 points over Timothy Peters.
(Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, April 22, 2011 @ 10:13 PM Eastern)
Race Awards:
Exide Start Positive, Stay Positive Award: Timothy Peters, #17
Featherlite Most Improved Driver: James Buescher, #31 30 Places
Keystone Light Pole Award: Kyle Busch, #18 156.721 mph
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Triad, #18
Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Nelson Piquet Jr, #8
O'Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award: Jason White, #23 16 places
Sunoco Rookie of the Race: Nelson Piquet Jr, #8(NASCAR Statistics)(4-22-2011)
Lucky Dog Awards - Who got a lap back on each caution at Nashville: (and finish)
Caution 1: #9-Max Papis, 23rd
Caution 2: #46-Craig Goess, 9th
Caution 3: #30-Todd Bodine, 22nd
Caution 4: #4-Ricky Carmichael, 14th
Caution 5: #22-Joey Coulter, 24th
Caution 6: #66-Justin Marks, 25th
(NASCAR Statistics)(4-22-2011)
Driver Point Standings: following race #5 at Nashville Superspeedway
1) #13-Johnny Sauter, 187
2) #17-Timothy Peters, 184 -3
3) #88-Matt Crafton, 183 -4
4) #33 Ron Hornaday Jr., 182 -5
5) #60-Cole Whitt, 175 -12
6) #3-Austin Dillon, 163 -24
7) #30-Todd Bodine, 148 -39
8) #92-Clay Rogers, 144 -43
9) #9-Max Papis, 142 -45
10) #29-Parker Kligerman, 136 -51
Complete driver point standings are posted on the Nashville Driver Standings Page.(Official)(4-25-2011)
- Owner point standings: following the Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway are posted on the Nashville Owner Standings Page.(Official)(4-25-2011)
Pit Stall Selections
Busch wins Nashville pole: #18-Kyle Busch, driving the Dollar General Toyota for KBM, was the fastest qualifier with a top speed of 156.721 mph to win the pole for the Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. This is his 1st pole in 2011; his 11th series pole overall. Rounding out the top ten were; #3-Austin Dillon, #51-Justin Johnson, #8-Nelson Piquet Jr., #21-Elliott Sadler, #60-Cole Whitt, #30-Todd Bodine, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #13-Johnny Sauter, #29-Parker Kligerman. DNQ: #57-Norm Benning, #16-John King, #73-Brian Johnson Jr., #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb. Complete starting lineup is posted on the Nashville Lineup Page.(4-22-2011)
Busch on top again in final Nashville practice: #18-Kyle Busch, driving the Dollar General Toyota for KBM, was again the fastest on track during the final practice session for the Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway with a speed of 157.121 mph. Rounding out the top ten were; #3-Austin Dillon, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #60-Cole Whitt, #9-Max Papis, #30-Todd Bodine, #8-Nelson Piquet Jr., #17 Timothy Peters, #29-Parker Kligerman, #13-Johnny Sauter. There were 39 trucks on track for the final session. Final practice speeds are posted on the Nashville Practice Speeds Page.(4-22-2011)
Busch leads first practice at Nashville: #18-Kyle Busch, driving the Dollar General Toyota for KBM, had the fastest lap with a top speed of 156.552 mph to lead the opening practice session for the Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. Rounding out the top ten were; #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #3-Austin Dillon, #17-Timothy Peters, #9-Max Papis, #30-Todd Bodine, #60-Cole Whitt, #22-Joey Coulter, #62-Brendan Gaughan, #29-Parker Kligerman. There were 39 trucks on track for the first session. Complete practice speeds are posted on the Nashville Practice Speeds Page.(4-22-2011)
Official Entry List: There are 40 trucks listed on the final entry list for the Bully Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. Note: One driver annoucement; Bobby Hamilton Jr. is listed as driver for the #1-Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet. Complete entry list is posted on the Nashville Entry List Page.(4-19-2011)
Preliminary Entry List: There are 38 trucks listed on the Preliminary Entry List for the Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. Complete entry list is posted on the Nashville Entry List Page.(4-18-2011)
Some Notes:
#1-Driver TBA, also crew chief change noted
#2-Cale Gale, first start since Texas in 2008; driving the Rheem.com Chevrolet for KHI
#02-Jamie Dick, makes move to driving the Viva Motorsports/Corrie Stott Racing Chevrolet
#07-Butch Miller listed as driver for SS Green Light Racing
#16-John King, making first 2011 start, Fairway Ford Ford
#21-Elliott Sadler switches from the #2 this week, driving the Bully Hill Vineyards Chevrolet; fourth entry for KHI
#38-Mike Garvey, third entry for Sieg Racing Family
#63-Nick Hoffman, second series start driving the Mittler Bros. Machine Ford(4-18-2011)
UPDATE:
#15-Dusty Davis VAR Toyota has withdrawn; lack of sponsorship.(4-19-2011)
UPDATE 2:
#10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, TBA Ford, returns to the seat at Nashville, late entry
#99-Chase Mattioli, CollegeComplete.com Ford, late entry(4-19-2011)
UPDATE 3:
#07-Johnny Chapman added as driver for the SS Green Light Racing Toyota replacing Butch Miller(4-21-2011)
NASCAR's News & Notes
Camping World Truck Series News & Notes - Nashville Superspeedway
KBM's Goal: Avoid Sophomore Slump
Nobody wants to be seen as a one-hit wonder.
As Kyle Busch Motorsports heads into the anniversary of its first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Nashville Superspeedway, General Manager and Competition Director Rick Ren believes -- so far, anyway -- the team is avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump.
"We had a long talk over the winter with everybody (on the team) and let them know everybody is expecting us to stub our toes (in 2011)," said Ren, whose team became just the second to win the series owners' championship in its first season.
There's no sign the organization has stumbled into the current season. Busch won February's race at Phoenix International Raceway. Kasey Kahne repeated as a winner at Darlington Raceway last month.
No surprise: KBM is the owners' championship leader heading into Friday night's Bully Hill Vineyards 200. The No. 18 Toyota has a 14 point lead over Kevin Harvick Inc.'s No. 2 Chevrolet team.
Ren admitted the team lost some good personnel over the winter but promotion from within has kept the organization on track.
"Everybody's focus is on winning races in 2011," he said. "We've achieved that and it's a pretty good thing."
Only one other owner has won consecutive titles: Steve Coulter in 2002-03, with Mike Bliss and Travis Kvapil.
No Doubting That Four Nashville Winners Are Favorites Again
You don't have to dig to pick a favorite for Friday night's Bully Hill 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. Three have won NASCAR Camping World Truck titles. The fourth is the hottest driver across NASCAR's three national series.
- Ron Hornaday Jr. won the race in 2009, which was his record-setting fifth consecutive NCWTS victory.
- Todd Bodine is the 1.333-mile concrete oval's latest winner, in August of last season.
- Travis Kvapil won in 2007 driving for Roush Fenway Racing.
- Kyle Busch won last spring's Bully Hills Vineyards 200 and already has posted six NASCAR national series victories in 2011. Busch, who'll be doing double duty this weekend, won the NASCAR Nationwide Series summer race in 2009.
Hornaday and Busch can call themselves kings of concrete having won NCWTS races on all three concrete-surfaced tracks: Nashville, Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway.
The series' three championship leaders -- Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Timothy Peters -- have yet to win at Nashville. Peters has finished fourth in his last three Nashville starts while Sauter owns a pair of runner-up finishes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. David Reutimann is the only driver to score his first NCWTS victory at the track.
Previous Guaranteed Starters Now On Outside Looking In
With four races in the book, the 2010 season is officially closed. The locked-in teams for Nashville rank among the top 25 in current owners' championship points.
Nine teams previously guaranteed starting positions under final 2010 points are ranked 26-34 in Nashville.
It's quite likely this week's race will see more changes. Positions 26 through 28 -- the No. 23 of Steve Urvan, No. 39 of Susan Bates and No. 51 of Billy Ballew -- are within two points of the current final locked in team -- Ballew's No. 15.
NCWTS Etc.
Friday's race marks the 200th broadcast of NCWTS by SPEED. The network came aboard for the 2003 season opener in Daytona....Only two rookies, Kurt Busch and Scott Speed, have won series races on concrete surfaces, both at Dover....Three drivers, Busch, Austin Dillon and Elliott Sadler will compete in both NASCAR Camping World Truck and NASCAR Nationwide series races in Nashville....Sauter's start this week will mark the 500th NASCAR national series race with which former California Lt. Gov. Mike Curb, president of Curb Records, has been affiliated. Curb has fielded winning entries with Sauter (in NNS and NCWTS) and Richard Petty (NSCS wins No. 199 and 200)....Friday's race sponsor is no stranger to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series having presented 1999-2000 races at Watkins Glen International won by Ron Fellows and Greg Biffle.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(4-19-2011)
Camping World Truck Series News & Notes -- Open Week, April 12, 2011
Randy Moss Motorsports Hits "300" Milestone In Nashville
Randy Moss Motorsports will achieve a significant milestone April 22 at Nashville Superspeedway, becoming just the fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series organization to field at least one truck in 300 consecutive races.
Known previously as Dollar Motorsports, the team has competed in 15 of the series' 16 seasons. Its No. 5 Toyota is driven by 2003 champion Travis Kvapil.
"I feel very fortunate to be able to reach this milestone in my career as a team owner," said team founder and co-owner David Dollar. "As a young racer competing on dirt tracks back in Oklahoma, I always heard about Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, and now here we are competing against their drivers and equipment every week."
Randy Moss, the National Football League wide receiver, became a team principal in mid-2008. "I can sleep every night knowing David really cares about the sport, making it better and educating me; that has made the transition a lot smoother," said Moss.
Kvapil, one of more than 30 to drive for the organization, said, "I've been racing in the (series) on-and-off for the last 10 years, and have had some intense battles with drivers from Randy Moss Motorsports. David and Randy have always put in a lot of time to make this team one of the strongest in the [NASCAR Camping World] Truck Series garage."
The Randy Moss Motorsports timeline:
- Oct. 7, 1996 Marc Robe starts and finishes 33rd as Dollar Motorsports debuts at Infineon Raceway.
- Rob Morgan and Dollar form Morgan-Dollar Motorsports in 1999. The team begins its current streak on March 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Morgan finishes 18th in the championship standings.
- Dennis Setzer scores the team's first victory on June 23, 2001 at Memphis Motorsports Park and adds a first pole two weeks later at Kansas Speedway.
- Setzer is the team's most successful driver, winning 11 times and finishing runner up in the championship standings from 2003-05. Three other drivers - Mike Skinner (three wins), Clint Bowyer and Bobby Labonte - contribute to the team's 16 wins, ranking 11th all-time among owners.
- A virtual who's who of NASCAR has been at the controls of a Randy Moss Motorsports truck contributing to 70 top-five and 164 top-10 finishes and six poles. They include AJ Allmendinger, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Scott Speed and Tony Stewart.
Points Reflect NASCAR Camping World Truck Changes
Finding Todd Bodine and Ron Hornaday Jr. among the top 10 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck standings is a virtual given. Bodine (eighth) has held a top-10 position after four races in each of the seven seasons he's competed in the series fulltime. Hornaday (sixth) is 11-for-12 seasons.
That, however, is where comparisons between 2011 and 2010 end. Six of those ranked among the top 10 as the series heads to Nashville Superspeedway weren't there a year ago. In fact, four of those six weren't even fulltime series competitors in 2010.
Here's the tale of the tape:
- Matt Crafton and Timothy Peters rank in the top five for the second consecutive season. Crafton is second vs. fifth a year ago; Peters, last year's points leader after race No. 4, is third.
- Current leader Johnny Sauter didn't make the 2010 top 10 until his victory in race No. 5 at Kansas Speedway.
- Last year's Sunoco Rookie of the Year Austin Dillon also needed a win to reach elite ranking. He jumped to seventh, where he currently resides, after a victory in race No. 10 at Iowa Speedway.
- The remaining top-10 drivers -- Cole Whitt, Clay Rogers, Max Papis and Miguel Paludo -- were doing the majority of their racing elsewhere in 2010. Whitt and Paludo are rookies. Last season's comparable top 10 was 100% veteran drivers.
NCWTS Etc.
David Starr finished 38th in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. ...Series veteran Chris Eggleston and SS Green Light Racing's Bobby Dotter and Butch Miller won big on their weekend off as Eggleston collected one of late model racing's largest pots - $75,000 ... on Sunday at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. ... Eibach Springs will partner with ThorSport Racing and its three drivers Crafton, Sauter and Dakoda Armstrong for the remainder of the 2011 season. ... Camping World will sponsor the Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford driven by Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway as well as the team's participation in the May 21 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(4-12-2011)
Camping World Truck Series News & Notes -- Open Week, April 5, 2011
ThorSport Sets Standard So Far In 2011
ThorSport Racing continues to make NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history.
Johnny Sauter won the April 2 Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway to take the series championship lead for the first time in his NCWTS career.
Sauter displaced his teammate, Matt Crafton, from the No. 1 spot. The exchange marked the first time two teammates have topped the points standings in the same season.
ThorSport arguably is the team to beat in 2011 -- at least for now.
- Crafton and Sauter are one-two in current standings, five points apart.
- The duo finished last season ranked third and fourth, the team's first top-five championship "double."
- That trumped 2009 when Crafton finished runner-up to champion Ron Hornaday Jr. Sauter won his first of four races, finished sixth overall and claimed the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
ThorSport Racing is the series' longest-standing operation dating to 1996, the series' second season. Sauter's victory was its fifth, marking the fourth consecutive season ThorSport has visited Victory Lane. Several more milestones are in the works in the coming months:
- Nashville Superspeedway's April 22 Bully Hill Vineyards 200 marks the team's 327th consecutive race matching Circle Bar Racing for second all-time to Roush Fenway's 349.
- ThorSport, with 344 starts, is 10 races away from becoming the series' most prolific team in terms of events with at least one truck in the lineup. Roush Fenway's record is 353.
Trucks Historically A Training Ground For F1 Stars
It would be difficult -- if not impossible -- to make any sort of comparison between Formula 1 and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. But since 1997, when Chile's Eliseo Salazar ran his first and only race at Watkins Glen International, trucks have been an entry point into NASCAR competition for a number of stars from the world's premier open wheel circuit.
Currently foremost is Max Papis who ranks ninth in NCWTS points standings following his 10th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway.
Papis isn't the only F1 alum among this year's truck racers. Nelson Piquet Jr. is among this year's large class of Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders.
Now add to the list Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 world champion, who recently signed to compete on a limited basis for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Raikkonen, from Finland, anticipates making his NASCAR Camping World Truck debut May 20 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, giving the field an unprecedented number of former F1 drivers.
"Kyle is one of the best in NASCAR, and being able to draw on his knowledge will be a valuable asset as I make my transition to a new form of racing," said Raikkonen.
The list also includes Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 world champion, and Narain Karthikeyan, who competed in nine races last season. American Scott Speed is the only ex-Formula 1 driver with a NASCAR Camping World Truck victory -- in 2008 at Dover International Speedway.
Martinsville Spells More Success For Some, Turnabout For Others
Brendan Gaughan never has been a big fan of Martinsville's long straights and corner curbing but he'll take last weekend's ninth-place finish as something upon which to build.
Gaughan, who snapped a disappointing trio of finishes outside the top 15, was among several who found the season's fourth race to be either a bounce-back or confirmation of solid performances to date.
- Timothy Peters, a former Martinsville winner, cracked the top five (fifth) for the first time in 2011. He holds the No. 3 points position.
- Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Cole Whitt finished sixth to become only the third driver with three top 10s in 2011.
- Austin Dillon logged his first Martinsville top 10 (seventh).
- Ricky Carmichael (No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet) led twice for 36 laps and finished ninth, a significant turnaround from a pair of accident-marred runs outside the top 20 at Phoenix and Darlington.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(4-5-2011)
