Race Rundown
Busch wins at Charlotte: With just seven laps remaining, #18-Kyle Busch took over the lead from #2-Clint Bowyer and was able to hold onto the lead to win the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This was Busch's 4th win this season and his 28th series overall. Bowyer finished second. Rounding out the top were; #60-Cole Whitt, #31-James Buescher, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #13-Johnny Sauter, #3-Austin Dillon, #29-Parker Kligerman, #66-Justin Marks, #32-Brad Sweet. In his first NASCAR start, #15-Kimi Raikkonen managed to bring it home with a 15th place finish. There were 10 lead changes among 7 drivers, and a record-tying 10 cautions for 47 laps. Complete race results are posted on the Charlotte Race Results Page.(Official)(5-23-2011)
Post-Race Fast Facts
Charlotte Motor Speedway
9th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Race Winner: Kyle Busch
Age: 26
Team: No. 18 - NOS Charged Citrus Toyota
Owner: Kyle Busch
Crew Chief: Eric Phillips
*Kyle Busch won the 9th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200, his 28th victory in 91 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
*Busch moves into a tie for second on the all-time series wins list with Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague.
*This is Busch's 97th NASCAR national series victory. He moves into a tie for third on the all-time national series wins list, with Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip.
*This is his fourth victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2011.
*This is his fourth victory and sixth top-10 finish in seven races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
*Clint Bowyer (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his second top-10 finish in 2011.
*Cole Whitt (third) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
*Cole Whitt leads the point standings by one point over Johnny Sauter. Whitt becomes the first rookie and youngest driver to lead the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings
(Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, May 20, 2011 @ 10:31 PM Eastern)
Race Awards:
Exide Start Positive, Stay Positive Award: James Buescher, #31
Featherlite Most Improved Driver: Brad Sweet, #32 20 Places
Keystone Light Pole Award: Timothy Peters, #17 177.2 mph
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies, #2
Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Cole Whitt, #60
O'Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award: Justin Marks, #66 16 places
Sunoco Rookie of the Race: Cole Whitt, #60(NASCAR Statistics)(5-20-2011)
Lucky Dog Awards - Who got a lap back on each caution at Charlotte: (and finish)
Caution 1: No benefactor
Caution 2:#29-Parker Kligerman, 8th
Caution 3: #30-Todd Bodine, 27th
Caution 4: #84-Chris Fontaine, 18th
Caution 5 #99-Bryan Silas, 19th
Caution 6:#84-Chris Fontaine, 18th
Caution 7: No benefactor
Caution 8: #9-Max Papis, 25th
Caution 9: No benefactor
Caution 10: #93-Shane Sieg, 23rd
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-20-2011)
Driver Point Standings: following race #7 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
1) #60-Cole Whitt, 260
2) #13-Johnny Sauter, 259 -1
3) #88-Matt Crafton, 243 -17
4) #3-Austin Dillon, 240 -20
5) #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., 232 -28
6) #17-Timothy Peters, 225 -35
7) #31-James Buescher, 202 -58
8) #92-Clay Rogers, 195 -65
9) #29-Parker Kligerman, 195 -65
10) #9-Max Papis, 192 -68
Complete driver point standings are posted on the Charlotte Driver Standings Page.(Official)(5-23-2011)
- Owner point standings: following the NC Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway are posted on the Charlotte Owner Standings Page.(Official)(5-23-2011)
Peters wins pole at Charlotte: #17-Timothy Peters, driving the GearWrench/Red Horse Racing Toyota, was the fastest qualifer with a top speed of 177.200 mph to win the pole for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is Peters fourth career pole in 100 series starts. Rounding out the top ten were; #2-Clint Bowyer, #3-Austin Dillon #32-Brad Sweet, #31-James Buescher, #18-Kyle Busch, #13-Johnny Sauter, #8-Nelson Piquet Jr., #30-Todd Bodine, #29-Parker Kligerman. DNQ: #57-Norm Benning. Complete starting lineup is posted on the Charlotte Lineup Page.(5-20-2011)
Post-Qualifying Fast Facts
Charlotte Motor Speedway
9th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Keystone Light Pole Winner: Timothy Peters
Age: 30
Team: No. 17 - GearWrench / Red Horse Racing Toyota
Owner: Tom DeLoach
Crew Chief: Butch Hylton
*Timothy Peters won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the 9th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200 with a lap of 30.474 seconds, 177.200 mph.
*This is his fourth pole in 100 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
*This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2011.
*This is his first pole in six races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
*Clint Bowyer (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2011 and his first in one races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
*Austin Dillon (third) posted his second top-10 start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his sixth in seven races this season.
*Nelson Piquet Jr. (eighth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.rlotte Motor Speedway. It is his sixth in seven races this season.
*Nelson Piquet Jr. (eighth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, May 20, 2011 @ 05:05 PM Eastern)(5-20-2011)
Dillon leads final practice at Charlotte: #3-Austin Dillon, driving the BassProShops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet for RCR, was the fastest on track with a top speed of 177.989 mph to lead the final practice session for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Rounding out the top ten were; #13-Johnny Sauter, #31-James Buescher, #17-Timothy Peters, #60-Cole Whitt, #32-Brad Sweet, #5-Travis Kvapil, #9-Max Papis, #18-Kyle Busch, #8-Nelson Piquet Jr. #15-Kimi Raikkonen ran 35 laps; ranked 30th of 37 trucks. Raikkonen fought loose conditions throughout most of the practice sessions; team changed setup late in second practice. The truck wound up a little too tight with Kimi brushing the outside wall off of turn four causing minimal damage. There were 37 trucks on track for the final practice session. #89-Chris Lafferty has withdrawn his entry after crashing just three laps into his run in first practice. Final practice speeds are posted on the Charlotte Practice Speeds Page.(5-20-2011)
Hornaday leads first practice at Charlotte: #33-Ron Hornaday Jr, driving the Utz Snacks Chevrolet for KHI, led the opening practice session for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a top speed of 179.330 mph. Rounding out the top ten were; #13-Johnny Sauter, #18-Kyle Busch, #30-Todd Bodine, #17-Timothy Peters, #31-James Buescher, #3-Austin Dillon, #32-Brad Sweet, #9-Max Papis, #88-Matt Crafton. #15-Kimi Raikkonen ran 24 laps of practice and was 30th on the charts. There were several cautions; #93-Shane Sieg, mechanical problems; #77-Justin Lofton spun coming off turn four; #89- Chris Lafftery sustained heavy damage after spin, no backup truck; #02-Jamie Dick spun off turn 2, some damage to rear. There were 36 trucks on track for the opening session. Complete practice speeds are posted on the Charlotte Practice Speeds Page.(5-13-2011)
Official Entry List: There are 38 trucks listed as entered on the final Entry List for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Complete entry list is posted on the Charlotte Entry List Page.(5-20-2011)
Preliminary Entry List: There are 43 trucks listed on the Preliminary Entry List for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Complete entry list is posted on the Charlotte Entry List Page.(5-16-2011)
Some Notes:
#1-Driver TBA, Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
#2-Clint Bowyer, first Charlotte truck start, KHI Ollies Bargain Outlet Chevrolet
#02-Jamie Dick returns, Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
#8-Nelson Piquet Jr., Bozzano-Jontex as sponsor, KHI Chevrolet
#15-Kimi Raikkonen, Perky Jerky Toyota under the VAR banner with crew chief Doug Howe
#32-Brad Sweet, TBA listed for crew chief, Turner Motorsports Great Clips Chevrolet
#51-Justin Johnson, VAR's Vision Airlines/Wounded Warrior Project Toyota listed;
#68-Clay Greenfield returns, TBA Dodge
#99-Bryan Silas, driver for Chase Mattioli Racing's CollegeComplete.com Ford.(5-16-2011)
UPDATE:
#10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, DrivenMale.com Ford, withdrawn(5-18-2011)
UPDATE 2:
#51-Vision Aviation Racing Toyota withdrawn; was told that team had been trying to put a deal together with a veteran driver to run Charlotte. They were not able to work it out and as a result, team has withdrawn from the event.(5-18-2011)
UPDATE 3: Three more trucks withdraw; 38 entries remaining
#07-Driver change; JJ Yeley replacing Butch Miller, in SS Green Light Racing's Wear Your Gear Chevrolet
#1-Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet, withdrawn
#68-Clay Greenfield Dodge, withdrawn
#73-Tagsby Racing Chevrolet, withdrawn(5-19-2011)
Goodyear Tire Notes
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series -- Race No. 7 – N.C. Education Lottery 200
Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) – Concord, N.C.
Fast Facts for May 20, 2011
Tire:
Goodyear Wrangler Speedway Radials
Number of Tires:
Left-side -- 375
Right-side -- 375
Set limits:
4 sets for the weekend
Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4318
Right-side -- D-4412
Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.1 in.
Right-side -- 88.4 in.
Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi
Right Front -- 55 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi
Right Front -- 54 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi
Notes:
Teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run a different tire set-up than those in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte this weekend . . . this is the same left-side tire that Camping World Truck teams ran at Charlotte last season, though it will be paired with a different right-side tire . . . this right side, which Truck teams ran at Daytona in February, features a slight construction change compared to what was run at Charlotte in 2010 . . . Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams have also run this right-side tire code at Daytona, Talladega and Las Vegas this season . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Charlotte . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.(Goodyear PR)(5-20-2011)
NASCAR's News & Notes
Truck Series News & Notes - Charlotte Motor Speedway
Formula 1 Champion Raikkonen Ready To Roll In Charlotte
One of the most anticipated debuts in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history happens this week when 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen buckles up for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Raikkonen is just the second F1 champion to compete in the series -- Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 champ, was first -- and first former titleholder to race in NASCAR at the 1.5-mile speedway.
The race also marks the first time three former F1 competitors have been in a NASCAR Camping World Truck field. Raikkonen joins Nelson Piquet Jr. and Max Papis. Piquet, a current Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, is the only one of six F1 expatriates to score a top-10 finish in his debut. Piquet finished sixth in 2010 at Daytona.
Here is how the other five have fared in their debuts: Narain Karthikeyan, 13th (2010); Papis, 29th (2008); Eliseo Salazar, 17th (1997); Scott Speed, 27th (2008); Villeneuve, 21st (2007). Speed is the only ex-F1 driver to win a series race -- at Dover International Speedway in 2008
Team owner Kyle Busch said, "We've sent him a few videos the past couple of years of truck racing at Charlotte. He'll get a good view of what to expect with the in-car stuff, listening to throttle control, how much you're on the gas and how to race people."
Trading Places: Crafton Takes Lead From ThorSport Teammate
ThorSport Racing continues to be the dominant team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as Matt Crafton regained the points lead from teammate Johnny Sauter with a third-place finish last week at Dover. Crafton has topped the standings three times while Sauter, winner at Martinsville Speedway, was the leader twice. Crafton, however, has little breathing room entering the seventh of 25 scheduled races, leading Sauter by five points. The current top five are separated by 13 points. Crafton's only series victory came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008 -- 75 races ago. Crafton may be difficult to dislodge from his points lead. He has completed every lap in eight previous starts in Charlotte, with seven top 10s and an average finish of 7.1.
Busch Closes In On Century Mark
Kyle Busch can take one more step toward the seemingly inevitable this week as his personal countdown to 100 NASCAR national series wins continues. Busch, a three-time winner of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, posted his third NASCAR Camping World Truck victory of 2011 at Dover and matched Mark Martin's 96-win record for drivers with a victory in each of NASCAR's three national series. Busch's latest win was No. 22 for crew chief Eric Phillips. He stands first among active winning crew chiefs and third on the all-time list, five behind Kyle Busch Motorsports general manager Rick Ren. Another national series victory would tie Busch with Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip for third on the all-time list, at 97.
NCWTS Etc.
Cole Whitt became the second consecutive rookie to post a runner-up finish, battling Busch down to the wire at Dover. Piquet finished second to Busch at Nashville Superspeedway last month. Whitt holds third in overall standings -- the best by any rookie after six races. Travis Kvapil was fourth in 2001. "I'll tell you what -- Cole Whitt has something going on," said Busch. "He's probably got some good talent there and it looked like he did a really nice job.". ... Two drivers celebrate milestone starts at Charlotte this week. Timothy Peters will compete in his 100th series race. Friday's race marks start No. 50 for Ricky Carmichael. ...Two drivers will pull double duty this weekend. Austin Dillon and James Buescher will race at Charlotte then fly to Iowa Speedway for Sunday's NASCAR Nationwide Series John Deere Dealers 250 presented by Pioneer. Dillon won Iowa's truck race in 2010.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications.(5-17-2011)
