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Lap by Lap: Mud Summer Classic won by Austin Dillon

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Chris Greythen/Getty Images

Austin Dillon would get by Kyle Larson while in lap traffic to take the win in the Mud Summer Classic at Eldora Speedway.

 

Lap 1 Schrader leads Landers

Lap 4 Schrader leads Landers, K Wallace, Peters, D Blaney

Lap 11 Schrader leads Peters D Blaney Landers K Wallace

Lap 14 J Burton passes K Wallace

Lap 15 Peters makes the slide job to get the lead from Schrader; K Wallace gets back by Burton

Lap 16 D Blaney passes Schrader for second; Larson gets by K Wallace for fifth

Lap 18 Peters leads D Blaney Schrader Landers Larson

Lap 19 Larson does the slidejob on Landers for fourth

Lap 20 Peters leads D Blaney Schrader Larson Landers

Lap 21 Larson passes Schrader for third

Lap 24 Dave Blaney has closed the gap between himself and Peters…..Larson, Landers, Schrader

Lap 33 Peters leads D Blaney Larson Landers Newman A Dillon

Lap 35 Larson passes D Blaney for second as they and Peters are trapped behind the lap truck of Scott Bloomquist

Lap 36 Larson tries to grab the lead from Peters, but isn’t able to

Lap 37 Larson looks underneath Peters for the lead down the front stretch though Peters is able to hold on to the lead

Lap 38 Larson passes Peters on the outside as Peters was looking for a way to lap Norm Benning

Lap 41 Larson leads Peters D Blaney Landers Newman A Dillon

Lap 50 Larson leads D Blaney Peters Landers Newman

Lap 51 A Dillon passes Newman for fifth

Caution lap 54 for debris. A Dillon knocks a piece off of Bloomquist’s truck trying to get by him. Gresham gets the lucky dog. Caution runs to end of the first segment and teams hit pit road for tires

Restart lap 61 Larson leads ahead of D Blaney

Lap 64 Larson leads Blaney A Dillon Newman Peters Gaughan. The 84 is off the pace and smoking.

Lap 87 Larson leads A Dillon D Blaney Newman Peters. A Dillon got by D Blaney when he got hung up trying to get by the lapped truck of Newberry.

Lap 89 Larson gets stuck in lap traffic behind German Quiroga, A Dillon grabs the lead

Lap 80 As Larson tries to grab the lead back from A Dillon, debris caution flies. Gresham gets the free pass.

Restart lap 97 A Dillon grabs the lead ahead of Larson…..Newman grabs second bumping Larson back to third

Lap 99 A Dillon leads Newman Larson D Blaney Gaughan

Lap 100 Larson and Newman side-by-side for second. Larson gets by Newman off of turn two.

Lap 105 Larson has caught A Dillon for the lead

Caution lap 111 end of segment 2

Restart start of segment 3

39 laps to go A Dillon leads ahead of Larson and D Blaney. Blaney bounced off the wall after contact with Larson

Caution 38 to go Landers spins, collecting Ty Dillon, Dakoda Armstrong, Jeb Burton and Johnny Sauter

Restart 26 laps to go A Dillon leads ahead of Newman as Larson falls back due to missing a gear on the restart

23 laps to go A Dillon leads Newman Larson Peters Schrader Coulter

16 to go Coulter passes Schrader for fifth

15 to go Dave Blaney passes Schrader for sixth

11 laps to go caution for debris

Restart 66 to go Austin Dillon gets away as Larson and R Newman are side-by-side for second

4 to go Larson clears Newman for second as Newman battles with Coulter for third. Coulter grabs third from Newman

Caution 3 to go debris on the front stretch out of turn four

Green-White-Checkered

Dillon pulls ahead again as Newman and Larson are side-by-side for second

White flag – Larson grabs second from Newman

Austin Dillon wins! Larson. Newman. Coulter. Gaughan. Peters, Wallace Jr.,

Ken Schrader wins pole for Mid Summer Classic at Eldora

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is going back to it’s roots by returning to the dirt on a Wednesday night. Though NASCAR history was also made when Ken Schrader scored the pole for the Mid Summer Classic, becoming the oldest NASCAR pole sitter at the age of 58.

Dirt racer Jared Landers qualified second in his first truck start, followed by Timothy Peters, Kenny Wallace and Jeb Burton.

Usually NASCAR would line the trucks up for the main event based on the qualifying results. However, things were changed. NASCAR went with a dirt track format with five heat races that took three locked in drivers and one non-locked in driver per race, followed by a last chance qualifier that took the top five.

As a result, Ken Schrader would start on pole in the first heat and led all eight laps to take the victory. He’ll start pole come tonight’s A-Main.

Jared Landers would start on pole in the second heat and lead seven of the eight laps after being challenged by series regulars Darrell Wallace Jr. and Matt Crafton. Darrell Wallace Jr. pressured Landers for the lead, though spun with three laps to go; Wallace Jr. would get back to fourth. After the restart for Wallace’s spin, it was Crafton was pressuring Landers and using the very bottom of the track, however he would come up short and finish second.

Timothy Peters would lead all the laps in the third heat.

In the fourth heat, Kenny Wallace led the field to green and like those before, led all of the laps.

The last chance qualifier saw Brennan Newberry pick up the win. However, behind Newberry, the excitement was on in a battle for fifth between Norm Benning, Jimmy Weller III and Clay Greenfield. The three of them bumped and banged for the second half of the event with Benning bouncing off the wall coming to the line grabbing the final spot.

“I’ve been looking forward to this race since the day they announced it!” Benning said.

Known as the underdog story, Benning is a series regular, however is not known for running upfront as he typically runs near the back of the pack with his unsponsored No. 57 truck.

Crunching The Numbers: Indianapolis

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SM Staff
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After taking their final break of the season last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Brickyard 400 to begin the 17 race stretch run to finish off the season. The Nationwide Series will also be joining their Sprint Cup brethren at Indianapolis, while the Camping World Truck Series heads to Eldora on Wednesday night for the first NASCAR sanctioned dirt track race in several years.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com

Twenty years ago, the Sprint Cup Series had their first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in the 19 races since the inaugural race in 1994, the Brickyard 400 has become one of the crown jewels of the sport. The list of drivers that have won this race is a who’s who of Sprint Cup champions and current and future Hall of Famers. Only four times has a driver won the race and not gone on to win the title. Look for whoever comes out on top on Sunday to be a strong championship contender.

Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
Tony Stewart 14 2 6 10 1 227 16.7 8.2
Jeff Gordon 19 4 11 15 3 477 12.4 8.8
Kevin Harvick 12 1 4 7 1 92 15.6 10.2
Kyle Busch 8 0 2 6 0 42 21.1 11.8
Greg Biffle 10 0 3 6 0 53 15.3 12.1
Clint Bowyer 7 0 2 2 0 2 20.4 12.3
Brad Keselowski 3 0 0 2 0 39 12.7 12.3
Mark Martin 19 0 6 11 1 67 12.2 12.8
Carl Edwards 8 0 1 3 0 5 22.0 13.2
Jamie McMurray 10 1 3 5 0 43 15.4 14.0

Who To Watch: With the race at Indianapolis, it’s no surprise that an Indiana native tops the list with the best statistics. Tony Stewart, who hails from Columbus, IN, has amassed some impressive numbers at the track with two wins, six top fives, 10 top tens, one pole, 227 laps led, and an average finish of 8.2 in 14 races.

Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon falls in just behind Stewart with four wins, 11 top fives, 15 top tens, three poles, 477 laps led, and an average finish of 8.8 in 19 starts.

Others to keep an eye on include: Kevin Harvick, 2003 Brickyard 400 winner, who also has four top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 92 laps led, and an average finish of 10.2 in 12 starts; Kyle Busch, with two top fives, six top tens, 42 laps led, and an average finish of 11.8 in eight starts; and Greg Biffle, with three top fives, six top tens, 53 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in 10 starts.

Defending race winner, Jimmie Johnson, didn’t make the top ten statistically at Indianapolis, but has four wins at the track, along with four top fives, five top tens, one pole and has led 229 laps in 11 starts.

One last thing to keep in mind for Sunday’s 20th running of the Brickyard 400 is the dominance that Chevrolet has had at the track. Chevrolet has won the last 10 and 14 of the 19 races at Indianapolis. Can Chevrolet win yet another Brickyard 400 or will one of the other two manufacturers finally find their way to Victory Lane?

NASCAR Nationwide Series – Indiana 250

After running at the short track across town in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Raceway Park for years, the Nationwide Series made the move to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a companion weekend with the Sprint Cup Series starting last year and will have their second running at the 2.5 mile speedway this weekend.

Last year, Penske Racing swept the top two spots with Brad Keselowski taking the win and teammate Sam Hornish, Jr. finishing in second. Hornish regained the points lead after a second place finish in last weekend’s race at Chicago and the Indy 500 champion brings his momentum into a track that he is very familiar with.

Indianapolis also marks the last leg of the Nationwide Insurance “Dash 4 Cash” with Austin Dillon, Hornish, Elliott Sadler, and Brian Vickers eligible for the $100,000 bonus. Dillon will be going for his third “Dash 4 Cash” bonus after winning the bonus last weekend at Chicago and at New Hampshire.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – 1-800-CARCASH Mudsummer Classic Presented By CNBC Prime’s “The Profit” at Eldora

For the first time since 1970 at Raleigh, NC, NASCAR returns to dirt racing with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series making their inaugural trip to Eldora Speedway in Ohio for a Wednesday night feature on the half-mile dirt track. The race, which is a sellout, will not only feature points eligible Truck Series drivers, but will also have several dirt racing specialists going for the win. Those specialists include: Dave Blaney, Tracy Hines, Scott Bloomquist, Ken Schrader, Ryan Newman, Kenny Wallace, and former Truck Series champion, Austin Dillon, who will be facing off with his brother and championship contender, Ty Dillon.

Matt Crafton leads the Truck Series standings by 39 points heading into Eldora, but the points could face a big shakeup after what is sure to be a wild race on Wednesday night in Ohio.

Alex Bowman, No. 99 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Toyota Camry, Indianapolis Preview

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SM Archive
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RAB Racing, Alex Bowman Partners with Nationwide Children’s Hospital for the Indiana 250

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SM Archive
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INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES – July 24, 2013

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SM Archive
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Rob MacCachren looks to race to new heights in Stadium Super Truck Series

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Honda Indy Toronto

When Robby Gordon started putting together the Stadium Super Truck Series, there were drivers that wanted to be involved. One of those being 2011 Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee Rob MacCachren.

“I used to race in the old Mickey Thompson Series in the 80s,” MacCachren said. “When this started coming together with Robby Gordon and this series, I wanted to be a part of it. I loved racing in the stadiums. We traveled all over, even a trip to Montreal.

“Thankfully one of my sponsors Traxxas wanted to be in the series and here I am.”

Gordon also raced in the Mickey Thompson Series and has been working at bringing something out like it again. The series, known as Mickey Thompson Off-Road in the 1980s, was one of the biggest series for off-road racing. Though when Thompson and his wife were murdered in 1988, the series fell apart shortly after. Since then, there’s been a crave from dirt racers to bring something like that back and that’s how the new Stadium Super Truck Series came together.

MacCachren, an off-road racing veteran, has had a successful season thus far with the Stadium Super Trucks as he won their debut event in March and currently leads the points, 21 points ahead of Gordon.

MacCachren got started at the age of eight on dirt bikes and since then, has been winning races and championships. He has a five-time SCORE Baja 1000 winner and a five-time SCORE Baja 500 winner, among the list of accomplishments.

When I asked him about how enjoyable the trucks are to drive, MacCachren said, “They’re incredible. They’re about a 2000 pound truck, they’re tube chassis – all the trucks are the same, kind of a spec series. They’re a lot of fun. About 20 wheel travel front and rear, tires are about 35 inches tall.

“They have great suspension. They build these ramps and we fly as high as these fences and these fences are about 10 feet air. About 100 feet in length and we land and they’re good. I love coming to Toronto and racing around here and having a good time.”

When a fan has gotten out to a show, they see what MacCachren is talking about and feed off the excitement it brings, enjoying the show. Though it being 20 years since the Mickey Thompson Series, they have to first work at showing fans their product.

“A lot of people don’t know what the Mickey Thompson Series was,” MacCachren said. “Kind of why we’re doing stuff like this is to get this exposed to everyone. I think what I’d like to see is a 50/50 series where we race 50% with IndyCar and 50% racing in stadiums.”

If word spreads and fans keep getting interested, along with exciting performances like what MacCachren and the group did at the H0nda Indy Toronto, expect news to spread real quickly.

Should IndyCar do standing starts more often?

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Marshall Pruett

In trying to change things up, IndyCar decided to go with standing starts for one of the two events at Honda Indy Toronto.

Going into the standing start, there were a lot of concerns and mixed thoughts due to the simple unpredictability about it.

“That’s going to be interesting, I don’t know what to expect,” Ryan Briscoe said going into the weekend. “I hope it all goes well. I don’t see why it won’t, but certainly something new to adapt to.”

“I grew up doing that,” James Jakes said before the weekend. “That’s all we did in Europe. So when I came over here, I was like ‘What? Rolling starts?’ So it should be fun. I’m looking forward to it.

“That’s going to be a big challenge for us,” James Hinchcliffe commented on the Thursday before the race. “We haven’t had a chance to practice that. A lot of guys haven’t done it in years so hopefully we get through it catastrophe free cause we got a race the next to run.”

One of the concerns was surrounding the clutch.

“The clutches – one of my engineers was speaking with the clutch manufacture that it wasn’t one of the critias when we developed these,” Justin Wilson commented a month before the event. “With a formula one series or other series that do standing starts, the clutch is designed to just slip. Ours, is more of an on-off spin. So you’ll see a lot of wheel spin or cars stalling.

“I think it’s going to be fun. It’s going to add another element. It’ll be nice to see the contrast between the two.”

With all the worries, it was a surprise when the first one went off without a hitch with everybody able to get going and make it into turn one cleanly.

“The standing start was awesome,” Sebastian Bourdais said after the race. “I enjoy it very much. I had an awesome start. That’s probably why I like it. I heard the fans enjoy it. There’s a big thumbs up for the series to try that.”

Now the first one is in the books, the question is being asked. Should IndyCar continue to do them?

Helio Castroneves said that he enjoyed doing the standing start, but they will have to look closely at what tracks it’s possible to do at that. There are certain street circuits that it may be more difficult to do and the ovals would be extra tricky with the banking and such.

Though Tony Kanaan says that he doesn’t agree with the move as he wants IndyCar to stick with tradition.

“IndyCar for me, it’s always been about rolling starts,” Kanaan said on the Friday before the event. “We’re talking about traition and stuff. Maybe tomorrow I’ll end up saying I love it. That’s just because of tradition. That’s my preference.

“I’m not against it. It’s just you guys asked my opinion. I said I don’t like it.”

In the end, Bourdais says it doesn’t depend what the drivers want, but what the fans want.

“If the fans love it, if it makes the event more profitable for the promoters, for the series, it’s a good thing,” Bourdais said. “We don’t have a say in it. We’re just the racers. We have our own opinion, but at the end of the day we’ll do whatever it takes for this series wherever it needs to go, and that is to bring it up. Bring it on. If it works, let’s do it.”

So what do you want? More standing starts or the rolling starts?

Newman’s Options Going Forward

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SM Staff
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With the news that broke over the weekend, Ryan Newman will be looking for a diamond of a ride in a pile of rocks. He wants to get back with a decent team next season, but with little openings, he likely won’t get the type of ride he’s looking for. Lots of teams have been thrown around for him, but when you really think about them, you can’t say one would fit him perfectly.

For the last 3 years, Stewart-Haas has been Newman’s dream team. When he started with the team, they were just a start up with no team history, but they turned out to be very competitive. When he was technically a free agent last season, Tony Stewart resigned him after they struggled to acquire sponsorship. He didn’t want Newman to leave and Newman did not want to go anywhere else.

With Kevin Harvick coming on next season, it’s the obvious choice for the team to let Newman go. The team worked extremely hard to find sponsorship last season, so a repeat of that wouldn’t be worth it in the end. This will leave Newman searching for a ride for basically the first time in his career.

Richard Childress Racing has been one of the most popular names thrown out there since they have an opening due to Harvick’s departure. So for Newman to take over the ride would make sense, right? Wrong.

Of drivers the team would consider for the seat, Newman would likely be second on that list. It is just about guaranteed that Austin Dillon will move up to the team next season so there’s three cars already. If RCR even wants to add a fourth team, Newman would have to out duel Kurt Busch for the ride.

With racing at Furniture Row this season, Busch has established ties with the RCR organization. Those ties could put him in a seat if the team can find sponsorship. Finding the sponsorship will be key for either of those guys to go to the team. If you think about which of the two is a more marketable driver, it would be Kurt Busch. So that would likely be Newman’s cast off from a potential ride with the team.

If Kurt does leave FRR, then a seat would open up there for Newman. That all depends on RCR’s willingness to bring back four teams and then they would have to sign Kurt. Those are the necessary steps for a potential Newman at FRR deal and it would be another long shot.

We know Newman doesn’t want to just go to a Cup team to be in the Cup Series. He wants to compete for the championship and with very little options for him; he may not be back in a Cup car next season.

His alternatives then would be the Nationwide Series. Over the past few seasons, he has competed in select races for Turner Scott Motorsports so they would be a team for him to consider if they consider him first. Once again sponsorship comes into play, so that may not even be an option.

Regan Smith has been an example of a driver dipping down to the Nationwide Series, running competitive, and hoping to go after a Cup ride so Newman has that option.

You may think there are many potential rides for Newman next season, but when you really ponder it, there aren’t. He’ll really have to consider what his next career step will be or he may not even find a ride for 2014. The term silly season has never been truer than it is with Newman and for all of these “silly” situations to work out to keep him racing will be a tough. There could be more to the story than we know right now, but if there isn’t it could be bye-bye Newman for the 2014 NASCAR season.

Tweaker Energy Shot Back on Board for Indy with Bliss

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