Archives For May 2014

Dominating performances were on tap this past weekend, as the winners of all three major NASCAR series’ races — and the winner of the ARCA race — didn’t flinch an inch in the final stretches before capturing their respective checkered flags. And CV Products Trackside was there for all the action.

Here’s where we were and what we saw:

NC LOTTO 200 2008North Carolina Education Lottery 200

Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
When: Friday, May 16
Racetrack: Charlotte Motor Speedway  — Charlotte, NC
Race recap: After Friday night’s dominating performance at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch appears to be untouchable, at least where the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is concerned. Leading 130 of 134 laps after starting his truck on the pole for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Busch claimed his third truck series win in as many starts this season and his fourth consecutive going back to last year’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The victory was Busch’s 38th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and his sixth at Charlotte. If only Busch’s odds were as good elsewhere. The Las Vegas-born driver is attempting to become the first driver to complete the IndyCar-NASCAR 1,100-mile double since 2001, and just yesterday crashed during practice for the Indianapolis 500.

NASCAR14_allstar_14Sprint All-Star Race

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
When: Saturday, May 17
Racetrack: Charlotte Motor Speedway — Charlotte, NC
Race recap: Pulling away from an intense battle with polesitter Carl Edwards to open the final 10-lap segment Saturday night, Jamie McMurray won the Sprint All-Star Race — and get this… the million-dollar-plus prize that goes with the victory. McMurray held off Kevin Harvick, who crossed the finish line just .696 seconds behind. Matt Kenseth finished third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson. Though  Edwards and  McMurray inched ahead of each other at various junctures after the final restart, McMurray led at the finish line for each of the final 10 laps. Once he cleared Edwards three laps into the run, McMurray pulled away for good. The 31 laps McMurray led Saturday night were the first he had ever led in the All-Star Race.

GetToKnowNewton_250Get to Know Newton 250 presented by Sherwin Williams

Series: NASCAR Nationwide Series
When: Sunday, May 18
Racetrack: Iowa Speedway — Newton, IA
Race recap: Sam Hornish, Jr. dominated the field in the Get to Know Newton 250, leading 167 of the race’s 250 laps at the 7/8-mile track at Iowa Speedway. The rare Sunday Nationwide Series race saw Hornish pull away from his only competition, pole sitter Ryan Blaney, on a lap 229 restart. From there it was smooth driving for the part-time Joe Gibbs Racing driver who previously finished second, third or fourth in his last three starts at Iowa. Blaney, who led 80 laps, finished second, while Regan Smith, who hasn’t finished outside the top 10 all season, took third. NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Chase Elliott and Elliott Sadler finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care

menards200logoSeries: ARCA Racing Series
When: Sunday, May 18
Racetrack: Toledo Speedway — Toledo, OH
Race recap: It was a festival atmosphere at Toledo Speedway on Sunday for the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care. Nashville band Lucy Angel performed a free concert; thousands of fans lined up for autographs; and, the perfect weather in Toledo had fans, race teams and drivers all on the edge of their seats for the 200 lap race. Justin Boston took the lead from Grant Enfinger on lap 181 and held off a charge from pole winner Mason Mitchell to take the checkered flag. It was Venturini Motorsports first win at Toledo since team owner Bill Venturini himself went to victory lane as a driver in 1987.

CV Products Trackside will visit Charlotte Motor Speedway again this weekend when we’re in town to support the Coca-Cola 600 and History 300 NASCAR races. Look for a preview of this weekend’s action to appear here on our blog later this week.

297679Kansas Speedway plays hosts to the CV Products Trackside Program this weekend. Tonight found us supporting NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series’ drivers and their teams as they made their way around Kansas Speedway’s 1.5-mile tri-oval. The race — the SFP 250 — was marred by one caution after another (nine in all, or about one caution for every 18 laps). See below for a recap.

Next up for CV Trackside at Kansas is Saturday’s 5-Hour Energy 400 Sprint Cup Series race benefiting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation — a Tampa, Fla.-based nonprofit that provides college scholarship grants, along with financial aid and educational counseling, to the children of Special Operations personnel who were killed in an operational mission or training accident.

Here’s the complete scoop:

297678SFP 250

Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
When: Friday, May 9
Racetrack: Kansas Speedway — Kansas City, KS
Note: CV’s trailer is in the pits and available for people with pit passes only.
Race-day insight: After racing only twice so far this season, the 2014 Camping World Truck Series schedule will get hopping over the next couple of weeks. For the first time this season, the series will be in action in back-to-back weekends with the SFP 250 tonight at Kansas Speedway and next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Race recap and results: Kyle Busch led a race-best 104 laps and easily won tonight’s Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. The victory, which came by 3.021 seconds over second-place finisher and last year’s race winner Matt Crafton, was the second of the season in a truck for Busch, and his 37th in the series overall. Busch’s former Sprint Cup teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, finished third, while Austin Dillon finished fourth and Tayler Malsam fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Jeb Burton, German Quiroga, Ron Hornaday Jr., Joe Nemechek and Mason Mingus.

5-Hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation

297675Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
When: Saturday, May 10
Racetrack: Kansas Speedway — Kansas City, KS
How to find us: Our trailer will be in the pits but you’ll need a Pitt Pass to get there.
Race-day facts: This past Sunday, Clint Bowyer scored his best finish of the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season, a third at Talladega. And on Monday he announced that he and his wife were expecting their first child. That same day, his team owner signed Bowyer to a multi-year contract extension. Now the Emporia, Kansas, native heads back to his home state for a major career milestone — his 300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Over the first 299, Bowyer has accumulated eight wins, 52 top fives and 140 top 10 finishes. He’s also made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup five times in his eight full-time seasons, including in 2012 when he finished second in championship points.
How to watch from home: FOX Television will broadcast the race starting at 7pm (EDT). If you’re not in front of the television, listen in on Sirus XM Channel 90 or via the Motor Racing Network.