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:
North 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.
Sprint 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.
Get 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
Series: 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.
The World 100 — traditionally run on the weekend after Labor Day — wraps up Saturday with the winner netting $46,000 in the 100-lap finale. This year, the three-day event features a record $283,910 purse, with Eldora Speedway concluding four complete Late Model events over seven days. Saturday’s format of six heat races leads up to an enlarged 32-car starting field for the World 100.
Friday’s race is a historic event, commemorating the 1,000th NASCAR Nationwide Series race. This landmark race can be seen at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and heard on Motor Racing Network Radio, Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Dale Earnhardt won the inaugural event back on Feb. 13, 1982, and the Nationwide Series has since been a proving ground for drivers trying to earn a seat in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ever since. Eight Nationwide Series winners made it to the Sprint Cup Series, including Alan Kulwicki, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Keselowski is the only driver to have won titles in NASCAR’s top two series.
Some days it’s just nice to be Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Saturday is one of those days. In order for Dale to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, he has to finish 32nd or better in Saturday’s 400-lap race at the Richmond International Speedway (7:30 p.m. on ET ABC, MRN Radio, Sirius XM Radio). In racing terminology, that’s a piece of cake. Racers Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth already have Top 10 spots. Joey Logano, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch complete the provisional top 10, scoring 16, 14 and six points ahead of 11th-place Jeff Gordon.
The Associated Press perceived a lot of whining about extended periods of boredom at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend, with NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers grousing over their inability to pass other cars during the Brickyard 400 and raising the silly notion of putting in a second banked lane.
Jimmy Johnson is a 3-to-1 favorite for this event — most likely because he’s already won three Pocono races in his career, and a sweep this year at the 2.5-mile track would come as no surprise. After all, he swept the season at Pocono back in 2004. Then add in this factoid: Johnson also had the best car at Indianapolis last weekend, leading 73 of 160 laps.
In the light of the fact that Brad Keselowski’s will be racing at Iowa Speedway this weekend, the Speedway is contributing $8,000 to the reining NASCAR champion’s 
Fans of the truck series will have the opportunity to meet their favorite Camping World Trucking Series drivers at an autograph session scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. (ET) on Friday behind Turn 3 at the Tricky Triangle. And if you can’t make the trip to the track, the race will be broadcast live starting at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday on SPEED. The race can also be heard live on 
The Top 10 racers appearing at this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race have had mixed results at Pocono, with six of those competitors yet to win at “
Iowa Speedway hosts the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday night, with the DuPont Pioneer 250 sharing track over the weekend with the annual NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West face-off (more info on that race appears at the end of today’s post). 
