PREVIEW: "White-knuckle weekend" in Talladega sees many drivers return
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| Ty Dillon honoring Richard Chilress' first Cup start at Talladega in 1969. PHOTO: @GermainRacing |
TRUCKS Race 20 of 23
Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega
Round of 6 – Race 1 of 3
2018 Last-Place Finisher: Clay Greenfield
ENTRY LIST
There are 33 drivers entered for 32 spots in Saturday’s return of the Truck Series after nearly a full month off, meaning one team will miss the show.
MISSING: #0-Jennifer Jo Cobb
Jennifer Jo Cobb will not enter her second truck, which was withdrawn along with Daniel Sasnett as driver in Las Vegas. The Cobb team will still field the #10 with the only superspeedway truck they have in their stables.
MISSING: #5-DGM-Crosley
Dylan Lupton is not entered after another strong run in Las Vegas, where he ran 10th.
RETURNING: #7-All Out Motorsports
Korbin Forrister is back in action for the first time since May, along with his All Out Motorsports team that is still looking for sponsorship. Forrister has four Truck Series starts at Talladega with a best of 15th both last year and in 2015.
DRIVER CHANGE: #8-NEMCO Motorsports
DRIVER SWAP: #87-NEMCO Motorsports
Pending the outcome of qualifying, father and son will race against each other this Saturday as Joe Nemechek moves from the #87 to the #8, leaving John Hunter to drive the #87. The younger Nemechek, who finished last with fuel pressure issues in Las Vegas, takes the place of Tony Mrakovich, who ran a strong 13th that night. UPDATE: Reportedly on Monday, Timothy Peters was slated to take the place of Joe Nemechek in the #8.
MISSING: #11-Rette Jones Racing
Spencer Davis is not entered after he ran 18th in Las Vegas.
MISSING: #19-Bill McAnally Racing
Derek Kraus and the California-based McAnally team are also not headed to Alabama following a 27th-place finish due to transmission issues in Vegas.
RETURNING: #28-FDNY Rcing
Bryan Dauzat and Jim Rosenblum are back in action this week, the first attempt for both driver and team since their season-best 24th-place run in Pocono. Dauzat didn’t get a chance to put the #28 through its paces at Daytona, where he was eliminated with crash damage after only two laps, leaving him 31st.
DRIVER CHANGE: #34-Reaume Brothers Racing
Team owner Josh Reaume takes the place of Jesse Iwuji, who was swapped out of the Las Vegas field following his scary qualifying crash in the #34 Chevrolet. No sponsor is yet listed for the #34, but Anderson Power Services will again back teammate Mason Massey in the #33.
MISSING: #38-Niece Motorsports
Colin Garrett is not entered after his 21st-place finish at Las Vegas, bringing the Al Niece contingent down to two between Angela Ruch (#44) and Playoff contender Ross Chastain (#45).
WITHDREW: #49-CMI Motorsports
Ray Cicarelli returns to Truck Series competition for the first time since his brief run at Mosport, and drives his own equipment for the first time since his career-best 9th-place finish at Michigan. Should he qualify, it will be Cicarelli’s first-ever start at Talladega. UPDATE: The team withdrew prior to the weekend.
DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports
Riley Herbst makes only his third Truck Series start of the season, this time taking the place of Christian Eckes, who ran 3rd after starting on pole in Las Vegas. Herbst’s best finish of the year came at Kansas, where he ran 9th in the KBM #46.
MISSING: #56-Hill Motorsports
Tyler Hill and brother Timmy are not competing in Saturday’s race after they failed to qualify following a qualifying incident in Las Vegas.
RETURNING: #68-Clay Greenfield Racing
Clay Greenfield, the defending last-place finisher of this race, is back with his family’s #68 Rackley Roofing Toyota. Greenfield’s last attempt came at Bristol two months ago, when he ran 26th after steering issues.
MISSING: #04-Roper Racing
Cory Roper is not entered in Saturday’s race after he, too, failed to qualify in Las Vegas.
MISSING: #08-Kart Idaho Racing
Justin Johnson is not entered after they took Jesse Iwuji’s place at Las Vegas following a DNQ, ending the night in 23rd place.
CUP INVADERS: None.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
CUP Race 31 of 36
1000bulbs.com 500 at Talladega
Round of 12 – Race 2 of 3
2018 Last-Place Finisher: Michael McDowell
ENTRY LIST
There are exactly 40 drivers entered for as many spots in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega, the first since the Roval, two races ago, and just the eighth in 31 races this year.
PAINT SCHEME: #13-Germain Racing
Announced on Tuesday was a “throwback” paint scheme for Ty Dillon. In honor of Richard Childress Racing’s 50th anniversary, dating back to the inaugural Talladega race in September 1969, Dillon’s car will carry a flat green paint scheme reminiscent of grandfather Richard Childress’ first Cup car, which also happened to be #13. Childress’ 1968 Chevrolet was among the entrants from the lower division series who were called upon to fill out the Sunday field after a driver’s strike.
TEAM UPDATE: #21-Wood Brothers Racing
Matt Crafton is on standby to relieve Paul Menard, who is struggling with neck pain.
DRIVER SWAP: #27-Premium Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports
Reed Sorenson moves from the #77 to the #27 this week, taking the place of Joe Nemechek, who after running 30th at Dover isn’t entered and will instead focus on Saturday’s Truck Series race. Sorenson looks to rebound from an axle failure that came after Joey Logano’s on Lap 1. In the #77 this week is Blake Jones – not Daytona winner Justin Haley – who proudly announced his return to the series by posting pictures of his 2019 NASCAR license on social media. We last saw Jones at Bristol last year, when he drove BK Racing’s final race before their Charter officially changed hands. This will be Jones’ first Cup start on a track over two miles in length.
DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Rick Ware Racing
Rick Ware Racing returns to their lineup from Richmond as Austin Theriault will make his first Cup start at Talladega. He takes the place of B.J. McLeod, who ran 29th at Dover. Theriault drives a special paint scheme in honor of Roger Haynes, who passed away in May. It was Haynes who drove his big rig around the Talladega track carrying the American flag. The #51 will bear a similar scheme to that truck.
DRIVER CHANGE: #52-Rick Ware Racing
Spencer Boyd joins Theriault in making his own first start since Richmond, where he ran 34th in the #53. This time, he drives the #52 in place of J.J. Yeley, who ran 32nd at Dover. It will be Boyd’s third series start, and comes with sponsorship from the Medicine Shoppe.
MISSING: #54-Rick Ware Racing
The Ware team has only entered their two Chartered cars this week and have not fielded the #54 which Garrett Smithley drove to a 33rd-place finish on “The Monster Mile.”
RETURNING: #62-Beard Motorsports
Plate racing means the return of Mark Beard’s team with driver Brendan Gaughan, who again look to turn heads in the #62 Beard Oil Distributing / South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet, which ran a strong 8th here in the spring. Gaughan’s career-best Cup Series finish came in this very race 15 years ago, when he ran 4th in Doug Bawel’s #77 Dodge.
RETURNING: #66-Motorsports Business Management
Joey Gase and the #66 MBM Cup team are back in action for the first time since Las Vegas, interestingly carrying sponsorship recognizing sponsor Eternal Fan’s fan promotions at the Richmond Raceway. Gase has four Talladega starts in the series with a best finish of 18th in this race last year, driving for StarCom Racing.
SPONSOR UPDATE: #95-Leavine Family Racing
Talladega marks the second race of Barstool Sports’ sponsorship of Matt DiBenedetto. This time, the red paint scheme reflects the website’s “One Bite” pizza taste test series.
RETURNING: #96-Gaunt Brothers Racing
Parker Kligerman rejoins the circuit following a week off in Dover, looking to improve on their 27th-place finish at Talladega this past spring.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
XFINITY Race 30 of 33
Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas
Round of 8 – Race 1 of 3
2018 Last-Place Finisher: Michael Annett
The XFINITY Series takes a week off this time and returns next Saturday in Kansas.
LASTCAR STAT OF THE WEEK
Today in LASTCAR history (October 10, 1993): Todd Bodine picked up the first last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup career in the Mello Yello 500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when his #75 Factory Stores Ford was involved in a crash after 140 laps. Bodine’s crash was one of just two cautions that day – the other from oil on the track – resulting in an average race speed of 154.537mph.
