PREVIEW: The Camping World Underdogs and Dogecoin take center stage at Las Vegas
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| PHOTO: @dawsoncram |
Friday, March 5, 2021
TRUCKS Race 3 of 23
Silver State 200 at Las Vegas
2020 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Bilicki
ENTRY LIST
There are exactly 40 drivers entered for as many spots in Friday’s return of the Truck Series. No less than 10 drivers in Friday’s field will carry logos of title sponsor Camping World, thanks to a challenge handed down Monday night by CEO Marcus Lemonis. Each team will receive $15,000 for wrapping their truck with the chance at additional bonuses based on where they finish. Another $10,000 will be paid for a Top Ten finish ($25,000 total), a Top Five will be worth another $10,000 ($35,000 total), and an additional $15,000 if they somehow beat Kyle Busch and win ($50,000 total). These are the challengers (thank you, Matt Weaver):
CAMPING WORLD UNDERDOGS
#2-Sheldon Creed
#3-Jordan Anderson
#6-Norm Benning
#9-Grant Enfinger
#24-Raphael Lessard
#33-Jesse Iwuji
#34-B.J. McLeod
#41-Dawson Cram
#56-Tyler Hill
#75-Parker Kligerman
DRIVER CHANGE: #3-Jordan Anderson Racing
Among the Camping World-sponsored rides this Friday is that of Jordan Anderson, who returns to his Chevrolet for the first time since his runner-up finish in the Daytona opener. Bobby Reuse ran the truck on the Daytona road course and had a difficult night, finishing 27th. In eight previous Las Vegas starts, Anderson’s best was a 14th in the fall of 2019.
NOT ENTERED: #8-NEMCO Motorsports
Not among the 40 entrants is NEMCO Motorsports, whose driver Camden Murphy finished a solid 13th in his first road course race since 2017.
DRIVER CHANGE: #9-CR7 Motorsports
While sharing his ride at ThorSport with Christian Eckes kept him out of the field at the Daytona road course, Grant Enfinger is back in Vegas, taking the place of Codie Rohrbaugh in his CR7 team. Like Anderson, Enfinger will be driving one of the Camping World entries, and along with defending series champion Sheldon Creed could be one of the favorites to take the top prize.
DRIVER CHANGE: #17-David Gilliland Racing
David Gilliland also makes his return to the series for the first time since the opener, when he ran 14th in his #17 Ford. He takes the place of Riley Herbst, who ran well on the road course and finished in 5th.
NEW TEAM: #32-Bret Holmes Racing
Bret Holmes, the defending ARCA Menards Series Champion, brings his family’s team to the Truck Series for the first time with Southern States Bank as sponsor. Holmes’ lone ARCA win came last year at Kentucky, one of fourteen top-five finishes in the twenty-race season. With exactly 40 entries on the list, Holmes will be assured his Truck Series debut.
DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing
Both Reaume entries have changed drivers and are also carrying Camping World logos. Taking the place of Jason White, who faced all sorts of mechanical issues on the road course and finished 38th, is a returning Jesse Iwuji. Iwuji, who failed to qualify for the Daytona oval this year, made his most recent series start on the Vegas track last fall, finishing 31st with the same team.
DRIVER CHANGE: #34-Reaume Brothers Racing
Taking the place of Lawless Alan, 36th in his own series debut, is double-duty driver B.J. McLeod. This will be McLeod’s first Truck Series start since last fall at Martinsville, where he ran 22nd in the flagship #33. He will then run Sunday for his Live Fast Motorsports effort.
DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Niece Motorsports
Back at Daytona, Jett Noland took home 29th after a late spin in his series debut. Conor Daly will this time take the wheel of Al Niece’s #44 Chevrolet, carrying sponsorship from Fatheadz Eyewear.
MISSING: #49-CMI Motorsports
MISSING: #83-CMI Motorsports
Both Ciccarelli trucks are not entered after they withdrew from the Daytona road course.
DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch is back in the Truck Series for the first time since his win last summer in Texas. He takes the place of Parker Chase, who ran 23rd in his series debut on the Daytona road course.
DRIVER CHANGE: #56-Hill Motorsports
Timmy and Tyler Hill’s team just missed out on the Camping World promotion, having loaded their unsponsored Chevrolet beforehand. Undaunted, Lemonis spread the word of Hill’s team on Wednesday to attract a sponsor. The black truck with red flames will this week be driven by Tyler Hill, who most recently ran last year’s finale at Phoenix, finishing 25th. He ran 17th in his lone Vegas start that same year. UPDATE: As of Thursday, Hill has joined the Camping World challenge and will run a blue-and-gold scheme in the race.
DRIVER CHANGE: #75-Henderson Motorsports
Parker Kligerman will make his first series start of the year after he failed to make the cut at Daytona, once again driving for Charlie Henderson, and this time as part of the Camping World challenge. He takes the place of Sam Mayer, whose turn with the team ended with a crash that left him 37th.
DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Young’s Motorsports
Kris Wright is back with the Randy Young team for the first time since his 18th-place run in the opener, taking the place of 8th-place road course finisher Kaz Grala.
CUP INVADERS: #51-Kyle Busch
Saturday, March 6, 2021
XFINITY Race 4 of 33
Alsco Uniforms 300 at Las Vegas
2020 Last-Place Finisher: Landon Cassill
ENTRY LIST
There are 43 drivers entered for 40 spots, but due to a lack of practice and qualifying, this leaves the same three teams that have yet to start a race in 2021 on the outside looking in.
MANUFACTURER CHANGE: #13-Motorsports Business Management
After his Supra, originally slated to run Saturday, was damaged in last week's incident in Homestead, David Starr will run one of the team's Ford Mustangs instead.
DRIVER CHANGE: #17-Rick Ware Racing / SS-Green Light Racing
Garrett Smithley takes the place of for J.J. Yeley, who climbed from 39th on the grid at Homestead to finish a strong 12th. Smithley brings with him sponsorship from Trophy Tractor, which backed his near-miss at the Daytona 500 this year for MBM, and will also back his run in Rick Ware’s #53 Cup car on Sunday. Both cars will carry a “Texas Strong” logo on the hood as the state recovers from last month’s sub-freezing temperatures.
TEAM UPDATE: #23-Our Motorsports (former RSS Racing / Reaume Brothers Racing)
DID NOT QUALIFY: #31-Jordan Anderson Racing
DID NOT QUALIFY: #77-Bassett Racing
DID NOT QUALIFY: #03-Our Motorsports
Jordan Anderson, Dillon Bassett (in place of brother Ronnie, Jr.), and Andy Lally are on the wrong side of the cut line for a fourth time, but their teams will still add to their season total of attempts, which could play a role if other part-time teams join later this year. UPDATE: In response to their DNQs, Our Motorsports has acquired the RSS / Reaume Brothers #23 entry, which Tyler Reddick drove under at Homestead. There is no word yet on if Natalie Decker will complete her partial season in the #23 this year.
SPONSOR UPDATE: #44-Martins Motorsports
Tommy Joe Martins has a new paint scheme for his sponsor, the tourism board of Denton, Texas, with elements of the scheme designed by Ryan Pistana.
SPONSOR UPDATE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing
SPONSOR UPDATE: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
Both of Mike Harmon’s Chevrolets carry new looks representing new sponsors for their cars. Kyle Weatherman runs a police car scheme for PORAC, the Peace Officers Research Association of California. Lerner & Rowe Injury Attorneys sponsors Bayley Currey on a new yellow paint scheme.
SPONSOR UPDATE: #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports
Dogecoin makes its return to NASCAR for the first time in in more than five years, and continues its relationship with the Parsons family. After backing Phil Parsons Racing and driver Josh Wise (most famously in their Fan Vote into the 2014 All-Star Race), the cryptocurrency will now back Stefan Parsons, joining Springrates as sponsor.
CUP INVADERS: #23-Tyler Reddick
Sunday, March 7, 2021
CUP Race 4 of 36
Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas
2020 Last-Place Finisher: Timmy Hill
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots, the second-straight short field and second in four races this season.
DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing
The only driver change on the Cup side is a returning Joey Gase, who’s back on this side of the garage for the first time since his 20th-place finish in the Daytona 500. In place of James Davison’s unsponsored white Chevrolet, which blew an engine in Homestead and finished 37th, Gase will run another colorful scheme for Nevada Donor Network.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (March 4, 2007): Brad Keselowski picked up the first last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City when his #23 Oklahoma Centennial Chevrolet fell out with engine trouble after just 1 lap. This was just the ninth series start for Keselowski, and more than four months before he made his first start with JR Motorsports at Chicagoland.
