Martinsville has always held a bit of a temper. Most of the time, it stays in check as “just racin'” but sometimes…
Such was the case for the Kroger 200 (Camping World Series Trucks). Late in the race the Bass Pro Shops #3 of Ty Dillon got into the Anderson’s Maple Syrup – Kroger #14 of Kevin Harvick.
Spin, wall, crash…
After they were able to move, Harvick began tapping and bumping the #3, moved around Dillon but only to jump and brake towards pit road. (more…)
Trucks.
Trucks racing on dirt.
It certainly sounds normal. After all, trucks have been running rally and off-road in all sorts of competition. This time was a bit different…
These trucks don’t have long travel suspension or skid plates. These aren’t the trucks from the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series . These are NASCAR chassis sanctioned for Daytona and Dover, Martinsville and Michigan. These are the Camping World Series trucks and they ran on dirt at Eldora in Ohio.
Tony Stewart (Sprint Cup Champion / Stewart-Haas Racing) owns the facilities at Eldora and worked with NASCAR to bring the trucks to town. The only real mod on the trucks from their last race at Iowa were box-grooved tires. The surface of the track is hard-pack clay, dimpled a bit with special equipment and periodically moistened and re-set.
The combination made for a slick return to dirt track racing for a NASCAR premiere series. The first since 1970 when Richard Petty won at the fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC. (more…)
Trucks…
They are designed with a very distinctive purpose. They are a bit like body builders in the sense that all they really have to do is pick up heavy things and move them. In that regard you would not expect a body builder to show up at a marathon…
Yet that is exactly what they do at NASCAR in the Camping World Truck Series. They drive hundreds of laps in what is essentially a box in front of another box. It is not that the racing is compromised. In fact, the truck series offers close and exciting racing. (more…)
They race everything.
As the “Chase” makes the way back to our part of the world it is only fitting we make one step back and have a look at the other series running in our back yard.
Camping World Series trucks are on tap at Martinsville Speedway coupled with the TUMS Fast Relief 500 for the Sprint Cup.
To be honest, years ago, when they introduced trucks to the NASCAR format we thought they were a bit daft. Trucks pull trailers and haul bricks or lumber or dirt or empty beer cans.
Trucks are torque machines for pulling and hauling. Speed is not generally the way they do things.
However, NASCAR has done a number with the Camping World Series. They took the Cup chassis and essentially dropped a truck on it. The hood is lowered and the windshield is swept a bit and the bed is not really a bed but it works. They are fast. They look like pick-up trucks.
Weird… (more…)
Crossovers happen all the time in music. We see it all too often. Country to Rock, Rock to Top-40, Top-40 back to Country… Yada yada yada.
It’s a bit different in sports. The disciplines are so different. The regimen, the skills, the arena of play…
Joe Gibbs made the jump as an owner. NFL Championships to NASCAR Championships. Now the NBA has the honor of passing another Champion to the ranks of horsepower and speed.
Brad Daugherty is no stranger to racing. He grew up around it. He also had a talent for basketball which earned a college scholarship with UNC and ultimately, the NBA with the Cavaliers. He lead scoring, rebounds and was named to the All Star Team five times.
He never stepped too far from the world of racing as his number with Cleveland was 43, a tribute to Richard Petty. He retired from basketball with back pain issues and put that winning drive to work in business and the community. Some of that business included racing with ownership involvement at Liberty Racing. Well spoken, he is known as an analyst and commentator for ESPN covering NASCAR and College Basketball. Currently, he is also co-owner of JTG Daugherty Racing fielding a Sprint Cup team with driver Bobby Labonte.
Now, there is an additional component. Brad has his own truck running laps and preparing for Camping World Series competition.
Brad was at Martinsville Speedway Thursday, April 19th, with a Toyota Truck all decked out with Bubba Burgers, Bush’s Beans, a red #34 and 700 horses under the hood. He also had a full team on hand including Champion Crew Chief Andy Petree of the famed Earnhardt #3 team.
In and out of the truck for several sessions on the famous Martinsville oval, Daugherty picked up the pace as Petree drove along on several occasions trading lines, passes and tips on techniques. On Brad’s driving skills, Andy said he has good insight on the track and behind the wheel and referenced Daugherty’s history with racing in several disciplines. As a spectator, we tend to agree. The #34 gained in lap times, speed and slipped into a comfortable groove hitting the marks and race day speeds.
Out of the truck for breaks, talks with the crew about the handling and setup, and maybe a ham & cheese with mayo, Brad also had a few moments to speak about his own focus on racing. He is looking at some NASA races (National Auto Sport Association), road courses and getting the #34 into the pack with the Camping World Series. For his duties with ESPN, he was looking for wheel time that would transfer to relating a better experience from the mic to the fans. He also spoke a little on the NBA and the run on the playoffs.
That part was confusing.
On racing, Brad Daugherty is focused. He is bringing in and working with talented people with winning histories. More than that, he is doing something many in his large shoes find difficult. He is listening. All too often people who already have notches in the post take on new challenges with an attitude they don’t need advice. He may carry 7 feet into the window of the race truck but is showing he is not too high to listen to the advice of those who have the experience to help him move forward.
We’ll be looking at the #34 and pulling for the hardwood transition to the checkered flag.
