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Wood Begins ARCA West Season with Top-Ten Run at Phoenix
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By NAPA
Jack Wood was on track to collect a top-five finish at Kevin Harvick’s Kern County Raceway Park (KCRP) before trouble dealt him a 12th-place finish on Saturday night. The driver of the No. 16
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet SS was in position to secure a fourth-place finish but suffered a melted right-front tire bead with five laps to go. Wood started on the front row for his second appearance at KCRP after stopping the clock at 18.646 seconds to equal his career-best qualifying effort. He made an early bid for the race lead before settling into second position for the majority of the event’s first half. As the opening 75-lap run progressed, Wood began to battle brake issues and a loose handling condition. The balance hampered his ability to keep pace with the lead and was in fourth position by the halfway caution at lap 75.
Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and the NAPA Auto Care team made an adjustment during the five-minute halfway break to aid Wood’s handling balance. When the race restarted, Wood took advantage of the outside line to reclaim third position. However, his brake issues escalated in the second half despite running in fourth position. Wood suffered a flat right front tire in the waning laps and was handed a 12th-place finish.
“We had a fast NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet today,” Wood said. “I’m proud of the speed these guys at BMR had in our car. We had a brake issue and I didn’t have much of a pedal before halfway and we got really loose. Kevin (Bellicourt) and the guys made a good adjustment at the halfway break on the balance and we got the car better. But the brake pedal just went to the floor as the night went. We were still in the top five and were going to have a good points night but had a flat right front at the end. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the result, but happy with the speed we had today.”
Start / Finish: 2 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 7th / 37 pts. (-12)
Next Race: Friday, May 31, Portland International Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and No. 9 Kelley Blue Book team qualified third for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway The 28-year-old driver earned valuable stage points, finishing fifth in stage one and seventh in stage two A slew of cautions in the final stage prompted multiple strategies among teams. Elliott restarted 17th after the final caution of the race and ultimately finished the race in the 19th position Elliott and the No. 9 team leave Phoenix ninth in the Cup Series points standings After posting the seventh fastest lap in Friday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Phoenix Raceway, Chase Elliott backed that up with a third-place qualifying lap on Saturday. The 28-year-old driver took the green flag for the 312-lap race from the second row on Sunday afternoon. Elliott was still running inside the top five when the first caution flag of the race waved on lap seven. The early report from the Hendrick Motorsports driver was that his No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was locked down and tight in the back. With the team opting not to pit, Elliott restarted in the fifth position on lap 12 and remained there as the rest of 60-lap first stage went caution free. The fifth-place stage finish garnered six stage points for the Dawsonville, Georgia, native.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the Kelley Blue Book Chevy was tight and that it freed up as the run went on. The crew opted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment during a fast pit stop which gained Elliott a spot on pit road. He lined up fourth to start the second stage on lap 69. Elliott raced three-wide once the field went back to green, taking over the third position on lap 70. He held strong, maintaining his top-three running position through a long green-flag run. The field started making green-flag pit stops on lap 115, with Elliott bringing the Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet to pit road on lap 117 for four tires and fuel. With the field stretched out, Elliott was bogged down in traffic following his stop, making it harder to gain track position. Still, he managed to score a top-10 finish in the second stage, taking the green-and-white checkered flag in the seventh spot. The result added four more stage points to his total.
During the stage break, Elliott brought the Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet to pit road for four tires and fuel. The pit crew knocked out another fast stop, gaining the 2020 Cup Series champion three spots. Elliott took the green flag for the final stage from the fourth position on lap 194 and was scored in fifth place when the caution came out just two laps later. Elliott kept his Chevrolet on the track under the yellow flag. He lined up fifth for the restart on lap 202 and was battling inside the top 10 when the race was slowed once more. Staying out while some drivers deeper in the field visited pit road, Elliott restarted eighth and was scored in ninth at the time of the lap-216 caution. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road with the rest of the leaders for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. With varying pit strategies among teams – some taking only two tires and others opting to stay out – Elliott restarted in the 17th position on lap 220. He managed to advance as high as 16th early in the run but being stuck in dirty air made it difficult for Elliott to continue forward progress. When the checkered flag waved on lap 312, he was scored with a 19th-place finish.
Elliott and the No. 9 team leave Phoenix Raceway ninth in the Cup Series points standings, just 28 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 3 / 19
Points Standing / Total: 9th / 123 pts. (-26)
Next Race: Sunday, March 17, Bristol Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes tallied a resilient sixth-place finish on Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) for his best finish through three races. The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST remains ninth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) standings after his second top-10 result of the young season. Eckes has now posted top-10 finishes in six of his eight races at LVMS.
Eckes started the day in strong fashion by posting the second-quickest laps in practice and qualifying. He got the early holeshot off the initial green flag and led the first seven circuits. However, Eckes began wrestling with an extremely tight condition throughout the opening stage. The balance issues relegated him to run in 14th position at the end of Stage 1 on lap 30.
Crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit lane during the stage yellow to change four tires and address the handling woes. A track bar and wedge adjustment proved to be the right direction for Eckes in Stage 2, but the tight condition persisted. Eckes restarted 16th on lap 36 but immediately leaped into the top 10 by lap 38. Despite his efforts, Eckes once again ran 14th at the end of Stage 2 on lap 60.
Denike and the NAPA Auto Care team made an even bigger swing to improve the balance with chassis adjustments during the second stage caution. Significant wedge and a front suspension changes proved to be the proper tonic to wake up Eckes’ Chevrolet. He restarted 21st on lap 67 and marched back into the top-10 in less than 20 laps. A smoothly executed green-flag pit stop cycle vaulted Eckes from ninth to sixth with roughly 30 laps remaining. The improved balance allowed him to string together consistent laps over the final run to take the checkered flag in sixth for his second top-10 result of the season.
“We definitely made improvements throughout the night to our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet,” Eckes said. “My guys kept making swings at it and we got the balance better, but we have some work to do to get the balance where we need it. It’s good to finish better than we ran all night, but we have some work to do.”
Start / Finish: 2 / 6
Points Standing / Total: 9th / 85 pts. (-22)
Next Race: Saturday, March 16, Bristol Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes was one of the early favorites at Atlanta Motor Speedway before a brake issue put a halt to his strong afternoon. The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST led 20 laps in the opening segment enroute to a stage win and captured his first playoff point of the season. However, Eckes’ afternoon resulted in a 32nd-place finish after completing 50 circuits.
Eckes took the green flag in fifth position as he and his MHR teammates dominated qualifying, with all four trucks occupying the top-five spots in the starting lineup. In typical fashion, Eckes wasted no time making bold moves towards the lead. He grabbed the second position on the opening lap and took the lead on lap 11. Shortly after a restart on lap 22, Eckes radioed his NAPA Auto Care team that his brake pedal was going to the floor and that he did not have any brakes. Despite the alarming discovery, Eckes drove to the stage win on lap 30, but was forced to pit under the stage caution.
Crew chief Charles Denike and the MHR team attempted to resolve the issue, but Eckes was forced to retire early and was credited with the 32nd-place result.
“We had a really fast NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet,” Eckes said. “We drove straight to the lead early and was able to control the race for most of the first stage. The brake pedal went to the floor towards the end of the first stage and had some fluid inside the truck, so its really unfortunate for our team and everybody at NAPA that was out here today with us. We’ll go to Vegas and try to make up for it”
Start / Finish: 5 / 32
Points Standing / Total: 9th / 54 pts.
Next Race: Friday, March 1, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
The Battle of the Bay at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa marked the opening of the High Limit Racing season, and Brad Sweet and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team of Kasey Kahne Racing arrived intent to make their mark on the points standings from the start.
With 56 cars in attendance for the first night at East Bay, the NAPA No. 49 hit the top of the charts in qualifying with a lap time of 12.550 seconds. Heat race action followed, and the Big Cat battled his way from fourth to third, punching his ticket to the dash by being the fastest car in his heat. In the dash, Sweet showed consistent speed by charging from third to second.
The action on night one of the Battle at the Bay truly heated up during the evening’s feature race. Despite starting strong in second place, the NAPA driver faced formidable competition and slid back in the field. The five-time World of Outlaws champion showed his determination though, and he fought his way to a fourth-place finish.
That was just the beginning for the NAPA team. Because Sweet secured a fourth-place finish in Monday’s preliminary event, he was automatically locked into the heat races on night two, bypassing qualifying. This placed him fourth to start in Heat Race 4, where he revealed the speed of the NAPA machine on the 1/3-mile oval. Sweet charged to the lead, winning his heat and placing himself first to start the dash.
Sweet took charge in the seven-lap dash and never looked back, earning the win. Finally, the 30-lap A-main took the green flag to mark the final race of the two-day event. Launching the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 like a rocket, Sweet quickly caught the tail of the field. Competitor Tyler Courtney managed to sneak by the Big Cat for the lead, and Sweet lost another spot after a tough battle. He brought the No. 49 machine to the checkered flag in third, earning a spot on the East Bay podium.
Next up for Sweet and the NAPA team is Deuces Wild at Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, GA.
Start / Finish:
Monday, Feb. 12: 2 / 4
Tuesday, Feb. 13: 1 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 133 pts.
Next Race: Thursday, Feb. 22, Golden Isles Speedway, Waynesville, GA
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