Two of NASCAR’s three national series are in action at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, with night races for the Camping World Truck Series on Friday and the annual All-Star Race for the Monster NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday. The XFINITY Series is off until May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Storylines for this weekend follow… The Race: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway The Date: Saturday, May 20 The Time: 8 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 6 p.m. ET (Monster Energy Open) Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 105 miles (70 laps); Stage 1 (Ends after 20 Laps), Stage 2 (Ends after 40 Laps), Stage 3 (Ends After 60 Laps), Final Stage (Ends After 70 Laps) Truex Picks Up Second Win, Extends Playoff Points Lead Martin Truex Jr. outlasted Coors Light Pole winner Ryan Blaney to notch his second win of the season in last Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver led a race-high 104 laps and amassed five playoff points with the win. He leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 15 playoff points – via his two victories and series-leading five stage wins – three more than Kansas runner-up Brad Keselowski’s 12. Truex ranks second in the overall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 44 markers below leader Kyle Larson. The New Jersey native takes the track again in Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET on FS1). Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Ready To Roar At Charlotte Mid-May is an exciting time of the year for the NASCAR World. It means it’s time for the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This year’s Monster Energy All-Star Race consists of four stages. The first three stages are 20 laps, while the final stage is 10 laps. Only green flag laps will be counted in the final stage. The final stage consists of 10 drivers: stage winners on the lead lap at the end of the third stage, and drivers with the best average finish in the first three stages. Pit road will be open for the final stage. Starting positions for the final stage will be determined by the exit off pit road. Each team will receive one set of softer tires for use during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star race. Teams that use these tires for the final stages will start behind the teams that use the primary tires. The All-Star field consists of 2016 and 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship race winners, past all-star winners, past Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions, the NASCAR fan vote winner and the three stage winners in the Monster Energy Open. Monster Energy Open Set For Saturday The Monster Energy Open (6 p.m. ET on FS1) will occur prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race on Saturday. It includes three stages (20 laps/20 laps/10 laps). The winner of each stage earns a spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star race. The Monster Energy Open field will be set by two rounds of traditional knockout qualifying. Cream Of The Crop: 10 Active Drivers Have Won The All-Star Race Ten active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won the All-Star Race and taken home the $1 million that comes with the victory. Leading the pack is Jimmie Johnson, who boasts a record four Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race victories. The other past winners have all won once: Joey Logano (2016), Denny Hamlin (2015), Jamie McMurray (2014), Kurt Busch (2010), Kasey Kahne (2008), Kevin Harvick (2007), Matt Kenseth (2003), Ryan Newman (2002) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000). Six drivers who have already qualified for the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race will search for their first win in the event: Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Blaney Dazzles At Another 1.5-Miler Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 provided déjà vu for Ryan Blaney. Similar to the previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at a 1.5-mile track at Texas Motor Speedway, Blaney flashed dominance for a large portion of the contest, but couldn’t close out the victory. The 23-year-old Wood Brothers Racing driver led 83 laps from the pole and won Stage 2, but was passed for the lead by Martin Truex Jr. with 18 go-arounds remaining and eventually finished fourth. In the Texas race last month, Blaney led a race-high 148 laps and won the first two stages, but ended up finishing 12th. Blaney, an alumnus of the NASCAR Next initiative, sits 11th in the series standings – 184 points behind leader Kyle Larson. He is tied with Kevin Harvick for second in the series with three stage wins. Martin Truex Jr. leads the series with five stage wins. Blaney’s pole was the first of his career and the first for Wood Brothers Racing since Ricky Rudd claimed the first starting spot at Talladega on April 25, 2004. Larson Maintains Points Lead Following Another Top-10 Finish Kyle Larson produced his seventh top-10 finish of the season at Kansas with a sixth-place showing. After 11 races, Larson continues to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings. He is followed by Martin Truex Jr. (44 points behind Larson), Brad Keselowski (-67), Chase Elliott (-114) and Jamie McMurray (-121). Kevin Harvick (-128), Kyle Busch (-150), Jimmie Johnson (-152), Joey Logano (-155) and Clint Bowyer (-158) round out the top 10. Larson boasts one win, five top fives, seven top 10s and a series-leading 6.9 average finish in 11 starts this season. He’s led 366 laps. Suarez Ties Career-Best Finish Daniel Suarez tied his career-best finish with a seventh-place showing last weekend at Kansas. The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver also finished seventh at Phoenix and Auto Club earlier this year. Suarez has jumped out to the lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. He holds a 12-point advantage over second-place Ty Dillon and a 15-point edge on his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones. The No. 19 Toyota driver has climbed to 19th in the points standings, 33 points behind Trevor Bayne on the playoff cutoff line. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, etc. Monster Energy To Host Bellator MMA Fights At Charlotte Motor Speedway Before All-Star Race – The Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 20 prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race. All bouts are set to take place between 3:30 and 5 p.m. ET at the Monster Energy Display in the Charlotte Motor Speedway Fan Zone. On Friday, May 19, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz and former PRIDE and STRIKEFORCE titleholder Dan Henderson will be available to sign autographs at the Monster Energy display in the Charlotte Motor Speedway Fan Zone between 3-4 p.m. ET. Platinum Record Artist MGK To Perform At Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race – Platinum recording artist MGK (aka Machine Gun Kelly) will perform at Charlotte Motor Speedway following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race. The concert is free to anyone with a ticket to the race. Fans can walk down from the stands and watch the concert from the infield. MGK is best known for his single “Wild Boy” and his “Bad Things” collaboration with Camila Cabello. MGK will take the stage at approximately 11 p.m. His performance will be followed by a set from DJ MADDS, who will perform until 2 a.m. Johnson, McMurray, Kenseth Complete Assault On Mt. Mitchell Bike Ride – On Monday, May 15, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth completed the “Assault on Mt. Mitchell” bike ride. The Assault on Mt. Mitchell is a 102.7-mile self-paced ride, not race, from Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the summit at Mt. Mitchell State Park in North Carolina—a total vertical ascent of more than 10,000 feet. Next Race: Hisense 4K TV 300 The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway The Date: Saturday, May 27 The Time: 1 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200) The Race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway The Date: Friday, May 19 The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 201 miles (134 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 134) Kyle Busch Nets NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Win At Kansas Kyle Busch Motorsports owner Kyle Busch won the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway for his 47th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory. The win also served as Busch’s second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at Kansas, with the first coming in 2014. Busch will run his next NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. In 10 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Busch has been the Queen City King – winning six races and scoring eight top fives and nine top 10s. Rhode Warrior ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes had stout performance in the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway, leading 25 laps in the race engine issues derailed his chances at victory. Three laps after a restart on Lap 139 of 167, Rhodes won a sustained side-by-side battle against Kyle Busch and pulled ahead. Rhodes stretched the advantage to as much as 1.4 seconds when the engine issues ended his night. Rhodes was frustrated after the loss, saying “we ran with the best tonight,” a chagrined Rhodes said after the race. “Our Safelite Tundra had speed all night long. We did everything right, but Ben Rhodes has a curse on his back or something, because something always goes wrong.” Rhodes is 20-years-old and in 31 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, has four top fives, nine top 10s and has led 100 laps. In one career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Rhodes has a top-20 finish, placing 17th in last year’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Nemechek Scores Season-Best Finish At Kansas NEMCO Motorsports driver John Hunter Nemechek scored his best finish of the season when he placed third in the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway. The finish was Nemechek’s second top-five in four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season. Nemechek (-88) is currently 11th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings and is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs bubble driver. In one career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nemechek has a top-15 finish, notching a 12th-place finish in last season’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Crafton Hopes To Conquer Charlotte… Again ThorSport Racing driver Matt Crafton is looking to go back-to-back at Charlotte Motor Speedway in this week’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Crafton has won at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice (2016, 2008) in 14 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts there. Crafton owns multiple track records at Charlotte Motor Speedway including: Races: 14 Top 10s: 11 Lead Lap Finishes: 13 Laps Completed: 1,866 Crafton also owns an interesting track record at Charlotte. With a minimum of five starts, Crafton has never registered a DNF at Charlotte Motor Speedway in his 14 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts there. First Timers At Charlotte There are 11 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers making their track debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. There are seven Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders: Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley and Kaz Grala. There are four other NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers making their track debut this week including Spencer Boyd, Austin Hill, Brett Moffitt, Todd Peck. Kyle Busch Motorsports owner Kyle Busch (05/20/2005), two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton (05/16/2008) and Justin Lofton (05/18/2012) all won their first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.: Moving & Shaking: After finishing fifth at Kansas, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie Chase Briscoe moved up three spots in the series points standings. Briscoe jumped from seventh all the way to fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has yet to finish outside the top-25 and has three top fives (Kansas, Daytona-spring) in four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season. Battle In Owner Standings Heats Up: GMS Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports are in a tight battle in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner standings after four races this season. GMS Racing (No. 21 Chevrolet) currently leads Kyle Busch Motorsports (No. 4 Toyota) by two points. Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 51 Toyota entry is currently third, while ThorSport Racing (No. 88 Toyota) and Brad Keselowski Racing (No. 29 Ford) round out the top five. source – NASCAR communications
