Round 19 - Phoenix International Raceway

The penultimate round of the Championship took place in the Arizona desert at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Practice went very well as my time of 29.404 was the fastest posted during the session.

My good form carried over into qualifying as I was able to win pole position.

In the race I was always in the top 2. I led for 63 of the 68 laps. No stops for fuel in this race!
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My best lap time in the race was 29.193, my fastest lap of the weekend
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The win took my 363 points clear at the top of the Championship standings which means that with only 195 points available for a win I was the series champion albeit at the 6th attempt!

Round 18 - Texas Motor Speedway

Round 18 took place at one of the fastest tracks on the championship circuit, Texas Motor Speedway.

The race weekend started well as I was fastest straight out of the box in practice with a time of 33.698 after the mandatory 10 laps.

I was a tad slower in qualifying but still managed to claim pole position with a time of 33.877.

The 66 lap race was not another fuel disaster for me. From the dropping of the flag I led for 22 laps before causing a yellow flag period by spinning out. I decided at that point to pit for fuel. With 5 laps to go I was back in the lead. The pressure was lifted when all the remaining cars stopped for fuel. Another win.

My best lap of the race was a 33.591 which was my fastest of the race weekend.

I led 45 laps.

I was 1st in the standings 282 points ahead - the Championship looming!. I was now guaranteed a top 4 spot with 2 rounds to go.

Round 17 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Georgia

Round 17 of the series took place at the very fast Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia.

I started off the race weekend with a very satisfying practise session, where after my 10 laps I was  fastest with a time of 31.588.

Qualifying went well for me as I qualified on polewith a time of 31.585.

I grabbed the lead early in the race and held until lap 30 when I had to pit for fuel. For the remaining laps I tried to catch the leader. I managed to get back to 8th by the time the chequered flag fell.
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I led a total of 16 laps out of the 59.

My fastest lap of the race was a 31.502, the fastest of the weekend.

I was first in the overall standings 252 points ahead of the field which at this stage of the season guaranteed me a top 8 finish in the Championship 3 rounds to go..

Round 16 Martinsville

Round 16 of the series took place on the tight 'paper clip' 0.5 mile oval that is Martinsville.

I was quckest over the 10 lap practise session with a time of 21.191.

I was quicker in qualifying as I managed pole with a time of 20.994.

From then start I took the lead and was able to hold it comfortablly. The only problem I had was when I was lapping the slower cars which on an half mile oval comes very quickly. I did get a warning about rough driving but did avoid the dreaded black flag. Another win for the collection.

I led all of the 90 laps which I think is my best ever performance.

My fastest lap was 20.721, the best of the weekend.

I was now leading the championship by 260 points.

I was now assured of a top 10 finish in the championship with 4 rounds to go.

Round 15 - Talladega Motor Speedway

The latest round of the championship took place on the high banking of the fastest super speedway of them all, Talladega.

Qualifying on a super speedway is not one of my greatest strengths so I was glad to be quickest in practise with a time of 52.993 .

As usual for a super speedway I qualified down the grid in 20th with a slightly slower time of 53.028. 

I adopted the same tactic as last series when I stayed where I was in the pack until the cars thinned out somewhat which allowed me safer passage through the pack.

By lap 17 of the 38 laps I had reached 15th when I received the "FUEL EXTREMELY LOW" message and had to pit. To make matters worse I got caught speeding in the pit lane and had to do a drive through!

I rejoined and set about catching the pack. I hadn't gone a lap down which made my task easier and this was borne out by the fact that I took the lead with 7 laps to go.

Another win!

I have now extended my lead at the top of the table to 211 points.

My fastest lap time was 52.353.

Round 14 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway

I was on good form and feeling confident of a good result at the very fast Las Vegas Motor Speedway when the trucks arrived on 21/10/2013 for round 14 of the series.

The 10 laps practise session went very well as I was fastest after the 10 laps with a time of 32.731.

Qualifying was slightly disappointing as I could only manage a time of 32.721 which gave me a 3rd place starting position.

This race could have been  a disaster for me.

My troubles started when I forgot that you couldn't pass any cars before the start finish line. The result a black flag meaning a drive through penalty. Coming in to serve that I was caught speeding! Another black flag, another drive through penalty. With only a few laps on the board I was already a lap down.

By halfway I had clawed my way back to the front however I'd hit a few cars on the way and so soon after taking the lead I was given yet another black flag resulting in yet another drive through penalty.

Having had the halfway on fuel warning I decided to make my pit stop for fuel with 20 laps to go.

I drove as hard and as fair as I could and by some miracle managed to finish 4th!

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.741.

I stayed on top of the championship however my lead was cut to 181 points.

Round 13 - New Hampshire

The Nascar Craftsman truck series rolled into New Hampshire on September 23rd.

This one mile flat oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practise went well as I set the fastest time of 32.015.

In the qualifying session I qualified in pole position with a time of 31.909.

I took the lead early on in the race to get the 5 bonus points for leading a lap. I was fairly comfortable in the lead until I got the "half way on fuel" warning five laps from half distance. I decided to pit 5 laps later when I had secured the bonus points for leading the most laps. After pitting I made my way back to 1st! Another win.. No one else stopped for fuel.

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.071. I managed to lead 40 of the 90 laps.

I was down to 2nd in the standings.

Round 12 Bristol Motor Speedway

The question as the trucks rolled into Bristol was whether the recent upturn in my form continue at Nascar's toughest short track.

With a lot of cars on track at one time setting a fast time in practise proved difficult but midway through the session I managed to set the fastest time (17.364).

In qualifying I managed to get pole position.

In the race I led 71 of the 90 laps. This time I managed to keep my cool until the chequered flag. Another win! 

Leading 80 laps gained me 10 bonus points. My fastest racing lap was 16.640 which was faster than both my practise and qualifying times.

I was now leading the championship by 161 points, almost a race in hand.

Round 11 - Indianapolis Raceway Park

Round 11 of the series took place at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. The trucks do not race at the more famous motor speedway.

After somewhat disappointing finish at Milwaukee I wasn't expecting good things from this race, however  the race weekend started brightly enough when I set the fastest time in practise (22.208).

The 2 lap qualifying period went well to as I grabbed pole position (22.259).

The race went to plan as I ran in the top 2 for the entire 90 laps. I did get one warning for rough contact.

I led for 89 laps which gave me 10 bonus points. My fastest race lap was 21.918 which was quicker than I qualified.

I was up to 1st in the standings 121 points ahead of the field..

Round 10 - Milwaukee Mile

The famous Milwaukee Mile played host to round 10 of the series.

I was fastest after the 10 lap practise session with a time of 30.266.
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Could I go into qualifying and grab the pole? The answer was yes, a time of 29.970 was good enough!

In the race I led for most of the first 49 laps after which I spun coming out of turn 2. I managed to recover the lead but in doing so I was given another black flag on lap 70. I used the remaining 20 laps to recover to 5th place.

My fastest lap of the race was a 29.745 which was quicker than my qualifying time!

I was now 1st in the standings 75 points ahead.

Round 9 - Michigan International Speedway

Michigan Super Speedway was home to round 9 of the series.

This high banked oval which boasts speeds of 153mph in the corners is one of Nascar's fastest tracks.

The race weekend started off with the mandatory 10 lap practise session. I was 2nd with a time of 41.467.

Qualifying next and the question was could I get further up the grid? The answer was no as I could only manage 2nd again with times of 41.505 and 41.555.

The race turned out to be something special for me - no black flags. I ran in the top 2 all race, mostly 1st. I led 36 of the 45 laps to easily secure all the bonus points. Another win and another giant step towards the championship.

My best time of the race was 41.338 my fastest of the race weekend.

I was still 1st in the standings.

Round 8 - Texas Motor Speedway

Round 8 took place at one of the fastest tracks on the championship circuit, Texas Motorspeedway.

The race weekend started well as I was fastest straight out of the box in practise with a time of 33.808 after the mandatory 10 laps.

I was a tad slower in qualifying but still managed to claim pole position with a time of 33.832.

The 67 lap race was a success for me. In most previous races at Texas I'd been leading the race but had run out of fuel very close to the end with my opposition making it to the end. With the 5% increase in race length I was sure everyone would have to pit.

With this in mind I led for the first 40 laps and then decided to pit for fresh tyres and fuel. I rejoined dead last but quickly began to make my way through the pack. My strategy was playing out well until I caused a yellow 20 laps from the end by hitting a car slowing to enter the pit lane.

With just under 20 laps to go I managed to pass the 7 remaining cars in front of me to record another win.

My best lap of the race was a 33.700 which was my fastest of the race weekend.

I was 1st in the standings, 33 points ahead.

Round 7 - Dover, Delaware

The Monster Mile that is Dover played host to round 7 of the series.

As with recent rounds in practise I was fastest with a best time of 27.165.

Qualifying went well as I posted the fastest time and secured another pole position (27.132).

The raced turned out to be yet another fuel related disaster.

I kept the lead from pole for the majority of the early laps. However just before halfway I got the 'halfway on fuel' message. I knew that I would either have to pit or if I got lucky run out as I passed the chequered flag.

I decided to pit early so as to give myself enough time to make my through the field. I worked my way up to 2nd with a couple of laps left. I touched the leader as I went for the overtake and received the black flag for dangerous driving! I finished in the pit lane serving the penalty in 17th position.

My best lap of the race was 26.895.

I led 45 of the 90 laps.

I was now 3rd in the Championship standings 30 points behind the leader.

Round 6 - Lowes Motor Speedway, Charlotte NC

The sixth round of series saw the trucks roll in to Lowes motorspeedway (formerly Charlotte) in North Carolina.

Another solid practice session where again I was fastest with a time of  32.598 after the 10 laps.

Qualifying almost followed the pattern of practice as I was fastest with a time of 32.439.

I led for most of the first half of this race and as it went on I began to confidently think of victory.
Just before halfway I was notified that I was halfway on fuel. I decided to pit after I had recieved my bonus points for leading the most laps.

With the help of 2 yellow flag periods I was able to recover my lead and record another victory. For the record no one else pitted for fuel.

I led 32 of the 60 laps.

I was top of the standings, 19 points ahead.

I set a fastest time of 32.445.

Round 5 - Kansas

Round 5 took place at the very fast Kansas Motor Speedway.

As usual it seems I had a very good practise session, topping the timing sheets with a time of 33.798.

Qualifying did not go so well as I could only manage a 33.705 which saw me on the 2nd row in 4th place.

It didn't take long for me to move up the order in the race. I managed to hold the lead until I was informed that I didn't have enough fuel to last the race.

I stayed out front until lap 56 when I was sure that I had gained the 5 bonus points for leading the most laps. I then pitted. After leaving the pits I was given the black flag and subsequently a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane!

Disaster followed disaster when after my drive through I managed to spin the car before I even rejoined the track. This of course brought a yellow flag caution period.

At the restart I was too eager to pass cars and get back on the lead lap which led me to make contact with too many of them. This led to Nascar giving me the black flag and another driver through penalty for dangerous driving.

I finally resumed racing with a handful of laps left. I tried my best but could only get back to 30th at the chequered flag.

I was down to 2nd in the standings 16 points behind.

My fastest lap of the race was a 33.627.

I led 54 of the 75 laps.

Round 4 - Martinsville, Virginia

Round 4 of the series took place on the tight 'paper clip' 0,5 mile oval that is Martinsville.

I was quickest over the 10 lap practise session with a time of 21.322.

I bettered that time in qualifying as I managed pole with a time of 21.285.

In the race, I led all 114 of the 114 laps. Only 10 cars finished on the lead lap.

I managed to some cars four times.

I did set a best lap time of 20.805 which was my fastest of the weekend.

I was still 1st in the standings 66 points ahead of the pack.

Round 3 - Atlanta Motor Speedway

Round 3 of the series took place at the very fast Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia.

I started off the race weekend with a very satisfying practise session, where after my 10 laps I was 2nd fastest with a time of 31.660.

Qualifying went well for me as I qualified second with a time of 31.711..

In the race I found myself in the lead after the first of the 59 laps.

Fuel consumption was the important factor in this race. On lap 25 of 59 I was informed by my pit crew that I was halfway on fuel. Now 25 is less than half of 59 so I decided to pit with 24 laps remaining. I managed in those laps to pass a few cars and finish 8th.

The question is why yet again did no one else have to stop for Sunoco fuel?

I ended up in first place in the overall standings 35 points ahead..

I led 11 of the 59 laps which got me the 5 bonus points.