Round 16 - Chicagoland 300, Chicago

The Nascar Nationwide series rolled into Chicago on June 1st 2014.

This 1.5 mile high speed oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practice went well as I set the fastest time of 32.249.

In the qualifying session I qualified in 8th position with a time of 32.107.

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 when I got the "half way on fuel" warning. I decided to pit on lap 50. After pitting I got the 'Lucky Dog' on lap 51 which gave me my lap back. I was able to make my way comfortably back through the pack to record another win.

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.024 my fastest time of the weekend.

I was 7th in the standings, 233 points behind the leader.

Round 15 - Daytona, Winn Dixie 250

Second visit of the season to the home of Nascar, the famous Daytona International Raceway.

I ended up fastest after practice with a best time of 51.448 seconds.

I qualified in 22nd. My best time was 51.926.

When the race started I decided to hold my position until the cars spaced out a bit and passing hopefully would become easier.

On lap 9 there was a yellow so I decided to come into the pits and make my one and only fuel stop.

For the remainder of the 45 laps I made my way through the pack. By the fall of the checkered flag I'd reached a satisfying 21st place.

My fastest lap of the race was 51.484 a little slower than I'd done in practice but quicker than qualifying.

I was now 9th in the championship 326 points behind the leader.

Round 14 - New Hampshire, Camping World 200

The Nascar Nationwide truck series rolled into New Hampshire on May 31st 2014.

This one mile flat oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practise went well as I set the fastest time of 32.616.

In the qualifying session I qualified in pole position with a time of 32.156.

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 when I got the "half way on fuel" warning. I decided to pit under a subsequent yellow on lap 41. After pitting I made my way back to 1st by lap 79! Another win.. No one else stopped for fuel.

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.235.

I was 7th in the standings, 251 points behind the leader.

Round 13 - Milwaukee 500

The famous Milwaukee Mile played host to round 13 of the series.

I was fastest after the 10 lap practise session with a time of 29.825.

Could I go into qualifying and grab the pole? The answer was yes, a time of 29.931 was good enough!

The race didn't start very well as I managed to spin twice in the first 26 laps. I stopped for fuel on lap 45 and then set about making my way to the front. Yet again I was too aggressive and received the black flag on lap 73. I had 40 laps to make up the ground to the leader. I nearly did it but fell just short by finishing 2nd.

My fastest lap of the race was a 30.287.

I was now 8th in the standings 261 points behind.

Round 12 - Dover, Delaware

The Monster Mile that is Dover played host to round 12 of the series.

As with recent rounds in practise I was fastest with a best time of 27.111.

Qualifying went well as I posted the fastest time and secured another pole position (27.053).

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

I kept the lead from pole for the majority of the early laps. I stopped twice under yellow for fuel and each time I had to make my way back through the pack to the front. Unfortunately I was a tad too aggressive and so on lap 71 I was given the dreaded black flag.

I did manage to finish 13th which gave me a fair haul of championship points. No ne else stopped for fuel!

My best lap of the race was 26.966.

I led 34 of the 90 laps.

I was now 11th in the Championship standings 285 points behind the leader.

Round 11 - Lowes Motor Speedway, Charlotte NC - Carquest Auto Parts 300

The eleventh round of the series saw the cars roll in to Lowes motor speedway (formerly Charlotte) in North Carolina.

Another solid practice session where again I was fastest with a time of  32.501 after the 10 laps.

Qualifying almost followed the pattern of practice as I was fastest with a time of 32.464.

Tactically speaking I tried something a little different for this race. I decided to stop for fuel every caution period. In this race it meant that I stopped twice before lap 39.

On lap 75 I had to stop under green for fuel and too make matters worse I was also black flagged for speeding in the pit lane. Four pit stops in one race, a recipe for disaster if ever there was one!

I ended up with a top ten finish (7th) which all things considered was a good result.

I led 4 of the 90 laps.

I was 11th in the standings, 249 points behind.

I set a fastest time of 32.670.

Round 10 - Darlington Daimond Hill Plywood 200

The latest round of the championship took place at Darlington home of the track known as "Too Tough To Tame".

As this was a new track for me I was fairly glad to 6th quickest in practice with a time of 32.271.

I was not as successful in qualifying, a time of 32.715 was only good enough for 34th position.

The green flag fell and straight away I realised why this track was so infamous. I could not find an easy line to run. Each been has two levels of banking! I did make it to 13th at one stage though.

Eventually on lap 31 my luck ran out and I hit the wall which destroyed my suspension. I could not continue and therefore had to post my first DNF of the season.

I was now 11th in the championship, 245 points behind the leader (a whole race behind).

My fastest lap time was 32.801

Round 9 - Richmond Virginia

The latest round of the championship took place on the high speed short track of Richmond.

As this was a new track for me I was glad to be quickest in practice with a time of 22.945.

I was just as successful in qualifying, a time of 22.749 was good enough for pole position.

I stayed up front in the race until lap 57 when I stopped for fuel. Immediately on returning to the track the new tyres kicked in and I was able to close down the pack.

As seems always to be the case the others did not have to pit. This did hamper my progress somewhat.

In the end I finished a respectable 2nd.

I was now 7th in the championship, 129 points behind the leader.

My fastest lap time was 22.581

Round 8 - 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 practice with a time of 52.733.

I wasn't so successful in qualifying though, a time of 53.350 was only good enough for 23rd on the grid.

As the race started I decided to concentrate on holding my position in the pack until the race settled down somewhat. Unlike the trucks, the cars stayed in the lead draft far longer and this stretched my concentration to the limit.

I got the mandatory 'half way on fuel' shout way before half distance so decided to pit on lap 30. For a change the stop went smoothly and to make things even better for me the others all pitted on lap 32.

In the end I finished a respectable 8th.

I was now 7th in the championship, 186 points behind the leader.

My fastest lap time was 52.333.

Round 7 - Phoenix International Raceway - Basha's' Supermarkets 200

The 7th round of the Championship took place in the Arizona desert at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Practice went very well as my time of 29.112 was the fastest posted during the session.

My good form carried over into qualifying as I was able to win pole position with a time of 29.355.

In the race I was always in the top 2. I led for 64 of the 92 laps. I stopped for fuel on lap 45 under yellow flag conditions.
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My best lap time in the race was 29.207, just off my fastest lap of the weekend

The win took my 173 points closer to the top of the Championship standings.

Round 6 - Texas Motor Speedway

Round 6 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 33.702 after the mandatory 10 laps.

I was a tad slower in qualifying but still managed to claim pole position with a time of 33.757.

The race was hard going. I received two black flags before the half way point on laps 40 and 43! The fuel stop went well on lap 45 and then I settled back to move back through the pack.

My efforts were cut short on lap 59 when I was pushed into the wall which smashed my suspension resulting in only my 3rd DNF of my Nascar career.

My best lap of the race was a 33.574 which was my fastest of the race weekend.

I led 33 laps.

I was 12th in the standings 208 points behind.

Round 5 - Bristol Sharpe Mini 300

The question as the trucks rolled into Bristol was whether the recent downturn 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 practice proved difficult but midway through the session I managed to set the fastest time (17.208).

In qualifying I managed to get pole position with a time of 16.843.

In the race I led 62 of the 134 laps. This time I managed to stop successfully for fuel on lap 66 however driving back though the pack I received the black flag on lap 118. I managed to recover somewhat to finish 13th. 

My fastest racing lap was 16.832 which was faster than both my practice and qualifying times.

I was now 6th in the championship 117 points behind the leader.

Round 4 - Atlanta 300

Round 4 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 4th fastest with a time of 31.542.

Qualifying went not very well for me as I qualified seenth with a time of 31.567.

In the race I found myself in the top 2 after the first of the 88 laps.

Fuel consumption was the important factor in this race. On lap 27 I was informed by my pit crew that I was halfway on fuel. Now 27 is less than half of 88 so I decided to pit with 61 laps remaining. I managed in those laps to pass a few cars and get into the lead before having to pit again on lap 81 for fuel!.

I did manage to claw my way back up the field to finish 13th.

I was now in 5th place in the overall standings 84 points behind..

I led 9 of the 88 laps which got me the 5 bonus points.

Round 3 - Sam's Town 300 Las Vegas

I was on good form and feeling confident of a good result at the very fast Las Vegas Motor Speedway when the Nationwide cars arrived on 05/04/2014 for round 3 of the series.

The 10 laps practice session went very well as I was fastest after the 10 laps with a time of 32.686.

Qualifying was slightly disappointing as I could only manage a time of 32.658 which gave me an 8th place starting position.

This race could have been  a disaster for me.

It was another fuel induced set of problems for me today.

I stopped for fuel and tyres on lap 32 and then started to fisght my way back to the front of the pack.

I was on course to achieve this when I had to stop for fuel again on lap 62. With 28 laps to go I still had a chance. I threw that chance away when the dreaded black flag came out on lap 70. For the next 20 laps I managed to fight back to 10th place.

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.617.

I'd now slipped to 5th in the championship 44 points behind.

Round 2 - Stater Bro's 300 Auto Club Raceway (California)

Round 2 of the series took place at the Auto Club Speedway, previously Fontana in sunny California.

I was fastest in practice with a time 41.962 after my 10 laps.

In qualifying I was able to reproduce my form and duly qualified in pole with times of 42.028 and 41.950.

In the race I managed to be around the front until lap 21 when I stopped for fuel. I had to stop again on lap 22 because I was caught speeding in the pit lane! I then made my way back to the front only to pit again on lap 53 for fuel because I didn't take on enough the first time!

Not to worry though I still managed to fight my way to the lead and eventually win the race.

My best lap of the race was 41.915 which was faster than I qualified!

I was 3rd in the standings, 66 points behind the leader..

Round 1 - Camping World 300, Daytona, Florida

For this series I decided to leave the limit for practice as 10 laps.

I ended up fastest after practice with a best time of 51.289 seconds.

Qualifying for this series (and all other NASCAR championships) is in a 2 lap dash format. The track is empty at this point.

I qualified in 20th. My time was 51.725.

I slowly made my way towards the front however when I went for the lead I caused the second yellow of the race. This gave me my first black flack warning of the series.

I managed to get an actual black flag when just after I had pitted for fuel I accidentally overtook a car under the yellow line.

I managed to climb back to 13th place with the help of the other cars pitting.

My luck ran out however when I lost 10 positions on the last two laps as their tire advantage started to pay dividends.

My fastest lap of the race was 51.831 somewhat slower than I'd done in practice or qualifying..

Craftsman Truck Series 6 - Current Progress

Season 6 - Current Progress

For season 6 the race length was increased by 5% to 45%

Round	Venue	Finish	Standings	Points
1	Daytona International Superspeedway	2nd	2nd	5601
2	Auto Club Speedway	1st	1st	5617
3	Atlanta Motor Speedway	8th	1st	5615
4	Martinsville	1st	1st	5630
5	Kansas	30th	2nd	5845
6	Lowes Motorspeedway	1st	1st	5854
7	Dover	17th	3rd	5821
8	Texas Motor Speedway	1st	1st	5830
9	Michigan International Speedway	1st	1st	5839
10	Milwaukee Mile	5th	1st	6112
11	Indianapolis Raceway Park	1st	1st	6116
12	Bristol Motor Speedway	1st	1st	6119
13	New Hampshire	1st	1st	6123
14	Las Vegas	4th	1st	6118
15	Talladega	1st	1st	6397
16	Martinsville	1st	1st	6397
17	Atlanta Motor Speedway	8th	1st	6381
18	Texas Motor Speedway	1st	1st	6382
19	Phoenix International Raceway	1st	Champion	6383
20	Homestead, Miami Florida	1st	Champion

Trivia Series 6

Up to and including round 17 I have made 116 starts.

Up to and including round 17 I have an average race speed of 95mph.

Up to and including round 16 I have used 1486 tyres

Up to and including round 20 I have 64 top 5 finishes.

Up to and including round 18 I have driven a total of 7481 laps.

Up to and including round 16 I have made a total of 30 pit stops.

Up to and including round 16 my average qualifying position was 5th.

Up to and including round 18 I have driven 9605 miles.

Up to and including round 19 I have burnt 1712 gallons of fuel.

Up to and including round 19 I have 69 top 10 finishes.

Up to and including round 20 I have been on pole 69 times.

Up to and including round 20 there have been a total of 788 caution laps.

Up to and including round 19 I have a total of 42 wins.

Up to and including round 15 my average finishing position has been 12th.

Up to and including round 15 I have led a total of 3014 laps

Round 20 - Homestead, Miami

Round 20, the final round of the series took place at Homestead Miami Speedway in Florida.

I had already wrapped up the championship at the previous round so all the pressure was off..

The 10 lap practice session went well as I was fastest with a time of 37.960.

Qualifying did not go too well as I had to be content with a 7th place grid slot with a time of 37.791.

In the race I managed to climb through the field to get into the lead by the end of lap 2.

I held the lead for most of the first half of the race. I then stopped for fuel under a yellow.Only about 25% of the field stopped for fuel however I still managed to get to the lead with 15 laps to go.

The last race, my last win in a truck!   .

My fastest lap of the race was a 37.687, my fastest lap of the weekend.