Round 18 - Watkins Glen, Zippo 200

Round 18 of the series took place at the famous Watkins Glen circuit in New York state. This is the first round held on a road course.  

After a lucky finish at Indianapolis I wasn't sure what to expect from this race. The race weekend started brightly enough though when I set the fastest time in practice (1.20.062).

The 2 lap qualifying period went well to as I grabbed pole position (1.21.276).

The start of the race went well until I received a black flag penalty for passing under the yellow.

I pitted for fuel under the next yellow along with everyone else.

Starting 2nd at the restart I quickly took the lead and began to slowly eek out an advantage.

I managed to hold to the lead until a yellow caution period ended the race. A first win in a Nascar on a road course!

My fastest lap of the race was 1.28.356 which was slower than my best times in practice and qualifying.

I led 14 of the 39 laps which earned me 10 bonus points.

I was up to 6th in the standings 170 points behind the leader.

Round 17 - Indianapolis Raceway Park, Kroger 200

Round 17 of the series took place at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. The Nationwide cars do not race at the more famous motor speedway.

After a great finish at Chicago I wa expecting good things from this race. The race weekend started brightly enough when I set the fastest time in practise (22.438).

The 2 lap qualifying period went well to as I grabbed pole position (21.980).

The start of the race went well as I ran in the top 2 for the first 30 laps. I pitted under the yellow at lap 30 for fuel.

On the restart I forgot that you couldn't overtake until you passed the start/finish line and was rewarded with my first black flag of the race.

After serving that penalty I got another one for dangerous driving!

I decided to stop for fue on lap 50l. Immediately after coming out of the pits there was a yellow caution period which meant that under the 'lucky dog' rule I got back on the lead lap. This was a really break in the race for me as I managed to use the remaining laps to climb through the pack to finish on the podium in 3rd place.

My fastest lap of the race was 22.606 which was slower than my best times in practice and qualifying.

I led 30 of the 90 laps which earned me 5 bonus points.

I was 7th in the standings 205 points behind the leader.

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.