Author: Garth Griswold

TALLADEGA: BIG WRECKS AND PHOTO FINISHES THIS WEEK IN THE CROWN JEWEL

The Crown Jewel Racing League bump drafted its way to the high banks of Talladega this week for some SuperSpeedway Racing. The VRS Truck Series kicked off the action on Monday Night, followed by Bob Henry’s Xfinity Series on Tuesday Night, and the week concluded with the Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series on Wednesday Night.

VRS Truck Series

Garth Griswold, CJR Media Team


It was elimination week in the VRS Truck Series Playoffs, and after last week’s win at Kansas Speedway, John Connor was still feeling the high heading to Talladega. Pete Morales would capture the pole with a time of 54.485, and Nishil Condoor would qualify second with a time of 54.491. Condoor, who missed the race in Kansas, needed a good start and a good finish this week to stay above the cutline.
It was green flag racing through most of the stage until Lap 16, when an incident occurred between Vince Mitchell and Ryan Taft on the background stretch. Taft received a poorly executed bump draft from Mitchell, causing Taft to get loose out of line and come back across Mitchell’s nose. When the field went back green, it was a photo finish at the line, and the stage win would go to Vince Mitchell after CJR Officials reviewed the photo finish.

Jim Mott, fighting for the final playoff spot with Condoor, would get his playoff dreams crushed on Lap 35. Mott, getting drafted from Nate Cadotte, would get too much of a bump on the right side, sending Mott down the track. Eventually, Mott would return and get Cadotte airborne for a second. CJR officials announced post-race that Cadotte would be issued three penalty points for the incident. Connor would go on to win Stage 2, leading the last lap of the stage.


There were a few incidents during the final stage, with the big wreck happening in turn four on the final lap. Saunders got a bump from behind, sending him up the track and into chaos. Connor kept the run at the front and got to the line first to win back-to-back weeks in the VRS Truck Series.
The Round of 8 is set. Saunders, Connor, Morales, Henry Kallhoff, Cory Mott, Matthew Owens, Garth Griswold, and Condoor will move on to fight for the Final Four spots in the playoffs over the next three weeks. Jim Mott, Thomas Villano, Cody Porter, and Johnny Avila were eliminated in the Round of 12.
The VRS Truck Series is back in action next Monday night at Auto Club Speedway to begin the Round of 8 Playoff battle.

Bob Henry’s Xfinity Series

Noah Hamilton, CJR Media Team

The second race of the weekend marked the fourth event of the Xfinity season. In the #45 Chevrolet, Noah Hamilton stunned the field by capturing the pole and leading them to the green flag. The first stage saw frequent lead changes, with John Connor ultimately taking the stage win. However, chaos soon followed when “the big one” struck after an early caution, collecting several competitive cars from the front and back of the pack. Among those caught up was #8 Joe Gibbons, who was cleared from the infield care center but saw his race cut short.


Stage two was full of action, too. A second caution flew on lap 36, ending Ryan Taft’s night in the #86. As stage two wound down, yet another wreck occurred, but Tyler Belanger in the #88 held on, claiming the stage win.


The final stage stayed relatively calm until lap 93, when an unfortunate net code incident between Zach Saunders and Noah Hamilton caused a major wreck, sidelining more top contenders. The race ultimately finished with a green-white-checkered finish, with Jacob Fifield in the #92 leading the field to the checkered flag. Fifield had been a force up front throughout the race, making key moves early in the final stage to secure the win.

Team Conti Cup Series

Garth Griswold, CJR Media Team

The second of three races of the Round of 12 in the Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series Playoff shook the playoff standings between Hurricane Milton making landfall just south of Talladega and avoiding the big wrecks at Talladega. The Playoff Drivers and the rest of the field had the work cut out for them.
Hurricane Milton hindered Playoff Drivers Caleb Tipton and Steven Carlile at a critical point in the season. Tipton lost power before the race began and could not make the race for Daytona. Carlile, who wasn’t racing from his normal Ethix’s Headquarters, would win the pole to lead the flag to green. But Carlile would lose power for a second early in the race, which caused him to go laps down, something he could never recover from.


The first caution came out on Lap 4 when Stewart Harding Walker traveled up the track into Cameron Romano. Romano held his ground, and Walker would lose control, collecting Tommy Carroll Jr. Walker rebounded up into the wall, collecting Tyler Belanger to end Belanger’s night early.

The first big shake-up in the playoffs occurred on Lap 19, when Playoff Driver Ben Lawson pushed his team, Stephen Menke, a bit too long before Lawson’s Dark Horse engine said “sayonara.” Lawson would finish in the 29th position and is now in a must-win situation heading into the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.


The first stage would come to an abrupt two laps early on Lap 23 when Playoff Driver Cody Leach would try to get in front of the high line a bit too late. This would cause John Connor and Ryan Taft to check up, leading to Taft taking a spin and collecting several other drivers in the incident. Stephen Menke would get the stage win and the much-needed playoff points to keep him well above the cutline.


The second stage would stay green until Lap 38 when “The Big One” struck. Jacob Abreu would come in hot and give Cody Leach a big smooch on his left rear, and the carnage would unfold for all the drivers behind them. This wreck ended the night for the Hollywood Motorsport Drivers Allen Phillips and Garth Griswold. Thomas Wolfe would also sustain damage, and CJR officials would deem him out of the race due to the damaged vehicle policy. Luckily for Wolfe, he is already locked into the next Round with last week’s win at Kansas.


Stage 2 would come to an end on Lap 50 with an exciting photo finish between Menke and Vince Mitchell, with Mitchell getting the win after review,

Green, White, Checkered x 3

Fuel Strategy never really came into play this week, with a few cautions throughout the final stage. But the racing got even more exciting when a caution came out with two to go for a one-car incident on the backstretch. The field would get racked and restacked for the first try at a green-white-checkered finish, but the field wouldn’t return before another caution would come out for a minor three-car incident. CJR Officials would rack them and stack them again.
Zack Johnson would get a good jump off the line, with Condoor pushing him down the backstretch. The inside line was nowhere to be found. Johnson would be 100 yards from that white flag, but Barney grabbed the yellow flag for another incident in the back. We would have to try a third time to finish this race.


Johnson and Saunders would go side by side to take the green flag on the third green-white-checkered. Johnson and Saunders would fire off together, but the outside line behind Johnson would come roaring to life down the backstretch. Saunders would fall back to tenth as most of the outside line passed. The field would make it back around, and finally, the white flag would wave for one lap to go.

Wins by a Quarter Panel

Johnson would stay out front through turns one and two, getting pushed by John Connor. Connor would go low out of Turn 4 to block the inside run of Mark Roettgen, nearly causing an incident but causing a check-up. Joe Wright and Saunders would move to the outside, coming out of four and having a huge run. It appeared that Saunders would push Joe Wright to the win, but he would move outside, leaving a little hole for Nathaniel Campbell to get his nose in. Saunders would try to come back down and spin around Campbell’s nose into Wright as they spun across the line.


It was a photo finish for history books, both Wright and Saunders sideways at the line, but Saunders’s rear quarter panel crossed the checkered line first for the win. Saunders locks himself into the Round of 8 with the victory joining his teammate Thomas Wolfe.

Next Week Will Be Wild

Team Conti Cup Series will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, next week to take on the road course Roval. Road courses always bring exciting racing, but let’s sprinkle some sprinkles on top because it’s also elimination week in the Round of 12.
Both Caleb Tipton and Ben Lawson will need a win to advance. Steven Carlile will need a strong finish with some good stage points mixed in to try and climb out of his hole of being -18 points back from the cutline. Cory Mott, the Regular Season Champion, is currently out. Mott sits one end under the cutline behind his Palmetto Motorsports teammate Zack Johnson. Nathaniel Campbell, Vince Mitchell, and Cody Leach will need solid days at the Roval to maintain their spots, while Nic Vasquez and Stephen Menke need a decent finish to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Suspensions

CJR Officials had a shake-up this week, and Competition Director Gordon Fraley resigned from his position. CJR Officials have hinted recently that the penalty system will get another rework this season to alleviate the harsh penalties during the race. CJR is expected to make an announcement on that in the coming weeks.
CJR Officials announced today that Stewart Harding Walker had been placed on a one-race suspension in the Team Conti Cup Series for reaching the incident point threshold. Walker was deemed at fault for incidents at Watkins Glen, Bristol, Kansas, and this past week at Talladega. CJR Officials said they are still reviewing the races this week and will post an updated penalty report in the near future.

BRISTOL: THE WORLD’S FASTEST HALF-MILE BROUGHT THE ACTION WITH 3 NIGHTS OF RACING

The Crown Jewel Racing league travelled to the Last Great Colosseum for three exciting nights of high speed short track racing this week. With the First Round of the VRS Truck Series Playoffs taking place Monday night it would set the tone for the opening race of the week. The Bob Henry’s Xfinity Series brought the action on Tuesday night for the second race in the series followed up by the final race of the Round of 16 in the Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series Playoff on Wednesday Night.

VRS TRUCK SERIES

The first Round of the VRS Truck Series Playoffs kicked off on Monday Night with the #97 John Connor dominating the race. Connor would lead 194 laps of the 200-lap race, winning both Stage 1 and Stage 2, with the #91 Zack Saunders finishing second. Connor led all 55 laps in Stage 1 and would allow the #57 Michael Deitch to lead 4 Laps in Stage 2 before leading the rest of the 51 laps. Zaunders was lurking and waited until two to make his move on the outside, take the lead in the final two laps, and take the first win in the playoffs. The #95 Pete Morales would also get around Connor with two laps to take second, and the dominant Connor would finish third. In the post-race interview, Connor had this to say about race.

“We had a great run; I just used my tires up a bit too much earlier before the caution would come out, and I didn’t have enough to hold Saunders off on the outside at the end. But a great playoff point weekend for me, and Saunders ran a great race and a good win by him.”

John Connor, #97, Chevrolet

Bob Henry’s Xfinity Series

The second race in Bob Henry’s Xfinity Series ran on Tuesday night, and fans were excited to watch this series complete 300 laps of short-track racing. Saunders would again perform strongly, taking the pole and leading every Lap in Stage 1. The fireworks went off early in the race when #9 Gordon Fraley and #20 Jim Mott made contact, causing Mott to flip upside down and go for a wild ride. Mott and Gordon would receive care from the infield care center and be cleared.

#26 Caleb Sheets would lead the first four laps in Stage 2 before Saunders would retake the lead and lead the rest of the 84 laps, picking up back-to-back stage wins for the night. It seemed as if Saunders would win back-to-back races going into the final stage, but #1 Zach Johnson, who had finished second in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2, was ready to make his move.

Johnson made that move, captured the lead on Lap 225, and ran away. Johnson finished the night as the only car on the lead Lap. #71 Michael Deitch took second place with a strong showing, winning stage points in both stages. Sheets took third, giving the TCSP Cup Series a heads-up that he knows how to run the high banks of Bristol.

Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series

The Final Round of the TCSP Cup Series Round of 16 got off to a wild start, with a big shake-up in the playoffs standings right from the beginning. The carnage would occur on Lap 11 when the #54 Jacob Abreu would spin going into Turn 3. Watch the carnage unfold below.

The #6 Stephen Menke and #24 Noah Hamilton’s race would end before it started. The #5 Allen Phillips night would also end in this incident, as CJR Officials shut him down in the garage due to the damaged vehicle policy. This was detrimental for Phillips, who would end up falling below the cutline from 8th to 13th, eliminating him from the playoffs. The #00 of Garth Griswold wouldn’t make contact with any cars but couldn’t keep ahold of his car and took a trip into the wall. Griswold would go 8 Laps down, and his playoff hopes faded into darkness. A tough start for Hollywood Motorsports.

The #1 Cory Mott would win Stage 1, with Nishil Condoor taking second and Caleb Tipton taking third. Tipton would take the lead into Stage 2 and would lead for 40 laps before the #7 Steven Carlile would take the lead for 84 Laps and win Stage 2. Carlile, who was already locked into the Round of 12, continues to perform at a high level in the postseason.


The #97 John Connor would finally get to the front and lead for 192 laps in the final stage. Connor picked up where he left off on Monday night in the Truck Series and hoped to change the result for the win. However, Connor couldn’t hold onto the lead until the finish, as Nathaniel Campbell would take the lead on Lap 448. Sitting -1 point back below the cutline, Campbell needed an excellent race to ensure he sees a spot in the Round of 12.


Campbell would only retain that lead for two laps before the #74 Caleb Sheets would capture the lead. Sheets would hold onto that lead and try to survive the late race cautions that would come out, leading to a green-white-checkered overtime finish. Sheets would get a good start getting pushed from behind by Cory Mott. Mott would duck low into one and two as Sheets stayed high and kept the speed out of two to hold onto the lead going down the backstretch. Mott would remain in the low line as he and Sheets would make contact on the front stretch, allowing Sheets to pull away and head into the final Lap.

Campbell would stay on Sheets bumper, get around Mott in the final turn, and edge out Mott by a nose at the line to take second place. Sheets showed his hand during the Xfinity Series and came away with his first win in the Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series.


The TCSP Cup Series Playoffs will move on to the Round of 12 next week at Kansas. The drivers eliminated were #38 Zander Short, #56 Tommy Carroll Jr., #00 Garth Griswold, and #5 Allen Phillips. You can now check out all the racing results and playoff standings on the CJRacing Webpage.
The CJR ARCA Series was off this week and will be in Dover on Sunday night for the General Tire 125. The rest of the Crown Jewel Series will be back in action at Kansas Speedway next week for more high-intensity playoff action.

WATKINS GLEN: SAUNDERS WINS, TENSIONS RISE WITH ONE RACE TO GO IN THE ROUND OF 16

Zack Saunders avoided an early disaster in Wednesday’s Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series race at Watkins Glen to recover and overtake Thomas Wolfe in the final Stage to win and secure his spot in the Round of 12. With the final race in the Round of 16 next week, tensions have reached an all-time high going into the Last Great Colosseum at Bristol.

The #69 Caleb Tipton would drop two spots, and Zach Johnson would fall one place with the early wreck they were involved in on Lap 2. Johnson would recover and salvage a Top 10 Finish, but Tipton would go 11 laps down and finish in 17th.

Uber vs Hollywood

Vince Mitchell would climb up and off the cutline with his 12th Place finish, sitting at +6 in front of Tipton. Nathaniel Campbell and Garth Griswold of Hollywood Motorsports are the two drivers who desperately need a solid finish this week to make the Round of 12. Sitting just one point back from Tipton, Campbell had a mechanical failure at Bristol in the Spring and is looking to improve on that finish next week to get him locked into the next Round. Tipton, who was also involved in a wreck at Bristol in the Spring, is also looking to avoid disaster again and improve on his 35th-place finish.

Not in the Clear

But Uber and Hollywood are not the only ones battling it out next week. We have five drivers within 14 points of the cutline. Palmetto Motorsports Drivers Cory Mott and Zach Johnson are in ninth and tenth position, respectively, and Hollywood Motorsport’s third driver, Allen Phillips, is in eighth with a +14-point margin.

It’s Bristol, Baby! Carnage can happen anywhere and anytime on this fast, short track. Early carnage could be detrimental to the fourth through seventh-place drivers. Steven Carlile, who is sitting in third with a +50 point margin, is safe, but he is the only one at the top who should feel comfortable. Stephen Menke, who was involved in an accident during Stage 2 of the Spring Race, will be looking not to get involved early on Wednesday as it could spell disaster for the Factory Motorsports Owner.

Factory Motorsports

Factory Motorsports should be proud of their playoff run so far. With their drivers sitting in 4th, 5th, and 6th in the standings, it will take a nuclear disaster for them not to have at least two drivers advance into the Round of 12. They haven’t let the disappearance of Zander Short affect their performance so far.

Do You Believe in Miracles

Joining Short at the bottom of the standings is Moonshine Motorsports Driver Tommy Carroll Jr., who didn’t make the race last week at Watkins Glen. Currently sitting -35 points back from the cutline, he will need to improve on his fourth-place finish in the spring to make the giant leap above the cutline, shake up the standings, and advance to the Round of 12.

The Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series will drive 500 laps on Wednesday night. Seeing the checkered flag fly takes the driver’s focus, effort, and grit. Who will make their name known Wednesday night and advance to the Round of 12? Tune into the Crown Jewel Racing Network to find out!

ATLANTA: WOLFE WINS, LOCKING HIM INTO THE ROUND OF 12

The Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Wednesday night to open the first Round of the Playoffs. The Jr. Superspeedway track brought excitement in the first Round, with wild moments lasting all 163 laps; the final lap would come down to a photo finish at the line.

Quick Race Stats

  • Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Weather: 77 Degrees, Mostly Cloudy Skies, Wind SW @ 2 mph
  • Race Length: 250 Miles, Stages: 40-80-163
  • Race Time: 1hr 39mins
  • Cautions: 6-16 Laps
  • Lead Changes: 16
    • Thomas Wolfe: 74 Laps
    • Ben Lawson: 52 Laps
    • Zack Saunders: 10 Laps
    • Caleb Tipton: 10 Laps
    • Stephen Menke: 6 Laps
    • Zach Johnson: 4 Laps
    • Steven Carlile: 3 Laps
    • Cody Leach: 3 Laps
    • Nic Vasquez: 1 Lap

The #3 Ben Lawson claimed the pole position in a fiercely competitive qualifying round, narrowly edging out Uber Motorsports driver the #96 Vince Mitchell. The closeness of the qualifying times, with the pole position to the fifteenth position staying within a tenth of a second of each other, set the Stage for a race where every second would count.

Lawson led the field to a green flag, but the race took an unexpected turn when Mitchell, in his eagerness, jumped the gun and beat the green flag. This premature start led to a series of unfortunate events for Mitchell, including a drive-through penalty and a speeding violation, turning his hopeful start into a challenging race.

Lawson would lead all 40 laps, and the Stage would run green the entire Stage even though a controversial accident occurred on Lap 25 with playoff points leader Cory Mott getting turned after Joe Wright would get loose coming out of Turn 2. Mott wasn’t the only one heated about the incident; fans were booing CJR Officials for not throwing the caution for the incident.

“By the time we noticed the incident had occurred, Mott was already off the racing surface, and the damage he had sustained was race-ending. It’s an unfortunate incident so early in the race, but we stand by our decision to let the drivers keep racing.” Said an anonymous CJR Official who did not have the authority to speak on the matter.

STAGE 1 Results

STAGE 2


Cody Leach would take the lead off pit road and lead the field back to green for Stage 2. Stage 2 would also run green from start to finish, with multiple lead changes occurring down the stretch as fans were thrilled to see some green flag racing in the first Round of the playoffs. Thomas Wolfe would start to show that he was a contender to lock himself into the Round of 12 by leading the most laps in Stage 2, working with his teammate Zack Saunders. Saunders would lead the final lap of the Stage to capture the stage win at Lap 80.


STAGE 2 Results

Racing Heats Up in Final Stage


The final Stage would show that the drivers were done being patient and didn’t want the packs to split again like they had in the previous stages. Steven Carlile would have the lead to start Stage 3 and would lead three laps before Thomas Wolfe would recapture the lead on Lap 86. The race’s first caution would come out on Lap 90 when the outside line would get checked up. That check-up would be felt back to the midpack, where the #00 Garth Griswold would clip the outside wall, enter the trioval, and get bumped from behind by the #66 Ray Gill. Griswold would spin to the infield grass, and the rest of the field avoided the disaster. Griswold and Gill would get an EOL and moved to the back for the incident.

The following incident occurred on Lap 101 when Cody Leach and Nishil Condoor battled through the tri-oval. Leach made contact with Condoor, causing Leach to get loose and make contact with Stephen Menke. Menke and Leach went sliding through the infield grass. Neither sustained any severe damage, but the caution flag flew, and Leach and Menke were sent to the back for the incident.

The 5th caution of the night would come out on Lap 118. This time, the inside row had an extensive check-up, and the midpack would again pay the price for it. Tommy Carroll Jr. would get the short end of the stick when he would get sandwiched between Nic Vasquez’s rear bumper and Mason Hoeffner’s front end. Carroll Jr. would go into the outside wall and collect the #16 Nathaniel Campbell and Griswold when coming off the wall.

Wolfe would take the lead on Lap 123 and would retain that lead until the final caution would come out on Lap 148 when the #86 Ryan Taft would hit the outside wall out of the tri-oval, and the wall wins that battle 100% of the time as Taft would bounce off of it and collect Leach sending him spinning into the wall. Leach would head to the garage, and that playoff drivers night was over.

Wolfe decided to stay out and hold onto the lead during the caution and would lead the field back to green with 12 laps to go. Vasquez would be battling Wolfe for the lead but would lose the battle when he had to yield to Taft coming back onto the racing surface as he would stick to the low line, causing Vasquez to break his line up by moving to the middle line to miss him. Tipton, who was pushing Wolfe, would drift high, allowing Wolfe’s teammate Zack Saunders to slide underneath for position. Saunders would glue his front bumper to Wolfe to keep him out front.

The Race to the Line


The inside line, led by Nic Vasquez, tried their best to get to the front but was unable to get it working. Coming to the line with two to go, it disintegrated, causing the midpack to pay the price once again as Tipton would get sent into the wall in the tri-oval.


Saunders and Wolfe stayed together as the #5 Allen Phillips took his chance coming to the white flag and tried to complete the run off the bottom, but he didn’t have enough help to get around the BBR boys. Phillips was left out to dry and fell back to 7th before the #3 Lawson turned down into Phillips, causing the big wreck on the final lap.

As the rest of the field dealt with the mayhem behind them, Joe Wright would have the run heading into Turn 3 and get outside of Saunders. Wolfe would slide up in front of Wright, but Wright’s run was too good to be slowed down with that as Wright would move to the inside. They would go almost door to door entering the tri-oval, but Wright’s run would lose the pace as Steven Carlile would make contact with Wright’s left quarter panel, making Wright get a bit squirrely at the line. Wolfe’s nose would inch across first with a margin of 0.015.

“I had 70-lap old tires, and I wouldn’t have been able to win that if it wasn’t for Saunders pushing me at the end.”

#94 Thomas Wolfe, BBR, Chevrolet

“This was a statement finish for WRL, giving us more knowledge that we’re on the path to success. A few more results like that will set us up for a great off-season and carry that momentum into 2025.”

#37 Joe Wright, Co-Owner WRL, Ford

Playoff Update


With the win, Wolfe automatically locks himself into the Round of 12 in the Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series Playoffs. Zack Saunders would follow behind in the point standings in 2nd place. Steven Carlile is in 3rd in front of almost the entire Factory Motorsports Team, with Team Owner Stephen Menke sitting in 4th, Vasquez 5th, and Lawson in 6th. The other member of their team, Zander Short, did not make it to the race and sits below the cutline with two races to go.

“I am not sure what’s going on with Zander. We lost communication with his hauler after Daytona and haven’t heard from him. The only silver lining is that he had accumulated a decent amount of playoff points, and with that, he could still make it above the cutline if he makes the next two races.”

#6 Stephen Menke, Owner of Factory Motorsports, Ford

Ben Lawson was the week’s biggest mover, moving from 15th place to 6th with his stage win and 7th-placed finish. Regular Season Champion Cory Mott would fall back to 8th place with his early race departure after his wreck on Lap 25.

With two races left in the Round of 16, Vince Mitchell, Griswold, Carroll Jr., and Short sit below the cutline. The TCSP Cup Series will go bowling at The Glen on Wednesday night. Please tune in to see who can leave their mark on the road course and bowl the perfect race for a win on the Crown Jewel Racing Network.

Garth Griswold

NASHVILLE: AVILA CONTINUES STREAK AND WINS THE BRING IT BACK! 200

Johnny Avila would continue his domination of the VRS Truck Series on Monday Night at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Avila won five out of the six races he had competed in, and he finished second to Cody Porter the first time he didn’t win.

RACE RECAP

Early in the race, there were some glimmers of hope that someone was finally going to knock the king off the throne, but the carnage left by multiple incidents early in the race would take its toll. Drivers like Cory Mott and Tyler Belanger were taken out of contention from the damage endured. Zack Saunders, who would go on to win the first stage, would resign from the race after the 12th caution of the night after Stage 2.


Matthew Owens, who had been running up front most of the night and finished 4th in Stage 1 and 3rd in Stage 2, would try his best to catch up to Avila in the final stage. After suffering through 12 cautions in the first two stages, the field could finally run green with only one caution coming out in the final hundred laps of the race. Owens would try his best but could not keep pace with Avila, who would run off in the moonlight for his 5th race win.


The playoff field is officially set, with no changes from last week. Factory Motorsports Driver Stephen Menke decided on Tuesday that he would relinquish his playoff position to Thomas Villano. Villano, who has been suspended for the last 30 days, will return after the week off next week to make a run in the playoffs.


The VRS Truck Series will return on September 23rd at Bristol Motor Speedway to tackle the high-banked short track in the first round of the playoffs. Short-track racing hasn’t been the best this year in the VRS Truck Series, but that should only make the first round of the playoffs more thrilling.

DARLINGTON: Avila’s Long Run Strategy Pays Off, Winning the Southern 500

Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series headed to Darlington, South Carolina, on Wednesday night for the longest and final race of the regular season. Three hundred sixty-seven laps were on the menu for the drivers to try and lay their claim to one of the final playoff spots left for the taking. For the first time since the Olympic Break, the field could lay down some green flag runs with multiple strategies coming into play at the end of the track, which is known to be “Too Tough to Tame.”

Qualifying

The warm track temperatures during the late afternoon sun made qualifying difficult with times slightly. Four different drivers set qualifying laps in the 29-second territory, with Johnny Avila taking the pole with a time of 29.915. Thomas Wolfe would start second outside Avila with a time of 29.933, followed by Cody Porter, who would begin behind his teammate Avila on the second row inside with 29.937. Stephen Menke would start behind Wolfe with 29.939 in fourth place. The field of 34 drivers was ready for the regular season finale showdown.

STAGE 1

As the race kicked off, Avila led the pack into Turn 1, marking the start of Stage 1. The stage, spanning 115 laps, saw six incident cautions. Avila’s teammate, Cody Porter, dominated the stage by leading the most laps, 65. However, Thomas Wolfe of Backroad Bandit Racing proved his mettle and clinched the stage win on Lap 115, signaling fierce competition ahead.

STAGE 1 RESULTS

Despite the challenges, the drivers displayed remarkable resilience, pushing through the incidents and cautions that peppered the first 115 laps. The 500-mile race is a true test of endurance, and the drivers’ commitment to taking care of their cars and avoiding contact was genuinely challenging. Here are some photos and video clips of the incidents that tested their resilience during Stage 1.

STAGE 2

The race returned green on Lap 120, with Thomas Wolfe leading the field. Avila took back the lead on Lap 122 before the first caution came out on Lap 128. There would be four more cautions during the stage before Avila would take the stage win on Lap 230. Avila would lead 57 laps during the stage and was beginning to set the tone for the final stage. Stewart Harding Walker would lead the second most laps, with 50 laps led during Stage 2. The biggest story during Stage 2 was on Lap 185 when playoff bubble driver Joe Wright would head to the pits for new shoes on the car, but he would get disconnected. His disconnect would end his chances of beating out Tommy Carroll Jr. for the final playoff spot.

Here are some incident clips from Stage 2.

STRATEGY COMES INTO PLAY

Avila led the field back to green on Lap 235, but Pete Morales jumped the restart, and CJR Officials gave him the black flag for a drive-through penalty, causing him to go a lap down. The pit stop strategy would come into play here as Avila, Wolfe, Nishill Condoor, Tyler Belanger, and Jacob Abreu would run their first stint much longer than most other cars on the lead lap. The rest of the field took tires somewhere between the 40-55 lap stint length; Avila, Wolfe, Condoor, and Belanger would push their tires to the 65-75 stint length before coming to pit road.

PIT ROAD WOES

Green flag pit stops were where the issues would arise. Wolfe would pit first but get black-flagged for speeding on the pit road. Avila would pit one lap later. He would get squirrely coming down to the apron and touch the pit cone barrier, coming to a stop before any significant damage occurred. Avila would get backed up and through pit road with new shoes and a new tank of fuel. He was hoping this race stayed green through the rest of the race.

Avila understood that most of the field would have to make another pit stop before the end of the race, but he could make it to the end without another stop. A caution before the field made their second stop would be the only wrench that could foil Avila’s plan. The final stage would have the longest green flag runs of the race and probably of the season, going 114 Laps before the only caution would come out on Lap 349 for Jacob Abreu spinning down the front stretch.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Avila and Condoor were the only two drivers on the lead lap and were able to get new tires with 17 laps to go. The rest of the field was at least one lap down, and they had to decide whether to stay out to get their lap back or get new tires, stay a lap down, and get back behind the leaders. Third through 10th place decided to stay out and return to the lead lap.

Steven Carlile would do his best to stay with Avila and Condoor, but their fresh tires would allow them to pull away. With five laps to go, Avila had an almost half-second lead on Condoor and a 1.20-second lead on Carlile. Condoor would do his best to catch Avila but couldn’t get there as Avila would take the checkered flag to win the Southern 500.

REULAR SEASON CHAMPION

Cory Mott, who finished in 7th place, would be crowned the Regular Season Champion on Wednesday night. Mott would finish 1st place with a 78-point lead over Steven Carlile, and Carlile would finish 3rd at Darlington. Mott finished the season with a win at Iowa back in June and had 5 Top 5 finishes, 14 Top 10 finishes, and 3 stage wins on the year.

Carlile would be the runner-up, but there is nothing to let his head droop about on the season he has run. He has finished 2nd place a handful of times but never could grab that win in the regular season. Look for Carlile to make a long run into the playoffs.

IT’S PLAYOFF TIME

The playoff field is set with three races in the Round of 16. The Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series will travel to Atlanta next week, Watkins Glen in week 2, and Bristol Motor Speedway to wrap up the final Round under the lights. The racing will get scrappy in this first Round as six drivers will begin the playoffs with 3 points or less to try and get through to the Round of 12.

Playoff racing will begin next Wednesday at 8:15 EST for 250 miles around Atlanta Motor Speedway. Catch all the action on the Crown Jewel Racing Network.

WATKINS GLEN: AVILA REAPPEARS TO WIN AT THE GLEN

Cody Porter has won the last three races coming into Monday night to take on The Glen at the Watkins Glen International road course. His sidekick, Johnny Avila, has missed the previous two races of the VRS Truck Series, but his hauler showed up and unloaded a fast truck for 45 laps around the road course.

Zack Saunders got off to a quick start in the race and won both Stage 1 and Stage 2 before the iRacing Gods ended his night by ending his connection to the racing Server. It was disappointing as Saunders had the speed and would have made Avila, who was charging from the back, have a good fight at the end.

Avila would take the reins from race leader Nathaniel Campbell on Lap 28 and lead the final 15 Laps to win his 5th race of the season. Porter would take second, and Oskar Jensen would take 3rd to round out the podium. Notable driver of the night went to Joe Wright, who struggled to get through a race with a decent finish. Wright started in the 14th position and reached a Top 10 finish at 9th place.

PLAYOFF MOVEMENT

With Mike Burnett dropping out of playoff contention, his Split 1 seat has now been opened to allow a 4th wildcard spot a seat in the playoffs. Jim Mott now holds onto that 4th spot. With one last race at Nashville Fairgrounds next week, the playoff spots fall into the hands of that last Split 3 Driver, Matthew Owens. If Owens can hold onto that spot next week, then the playoff field won’t change, but if Tyler Krawcyzk, who is -18 points back from Owens, can jump in front, that would shift all the wildcard drivers down one spot with Owens getting in with the first wildcard spot.

It will be an exciting race next Monday night at Nashville Fairgrounds. Tune in on the Crown Jewel Racing Network to catch all the thrilling action to conclude the 2024 VRS Truck Series Regular Season.

WANT MORE UP TO DATE NEWS FROM CROWN JEWEL RACING?

Head on over to our Facebook Page for more racing news and exciting posts about upcoming events in the Crown Jewel Racing League.

DAYTONA: JENSEN TRIUMPHS AT COKE ZERO SUGAR 250

For the final time this year, the Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series made its way to the iconic Daytona for the Coke Zero Sugar 250. Daytona, with its 200+ MPH racing and the dramatic wrecks that always bring a new level of excitement, was a pivotal moment for the fans of the Crown Jewel Racing Community, marking the beginning of the end of an exhilarating regular season.

QUICK RACE STATS

  • Location: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
  • Weather: 80 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, South Wind @ 1-2 MPH
  • Race Length: 106 Laps, 1 HR 47 MINS
  • 13 Leaders – 23 Lead Changes
    • Oskar Jensen-31 Laps
    • Braedyn Carrol-19 Laps
    • Cody Leach-9 Laps
    • Cory Mott-8 Laps
    • Tommy Carroll Jr.-8Laps
    • Daniel Jursza-8 Laps
    • Nishil Condoor-6 Laps
    • Johnny Avila-5 Laps
    • Ben Lawson-4 Laps
    • Wyatt Sadler- 3 Laps
    • Russell Bratka-2 Laps
    • Zach Johnson- 2 Laps
    • Jonathan Leger-1 Lap
  • 12 Cautions – 37 Laps

Qualifying

Daytona Qualifying, a spectacle of intense competition, is always a thrill. The drivers, separated by a mere one-thousandth of a second, know that one-hundredth of a second could be the difference between the pole and starting in the 15th position. The times were so close this week that it came down to a tie for the pole position, with newcomer Brenden Koehler seizing the pole position and Stewart Harding Walker taking second, with a qualifying time of 49.532. Russell Bratka and Wyatt Sadler would qualify third and fourth with a matching time of 49.539, and Tommy Carroll Jr. would qualify fifth with a time of 49.544.

STAGE 1

The green flag would fly as the #36 Koehler would lead the field to start the race, but the #56 Carroll Jr. would take the lead on the first lap of racing. The inside line formed well at the beginning and took off from the outside line with single file racing back to almost 10th place. Eventually, the outside line figured it out and ran back to the front, with the #45 Oskar Jensen taking the lead as the field went two by two behind him.

The drivers started to get extra spicy on the final lap of the stage on Lap 20, and the ‘BIG ONE’ happened in Turns 3-4. This term refers to a significant multi-car crash often occurring in NASCAR races. Carroll Jr. was trying to push the #68 Alexander Hodge to the front, but he got underneath him and into the quarter panel, sending Hodge around. Ten drivers got black-flagged for damage from this chaos, sending them down the pit road to end the stage.

Jensen would secure the Stage 1 win by leading twelve out of the twenty-stage laps. Koehler would take second place, followed by Braedyn Carroll in third. Steven Carlile and Wyatt Sadler would follow behind with fourth—and fifth-place finishes. It was all the fans could ask for in Stage 1: green flag racing throughout the stage, building excitement for the end, and witnessing utter destruction coming to the line to end the stage.

STAGE 1 RESULTS

STAGE 2

At the end of the stage, #11 Russell Bratka was the only one to stay on the race track and chose not to pit with everyone else. Bratka led the field back to green flag racing to begin Stage 2. The race would stay green until Lap 24 when the #63 Johnny Avila and the #40 Wyatt Sadler made contact coming out of Turn 2. They would collect the #55 Cameron Romano on the backstretch and turn him down to the apron.

On Lap 27, Jensen took back the lead to bring the race back to green, and the drivers tried to settle back in and went two by two with almost 20 cars staying in the lead pack. On Lap 31, Braedyn Carroll would take Jensen’s lead before another caution came out. The #1 Cory Mott and the #29 Stewart Harding Walker would make contact down the backstretch as Mott was attempting to change lanes. They would spin to the inside, but neither would get any damage from the incident.

When Carroll brought the field back to green on Lap 37, we would have a four-lap shootout to end Stage 2. Jensen would get a great push off the line and take the lead but couldn’t hold on to it for long, as the #63 Johnny Avila would take the lead and the green-white-checkered to end Stage 2. Several drivers wouldn’t pit at the stage break, and #8 Zach Johnson would take the lead spot.

STAGE 2 RESULTS

STAGE 3

Johnson would bring the field to the start-finish line to begin the final stage, as his Palmetto Motorsports teammate Cory Mott would line up to his inside. Johnson would rely on his other teammate, the #77 Jim Mott, to give him a push to keep him out front. But Mott would stay with the bottom line and get the better push to leave the top line in the dust. Mott would maintain the lead through the halfway point in the race, but the #15 Cody Leach would transition to the Highline in front of Johnson to try and capture the lead. Mott would also move to the Highline to block Leach’s run before Mott would change back to the low line. Leach would keep the top line moving, taking the lead from Mott on Lap 53 in a series of strategic moves that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

Leach would keep control until Lap 58 when the #77 Jim Mott would get a little too close on the side draft and make contact with the #61 Nishil Condoor. Jim Mott would get turned to the inside while Cory Mott would move high to miss the incident and collect the #6 Stephen Menke, who would get smacked left and right by other cars as they tried to get around. Menke would be involved in another incident on Lap 63, and he couldn’t get his luck turned around for the evening as all the incidents he was involved in were not his fault. Overall, it was a tough night for all of Factory Motorsports as they all finished outside the Top 10.

The next caution would come out on Lap 74 when the #3 Ben Lawson would push the #89 Daniel Jurza to the front to take the lead from the #40 Wyatt Sadler. Jurza and Lawson would make contact down the backstretch and would move Lawson into the top line, where Condoor would meet him as they both went into the wall. This wreck would send seven cars to the pits for repairs.

Fans could tell the race was ending as the driving would get increasingly aggressive every lap that was turned. There would be four more cautions before we would come down to the first overtime on Lap 98.

OVERTIME AT DAYTONA

Jensen would control the bottom line while Russell Bratka lined up next to him on the outside row. When the green flag dropped, Jensen would get a great push, and the bottom line would pull away, heading into Turn 1. Jensen and Braedyn Carroll would link up bumpers and check out from the field, but they couldn’t get back to the line before another big wreck would happen on the backstretch when the #88 Tyler Belanger would drift down a bit too much and connect with the #63 Avila sending him into the wall.

CJR Officials would get them reracked and restacked for Overtime #2. Jensen would get the jump on the bottom line, which Carroll would push. They would lock bumpers and get around the track to bring out the white flag. They would run away with it, but coming out of Turn 4, here comes the #36 Brenden Koehler getting a big push and run from the #91 Zack Saunders. Saunders would push Koehler to Carroll’s bumper, and Jensen would move high, breaking Koehler’s run as Saunders would go low. Jensen would have enough momentum to get to the checkered flag, and Saunders would speed past Carroll for a second-place finish. Koehler would cross the line for 3rd place, and Carroll, who pushed Jensen around for the final restart, would do enough to get Jensen the win, but Carroll would finish in 4th place. At the after-race press conference, Jensen said this about the race.

“I want to say thank you to Ray. We had an incident early in the race during the choose cone, which gave me some motivation to drive my tail off and win this thing.”

Playoff Implications

The Playoff field of 16 Drivers is set, barring any unexpected race winners, miracles, or sudden departures. The regular season finale will take place next week at Darlington Raceway. Check out the Playoff Standings, and if you want to rewatch that exciting race finish, check out our race recording on the Crown Jewel Racing Network.

We will see you all next week for the Buc-ee’s Southern 500 for 367 laps at Darlington!

OFFICIAL: BACKROAD BANDIT RACING TEAM MIGHT GO UP IN FLAMES

Crown Jewel Racing Officials announced today the long-awaited news of the Backroad Bandit Racing Team after a lengthy discussion with the BBR Legal Team. Despite the sudden disappearance of Team Owner Mike Burnett after the Team Conti Cup Series race at Pocono, the team showed resilience by installing driver of the #93 Kris Burnham as Interim Team Owner. Burnham, who has been serving as the Team Representative for BBR since Burnett’s leave of absence began, assured the BBR Team’s return for the playoffs. This display of resilience should give fans hope for the team’s future.

The Backroad Bandit Racing team started the season by making their presence known to the CJR Community. With the #94 Thomas Wolfe winning the Clash at the Coliseum, Burnham winning the Pennzoil 300 at Las Vegas, #91 Zack Saunders winning at Phoenix, and Mike Burnett winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. It seemed like all was well in paradise. When rumors started to swirl, Saunders was looking to get out and find a new ride because there might be trouble in paradise after all. Uber Motorsports confirmed late last week that Saunders has signed a contract to race for the Uber Motorsports team in 2025.

The Backroad Bandit Racing Team really took a turn for the worse after Burnett’s 29th-place finish at Pocono and the heated argument after the race with multiple drivers about differing opinions and financial obligations surrounding the team’s racing strategy. Burnett slammed the door to his hauler and hasn’t been seen since. A once prominent racer in the league has now drifted into a distant memory.

Burnham, suspended from a race earlier in the year due to an incident on pit road, would take the reins of BBR. Burnham would announce that he planned on making the final two races of the regular season and would join Thomas Wolfe in the playoffs. But the winds would change all too quickly as the trucks left for Daytona Tuesday Night. During a team owner meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Burnham announced that he would not make the race on Wednesday night and would not request a waiver for the playoffs. Burnham would quickly leave the meeting and disconnect himself from the CJR Community.

New Sheriff in Town

Despite the challenges faced by BBR Headquarters, Thomas Wolfe has remained a beacon of commitment and success. With wins at Texas, Chicago Street Course, and Indianapolis this season, Wolfe has shown unwavering dedication to the team. His commitment should reassure the CJR Community of the team’s potential for success.

CJR Officials today announced that Mr. Wolfe has taken over ownership of the Backroad Bandit Racing Team effective immediately. In a short news conference, Mr. Wolfe thanked the fans, prior owners of BBR, and his family for the opportunity to take over this organization and lead it back to greatness.

When discussing the team’s future, Mr. Wolfe said that the team will be downsizing in 2025 to a two-car team. It has been rumored that BBR was having financial hardships with the current lackluster economy and the cost of the racing program this season. Mr. Wolfe did not rule out the possibility of a rebranding for the organization soon and said that his focus at the moment is finishing out 2024 with a Championship Trophy at Phoenix.
As Mr. Wolfe takes the reins of the Backroad Bandit Racing Team, we look forward to a bright future for the organization. We wish Mr. Wolfe success in his bid to bring this organization from the ashes it is currently smoldering in back to a bright flame in 2025.

MILWAUKEE: PORTER WINS 3 IN A ROW, TAMES MILWAUKEE MILE

VRS Truck Series competed at the Milwaukee Mile on Monday night in West Allis, Wisconsin. 37,000 fans filled the grandstands to see these trucks turn 175 laps around this legendary oval, and were able to watch Cody Porter dominate the race from start to finish. Click here to watch the race replay.

Quick Stats

  • Location: Milwaukee Mile Speedway, West Allis, Wisconsin
  • Race Length: 175 Laps, 2 Hours 6 Min
  • Weather: 86 degrees, Partly Cloudy, Wind SW @ 5-6 MPH
  • 3 Leaders
    • Cody Porter – 155 Laps
    • Stewart Harding Walker – 10 Laps
    • Cody Leach – 10 Laps
  • 6 Lead Changes
  • 12 Cautions – 49 Laps

Qualifying

Porter would continue his dominance taking the pole with a time of 30.558 on his second qualifying lap. Zack Saunders (30.785) and Cody Leach (30.822) would take second and third behind him. This is Porter’s third pole of the VRS Truck Series and second week in a row of starting on the pole. In the last five races of qualifying, Porter hasn’t started anywhere but the front row. Porter had this to say about where they find that speed week in and week out.

“It all comes down to testing and having a good setup team. I only made minor changes from practice to loosen the truck up a bit, and without having that data and all those practice laps, it would not be easy.”

STAGE 1

Porter would take the green flag leading the field into Stage 1 and with most short track races this season it didn’t take long for that yellow caution flag to fly. On Lap 2, the #4 of Tyler Krawczyk would lose the back end and go around exiting Turn 4.

A much appreciated caution for the #1 Cory Mott, the #15 Cody Leach, and the #61 of Nishil Condoor who were all serving a drive thru penalty from the last race at Richmond. But a few laps later that helpful caution wouldn’t matter to Mott who was caught up in a wreck on Lap #7 with the #86 Ryan Taft, and the #67 of Joe Katarsky.

The #93 Stewart Harding Walker would take the lead from Porter on Lap 16 and hold onto that lead until a caution would come out for the #56 of Noah Lycan. Porter and Walker would battle for the lead on the restart with Walker leading laps 25-27 before Porter took back the reins. iRacing would throw another caution just after the lead change and this caution drew some gripes and complaints from the drivers as no incident really occurred. The #35 of Henry Kallhoff sent his truck sideways in Turn 3 but was able to keep the Tokyo Drift going to regain control.

There would be two more cautions during the stage before the stage would end on Lap 55 with Porter getting another stage win for his fourth of the season. Walker would take second place in the stage after leading ten laps. The #34 Matthew Owens would take 3rd, the #88 Connor Wold 4th, and the #95 Pete Morales taking 5th.

STAGE 2

Leach would take the lead on Lap 58 and lead the field back to green. A caution would come out on Lap 63 for the #8 Joe Gibbons, and Porter would take the lead back on the Lap 68 restart. Leach would try to keep control of the second place spot, but the #99 Zack Saunders would be all over his bumper for multiple laps trying to get Leach out of the way. That aggressive racing would lead to another caution on Lap 73 when Saunders bumping game would get to rough for Leach to handle. Leach would spin out and Saunders would check up causing Walker to give Saunders a taste of his own medicine with bump to his rear bumper. Saunders would lose control colliding with the outside wall causing extensive damage to his truck. Saunders night was finished and he didn’t have much to say after the race, and Leach only had a three word response regarding the incident.

“It’s just chickenshit.”

We will see if this altercation carries over into the other series, but I don’t think they will be exchanging christmas cards anytime soon.

Racing would resume on Lap 75 with Porter remaining at the helm in the front, and they would stay green flag racing for 35 laps to complete the stage. Porter would once again get the stage win, Walker finishing in 2nd, Wold in 3rd, Condoor in 4th, and the #29 Tyler Belanger would take 5th.

Not Enough Preparation in the End

Porter would lead the field back to green for the final stage of the evening. Only two cautions would come out in the final stage with the first caution being on Lap 122 that would end the night for the #1 Cory Mott who just couldn’t get the race going in the right direction. And the final caution would come out on Lap 146 for the #4 of Tyler Krawczyk who had some difficulty keep the tires underneath him coming out of Turn 4.

Walker would do his best to keep the pressure on Porter on the final restart on Lap 151, but just wasn’t able to find the speed in the end. Porter would would take the checkered flag for his third straight victory in the VRS Truck Series.

Walker would finish second in his VRS Truck Series debut. He was all smiles after the race when he spoke during his media session.

“Definitely above where we expected to finish tonight racing on such short notice. Didn’t have much time to prepare, hell we wrapped the truck when qualifying was going on. Porter had a great truck tonight, and I had more for him at the start, but my knowledge of setups was what became my downfall at the end.”

With two races to go in the regular season the playoff battle is really heating up with multiple scenarios that could play out over the next two races. The VRS Truck Series will be back in action next Monday night when they travel out Dix, New York to take on The Glen for the “Go Truckin at The Glen 150.” Tune into the Crown Jewel Racing Network to catch all the action live!