Tag: cupseries

DAYTONA: Cody Porter Edges Out Field in Thrilling Oval Showdown

February 20, 2025 | Crown Jewel Media

Garth Griswold

In a race that showcased intense competition and razor-thin margins, Cody Porter emerged victorious in a nail-biting finish at the Daytona 500 on February 19, 2025. The 200-lap event, marked by 16 different leaders and 32 lead changes, kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Stage Breakdown: Short Shines Early

The race was a chaotic affair, with 11 cautions totaling 34 laps disrupting the flow and testing drivers’ adaptability. A field of 40 competitors traded positions relentlessly, with standout performances from Nic Vasquez (4th, led 11 laps) and Dallas Pataska (5th, led a race-high 35 laps). The fastest lap of the day belonged to Pataska at 45.288 seconds on lap 199, a testament to his pace. Zander Short, who dominated Stage 1 and Stage 2 with a combined 48 laps led, finished 10th after a mid-race setback but earned valuable bonus points for his efforts.

Stage 1, a 65-lap sprint, saw Zander Short take control, leading 19 laps and fending off Boyd Hoggan by 0.090 seconds. Stephen Menke, Nic Vasquez, and Dallas Pataska also scored points in a relatively clean stage with just three cautions.

Stage 2 upped the ante with five cautions and 11 lead changes over 65 laps. Short again asserted dominance, leading 29 laps and edging out Hoggan by 0.066 seconds. Nishil Condoor and Cory Mott also made their presence felt, finishing in the top 10 and setting up a strong run in the final stage.

Final Stage Fireworks

The final 70 laps became a survival test as drivers jostled for position and tried to manage their fuel usage. Porter’s late surge capitalized on a perfectly timed move, while Belanger’s remarkable climb through the field fell just short. Vasquez and Pataska, despite leading significant portions of the race, couldn’t reclaim the front in the closing laps.

Starting from 15th on the grid, Porter methodically worked his way through the pack, showcasing patience and precision. He led just one lap—the most important—crossing the finish line a mere 0.022 seconds ahead of runner-up Tyler Belanger, who charged from 33rd to secure second place. Stewart Harding Walker rounded out the podium, finishing 0.125 seconds back after starting 23rd.
“It was a wild one out there,” Porter said post-race. “The car was solid all day, and we just had to wait for the right moment.”

Notable Performances and Struggles

  • Tyler Belanger: A 31-position gain from 33rd to 2nd highlighted his tenacity.
  • Zander Short: Despite a 10th-place finish, his stage wins and 49 laps led earned him 47 total points, second only to Vasquez’s 48.
  • Caleb Uberman Tipton: He finished last on a tough day after being involved in an incident on lap 25.
  • Thomas Wolfe: Starting 2nd but fading to 22nd, Wolfe led 20 laps but couldn’t maintain early momentum.

With the season heating up, Porter’s win signals his intent to contend for the championship, while Belanger and Short’s performances prove the field is more profound than ever. The Oval delivered a classic, and if this race is any indication, fans are in for a thrilling year ahead. The Majors Garage Cup Series will be back in action next Wednesday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: DAYTONA 500

The Majors Garage Cup Series is live from Daytona tonight for the Daytona 500! Green Flag flies at 8pm EST with coverage going live at 7:15pm EST, Watch Here.

STARTING GRID

TALE OF THE TAPE

Tonight, these Cup Series drivers have 200 laps of terror at Daytona. Screaming down the track at over 190mph, these drivers will not only have to control their own cars destinies, but one wrong decision could kill the dreams of many drivers. A bad push, a late block, an arca brake could be the one mistake that could be the end of your night. No one knows how to navigate these waters more than our defending Daytona 500 winner, Nic Vasquez. Nic wheeled the number 22 Ducks unlimited ford mustang to 2 wins out of the 4 Superspeedway races of last season. When Nic was asked about how he feels on lifting the trophy for the second year in a row he said “I feel confident about today and winning back-to-back Daytona 500’s. The car in qualifying and the duels was good and just needed a few minor changes…. funny thing is a lot of people say it’s luck, but I believe 0% of it is luck. I think you create your own luck, and the stats prove that. Superspeedway racing is an art form that only a few can master and there’s no doubt you’ll see that tonight.”

Duel Winners

Dallas Pataska not only wheeled the number 17 majors’ garage Chevy Camaro to a duel win last Wednesday; He also was already locked into the front row from posting the fastest qualifying lap. Dallas seems to have Daytona figured out and his competition should be looking at his as the one to beat.

Cody Leach and aggression go together like peanut butter and jelly. With him securing a duel win he has placed himself in the second row on the outside line, inches away from the promise land. The question is will he take his time and enjoy all 200 of these laps, giving himself a chance to fight for the win, or will he be his own worst enemy and end up in the garage early?

THE BIG BAD WOLFE

We caught up with Thomas Wolfe this morning in the infield at Daytona to ask him how he was feeling about tonight and the start of the season.
Crown Jewel: Knowing plate tracks aren’t your strong suit, what’s your gameplan for starting off this season on a high, the same way you finished last season with the championship win?
Thomas Wolfe: Well if I still have power (snow storm happening right now) def would love to keep it out front. But for the most part just need to stay patient, if I get shuffled back, and not worry about racing until it’s go time.

RUMOR MILL

  • With Nathaniel Campbell taking a new role as the head of media for Crown Jewel Racing league and broadcasting for the Majors Garage Cup Series, many wondered what would happen to that cup charter. Sources said that Ben Lawson offered an undisclosed amount to purchase the charter from the Hollywood Motorsports owner, but it was turned down so that they could keep it as an in-house open charter car. Information on what driver would have gotten the seat is unknown, but we do know that the car would have been an extension of the Factory Motorsports team owned by Stephen Menke.
  • Nic Vasquez goes for his 3rd superspeedway in in 2 years tonight, attempting to continue his dominance on plate tracks. Nic will start 21st tonight.
  • All of the Zandervolt Unlimited Honda entries will receive EOL penalties for late driver swaps. We will see if having all 3 Hondas already link up near the rear of the field will be more of a blessing than a curse in the long run.
  • Manufacturer numbers for tonight: Chevy-14 cars, Honda-3 cars, Ford-12 cars, Toyota-11 cars.

DAYTONA DUELS: PATASKA REMAINS ON FIRE, LEACH MAKES A COMEBACK IN THE DUELS

Garth Griswold

It was Duels week in the Majors Garage Cup Series (MGCS) at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday night. Fifty-five drivers turned out to battle for their spots in the prestigious Daytona 500 in the MGCS, a race that every driver dreams of participating in. Unfortunately, fifteen drivers will have to watch next week’s race from the stands, missing the chance to be part of this iconic event.

Qualifying

The qualifying session during Speedweek is the most important qualifying session all season long. Drivers aren’t just racing for the pole and the chance to be on the front row when the green flag waves next Wednesday night and the broadcast booth yells “boogity” repeatedly. Dallas Pataska would keep the wheels on that 17 Majors Garage car on fire this week, claiming the pole. We all better get used to this showdown between Pataska and Thomas Wolfe for the rest of the year. Wolfe would claim the second-place starting position and start outside Row 1 in the Big Show next week. Duel 1 and Duel 2 would have 18 Franchised entries in each race. Duel 1 would have 11 open car entries, and Duel 2 would have 10 open cars, but only the top open car from each Duel would advance to the big show!

Duel 1

The excitement could be felt throughout the speedway as Pataska led the first Duel field to the green flag. The race would run green for almost the first half of the 60-lap race before green flag pit stops began. The first group peeled off into the pit road, and all were able to execute pit stops safely. Still, last year’s Daytona 500 winner Nic Vasquez and Garth Griswold got caught speeding off pit road. Just as the first group exited the pit road, the first yellow flag came out for the race on Lap 26.

Two more cautions would occur before the end drew near as drivers tried everything, they could to reach the front. With the Franchise Cars racing for valuable Stage Points and the Open Cars trying to qualify for the Big Show, the finish was guaranteed to be exciting.

The exciting finish came to fruition as the caution came out with 2 to go; one green-white-checker wasn’t enough as the field couldn’t get around to the white flag before the caution flew again. Pataska, who had led the field for the last third of the race, maintained his position up front. Henry Kallhoff, John Connor, Caleb Tipton, and Ray Gill were lined up second through fifth behind him. Pataska would take the green flag, and Kallhoff would help push on Pataska while the outside line of Gill and Tipton would try their best to stay with them. The high line, though, would fall apart coming out of four, and Pataska and Kallhoff would pull away as Pataska would win the first Duel. Kallhoff would lock himself into the big race next week, finishing second, beating out all the open cars.

“It means a lot to my team and me to make the Daytona 500; we are a small team compared to the other teams out there, and to make it in despite the odds against us is special.”

Henry Kallhoff, #63 Kallhoff-Deitch Racing

Duel 2

The drivers in Duel 2 had to be somewhat apprehensive after seeing the chaotic ending to Duel 1. Usually, each Duel is the polar opposite, but these two were very similar. Thomas Wolfe led the field to green, and the drivers shuffled throughout the field until the first caution came out on Lap 9. Once the race returned green, it would stay green until it was time for more gogo juice around Lap 31.

Green flag pit stops played a pivotal role in Duel 2, just like they did with Duel 1. Ben Lawson and Zack Saunders would both have issues on pit road. Lawson would try to get slowed down when the car broke free and sent him sliding into the wall, sustaining significant damage to his race car. Zack Saunders would receive a black flag for a pit road violation, which would cause Saunders to have a drive-through penalty. A black flag for speeding in Duel 1 took the reigning Champion out of contention; that same fate looked in store for the #60 machine with 22 laps to go.

The field spread out during these pit stops, and Stewart Harding took the lead in a pack with Justin Bell, Stephen Menke, and Cody Leach, hoping the race would stay green. Their wish wouldn’t come to fruition, though, as the caution lap would come out with 16 Laps to go. But it was Saunders’s wish that was granted, allowing him to catch up with the pack.

They would get back to racing with 12 to go, as Menke would lead the field to green, being pushed by Cody Leach. The field would run side by side as the Hollywood Motorsports boys Allen Phillips and Nathaniel Campbell would move to the front with 8 to go. Still, miscommunication between the two would bring out the caution with seven laps to go as Nathaniel Campbell moved up to block the high line run. Phillips was a little late on the run, causing a significant stack-up behind them before the field began crashing behind them.

Phillips escaped the incident unharmed, but when the green flag waved for the green-white-checkered finish, Phillips would get turned into the right wall in Turns 3 and 4. The field would have to be restacked again for another try. That green-white-checkered was also unsuccessful as wrecking occurred behind the leaders going into Turn 1.

3rd Times the Charm

Menke would bring them to the green flag again, but unlike the last two times, Munatsi Major was ready on the outside and cleared Menke before going to the low line into Turn 1. The top line would evaporate for the most part as they went down the backstretch. Major would stay in front to take the white flag, and Menke and Harding stalk him from behind. Menke would move heading into Turn 1 to the outside, and the entire bottom line would follow him, leaving Major out to dry on the bottom. Menke would reclaim the lead, with Harding, Saunders, and Jonathan Leger finishing the Top 5.

Menke may have led the charge out of Turn 1 like a fat colonel leading the charge on the battlefield. Still, the army behind him would swallow him up as Harding and Saunders moved past him to the inside. Harding would be one turn away from victory as Saunders would leave him like a stormy one-night stand to the high side. Out of nowhere, Cody Leach appeared with a massive run on the outside as he blew by Saunders and Harding; coming to the line and getting a push from Tommy Carroll Jr., Cody Leach would get to the line first, capturing the win of Duel 2.

NEXT WEEK

The duels kicked off the week at Daytona and more exciting racing will be coming here this week. The Hero Project K-9 ARCA Series will kick off action live on Sunday Night, followed by the VRS Truck Series on Monday, and the Team Conti Sim-Performance Dash Series on Tuesday. The big final show will be 40 cars for 200 laps to see who will be crowned the 2025 Daytona 500 Champion.

MORE: Cup standings / Trucks Schedule

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: THE DUEL AT DAYTONA

The Majors Garage Cup Series is live from Daytona tonight for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona. Green Flag flies at 8:15pm EST live on WTTV

SNAPSHOT OF QUALIFYING

As of 1:30pm cst, Thomas Wolfe and Logan Giesbrecht have locked themselves into the front row of the Daytona 500 next week. As of right now, Boyd Hoggan and Leeroy Sellers have locked themselves in as the 2 open cars to get in through qualifying.

Crown Jewel, we have THE BEEF

Some would say this is DeJa’Vu from the season finale of last year. Nic Vasquez has once again killed his teammate and Factory Motorsports owner Stephen Menke. Last week with an oddly late attempt to enter pit road, Nic Vasquez slammed into the pit barrels Kyle Larson style flipping Menke in the process. Oddly enough, he’s a Joey Logano fan. Stephen has kept things cool and lighthearted, but things may change if this happens in a points paying race.
In the LCQ for the Clash, a last lap move by Caleb Tipton has started some new beef. Apparently from reports of arguments at the 00 hauler between the two, this beef is a Griswold vs the entire THM crew. Stewart was heard yelling from the pits at the Hollywood Motorsports executive about getting “JET PUFFED”. Moments later, Tipton, who was 100% locked into the Clash Feature race gave Garth a shove in turns 1 and 2. This sent Garth around and to the ice cream stand earlier than he hoped. Garth has been heard saying “they’ll pay for their sins” under his breath since the incident. Tonight, we will see if he gives them grace by getting his revenge now instead of next week in the Daytona 500.
Toyotas vs everybody. WRL has been an anchor team in superspeedway racing at Crown Jewel. With creating the Ford alliance last season and starting the domination of Fords on Superspeedways. Last Season a Ford Driver won 3 out of the 4 superspeedway races, but WRL making the controversial move to Toyota and Top Tier rebranding to Palmetto Motorports and also getting the call from Toyota, this has created a new the new super team. Not to mention that Toyotas legacy team of Moonshine motor club and their four chartered cars to add makes them an 11-car train.

RUMOR HAS IT

Sources inside the garage are saying that the number 20 car for BBR could be up for grabs with Boyd Hoggan looking for a cup ride. Nim has told us that he has “no comment.” and “don’t believe everything you hear.” when we asked him about the situation. Boyd has a resume that many racers dream of and after the big shock of the Luka to the Lakers trade during the NBA trade deadline, we can confidently say that anything is possible. Austin Runkel has decline to give us a statement.
The Factory Motorsports camp is hopeful that they can create an alliance with Tipton-Harding Motorsports going into the Daytona 500. After losing WRL as their main partners, Factory could have trouble next week in continuing their dominance on superspeedways. Stewart has been heard by sources talking around the garage that he would work with the Factory Motorports drivers, but he does not trust them as far as he can throw them. We caught a glimpse of an unnamed executive’s schedule and noticed that the two teams have scheduled a meeting before the duels to attempt to clear out any grievances they have from last season and move forward going into the duels and the Daytona 500.

HOW THINGS WILL WORK TONIGHT

  • Top 2 qualifying times will be locked into the first row, regardless of duel finish.
  • Top 2 open car qualifying times will be locked into the Daytona 500.
  • Franchise entries and open car entries will be seeded separately to ensure an even split of each across both duels.
  • Duel 1 will consist of 18 franchise entries + 11 open cars. Top finishing open car (qualified car exempt) advances to the 500. Finishing order sets the inside row of the 500.
  • Duel 2 will consist of 18 franchise entries + 10 open cars. Top finishing open car (qualified car exempt) advances to the 500. Finishing order sets the outside row of the 500.
  • Each duel will pay stage points – 10, 9, 8, 7, etc.
  • RC (incident caused) points will begin being counted tonight!

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: THE CLASH

The Cup series returns in 2025 as the Majors Garage Cup Series! Tonight, the green flag flies on WTTV at 8pm est.

NEW LOOK ON THE OLD DOGS

After the preseason race at Autoclub last Wednesday. It didn’t take much time to notice that the top 10 were the usual suspects in the lineup. Thomas Wolfe taking the checkered flag seems like a fever dream some nights. One thing you can’t say is that he didn’t earn that victory. Starting in 28th and running all the way up to 1st is no small feat. Actually, looking deeper into the finish order, 5 of top 10 finishers didn’t even qualify in the top 20 (Saunders, Phillips, Cory Mott, Leach). No matter how they got up there by bullying or by diplomacy, we won’t find out about the repercussions till tonight at USA International Speedway.

ROOKIES TO WATCH

  • Cody Porter– Cody ran a limited schedule last year but now he is making his full-time appearance into the cup series. Many are saying he has the ability from what he showed last year to fight for the title at phoenix in November.
  • Noah Hamilton– Noah showed us last week that he has the speed to be in the cup series by placing 4th in qualifying. The question now is can he put a whole race together and make a run for the playoffs that no one would see coming.

FAVORITES GOING INTO THE SEASON

Thomas Wolfe goes into this season as the top favorite out of the 3 selected by Vegas Sportsbook. Coming off a championship win and turning around after the offseason with a preseason win, Vegas has him sitting at +425 to win back-to-back championships. Honestly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone after the beat down he handed out last season, securing 8 wins on his way to that Cup Series Championship.
Zander Short is a seasoned veteran at the Crown Jewel Racing league. Outside of last season, Zander has been seen as the favorite and a no brainer pick to take home a Cup Series trophy. This year Vegas has him sitting in the 3rd spot at +1340 to win the Majors Garage Cup Series Championship. The big question is can he stay out of his own way on and off the track? If you are a betting man and have been reading reports coming out of the Factory Motorsport’s camp, you will have heard that Zander is “100% locked in on finally bringing home a trophy.”
Cody Porter has shown us last season in the few races completed by him that he knows how to win. Winning both at Pocono and in Nashville, Cody showed the fans that if you give him a full season to show his true potential, a Majors Garage Cup Series championship isn’t something he’s hoping for, it’s something that is truly possible to obtain. Vegas currently has him sitting just behind Thomas Wolfe with +844 odds to take home the trophy in Phoenix.

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

Tipton-Harding Motorsports: After Combining forces last season, Caleb “THE UBERMAN” Tipton and Stewart Harding-Walker have created a team that wants to become a powerhouse in the Majors Garage Cup Series. Stewart was asked How does he feel about the team as a whole going into the season? Do they expect all cars to get into the playoffs this season or have they set more realistic plans for the future?
Stewart: “Hard to say. we have a solid team for 2025 and are much more organized and prepared for this season, I put a lot of time into reorganizing our team to work out the issues from last season that held us back. I think there’s a good chance we have multiple playoff entries like last season but with such an unknown and strong field it’s honestly anyone’s guess as to who makes the cut.”

THANK YOU!

Lasty, we here at Crown Jewel Racing League want to say thank you to all of our fans, broadcaster, sponsors, drivers, and team owners for continuing to support this amazing community. Through the laughter, the beefs, the wins and the loses, you all continue to help us grow and create a community of diverse race fans! Good luck to all the drivers in the 2025 Majors Garage Cup Series!

WHAT TO WATCH: PHOENIX

The TCSP Cup Series Championship race is live tonight from Phoenix. Green Flag flies at 8pm EST.
WATCH HERE

CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR

  • Stephen Menke-FMS-FORD- Stephen secured his second win of the season with perfect timing. With a near perfect performance at Miami, in what could be called the race of the year for the TCSP. Stephen locked himself into the final four and has given himself an extra week to prepare for Phoenix. With an average running position of 10.3 all season and an 8.9 ARP on short tracks, Stephen has shown he has the ability to put up a fight to bring the championship trophy back to the FMS workshop.
  • Cory Mott-Palmetto-CHEVY- Our Regular season champion has withstood the beating of the playoffs and has scratched and clawed his way to this final four. The question is, is he and the 1 team burnt out after all this fighting or will they receive their second win and bring Palmetto and Chevy a championship before the team makes their manufacturer switch to Toyota TRD. Cory has an ARP of 7.3 on short tracks (highest out of championship 4), which could lead some of the analyst to believe He has a real shot tonight.
  • Nic Vasquez-FMS-FORD- Factory Motorsports has 2 chances in to bring the trophy home. Nic Vasquez has shown he knows how to win with 3 wins this season and making the playoffs after a very controversial ruling last week. If Nic and the 22 team have stayed focused amidst the media circus surrounding the decision and this championship race, there’s no reason he doesn’t have a shot in lifting the grand prize of a TCSP championship trophy. An ARP of 11.7 on short tracks (lowest out of the championship 4) doesn’t shine too much light on his chances tonight but after talking with representatives from the team, their focus and determination seems to be enough.
  • Thomas Wolfe-BBR-CHEVY- Thomas seemed to be our favorite coming into the championship four but without a win in the round of 8, has he lost his winning ways. Okay, let’s stop rage baiting here. Thomas is a force to be reckoned with. With an ARP of 8.6 on short tracks and 7 wins in the bag, it’s hard not to have Thomas and the 94 team as your favorite for tonight. Can he continue his quest for dominance and secure the final prize of the TCSP Cup Series championship or will we see another favorite fall in a David vs Goliath showdown.

THANK YOU!

To all viewers, sponsors, racers, broadcasters, team owners, and employees, we want to thank you for all of your support through this long season! We have had our highs and lows, controversial moments, and Cinderella stories. We can’t wait to have you all and more back next season!

Team Conit Sim Performance moves sponsorship to Xfinity Series

We want to thank Team Conti Sim Performance for continuing their support of the Crown Jewel Racing league and their sponsorship with us. They will be moving to the Xfinity Series as the TCSP Dash Series. We highly recommend taking advantage of their extensive knowledge in sim racing and to help you with the cost use CROWNJEWEL10 to receive 10% your order. https://teamconti.gg/

Season Winding Down and Playoff Battles Cranking Up In CJR

With three weeks remaining in the 2024 Crown Jewel Racing Season, the season may be winding down, but the playoff battles are heating up. Cory Mott locked himself into a chance to fight for a Championship in Phoenix in the VRS Truck Series while a non-playoff driver, Matt White, captured a win in the TCSP Cup Series. Let us dive in and recap a week of the exciting racing in the CJR League.

ARCA

Stewart Harding Walker has now won back-to-back weeks in the ARCA Series, winning at the Track Too Tough To Tame last week and winning again last night at the Milwaukee Mile. Jim Mott is still holding on to a commanding lead in the ARCA Series Season Standings and Bob Baker is trying his best to capture second place from missing ARCA Driver Thomas Villano.

VRS Truck Series

The VRS Truck Series kicked off the Round of 8 at Auto Club Speedway. Cory Mott was able to avoid the carnage right behind him on the final lap and take the checkered flag for the win. Mott is the first driver to lock himself into the Round of 4 and the opportunity to win the VRS Truck Series Championship in Phoenix. The VRS Truck Series will be back in action tonight at 8:30 EST at Homestead, and you can catch all the action on the Crown Jewel Racing Network.

Bob Henry’s Xfinity Series

The Bob Henry’s Xfinity Series and the TCSP traveled to Fabulous Las Vegas last week. Zack Saunders would take first place in the season standings with his win over Brian Messer last week. Tyler Belanger, Jacob Fifield, and Stewart Harding Walker hope to shake those standings up tomorrow night at Homestead.

Team Conti Sim Performance Cup Series

Newcomer on the block Matt White took the checkered flag to stop Stephen Menke from locking himself into the Round of 4. Thomas Wolfe still maintains the top spot with +41 to the good. Menke, Cory Mott, and Nic Vasquez are still within torpedo range of the cutline drivers of Vince Mitchell, Zack Saunders, and Zach Johnson. Cody Leach, who has declared he will not be able to race in Martinsville next week due to Sponsorship obligations that could not be resolved, will almost certainly need to win on Wednesday night to keep his playoff hopes alive.

The only Incident Points assigned last week occured on Lap 163 when Nishil Condoor lost control and came up the track collecting Justin Bell, Garth Griswold, and Playoff Driver Stephen Menke.

Homestead will bring the excitement this week, so make sure everyone tunes into all the exciting action this week in the Crown Jewel Racing League.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: LAS VEGAS

The TSCP Cup Series comes to you live from Las Vegas for the South Point 302. Green flag flies at 8:15pm est. WATCH HERE

HOT DRIVERS

  • Thomas Wolfe-BBR-CHEVY- Thomas is a final four lock. 3 wins in the playoffs so far. To say he’s on fire is an understatement. With potential bracket buster for the championship, Steven Carlile, eliminated at the Roval, seems like smooth sailing for Thomas to walk home with the trophy.
  • Zach Johnson-Palmetto-CHEVY-If survive and advance was a car, it would be the number 8. For the statisticians, they have seen this run coming from a mile away. With 5 start finishes in the top 7, seems as if a win is just over the horizon.

NOT DRIVERS

  • Stephen Menke-FMS-FORD- Stephen and the 6 team have been a force to be reckoned with all season long. consistently a top 5 driver in the finish order and a stage points hog. Unfortunately, the last few races haven’t been too friendly to him. With only one top 10 in his last 4 races and a 19th place finish at the Roval due to a blown engine, the 6 team is grateful for a points reset. Let’s just hope they make the most out it.

DRIVER NEWS

  • We return to Las Vegas for the start of the round of 8 in the TCSP Cup Series playoffs. Zach Johnson is the highest finisher of the remaining playoff drivers from the spring race (7th).
  • 4 of out of the 8 remaining playoff drivers finished outside of the top 20 in the spring. Menke (21st), Leach (24th), Mott (27th), Saunders (38th).
  • Sources are saying there was a shouting match between Cody Leach and Cory Mott in the hallway on the way to drivers meeting. It is unclear on what the issue is but both parties and teammates had to be separated.
  • After an outstanding performance at the Roval, securing a stage win and a 3rd place finish on the day, Steven Carlile was eliminated from the playoffs by only 2 points.
  • Vegas is no longer the gambling capital of the world. Macau has stripped the sin city of its title.
  • There’s one slot machine for every four Las Vegas residents.
  • Las Vegas Speedway was built in 1972.
  • Zack Saunders won the Bob Henrys Xfinity Series Race last night at Las Vegas.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

FAN PICK OF THE WEEK

THE FANS

A weekend filled with racing from Crown Jewel, and everything Vegas has to offer. Yea yea, the winner on the track comes away with a punched ticket to the championship four, but the fans are getting good fun, beautiful hotels and casinos, hot weather and racin’. So, before you head out to the track make sure you stop at your hotels sports book and just bet on your favorite driver. Stats from last race aren’t giving us much to go on. Everyone who finished in top 6 are either out of the playoffs or out of the league. Zach Johnson and Vince Mitchell are the only 2 playoff drivers who finished in the top 10 in the spring. Take a risk, take a chance and follow your heart with your bet for tonight and enjoy yourself in Viva Las Vegas.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: CHARLOTTE ROVAL

The TCSP Cup Series comes to you live from the Charlotte Roval. Green Flag flies at 8:15pm est.
WATCH HERE

HOT DRIVERS

  • Zack Saunders-BBR-CHEVY- After Zacks win at Talladega, He has clinched the number 1 spot in the season standings. With 4 top five finishes, including 2 wins in his last 5 races, it seems like Zach won’t be slowing down any time soon.
  • Nic Vasquez-FMS-FORD- Nic has put his points penalty behind him in these first 2 rounds. With only 1 finish outside of the top 10 all playoffs long(11th), Nic seems to be eyeing down phoenix as a real possibility.
  • Vince Mitchell-Uber MS-FORD- Miracles do happen. Vince has had a rough go at the playoffs but squeaked into the round of 12. Now with an amazing showing at Talladega, Vince sits somewhat comfortably in +4 points to the cut line going into the Roval, with a chance to move on further than most thought was possible.

NOT DRIVERS

  • Cory Mott-Palmetto MS-CHEVY- Cory has had a great run and many may say he’s pretty hot. Unfortunately, a wreck ending his night early at Talladega has put our regular season champion under the cut line. Sources from the team have told us the number 1 team has been putting in alot of extra practice going into tonight race to minimize any potential mistakes. Now we all wait and see if this is the end of a great season or the turnaround for Cory’s championship hopes.
  • Steven Carlile-Ethix MS-CHEVY- The 7-team seemed like a for sure pick to be in the championship 4 at phoenix in a few weeks’ time barring no mistakes. Unfortunately, those mistakes did happen. With electrical issues plaguing him at Talladega and a 18th place finish in the Kansas race, Steven finds himself 18 under the cut line and looking for a miracle tonight. Luckily for him if anyone can pull that off, he is the one who can do it.

DRIVER NEWS

  • Zack Saunders has locked himself into the next round with a photo finish win at Talladega.
  • Joe Wright tied his best finish of the season with a 2nd place finish at Talladega.
  • Regular season champion Cory Mott sits below the cut line going into tonight’s cut off race.
  • The Bank of America ROVAL was first run in 2018 with Ryan Blaney winning the inaugural race.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

FAN PICK OF THE WEEK

Zack Saunders-BBR-FORD
When you think about road courses in the TCSP Cup Series, the first name that always comes to mind is Saunders. If you don’t have him winning, then you are delusional. Zack has won 2 out of the 4 road courses we have ran this season, with only 1 race finishing outside of the top 5(Street Course 15th). Sitting currently at +450 for a win, he has this all but sealed up before the green flag has even flown. Some other picks that seem promising are, Cody Leach +560 for a top 10, and Steven Carlile at +1200 for a win. We can make this short and sweet for future reference. If the TCSP Cup Series has a road course coming up on the schedule, Saunders will dominate.

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.