Tag: Driver News

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: BRISTOL

The TCSP Cup series is live from Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bob Henry’s 500! Green flag flies at 8pm est. WATCH HERE

HOT DRIVERS

  • Zack Saunders-BBR-Chevy- Zack has put his 4th win of the season on the board, tying his teammate Thomas Wolfe as the co-win’s leader. Zack rang off a 2nd place finish in the spring Bristol race and with the winner of that race nowhere to be found, tonight may be a walk in the park for the 91 team.
  • Nic Vasquez-FMS-Ford- Some may argue that the driver of the 22 Ducks unlimited Ford Mustang is more lukewarm than hot. We on the other hand haven’t forgot about the points penalty he faced coming into the playoffs and with two top ten finishes here in the first round of the playoffs, Nic has all but erased what could have been a detrimental mistake.
  • Steven Carlile-Ethix RT-Chevy- Week in and week out we talk about how no one is yelling from the mountain tope that Carlile is a threat and seems like a shoe in for the final four. If you haven’t gotten the message by now, you must be living under a rock. Three top 5 in his last three races and he is one of 3 that we can say are safe on points to advance to the round of 12.

NOT DRIVERS

  • Caleb “The Uberman” Tipton-Uber MS-Ford- Caleb didn’t sneak his way into the playoffs by any means but his performance in the first two playoff races would make you seem like he was a sure first round exit. We have seen what he is capable of all seasons long if he can keep the car clean, but now he really has to show us.
  • Garth Griswold-Hollywood MS-CHEVY- Garth is the Cinderella story that Ben Lawson has become. But who’s to say there can’t be two princesses at the ball. Luckily for Garth the clock hasn’t struck 12, even after 2 finishes outside of the top ten here in the playoffs. Currently sitting six points under the cut line, He knows it’s time to strap in and make something happen tonight. Hope those glass slippers are on tight.

DRIVER NEWS

  • Zach Johnson won last night’s Bob Henry’s Xfinity series race at Bristol. He and his team hope to translate what they learned last night into a solid finish.
  • Cody Porter has exited the TCSP Cup Series. A serious threat for next season’s championship has stated they will not be returning.
  • Mathematically only 3 drivers are safe for tonight’s race at Bristol depending on attendance.
    Zack Saunders (1 win), Thomas Wolfe (1 win), Steven Carlile (points).
  • Bristol was formerly known as Sapling Grove
  • Bristol is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia.
  • Bristol Motor Speedway is the third largest sports venue in America and the seventh largest in the world, housing up to 162,000 people.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

5 drivers at the cut line are separated by less than 10 points. Griswold (-6), Campbell (-1), Tipton (+1), Mitchell (+6), Johnson (+8).

DRIVER PICK OF THE WEEK

WINNER- THE FANS
Us fans tonight get 500 rock em, sock em laps at Bristol Motor Speedway under the lights to see who will survive to see another 3 races and a chance to life the trophy in Phoenix, and who will end up crushing their car into the inside wall along with their hopes of a championship. For the analytical fans here, the obvious pick is Zack Saunders. He finished 2nd in the spring race and is red hot right now (+375). For the hopeful underdog fan, you have Tommy Carrol Jr who is staring down a first-round exit (-35) but finished 4th in the spring race (+3750). Whoever you decide to pick it won’t matter because someone who we thought would make it to the next round won’t, and someone who we never thought might have a chance will. And that my friends, is the beauty of racing.

Watkins Glen: What to watch for

The TCSP Cup Series is live tonight from Watkins Glen. Green Flag flies at 8:15pm est. Watch here

HOT DRIVERS

  • Ben Lawson-FMS-FORD- From riding the cut line of the round of 16, to leading 56 laps and taking home a top ten finish at Atlanta. Ben’s late season form might be just what the doctor ordered.
  • Thomas Wolfe-BBR-CHEVY- It was win and you’re in during the regular season. Things haven’t change in the post season, Thomas is now safe and has advanced to the round of 12.
  • Steven Carlile-ETHix RT-CHEVY- Steven’s form all season has been that of consistency and seems like nothing has changed in his gameplan after getting another podium finish at Atlanta last week. (3rd)

NOT DRIVERS

  • Cory Mott-Palmetto MS-CHEVY- To no fault of his own Cory found himself with a last place finish at Atlanta due to an early incident before the conclusion of the 1st stage. (27th) We do believe tonight will be a different story but with him free falling down the playoff standings, this team has no room for error.
  • Cody Leach-WRL-FORD- A similar situation to that of the #1 team, Cody leach was in a wreck to no fault of his own placing 25th when the dust settled in Atlanta. Luckily for him the #15 team was able to secure points in both stages but this trend of running well all race long and grave mistakes happening late has plagued this team for way too.

DRIVER NEWS

  • Thomas Villano has returned from his month-long suspension.
  • Still no comment from Factory motorsports on the whereabouts of zander short and the #38. Once fighting for a regular season championship, Zander sits bottom of the playoff standings.
  • Many of the Cup series playoff drivers used last night’s Bob Henrys Xfinity series race to gain more seat time for tonight’s showdown.
  • Joe Wright in the #37 Ford and Ben Lawson in the #3 Ford will both receive EOLs for incidents last week at Atlanta.
  • Watkins Glen is home to 19 waterfalls and the birthplace of American road racing.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

FAN PICK OF THE WEEK

Thomas Wolfe–BBR-FORD
What more can you ask from the guy. Locked into the round of 12, can dominate on any given night, and not afraid to put his elbows out when needed. He’s a racer’s racer. A wheelman’s wheelman. The fans have spoken, and they’ve stated that we’ve been shooting for the stars on these fan picks too much. They’ve even said that the fans don’t even pick the fan picks. Well, that’s neither here nor there, because you got what you asked for this week in Thomas Wolfe. Not the favorite but still a safe pick for tonight’s race sitting at +560 for the win. With your favorites currently being Cody Porter +350 and Zack Saunders +400 respectively. Both are good picks for tonight but if you want to squeeze another few dollars out of your favorite betting app, Thomas Wolfe is your guy. His win at the Chicago Street Course showed everyone he is not just an oval guy, he’s an anywhere guy. The choice is always yours here with the fan pick but tonight I think we’ve finally got a pick right.

DRIVER NEWS: VASQUEZ BREAKS SILENCE ON SUSPENSION

Suspended driver Nic Vasquez driver of the Factory Motorsport #22 Ford issued the following statement today regarding his actions during the Chicago Street race that led to him being suspended for this week’s race at Pocono.

“I am extremely disappointed in my actions, and I have let down not only my team but my sponsors and crew guys of the #22 FMS Ford. Moving forward I am trying to change my on-track actions and I will NOT give up on this team that I and so many others have worked so hard for. I have an obligation and a duty to go out there and put the #22 FMS Ford in contention to win races and I have that deep fire and drive to win. The road ahead will not be easy but it’s certainly do-able and something I will work very hard at. I am super grateful to have amazing guys at Factory Motorsports who believe in me and push me to be better. With that being said I am here to win and show that I belong.”

Nic Vasquez

Stephen Menke the owner of Factory Motorsports did not respond to questions directly related to Vasquez’s status as a member of the team. Menke stated that FMS will be holding a press conference tomorrow at 11am EST but did not disclose what the press conference is for.