Dillon Wins At Iowa; Sets Milestone For Racing Family

On Sunday Austin Dillon became the second-youngest winner in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ history by winning at Iowa Speedway. Dillon led 187 laps from the pole en route to posting a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.

It was his third consecutive start from the pole and third straight top-five finish. Dillon gained four positions in the series standings and now sits seventh – just 267 out of the lead.

Dillon, the grandson of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner Richard Childress, is the only member of the Childress family to earn a NASCAR victory. In 258 starts his grandfather’s highest finish was third at Nashville Speedway in 1978. His father, Mike Dillon, general manager of Richard Childress Racing, made 154 NASCAR starts and scored a career-best fourth place finish at Dover International Speedway in 1997 and Hickory Speedway in 1998.

Busch Takes Weekend Off From Victory Lane

One way to keep Kyle Busch out of Victory Lane in NASCAR Nationwide races is keep him off the entry list. He won’t be running at Gateway, where he’s the defending winner. But it’s debatable whether that will have an impact on his overall races-to wins-ratio in 2010.

Busch has started 15 races this year, winning seven, including last week at Chicagoland. He’s currently scheduled to run in 29 races this year. In 188 career NASCAR Nationwide starts, last year’s series champion has 37 wins and now is in second place on the all-time list. He’s chasing Mark Martin, who has 48 wins in 231 starts. Kevin Harvick, who Busch passed for second, has 36 victories in 251 starts. His seven wins at this juncture are tied with former series champions Sam Ard and Jack Ingram, who each had seven wins after 18 races in 1984.

Busch had four wins after 18 races in 2008, when he tied Ard’s record of 10 wins in one season. He ran 30 races that year.

Make Way For Another Truex

Stand-alone season normally is an opportunity for younger drivers to showcase their skills in stout equipment as they substitute for double-duty drivers. Case in point, Brad Coleman returns to the seat of the No. 18 Toyota in place of reigning series champion – and last year’s Gateway winner – Kyle Busch.

Saturday will mark the NASCAR Nationwide Series debut of another up-and-coming driver – Ryan Truex. Truex, 18, is the younger brother of two-time series champion Martin Truex Jr., who won at Gateway from the pole in his track debut in 2004. Ryan is the defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion and currently leads that series.

This is an open weekend for NASCAR Sprint Cup, and two drivers who normally would cede to substitutes will be competing in this stand-alone event – former series champions Kevin Harvick (a two-time Gateway winner) and Clint Bowyer.

Second Half Starts With Second Half of Stand-Alone Season
Starting Saturday at Gateway, the next three races for the NASCAR Nationwide Series are at venues void of combination races with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, however, does have preliminary one-day shows the next two Fridays at Gateway and O’Reilly Raceway Park.

AUDIO Podcast: Full Gateway Pre-Race Coverage

Brad Keselowski remains the standings leader, a post he’s manned following the last 11 races. Carl Edwards is second, 227 points back. That’s the closest he’s been to the leader since the series raced at Charlotte in May. Then, he was in fourth, 163 points behind Keselowski.

But Edwards, a native of Columbia, Mo., who considers Gateway his home track, has been a second-half challenger the last two seasons. The 2007 series champion was 192 points behind Kyle Busch at this stage last year and 188 behind Clint Bowyer in 2008. Last year, four of his five wins were collected in the second half. In 2008, he won six of his seven total races after Race No. 18.
Edwards has two wins at Gateway, in 2006 and ’08.

SHOW #118 – We recap Chicagoland, Preview the NNS and Trucks at Gateway, ponder a schedule change, talk about possible Chase changes and more. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop

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CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog