NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

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Corey Heim je imao odlicnu sezonu iza sebe u ARCA. Pobedio je 6 trka i zavrsio kao 2. u generalnom plasmanu.

To mu je donelo ponudu u Truck seriji. Sledece sezone ce voziti 15 trka za Kyle Busch Motorsport.

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Mladi tim CR7 Motorsports (osnovan 2018. godine) ce se takmiciti punu sezonu sledece godine. Vozac ce biti isto mladi (21 godina) Blaine Perkins. Perkins je prosle sezone vozio nekoliko trka u Xfinity, a pre toga (2020. sezona) je zavrsio kao 2. u generalnom plasmanu u ARCA.

Mnogo volim da vidim mlade vozace nego zvucna imena na stazama.

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Jennifer Jo Cobb objavila ovu fotografiju koja pokazuje kakve je kocnice imala u 2021. sezoni. Znaci raspale se totalno. Takodje je rekla da je imala samo jedan motor i da taj jedan motor je cesto radio na samo 7 cilindara.

Zivot niskobudzetnih timova ...

[Boss]

Ne bi bila nista bolja ni sa novim autom.

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Na osnovu cega to znas? Do pre par godina si me pitao ko je to, sto mi govori da je uopste nisi video kako vozi.

Samo zato sto Danica nije pokazala nista sa najboljom opremom ne znaci da ni jedna zena ne bi bila uspesnija ... Pricamo o nekome ciji je budzet za celu sezonu manji nego sto je Danicin budzet bio za samo jednu trku - i tako kroz celu karijeru.

Jennifer je imala par solidnih sezona dok je vozila Dodge, ali je to uvek bio niskobudzetni porodicni tim.

[Boss]

Pa da vredi pruzili bi joj sansu. To je tako prosto. Evo Diganova sumnjam da je ta Cobb bolja od nje, a vidis Diganova kako prolazi. Ne moze bolje.

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Sve je to daleko od prostog i crno-belog kako mislis.

Cobb ima 48 godina i previse je stara da bi od nje pravili neki uzor mladim klinkama kao sto su radili sa Danicom. A dosla je u NASCAR u vreme kada jos uvek nije bilo "kul" biti drugaciji - tek u zadnjih 10-ak godina je postalo "kul" biti zena, crnac i sta sve vec u NASCAR-u, a Cobb je do tada vec bila matora. Pre toga si morao biti beli vozac sa americkog juga da bi uspeo osim ako si neki bas ogromni talenat (tipa Jeff Gordon). Pa pogledaj da je jedan Matt Kenseth uvek mucio muku sa sponzorima iako je generalno jedan od najboljih vozaca u NASCAR-u u 21. veku.

Sto se tice Deegan, njen cale Brian je jako zvucno ime u off-road svetu, eto kako je dobila Monster za sponzora. Plus je mlada i zgodna i hoce vestackim putem da od nje naprave sledecu zvezdu da privuce zenski svet - isto kao sto su radili sa Danicom. A ako ne uradi nista u narednih godinu-dve nece od nje nista biti bas kao sto nista nije bilo od Natalie Decker koju su isto gurali dugo vremena.

Sve se vrti oko marketinga i sponzora i ko moze da donese sponzorima najvecu zaradu, dok su rezultati u drugom planu.

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Parker Kligerman se nekada smatrao buducom zvezdom NASCAR-a. Bio je vozac u razvoju za Penske, posle vozio za Keselowskog u Truck, pa za Kyle Buscha u Xfinity, ali mu karijera nije bas isla po planu. Danas 31. godisnji Kligerman uglavnom vozi delimicne sezone za nizerazredne timove u Truck seriji. Danas je objavljeno da ce sledece sezone voziti 10-12 trka za Henderson Motorsports u Truck seriji.
p.s. Henderson i Hendrick nisu povezani.

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Matt DiBenedetto nasao posao za 2022. sezonu. Vozice #25 Chevrolet za Rackley WAR. Novi tim koji je nastao tek prosle godine.

DeBenedetto je dosta tvrdoglav i misli da je bolji nego sto ustvari jeste. Mislim da je mogao da nadje mnogo bolje mesto u Xfinity, ali je odbijao da se vraca u nize divizije. Na kraju ga je sve to kostalo jer nije mogao naci mesto ni u Xfinity, a ni u nekom boljem Truck timu.

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Za Spencer Boyda je bio zainteresovan Front Row Motorsport kao moguca zamena za Todd Gillilanda kada je presao u Cup, sve dok posao nije dobio mnogo popularniji i bolji Zane Smith. Tako da ce Boyd i sledece sezone voziti za Young’s Motorsports.

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Odlicna prica.

New Beginnings: A Humbled Matt DiBenedetto at Peace with Move to Truck Series

It was a beautiful fall day in North Carolina and Matt DiBenedetto was bringing his popular yellow Labrador retriever Brian for a walk. Then, he received a text.

On the other end of the message was Curtis Sutton, team owner of Rackley W.A.R. in the Camping World Truck Series. He was looking for a full-time driver to fill the seat of the No. 25 Chevrolet, coming off its first year in the series.

“When Curtis Sutton called me, he really struck my attention,” DiBenedetto told Jayski.com earlier this week. “He said, ‘Hey, I just want you to come drive. We’re trying to make our team better.’ But he was all in and wanted me to come drive and get to where we can win races.”

Prior to Sutton reaching out, DiBenedetto didn’t have a ride for the 2022 season. He also didn’t have funding to bring to a race team.

DiBenedetto is coming off spending the last two seasons with Wood Brothers Racing, making the Cup Series playoffs in 2020. There’s no sugarcoating it, driving the No. 21 Team Penske affiliate was the best opportunity of his career, one that also came out of nowhere.

In 72 races of being the driver for the Wood Brothers, DiBenedetto earned six top-five finishes, two of which were runner-up results at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. At Talladega Superspeedway last spring, the No. 21 car led on the white flag lap, but DiBenedetto blocked the wrong line and dropped to fifth at the checkered flag.

The two-year tenure in the No. 21 car had its fair share of opportunities, but a crew chief change was needed last June. That’s when Johnathan Hassler replaced Greg Erwin, and the team seemingly found speed. DiBenedetto was pleased with the quick turnaround, leading 10 laps at Road America and 20 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Prior to the race at New Hampshire, Team Penske announced it would move Austin Cindric – originally scheduled to drive for the Wood Brothers in 2022 – to the No. 2 car for the 2022 season, replacing Brad Keselowski, who was departing for co-ownership of RFK Racing. It was also announced Harrison Burton would take over the No. 21 car, leaving a fan favorite, DiBenedetto, without a ride.

“I was frustrated at that time,” DiBenedetto said. “I was like, ‘I want to race in Cup. I want to win in Cup.’ And I kept putting what I want and my desires in front of the big picture.”

Ultimately, DiBenedetto claims Team Penske had another option on his contract, which they didn’t pick up. Instead, they went with the up and coming Burton. That frustration led to a video of reflection on his time with the No. 21 team, and how it “sucked” that he wouldn’t be returning to the famed team. He also didn’t want fans to “beat up on the Wood Brothers.” He stated it’s something he’d been through before, as Christopher Bell replaced him at Leavine Family Racing in 2020 after spending just one year with the team.

Over a half-year later, DiBenedetto said he can now laugh at that video.

“When that all came out, it was more out of sadness because we had just gotten our team really rocking and rolling, doing the right things,” DiBenedetto said. “I reacted out of emotion when I put out the video. I look back at myself at that time, and my faith has grown much stronger and I’m in a completely different position in life that’s great across the board and thankful for.

“I look back at myself from then and truly laugh at myself, if I’m being honest with you. I would not react in that same way now.”

It took about a month for DiBenedetto to agree to be the driver of the No. 25 truck. He claimed to have options throughout the top three series.

“We are honored to have Matt DiBenedetto join Rackley W.A.R. full-time for the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season driving the No. 25 Chevrolet,” Sutton said in a team release earlier this month. “We feel that by teaming Matt up with experienced crew chief Chad Kendrick, we will be competing for multiple wins and be competitive at all race tracks.”

DiBenedetto believed what was meant to happen would happen. That’s what ultimately led him to signing on with Rackley W.A.R.

“Over the offseason, we really pumped the brakes a little bit,” DiBenedetto said. “[My wife and I] laid low, hung out, enjoyed a little time and it gave us good, quiet time to decide and think, ‘What do I want to do?’ For once, it’s not, ‘What does the world want for you to do’ and the noise of the world around you, I was like, ‘What do I want to do?’

“The more we talked, the more I was like, ‘This feels like the perfect opportunity for my path at the perfect time because it will be a lot of fun.’ The Truck Series is awesome, the racing is great and I had to humble myself to look at it that way and be like, ‘Man, this is what is actually meant to be and going to be a lot of fun and rejuvenate that joy of racing.’”

It was Sutton’s original text to DiBenedetto that got his attention. Plus, despite having 317 national touring starts to his resume, zero have come in a truck.

That was appealing for the now Truck Series rookie.

“Full time in trucks really struck my attention because it sounded fun,” he said. “It’s easy to lose sight of the fun and enjoyment of it because the Cup Series is really stressful.”

Last July, DiBenedetto wasn’t sure if he’d want to compete in either the Truck or Xfinity Series. But since then, he’s “gone through a change” in his own life. That, he said, came down to realizing that his journey isn’t about what he thinks he wants or should be doing.

DiBenedetto said, “I took myself out of it and said, ‘I’m open to anything and I trust in my faith and said I’m going to humble myself completely and be totally open to anything and whatever comes our way.’ And also when reflecting on ourselves and humbling myself and being like, ‘It may actually be more fun to back down the stress and not lose that enjoyment of racing.’”

When DiBenedetto first visited Rackley W.A.R’s race shop outside of Nashville, it was a reiteration that he made the right decision to accept the full-time truck deal.

Certainly, though, it was an adjustment. The team has just a “handful” of employees. But DiBenedetto got familiar with the team last year when William Byron ran a one-off race at Nashville Superspeedway.

With the season quickly approaching, DiBenedetto isn’t sure what to set as immediate goals. Surely, he wants to win for the first time at the national level, but the team had just one top-10 finish in its debut season, with Josh Berry placing 10th at Texas Motor Speedway. He also believes his recent experience of running the 550 horsepower package at the Cup level will translate to the Truck Series.

No matter what happens, DiBenedetto is “all in.”

“I know we’re going to grow and make the team better – it’s still a newer team,” he said. “Putting it in victory lane would be a goal, but I’m focused on doing the absolute best we can, making sure we’re grinding and putting in the most work possible, while this whole team is working together and making sure it’s the best it can possibly be. Once we get rolling, I think we’ll find out where we stack up.”

But for someone who has spent the last seven years full time at the Cup level, DiBenedetto isn’t sure if he’d want to return immediately. He’s going to let fate be the one to determine that.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always been like, ‘I want to do this, this is my goal, this is my path, I want to win in Cup,’” DiBenedetto said. “Now, I’m a whole lot more humble about it all. I’m going to work my tail off to be the best I can be because I love racing and I love what I’m able to do for a living, it’s super cool. What the path is meant to be moving forward, I’m just at peace with whatever it is.

“If it means going back to the Cup Series if that opportunity presents itself, great. If it means I’m racing trucks and having a heck of a good time and we can build this team to where we’re winning races with a small, dedicated group of racers and this is a path and a home for me with the 25 team, I’m great with that too because they’ve already become like family to me.”

First up is competing in the 250-mile race at Daytona. That’s the same venue that DiBenedetto led a race-high 49 laps in the Daytona 500 just three years ago with Leavine Family Racing.

Entering the year with a fresh mindset will be key for DiBenedetto. It’s something he’s done over the offseason.

“I think I have more excitement going into this year than I have in many years,” he added. “Not because I haven’t been thankful for everything over the years, but it’s a lot different.”

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Posto Todd Gilliland prelazi u Cup, njegovo mesto u #38 timu za Front Row Motorsports je postalo otvoreno. Pomalo iznenadjujuce, danas je objavljeno da ce Zane Smith biti njegova zamena. Kazem iznenadjujuce zato sto je Smith nesto kao "Chase Elliott Truck serije" - zene ga obozavaju zbog izgleda, jako je popularan i privlaci mnogo sponzora. Na sve to, protekle 2 sezone (3 pobede i oba puta zavrsio kao 2. u generalnom plasmanu) je vozio za mocni GMS Racing koji je satelitski tim Hendricka u Truck seriji. Tako da se uvek ocekivalo da ce Smith jednog dana preci u Xfinity da vozi i tamo za Hendrickov satelitski tim (JR Motorsport) i onda jednog dana u Cup.

Tako da je poprilicno veliko iznenadjenje da prelazi u neki drugi tim jer ima samo 22 godine i naslucuje mu se velika buducnost.

Novi sponzor za 2022. sezonu ... Ovo ce mi biti najzanimljiviji tim za gledanje. Doduse ovo na slici je starija generacija Forda u Truck seriji (2018-2020), ali boje sponzora i stil se ne bi trebali izmeniti.

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Christian Eckes ce i sledece sezone voziti #98 Toyotu za ThorSport Motorsport. Ovaj put ce voziti celu sezonu (u 2021. sezoni je delio mesto u timu, pobedio u Las Vegasu). Pre toga je vozio za Kyle Busch Motorsports. ARCA sampion u 2019. sezoni.

Na taj nacin ThorSport je potvrdio 3 vozaca (Matt Crafton, sampion Ben Rhodes i spomenuti Eckes), jos se samo ceka da se vidi hoce li se i Johnny Sauter vratiti.

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Glory 2 God Racing je novi tim sa zescim imenom. Prosle sezone su najavili da su kupili gomilu Toyota od Kyle Busch Motorsports, ali su odlozili premijeru zbog korone. Vlasnik tima je Tim Viens koji ce takodje biti jedan od vozaca.

Imaju plan da se takmice sa dva tima u 2022. sezoni.
#46 Matt Jaskol.
#47 Johnny Sauter, Tim Viens & Roger Reuse.

Znaci Sauter se nece vracati u ThorSport Motorsport. Bas je spao na niske grane s obzirom da je pre svega 5 godina bio sampion.

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Kaz Grala se vraca Young’s Motorsports.

Vozac koji bas zasluzuje sansu u boljem timu.

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Ovaj Ford koji Tanner Gray vozi je i dalje ubedljivo najlepsi auto u Truck seriji.

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Johnny Sauter je jedan od retkih veterana u Truck seriji. Ima 44 godine. Vozio je odredjeno vreme i u Cup i Xfinity, ali tamo se nije proslavio tako da se vratio u Truck gde vozi vec duzi broj godina. I jedna je od legende serije posto ima 24 pobede i sampionsku titulu 2016. godine.

Vecinu njih je ostvario sa ThorSport Racing, ali je iznenada poceo da belezi lose rezultate zadnje 2 sezone. Sada je objavljeno da ce se vratiti u tim i u 2022. sezoni, ali samo delimicnu sezonu. Ostatak sezone ce voziti za novi tim i gore spomenuti Glory 2 God Racing. Nije poznato ko ce biti drugi vozac u tom #13 timu za ThorSport Racing.

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Richard Pettyjev unuk Thad Moffit stize u Truck. Vozice delimicnu sezonu za Reaume Brothers Racing.

Nije poznato hoce li se vracati u ARCA. U ARCA je vozio prosle sezone, u 16 trka nije imao pobedu, ali je imao 12 Top 10. Zavrsio je kao 4. u generalnom plasmanu.

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Sampionski tim ThorSport Racing je dodao jos jednog vozaca za 2022. sezonu - Ty Majeski ce voziti #66 Toyotu punu sezonu.To znaci da ce tim imati 4 puna tima i jos 1 za delimicnu sezonu.

Majeski je jedan od onih vozaca koji zasluzuju takvu sansu, ali uvek je imao nesrecu da vozi za timove sa slabim sponzorima. To mu se desilo dok je vozio za Roush u Xfinity bas u vreme kada je Roush krenuo da gasi Xfinity sezonu. Posle mu se isto desilo u Truck dok je vozio za Niece Motorsport.

Mislim da ce sad sa sampionskim timom da pokaze svoje znanje i talenat. Inace je velika legenda u Wisconsinu jer redovno vozi lokalne trke u Late Model i ARCA i uglavnom pobedjuje. Prosle sezone je takodje vozio 4 trke za ThorSport, najbolji plasman mu je bio 7. mesto na Charlotte.

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Bret Holmes, ARCA sampion iz 2020. sezone, ce voziti 10 trka za sopstveni tim Bret Holmes Racing. Prosle sezone je vozio 7 trka, najbolji plasman mu je bio 11. mesto na Las Vegasu.

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Prvo pa musko ... Zane Smith pobedio Daytonu u svojoj prvoj trci sa Fordom.

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"The Onion" ovog vikenda opet na stazi posle toliko godina.

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Matt Crafton ovog vikenda vozi 500. trku u Truck. Covek je legenda Truck serije i iako ima 46 godina i dalje je jedan od najboljih vozaca. Ono sta je jos impresivnije - ovo mu je 18. sezona za redom za ThorSport Racing.

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Jennifer Jo Cobb nazalost vise nece voziti punu sezonu zbog nedostatka sponzora. Proteklih godina je vozila dosta trka cak i kada nije imala sponzora jer je sve placala iz sopstvenog dzepa, ali kaze da vise ne moze to da radi, tako da od sada ce voziti samo one trke na kojima ima sponzore.

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"The Onion" ovog vikenda opet na stazi posle toliko godina.