Best Of The NASCAR Camping World Series Head To The Heartland

The entry list reads like a ‘who’s who’ of NASCAR short-track drivers, from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series development teams to seasoned veterans with championship resumes.

The US Cellular 200 marks the only time the NASCAR Camping World Series East and NASCAR Camping World Series West will meet in the same race with points on the line. And the event has produced an all-star roster of cars.

Mike David (No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Toyota) and Eric Holmes (No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota) will resume their championship battle in the NASCAR Camping World Series West. A trio of drivers, including Holmes’ Bill McAnally Racing teammates Austin Cameron and Moses Smith, are lurking right behind the leaders.

“It’s exciting to go back and see what we’ve got,” said David. “When the East Coast guys and the West Coast guys get together, you have the best Camping World Series cars all across the nation. That’s what we do it for: the competition. It should be a lot of fun.”

Austin Dillon (No. 3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet) leads a contingent of NASCAR Camping World Series East drivers that includes Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Marc Davis (No. 18 Slim Jim Toyota) and a bumper crop of Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders. Five of the top 10 finishes in the season opener at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina were rookies.

The roster also features NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge) and 18-year-old Alex Haase (No. 51  Kyle Busch Foundation/Electric Sunglasses Chevrolet) in a car fielded by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Kyle Busch. Three former NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champions — Greg Pursley (2003), Mark McFarland (2004) and Peyton Sellers (2005) — will attempt to qualify for Sunday’s race.
 
The Race: US Cellular 200
The Place: Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa
The Date: Sunday, May 18
The Time: 4:15 p.m. CT
TV Schedule: HDNet (Live)
SPEED (enhanced replay)
Track Layout: .875-mile paved
Race Purse: $199,970
2007 Winner: Joey Logano
2007 Pole: Kevin Harvick
Schedule:
Saturday: Practice 4:30-6 p.m.
Sunday: Practice 9-10 a.m., Time Trials 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Track Contact: Mike Beecher (641) 791-8000
 
News & Notes
The race … The US Cellular 200 is the fourth event on the 2008 schedule for the NASCAR Camping World Series West and the second event for the NASCAR Camping World Series East. It is the only combination points race this season for the NASCAR Camping World Series.
The procedure … The starting field is 44 cars, including provisionals. The first 38 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining six spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 200 laps (175 miles).
The track … Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile paved oval with compound banking of 12-14 degrees in the corners, 10 degrees in the front stretch and four degrees in the back stretch. The facility, which was designed by former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and opened for operation in 2006, is located east of Des Moines in Newton.
The points … Drivers must designate with series they are running with and will receive championship points based on their finish against drivers in their respective series.
The records … Qualifying: Kevin Harvick, May 20, 2007, 133.775 mph. 23.547 seconds. Race: Joey Logano, May 20, 2007, 80.686 mph, 2 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds.
The Showdown … The overall winner of the US Cellular 200 will earn a protected spot in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown (Jan. 23-24, 2009). Mike David, Eric Holmes and Austin Dillon have already earned spots with their victories this season.
 
Room To Run: Thompson Eager To Get Back To Speedway

Brett Thompson (No. 61 Pets Best Insurance Chevrolet) cut his teeth racing on a 1/3-mile short track near his home in Idaho. But since joining the ranks of the NASCAR Camping World Series in 2000, he has developed a preference for competing on bigger speedways.

“I absolutely love them,” Thompson said of the larger tracks. “We get to the bigger tracks, where there’s plenty of room to race, and it usually works well for us.”

One of the newest speedways on the series schedule is the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The track, which hosts this year’s only NASCAR Camping World Series East-West combination race with the US Cellular 200, is quickly becoming one of Thompson’s favorite tracks. “I love it,” he said. “It’s like a miniature California Speedway.”

“I had a whole lot of fun there last year and look forward to doing a lot better this year. I think we’ll have a better car,” said Thompson, who had a top-five finish among the NASCAR Camping World Series West drivers in the inaugural NASCAR event at Iowa Speedway last year.

The 30-year-old driver from Jerome, Idaho, is eager to return to Iowa, based on his performance and what he learned in last month’s NASCAR Camping World Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway, a similar-sized track.

“I think we had the car to beat at Phoenix,” said Thompson, who led late in the race and finished fourth. “We just took tires at the wrong time. I think our strategy will play out really good for us at Iowa and I look forward to being in victory lane there.”

In his 77 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Series since 2000 – Thompson has registered one win, 15 top-five and 44 top-10 finishes. Many of his best finishes came on the bigger speedways. His fondness for California Speedway, in particular, is reflected in his finishes there – with one top-five and five top-10 finishes in five starts on the two-mile superspeedway.

Thompson has also been successful at intermediate size tracks, such as the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he scored a third-place finish in his only visit. In his only race at the now-shuttered one-mile Pikes Peak International Raceway, Thompson also came away with a top-five finish.

Bolstered by his fourth-place finish at Phoenix on April 10, Thompson is currently ninth in the championship standings – with three events complete of a 13-race schedule for 2008.
 
Anton Looks To Repeat Top 10 Run At Iowa

Independent, family-owned and operated teams from both series made good showings at Iowa Speedway last year, including the NASCAR Camping World Series East’s Jeff Anton (No. 30 Engineered Floors Chevrolet).

For Anton, a three-year full-time driver last year in the NASCAR Camping World Series East, the 2007 event marked only his 31st career start.

The 27-year-old driver from Russell, Mass., and his team crew, chiefed by his father, Raymond, was the third-place East series finisher, and placed eighth overall. He was also the seventh-fastest qualifier out of 53 who made qualifying attempts.

“We’re excited to go back to Iowa,” Anton said. “Late in the race we were running as high as fourth. We’re taking the same car we used last year. The racing at Iowa and the entire facility is amazing. It’s one of the races we’ve been looking forward to the most this season.”

Anton finished 10th in the final 2007 standings and opened the 2008 season with a 16th-place finish at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

Drawing Power: Carmichael, Bowles Head Out Early

Jason Bowles got his start in open-wheel racing. Ricky Carmichael made his name on two wheels. But one thing will bring them together in Iowa this week: NASCAR.

Bowles (No. 22 Sunrise Ford Ford) and Carmichael (No. 4 Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet) are among the bumper crop of rising stars in NASCAR who will be part of this weekend’s US Cellular 200 at Iowa Speedway.

The two drivers will also make an early trip out to the Hawkeye State Wednesday as part of the track’s pre-race media activities.

Bowles, 25, was the 2007 NASCAR Camping World Series West Sunoco Rookie of the Year. He finished third in points. He also had a pair of wins in his first season. Bowles also earned the Coors Light Pole Award in the first race of the 2008 season.

The 28-year-old Carmichael is considered one of the greatest motocross racers of all time and has more than a dozen championships. He’s switched to stock cars and is in the development program with Ken Schrader Racing. He was fifth in his NASCAR debut at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

The two drivers will make the rounds of Des Moines radio Wednesday morning; will be part of the Iowa Speedway press conference at 1 p.m. at the track; and participate in meet-and-greets at Strothers Brothers Suzuki dealership in Des Moines, and at the Porky’s Diner Classic Car show in Des Moines.
 
East Drivers Hoping To Find A Little For Redemption At Iowa

The NASCAR Camping World Series East drivers had every reason to be confident when they arrived at Iowa Speedway last May.

Led by race winner Sean Caisse, the East had dominated the first combination race between the two NASCAR Camping World Series at Elko (Minn.) Speedway. Six of the top seven finishers were East drivers, a block disrupted only by eventual NASCAR Camping World Series champion Mike David in third.

But Iowa turned out to be a different story entirely.

Outside of race winner Joey Logano, it was a day of struggles for the East drivers and a banner day for the West.

Championship contenders Marc Davis (34th), Matt Kobyluck (36th), Bryon Chew (39th) and Peyton Sellers (40th) all put in days they’d like to forget.

“I am looking very much forward to going back to Iowa — that was an incredible place to race,” said Kobyluck, who qualified 21st in his No. 40 Mohegan Sun Chevrolet and was working his way to the front when he spun. “We had a great car there last year and, through fault of mine, we ended up not finishing the event.

“Our finish was not indicative at all to the quality of car we had and how fast we were. Up until I made a mistake — I went three-wide going into one of the corners, and really shouldn't have been three-wide at that point in the race, and got my right side into the debris and ended up spinning out — prior to that, we had a solid top-five car.”

Davis was the fifth-fastest qualifier, but had to start at the tail of the field due to an engine change after qualifying. Sellers qualified fourth, but encountered a rare engine problem, retiring from the event after only 51 laps.

Also looking for improvement is team owner Andy Santerre.

Santerre’s two drivers’ performances last year included then-rookie Jeffrey Earnhardt (start 32nd, finish 18th) and Caisse (start sixth, finish 37th, accident). Santerre’s drivers this year are Sellers (No. 44 Specialty Fertilizer Products Chevrolet) and Austin Dillon (No. 3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet.

Source: NASCAR PR