Derek Kraus Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – There were no mixed feelings on Parker Kligerman’s part — he was ecstatic that John Hunter Nemechek asserted absolute domination over the rest of the field in Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. Nemechek’s sixth victory of the season assured Kligerman, who finished a strong fourth, of a berth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, which open next Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kligerman outlasted Riley Herbst, who entered the race with a one-point advantage for the final PlayoffRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service After Carson Hocevar crashed a two-driver party, pole winner Grant Enfinger rallied for victory in Sunday’s Clean Harbors 175 at the Milwaukee Mile and clinched a spot in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs. Enfinger, who led 95 of 175 laps, passed Hocevar for the top spot on Lap 159 and pulled away to win his third race of the season by 1.553 seconds. Hocevar was gambling on older tires and led the field to green for the finalRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – John Hunter Nemechek led a dominating 198 of 250 laps to win Saturday night’s Call811.com Before You Dig 250 – besting his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sammy Smith by 1.518-seconds to earn his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2023 season and first win in his first series-start at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The 25-year-old Nemechek, of Mooresville, N.C., took the lead for good on a race restart with 32 laps remaining after winning the first two stages of the race.Read More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Rookie Chandler Smith earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory Saturday afternoon at Richmond (Va.) Raceway holding off John Hunter Nemechek on a final race restart with six laps remaining to hoist the ToyotaCare 250 trophy. Smith’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet led a race best 83 of the 250 laps – the bulk of that early in the race. But the 20-year year old Georgia native was able to run among the top five for most of the day and ultimately driveRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Ty Majeski downplayed his final run in Thursday night’s UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway as “just another restart.” In reality, it was the most important moment to date in Majeski’s hardscrabble career. Streaking away from Zane Smith after a restart with 12 laps left in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Round of 8 Playoff race, Majeski scored the first NASCAR national series victory of his career and claimed the first berth in the Nov. 4 Championship 4 finaleRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Chandler Smith earned his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season, taking the trophy in the CRC Brakleen 150 regular season finale at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Saturday afternoon while another Smith – Zane – coolly collected his first Regular Season Championship. It marked the seventh race win for a Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) team in the last eight Pocono races with Smith leading a commanding 49 of the 60 laps in the No. 18 KBM Toyota Tundra. The 20-year-old Georgia nativeRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Parker Kligerman may be a popular television race commentator but the 31-year old Connecticut driver reminded the NASCAR world that he is first, a race car driver, winning Saturday’s Inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in a highly-spirited final laps battle with Zane Smith. Ultimately, Kligerman held off the three-time race winner Smith – the two crossing the line side-by-side with Kligerman’s No. 75 Henderson Racing Chevrolet taking a .119-second margin of victory in a race that concluded withRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KNOXVILLE, Iowa—Moonlighting in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Todd Gilliland took control of Saturday night’s Clean Harbors 150 after the sun set on Knoxville Raceway.  Gilliland grabbed the lead from John Hunter Nemechek for the final time on Lap 140 of 150 and pulled away after a restart on Lap 147 to beat Nemechek to the finish line by .945 seconds and win in his first start of the season and for the third time in his career.  On the eve of Father’sRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MADISON, Ill. — Pole winner Corey Heim lost the lead on Lap 18 of Saturday’s Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.  He didn’t regain it until the first lap of overtime, when frontrunner Christian Eckes spun his tires on a restart on Lap 164.   But that was enough for Heim to score his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season in a part-time role in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota.  Eckes was leading comfortably with justRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Leading 108 of 134 laps, Zane Smith dominated Saturday night’s Heart of America 200 and staved off a late charge from Ty Majeski at Kansas Speedway to record his NASCAR Camping World Series-leading third victory of the season.  After a restart with eight laps left, Smith pulled away from Majeski and crossed the finish line with a comfortable 1.653 seconds to spare. The runner-up finish was a career-best for Majeski.  “It was really just an unbelievable truck,” said Smith, whoRead More