All three of NASCAR’s top touring series will be in action this weekend, but in two different locations. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Saturday) and NASCAR Cup Series (Sunday) will run for the third straight year at World Wide Technology Raceway while the NASCAR Xfinity Series travels west to Portland International Raceway, where Ford’s Cole Custer is the defending race winner.
NOTHING BUT TOP 10 FINISHES AT WWTR
Champions Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney have enjoyed World Wide Technology Raceway since the NASCAR Cup Series started going there to race in 2022. Both drivers have registered back-to-back top-10 finishes at the track with Logano winning the inaugural event. Logano has finishes of first and third while Blaney was fourth in 2022 and sixth last season. Their Penske teammate, Austin Cindric, has also been solid with finishes of 11th and 13th.
CAREER FIRST FOR CHASE
Chase Briscoe scored the first NASCAR Cup Series pole of his career when he topped qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022. Briscoe circled the 1.25-mile track in 32.544 seconds (138.274 mph) and led the first 27 laps of the race before a left-rear tire went down and forced him to pit under green. He ended up going a lap down and spent the rest of the day trying to get back in contention, but ultimately finished 24th.
MICHAEL MCDOWELL: “The expectations are really the same for us in this time of year and that is to win a race. Expectation versus what needs to happen. We need to win a race to make the playoffs and we know that. This is a great opportunity. Gateway has been really strong for us and obviously Sonoma is a place that we can go and have a shot at winning the race, so that’s the expectation. At the same time, if you’re not in position to do that, you want to make the most of those days, but I don’t think points is something that we’re thinking about at this point. We’re just thinking about what we can do to win the race.”
RYAN PREECE: “For me, I’ve only been there once and our team has only been there once, so it’s definitely still a new track. I feel like it’s not a short track, but you drive it like a short track. Hopefully, we show up and we have some good speed and we can race and compete for a win. Qualifying is really important there, but it’s important everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you are. It’s one of the most important things right now and I know our team is really starting to emphasize it and focus on it.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC: “Gateway has been a really good track for us the last two years, so hopefully that definitely transfers over with the Ford Mustang Dark Horse. It’s a fun racetrack. It’s really different and I’m surprised both years at how wide it’s gotten, especially with two lanes in three and four, so I’m looking forward to it. They always do a great job promoting the race, so I’m looking forward to going back.”
LOGANO WINS GATEWAY DEBUT
Just like he did in the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum and Bristol Dirt Race, Joey Logano won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, beating Kyle Busch in a dramatic overtime finish in 2022. Both drivers took turns crossing over each other for the lead on the final lap before Logano made the decisive pass in turn four to claim his second win of the season.
CUSTER REPEAT?
Defending champion Cole Custer will be trying for his first win of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season this weekend at Portland International Raceway, which would mark his second straight triumph at the Oregon road course. Custer was in the right place at the right time for an overtime restart last year, starting in the third row and then making the decisive pass entering turn one when the pack of cars in front of him all went wide due to contact. The victory was Custer’s first of three victories in 2023 and first on a road course in any of NASCAR’s top three divisions.
BACK IN PORTLAND
The NASCAR XFINITY drivers will be returning to Portland International Raceway for the third straight year after hosting the series for the first time in 2022. Before that, the circuit hosted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series more than 20 years ago. Former Ford driver Greg Biffle won the inaugural event in 1999 with owner Jack Roush while Andy Houston claimed the 2000 race.
GARCIA GAINING MOMENTUM
It’s taken Jake Garcia a couple of months to settle in with ThorSport Racing, but he appears to be hitting his stride as the summer stretch begins. Garcia is coming off the first top-10 finish of his ThorSport career, coming home sixth last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway and just behind teammate Ben Rhodes, who was fifth. That marked the second consecutive solid run for Garcia, who led the first laps of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career two weeks ago at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Garcia led 40 circuits, but faded over the final 20 laps as he nursed his F-150 to the finish line with a tire going down. He has made two career series starts at World Wide Technology Raceway with a 10th-place finish in last year’s event being his best.
TRUCK SERIES OPENS DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND AT WWTR
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will kick off the weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway with a Saturday afternoon race. Greg Biffle captured Ford’s first win at the facility in 1999 while Terry Cook followed that up three years later. The series has run at WWTR every year since 1998, except for a three-year period from 2011-2013.
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