Camping World Truck Series Official Race Results from Talladega

via press release

Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 43,000, Parker Kligerman won the Fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola, his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory. Prior to the green flag, the following trucks dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: #25 and #57 (unapproved adjustments).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES OFFICIAL RACE REPORT No. 18
7TH ANNUAL FRED'S "250" POWERED BY COCA-COLA
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Talladega, AL - October 6, 2012
2.66-Mile Oval
94 Laps - 250.04 Miles Purse: $619,753

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Fin	Str	Car				Series	Bonus	Driver			Leader
Pos	Pos	No	Driver	Team	Laps	Points	Points	Rating	Winnings	Status	Times	Laps
1	9	7	Parker Kligerman	TOYOTA / Red Horse Racing Toyota	94	47	4	95.3	$56,000	Running	1	2
2	29	13	Johnny Sauter	Hot Honey's / Curb Records Toyota	94	43	1	101.3	43,990	Running	1	3
3	3	31	James Buescher	TMS Chevrolet	94	42	1	111.7	30,560	Running	2	13
4	1	3	Ty Dillon #	Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet	94	42	2	113.8	26,975	Running	4	25
5	8	17	Timothy Peters	TOYOTA / Red Horse Racing Toyota	94	40	1	99.1	16,700	Running	1	2
6	19	29	Ryan Blaney	DrawTite / MOPAR RAM	94	39	1	90.3	15,175	Running	1	3
7	6	18	Kurt Busch	Dollar General Toyota	94	0	0	108.8	12,375	Running	1	2
8	23	51	German Quiroga Jr	NET10 Wireless Toyota	94	36	0	77.6	11,875	Running
9	16	2	Tim George Jr	Applebee's Chevrolet	94	35	0	77.9	14,025	Running
10	5	33	Cale Gale #	Rheem Chasing the Cure Chevrolet	94	34	0	88.5	15,200	Running
11	32	39	Ryan Sieg	Pull-A-Part Used Auto Parts Chevrolet	94	33	0	81.0	13,825	Running
12	15	99	Bryan Silas #	Rockingham Speedway Ford	94	32	0	49.8	13,650	Running
13	27	27	Cole Whitt	LittleJoesAutos.com Chevrolet	94	0	0	81.5	11,300	Running
14	11	22	Joey Coulter	Husky Liners Chevrolet	94	30	0	86.3	13,450	Running
15	31	57	Norm Benning	Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet	94	29	0	50.3	14,425	Running
16	22	68	Clay Greenfield	TitanTool.com RAM	94	28	0	74.8	11,000	Running
17	30	76	Ryan Hackett	J & R Supply Ford	94	27	0	51.4	10,900	Running
18	25	88	Matt Crafton	Goof Off / Menards Toyota	94	27	1	60.3	13,050	Running	1	1
19	21	32	Miguel Paludo	Duroline Chevrolet	94	25	0	80.1	12,925	Running
20	2	23	Jason White	GunBroker.com Ford	94	25	1	85.7	13,450	Running	2	11
21	35	93	Chris Jones	RSS Racing Chevrolet	94	23	0	37.1	12,725	Running
22	17	81	David Starr	Zachry Toyota	93	22	0	55.6	12,625	Accident
23	20	20	Rick Crawford	BRG Motorsports / Lilly Trucking Toyota	93	21	0	67.8	10,275	Accident
24	13	6	Justin Lofton	Lofton Cattle Chevrolet	93	21	1	91.7	12,425	Accident	1	20
25	18	09	John Wes Townley #	Zaxby's Toyota	93	19	0	56.0	11,225	Running
26	4	5	Aric Almirola	Jordan Truck Sales Ford	91	0	0	78.1	9,975	Running	2	8
27	36	10	Jennifer Jo Cobb	Driven2Honor.org / KOMA Unwind RAM	90	17	0	36.7	9,875	Running
28	10	9	Ron Hornaday Jr	Anderson's Pure Maple Syrup Chevrolet	90	16	0	78.4	10,775	Running
29	12	84	Chris Fontaine	Glenden Enterprises Toyota	61	15	0	64.3	9,675	Accident
30	24	1	Donnie Neuenberger	Eagle Convenience Stores Chevrolet	59	0	0	41.9	9,575	Accident	2	2
31	14	30	Nelson Piquet Jr	Alpinestars / Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet	59	13	0	48.1	9,950	Accident
32	34	07	Johnny Chapman	Wear Your Gear / Bobber.info Toyota	47	13	1	33.6	9,350	Accident	1	2
33	7	11	Todd Bodine	Toyota Care Toyota	46	11	0	51.3	9,250	Accident
34	33	08	Ross Chastain #	Melon 1 Toyota	45	10	0	44.5	9,200	Accident
35	26	74	Mike Harmon	Mike Harmon Racing Chevrolet	33	0	0	26.9	9,155	Fuel Pump
36	28	25	Brandon Knupp	Hillman Racing Chevrolet	2	0	0	28.6	9,109	Overheating

# Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender.
Bonus Points: includes winner, lap leader & most laps led points
(i) = Ineligible for driver points in this series

Failed to qualify: (1) #28 Wes Burton
TIME OF RACE: 1 hours, 56 minutes, 26 seconds     AVERAGE SPEED: 128.85 mph     MARGIN OF VICTORY: Under Caution

KEYSTONE 21 MEANS 21 POLE AWARD: Ty Dillon (177.291 mph. 54.013 secs.)
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER: Johnny Sauter (19 Places)
MAHLE CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER OF THE RACE: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (#3)
MOBIL 1 OIL DRIVER OF THE RACE: Parker Kligerman
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Ty Dillon

Caution Flags: 7 cautions for 26 laps. [Beneficiary in Brackets] 16-18 (Car #81 Accident Turn 2 [57]); 33-36 (Car #20 Spin Turn 3 [93]); 47-51 (Car #07, 08, 11 Accident Backstetch [81]); 61-65 (Car #1, 9, 30 Accident Frontstretch. [81]); 78-80 (Car #9 Spin Frontstretch [99]); 84-88 (Car #9 Spin Tri-Oval [09]); 94 (Car #6, 23, 81, 88, 20, 32 Accident Backstretch [None]).

Lap Leaders: 19 lead changes among 13 drivers. Dillon 1-8, White 9-10, Almirola 11-15, Neuenberger 16, Dillon 17-18, Almirola 19-21, Buescher 22-32, Chapman 33-34, Dillon 35-46, Neuenberger 47, Crafton 48, Dillon 49-51, Peters 52-53, K. B

Check Out The Pink On-Track & In The Broadcast (Breast Cancer Awareness)

I like seeing the pink out there on the track.  Whether it be on a car as a highlight tone, the primary color of the car or a driver/crew member wearing something pink, it's a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I like the awareness it brings, even if it's just a moment that makes anyone think about it.

1 in 8 women will have to deal with breast cancer in one way or another.  If you do the math, it's a huge number of women.  If you look around, you'd be surprised.  No one talks about it, but when you or a family member is in the middle of the battle, and you talk to people in your life... well, it's amazing how many people I chatted with either had themselves, an immediate family member or a close friend who had to battle the darkness of breast cancer.

Over on my primary website where I often chat about breast cancer, there's this pitch I spout on about, that, well, you're about to hear yourself.  It's what I call the Power of One.

One of my wishes is that everyone who is watching a show sees the pink, that they step up, find a place to contribute and donate a $ingle Dollar.

I say that because if there's around 3, 4 or 5 million folks watching the race, well, that would be very cool to raise that kind of money, just like that.  All off of one dollar contributions, or as I like to say it, The Power of One!

If you or no one in your family hasn't experienced the trauma I get the lack of interest.  I was there.  I get it.  It's not directly impacting you.  But if you do go through the sudden rush of this horrible experience where on one day, your family gets that call from the doctor and by the end of the week, having had to make some tough decisions and be in surgery the following week, then you get it.  And it will never let you go either.

Here are a few suggested sources for donations, but to be honest, which ever works best for you.  That's because it's all the same goal, no matter where you send your helping dollar!

Regardless, THANK YOU for the consideration of this matter.

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National Breast Cancer Foundation
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Healthline Breast Cancer Anatomy
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Is Talladega Really A Crap Shoot?

No, Talladega is not quite the crap shoot you might think it is.  The leading drivers in the stats at this track seem to be there for one reason or another...

They being the best average finish over the last 15 races at Talladega Superspeedway

• Brad Keselowski (7 races)         13.0                     
  
• Clint Bowyer                              15.6
• Jimmie Johnson                          15.9
• Joey Logano (7 races)                16.1
• Kurt Busch                                16.2
• Kevin Harvick                            16.3

There's something to be said about those top finishers who seem to outshine the rest of the pack.  Sure, part of their stats involve good and bad finishes, but they get more good than bad... mostly.

But there is that one wildcard worry at any restrictor plate race, and that's being at the wrong spot at the wrong time.  Poor Mark Martin can tell you about that one.  He's always getting caught up in stuff at plate races.

But bad timing can't be ignored, as these top finishers seem to have circumnavigated the bad luck a little better than than the others.  Don't be there when a tire goes down.  Not being there when some stubbornness kicks in gear, and causes a wreck.
Here are the last few winners from this track, and if you'll notice, there are a few repeat winners in this list.  If this track were that random with the "big one" factor, I don't think we'd see this many repeat winners in such a short span of time...

• 5/6/2012                      Brad Keselowski
  
• 10/23/2011                  Clint Bowyer
  
• 4/17/2011                    Jimmie Johnson
  
• 10/31/2010                  Clint Bowyer
• 4/25/2010                    Kevin Harvick
• 11/1/2009                    Jamie McMurray
• 4/26/2009                    Brad Keselowski
• 10/5/2008                    Tony Stewart

Considering there have been 41 different winners at this track, 13 of those winners were pole winners.  Jeff Gordon has the most wins at this track, of the active drivers in the pack. (6x).  Michael Waltrip is out there, but in a radio interview on Friday, he seemed nervous, making note of how not being in the car every weekend has an affect on a driver.  That's a first I've heard something like that from him, considering how well he used to do in plate races.
Well, the green flag just dropped.  I'm out of here and settling in to watch the race.
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Consistency in Caution Calls - That Would Be Nice

I was watching my taped NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Talladega.  IT was pretty fun.  Truck races are always fun to watch.  They provide the classic "rubbing is racing" action that is promoted so often.  Those laps were winding down and it became the classic rush for the checkered flag at Talladega.   No more tactical plotting.  No more laying back hoping to avoid the "big one."  This was the rush for the gold.  Someone yelled "Thar's gold in them thar hills," and everyone rushes for that front line.

Up until the last lap in the Truck series race, the big one did not happen yet.  There were small accidents throughout the day that did not collect everyone.  I started wondering if we'd see it or not.

We came into the last lap, trucks were jostling what row or line they were in.  Some got out of sorts but fixed it.  Some lost their spots as they drifted of found themselves pushed out of the way.  THIS is what Truck Series racing is all about.  But then again, most of their races are like this.  But this is Talladega.

They made it to the last lap, they came out of turn 2, hit the backstretch and then it happened.  Someone got out of hand in the middle of the pack and it became a multi-vehicle wreck.  But this is the last lap.  It's been quite a while since we've seen a caution flag when a wreck takes place on the last lap of a NASCAR race.  I was looking forward to that last ditch effort by the race drivers up front.  Who was going to pull out and take a chance?  Who was going to not give an inch and cause a wreck?  Who would survive the onslaught for the checkered flag?

But today during the Truck Series Talladega race, that rush was not to be experienced by the TV crowd or the fans that paid good bucks to watch the excitement.  Today, a caution was called before the rush hit turn 3.  The fun was called, the wind was pulled from the sails of fan expectation.  We did not get that excitement we all were hoping for.  The big pay out for watching or experiencing the last few hours was pulled out from under fans across the board.

And that surprised me.  NASCAR hasn't called a last lap caution in quite a while.  And at this track, it's so huge that letting the field run to the checkers didn't seem that dangerous.  They had a huge distance to cover from the start-finish line to the wreck, so I wasn't worried.  Yet on this day, Parker Kligerman got himself a win.  He was in the right spot at the right moment, that moment being when the caution flag flew.  Congrats Parker!  But to the fans, my condolences to losing that moment we all wait for. (I wonder if he had a relative in the flag stand?  LOL)

I just wish that we'd get some consistent behavioral pattern from NASCAR when it comes to calling last lap cautions.  At times I'm shocked when they let a race finish out on smaller tracks.  And this time around, the wind was sucked from my sails when the momentum of that last lap dash was called by the yellow.

I don't normally trash on NASCAR policy.  They have a tough job administering a motorsports league.  It's tough to run any motorsports league.  Bu this one seems more upfront.  Either do it or don't and stick to letting races pan out during the last lap...  unless the wreck is sitting ON the finish line.  But otherwise, let's get consistent.  Consistency would have been a great payout during the NASCAR Trucks Series race.

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Tips For Calling In To Radio Shows Or Commenting On Sites

Mornings and afternoons, I spend listening to SiriusXM Satellite Radio, specifically, ch. 90, the NASCAR channel.  During the day, I peruse various websites.  Between the different venues, I enjoy the listener/reader interactions with the source program/website.  But then there are times that I cringe.

I cringe because folks who call in to a radio program, as emotionally invested as they are in a subject, either don't do their homework or don't realize what they're getting themselves into.  As far as comments on articles, there are times I have to smack my forehead in vain.

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Calling Into A Radio Station, Do Your Homework

Before you call into a radio station with an idea or opinion, I swear, you need to do your homework.  That homework has to be on either the subject you are going to address, or the radio host you are going to be talking to.  Or both!

I can't tell you how many times I've heard folks call in with their ideas and sometimes they sound pretty hair-brained.  Don't get me wrong.  I have plenty of "ideas" myself on how to mix up the starting grid, the drivers field, the qualifying, the points during a race and other aspects.  But first, I listen or read what's already been said about the issue at hand.

Don't get me wrong.  Radio shows are great places to share ideas and connect with the celebrities/hosts.  But if you're going to lob out a brain-bomb of an idea, you are going to get razzed by the host.  I've heard it too many times.

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Be Flexible

About being razzed about your ideas, well, if you lob out a creative suggestion as a call-in on a radio show, and the host shoots you down, don't fight it.  Unless you have a logical approach to your argument that appeals to the hosts sense of logic, arguing with the host is moot.  And can get ugly, embarrassing or humiliating.  Not to mention rather frustrating at times.

How many times have you heard that.

Caller: "Hey, I think the slowest starter should be placed up front at the start of a race"

Host: slams caller for ignoring the established system and how it got that way.

Caller: Repeats suggestion with no additional info or idea on why.

Host: Slams caller again

Repeat until hung up on.

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Have A Sensible Answer and Reason

I've heard enough transactions like the one above to know that if you call in with a suggestion, one of the things that makes it good is having a good set of reasons behind it.  Not emotional reasons, but good, practical, sports or business related reasons.  If you don't, the host will more than likely call you on the carpet for your suggestion lacking no substance.

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A Suggestion on How To Present a Suggestion

Too often, I've heard callers "tell" the host what should be done/changed/fixed/removed etc.  This in turn, if it's a questionable idea, starts out in the negative zone of the call, getting the host in a defensive mode.  You never want to put your radio show host in a defensive mode.  That almost instantly kills your own momentum because face it, they have the power.

And hosts always win their conversations on their shows.  Period.

My take on the issue is to not assert your idea, but rather, present your suggestion in the form of a question.  An inquiry of the host.

Asking the host what he thinks about your idea sets a better tone between you and he/she.  Suddenly, the host can assume a mentor-like position and you might get a reply with some reasons behind it.  As opposed to being snapped at and grilled why you think that way?  Once a caller is dragged into the "explain yourself" realm of a phone call, most callers are toast.  Yet on occasion, with some good pragmatic sense, I've heard calls go on longer than normal as the host is engaged enough to banter, question or answer more inquiries from the prepared caller.

And again, if you are going to get into the argumentative stage of a suggestion, seriously try to present your idea as a question.  Even if you think you're right.  Things can go so much smoother that way.

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One more word of warning or advice

When you visit websites and leave comments, you seriously need to read the article you are attaching your comment to.  If you don't, you risk getting flamed online.

Sure the world of the internet is a fairly anonymous one.  But still, if you leave enough comments in places, you'll either become ignored or if you leave good, insightful comments, you may very well become engaged on the site.

Why do I suggest this?

What sparked this bit was an article on another site noting how SPEED Channel is going away because in the long run, they've failed at being the end all to NASCAR fans, and other such issues with the network.  Fox will be "rebranding" the network into an all-sports network to compete with the other sports networks.

And yet, after a pretty decent article, one of the very first comments to the article suggests that NASCAR should have their very own NASCAR cable network.

(Head smack!)

They needed to read the article and understand why it is that SPEED is going away.

That's just one example as just that, an example.  I've seen that too often around the web.  Heck, even on my other websites, I've seen people run with the article title and leave a comment related to the title, showing how obvious it was they just skipped to the bottom and commented.  I have a hard time with speed surfers and tend not to give them too much of my time.

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So really, all I'm suggesting is if you're going to go head-to-head with a radio show host, be as prepared as possible.  That way your calls are more fun for all involved and you might get more out of it than you expected.

Trust me, I've gone both routes, so I'm speaking from experience.  It feels better to feel vindicated than it is to be humiliated on national air time!

How Much Will NASCAR TV Coverage Change In The Upcoming Years With SPEED Going Away?

The present TV landscape for NASCAR is going to be coming up on a big change soon and I'm not sure everyone is aware of it.  For one thing, SPEED is getting rebranded by FOX, since their attempt at making SPEED TV an all NASCAR channel seems to have soundly floundered.

In place of SPEED will be Fox Sports 1.

But then, as pointed out at The Daly Planet, once FOX locked up NASCAR with the SPEED channel set up, we didn't always get NASCAR.  That is, if you count the reality TV programming Monday through Thursday.

The reported hopes are that SPEED ala Fox Sports 1 can capitalize on the established subscriber base to SPEED to instantly start competing with other "all sport" networks like ABC's ESPN.

But I don't know if they're counting on it or it doesn't matter, but If there are enough NASCAR fans though, I have to wonder how many cable subscribers will quit paying for that "extra tier" in their cable package.  NASCAR fans won't be needing it.  And I'm not sure they'll miss the glitzed up broadcasts where the good looking gender has been injected across the board, but what I find to be especially noticeable at SPEED.

Plus, with SPEED going away, I have to wonder what will become of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series?  Will SPEED, I mean FOX SPORTS 1 cover those races still?

But NASCAR is wrangling TV deals right now.  Fox is reported to be finalizing their part of the TV season.  But ESPN and TNT won't be doing any early negotiating until they have their ball sports contracts wrapped up.  And if anyone has ever taken note, almost anything on ESPN seems to have preemptive weight over NASCAR, including little league games.

ESPN and TNT are in year 6 of their 8-year agreements.  But NBC & CBS sports might also be getting in on the fray.  So NASCAR could be looking at having themselves a bidding war.  But will that work?

NBC may want in.  Could CBS want a piece of the pie?  TNT wants more than their 6 summer races.  And NASCAR is sitting pretty trying to decide if they'll spread the wealth around and keep it mixed up, or possibly stay with one network.  The early negotiations with FOX could set the tone for the other TV contracts if the other nets aren't careful.

But as the question is posed by The Daly Planet, if or once Fox has a NASCAR contract locked up, what's their incentive to create great, compelling content?  And I ask, where does the Truck Series end up?

As it is, some of the FOX coverage already seems to irk fans to no end.  If FOX locks up more races, what will happen then?  I've heard enough grumblings about some of the coverage or personality staffing.

Yet the landscape of TV coverage is always something of a mixed bag.  On one hand, folks are pretty quick to grumble about what can be done better during and after a telecast.  Yet if you remember back to the early days, NASCAR TV coverage is fairly non-existent.  You have to pick and choose your battles!

The 2 links below have some great content on the issue, with TDP talking about the "rebranding of SPEED" and the SN has a bit on the contracts.
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The Daly Planet

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