Stand-alone races are opportunities for younger drivers to showcase their skills. A pair of 18-year-olds get their shots this weekend at Gateway: Matt DiBenedetto returns to the No. 20 Pizza Ranch Toyota while Alex Kennedy will drive the No. 23 MediaMaster Chevrolet.
Both drivers last raced in the June 19 Bucyrus 200 at Road America, which was Kennedy’s series debut.
Now, make way for Ryan Truex (No. 00 NAPA Toyota).
He’s the younger brother of two-time series champion Martin Truex Jr., who won at Gateway from the pole in his track debut in 2004.
But Ryan comes with solid credentials of his own, including a NASCAR championship. He’s the defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion and currently leads that series after six races this season.
“(They’re) pretty big shoes to fill,” Ryan said, comparing himself to his brother. “I don’t expect to go out and set the world on fire. I’m just going to get my feet wet and just try to get as much experience as I can.
“I’m not going to think I can run top 10 or top five or anything like that. It’s a tough series. It took (Martin) a lot of starts to figure it out. I put more pressure on myself just to run as good as him because of the last name and everything.
“Three years ago I (was) racing a Legend car at Wall (N.J.) Stadium and now I’m here. It’s hard to believe how fast it’s come, but I’m excited, (and) ready to make the most of my opportunity.”
Click Here to Read More:
NASCAR Nationwide Series: News and Notes – Gateway International Raceway
CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet J Davis Motorsports.com 5 Willie Allen Chevrolet 31-W Insulation 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.* Ford CitiFinancial 7 Josh Wise Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 9 Landon Cassill Ford RAB Racing 10 Tayler Malsam Toyota Iron Horse Jeans 11 Brian Scott* Toyota TBA 12 Justin Allgaier Dodge Verizon Wireless 15 Michael Annett Toyota Pilot Travel Centers 16 Colin Braun* Ford Con-way Freight 18 Brad Coleman Toyota SafeWay Driving Centers 20 Matt DiBenedetto Toyota Pizza Ranch 21 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet Zaxby's 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge Discount Tire 23 Alex Kennedy Chevrolet R3 Motorsports 24 Eric McClure Ford Hefty Odorblock 26 Brian Keselowski Dodge K-Automotive Motorsports 27 Kelly Bires Toyota TBA 28 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet Juggle.com 32 Reed Sorenson Toyota Dollar General 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches 34 Tony Raines Chevrolet Long John Silver's 35 Jason Keller Chevrolet TBA 37 Kevin Swindell Ford Baker Curb Racing 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Great Clips 40 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Key Motorsports 43 Brad Baker Ford TBA 49 Mark Green Chevrolet TBA 52 Chris Lawson Chevrolet Means Racing 60 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota South Point Hotel & Casino 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 5-Hour Energy 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet Foretravel Motorcoach 73 Derrike Cope Dodge TBA 81 Michael McDowell Dodge Mobile-Shop.com 87 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet HostGator.com 88 Steve Arpin Chevrolet Blue Harbor Bank 89 Johnny Chapman Chevrolet Victory In Jesus 90 Danny O'Quinn Jr. Chevrolet D'Hondt Humphrey Motorsports 91 Chase Miller Chevrolet D'Hondt Humphrey Motorsports 92 Dennis Setzer Dodge K-Automotive Motorsports 98 Paul Menard Ford Richmond Water Heaters / Menards 99 Trevor Bayne Toyota Out! Pet Care 100 Ryan Truex Toyota NAPA 104 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet Boudreaux's Butt Paste 107 Danny Efland Chevrolet Proactiv 136 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Long John Silver's 156 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet RaceDaySponsor.com
| 
|