NNS Etc: Off-Week Edition
* Toyota Clinches Manufacturers’ Title With Three Races To Go
When Kyle Busch finished second at Memphis last Saturday, it enabled Toyota to clinch its second consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series manufacturers’ championship in just its third year of series competition.
This marks the fifth time Toyota has earned a NASCAR manufacturers’ title since its entry into national series competition in 2004. Last year, Toyota captured its first NASCAR Nationwide championship; in each of the past three years (2006-08), Toyota has won the manufacturers’ crown in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
2009 Manufacturers’ Championship Standings
Toyota 220
Chevrolet 199
Ford 186
Dodge 99
Following Race 32 of 35 at Memphis Motorsports Park
The performance of six full-time teams fielding eight Toyotas – Braun Racing, CJM Racing, Germain Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, JTG/ Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing – all contributed to the 2009 title.
“Toyota’s accomplishments are the result of hard work and achievement by all of our race teams working in conjunction with TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development),” said Lee White, TRD’s president and general manager. “All the tireless efforts during the off-season and throughout the season, in combination with a talented driver line-up, have produced the exceptional results that yielded this championship.”
Since joining the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2007, Toyota drivers have won 35 races and captured 30 poles.
* Talladega Walk of Fame To Induct Morgan Shepherd This Week
The fans have spoken.
Morgan Shepherd, who celebrated his 68th birthday on Oct. 21, will be inducted into the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame on Saturday along with Jack Smith. NASCAR fans were the deciding factors as far as the voting.
Shepherd won the active driver nomination over Michael Waltrip and Kasey Kahne, who both have stout NASCAR Nationwide credentials.
The Walk of Fame in downtown Talladega is a focal point saluting NASCAR’s greatest names and a tribute to one of racing’s brightest stars – the late Davey Allison. Developed in 1994, the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame has inducted one active driver and up to two inactive drivers since 1995 based on the fans’ vote chosen from a ballot of nominees selected by strict guidelines.
Shepherd made his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut in 1970 at Hickory Motor Speedway. And, for nearly 40 years since, has competed in one of NASCAR’s top divisions.
He is a four-time winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup and has 15 wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series where he currently competes on a full-time basis.
* NNS Double-Duty Drivers Compete This Week At Talladega
While most of the series will be enjoying the last week off before the final three races of the season, some drivers will be pulling doule-duty competing in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway.
Most notably is last week’s Memphis winner, Brad Keselowski, who scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in just his fifth series start there in April.
Joining Keselowski this weekend at Talladega will be full-time double-duty drivers Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, along with NNS series-only regulars Michael McDowell, Tony Raines, Robert Richardson Jr., and Erik Darnell.
* NNS Raybestos Rookie Standings
Driver Team Points
1. Justin Allgaier Penske 227Allgaier stood pat as rookie leader despite a scare from Brendan Gaughan, who seemed destined to win last week at Memphis. Leading late, he was doomed by a late caution but finished fifth while Allgaier, who claimed his first series pole and withstood a late-race race mishap, finished 19th.
2. Brendan Gaughan RWR 217
3. Michael McDowell K-A 191
4. Michael Annett Germain 188
5. Erik Darnell RFR 156
Up Next: Texas Motor Speedway
Following the last open week of the 2009 season, the NASCAR Nationwide Series will head west to Ft. Worth, Texas, home of Texas Motor Speedway, for the O’Reilly Challenge on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Kyle Busch swept both Texas events last season and also won in the spring race earlier this year. He could become the first driver to win four consecutive races at TMS.
Runner-up in the standings, Carl Edwards, sat on the pole for this event last season.
FAST FACTS
Next Race: O’Reilly Challenge
The Place: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
The Date: Saturday, Nov. 7
The Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
The Distance: 300 miles/200 laps
2008 Winner: Kyle Busch
2008 Polesitter: Carl Edwards
Event Schedule (all times CT): Friday – Practice, 9-10:15 a.m., Final Practice 10:40-11:55 a.m.; Qualifying, 5:35 p.m.
2009 STANDINGS
Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 5,179
2 Carl Edwards 4,964
3 Brad Keselowski 4,922
4 Jason Leffler 4,184
5 Justin Allgaier 3,743
6 Mike Bliss 3,684
7 Steve Wallace 3,626
8 Jason Keller 3,574
9 Brendan Gaughan 3,563
10 Michael Annett 3,298
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