Bell Tops NCWTS Practice at Charlotte

Dale Earnhardt Jr burns out in his new paint scheme

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(CONCORD, NC – MAY 18, 2017 – RIS) Noah Gragson topped the charts in Thursday's second round of practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Gragson's best time of 29.680/181.294 was just a tick slower than the 29.664/182.039 clocked by Christopher Bell and half a tick quicker than Chase Briscoe's 29.684/181.916 lap in the first round of practice.

Austin Cindric used the first session to test, then in the second session, blistered a lap at 29.734/181.610 prior to heading home to prepare for his high school graduation ceremony on Friday morning. He then returns to the speedway to qualify and compete in the 15th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Cindric is just one of several young racers who have competed on the quarter mile at CMS and are now moving on to the full 1.5-mile quad-oval after they began racing in Bandoleros and Legend Cars. Just minutes from the end of the final practice, Gragson spun off of Turn Four but didn't hit anything and returned for the last few laps of practice.

Earlier in the day, Dale Earnhardt Jr showed off the new paint scheme for his final run in the All-Star race. The design by Sam Bass features Xalta paints and sponsorship by Maaco on the No. 88 Chevrolet. “I’ve always enjoyed working with Axalta,” said Earnhardt.  “It’s great to see how they’ve rallied behind our team and how they are working with their partners like Maaco to bring them into the sport.  I’m looking forward to having Maaco on our Axalta Chevy for the All-Star Race.  It’s a fun race that the fans really enjoy, so we’ll do our best to give the Maaco folks plenty to cheer about.”

The day's final event was a shakedown of the new optional, softer tire for the All-Star by Michael Waltrip. “Drivers are going to love these ‘Option’ tires,” said Waltrip after his test run. “When I was going over the bumps in the regular, ‘Prime’ tires, the car would want to step out on me. I felt a lot more grip with the ‘Option’ tire, so I’m excited to see how hard the drivers will push on Saturday night as soon as the ‘Options’ go on their cars.”

Drivers who use the faster “Option” tires in the final 10-lap segment of Saturday night’s race must start behind drivers who use the regular tire compound. Saturday night's Monster Energy All-Star Race goes green at approximately 8:15 p.m.

Fans attending both the All-Star and next weekend's Coca-Cola 600 will have the opportunity to sample the newest 'treat' for fans: the new "600 Ale" licensed by the Speedway and produced by local craft brewer Cabarrus Brewing Co. “We are very excited about 600 Ale,” said Charlotte Motor Speedway's Executive Vice President Greg Walter. “This process was years in the making. It means a lot for us to be a part of the craft beer industry and we hope that everyone enjoys our first licensed craft beer.”

Cabarrus Brewing Company owner Steve Steinbacher added: “There is nothing more significant and relevant in Cabarrus County than Charlotte Motor Speedway. Cabarrus Brewing Company is all about being local, so we’re thrilled with the opportunity to partner with the speedway and to make sure that this beer provides a great experience for all.”

Sixteen-ounce cans of the new American Ale will be sold at the Cabarrus Brewing sites this weekend and all the Levy Restaurants concessions at the Coca-Cola 600 weekend.

NCWTS Practice 1: 15th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Pos, Driver, Truck, Lap #, Time, Speed, -Fastest, -Next, # Laps
1) Christopher Bell, No. 4 SiriusXM Toyota, 19, 29.664, 182.039, ---.---, ---.---, 19
2) Chase Briscoe #, No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford, 25, 29.684, 181.916, -0.020, -0.020, 25
3) Ben Rhodes, No. 27 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota, 17, 29.808, 181.159, -0.144, -0.124, 17
4) Brett Moffitt, No. 7 Toyota, 3, 29.877, 180.741, -0.213, -0.069, 23
5) Grant Enfinger #, No. 98 ChampionPowerEquipment/CurbRecords Toyota, 18, 29.884, 180.699, -0.220, -0.007, 18
6) Matt Crafton, No. 88 Fisher Nuts/Menards Toyota, 1, 29.966, 180.204, -0.302, -0.082, 9
7) Kaz Grala #, No. 33 Outlaw Fasteners Chevrolet, 7, 29.966, 180.204, -0.302, -0.000, 7
8) Ryan Truex, No. 16 Sea Watch Toyota, 7, 30.014, 179.916, -0.350, -0.048, 7
9) John H. Nemechek, No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet, 7, 30.024, 179.856, -0.360, -0.010, 7
10) Christopher Bell, No. 51 Cessna Toyota, 5, 30.034, 179.796, -0.370, -0.010, 7
11) Johnny Sauter, No. 21 Allegiant Airlines Chevrolet, 1, 30.073, 179.563, -0.409, -0.039, 5
12) Noah Gragson #, No. 18 Switch Toyota, 4, 30.138, 179.176, -0.474, -0.065, 16
13) Regan Smith, No. 92 BTSTire&Wheel/AdvanceAutoParts Ford, 10, 30.141, 179.158, -0.477, -0.003, 10
14) Austin Cindric #, No. 19 LTi Printing Ford, 23, 30.170, 178.986, -0.506, -0.029, 23
15) Austin Hill, No. 02 Whitetail Heave Outfitters Ford, 9, 30.180, 178.926, -0.516, -0.010, 9
16) Parker Kligerman, No. 75 FoodCountryUSA/LopezWealthMgt Toyota, 3, 30.325, 178.071, -0.661, -0.145, 17
17) Timothy Peters, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, 1, 30.325, 178.071, -0.661, -0.000, 11
18) Justin Haley #, No. 24 LCHGives.org Chevrolet, 3, 30.365, 177.836, -0.701, -0.040, 15
19) Cody Coughlin #, No. 13 RideTV/JEGS Toyota, 18, 30.374, 177.784, -0.710, -0.009, 18
20) Stewart Friesen #, No. 52 Halmar International Chevrolet, 16, 30.387, 177.708, -0.723, -0.013, 16
21) TJ Bell, No. 45 Black Rifle Coffee Co. Chevrolet, 7, 30.615, 176.384, -0.951, -0.228, 7
22) Brandon Jones(i), No. 99 Roland Chevrolet, 8, 30.681, 176.005, -1.017, -0.066, 17
23) Brandon Brown(i), No. 86 Coastal Carolina University Chevrolet, 5, 30.750, 175.610, -1.086, -0.069, 9
24) Austin Wayne Self, No. 22 AccuTech/SnapTrack/Don'tMessWTexas Toyota, 9, 30.873, 174.910, -1.209, -0.123, 10
25) JJ Yeley(i), No. 83 NanoProMT/UNOH Chevrolet, 5, 31.573, 171.032, -1.909, -0.700, 7
26) Tyler Young, No. 66 USCGamecocks/GamecockDieCast Chev, 3, 31.889, 169.337, -2.225, -0.316, 4
27) Spencer Boyd, No. 50 GruntStyle.com Chevrolet, 13, 32.311, 167.126, -2.647, -0.422, 16
28) Cody Ware, No. 12 Motorsports Safety Group Chevrolet, 9, 32.742, 164.926, -3.078, -0.431, 9
29) Wendell Chavous #, No. 49 DownSouthRestoration&Remodeling Chevrolet, 4, 35.119, 153.763, -5.455, -2.377, 4
30) Jordan Anderson, No. 1 Fueled by Fans/SponsorJordan.com Chevrolet, 0, 0.000, 0.000, -0.000, -0.000, 0
(#) Rookie, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos, Truck, Driver, From Lap, To Lap, Avg Speed, , , ,
1) No. 4, Christopher Bell, 1, 10, 177.593, , , ,
2) No. 7, Brett Moffitt, 5, 14, 176.868, , , ,
3) No. 29, Chase Briscoe #, 11, 20, 176.139, , , ,
* Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.

NCWTS Final Practice: 15th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Pos, Driver, Truck, Lap #, Time, Speed, -Fastest, -Next, # Laps
1) Noah Gragson #, No. 18 Switch Toyota, 1, 29.680, 181.941, ---.---, ---.---, 21
2) Austin Cindric #, No. 19 LTi Printing Ford, 19, 29.734, 181.610, -0.054, -0.054, 30
3) Johnny Sauter, No. 21 Allegiant Airlines Chevrolet, 33, 29.881, 180.717, -0.201, -0.147, 33
4) Parker Kligerman, No. 75 FoodCountryUSA/LopezWealthMgt Toyota, 1, 29.962, 180.228, -0.282, -0.081, 18
5) Christopher Bell, No. 4 SiriusXM Toyota, 3, 29.987, 180.078, -0.307, -0.025, 26
6) Kyle Busch(i), No. 51 Cessna Toyota, 2, 29.995, 180.030, -0.315, -0.008, 39
7) Matt Crafton, No. 88 Fisher Nuts/Menards Toyota, 2, 30.046, 179.724, -0.366, -0.051, 29
8) Ben Rhodes, No. 27 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota, 10, 30.054, 179.677, -0.374, -0.008, 26
9) Chase Briscoe #, No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford, 2, 30.066, 179.605, -0.386, -0.012, 37
10) Stewart Friesen #, No. 52 Halmar International Chevrolet, 2, 30.090, 179.462, -0.410, -0.024, 23
11) Ross Chastain(i), No. 66 USC Gamecocks Chevrolet, 2, 30.181, 178.921, -0.501, -0.091, 31
12) Ryan Truex, No. 16 Sea Watch Toyota, 2, 30.181, 178.921, -0.501, -0.000, 29
13) Brett Moffitt, No. 7  Toyota, 2, 30.193, 178.849, -0.513, -0.012, 14
14) Kaz Grala #, No. 33 Outlaw Fasteners Chevrolet, 1, 30.201, 178.802, -0.521, -0.008, 33
15) Brandon Jones(i), No. 99 Roland Chevrolet, 21, 30.211, 178.743, -0.531, -0.010, 21
16) John H. Nemechek, No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet, 16, 30.248, 178.524, -0.568, -0.037, 17
17) Grant Enfinger #, No. 98 ChampionPowerEquipment/CurbRecords Toyota, 21, 30.257, 178.471, -0.577, -0.009, 29
18) Austin Hill, No. 02 Whitetail Heave Outfitters Ford, 2, 30.367, 177.825, -0.687, -0.110, 38
19) Regan Smith, No. 92 BTS Tire & Wheel/Advance Auto Parts Ford, 2, 30.373, 177.789, -0.693, -0.006, 30
20) Justin Haley #, No. 24 LCHGives.org Chevrolet, 3, 30.409, 177.579, -0.729, -0.036, 28
21) Timothy Peters, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, 25, 30.480, 177.165, -0.800, -0.071, 27
22) Cody Coughlin #, No. 13 RideTV/JEGS Toyota, 3, 30.587, 176.546, -0.907, -0.107, 19
23) Brandon Brown(i), No. 86 Coastal Carolina University Chevrolet, 12, 30.703, 175.879, -1.023, -0.116, 12
24) TJ Bell, No. 45 Black Rifle Coffee Co. Chevrolet, 23, 30.723, 175.764, -1.043, -0.020, 25
25) Austin Wayne Self, No. 22 AccuTech/SnapTrack/Don'tMessWTexas Toyota, 5, 31.001, 174.188, -1.321, -0.278, 20
26) JJ Yeley(i), No. 83 NanoProMT/UNOH Chevrolet, 7, 31.261, 172.739, -1.581, -0.260, 13
27) Jordan Anderson, No. 1 FueledbyFans/SponsorJordan.com Chevrolet, 11, 31.747, 170.095, -2.067, -0.486, 17
28) Matt Mills(i), No. 44 SparrowRanch.org Chevrolet, 4, 31.880, 169.385, -2.200, -0.133, 21
29) Spencer Boyd, No. 50 GruntStyle.com Chevrolet, 10, 32.107, 168.188, -2.427, -0.227, 15
30) Wendell Chavous #, No. 49 DownSouthRestoration&Remodeling Chevrolet, 9, 32.515, 166.077, -2.835, -0.408, 23
31) Cody Ware, No. 12 Motorsports Safety Group Chevrolet, 1, 33.334, 161.997, -3.654, -0.819, 2
32) Norm Benning, No. 6  Chevrolet, 2, 34.314, 157.370, -4.634, -0.980, 4
33) Jennifer Jo Cobb, No. 10 Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet, 5, 34.568, 156.214, -4.888, -0.254, 5
34) Todd Peck, No. 63 Arthritis Foundation Chevrolet, 1, 37.310, 144.733, -7.630, -2.742, 1
(#) Rookie, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos, Truck, Driver, From Lap, To Lap, Avg Speed, , , ,
1) No. 51, Kyle Busch(i), 21, 30, 178.683, , , ,
2) No. 29, Chase Briscoe #, 1, 10, 177.800, , , ,
3) No. 98, Grant Enfinger #, 20, 29, 176.533, , , ,
4) No. 19, Austin Cindric #, 21, 30, 175.733, , , ,
5) No. 02, Austin Hill, 26, 35, 174.386, , , ,
* Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.