Catchfence

WHICH TRUCK SERIES DRIVER COULD JOIN BAYNE, PATRICK IN BREAKTHROUGH CONVERSATION?

One catapulted from relative obscurity to national prominence, shocking and captivating the nation by winning the Daytona 500. Another entered NASCAR under a microscope and amidst much fanfare, but rose above her celebrity to etch her name in the record books last week at Las Vegas.

Trevor Bayne and Danica Patrick made history in the 2011 NASCAR season’s opening weeks, Bayne by becoming the youngest driver to win on NASCAR’s biggest stage, and Patrick by scoring the highest finish by a female in NASCAR history.

Focus now shifts to Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Darlington Raceway (5 p.m. ET live on SPEED™; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 4:30 p.m. ET) and who could join the aforementioned NASCAR newcomers in the “breakthrough” conversation.

The Truck Series boasts its strongest rookie class in years this season, but there still are a few more veteran drivers actively looking for Victory Lane. So, who is most likely to be the next first-time winner in the Truck Series?

Many in the garage area are betting on Turner Motorsports, which captured its first NASCAR win at Las Vegas in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Mark Martin. The organization, in its sophomore season of NASCAR competition, has logged one win, one pole position, 16 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes among its three NCWTS and four NNS entries.

“This might come as a surprise considering he missed the race at Phoenix, but I think James Buescher will be the next first-time winner in the Truck Series,” said Larry McReynolds, who will help call the Truck Series race from Darlington for SPEED. “I think Turner Motorsports knows exactly where they went wrong at Phoenix, and despite that misstep, they are so strong right now both in the Nationwide and Truck Series. Buescher was pretty stout at the end of the 2010 season and strong out of the box at Daytona, as well.”

“James Buescher is seeking redemption after missing the Phoenix race,” said Krista Voda, host of NCWTS Setup. “His next race back, Darlington, is anything but easy, but Buescher held his own there last year.”

Buescher started second and finished seventh in the Aug. 2010 race at Darlington. In 49 Truck starts, he has seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, the majority of them in 2010. His team, Turner Motorsports, so far has proven its off-season move from a two-truck NCWTS operation to the largest stand-alone, multi-series team in NASCAR wasn’t an ill-advised one.

Reigning and two-time Truck Series champion Todd Bodine gives the nod to another young team.

“I think it’s Jason White,” Bodine said of White, who pilots the No. 23 GunBroker.com Chevrolet for Joe Denette Motorsports. “Over the last two years, Jason has really developed as a driver and gotten a lot smarter with his decisions. This year he’s in really good equipment and has a good crew chief and I think he’s due. He’s ready.”

White sits 15th in points after scoring the 12th top-10 finish of his career last month at Phoenix for owner Joe Denette. Denette, another NASCAR newcomer, formed his race team after winning $75 million in the 2009 Mega Millions lottery. White finished 10th in points in 2010, his third full Truck Series season, and scored his career-first pole position that year at Daytona.

If anyone can speak to the topic of breakthrough wins by a youngster in the Truck Series, it is last year’s Rookie of the Year, Austin Dillon. The driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado finished fifth in points and scored his career-first NASCAR win at Iowa Speedway in his 12th series start. He looks to impart some of that knowledge and experience to his Richard Childress Racing stable mate, Joey Coulter.

“I might be a little bit biased, but I really think my teammate, Joey Coulter, is going to turn heads in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this year,” Dillon said. “I’ve been able to test with him a few times, and also watched him race in the ARCA Series last year. He is really talented and I think he will make it to victory lane before long. Other than Joey, I think Nelson Piquet is a rookie to watch, as well.”

NASCAR driver and SPEED reporter Hermie Sadler also has his eye on the freshman driver of the No. 22 RCR Chevrolet.

“Coulter has good equipment and a great teammate,” Sadler said. “I was really impressed with him at Phoenix and how he adjusted to the track and conditions. I see a lot of potential with Coulter.”

Coulter finished ninth at Phoenix and scores in the top 15 in several of NASCAR’s loop data statistics through the first two races of 2011 (driver rating of 15th; eighth in laps inside the top 15; 10th in fastest laps run, among others). His first trip to Darlington falls during Spring Break at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he is a fulltime mechanical engineering student.

And what about the GOAT?

“Ricky Carmichael has something special,” Voda stated. “He suffered through a lot of bad luck last year but he took his knocks and learned each week. That experience will pay off this year as the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) on two wheels becomes a F.T.W (first-time winner) on four wheels. I think he’s got a great shot at earning that title at Martinsville after a pair of top 10s there last year.”

Carmichael is 13th in points with one top-10 finish after two starts. The Turner Motorsports driver impressed many people in 2010, his first full season in the Truck Series, by finishing 13th in points and notching nine top-10 finishes. However, Darlington wasn’t so kind to Carmichael last year with an accident and ensuing 24th-place finish, but the AMA legend has shown vast improvement on repeat visits to several tracks and certainly belongs in the first-time winner chatter.

And without a Busch or Harvick entered in Saturday’s race, the chances of one of these youngsters getting to Victory Lane looks even more promising. That is, if they can beat The Lady in Black.

About SPEED™
SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 82 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.

- SPEED, Press Release