UPDATE: Truck racing at Eldora underway; 5 heat races, LCQ in books - MotorSportsTalk

UPDATE: 8:50 p.m. ET: The final five qualifiers for the main race have been determined after the Last Chance Qualifier. Brennan Newberry won over Jeff Babcock, Jason Bowles and Justin Jennings.

But the hero of the race, and the fifth and final qualifier, was Norm Benning. Benning (No. 57, right, shown in practice) would not be denied as he slipped, slid and bounced off the wall in an effort to hold onto fifth place after a restart.

“I just never lifted. I love Tony Stewart’s track. I’ve been waiting for this race since the day of the announcement,” Benning said to SPEED Channel pit reporter Ray Dunlap.

Clay Greenfield, Jimmy Weller, Bryan Silas and Joe Cobb came up short of making the race. Also caught out was JR Heffner, who headed to the pit lane immediately after the start.

UPDATE, 8:15 p.m. ET: The five qualifying heat races are in the books. Here’s a recap.

Ken Schrader backed up his fastest lap in qualifying with a win in the first of five heat races. He’ll start on pole for the main feature later Wednesday night. JR Heffner (finished second) and Jimmy Weller (sixth) were sent to the last chance qualifier.

The first caution of the heat races flew in heat two, for a quick spin by Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. with three laps to go. Despite a late charge from Matt Crafton on the lowest line of the track, Justin Landers held off for the win ahead of him in the heat race. Jeff Babcock (fifth) and Norm Benning (seventh) had to race through the LCQ.

Timothy Peters led flag-to-flag to win heat three, while Kyle Larson held off Jason Bowles in a battle for the transfer spot in third place. Bowles (fourth) and Clay Greenfield (seventh) went to the LCQ.

In heat four, Kenny Wallace took the win, Max Gresham (third) transferred in and Brennan Newberry (fifth) and Joe Cobb (seventh) went to the LCQ.

Jeb Burton held off Ryan Newman in a side-by-side battle in heat five. Newman was the transfer driver with Justin Jennings (sixth) and Bryan Silas (seventh) sent to the LCQ.

The starting lineup for the 15-lap last-chance race: 1. JR Heffner, 2. Jeff Babcock, 3. Jason Bowles, 4. Brennan Newberry, 5. Justin Jennings, 6. Jason Weller III, 7. Norm Benning, 8. Clay Greenfield, 9. Joe Cobb, 10. Bryan Silas.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ dirt race at Eldora is underway. The heat races are about to begin after qualifying, where Ken Schrader was the fastest qualifier.

Schrader, though, will have to race his way in via his heat race or a last chance qualifier as he is not one of the 20 of 30 trucks locked into the race from owner points.

Here’s the race format:

Five qualifying heat races. 8 laps apiece. Only green flag laps count. 7 trucks in each race, with the top 5 advancing to the feature.
Last chance qualifier. 15 laps. 10 trucks entered. The top 5 advance.
Mudsummer Classic Feature: 30 trucks to start. 150 laps. Segments of 60, 50 and 40 laps.

DETROIT – There’s no rest for the weary as an Indy 500 winner, but Josef Newgarden discovered there are plenty of extra laps.

The reigning Indy 500 champion added an extra trip Wednesday night back to Concord, N.C., for one last session on the GM Racing simulator before Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

After a 30-year run on the Belle Isle course, the race has been moved to a nine-turn, 1.7-mile layout downtown, so two extra hours on the simulator were worth it for Newgarden.

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“I really wanted to do it,” he told NBC Sports at a Thursday media luncheon. “If there’s any time that the sim is most useful, it’s in this situation when no one has ever been on a track, and we’re able to simulate it as best as we can. We want to get some seat time.

“It’s extra important coming off the Indy 500 because you’ve been out of rhythm for a road or street course-type environment, so I really wanted some laps. I was really appreciative to Chevy. There was a few guys that just came in and stayed late for me so I could get those laps before coming up here. I don’t know if it’s going to make a difference, but I feel like it’s going to help for me.”

After a whirlwind tour of New York for two days, Newgarden arrived at the simulator (which is at the GM Racing Technical Center adjacent to Hendrick Motorsports) in time for a two hour session that started at 6 p.m. Wednesday. He stayed overnight in Charlotte and then was up for an early commercial flight to Detroit, where he had more media obligations.

Newgarden joked that if he had a jet, he would have made a quick stop in Nashville, Tennessee, but a few more days away from home (where he has yet to return in weeks) is a worthy tradeoff for winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing – though the nonstop interviews can take a toll.

“It’s the hardest part of the gig for me is all this fanfare and celebration,” Newgarden said. “I love doing it because I’m so passionate about the Indy 500 and that racetrack and what that race represents. I feel honored to be able to speak about it. It’s been really natural and easy for me to enjoy it because I’ve been there for so many years.

“Speaking about this win has been almost the easiest job I’ve ever had for postrace celebrations. But it’s still for me a lot of work. I get worn out pretty easily. I’m very introverted. So to do this for three days straight, it’s been a lot.”

Though he is terrified of heights, touring the top of the Empire State Building for the first time was a major highlight (and produced the tour’s most viral moment).

New texts alert sound just dropped.@josefnewgarden| @EmpireStateBldg pic.twitter.com/YWLpS9UWrN

— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 31, 2023

“I was scared to get to the very top level,” Newgarden said. “That thing was swaying. No one else thought it was swaying. I’m pretty sure it was. I really impressed by the facility. I’d never seen it before. It’s one of those bucket list things. If you go to New York, it’s really special to do that. So to be there with the wreath and the whole setup, it just felt like an honor to be in that moment.”

Now the attention shifts to Detroit and an inaugural circuit that’s expected to be challenging. Along with a Jefferson Avenue straightaway that’s 0.9 miles long, the track has several low-speed corners and a “split” pit lane (teams will stop on both sides of a rectangular area) with a narrow exit that blends just before a 90-degree lefthand turn into Turn 1.

Newgarden thinks the track is most similar to the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.

“It’s really hard to predict with this stuff until we actually run,” he said. “Maybe we go super smooth and have no issues. Typically when you have a new event, you’re going to have some teething issues. That’s understandable. We’ve always got to massage the event to get it where we want it, but this team has worked pretty hard. They’ve tried to get feedback constantly on what are we doing right, what do we need to look out for. They’ve done a ton of grinding to make sure this surface is in as good of shape as possible.

“There’s been no expense spared, but you can’t foresee everything. I have no idea how it’s going to race. I think typically when you look at a circuit that seems simple on paper, people tend to think it’s not going to be an exciting race, or challenging. I find the opposite always happens when we think that way. Watch it be the most exciting, chaotic, entertaining race.

Newgarden won the last two pole positions at Belle Isle’s 2.35-mile layout and hopes to continue the momentum while avoiding any post-Brickyard letdown.

“I love this is an opportunity for us to get something right quicker than anyone else,” he said. “A new track is always exciting from that standpoint. I feel I’m in a different spot. I’m pretty run down. I’m really trying to refocus and gain some energy back for tomorrow. Which I’ll have time to today, which is great.

“I don’t want that Indy 500 hangover. People always talk about it. They’ve always observed it. That doesn’t mean we have to win this weekend, but I’d like to leave here feeling like we had a really complete event, did a good job and had a solid finish leading into the summer. I want to win everywhere I go, but if we come out of here with a solid result and no mistakes, then probably everyone will be happy with it.”