Hey HotLap.com! Hope everyone out there is doing well. It’s been a while since I was last in the Nationwide car, but I have kept pretty busy on the Truck side. I’m heading to Indy early this weekend because I am running the ARCA race on Thursday to prepare for the Truck Series race on Friday and finally the Nationwide race on Saturday. It’s going to be a busy few days for sure, but I am excited and I think the extra seat time will really pay off in the end.

Since I last wrote one of these I have been concentrating on racing the truck. It has really paid off and we are starting to hit our stride at just the right time. We have been putting in solid top-10 runs almost every week and we’re up to third in the championship point standings. This is really a testament to my team and all the hard work they have been putting in. We have been bringing good trucks to the track every week and it is showing in our consistent finishes. We are still waiting to capture our first win, but we all know it is right around the corner. I think the championship is going to come down to who can make the least amount of mistakes on the track, and we are doing all we can to stay out of trouble and keep bringing home solid finishes each week.

I’m pumped about getting back in the Nationwide car this weekend. I have spent this whole week in North Carolina, spending time with the team and getting ready to work with [Stewart] Cooper (crew chief) and the No. 30 guys again. Last week, I stayed over in Nashville for the Nationwide Series race and got to sit on the box to get re-acclimated with how Cooper and his guys work. I really enjoy working with Cooper. He is so good to work with as I make my transition into the Nationwide Series. He knows how to work with less experienced drivers on the track and knows what questions to ask to be able to make the appropriate changes to the car. I think running the ARCA race will help on the Nationwide side.  It should be a really good weekend.

Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (LORI) always provides some of the most exciting racing of the season. I think it is a great opportunity for the Nationwide Series to be heading to the Brickyard next season, but I think we are all going to miss this race weekend at LORI. The track brings you back to good, old-fashioned short track racing. It is so small that you have to be on your toes the whole time as a driver. One small incident on the track can turn into a huge accident because everyone is running so close together. This is one of those races that you are beating and banging all night long. My plan for all three races is to stay out of trouble and bring home solid finishes, hopefully contending for all three wins. The guys from both the Turner Motorsports Nationwide and Truck shops always bring awesome equipment to the tracks, so I know there is nothing to worry about there.

Track position is going to be important here, as is staying cool. Race weekend in Indy is notoriously one of the hottest weekends of the year. It is important to stay hydrated and not let the heat get you down. This is going to be even more important with the recent heat wave across the country. I am going to have to stay even more cognoscente of staying hydrated running three races. It would be really easy to get over exhausted with the heat we are going to be facing this weekend.

Well, as always, thanks for taking the time to read my blog and tune into the ARCA race on SPEED on Thursday, July 28^th at 8 p.m. EDT, the Truck Series race on SPEED on Friday, July 29^th at 7 p.m. EDT and the Nationwide race on ESPN2 on Saturday, July 30^th at 7:30 p.m. EDT.