Ben Rhodes, No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Toyota Tundra
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Iowa Speedway – Speediatrics 200
Race No. 8 of 23
Team Information:
Crew Chief: Kevin Bellicourt
Manufacturer: Toyota
Engine: Triad Racing Technologies
2016 Driver Point Standings: 15th
2016 Owner Point Standings: 16th
Sounding Off – Ben Rhodes:
Are you looking forward to getting back to your short-track roots this weekend at Iowa?
“Yes. Iowa Speedway is a really, really fun race track. My crew chief and I, Kevin Bellicourt, have had some really good success there. We have a win there, and then the second time we went there in 2014, we almost got one, but that’s alright. We’re going to try to go back and pick up the trophy one more time. I feel good about Iowa; it’s got some really unique challenges to it. The bumps in Turns 1 and 2, the wash board effect as I like to call it, on the high side of 1 and 2 as well. I just really like short track racing, it’s a lot of fun. It’s a cool place in the sense that it’s a short track, but it’s got a lot of room. That’s one of the many things I like about the mile-and-a-half tracks, how much room you have.”
News & Notes:
- Chassis Chatter…The No. 41 ThorSport Racing team will unload chassis No. 49 forSaturday night’s Speediatrics 200 at Iowa Speedway. This is the same chassis that Rhodes earned his first career pole with at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season, and finished 16th.
- Hawkeye State Stats… Rhodes, who will be making his 12th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start on Saturday, has four starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Iowa Speedway in 2013 and 2014. In four starts at the .875-mile track, Rhodes has one win (May, 2014), two top-five and four top-10 finishes.
- Rookie Stripe… Rhodes is currently third in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings behind leader, William Byron after seven of 23 races this season.
- Race Rewind – Texas… Rhodes started 12th, ran as high as eighth, and finished 11th in his track debut at Texas Motor Speedway.
Rhodes’ 2016 NCWTS Stats:
- Starts: 7
- Poles: 1 (Martinsville, 2016)
- Top-5 Finishes: 0
- Top-10 Finishes: 2 (Daytona, and Atlanta)
- Best Finish: 6th (Atlanta)
- Laps Completed: 1086 of 1156 (93.9%)
- Laps Led: 47
- Avg. Start: 10.79
- Avg. Finish: 14.7
Rhodes’ Career NCWTS stats:
- Starts: 11 since 2014
- First full-time season: 2016
- Poles: 1 (Martinsville, 2016)
- Top-5 Finishes: 1 (Phoenix, 2014)
- Top-10 Finishes: 5
- Laps Completed: 1837 of 1938 (94.8%)
- Laps Led: 47
- First start: Martinsville (8th)
- Best finish: 5th: Phoenix
- Avg. Start: 10.0
- Avg. Finish: 13.4
Race Information:
Date: Saturday, June 18
Time: 8:30pm ET on FOX Sports 1
Track: .875-mile oval
Distance: 250 laps/218.75 miles
About Alpha Energy Solutions:
Alpha Energy Solutions is a commercial and industrial service provider specializing in building automation, indoor energy solutions, chillers, boilers, electrical, equipment rental, food equipment service, piping, plumbing, sheet metal, refrigeration, insulation, and part sales. With more than 200 service personnel, Alpha is one of the largest self-performing service providers. Alpha’s highly skilled technicians operate quickly and efficiently in all areas of system maintenance and management. As members of the community they serve, Alpha’s associates are committed to job quality and customer satisfaction. To learn more, visit www.
About ThorSport Racing:
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport Racing, which has competed in the NCWTS since 1996, will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by two-time NCWTS drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra driven by Cameron Hayley, the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Toyota Tundra driven by Ben Rhodes, and the No. 98 Safelite/CURB Records Toyota Tundra driven by Rico Abreu in 2016. To learn more visitwww.ThorSport.com
