NASCAR Preview: Keselowski heads to next round

LOUDON, NH - Entering the Chase as the No. 1 seed, Brad Keselowski lived up to the billing by registering a win in the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, automatically advancing to the Contender Round.<br /> <br /> The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driver hopes the win is a good omen. He last won at Chicagoland in the 2012 Chase-opener, the same year he clinched the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Keselowski, who also took the checkered flag in the regular season finale at Richmond, won consecutive races for the first time in his career.<br /> <br /> Although he moves on in the Chase regardless of where he finishes at Loudon or Dover, Keselowski looks to continue momentum by finding Victory Lane in this Sunday's Sylvania 300 -- which would mean his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series sweep. The Team Penske driver won the July race at the Loudon in dominating fashion, leading 138 of the 305 laps. He looks to become the first person to sweep the track since Kurt Busch in 2004 (Busch won series championship that season).<br /> <br /> <i>WDUN will have live PRN Radio coverage of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway beginning at 1 pm on 102.9 FM and 550 AM.</i><br /> <br /> <strong>NASCAR Nationwide Series: Kentucky Primed To Produce Another First-Time Winner In 2014</strong><br /> <br /> Kentucky Speedway is the last standalone event on the schedule and possibly the perfect stage for the series' sixth first-time winner to pop up in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 Victory Lane on Saturday.<br /> <br /> In a competitive season that has seen 15 different winners in 26 races it should be no surprise that of the 15, five were first time series winners. Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Brendan Gaughan, Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher all have captured the checkered flag this season. So who's next?<br /> <br /> Six of the top-eight drivers in the series standings have a win this season; the two odd men out are Brian Scott and Trevor Bayne.<br /> <br /> Richard Childress Racing's Brian Scott sits fifth in the driver standings having posted three Coors Light poles, five top fives, 16 top 10s and a career-best average finish of 9.9. Scott is on the cusp of breaking through and getting his first win. His season-to-date Driver Rating is 100.2, also a career-best through 26 races. Scott has made seven starts at Kentucky with a best finish of eighth earlier this season.<br /> <br /> Roush Fenway Racing's Trevor Bayne might be going full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season but by no means does he want to close this season out winless. Bayne is sixth in the standings after posting one Coors Light pole, five top fives, 17 top 10s and an average finish of 10.7. His season-to-date Driver Rating of 92.1 is the second-best in his career through 26 races. Bayne has made six starts at Kentucky posting a best finish of 11th in 2011.<br /> <br /> Of Kentucky Speedway's 16 previous NASCAR Nationwide Series races, five were won by first-time winners, David Gilliland (2006), Stephen Leicht (2007), Joey Logano (2008), Austin Dillon (2012) and last year's event winner Ryan Blaney (2013).<br /> <br /> <i>WDUN will have live PRN Radio coverage of Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series Myrtle Beach.com 300 from Kentucky Speedway beginning at 7 pm on 102.9 FM.</i><br /> <br /> <strong>NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: John Hunter Goes For Nemechek Family Trifecta At NHMS</strong><br /> <br /> New Hampshire Motor Speedway has provided some good memories for Joe Nemechek. The 50-year-old, nicknamed "Front Row Joe," captured his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at the one-mile oval in 1999 and logged his first premier series start there in 1992. He has even notched a NASCAR Nationwide Series win at the Loudon, New Hampshire track (08/23/92).<br /> <br /> This Saturday, Nemechek's son, John Hunter, will go for the family New Hampshire "sweep" in the UNOH 175 as he attempts to clinch his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in his first career start at the track.<br /> <br /> The 17-year old will pilot the No. 8 Gaunt Collision Centre Toyota in the hopes of bouncing back from a season-low 25th-place finish in his last series start at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He has raced a split-schedule this season, sharing seat-time with his father due to NASCAR age restrictions for tracks measuring longer than 1.25 miles. In seven NCWTS events this season, the younger Nemechek has three sixth-place performances to his credit and has finished lower than 15th only once.<br /> <br /> "I look forward to my next race which is New Hampshire," Nemechek said. "That's definitely my kind of track so look for us to run strong there and hopefully contend for our first win."