Author: Briar Starr

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings- Martinsville II

The Round of 6 began this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Six drivers had a shot to punch their ticket in the Championship 4. Familiar faces ran up front all afternoon as expected, but one playoff driver has already clinched his spot in the championship race at Homestead Miami in Southern Florida.

Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.

1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter dominated the race by leading 148 laps of the scheduled 200 laps. He won both stages after starting in the eighth position. It was a huge win for the No. 21 GMS Racing team as it was Sauter’s sixth win of the year and 23rd of his career. It will also mark his third consecutive appearance in the Championship 4. Sauter will be tough to beat in the next two races, especially the championship race.

Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

2. Justin Haley – Haley followed up Talladega with another top 10 earning a sixth-place finish. He started 13th and finished 10th, and eighth, respectively, in both stages. Haley is two points below the cut line, however, good tracks are coming up for him such as Texas and Phoenix. Haley hopes to be the second GMS driver in the Championship 4 by either pointing his way in it or collecting a win at the next two races.

Previous Week Ranking: 3rd

3. Brett Moffitt – Earlier this year, Moffitt was the Cinderella story with the little team that could, but as the season wore on, he won four races that got him a spot in the playoffs. He’s been quietly consistent throughout the playoffs and is now in the Round of 6. Moffitt currently is 15 points to the good and sits third in the standings. If the No. 16 team continues to do the things that got them here, then they will be in the Championship 4. But a win guarantees that and everyone will step it up in the next two races. So Moffitt will have to continue to bring his A game for Texas and Phoenix, and get stage points to secure his spot.

Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

4. Noah Gragson – After being wrecked on the final lap at Talladega when racing for the win, Gragson earned a solid top 10 finish at Martinsville. He started third and finished second in both stages. Gragson fell back a bit due to late race cautions and strategy, ultimately finishing seventh. However, he is 24 points to the good and if he continues to run the way he has, Gragson will be in the Championship 4 as well. Although, stranger things have happened in the world of NASCAR and nothing is guaranteed.

Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

5. Myatt Snider – Snider continues his strong runs late in the season by earning a top five at Martinsville and taking the lead momentarily after a restart. He finished second after the wildcard of Talladega. Snider started 16th and did not finish at all in either stage, but wound up in the third position with his Louisiana Hot Sauce Ford.

Previous Week Ranking: 2nd

October 29, 2018

Johnny Sauter Dominates At Martinsville With Win; Grabs Spot In Championship 4

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took center stage today at the paperclip, Martinsville Speedway. It was the site for the start of the Round of 6 for the playoff drivers and the site for one driver who clinched his spot in the Championship 4 for the championship race at Homestead Miami.

Johnny Sauter collected his sixth win of the season and 23rd of his career after leading 148 of the scheduled 200 laps.

“You don’t get them (trucks) like that everyday,” Sauter told MRN Radio. “Just proud of Joe, everybody at GMS Racing. With our ISM Connect Chevrolet, it was a good day to be in a Chevrolet, that’s all I can tell you. Just pumped up. Just gotta thank everyone that helps us out. Maury Gallagher, the whole Gallagher family, this is a special win and obviously racing for a championship at Homestead.”

With qualifying early Saturday morning, Todd Gilliland won the pole with teammate, Harrison Burton alongside.

Stage 1 went for 50 laps and saw one minor incident that took place on lap 36, which saw Chad Finley spin and hit the wall. Under the yellow, Todd, Burton, Friesen along with others pitted.

Sauter assumed the lead with seven to go for the restart. He held on to win Stage 1. As soon as the caution came out, Sauter and team elected to stay out for Stage 2.

Stage 2 began on lap 60 and went to lap 100. There was one caution during the stage and it was after the restart, as Stewart Friesen had a left rear tire go down after contact from Jeb Burton.

The restart came on lap 67 and it went green for the remaining stage as Sauter came home again with the stage win.

After everyone pitted except for Kyle Benjamin, the final stage went green with 89 to go.

A few laps after the restart, Myatt Snider and John Hunter Nemechek made slight contact, thus giving Nemechek a left front rub.

Sauter was enjoying his five second lead until another caution was displayed with 48 to go, as Dawson Cram spun around off Turn 4 after slight contact from Friesen.

The final caution of the race fell with 41 to go. It saw Chase Purdy and Grant Enfinger spin around in Turns 1 and 2.

On the restart before the caution, Snider made a dive bomb and took the lead. However, with a restart of 33 to go, Sauter retook the lead.

From there, Sauter held on to win the sixth race of the season and the 23rd of his career.

“Believe it or not we came here with a completely different set-up when it all rained out,” he told MRN Radio. We were like now. Joe said, we have to put it back the way it was in the spring. I didn’t think we were that good in the spring. It was good today and track position is so important, and we played it right by passing those guys at the front early on and just pumped up!”

With today’s win at Martinsville, Sauter and the No. 21 GMS Racing team are now locked in to the Championship 4 at Homestead Miami. However, it’s not going to change the way he races at Texas and ISM Raceway.

“Do what we always do,” Sauter said to MRN Radio. “Race like hell, you know what I mean!? We race hard no matter what, I’m not changing the way we drive for points, you know what I’m saying? We’re in a position to win the race and get wiped out, that’s the way it goes. Just pumped up to be able to compete for the championship. We got a pretty good piece going on at Homestead. It would be awesome to get another win at Texas and Phoenix. Six wins this year, it’s been a dream season and we just have to cap this off with a championship.”

Other playoff drivers finished second (Brett Moffitt), Sixth (Justin Haley), Seventh (Noah Gragson), 13th (Matt Crafton), and 14th (Grant Enfinger).

Playoff Points
1. Johnny Sauter (W, Advanced at Homestead)
2. Noah Gragson +24
3. Brett Moffitt +15
4. Grant Enfinger +2

Below the cutline
5. Justin Haley -2
6. Matt Crafton -10

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race
Unofficial Race Results for the 20Th Annual Texas Roadhouse 200 Presented
By Alpha Energy Solutions – Saturday, October 27, 2018
Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, VA – .526 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 105.2 Miles

Pos	St	Car	Driver	Team	Make
1	8	21	Johnny Sauter (P)	ISM Connect	Chevrolet
2	17	16	Brett Moffitt (P)	AW N.C./AISIN Group	Toyota
3	16	13	Myatt Snider #	Louisiana Hot Sauce	Ford
4	4	41	Ben Rhodes	The Carolina Nut Co.	Ford
5	5	17	Kyle Benjamin(i)	Crosley Brands/DGR Crosley	Toyota
6	13	24	Justin Haley (P)	Fraternal Order of Eagles	Chevrolet
7	3	18	Noah Gragson (P)	Safelite AutoGlass	Toyota
8	2	51	Harrison Burton	Morton Buildings	Toyota
9	12	46	Christian Eckes	Craftsman	Toyota
10	9	23	Timothy Peters	AutosbyNelson.com	Chevrolet
11	11	52	Stewart Friesen	We Build America	Chevrolet
12	1	4	Todd Gilliland #	JBL/SiriusXM	Toyota
13	10	88	Matt Crafton (P)	Chi-Chis/Menards	Ford
14	6	98	Grant Enfinger (P)	Protect the Harvest	Ford
15	22	30	Jeb Burton(i)	Strutmasters.com/SparrowRanch.org	Toyota
16	14	75	Parker Kligerman	Global Building Contractors/Food Country USA	Chevrolet
17	25	25	Tyler Dippel	America First/Turning Point USA	Chevrolet
18	19	54	Tyler Ankrum Ma	y’s Hawaii/Crosley Brands	Toyota
19	15	2	Sheldon Creed	AM Ortega/United Rentals	Chevrolet
20	7	02	Austin Hill	Young’s Building Systems/Randco	Chevrolet
21	27	99	Chase Purdy	Bama Buggies	Chevrolet
22	21	63	Kyle Donahue	First Responder Racing	Chevrolet
23	29	22	Austin Wayne	Self GO TEXAN	Chevrolet
24	23	83	Dawson Cram	RGS Products/THP	Chevrolet
25	24	49	DJ Kennington	SobrietyNation.org	Chevrolet
26	26	3	Jordan Anderson	Commercial Property Services	Chevrolet
27	28	45	Justin Fontaine #	ProMATIC Automation/Superior Essex	Chevrolet
28	31	15	Brad Foy	Strutmasters.com	Chevrolet
29	32	10	Jennifer Jo	Cobb Driven2Honor	Chevrolet
30	18	8	John Hunter	Nemechek(i) Ollie’s Bargain Outlet	Chevrolet
31	30	20	Tanner Thorson	Go Share	Chevrolet
32	20	33	Chad Finley	Airlift/Strutmasters.com	Chevrolet

October 27, 2018

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Martinsville II

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series begins the Round of 6 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Six drivers will be looking to lock themselves in with a win to the Championship 4 in Southern Florida.

There are at least three playoff drivers that have a good chance to do that this weekend, but there can only be one winner. But of course, stranger things have happened and in NASCAR, anything can happen and a different playoff driver could shine.

Here’s a look at who could wind up in victory lane this weekend at the paperclip, Martinsville Speedway.

There are currently 35 drivers entered on the preliminary entry list.

1. Johnny Sauter – It’s no surprise that Sauter is at the top of this list. He has 21 starts and has won in three of those in 2011, 2013, 2016. In those starts, Sauter has led 431 laps and has eight top fives and 11 top-10 finishes. One DNF occurred in 2016. He has an average start of 9.1 and an average finish of 12.1. Sauter finished 19th after starting sixth in the spring race and collected a third-place finish last fall. If he has a season like any of those, he could secure his spot in the Championship 4 if everything goes to plan.

2. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek has 10 starts and one win which came in the spring race of this year. In the 2018 race, he finished sixth and fifth in both stages, respectively. Nemechek has 81 laps led, along with four top fives and four top-10 finishes. He currently has an average start of 14.0 and an average finish of 13.5. The Nemco Motorsports driver collected a pair of top-five finishes in the 2015-2016 races. He could just wind up in victory lane this weekend, completing a season sweep.

3. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes had one got away in the springtime. He started on the pole and won both stages. However, Rhodes was relegated to a 12th place finish after a strong race early and leading 134 laps. In Martinsville, he has six starts, 176 laps led, two top-10 finishes and two poles (2016,2018). With those starts, he accumulated an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 14.0. Rhodes may be eliminated from the playoffs, but he’ll be looking for redemption this weekend at Martinsville.

4. Noah Gragson – Gragson is another driver that has a chance to secure a Championship 4 spot this weekend. He is the previous fall race winner and has led 10 laps in his three starts. Gragson has an average start of 8.3 and an average finish of 3.3. In the spring race, he finished fifth after placing eighth in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2.

5. Matt Crafton – Crafton has been winless all season and just barely made it into the Round of 6. He’ll have to win if he wants to have a shot at the championship. Martinsville could be just the place. Crafton has the most starts of anyone currently with 33. He has two wins (2014, 2015), along with nine top fives and 19 top-10 finishes with 385 laps led. Crafton finished 15th in the spring race and wound up second last fall after race winner Gragson got around him on the final restart.

Since 1995, there have been 39 races with 29 race winners that has a list of who’s who. Of those winners, Mike Skinner and Kevin Harvick won three times. Crafton, Sauter and Dennis Setzer are the only ones to win twice. But if the weather is not permitting this weekend, check out www.houseofjack.com and have some fun.

The race winner has won from the pole nine times and the lowest a race winner has come from to win was 33rd in 2002 set by Dennis Setzer.

There will be some fresh faces at the track this weekend. The list includes Tyler Dippel in the No. 25 GMS truck, Timothy Peters returns for another race with GMS in the No. 23 and Sheldon Creed in the No. 2. It also includes Chad Finley in the 33, Dawson Cram in the 83, and Chase Purdy in the 99. K&N East Champ, Tyler Akrum, will make his debut in the No. 54 DGR-Crosley Brand. Jeb Burton also returns to the 30 of On Point Motorsports.

Two practice sessions are scheduled for Friday afternoon with first practice taken place at 12:05 p.m. ET and final practice slated for 2:05 p.m. ET.

Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

The Texas Roadhouse 250 takes place Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET with the green flag approximately at 1:16 p.m. ET, all weather permitting.

October 24, 2018
Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Talladega

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumed action this past weekend at the biggest track on NASCAR’s schedule, Talladega Superspeedway. It featured the 19th race of the season and the final race in the Round of 8.

Here are four takeaways from this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.

1. Typical Dega – As expected, it was typical Dega fashion with aggressive driving and several incidents. The expected “big one” occurred on Lap 58 and saw Justin Haley accidentally clipping Justin Fontaine, which saw Fontaine go back up the track and the whole field was collected. Todd Gilliland was sent spinning with 12 to go after trying to make a pass for the lead. Grant Enfinger was accidentally spun after the restart with six to go. On the last lap, Noah Gragson was spun and was hit several times before resting on the backstretch. Several others were involved as well before NASCAR threw the caution to end the race. The race saw 22 lead changes and six cautions for 21 laps. It was a typical Dega race that ended in exciting fashion.

2. Six drivers move on to the Round of 6 – Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley, and Matt Crafton all survived the Round of 8 and are moving on to the Round of 6 that begins at Martinsville. The Round of 6 will feature tracks such as Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix, and the penultimate race in Southern Florida, Homestead Miami. The championship points race is only going to get tighter from here on out.

3. GMS Racing 2019 Lineup Almost Set – During the media availabilities this past weekend, Maury Gallagher and team said Johnny Sauter is expected to return, along with the new additions of Sheldon Creed and Tyler Dippel who are expected to join the team.

4. Brett Moffitt Unknown For 2019 – You could say that Moffitt is having his best career season to date with four wins at tracks Atlanta, the thrilling finish at Iowa, Chicago and his last win at Michigan in a last-lap pass. Despite having sponsorship struggles throughout the season and the future looking bleak for the Hattori Racing team, they have been able to make every race and could be championship contenders should things go their way. However, we all know nothing is guaranteed in NASCAR and that is true with the four-time winner, Brett Moffitt. With his media availability on Friday, he claimed he was unsure what his plans were for next year and was uncertain where he would land.

October 16, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series Power Rankings: Talladega

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to action this past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway and as always, the action didn’t disappoint.

Here’s this weeks power rankings.

1. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger continued to show his superspeedway dominance this past weekend. After starting fourth, he stayed in the top 10 for most of the race by finishing winning Stage 1, but failed to finish in Stage 2 in the top 10 due to strategy. After getting caught with a penalty for removing equipment, Enfinger worked his way back up in the field and was leading on lap 72. He and Todd Gilliland made contact with Todd getting the worst of it, as he went sliding to the inside wall. On a restart, he was accidentally turned by David Gilliland after the incident. Unfortunately, Enfinger’s strong day was regulated to a 19th place finish, two laps down. On the flip side, he is locked in to the Round of 6.

2. Myatt Snider – Snider quietly earned a second place finish after all the melee on Saturday afternoon at Talladega. He finished third and tenth, respectively in both stages. Snider was able to miss the big one on lap 58 and on the last lap. At the end of the day, Snider and the No. 13 Thorsport Racing team finished second. It’s what could have been, should Snider qualified for the playoffs.

3. Justin Haley – Haley had a strong Round of 8 with a surprise win at Mosport, third at Las Vegas, and ultimately fourth at Talladega. After starting 16th, it didn’t take long for the No. 24 to find himself in the top 10. He finished eighth in both stages and escaped the crashes to finish in the top five. Expect Haley to continue his strong runs in the Round of 6.

4. Matt Crafton – Crafton needed to do what he did to make it in to the next round. The results may not show it due to him being involved on the big one on lap 58, he managed to finish fourth and second, respectively in both stages. Crafton led seven laps before being regulated to a 26th place finish. He’ll look to have a strong run in the Round of 6.

5. Todd Gilliland – Despite the results and the finish, it doesn’t replicate of how strong Todd was throughout the race. Todd started sixth and finished sixth, and won Stage 2. He led 13 laps and drafted with his dad, David briefly. Todd’s day started to go south in Stage 3. He found himself contending for the win with race leader, Enfinger. With 12 laps to go, Todd was under Enfinger and both made contact, thus saw Todd wrecking out and was regulated to a 20th place finish.

October 15, 2018
Todd Gilliland Finishes A Disappointing 20th After Strong Start

The father-son duo was in full force this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

It was David and Todd Gilliland who were both competing in the Kyle Busch Motorsports stable with David in the No. 51 and Todd in the No 4.

Todd started sixth and was strong early as he finished sixth in Stage 1, and was able to win the second stage after taking the lead on Lap 38.

It wasn’t until Lap 63 where we would see Todd take the top spot once more, working with his dad, David. Unfortunately, Todd was involved in an incident on Lap 84, after some hard racing and contact with race leader, Grant Enfinger. Gilliland spun all the way down to the inside wall, which saw his truck pound the wall and catch air.

After leading 13 laps and winning Stage 2, his day was done and he was relegated to a 20th place finish.

“I was just trying to get under the 98 (Grant Enfinger) while I could,” Gilliland said to MRN Radio. “I felt like this was a good situation. I could see him (Enfinger) coming up more and more. I got into him a little bit in the middle of Turns 3 and 4. He got really far off the bottom and I tried to fill the hole, and I was to his wheel, then he just came back down.”

“Just racing here, that’s what it’s all about, I guess,” Todd told MRN Radio.” “I was having a lot of fun up until then, as my truck was so fast. That was a lot of fun. Guess we’ll just rebound. Won a stage and everything, so just focus on Daytona next year, I guess. First time doing it, not too bad.

October 13, 2018
Wendell Chavous Earns Top Five Finish In Last Career NASCAR Start

It was announced earlier in the week, that Wendell Chavous would not race anymore in NASCAR after the Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. However, Chavous made the most of the opportunity with a fifth-place finish after starting 32nd.

He was able to avoid all of the wrecks, including the last lap wreck which saw Chavous go to the front of the pack. Timing and scoring had at first shown him as the unofficial race winner, but scoring loops showed Timothy Peters as the eventual race winner at the time of the caution. Still, Chavous came home in the fifth position for his final NASCAR start in the Premium Motorsports entry.

“Man, you just don’t know how great this is,” Chavous told MRN Radio. “Leaving the sport to go take care of my family and business, then get my best finish. Man, this is just awesome! Gotta thank my crew guys, Sobriety Nation Chevrolet. Heavy with hearts, the guy riding with me had a crew member who has a family member who passed away. He was riding with me. I think he was pushing me on through the deal back there.”

Chavous made the decision to retire because of the “demanding” schedule and to spend more time with his family.

“I have a 4-year-old son who is growing up very fast and I’ve missed important times in his life because of my racing career,” he said. “I am a father first and I want to be there for him to guide him and watch him grow up.”

The top five at Talladega was Chavous’ best finish in 50 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

October 13, 2018
Timothy Peters Collects 11th Career Win In Last Lap Thriller At Talladega

The final race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took place Saturday afternoon in Talladega, Alabama and as always, it proved once again anything is possible and nothing is over until the checkered flag falls.

This was the case for Timothy Peters who earned his third win at Talladega Superspeedway after an incident with leader Noah Gragson on the last lap.

“We had a great run,” Peters told MRN Radio. “You know, at the end, it’s pretty much game on and everyone for themselves. We’re good with all of our teammates. I messed up on that initial start and let that 88 (Matt Crafton) hang me out, but we made up for it at the end. I hate it that the big one was started, but you know, I couldn’t see the replay very good a minute ago on TV. Block or whatever, you’re going for the win.”

“Without Mike Beam giving me that call, I wouldn’t even be here,” he told MRN Radio. So thank you to him, Maury Gallagher, Spencer Gallagher, the whole 25 team for working their butts off and I’m just glad to be a part of it. The plane ride home is going to be really nice. ”

David Gilliland and Spencer Gallagher set the front row in qualifying late Friday afternoon.

The first stage was 20 laps and it went green without any incidents. Playoff driver and Las Vegas winner, Grant Enfinger, took the checkered flag in the first stage. There were some issues on pit road, however, as David Gilliland was penalized for pitting outside the box and given a one lap penalty. The No. 16 of Brett Moffitt was penalized for an uncontrolled tire.

Stage 2 took place on lap 25-lap 40. Like the first stage, there were no incidents until Moffitt and Austin Hill had damage in the remaining laps. This time, David’s son, Todd Gilliland, won Stage 2.

The third and final stage began on Lap 45 with 48 to go and it saw several incidents all the way to the checkered flag. It started on Lap 48 when Tanner Thorson spun on the backstretch to bring out a caution.

Then the expected big one was seen with 35 to go. The No. 47 of Chris Fontaine was clipped by the No. 24 of Justin Haley, which saw Fontaine go back up the track and several others were involved including John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, Justin Fontaine, Bo LeMastus, Parker Kligerman, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter. During the pit stops, Enfinger was penalized for removing equipment (a gas can).

After a red flag, the restart came with 31 laps to go. Austin Hill was penalized for passing Jennifer Jo Cobb underneath the yellow line. Enfinger took the lead with 22 to go. As laps were winding down, playoff hopeful, Moffitt had a flat right rear and had to make a pit stop.

With 12 to go, Todd Gilliland was spun and hit the inside wall after contact with Enfinger.

This saw the race resume with six to go. Gragson was out front trying to hold off the field for his first win since Kansas in May. However, too many trucks had good runs and there was aggressive pushing. On the last lap, Gragson was turned by eventual race winner Timothy Peters. Gragson’s truck got air and others started wrecking as well.

NASCAR had no choice but to throw the caution. Peters was in the right spot at the right time to take home his 11th career win, his third at Talladega.

It was his last race of the season in the No. 25 GMS Racing Chevy.

“Everyone was wanting to win, wanting to block,” Peters told MRN Radio. “I’m wanting to win too. This was my last go around of the three-race stint. At the end of the day, I was going for it.”

Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley, and Matt Crafton all move on to the Round of 6 that begins at Martinsville Speedway Saturday, Oct. 27.

Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen were eliminated from competing for the championship.

October 13, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Talladega

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action and continues their Playoff run this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Currently, there are 36 trucks on the preliminary entry list.

Here’s a look at who might wind up in victory lane on Saturday and there could be a possible upset.

1. Parker Kligerman – Kligerman is the recent and defending winner of this race. In four races, he has two wins in 2012 and 2017, three top fives and three top 10 finishes. Kligerman also has an average start of 12.8 and an average finish of 8.5. He led three laps en route to his second victory and finished 10th in Stage 1. While you could consider him an upset, Kligerman has run up front the past few races.

2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter excels as a superspeedway racer of late. He scored the victory at the season opener at Daytona in February. At Talladega, he has nine starts, one win in 2013, three top fives and five top 10 finishes, along with an average start of 13.0 and an average finish of 10.2 with one DNF. Sauter won both stages last year after starting second but wound up finishing 12th. He’s led 47 laps in his career at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Keep an eye out for Sauter and the No.21 GMS Racing team this weekend.

3. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger has recently been strong at Talladega. It was the site of his first career win in 2016. Since then, he has collected two top fives and two top 10 finishes. Enfinger has an average start of 11.2 and an average finish of 9.8, along with 62 laps led and one DNF. He finished fourth in last year’s race after finishing 10th in Stage 2. He’s already locked into the next round with his recent victory at Las Vegas.

4. Timothy Peters – Peters is back in the No. 25 GMS Racing Chevy this weekend. At Talladega, he has eight starts and two wins (2014, 2015) among four top five’s and five top 10 finishes. Peters has an average start of 15.6 and an average finish of 10.0. His last start came two years ago in 2016, where Peters started sixth and finished third after leading 14 laps.

5. Myatt Snider – Snider could surprise the field this weekend by scoring his first ever Truck Series victory. In his lone start in 2017, Snider started ninth and finished third after finishing fifth in Stage 1 and third in Stage 2, respectively.

There have been 12 races at Talladega for the Truck Series. The first one coming back in 2006, when Mark Martin was the inaugural winner. Since then, Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch, Mike Wallace, Parker Kligerman, Johnny Sauter, Timothy Peters, and Grant Enfinger have all visited victory lane.

Of those winners, Bodine, Busch, Peters, and Kligerman are the only ones to have repeat wins. Peters and Kligerman are the only repeat winners entered.

The lowest a race winner has ever come from was 26th in 2014 set by Timothy Peters. The highest a race winner has come from was the pole three times, set by Martin in 2006, Bodine in 2007, and Peters in 2015.

There have been some close finishes at Talladega since the first race back in 2006. In 2007, Todd Bodine beat Rick Crawford to the line by .014 seconds. In 2008, Bodine won again by .074 seconds over Ron Hornaday Jr. In 2009, Kyle Busch made a last lap pass on Bodine and Aric Almirola by .057 seconds. The same happened again in 2010 with Busch edging Almirola by .002 seconds, the closest finish since then for the Truck Series at Talladega.

In 2011, Mike Wallace won, beating Hornaday by .057 seconds. 2012 saw Kligerman passing James Buescher on Lap 93 to win under caution. 2013, Johnny Sauter took the checkers by passing Ross Chastain on Lap 94 to win under caution. In 2015, Peters passed Brandon Jones on Lap 97 to win back to back. In 2016, Enfinger won by .107 seconds. Kligerman won last year’s race by taking the lead on Lap 94 and was scored the victor as the caution came out.

It will be a busy day on Friday for the truckers.

The first of two practices is scheduled for 10:05 a.m. ET with the final practice slated for 11:35 a.m. ET, all on FOX Sports 2. Qualifying will take place later in the day at 5:35 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 2 with a tape-delayed version on FOX Sports 1 at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Live coverage begins with race day on FOX at 12:30 p.m. ET. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 1:10 p.m. ET on FOX and MSN Radio.

October 9, 2018
Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Canada
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series began their playoff run to Southern Florida this past weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as it continues to be the most exciting series of 2018.

With the track known for its controversial finishes and top moments in the series for the past five years, it didn’t disappoint this year with another exciting finish.

Here are four takeaways from the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at CTMP.
1. Another Exciting Ending – In the past prior to the 2018 race, there have been several exciting finishes to the end of the races at CTMP. In 2013, it was Chase Elliott who made contact with Ty Dillon in the last corner of the race and went on to win. The next year, saw Ryan Blaney edge German Quiroga to the line in a clean finish. In 2016, John Hunter Nemechek won the race after bouncing and taking Cole Custer off the track, and into the wall, ending with Custer tackling Nemechek after the race. In 2017, Austin Cindric did a bump and run, spinning Kaz Grala out to win the race and lock himself into the Playoffs. This year was no exception. On the last lap, Noah Gragson accidentally took out his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Todd Gilliland for the race win but was unable to successfully complete the maneuver, which saw a thrilling ending to the end of the race. The two teammates were able to recover but were relegated to ninth and 11th in the official results, after almost having a 1-2 finish.
2. Justin Haley Breaks Through – The No. 24 GMS Racing driver was able to break through after all the mess on the final lap to lock himself into the Round of 6. It was Haley’s second win of his career and the first since Gateway in the summer. Haley can breathe a little easier with not having to worry about Las Vegas and the wildcard race at Talladega to end the round. He continues to be quietly consistent this year and it would not be a surprise if he ends up being in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami in Southern Florida. GMS Racing continues to be the team to beat for the championship, whether it will be Haley or Johnny Sauter.
3. Timothy Peters Gets A For Effort- After Red Horse Racing shut down a few years ago, it left veteran Timothy Peters without a ride. Since then he has competed part-time in the series driving for multiple teams. When the news broke prior to the race weekend that Dalton Sargeant and his team had parted ways this would have seen Spencer Gallagher replace Sargeant to drive at CTMP. However, Gallagher had a shoulder injury and wasn’t able to compete in the race. This gave Peters the opportunity to step in but it almost didn’t happen either. His passport was expired so he had to get it renewed and did not leave for Canada until Friday morning. Peters made the trip and qualified fifth, finished eighth in both stages, led two laps and wound up finishing fourth for his second top-10 of the 2018 season and scored his 124th career top-10 finish. It was his best finish in the top five since Charlotte of last year, where Peters finished fifth. It will be interesting to see if this opportunity will allow Peters to get more chances in the Truck Series and potentially end up full time again. Only time will tell.
4. Alex Tagliani Scores Top-10 Finish – Lost in all the excitement from Sunday’s race and finish could very well be, Alex Tagliani who piloted the No. 12 of Young’s Motorsports. He had a quiet race, but is normally found inside the top-10 or competing for race wins at road courses, when the right opportunity comes along. Tagliani, who regularly competes in the NASCAR Pinty Series in Canada, earned his second career top-10 finish in the Truck Series in his fourth start. He didn’t earn any stage points in either stage, but nonetheless, Tagliani continues to impress at road courses in whatever equipment he races.
The Truck Series now takes two weeks off before continuing their Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday night September 14.
August 29, 2018