Author: Briar Starr

Noah Gragson Claims Second Win Of His Career At Kansas Speedway

Las Vegas native Noah Gragson started from the pole position and won both stages to capture the win in Friday nights NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) 37 Kind Day 250 at Kansas Speedway.

“This is such a relief for a driver that had a hard week last week battling for the win between myself and Johnny Sauter. We came back stronger this weekend with two consecutive poles in a row. Led the most laps today. Man, this is a pretty damn cool moment. I’m so thankful for everyone at Safelite, Switch, Toyota, TRD – everyone at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), Samantha and Kyle Busch – my parents, my mom definitely. Happy Mother’s Day, mom.” Gragson said.

Gragson led 128 of 167 laps to claim his first victory of the season, second in his career and he also secured his place in the playoffs.

Kyle Busch finished second, Stewart Friesen third, John Hunter Nemechek fourth and Johnny Sauter finished fifth.

“The 18 (Noah Gragson) was coming, but if I could have got by the 52 (Stewart Friesen), when I got ran through the grass, I could have gotten enough of a gap to hold the 18 off. They were faster than us and deserved to win the race. They were better than us all weekend. We just didn’t have it in this Cessna No. 4 Tundra today.” Busch said. “They’re going to race for a championship, so hopefully this will help them get going.”

Johnny Sauter retains the series lead by 35 points over Gragson. Grant Enfinger (-61), Brett Moffitt (-62), Ben Rhodes (-62), and Matt Crafton (-70) round out the top five in the points standings.

The Camping World Truck Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday night for the NC Education Lottery 200.

Unofficial Race Results
37 Kind Day 250 at Kansas Speedway
May 11, 2018

Pos.	Driver	Make	Points	Bonus	Laps	Lap Led
1	Noah Gragson	Toyota	60	20	167	128
2	Kyle Busch	Toyota	52	17	167	1
3	Stewart Friesen	Chevrolet	41	7	167	6
4	John Hunter Nemechek	Chevrolet	43	10	167	0
5	Johnny Sauter	Chevrolet	37	5	167	14
6	Matt Crafton	Ford	36	5	167	4
7	Cody Coughlin	Chevrolet	31	1	167	0
8	Grant Enfinger	Ford	39	10	167	0
9	Brandon Jones	Toyota	39	11	167	0
10	Justin Haley	Chevrolet	27	0	167	4
11	Dalton Sargeant	Chevrolet	26	0	167	0
12	Austin Hill	Chevrolet	25	0	167	0
13	Austin Wayne Self	Chevrolet	24	0	167	0
14	Darrell Wallace Jr.	Chevrolet	23	0	167	0
15	Myatt Snider	Ford	22	0	167	9
16	Brett Moffitt	Toyota	38	17	167	0
17	Justin Fontaine	Chevrolet	20	0	167	0
18	Ben Rhodes	Ford	26	7	167	1
19	Bo LeMastus	Toyota	18	0	167	0
20	Kyle Donahue	Chevrolet	17	0	167	0
21	Josh Reaume	Toyota	16	0	167	0
22	Jennifer Jo Cobb	Chevrolet	15	0	167	0
23	Norm Benning	Chevrolet	14	0	167	0
24	Mike Harmon	Chevrolet	13	0	167	0
25	Jordan Anderson	Chevrolet	12	0	167	0
26	Robby Lyons	Chevrolet	11	0	167	0
27	Wendell Chavous	Chevrolet	10	0	167	0
28	Jamie Mosley	Chevrolet	9	0	167	0
29	Bayley Currey	Chevrolet	8	0	167	0
30	Joe Nemechek	Chevrolet	7	0	167	0
31	Joey Gase	Chevrolet	6	0	167	0
32	Kevin Donahue	Chevrolet	5	0	167	0

May 11, 2018

Kansas – Cup Series News And Notes

Kevin Harvick is coming off a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Dover International Speedway the past weekend and is looking to go back-to-back for the second time this year. Harvick has two wins here at Kansas Speedway, the last one coming in the fall of 2016 almost two years ago.

He explained why it is one of his favorite tracks and how far the speedway has come.

“I feel like this has honestly been one of our best race tracks as I’ve gone through the years,” Harvick said, “and especially since I’ve come to SHR. I don’t feel like we’ve won as many races here as we probably should have – some of it of our own doing and some of it just circumstances, but we’ve always run really, really well here and, for me, I look forward to coming here for a number of different reasons.

“Not only do we run well at the race track, but I think when you look at this race track, I saw it when it was just the race track and the highway here. Now you look at what’s around it and everything has been built around what you’re sitting in right now. To me, that is something that’s pretty neat to see just because of the fact that the race track was here first and it’s easy to get from the airport. It’s one of the better race tracks on the schedule as far as convenience, in my opinion, because there is so much to do now. It’s so conveniently off the highway and from the airport and the airport is easy to get in and out of.

“There are just a number of things that I look forward to coming here and sitting in the casino watching the Truck race tonight eating dinner is not too bad either. It’s just a good place to come and, like I say, we run well here, but it’s just a good experience and I just enjoy the surroundings of everything that is outside of the race track as well. I enjoy that.”

Matt Kenseth returns to racing for the first time since Homestead of last year. However, he is back driving the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Kansas Speedway has been a special place for the Cambridge, Wisconsin driver. At Kansas, he has two wins, seven top five’s and 13 top 10 finishes, along with an average start of 12.7 and an average finish of 14.7. Kenseth scored back-to-back victories in 2012 and 2013. He gives his thoughts about what his expectations are for the weekend.

“I don’t have any expectations for the weekend. I just don’t know,” Kenseth said. “I don’t know how fast we’ll get up to speed and fight that type of thing. I came into this weekend with pretty much no expectations. Kind of came in with an open mind, taking one practice at a time and we’ll go from there.”

Aric Almirola returns to Kansas this weekend on what will be the one year anniversary of his dangerous wreck that took place last year. However, he has put that behind him and is focusing on 2018. Almirola is having a solid year with a 12.7 average finish. The No. 10 Smithfield driver has a best finish of sixth this season at Bristol. He explains what it would mean to him and the Stewart Haas Racing team if they make the Playoffs this year.

“I think it would be huge to do that,” Almirola said. “We went into the year hoping to be a team that’s capable of winning a championship and making the playoffs. I think we’re on target for that. We knew at the beginning of the year there would be some growing pains. You know, I feel like overall as a whole our company is a championship caliber company and all three of our other cars are showing speed, and doing what they need to do to make the playoffs. We need to do our part and so far we are. I feel like if we didn’t make the Playoffs, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But, we have the resources, the people at Stewart-Haas Racing, the cars capable of doing that. I keep saying it, but it’s up to Johnny (Klausmeier), my team, myself to go out and get the job done. I feel like we’re currently on pace to do that and we just have to continue to build, and get better.”

“I hope to be peaking by the time we get to the Playoffs. I think we have 15 more races until the playoffs start and so, that gives 15 more weeks to grow together and continue to build our foundation. So when we do start the Playoffs, we’re firing on all seven cylinders.”

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series KC Masterpiece 400 is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday night and will be broadcast on FS1.

May 11, 2018
Matt Crafton Paces The Only Truck Series Practice At Kansas

Friday’s activities at Kansas Speedway were off to a slow start, as there were early morning rain and thundershowers that impacted the area. With that being the case, the first Camping World Truck Series practice for the 37 Kind Days 250 was canceled and we were left with only one practice for the day.

Two-time Kansas winner Matt Crafton paced the way by being the fastest in practice with a lap time of 177.626 mph. Crafton’s teammate, Myatt Snider was second fastest followed by Brett Moffitt. Last year’s winner Kyle Busch and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top five.

Grant Enfinger, Cody Coughlin, Noah Gragson, John Hunter Nemechek and Brandon Jones rounded out the top 10.

Next up will be NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying taking place at the new scheduled time of 5:10 p.m. ET.

Complete practice results

May 11, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Kansas
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to the mid-west tomorrow night for the annual 37 Kind Days 250 at the Kansas Speedway. Currently, there are 30 trucks on the preliminary entry list.

Here’s a look at who will have a shot at the win tomorrow night.
1. Kyle Busch – Busch will be back in the field competing in the No. 4 Cessna Toyota Tundra. Kansas has been a great track to him recently. In the last four races, Busch has averaged two wins, two top five’s and three top 10 finishes, along with 206 laps led. Not only will he look to go to victory lane tomorrow night, but Busch will look to secure win No. 51 and tie Ron Hornaday on the all-time wins list.
2. Matt Crafton – After finishing second last week at Dover, Crafton looks to break through and earn his first win of the season. He has competed in 17 races, earned two wins, five top five’s and eight top 10 finishes. During those starts, he has averaged a 12.6 starting spot and an average finish of 12.8. The last time the No. 88 driver has scored a win at Kansas was three years ago in 2015. He’ll look to carry the momentum from the Dover finish.
3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter has been on a tear recently in the Truck Series. After scoring back to back wins at Dover this year, he’ll look to add on to his winning success. Sauter has competed in nine races and only earned one win, which came several years ago with an epic battle and finish with Ron Hornaday. In his time at Kansas, he has five top fives and six top 10 finishes. It shouldn’t be surprising if he takes the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevy back to victory lane for his second consecutive victory in 2018.
4. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek returns this week to drive the No. 8 Chevy for Nemco Motorsports. The last time Nemechek competed in a truck, he won at the “Half-Mile Paperclip” in Martinsville. In last week’s race at Dover, his father, Joe, brought the truck home to a seventh-place finish. However, John only has two starts at Kansas which came in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, he finished 28th while in last year’s race, Nemechek finished third.
5. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes will try to reclaim redemption from last year’s misfortune in the remaining laps. While it looked like he would score the first victory of his career, Rhodes’s engine went sour with just eight laps to go. Even though he only has two starts with finishes of 18th and 23rd, he’ll be hungry to earn his first ever-elusive victory.
Live coverage starts early on Fox Sports 1 with first practice beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET followed by final practice at 11:30 a.m. ET, both on FS1.Qualifying is slated for later in the day on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, with race coverage scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. The approximate green flag is 8:49 p.m. ET live on FS1 and the Motor Racing Network.
May 11, 2018
Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Dover
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competed in their fifth race of the 2018 season at Dover International Speedway. Here are four takeaways from the JEGS 200 event on Friday.
1. Johnny Sauter Continues Series Domination – Sauter got his second win of the 2018 season this past Friday. It was his first win since the season-opening race at Daytona. Since then, he has finished third at Atlanta, second at Las Vegas and only finished outside the top 10 once at Martinsville, finishing 19th. Friday’s victory was the 19th of his career. He’ll look to get his first victory at Kansas Speedway since 2010, eight years ago.
2. Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland Score Top Five/Ten Finishes – Burton and Gilliland who drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports earned a fifth and 10th place finish, respectively at Dover. Burton came from the back after starting 17th and finished seventh in Stage 1, while ultimately finishing in the top five. Todd, on the other hand, finished second in the first stage and eighth in the second, before finishing 10th.
3. Justin Haley Earns Third Place Finish – Haley earned his second top five of the 2018 season after finishing third. He started in the fourth position and finished third in Stage 1, with a second-place finish in Stage 2. As the JEGS 200 came to a close, the scoring pylon showed the No. 24 FOE Chevy third. A nice Dover outing for the GMS Racing team.
4. Close Battle For The Win Ends Under Caution – Sauter and Noah Gragson battled it out all the way to the end until the last corner with two laps to go. Both of them swapped the lead from lap 124 to lap 210. While it looked like Gragson could score his second career win, he would, unfortunately, get loose and end up finishing 20th due to a spin. Gragson and the No. 18 Tundra will look to rebound this week at Kansas Speedway and get his second career victory.
May 9, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Dover

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to action this past weekend at Dover International Speedway after a five week hiatus.

Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.

1. Johnny Sauter- It should be no surprise that Sauter is back on top of the power rankings after winning the race at Dover. After starting second, he stayed in the top ten for the first stage by finishing fourth while he ended up winning the second stage. Late in the race, Noah Gragson and Sauter battled and swapped the lead multiple times until the last lap, where Gragson got loose underneath the 21 of Sauter with just two laps to go and ended up in the turn 3 wall. Sauter was able to hang on to his vehicle and end up winning the race under caution. It was his 19th career victory after leading 137 laps.
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

2. Noah Gragson- It’s safe to say that it would have been a fun battle for the win and it could have came down to a last lap pass. However, Gragson was apart of the incident with two to go and ended up wrecking out. Not all was lost for the No. 18 camp, as Gragson would win Stage 1 and finish fourth in Stage 2. Nonetheless, Gragson gets an A for effort at Dover.

Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention

3. Matt Crafton- Crafton finished second in Friday’s night race at Dover after starting tenth. It was a decent result for the No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 as in the two previous races, Crafton finished 15th at Martinsville and had brakes issues at Las Vegas resulting in a 29th place finish. It was his first top five since February at Atlanta. He finished seventh and third, respectively in both stages. A solid day for Crafton who needed a good run. This could be the finish that may help him set off runs inside the top five and eventually lead to a win.

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

4. Cody Coughlin- Coughlin had a great day at Dover. Despite having a so and so season with finishes of 17th at Daytona, 20th at Atlanta, eighth at Las Vegas and 26th at Martinsville, it was a much needed for the No. 2 JEGS Chevy. He had to work his way up, however, from the 18th starting position. While he did not finish inside the top ten in either stage, Coughlin worked hard and finished sixth. It was second top ten finish of the 2018 season.

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

5. David Gilliland- The No. 54 Frontline Enterprises/Crosley Brands continues to post decent finishes in the truck series this season. While having finishes of 30th at Daytona and 17th at Atlanta. The No. 54 team posted an 11th place at Vegas, and a close win at Martinsville. Gilliland posted a top five finish of fourth after finishing eighth and ninth in both stages.

Honorable Mentions
1. Joe Nemechek- While splitting the ride with his son John Hunter this season, Joe was able to bring home the No. 8 Chevy for an eighth place finish.
2. Jesse Little- Little was back for his second ever start in the 2018 season. After finishing eighth in Atlanta in his first start of the season, he was able to back it up with another top ten finish.
3. Myatt Snider- Snider finished eleventh in Friday’s race at Dover. It was third finish outside the top ten and Snider’s first since Las Vegas, where he finished 15th.

May 9, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Dover
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finally returns to action this week at Dover International Speedway after a five-week off period.

So far for 2018, there have been four different Truck Series races with four different winners. Drivers will be itching at the bit to get back behind the wheel after a long rest period. At Dover, there have been five different winners in the past five races.

There are 34 trucks listed on the preliminary entry list this week.

Here’s a look at who might end up taking the checkered flag tomorrow night at Dover.
1. 1. Matt Crafton – Currently in 2018, Crafton and the No. 88 Ford has zero wins to start the season. However, Dover just might be the place where he’ll snap a winless streak just like Joey Logano did last weekend at Talladega. In five races, Crafton has one win, three top fives and three top 10 finishes, along with 181 laps led with an average start of 6.0 and an average finish of 8.4. The last time he went to victory lane was two years ago. Dover could be the track in which Crafton punches his ticket into the Playoffs. He’ll need some work to do so as he was 13th and 10th, respectively in the two practice sessions on Thursday.
  2. Johnny Sauter – Dover is another one of Sauter’s best race tracks. He is the defending race winner from last year’s race after leading just 33 laps and he still has momentum from the Daytona season opener win. Sauter will have to pull double duty this weekend after Spencer Gallagher was indefinitely suspended from NASCAR. Sauter is the highest active driver among all drivers when it comes to Dover. He has one win, three top fives and three top 10 finishes with 33 laps led. Sauter has an average start of 11.6 and an average finish of 4.8. In the two practice sessions today, he was second and third fastest respectively. Keep an eye out for the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevy team.
  3. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland will return this weekend to drive the No. 4 Pedigree Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports. In his only start at this track which came last year, he was running a smart race until an incident took place on Lap 115 as Gilliland had suspension issues. Despite the woes, he was able to lead 25 laps after starting 15th. He’ll look to rebound and challenge for the win on Friday night. Gilliland was fourth in both practice sessions Thursday afternoon.
  4. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt is having a stellar 2018 season so far. He collected the second win of his career at Atlanta back in February and collected three top fives, and three top 10 finishes this year. While Moffitt will be making his track debut in a truck at Dover, he does have some experience racing cup cars and in the K&N East Pro Series. In fact, Moffitt has even taken the checkered flag here way back in 2009. His first cup start here was for Jay Robinson Racing and he ended up finishing 22nd. While he doesn’t have any race experience with a truck, Moffitt will be using his past experiences to figure this place out. He was eighth and first fastest in both practice sessions.
  5. Noah Gragson – Gragson has one start here at Dover in the Truck Series which came last year. After starting eighth, he finished fifth in Stage 1 but fell outside the top 10 in Stage 2. Gragson stayed around the top 10 for the rest of the race, as he would wind up finishing ninth, one lap down. He was sixth and second fastest in two practice sessions.
Qualifying will be especially important at Dover. In the last five races, the winner has come from a starting spot no lower than 11th which happened last year when Johnny Sauter took the checkered flag.

Qualifying is slated for Friday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

The JEGS 200 can be seen live on FS1 with race coverage beginning at 5:00 p.m ET and on MRN Radio. The approximate green flag is 5:18 p.m. ET.
May 3, 2018
Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Martinsville
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the “Half-Mile Paperclip” in Martinsville, VA for the fourth race of the 2018 season and it sure didn’t disappoint. Here are four takeaways from the Alpha Energy Solutions 250.
1. A for effort on NASCAR – With a gloomy weather forecast on Saturday, it looked like there would be no on-track action. However, they were able to get at least 23 laps in before the rain hit the track, which eventually turned into snow in the overnight hours. Despite waiting two days, the sun was shining on Monday and the trucks gave us a great race and the finish was worth the wait. Also, kudos to Martinsville for allowing fans who had a ticket for any series to watch both races. Fans safety is the number one priority.
2. Harrison Burton Returns For A Top 10 Finish – Burton competed in his first ever truck race in 2018 for the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports DEX Imaging Tundra. While he did not finish in the top 10 in Stage 1, Burton was able to collect stage points in Stage 2 by finishing 10th which earned him one playoff point. Ultimately, the Huntersville, North Carolina native finished eighth giving him his second top 10 in his early truck series career.
3. Johnny Sauter Has Tough Outing At Martinsville – Sauter’s day wasn’t all dismal; he finished in the top 10 in both stages, with finishes of fourth and third, respectively. However, his day turned sour on lap 225 when the truck was caught with low-voltage and eventually spun out, collecting Matt Crafton. This saw Sauter obtain a 19th place finish. He and the No. 21 GMS Racing team will look to rebound at Dover in May.
4. 2018 Off To Great Start For Truck Series – The 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been off to a great start this season. One of the pluses this season is the consistency in the schedule. It wasn’t that long ago when trucks raced at Daytona and would have to wait for an entire month to race at Martinsville. The schedule has gotten better over the years especially this year with Daytona on the 16th, Atlanta the 24th, Las Vegas on the 2nd and Martinsville on the 26th. It’s great to see more consistency in the schedule. There have also been four different winners in four different races in exciting finishes and races. The Truck Series will now have a five-week break before returning to Dover in May. The 2018 season will be fun to follow as the season goes on.
March 28, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Martinsville
After two postponements due to rain and snow, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumed action on Monday morning after completing just 23 laps before being red-flagged Saturday afternoon. There are some new names on top of the power list rankings and some who fell out, while others get honorable mentions. Here’s a look at this week’s truck series power rankings.
1. 1. John Hunter Nemechek: After having a dismal start to 2018 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Nemechek sure turned that around Monday by collecting his first ever grandfather clock. After starting eighth, he finished sixth and fifth in both stages, respectively. Nemechek didn’t take the lead until the final 31 laps of the race and held off a hard-charging Kyle Benjamin by .106 seconds. However, Nemechek didn’t collect truck points as he is collecting NASCAR Xfinity Series points this year.
    Previous Rankings: Not Ranked
  2. Brett Moffitt: Moffitt continues to impress in the Truck Series. In the previous race outing at Las Vegas, he finished third after starting sixth. This week at Martinsville, Moffitt finished third once more after starting seventh. He finished ninth in Stage 1 and finished sixth in Stage 2. Hattori Racing and Brett Moffitt continue their momentum from their Atlanta win a few weeks ago. The No. 16 driver sits third in the point standings, 31 behind leader Johnny Sauter.
    Previous Ranking: 2nd
  3. Ben Rhodes: After earning his first pole of the season, Rhodes led 23 laps until the red flag came out Saturday afternoon. Once the race resumed Monday, he was the dominant truck to beat. Rhodes won Stages 1 and 2 after leading most of the laps in those stages and collecting 10 playoff points each. Unfortunately, losing positions on pit road was the issue that ultimately cost Rhodes the race win. The scoring pylon at the end of the race showed the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Ford 12th.
    Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
  4. Kyle Benjamin: Benjamin and the No. 54 David Gilliland Racing team almost scored an upset victory Monday at Martinsville. Benjamin started fourth and stayed in the top 10 for Stage 1 to finish fifth. In Stage 2, he, unfortunately, did not place in the top 10. After Stage 2, however, Benjamin took the lead on lap 146 and led for 74 laps until Nemechek took the lead on lap 220. The No. 54 driver stayed up there with Nemechek especially in the remaining laps and gave everything he could for the race win. He came up .106 sec short, finishing second in his first ever career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
    Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
  5. Grant Enfinger: Enfinger earned another top-five finish of his career at Martinsville. A strong qualifying effort placed the No. 98 Tundra third. Enfinger finished third and ninth, respectively in Stages 1 and 2. Ultimately, he wound up fourth for his second top-five of the year.
    Previous Ranking: 4th
Honorable Mentions

1. Noah Gragson: Fall winner Noah Gragson finished fifth after starting 11th.
2. Timothy Peters: Peters was back in a truck for the first time this year driving the No. 92 Ricky Benton Racing Ford. He would come home inside the top 10 finishing seventh.
3. Cory Roper: Roper competed for the first time ever in the Truck Series driving for his team Roper Racing. The No. 04 Ford finished 13th in his first ever NASCAR start. Not bad for a place like Martinsville.

Fell out of the Power Rankings
1. Johnny Sauter: Sauter was looking for his second win of the season at Martinsville on Monday. However, he brought out the caution on lap 225 and collected competitor, Matt Crafton. Sauter collected a disappointing 19th place finish.
2. Dalton Sargeant: While not a dismal day, Sargeant battled a difficult truck as he did not place in the top 10 in either stage. He wound up finishing 11th.
3. Stewart Friesen: Friesen looked like he had the truck to beat early on. He qualified fifth and finished seventh in Stage 1. Unfortunately, Friesen was collected in two incidents. One on Lap 87, which was an accident that involved others in Turn 2 and again was involved in an incident on Lap 117. This ultimately placed him 20th.
March 27, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Martinsville
After two weeks off, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action at the famous “Half-Mile Paperclip,” Martinsville Speedway. The 2018 truck series has been action packed so far with three races and three different winners. And there’s a good possibility there could be a fourth different winner in 2018.

Currently, there are 36 trucks entered on the preliminary entry list. Here’s a look at who to watch for this weekend at Martinsville.
1. 1. Johnny Sauter – In three races, Sauter is the highest active driver leading the way in stats. He won this race in 2016 and has three top fives and three top 10 finishes, along with 145 laps led. He also has an average start of 3.7 and an average finish of 2.0, not bad for the 2016 truck series champion. In the spring race, Sauter finished second to his teammate and race winner Chase Elliott. Expect Sauter to be up front and challenging for the win.
  2. Noah Gragson – Gragson has made two starts at Martinsville and is the defending race winner the last time trucks visited at Martinsville. The other finish the No. 18 Switch Tundra driver has is ninth after starting fourth in the spring race. He has also led 10 laps.
  3. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek’s 2018 truck season hasn’t been great so far for the Mooresville, North Carolina native. In two starts, he has finishes of 25th and 21st respectively, at Daytona and Las Vegas. Even though his recent Martinsville outings haven’t been too stellar, Nemechek does have a finish of third in 2016 after starting 12th. He’ll be looking to turn around his season this weekend at Martinsville by possibly finishing in the top 10 or collecting a win.
  4. Matt Crafton – Just like Sauter, Crafton is expected to be challenging for the win week in and week out. He has two victories at Martinsville which came in 2014 and 2015. However, in the last three races, he has finishes of second, ninth and 17th, respectively. Crafton’s recent finish was second in the fall race and he finished ninth in last year’s springs race. He has led 102 laps with an average start of 5.7 and an average finish of 9.3. After a disappointing finish at Las Vegas due to brakes and losing the lead and the eventual race win last fall, Crafton will be hungry and be searching for his first checkered flag of the season.
  5. Timothy Peters – Peters returns this weekend to drive the No. 92 truck of Ricky Benton Racing Enterprises. It will be his first race of the 2018 season. He made his first ever Martinsville start back in 2005 driving the No. 4 Dodge of Bobby Hamilton Racing and finished 18th after starting 25th. Since then, his Martinsville finishes have varied but Peters does have one win that came back in 2009 after starting 11th and led 84 laps. Peters did attempt the spring race last year and finished eighth after starting third.
Live coverage of the Truck Series starts Friday afternoon with two practice sessions live on Fox Sports 1. The first practice is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. ET with the final practice at 1:05 p.m. ET. Qualifying is slated for 11:05 a.m. ET on FS1 with race coverage beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET live on FS1 and MRN Radio.
March 21, 2018