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Author: Briar Starr

  • Q&A With Matt Crafton

    Q&A With Matt Crafton

    The series of questions and answers series continues this week with two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton.

    Crafton is one of the longest active drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Since making his debut in 2000 at Fontana driving for Thorsport Racing, Crafton has notched 14 career wins, 100 top fives, 235 top 10s with 2,241 laps led and he won consecutive championships in 2013 and 2014.

    Every driver has a different story about how they got into racing. For Crafton, though, he’s been interested since he was born. “I’ve gotten into racing since birth,” Crafton said. And with every story, each driver has a favorite win in their career. Currently, Crafton has 14 career wins in the Truck Series, however, his favorite was the first win that came for him at “Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.” In that race, Crafton had only ten laps to score his first career win.

    “I’ve gotten into racing since birth,” Crafton said. And with every story, each driver has a favorite win in their career. Currently, Crafton has 14 career wins in the Truck Series, however, his favorite was the first win that came for him at “Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.” In that race, Crafton had only ten laps to score his first career win.

    And with every story, each driver has a favorite win in their career. Currently, Crafton has 14 career wins in the Truck Series, however, his favorite was the first win that came for him at “Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.” In that race, Crafton led only 10 laps as he scored his first career win.

    Before a race, some drivers have a pre-race ritual and some don’t. In Crafton’s case, it’s entirely different and it may be interesting to people on what his ritual is.

    “Eat a PB&J on wheat bread with Strawberry Jelly,” Crafton said.

    Each racer has someone who they have idolized growing up and would have liked to race with from the past. Crafton says his racing hero growing up was, “Davey Allison.” He said he “would have liked the chance to race with him from the past.”

    Every racer also has a preference on what type of track they would like to race on. In night races, the track and air temperature is much cooler and not as hot, compared to what it’s like during a race in the day. Crafton enjoys racing at “night.”

    A track Crafton would like to have back on the schedule is “The Milwaukee Mile,” Crafton said. And finally, Crafton says, “The Camping World Truck Series is the most competitive series in NASCAR.”

    You can follow Matt Crafton on Twitter @Matt_Crafton.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Bristol

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Bristol

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came to Bristol Motor Speedway after a week off and now the series will be on the road for the next four weeks. And now it’s pressure time for the bubble drivers/drivers who are on the outside looking in. Let’s take a look at who tops this week’s power rankings from Bristol.

    1. Matt Crafton – After a respectable sixth-place finish last weekend at Michigan, Crafton had a career-best night at Bristol by finishing second. He finished third in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. He also led twice for 90 laps. It was a great points night for Crafton.

    “It was a really, really good race,” Crafton said. “The bottom was definitely a little preferred, but you could move around. You could at least run the second and third groove and weren’t like we were in practice. You were literally a second off the pace if you had to move off the bottom. Props to the track for what they did right there, it made for some great racing, I feel. I just wish we could’ve run that out because we were running him down there at the end, especially when he (Kyle Busch) was in lapped traffic. He picked me in lapped traffic earlier, so it was my turn there at the end, but just couldn’t quite get there whenever the yellow came out.”

    2. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek had a quiet night at Bristol, but finished third after starting 14th. He didn’t finish inside the top 10 in Stage 1 but finished 10th in Stage 2. This was Nemechek’s best finish since Pocono after a disappointing weekend at Michigan. He now sits eighth in the points standings but will be racing for the championship due to wins earlier in the year, if sponsorship permits.

    3. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes scored another top-five of the year at Bristol by finishing fifth. In Stage 1, he finished seventh and he finished fourth in Stage 2. He is currently fifth in the point standings but is not locked in with a win yet. He could turn that around in the two races left before the playoffs. It’s time for Rhodes to get a win after being close earlier in the year as wins are important in the playoffs to advance to the next round.

    “Our Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra was fast all night tonight,” Rhodes commented. “We got pretty far back in the field, and I was actually pretty proud of our team, and how good of a Tundra we had to be able to drive from 14th, to I think fourth, all during a green flag run. You know, unfortunately, the balance actually shifted on us. The track changed a lot in that last run. We just got way too free overall. We were able to come in on that last caution and put new tires on it, mostly because we had a vibration again. It seemed to be an issue, we got some bad tires. I don’t know what was going on, but we were having a bad vibration, so we came in to make sure that nothing was corded, and went back out there, and ended up fifth – same place we came in. Overall I’m happy. It was a good solid points night.”

    4. Johnny Sauter – Sauter needed a rebound after a sour finish at Michigan by finishing 18th and he got it at Bristol with a sixth-place finish. It may not sound like much, but a top 10 is better than a top 20. However, he’s lost more ground to points leader Christopher Bell. He now sits 42 behind.

    5. Grant Enfinger – Just like Nemechek, Enfinger also had a quiet night at the “Fastest Half Mile.” In Stages 1 and 2, he finished fifth and ninth, respectively. He didn’t lead any laps, but picked up 41 points and is now seventh in the standings. But he will need to keep up those strong runs and possibly a win to lock himself into the playoffs.

    “We had a decent restart there at the end, and we really had a good Champion Power Equipment Tundra all day,” Enfinger noted. “We weren’t great. The 46 (Kyle Busch) – he’s really good at this racing stuff. He made us all look bad. But a solid run for us. We’ll take it. We need a little bit more but very, very proud of everybody on this ThorSport Racing team. We had to battle through some adversity this week, but we still got some more to come, so we’ll keep fighting strong.”

    The Camping World Truck Series has just two races remaining until the playoffs/race to the championship begins for the series. There are some drivers that are on the bubble who don’t need a bad day and there are some drivers on the outside looking in who need a win to lock themselves in. And with two wildcards remaining, it’s certainly possible we could see a major shakeup in the point standings. It’s win or go home for the Truck Series drivers that are ninth on back.

  • Four Takeaways From The Truck Series At Bristol

    Four Takeaways From The Truck Series At Bristol

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was back in action at Bristol Motor Speedway on a Wednesday night. Here are four takeaways from the UNOH 200 at Bristol.

    1. Kyle Busch rebounds and dominates after speeding penalty – Busch was dominating the race at the end of Stage 2 when he was busted for speeding on pit road. It wasn’t until lap 167, where Busch was back up front and held on from there to score another win at Bristol. Busch led a race high of 109 laps. Now that’s domination.
    2. Matt Crafton gets a solid a second – It’s been an up and down year for Matt Crafton. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t win until a few weeks ago at Eldora for his first win of the year, unusual for the two-time champion. Recently, however, it seems as though Crafton has been on a streak of top 10s since that win. A second place finish certainly helps him get his season back on track. Crafton sits third in points 53 behind.
    3. Credit to NASCAR for getting the race in – It was a challenge, but I have to give NASCAR credit for trying their hardest to get the race in before postponing it to the next day. Sure it created a long night, but it was well worth the wait. Kudos to the officials.
    4. Sharknado 6 featuring Noah Gragson – When there’s a rain delay, it normally creates a lot of downtime for the drivers. This time it was Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Noah Gragson who created Twitter and TV buzz during the rain delay. The 19-year-old, Gragson, happened to have a shark head costume and was having a little fun during the delay. At one point, he was standing behind John Hunter Nemechek, who, at the time, was doing a TV interview and ended up making the driver look behind. In fact, Toyota Racing put up a video of Gragson talking with the costume on, saying his name was “fuzzy.” A funny TV moment for sure. He might just get a casting call for Sharknado 6.

      And here’s the video that @ToyotaRacing put on their twitter page.

       

  • Johnny Sauter Looking To Rebound At Bristol

    Johnny Sauter Looking To Rebound At Bristol

    Since the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway back in June when Johnny Sauter finished second, the GMS Racing driver has been up and down in the past four races. At Kentucky Speedway, he finished ninth, while he finished 23rd at Eldora Speedway. He had a solid run at Pocono Raceway where he finished fifth. However, Sauter’s points lead started to slip after Eldora. He eventually lost the lead at the Pocono race weekend due to Christopher Bell winning the race and taking the points lead. Bell is currently the leader by 37.

    Sauter had a disappointing recent outing at Michigan International Speedway, where he finished 18th due to a flat tire late in the going and was unable to make up any of the ground. But if he wants to turn his season around, Bristol Motor Speedway just might be the place on Wednesday night. Sauter made his Bristol Truck Series debut back in 2003 driving for Christopher Beckington, where he started 23rd and finished 25th.

    Sauter has competed at Bristol in the Truck Series full time at Bristol since 2009. Including that start in 2003, he has four top fives and five top 10 finishes, with a best finish of second coming in 2011. Since 2013, Sauter upped his game as his finishes came inside the top 10. He’s looking to notch that elusive win at Bristol and take back the point lead.

    “Bristol (Motor Speedway) is one of those tracks that I look forward to every year,” Sauter said. “I’ve never won there but that style of driving and the work that goes into these short track races is what I love. There’s always racing going on no matter where you’re running in the field and it really is a driver’s track. You can be completely comfortable with your truck and how it gets through the corners but if you aren’t completely focused on your job as a driver, on making passes and avoiding mistakes then you can get caught up in something really quick.”

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Bristol

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Bristol

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for a rare mid-week event. It will be the 14th race of the 2017 season with three races remaining before the playoffs begin. For some drivers, Bristol could be the place to score their first win of the season, but there could also be a repeat 2017 winner. Let’s take a look at who could tame the “Fastest Half Mile” on the Truck Series circuit.

    In the past five races, there have been five different winners, with the winner coming from the lowest starting position, 13th, which came from Ben Kennedy in last year’s race.

    Currently, there are 34 Trucks on the preliminary entry list.

    1. Kyle Busch – Busch will be competing in his sixth race of the season. Bristol has been a strong suit for the younger Busch brother. In the last five races, Busch has one win that came in 2013, two top fives and two top 10 finishes. Busch will look to add another win at Bristol. Also to note, Bristol was the home of his sweep that came in 2010.

    2. Christopher Bell – Bell looks to continue his summer hot streak as he heads to Bristol for the second time in his career. In his only start, he finished seventh in last year’s race. Even though he has four wins this and the points lead, that won’t stop him going for his fifth win of the year and his first at Bristol.

    3. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek is looking to rebound after a disappointing outing at Michigan. In three races at Bristol, he has finished eighth, third and sixth, respectively. If Nemechek wants to rebound and get his season back on track, Bristol could be the place.

    4. Matt Crafton – Crafton finished sixth this past weekend at Michigan but is hungry for another win this season. In the last five races, Crafton has an average finish of 12.4 but has one top five and four top 10 finishes. Bristol might be the site of his second win of the season.

    5. Brandon Jones – Jones could be a spoiler and wild card Wednesday night at Bristol. In his only start that came in 2016, he finished ninth. In 2017 on the Truck Series side, Jones has given the No. 99 team, two top fives and three top 10 finishes. This might be a momentum booster for Jones as he’s been struggling on the XFINITY Series side.

    The winners of the last five races have come from inside the top 10, with the exception of the 2016 race where Ben Kennedy won from the 13th starting position. Qualifying will be an important factor if the drivers want a shot at the win.

    There will be two practices on Wednesday with the first one at 9 a.m. ET and the final at 11 a.m. ET, both on FS1.

    Qualifying is set for 4:35 p.m. ET on FS2 and race coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN Radio.

  • Getting To Know Racer Sarah Cornett-Ching

    Getting To Know Racer Sarah Cornett-Ching

    Sarah Cornett-Ching is one of the most determined and focused racecar drivers from Canada. In fact, she has been racing from a young age and it’s all because of her father, who got her interested.

    “My dad had raced since I was one-year-old so it was something that was always in my life,” Cornett-Ching said. “I started helping at the shop around 10-years-old and finally convinced my mom at 12-years-old.”

    Some racecar drivers have people who they look up to or admire. However, that wasn’t the case for her, it was all about family.

    “I really can’t say I was ever inspired by anyone or anything,” Cornett-Ching explained. “I just really loved the time it allowed me to spend with my dad and I’ve always been very competitive so it was a great outlet for that.”

    When you’re a driver, you’re always on the go and busy most of the time. For Cornett-Ching, it’s quite hectic on race day.

    “My mind actually changes on race day,” she said. “Anyone will tell you I get totally zoned out and forget my phone, and everything. I probably need a babysitter on race day, but I am at the shop every day and it’s rare that I’m not thinking or preparing for something to do with an upcoming race.”

    During a racer’s career, there are some setbacks that a driver faces. In this case, it, unfortunately, happened to her last year during an ARCA race at Kentucky. On Lap 23, she made heavy contact with an inside SAFER barrier on the backstretch. Her car was completely destroyed. She was also facing other issues, such as a concussion. The wreck ended her 2016 season but not by choice and she faced a long road ahead to recovery.

    “Stepping out of a car at first really wasn’t a choice I got to make,” Cornett-Ching said.  “I was very out of it for a few weeks, so mostly I was just in bed. After I started to feel good enough to get back to the shop it was extremely difficult to be out of the car. I wanted so badly to drive but even just using an impact to take lug nuts off a car would make me feel extremely sick, and I would have to rest for hours afterwards.”

    When Cornett-Ching got back in the car after her recovery from a concussion, it was a weird feeling.

    “The first time I got back into the car was really strange,” she emphasized. “I struggled with my perception of where the wall was in relation to me in the car and it actually took me quite awhile to feel comfortable and get back to up speed in the car. Thankfully, I have very few lingering symptoms at this point and none that hinder my racing.”

    This doesn’t even give her any fears while racing. In fact, she says you have to be on point during a race.

    “I don’t have any fears when I get into a car,” Cornett-Ching said. “I think if you do have fears you shouldn’t be out there. You need your mind 100 percent focused on what you’re doing.”

    There is an exclusive group of racecar drivers from Canada. Patrick Carpentier, Stewart Friesen, Mario Gosselin, Alex Guenette, Cameron Hayley, D.J. Kennington, Gary Klutt, Alex Tagliani, Ron Fellows, Jacques Villeneuve and Paul Tracy, to name a few. In Sarah’s mind, she hasn’t looked more into that.

    “I have never really thought of it that way,” Cornett-Ching exclaimed. ” I just do what I can and race as hard as I can. It has never crossed my mind that people think of me when they think of famous Canadian drivers. That is very cool. I hope I can continue to be in that group for years to come.”

    As her career continues, she learns in every race and is passionate about her fans.

    “I feel like I’m learning and growing still with every race,” Cornett-Ching said. “It’s rare that I’ll run a race and not learn something. I have a great feel for consistency and I absorb information really well. I like all aspects of racing from building the cars to testing new ideas and meeting with fans.”

    “The actual race is definitely the rush but it’s actually the time I get to relax and forget everything else and just focus on my job,” she continued. “I love my fans, I love meeting them, talking to them, creating relationships with them and most of all seeing them enjoying themselves at the race track. The whole point is for them to enjoy a show. I want to be the person that they look forward to seeing and talking to.”

    With young drivers on the move to NASCAR recently, Cornett-Ching plans to keep it step-by-step.

    “Right now my focus is on Super Late Model racing,” she emphasized. “I am not in a hurry to move up or jump too fast back into NASCAR if it takes 10 years or 20. I want to be the most successful female race car driver in history. If I can accomplish that there is no telling what opportunities will arise from there.”

    You can follow Sarah Cornett-Ching on her Twitter page @scornettching.

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    1. Darrell Wallace Jr. – The last time Wallace Jr. made a Truck Series start was over three years ago at the season finale in Homestead. But that didn’t show from Wallace Jr. as he picked up right where he left off. He had a solid qualifying position of ninth and finished there in Stage 1. He fell out of the top 10 in Stage 2 and didn’t take the lead until Lap 90 where he held the lead for the final 10 laps to score his sixth career truck win.

    “Such a huge moment, not only for myself but for everybody involved,” Wallace said. “This is such a huge win for me. It is good to be back in the truck series. This is a product of having the truck series come to Michigan and put on a great race. I knew those laps were going to be hectic.”

    2. Christopher Bell – Bell continues his strong championship season as he earned his ninth top five of the year and increased his points lead to 37. Bell finished 10th in Stage 1 and third in Stage 2. He didn’t lead any laps, but the only thing that mattered was increasing his points lead.

    “I don’t know, I hope the fans enjoyed that one because it was a ton of fun,” Bell said after the race. “Our SiriusXM/JBL Tundra was handling really good, we just didn’t seem to have the raw speed to get up there and get by them. That was a lot of fun. I wish I would have been able to work that inside pass like I did the time before. I didn’t quite get there. That’s awesome for Bubba (Darrell Wallace Jr.), to see him come back and win like that – that was a really fun race.”

    3. Austin Cindric – Cindric had another solid points day by finishing in the top five, even though he didn’t finish in the top 10 at all during both stages. He also led for 24 laps. Cindric needs to continue these solid runs or get a win before the playoffs start as he sits right on the bubble at 10th in the standings.

    “It was a really good call by Doug to get us out front,” Cindric said. “Clean air is king at Michigan, and we knew we had a good Draw-Tite Ford F-150 all by ourselves. I had to make a move on the No. 99 (Wallace) there at some point, and we knew we were really good in Turns 1 and 2. I got the side draft on the backstretch and had the momentum. I made the pass stick but didn’t have any help. That was so close. Maybe I should have saved that move for the last lap. We’ll take another top five and keep moving.”

    4. Matt Crafton – Crafton finished a respectable sixth at Michigan Saturday afternoon. After leading the first 10 laps of the race, he finished third in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. He was up front battling for the win late but came up six spots short. It was still another solid day for the two-time series champion.

    “We had a good truck,” Crafton said. “When Bubba (Darrell Wallace Jr.) passed for the lead, we went to the bottom, and I didn’t get myself cleared, and if you didn’t get cleared of whoever you were racing against, then you were just screwed. It was just tough to pass. I definitely had a faster truck than those guys, but if I could get under them, then I could never get clear because there was nobody behind me to help me and keep pushing me. We got out of here with a sixth-place finish.”

    Crafton leaves Michigan sitting third in the points, 62 behind Christopher Bell.

    5. Noah Gragson – Gragson had a quiet but strong day at Michigan. He finished seventh in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2. By the time the checkered flew, the scoring pylon showed Gragson finished 10th. However, he wanted a little bit more than a top 10 finish.

    “We fought hard for a top-10 finish, but I wish I could have done better,” Gragson said. “It’s difficult learning the draft and the aero at a track like this. It’s like a chess game out there since everyone is running wide open. I felt like we had a good strategy all day but just needed to execute better on my end. We’ll move on and give it another shot at Bristol on Wednesday.”

    Other notes – This was the sixth career win for Darrell Wallace Jr. in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Wallace Jr. led one time for the final 10 laps of the race. Christopher Bell now extends his points lead over Johnny Sauter by 37.

    Next Up – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for another mid-week event. It’ll be the 14th race of the 2017 season and with just three races remaining until the playoffs drivers will only have three more chances to lock themselves into the playoffs with a win.

     

  • Four Takeaways From Saturday’s Truck Race At Michigan

    Four Takeaways From Saturday’s Truck Race At Michigan

    1. Darrell Wallace Jr. gets a breakthrough win at Michigan – 2017 has been an up and down year for Wallace Jr. After the XFINITY race at Pocono, the No. 6 XFINITY team was shut down due to lack of funding. However, he’s been filling in rides since then. He’s raced four races for Aric Almirola when he was injured from Pocono to Kentucky with a best finish of 11th at Kentucky. Wallace Jr. then received an opportunity to drive for MDM Motorsports at Michigan. He was able to make the most of it scoring his sixth career win in the Truck Series.
    2. Christopher Bell extends points lead – Bell continues his strong season by finishing second in Saturday’s race, giving him his ninth top five of the year and extending his points lead to 37. He’ll head to Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday night looking for his fifth win of the season.
    3. Johnny Sauter has a rough day at Michigan – Sauter had a rough outing in this past weekend’s race. However, on the bright side, he was able to score some playoff points by finishing fifth in Stage 1. Problems continued as Sauter had to pit for a flat tire, thus ending his shot for a second win in 2017. He wound up finishing 18th and losing more points to Christopher Bell. Sauter will have to turn his season around at Bristol this Wednesday if he wants to retake the points lead from Bell.
    4. Three races remain until the playoffs – Three races, three wild cards until the 2017 playoffs begin at Loudon in September. This week the drivers will head to Bristol, then to Canada after a couple of weeks off with the final race at Chicago before the playoffs start. Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Kaz Grala are all locked in by securing wins throughout the season. However, the door is wide open after fifth as Chase Briscoe, Ryan Truex and Ben Rhodes sit on the bubble. Also, Grant Enfinger, Noah Gragson, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley are currently out at the moment. The season has provided some exciting and thrilling action so we could see three new winners in the next three races.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Michigan

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Michigan

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns after a week off this week to Michigan International Speedway.  With just four races remaining, it’s time for drivers who are looking outside the playoffs picture to pick it up a little.

    For this weeks race, there are currently 30 drivers entered on the preliminary entry list.  In the past five races, there have been five different winners, with Kyle Busch only being the returning victor.

    Let’s take a look out who will be contending for the win on Saturday.

    1. Matt Crafton- Crafton is a sure fine contender for the win at every track they visit in the Truck Series. In five races at Michigan, he has one top five and four top ten finishes, along with one pole. Crafton’s previous finish was seventh in 2016.
    2. Kyle Busch- Busch is once again entered to compete this year in the Truck Series. And yes, like Crafton, you can except him to be up front all day long and leading laps. However, in his recent outing at Pocono, Busch had a 25th place finish after a crash with Justin Haley in the tunnel turn. At Michigan, though, he has one win that came in 2015, three top fives and three top ten finishes. Except Busch to be a contender.
    3. Johnny Sauter- Sauter has been somewhat on a slump recently, but he could possibly turn that around at Michigan this weekend. He has one win that came three years ago, two top fives and three top ten finishes. This could be a rebound for Sauter starting this weekend at Michigan.
    4. Christopher Bell- While the results in the last outing at Michigan in 2016, may not show the performance as he finished 24th due to a crash, Bell as been on a roll recently. In the past three races this year, he has two wins, the last one coming at Pocono and the other at Kentucky. He also assumed the point lead from Johnny Sauter. It would be to no surprise, if Bell could chalk up another win in his impressive 2017 season.
    5. John Hunter Nemechek- Like Bell, Nemechek did not have the results to show his performance last year in Michigan as he too was taken out in a crash on lap 64 and wound up 26th. But in 2015, Nemechek finished 12th. He’ll be looking to up his average finishing position this weekend at Michigan.Qualifying up front will be crucial as the last five winners have started inside the top ten.

    There will be two practices slated for Friday afternoon with the first one at 1pm/ET and the final practice at 3pm/ET both taking place on FS1.

    Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:30am/ET on FS1, with the race starting 1pm/ET.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Pocono

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Pocono

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed to Pocono International Raceway yesterday for the annual running of the Overton’s 150. It was quite the interesting race, regarding pit strategy. Here’s a look at who’s in my power rankings this week.

    Christopher Bell- Bell had another strong run this year to collect his fourth win of the season. In the two practice sessions on Friday, he was fourth in the first practice and topped the final practice number one. Bell ended up the first stage second. In stage 2, it was almost the same as he finished third. It wasn’t until lap 54 of 60, where Bell took the lead from John Hunter Nemechek and went on to win for the fourth time of the year. Not only win the race, but grabbed the points lead as well from Johnny Sauter. Bell now leads Sauter over 18 points.
    “It was really tough, but my guys do the best and they take really good care of me,” Bell said. “Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) does a great job and Tony (Hirschman, spotter) does a great job on top. I’m glad we were able to get the SiriusXM Tundra to victory lane, we’ve had had them on a lot, but we haven’t been able to win.”

    Ben Rhodes- Before Pocono, Rhodes was still searching for his first win of the season. After wrecking out the past two races, he was looking to get a solid finish at Pocono. In stage 1, he finished third and in stage 2, Rhodes finished fourth. He didn’t battle for the lead until five laps to go as he took second. However, eventual race winner Bell was so far ahead, that it was difficult for Rhodes to catch him in the remaining laps. Though, Rhodes was happy with second.
    “It is a great race,” Rhodes said. “This race reminds a lot of Michigan, Daytona, Talladega, just the big tracks where we’re drafting and aerodynamics are so important- but you’re playing those games the whole time here at Pocono. Good race for our Safelite Tundra. We were fast, just not fast enough to beat the 4 (Christopher Bell).”  This was Rhodes’ best career finish of second, since Gateway of 2016.

    Ryan Truex- Truex continues to keep having a solid year for the Hattori Racing team. In stage 1, Truex finished right where he started the race, fourth. In stage 2, Truex battled for the lead with Kyle Busch for a short-while, before settling taking second in stage 2. In the end, Truex was among the four battling for the win with eight laps to go. However, he eventually finished third. Truex scored his best finish of the year and moved to seventh in the playoff standings.

    John Hunter Nemechek- Nemechek had another strong run at Pocono on Saturday. It almost looked liked, he would end up winning his third race of the year. He took the lead on lap 45, but was passed by Bell with six laps to go. Nemechek faded back just a bit, but still finished in the top five with a fourth. In the point standings, Nemechek is currently fifth with four races remaining until the playoffs.

    Cody Coughlin- Coughlin had a career best finish on Saturday of second. Although, he did not finish in the top ten in both of the stages. However, Coughlin restarted fifth in stage 3 and dropped a few positions, but ended up eighth scoring his best finish of his career.
    “It was a good day,” Coughlin said. “We’ve been running in the top-10 all year, we just haven’t finished there. It was nice to at least finish where we’ve been running, but I wanna be better. I think this is good momentum though, for sure.”The race featured four cautions for 15 laps, as well as, five leaders among five lead changes.
    Next Up: The Truck Series take a week off this weekend, before heading to the Irish Hills of Michigan International Speedway for the 13th race of the year.