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Category: Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

  • Jordan Anderson scores repeat runner-up finish at Daytona

    Jordan Anderson scores repeat runner-up finish at Daytona

    After a late-race caution in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Next Era Energy 250 at Daytona prompted an overtime restart, Jordan Anderson advanced through the field to claim second place.

    Anderson has only two top five finishes in his Truck Series career. The first one was also a runner-up finish at Daytona International Speedway in 2020. You might assume that falling short of capturing his first career win in the series would be a huge disappointment. And while I’m certain he would have preferred victory, Anderson was ecstatic with the result.

    After the race, when asked what he would say to his eight-year-old self about that last lap, his answer was, “Never give up.” He then pulled down his mask to show everyone, “I’m still smiling.” Anderson went on to say, “It’s a dream come true.”

    He concluded with a message to all the young drivers who aspire to drive in NASCAR.

    “I’m almost speechless. This is so much energy, so much emotion, to see what God has done in my life and my career. I shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t be racing in a national series. Coming from Columbia, South Carolina, nobody in my family raced. To go through all that we’ve gone through, to never give up.

    “If you want to be here, never give up, just keep digging.”

    His team, Jordan Anderson Racing, has expanded their program this year to include a full-time racing schedule in the Xfinity Series with Anderson behind the wheel of the No. 31 Chevrolet. They will also continue to compete in the Truck Series with various drivers.

    “It’s pretty crazy. It’s a huge boost,” Anderson said. “We almost shut this truck deal down. We wanted to keep it going because we had so much blood, sweat and tears put into this program the last three years and wanted to keep it going to hopefully provide an opportunity for drivers like myself that just needed a shot to come run a truck some this year. Excited to see how that might shake out.”

    His next race will be the Xfinity Series, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300, Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Third-place finish solidifies Roper’s bonafides as a serious Truck competitor

    Third-place finish solidifies Roper’s bonafides as a serious Truck competitor

    One thing that could be taken away from the last lap of Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona is that Cory Roper did not show up to stroke around in his underfunded Roper Racing Ford. He saw the opportunity come to take the lead at Daytona late in the going, took it, and almost pulled off the upset win on the final lap before being passed on the final stretch by Ben Rhodes and Jordan Anderson and ultimately finishing third.

    “I knew I was a sitting duck whenever I didn’t feel a push,” Roper said in Zoom media availability post-race. “I knew I got too far off out coming off of (turn) 2 and got too big of a gap. I’m still learning where I need to position things in the truck to be able to race something like this different than anywhere else. I wish I had another shot at that, but you gotta be grateful for what you’ve got, we’ll take it, move on and build from it.”

    The Vernon, Texas native made his national touring debut in Spring 2018 at Martinsville in his No. 04 F-150, finishing 13th after starting 17th. From there he proceeded to have several strong runs such as climbing to second at Daytona in 2019 before contact with the wall ended his day, or a fifth-place qualifying effort at Las Vegas in late 2019 (that was derailed in an early incident with Matt Crafton).

    Roper also proved himself to be a stout qualifier, having posted three top-15 qualifying runs including his top-five appearance at Las Vegas, despite limited sponsorship and limited equipment. Regardless, incidents involving the No. 04 Ford have been few and far between, as Roper doesn’t seem to overdrive himself or his truck’s limitations. That, along with his stout runs, managed to help Roper Racing land sponsor opportunities from CarQuest Auto Parts and Alliance Aviation, who adorned his truck Friday night.

    This has come quite a long way from the group who used to camp out at Texas Motor Speedway every time NASCAR came through Fort Worth. It’s only fitting that Roper ended up earning his first top-10 ever at Texas, a ninth in June 2019. Granted that was an attrition-filled event, but it only backed up the notice that Roper takes care of his equipment and has a tendency to keep his truck out of trouble.

    All said, Roper’s presence in the garage serves as a reminder to the old-school racers of the sport’s history. He hasn’t bought out another ride with family or sponsor money; rather, he took his money and decided to start and build a team from the ground up. At first it was with old equipment bought from Brad Keselowski Racing and Shane Whitbeck as the Crew Chief, but as time has gone on he’s managed to build his team and his group up and just like fellow underdog owner/driver Anderson, Roper found himself in the spotlight at Daytona.

    Rhodes expressed admiration for Roper in Victory Lane, saying that there was a need for more guys like him and his Roper Racing group in the NASCAR garage. Given the outcome Friday night and what led up to it for Roper and Roper Racing, that’s a valid statement to make.

  • Ben Rhodes powers by Cory Roper for thrilling Daytona victory

    Ben Rhodes powers by Cory Roper for thrilling Daytona victory

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to action to kickstart the 2021 season at the famous Daytona International Speedway.

    Ben Rhodes, who started 23rd, made a thrilling move to the outside of Cory Roper coming off Turn 4 and claimed the season-opening win at Daytona as multiple trucks wrecked behind the leaders. The victory would mark the Kentucky native’s first superspeedway victory in 120 starts.

    “This is so special, the biggest win of my career,” Rhodes said. “I can’t even believe this. As a driver, you’re always asked about what your biggest accomplishment is. This is it. This is hands-down it. This is the place to be. I can’t even believe it.”

    Prior to the first race of the season, qualifying was held earlier today. Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 ThorSport team qualified on the pole. The pole marked Sauter’s first superspeedway pole position in his career.

    Only one driver moved to the back, which was the No. 19 of Derek Kraus. Stages of 20/20/60 laps made up the original 100 lap event, before going into overtime, as a caution flew with six laps to go and extended the event by one lap.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

    When the green flag flew, there were already sparks flying on the frontstretch. The No. 15 of Tanner Gray did not get going as the truck stalled somewhat on the initial start, which caused a stack up in the back. James Buescher in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy had major damage to his front bumper and was credited with a last-place finish. Kraus and Gus Dean were also involved in the incident.

    Despite the early caution, the rest of the stage remained green from Lap 5 to 20. Pole sitter Sauter dominated through the early portions before getting passed late in the stage by eventual Stage 1 winner, Raphael Lessard. Lessard, with the help of his teammate Sheldon Creed, drove right on by Sauter and Enfinger to win the first stage. Enfinger, Sauter, Nemechek, Rhodes, Chandler Smith, David Gilliland, Stewart Friesen and Timothy Peters rounded out the Top 10 in Stage 1.

    During the stage break, Creed was penalized for being too fast on pit road while Codie Rohrbaugh was sent to the rear for a crew member being over the wall too soon. Meanwhile, Matt Crafton was penalized for one lap for pitting outside the box.

    Stage 2: Lap 26 – Lap 40

    Just one caution slowed the second stage when the No. 19 of Kraus spun in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 35 after Kraus’s left-rear tire went flat. With the late caution, the restart came with two laps to go in the stage. John Hunter Nemechek edged out Lessard for the victory. Sauter, Creed, Rhodes, Chandler Smith, Hill, Peters, Enfinger, and Ankrum were the Top 10 finishers in Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 46 – Lap 101

    In the final stage, there were six cautions that took place in the final 55 laps. One of the notable yellows in the final stage was for the No. 1 of Hailie Deegan. Deegan was making her first Truck Series start at Daytona and ran solidly before spinning on the backstretch and hitting the inside wall causing a yellow with 20 to go.

    The next restart came with 15 to go and the intensity picked up with drivers pushing hard for the win. Unfortunately, the big one occurred with six laps to go with multiple drivers involved. John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Ankrum, Timothy Peters, Drew Dollar, Raphael Lessard, Austin Hill, Johnny Sauter, Tate Fogleman, Bryan Dauzat and Carson Hocevar were collected in the incident.

    With the late yellow, NASCAR Overtime was called and there was a two-lap dash to the finish. Rhodes got shoved out to the front with the help of his teammate, Matt Crafton, coming off Turn 4, following directly behind Roper who was leading the race. Rhodes had momentum and made the pass to the outside to win by .036 seconds over Roper and Jordan Anderson while another big one occurred behind the leaders.

    By finishing third, Roper earned the first-ever top-five finish of his Truck Series career in 28 starts over a span of four years, dating back to 2018.

    “We took the white flag, and I think it (field) just kind of got jumbled up and I think the 2 (Sheldon Creed) got in the wall a little bit, put me in the wall, flattened the right side and I pulled down to the bottom,” Roper said. “I was able to clear them and come off of (Turn) 2 with the lead. So, it was pretty exciting about that time and I just calmed down and try to stay, listen to my spotter, do what I needed to do. When I pancaked the right side, we got tight off of (Turn) 4 and I couldn’t pull down and got clogged in.”

    There were 10 cautions for 43 laps and 31 lead changes among 12 different leaders.

    Official Results
    1. Ben Rhodes, led seven laps
    2. Jordan Anderson
    3. Cory Roper
    4. Ryan Truex
    5. Carson Hocevar
    6. Sheldon Creed, led one lap
    7. John Hunter Nemechek, won Stage 2, led 14 laps
    8. Codie Rohrbaugh
    9. Chandler Smith, led 22 laps
    10. Drew Dollar
    11. Grant Enfinger, led 13 laps
    12. Kris Wright
    13. Spencer Boyd
    14. David Gilliland, led eight laps
    15. Matt Crafton
    16. Zane Smith
    17. Danny Bohn
    18. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    19. Bryan Dauzat, led two laps
    20. Jason White
    21. Austin Wayne Self, one lap down
    22. Austin Hill, two laps down
    23. Raphael Lessard, won Stage 1, led 12 laps, two laps down
    24. Hailie Deegan, three laps down
    25. Brett Moffitt, led one lap, five laps down
    26. Timothy Peters, led three laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    27. Johnny Sauter, led 12 laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    28. Tyler Ankrum, led six laps, OUT, Crash
    29. Chase Purdy, OUT, Electrical
    30. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    31. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Crash
    32. Stewart Friesen, OUT, Crash
    33. Derek Kraus, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
    34. Gus Dean, OUT, Crash
    35. Tanner Gray, OUT, Drivetrain
    36. James Buescher, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will stay in the Daytona area as the trucks will next race on the Daytona Road Course on Friday night. February 19. live on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 7:30 pm. ET.

  • Chandler Smith paces Truck Series practice at Daytona

    Chandler Smith paces Truck Series practice at Daytona

    In the only Camping World Truck Series practice session, now full-time Kyle Busch Motorsports driver, Chandler Smith, led the way Thursday night, posting a time of 47.45 seconds and 189.641 mph.

    Smith is coming off a partial schedule in 2020 for Kyle Busch Motorsports after running 12 races. The Talking Rock, Georgia native posted a best finish of third (twice) last year at Talladega and the season finale race at Phoenix last November.

    There were also new some faces in new places. Drew Dollar, piloting the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra on a part-time schedule, was third quickest on the speed charts. Dollar will compete in eight races this year for the team. Another KBM newcomer is John Hunter Nemechek. Nemechek recently competed in the Cup Series last year as a rookie, but now is full-time once again in the Truck Series and was fifth fastest.

    Other notables include Brett Moffitt, who is now in the No. 45 Niece Motorsports machine. Moffitt posted a time of 47.66 seconds, good enough for 12th on the speed charts. Speaking of Niece Motorsports, James Buescher, the 2012 Truck Series champion, will compete at Daytona in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy. Buescher was 14th on the charts, the last of the Niece Motorsports trio.

    Last year’s Truck Series champion, Sheldon Creed, was 25th fastest with a time of 49.058 seconds, and 183.456 mph.

    The practice session was slowed a couple of times by a red flag, due to the No. 3 of Jordan Anderson stalling on track and for the No. 68 of Clay Greenfield who also stalled near Turn 1.

    Qualifying will take place Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern live on FOX Sports 1. There are 45 trucks that will attempt to qualify for the race which means that 10 of the trucks will go home.

    The NextEra Energy Resources 250 season opener can also be seen on FOX Sports 1, with the green-flag scheduled shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET. MRN Radio will also have live coverage.

    Truck Series Practice Results:
    1. Chandler Smith
    2. Austin Hill
    3. Johnny Sauter
    4. Drew Dollar
    5. John Hunter Nemechek
    6. Matt Crafton
    7. Stewart Friesen
    8. Grant Enfinger
    9. David Gilliland
    10. Ben Rhodes
    11. Ryan Truex
    12. Brett Moffitt
    13. Carson Hocevar
    14. James Buescher
    15. Bryan Dauzat
    16. Zane Smith
    17. Raphael Lessard
    18. Spencer Davis
    19. Tyler Ankrum
    20. Austin Wayne Self
    21. Chase Purdy
    22. Cory Roper
    23. Tanner Gray
    24. Spencer Boyd
    25. Sheldon Creed
    26. Todd Peck
    27. Derek Kraus
    28. Hailie Deegan
    29. Kris Wright
    30. Norm Benning
    31. Gus Dean
    32. Jordan Anderson
    33. Tate Fogleman
    34. Danny Bohn
    35. Todd Gilliland
    36. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    37. Parker Kligerman
    38. Codie Rohrbaugh
    39. Timothy Peters
    40. Jesse Iwuji
    41. Dawson Cram
    42. Jason White
    43. Ray Ciccarelli
    44. Clay Greenfield
    45. Timothy Viens, Did Not Take Time

  • Stacked field remedy for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series woes

    Stacked field remedy for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series woes

    After several season faced with dwindling fields and shuttering teams, it looks like 2021 is the season that the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have plenty of entries to fill the fields for the entirety of the season. Along with part-time entries from David Gilliland Racing’s No. 17 (piloted by rookie Tyler Gray, younger brother of DGR driver and former NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Gray) and Young’s Motorsports No. 82 for Toni Breidinger, there will also be part-time entries from Bret Holmes Racing, where Holmes and Sam Meyer will split seat time in the No. 32, as well as Justin Carroll in the No. 91 Carroll Motorsports entry.

    Facing these part-time entries will be brand new full-time entries from DGR with rookie Hailie Deegan, as well as Tate Fogleman in the No. 12 Young’s Motorsports entry. Vernon, Texas native Cory Roper will be racing his No. 04 Ford F-150 full-time in 2021 while Spencer Davis will be racing full-time in his Spencer Davis Motorsports No. 11 entry as well. Meanwhile, series veteran Timothy Peters will be making his return to full-time competition in the No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. entry, along with other names.

    The jump in entries for the 2021 season brings a boon to the series, as it wasn’t that long ago that rumors would circulate regarding the closure of the truck division, which many would argue provided some of the best racing product among the top national divisions. The series had suffered something of an identity crisis as it stepped away from it’s own product racing standalone events across the country to relegating itself as part of the NASCAR development ladder.

    Although it will still continue to provide talent to the XFINITY Series and NASCAR Cup Series, more entries means that the series can again focus on it’s own identity and making sure it turns out a great racing product as it has since 1995, when the first season was run. Granted, the division has morphed into something entirely different from the days when it was an homage to the regional racing days of yore, but just because it’s become a touch flashier and more international doesn’t make it lesser in comparison to the other national touring divisions.

    Some of the new entries coming into 2021, such as Deegan, Roper, and Peters, already have made impressive runs that have occasional churned out victories, especially on Peters’s part, so the pressure to perform is there. Other drivers such as Holmes, Davis, Fogleman, and Meyers see this as a chance to prove themselves as worthy of the opportunity. Meyers has already gone to victory lane, having won at Bristol last season, so to back it up in ’21 with more stellar runs will all but solidify his future in NASCAR just a bit longer.

    So with that being said, things are looking up for the Camping World Truck Series in ’21, with more drivers bringing more opportunities for drivers to shine and parity in the division as well as security for the division to last even longer in NASCAR.

  • Daytona Speedweeks schedule

    Daytona Speedweeks schedule

    NASCAR is back and the season kicks off with the 43rd running of the Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway Tues., Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. But this year will feature a special twist as the Clash will be run on Daytona’s road course for the first time.

    The lineup for the 21 eligible drivers was held via a virtual draw Monday night at Daytona and Ryan Blaney will start on the pole. This year’s event will consist of 35 laps with a scheduled caution at Lap 15.

    Other highlights include NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Wed. night. The fastest two cars will make up the front row for the Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon. The Duels at Daytona will run Thursday evening and will determine the remaining lineup. The Duel 1 drivers will line up on the inside row in order of their finish while the Duel 2 drivers will line up on the outside row according to their finish.  

    The ARCA Menards Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series will also take to the track this week in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series prestigious Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon.

    All times are Eastern.

    Tuesday, Feb. 9                             

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – (35 laps, 126.35 miles)

    Wednesday, Feb. 10

    12:05 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – FS1/MRN

    7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1/MRN

    Thursday, Feb. 11

    5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m. Truck Series First Practice – FS1

    7 p.m.: Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (60 laps, 150 miles each race)

    Friday, Feb. 12

    1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: ARCA Practice

    3:10: Truck Series Qualifying – FS1

    4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1

    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 20/40/100)

    Saturday, Feb. 13

    8:30 a.m.: ARCA Qualifying

    9:30 a.m.-10:20 a.m.: Cup Series Second Practice – FS2/MRN

    10:40 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying FS2/FS1*
    *Broadcast coverage starts on FS2 then switches to FS1 at 11 a.m.

    12:05 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1/MRN

    1:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire – FS1/MRN (80 laps, 200 miles)

    5 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 – FS1/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 30/ 60/120)

    Sunday, Feb. 14

    2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 – FOX/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Stages 65/130/200)

  • NASCAR sets 2021 Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedule

    NASCAR sets 2021 Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedule

    NASCAR announced the return of the Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash and the Camping World Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge programs for the 2021 season. In addition, the venues for both programs were also unveiled, featuring new locations.

    For the Xfinity Series, the Dash 4 Cash program will run in four consecutive weeks, with the first event occurring at Martinsville Speedway on April 9. Next will be Talladega Superspeedway on April 24 followed by Darlington Raceway on May 8, which also marks NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend. The program will conclude the following weekend at Dover International Speedway on May 15. This will mark the first Dash 4 Cash event held by all tracks, except for Talladega and at Dover.

    For the Truck Series, the Triple Truck Challenge, also known as “The Trip”, will occur in three consecutive events, with the first to occur at Darlington Raceway on May 7. The program will continue two weeks later with the series’ inaugural event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Finally, the program will conclude the following weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will mark the first Triple Truck Challenge event held by all three tracks.

    Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

    The 2021 NASCAR season will mark the 13th appearance for the Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash program and the third for the Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge.

    In 2020 and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash program occurred at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and at Pocono Raceway, all in June. Noah Gragson, A.J. Allmendinger and Ross Chastain each claimed a Dash 4 Cash bonus for themselves, with Allmendinger winning the bonus twice.

    In addition, the 2020 Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge program occurred at the inaugural Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Dover International Speedway and at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway, all in August. Zane Smith claimed the bonus at Dover while teammate and last year’s Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed won the other two bonuses at Daytona and at Gateway.

    The formats along with the eligibility requirements and bonus purse information for both of the series’ programs in 2021 will be announced at a later date.

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Championship 4 Phoenix Edition

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Championship 4 Phoenix Edition

    Phoenix International Raceway was the site of the Truck Series 2020 Championship Friday night. The Truck Series championship race was the first of three championships with the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series following suit.

    Four drivers were eligible for the season championship with Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, Zane Smith and Grant Enfinger eligible to fight for the title. In this special edition of Power Rankings, we’ll analyze the Championship 4 drivers tonight in chronological order.

    1. Sheldon Creed – From the get-go, Sheldon Creed’s championship hopes did not look favorable, at least through the first stage, with his teammate Zane Smith leading the early portions of the race. However, the No. 2 began to turn the tides little by little following the completion of Stage 1. Creed challenged for the top spot and passed Zane on Lap 49. He stayed out front for 25 laps before getting passed by the 2018 Truck Series champion, Brett Moffitt. In the second stage, the Californian would have to settle for the third position. Then the breakthrough came when a caution flew with six laps to go, changing everything in the race entirely. With Moffitt and Enfinger staying out on the racetrack, Creed elected to come to pit road and take four tires. On the overtime restart, Creed made a dive bomb move in Turn 1, passed Moffitt and retained the lead to win his first-ever Truck Series Championship. Creed will finish the 2020 season with five wins, nine top-fives and 13 top 10 finishes. In addition, he led a total of 587 laps and maintained an average finish of 10.2.
    2. Zane Smith – When you look back on Smith’s rookie season, some will consider the season a good season with two wins, seven top fives, and 13 top 10 finishes. However, at the end of the day, a lot of those stats are thrown out the window when you’re trying to win the title. On Friday night, the rookie from California looked really solid through the beginning portions of the event with Smith winning Stage 1 and leading the first 45 laps with no direct challenge from behind. Unfortunately for Smith, Stage 1 would be the only time the rookie would lead as he would have to end up fighting for most of the night behind the leaders. In Stage 2, Smith finished second to teammate Moffitt, but like Creed, Smith found an opportunity due to the late yellow and pitted with Creed. However, Smith ran out of time and fell just one position short of winning the title by .617 seconds to his teammate Creed.
    3. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt looked on pace to win his second Truck Series championship until the late-race caution changed everything. Due to some miscommunication between the crew on whether or not to stay out, Moffitt remained out on track with older tires restarting in the first position. When the green flag flew with two to go, Moffitt was passed by several drivers on the restart. Not only did he get passed, but the Iowan native fell from first to 10th when the checkered flag flew, ultimately being disappointed with the finish. Not that the stages really matter in the final race, but before winning Stage 2, Moffitt was third in Stage 1. The GMS Racing driver will end the 2020 season with one win at Kansas, 10 top fives and 16 top 10 finishes with an average finish of 9.7.
    4. Grant Enfinger – Aside from a disappointed Moffitt, Grant Enfinger most likely had the most disappointing night of them all. The ThorSport driver started on the pole based on the new metric system but could never really capitalize on it. Through the majority of the first two stages, the Alabaman was the lowest running of the Championship 4 being mired back in either the fourth, fifth or sixth position. During a Lap 104 caution, Enfinger made a pit stop for adjustments to his No. 98 truck to try something different than the leaders. On the next restart, Enfinger restarted in the 12th position and slowly but surely started making his way through the pack. At one point, Enfinger was passing the Championship 4 contenders and got as high as second to Moffitt before the caution. Like Moffitt, Enfinger stayed out to assume second, restarting in the outside lane. Despite Enfinger’s effort, he spun the tires a little bit and would brush the wall in the final laps. In the end, Enfinger could only manage a 13th place finishing position after showing promise late. As the 2020 season wraps up Enfinger finishes with four wins at Daytona, Atlanta, Richmond and, most recently, at Martinsville. The No. 98 team finishes with eight top fives, and 13 top 10 finishes with 156 laps led and an average finish of 10.4.
  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at Phoenix

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at Phoenix

    Phoenix Raceway was the site of the season finale race for the 2020 Truck Series Championship. Getting this far seemed almost impossible back in March when the world was shut down for a month and a half. However, the industry, series officials and the tracks rallied together and were able to get all 23 races in to complete the season.

    When the checkers flew last Friday night, the Truck Series championship went to Sheldon Creed who bested Zane Smith, Brett Moffitt and Grant Enfinger after taking four fresh tires following a caution with less than 10 laps to go in the race. Creed became the only driver to win the ARCA Menards and Truck Series Championships.

    As Creed won the Truck Series title for the first time in his career, it’s safe to say that Creed will once again be a challenge and a threat for the championship in 2021 since the Californian will be back for a second consecutive year to defend his title.

    With the season over at this point, we’ll take a look at things we might have missed in Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix.

    1. Maury Gallagher Earns First Team Owner Title – The Team Owner Championship has been a long time coming for Maury Gallagher, the CEO of Allegiant Airlines. The title was Gallagher’s first of any kind since entering the sport in 2012 and competing in the ARCA Menards Series. Gallagher entered the Truck Series competition however back in 2013 with his son Spencer and their first Truck Series race was Kansas. Since the initial debut, Gallagher, as an owner, has achieved 37 career wins with Austin Dillon, Grant Enfinger, Ben Kennedy, Kyle Larson, Johnny Sauter, Chase Elliott, Kaz Grala, Justin Haley, Timothy Peters, Brett Moffitt, Zane Smith, Sam Mayer and, of course, Sheldon Creed. It’s been a long journey for the team who entered NASCAR eight years ago, but at the same time, fun being able to watch a team grow. As the team is becoming a powerhouse team, 2021 is looking bright for the organization as a whole and they are set to defend their title.
    2. Jeff Stankiewicz Gains First Truck Series Title – Staying on the topic of firsts, crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz also picked up his first championship Friday night. Creed and Stankiewicz have proved to be a great pairing as both won a total of four races with each other two years ago in ARCA competition and won the championship with Creed as well. By winning the championship Friday night, the North Carolina native was the 19th different crew chief to win a championship in the Truck Series. Stankiewicz’s best points finish prior to Friday night in the Truck Series was seventh with former series driver Joey Coulter in 2014.
    3. Kyle Busch Motorsports Place Three Trucks In Top Five – Even though Friday night was dominated by the GMS Racing team, Kyle Busch Motorsports was right up there in contention with Chandler Smith the highest finishing driver out of the stable as the Georgian finished third. Smith most likely could have finished runner-up had he not been passed by Zane Smith (no relation to Chandler) had Zane not pitted. The third-place finish was Smith’s best result since Talladega last month, where he also finished third. Christian Eckes finished fourth, which matched his Martinsville finish a week prior to Phoenix. Finally, after a rough Martinsville outing of 20th, Canadian Raphael Lessard rebounded to a fifth-place finish to earn his fourth top-five of the season.
    4. Niece Motorsports Ends The Season With A Disappointing Night – Friday night was most likely a forgettable night and end to the season for Niece Motorsports. Trevor Bayne was the highest out of the stable and finished 18th after receiving a speeding penalty following the stage break. Meanwhile, Ryan Truex placed 21st in the No. 40 machine. Carson Hocevar, who will go full-time for Niece ‘21, wrecked out of the event and was credited with 32nd place. 2020 has certainly been a struggle for the team as none of their drivers recorded any wins despite being close at Talladega with Bayne. It is a significant dropoff from last year, where Ross Chastain gave Niece three wins and a spot in the Championship 4. Here’s hoping 2021 will be better for the team.
  • Sheldon Creed wins 2020 Truck Series Championship after a wild restart

    Sheldon Creed wins 2020 Truck Series Championship after a wild restart

    After a quiet first two stages, a late-race caution gave Sheldon Creed the opportunity to drive from eighth place to the front and take the lead to win the Truck Series championship.

    “I can’t believe it, thank you so much,” the 23-year-old Californian, Creed, screamed into his team radio as he crossed the finish line. “The caution came out and we were like, ‘we’ve got nothing to lose’,” Creed said of the decision to pit for tires. “I pride myself on my restarts week in and week out and just nailed the restart right there. I was just driving as hard as I can, I wanted this thing so bad.”

    Stages 45-45-60 laps made up the scheduled 150 lap race, but an overtime restart extended the race to 156 laps. No Trucks were sent to the rear and Championship 4 driver Grant Enfinger was on the pole based on the metric system. Brett Moffit, Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger and Sheldon Creed made up the Championship 4 contenders.

    Stage 1: Laps 1 – 45

    Early on in the stage, rookie Zane Smith had the lead over teammates Creed and Moffitt with no challenge from either driver until late in the stage. Surprisingly, no cautions fell in the stage and with a dominant truck, Zane Smith grabbed the stage victory with Creed in second, Moffitt third and Enfinger fourth.

    After the stage break, it was Creed who would win the race off pit road and maintain his top position.

    Stage 2: Laps 53 – 90

    Stage 2 was a carbon copy of the first stage with 8 green-flag laps of racing with no yellows in sight. However, multiple battles for the lead would pursue in the middle of this stage. Creed led from laps 50 – 74 for 25 total laps. His teammate Brett Moffitt came into the picture and made a pass on Lap 75 with just 19 laps to go in the stage. After making the pass for the lead, the Iowan native held on and took home the Stage 2 win. Zane Smith finished second, Creed was third and Enfinger managed fifth.

    Under the yellow, Niece Motorsports driver Trevor Bayne was penalized for being too fast on pit road and Moffitt held on to the lead.

    Stage 3: Laps 98 – 156

    With Enfinger battling a tight truck, GMS Racing made up the top three spots. However, their effort was slowed at Lap 104 when a caution flew for the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar who backed his Niece Motorsports Chevrolet into the Turn 2 wall. In the middle of the caution cycle, Enfinger came down to pit road and took four tires to help with the handling of the truck. Meanwhile, the No. 19 of Derek Kraus stalled, having no power in his Toyota Tundra.

    When the green flag flew again at Lap 119, Enfinger made the most of his pit stop by climbing to fifth in the running order. However, the four-tire call for Enfinger wouldn’t come into play until late in the race. The Alabaman started making moves with 19 to go, passing Smith for fourth and moving up as high as second with 12 to go.

    As the race started to wind down, race leader Moffitt held off Enfinger with a 4.340-second advantage. Getting closer to the checkered flag, the race looked as though it would go to the 2018 Truck Series Champion, Moffitt. Unfortunately for Moffitt, a late yellow flew for the No. 41 of Dawson Cram, setting up an overtime restart with seven laps to go.

    The caution would prove costly for Moffitt, as Champ 4 drivers Creed and Zane Smith came to pit road and took four fresh tires. Moffitt and Enfinger stayed out to assume the lead with hopes of holding off the field for a classic finish.

    The restart on Lap 154 with 2 laps to go would look like this for the championship drivers; Moffitt was in first, Enfinger was second, Creed restarted in eighth with Smith in ninth.

    Following the green flag, Enfinger, on the outside, spun his tires and both Creed and Smith made dive bomb moves to the bottom of the track in Turns 1 and 2. Moffitt ended up sliding up the track and falling back in the running order. As the checkered flag flew, the victory and championship went to Creed who won his fifth race of the 2020 season.

    Zane Smith finished second with Moffitt 10th and Enfinger rounding out the Championship 4 in 13th position.

    After leading the most laps (78) and winning Stage 2, Moffitt was understandably disappointed after finishing 10th.

    “It’s frustrating losing like that,” Moffitt said. “It would have been an honor to win with this paint scheme in honor of (seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion) Jimmie Johnson,” said Moffitt, adding, “I guess if broken legs isn’t enough of a handicap, race strategy is.”

    There were four cautions for 28 laps and seven lead changes among five different drivers.

    Items to note – Chevrolet won the Truck Series Manufacturers Championship, while GMS Racing’s Maury Gallagher won his first ever Truck Series Owners title. Champion Sheldon Creed ends the season with the most stage victories of 11, while he and Austin Hill end up in a tie with the most playoff points of 28 each.

    Final Championship 4 Standings

    1. Sheldon Creed
    2. Zane Smith
    3. Brett Moffitt
    4. Grant Enfinger

    Final Championship 4 Owner Standings

    1. GMS Racing No. 2
    2. GMS Racing No. 21
    3. GMS Racing No. 23
    4. ThorSport Racing No. 98

    Official Results following the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    1. Sheldon Creed, led twice for 27 laps
    2. Zane Smith
    3. Chandler Smith
    4. Christian Eckes
    5. Raphael Lessard
    6. Stewart Friesen
    7. Ben Rhodes
    8. Tyler Ankrum
    9. Todd Gilliland
    10. Brett Moffitt, won Stage 2, led 78 laps
    11. Johnny Sauter
    12. Austin Hill
    13. Grant Enfinger, led two laps
    14. Matt Crafton
    15. Tanner Gray
    16. Dylan Lupton
    17. Sam Mayer
    18. Trevor Bayne
    19. Tate Fogleman
    20. Austin Wayne Self
    21. Ryan Truex, 1 lap down
    22. Jordan Anderson, 2 laps down
    23. Spencer Davis, 2 laps down
    24. Derek Kraus, 3 laps down
    25. Tyler Hill, 3 laps down
    26. Danny Bohn, 3 laps down
    27. Spencer Boyd, 4 laps down
    28. Dawson Cram, 4 laps down
    29. Robby Lyons, 4 laps down
    30. Akinori Ogata, 6 laps down
    31. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 9 laps down
    32. Carson Hocevar, OUT, Accident
    33. Josh Reaume, OUT, Brakes

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will now enjoy their much deserved offseason and start focusing on the 2021 schedule. The 2021 Truck Series season begins Friday night, Feb. 12 at Daytona International Speedway with the annual NextEra Energy Resources 250.