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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

  • Richmond Raceway will not host fans during NASCAR quadruple-header weekend in September

    Richmond Raceway will not host fans during NASCAR quadruple-header weekend in September

    Richmond Raceway will not have fans in attendance when NASCAR competes in Richmond, Virginia, on September 10-12 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and following further review and consideration with public health officials, medical experts and state/federal officials. The decision comes as NASCAR and Richmond elected to ensure the safety of the competitors, staff and the local community.

    “This was a difficult decision, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic we believe at this time it is in the best interests of the local community to host races without fans,” said Richmond Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier. “We are grateful for the patience and support of our long-time loyal fans in this unprecedented season, but we will unite over race weekend as we tune in to the national broadcasts on NBCSN, FS1, and MRN to watch NASCAR’s best compete in four races over three days at America’s Premier Short Track.”

    Prior to the 2020 season, NASCAR was slated to run four national division series races (Truck, Xfinity and Cup), with the Truck and Cup to run a doubleheader weekend on April 18-19 before the Xfinity and Cup Series competes on a doubleheader weekend on September 11-12. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, NASCAR was forced to rescheduled its racing events for March and beyond in an effort to complete the season by early November.

    On August 6, when NASCAR released the final installment of its racing schedule for its three national division series, Richmond was revealed to host a quadruple-header weekend in September. It will all begin on Thursday, September 10, when the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series makes its return to Richmond since 2005. The following day on Friday, September 11, the Xfinity Series will race at Richmond, which will serve as the 24th series event of the season. The quadruple-header weekend of racing will cap off on September 12 with the Xfinity and Cup Series to compete throughout Saturday.

    The Truck Series Richmond event on September 10 will serve as the final regular-season race of this season, where the 10-Truck Playoff field will be determined. The Xfinity Series doubleheader races at Richmond will serve as the penultimate regular-season events of the season prior to the Playoffs. In addition, the Xfinity event at Richmond on September 12 replaces the Xfinity race at Michigan International Speedway that was originally slated to occur in early June. Finally, the lone Cup Series event at Richmond on September 12 will serve as the second Round of 16 race during the Playoffs.

    Ticketholders for the Richmond Cup Series race and the Xfinity Series races will automatically receive a credit for the full amount of their purchase, along with an additional 20% of the total amount paid, in their ticket account by Friday, August 28. The 120% event credit can be used to apply towards future race events, including, but not limited to, a 2021 Cup Series race weekend at Richmond or another 2021 NASCAR sanctioned event at any NASCAR-owned tracks, subject to availability. For additional details or other options, fans can visit richmondraceway.com/assistance.

    The NASCAR Truck Series race at Richmond on September 10 will air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 while the first Xfinity Series race at Richmond on September 11 will air at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. On September 12, the second Xfinity race will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the Cup Playoff race will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. All races will also air on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and its network of nationwide affiliates, including SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Weekend schedule for Dover

    Weekend schedule for Dover

    NASCAR heads to Dover International Speedway with six races on the schedule including doubleheaders for the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday and Sunday. The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series East will start off the weekend’s activities Friday afternoon.  

    The starting lineup was based on finishing position from the previous race (50%), ranking in team owner points (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).

    For the second Xfinity race on Sunday, the lineup will be based on Saturday’s finishing order with a top-15 invert. The second Cup Series race on Sunday will also be based on Saturday’s finishing order, but with a top-20 invert.

    Friday, Aug. 21

    11:30 a.m.: ARCA Menards Series East Practice – No TV

    2 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series East General Tire 125 – TrackPass/MRN

    5 p.m.: Truck Series KDI Office Technology 200 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 200 Miles) FS1/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Truck Series Pole: Brett Moffitt

    Saturday, Aug. 22 

    12:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Drydene 200-Race 1 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 200 Miles) NBCSN/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 

    Xfinity Series Pole: Austin Cindric

    4 p.m.: Cup Series Drydene 311-Race 1 (Stages 70/185/311 Laps = 311 Miles) NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Cup Series Pole: Chase Elliott

    Sunday, Aug. 23

    1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Drydene 200-Race 2 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 200 Miles) NBCSN/MRN

    4 p.m.: Cup Series Drydene 311-Race 2 (Stages 70/185/311 Laps = 311 Miles) NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

  • NGROTS Advance: Tanner Gray – Dover International Speedway

    NGROTS Advance: Tanner Gray – Dover International Speedway

    Track: Dover International Speedway, one-mile oval
    Race: 13 of 23
    Event: KDI Office Technology 200 (200 miles, 200 laps)

    Schedule:
    Friday, August 21
    5:00 p.m…………..Race (FS1)
    (all times ET)

    Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performace F-150

    Tanner Gray has momentum on his side. After two consecutive top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, he is ready to face The Monster Mile of Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The 21-year-old rookie has one prior start at Dover when he started and finished second in last year’s NASCAR K&N East Series race. He also led two laps in that race. Friday will mark his first start there in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS).

    In 12 Truck Series races this season, Gray has two top-five, four top-10 finishes and has led three laps. He finished 15th last weekend on the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, which was a solid effort for only his second start on a road course.

    The DGR-Crosley team is bringing the same No. 15 Ford Performance F-150 to Dover that Gray raced at Texas Motor Speedway in July. He never got a chance to see how the truck performed there since a transmission issue plagued him from the start of the race.

    The KDI Office Technology 200 from Dover International Speedway will be run on Friday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 200-lap race will be broken into three segments with stage-ending cautions on laps 45 and 90.

    Gray on Dover: “I raced at Dover for the first time last year and it was a lot of fun. It’s definitely a fast track and a lot can happen in a hurry. I’m not sure what to expect in the truck with the different aerodynamics. I’ve watched a lot of film from previous races and spent some time on the Ford Performance simulator, which has been a big help. I’ll be able to watch the ARCA East race earlier that day with my brother (Taylor Gray) and David (Gilliland) racing in it, so that will help to see what lines they run and get feedback from them after the race.”

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Daytona Road Course

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Daytona Road Course

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited the Daytona International Speedway Road Course for the first time in series history Sunday afternoon.

    Sheldon Creed continued his late-season dominance by earning his second career victory after leading the final 12 laps of the race when original race leader Matt Crafton missed the Turn 9 and 10 chicane on the backstretch. The Californian now has 14 playoff points to his credit, sits on top of the playoff points standings and is looking pretty good for a championship run.

    While Creed enjoyed his late-race run, others suffered, including Christian Eckes. Eckes was coming to the line but made contact with Stewart Friesen and saw his No. 18 Truck get torn up. It was a miserable outing for the New York native who ended up 12th as a result of the crash after having solid runs the last few races.

    With that in mind, a few other drivers were able to capitalize on someones else’s misfortune, and come away with a good overall day.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Sunoco 159 at the Daytona International Road Course.

    1. Sheldon Creed – Okay, raise your hands if you didn’t see this (win) coming. The victory shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise as Creed led 19 laps and won Stage 2 to gain some valuable playoff points for his No. 2 GMS Racing team. He finished second in the first stage as well. Winning the Daytona Road Course race was purely sweet, sweet victory as the last two races at Kansas and Michigan didn’t go so well. The victory was a nice picker-upper for Creed.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    2. Grant Enfinger – It was a valiant effort for Enfinger who rebounded the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford F-150 to a seventh-place finish after earlier issues. Things went south for a while when his ThorSport team had to change a battery during one of the stage breaks. It took the Alabaman all of the race to get back in fighting contention but he managed his sixth top 10 of the 2020 season. Like Creed, the finish was also a rebound for Enfinger who lost the race last week at Michigan when he collided with a couple of trucks on a late-race restart. Though with Creed scoring the victory, Enfinger now sits second in playoff points, +11 above the cut line. Enfinger is locked into the playoffs via his Daytona victory earlier in the year but needs to work on winning more stages and races to comfortably avoid another Las Vegas incident.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    3. Matt Crafton – A ho-hum fourth-place finish for Crafton who nearly gave the race away in the remaining laps. The three-time champion was looking for his second win of the season but his run was ruined by going through the backstretch chicane and losing two positions on the racetrack. Thankfully for Crafton, he didn’t receive a penalty from NASCAR, since he cut the corners and NASCAR deemed losing two positions was enough and did not merit a penalty. However, the ThorSport driver hung on for a top-five finish, finishing fourth, Crafton’s sixth top-five of the year. Regardless of the incident, Crafton sits fifth in the playoff standings.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Raphael Lessard – Rapahel Lessard earned the best finish of his Truck Series career after ending up in the third position in the final running order. The Canadian, however, most likely could have won the race had he not overshot the last chicane in the final laps of the race. The victory would definitely have been a big win for Lessard, but for now, he will have to move forward and try again at the next event. Nonetheless, a great effort and a solid finish for Lessard, especially when all could have gone away in those intense moments.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Brett Moffitt – A stage win and a second-place finish was what the No. 23 team received following Sunday’s race. Moffitt followed up his sixth-place outing last week at Michigan and almost scored the victory. The Iowan was pushing hard in those remaining laps and had Creed slipped up in any form or fashion, Moffitt would have been there to pounce and get the victory instead. However, now with Creed and Zane Smith having victories in the GMS camp, Moffitt and his teammate Tyler Ankrum are the only ones who don’t have wins in that stable. They have two races left to make it happen and get their playoff spot secured.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out

    1. Christian Eckes – It was a tough day at the office for Eckes who could only get a 12th place result. He spun in Turn 3 while leading and couldn’t get back into contention. His day got even worse when the No. 18 Safelite Truck was destroyed after taking the checkered flag.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Derek Kraus – Electrical problems plagued Kraus and put the Bill McAnally driver out of the race and credited with a 30th place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    3. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes had a forgettable day as he would finish 14th in the final running order, after being, at one point, one of the highest running ThorSport trucks.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at the Daytona Road Course

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Truck Series race at the Daytona Road Course

    The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck series went south for the 12th race of the 2020 season to the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

    Sheldon Creed came out victorious after leading just 19 laps and being a solid contender throughout the 46-lap event. Though he had to showcase his skills late due to an overtime restart and hold off his teammate and 2018 series champion, Brett Moffitt.

    There were also several notable stories that were significant including issues resulting from the heat. The heat was a major factor for almost everyone in the race, including drivers like Carson Hocevar and Christian Eckes. Hocevar was stopped on the track and caused a late-race yellow. As he sat in blazing temperatures, safety officials came to his aid and the Niece Motorsports driver got out of his truck, exhausted. The same was true for Eckes who, after his incident, got out of the truck, and sat on the grass for a while.

    With the heat being a major factor, playoff points are also starting to become a major factor as well, and the points are ever-changing.

    We’ll detail that and other stories in this week’s takeaways.

    1. Parker Kligerman Earns Top 10 Outing – Kligerman finished eighth for his second consecutive top 10 finish of the season Sunday afternoon. It’s currently his best finish of the year after competing in four races. In what could easily be deemed as an up and down season after not being able to race at Atlanta and Charlotte due to a lack of owner points, Kligerman definitely makes the most of his efforts when he competes in a Truck Series outing.
    2. Jennifer Jo Cobb’s 200th Start – Possibly overlooked in Sunday’s race was Jennifer Jo Cobb’s 200th Truck Series start. While the Kansas City, KS native currently doesn’t have any wins in the series, Cobb does her best to make it in the show whenever there is qualifying. To date, her best finish is sixth at Daytona in 2011.
    3. Wayne Self Sees Best Finish – Austin Wayne Self’s No. 22 AM Racing saw their best finish of the year Sunday afternoon when the Austin, Texas native finished 11th. So far in 2020, he doesn’t have any top fives or top 10 finishes but is working on getting back to that point. His 11th place outing was certainly much needed after a disastrous finish at Michigan the week prior. In addition, Self managed to get some stage points, finishing ninth in Stage 1.

      “Really proud of my AM Racing team,” Self said. “We started mid-pack, but we raced methodically and smart that put us in a position to get some stage points at the end of Stage 2. We were mired deep in the field for the start of Stage 3 but a fast No. 22 AIRBOX Air Purifier end allowed us to climb back through the field and finish 11th. It was a nice rebound from Michigan. Let’s see if we can go to Dover and get ourselves a top-10 finish.”
    4. Triple Truck Challenge – Everyone’s favorite challenge is back, the “Triple Truck Challenge.” Beginning at the Daytona Road Course and lasting through Gateway, Truck Series drivers have a chance to win $50,000 should a driver win one of those races. Originally, before Sunday’s race, any full-time driver had an opportunity to earn up to $500,000 had one of those drivers won all three events. Now, however, Sheldon Creed is the only driver who has an opportunity to get half a million, should he happen to win at Dover and Gateway.
  • Creed Victorious in historic Daytona Road Course Victory

    Creed Victorious in historic Daytona Road Course Victory

    Sheldon Creed took home his second victory of the year Sunday afternoon after hanging on to win on the first-ever NASCAR Truck Series race on the Daytona Road Course. Creed had to fend off a hard-charging teammate Brett Moffitt for the victory in an overtime restart that came with two laps to go. The victory now puts Creed and the GMS Racing No. 2 team on top of the playoff standings, leading just by three points over Grant Enfinger.

    “Nerve-wracking,” a smiling Creed said of the race after climbing out of his No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet truck.

    “Brett’s [Moffitt] really good on road courses and he’s helped me so much on the Chevy simulator. I just thought about not making a mistake there. He tried crossing me up a couple of times there in [turns] three and five and I just stopped in the corners so he couldn’t get the run.”

    “I’m so thankful for my guys. They’ve been working really hard. We’ve had a rough couple weeks, last weekend running up front and lost an alternator.”

    “Just thankful for everyone in our corner,” Creed continued. “Thank you Brett for running me clean there. Just so excited.”

    In addition to the historic event for the Truck Series, the Daytona Road Course also marked the first of three races for the Triple Truck Challenge, where a driver can win up to $500,000 should they win all three races or $50,000 for one race.

    There were also three stages that saw 12-13-19, which made up the original 44 lap event. Though, due to overtime, the race was extended to 46 laps instead.

    Stage 1 Lap 1 – Lap 12

    Stage 1 was surprisingly calm with Moffitt dominating the stage. The stage wasn’t all easy for Moffitt however, as the Iowan barely overshot the last chicane on the frontstretch. Had he done so, Moffitt would have had to serve a penalty for a stop and go. Fortunately for Moffitt, he held on to his No. 23 Chevrolet and got the stage victory.

    A caution on lap 12 for the No. 42 stopped on track was displayed. With the caution coming out on the final lap of the stage, the stage was ended under yellow. Following Moffitt were Creed, Christian Eckes, Austin Hill, Todd Gilliland, Ben Rhodes, Tyler Ankrum, Tanner Gray, Austin Wayne Self, and Derek Kraus completing the top 10.

    While Stage 1 didn’t see too much action, pit road was a busy place during the stage break for several drivers.

    Bobby Kennedy piloting the No. 00 Reaume Brothers entry jumped out of the truck and was replaced by team owner Josh Reaume, with Kennedy not feeling well. Meanwhile, Grant Enfinger changed a battery, and Stewart Friesen changed an alternator. The No. 02 of Tate Fogleman was also penalized for being too fast on pit road.

    Stage 2 Lap 14 – Lap 25

    Like Stage 1, Stage 2 saw a lot of action but there were no yellows that took place.

    Christian Eckes and Matt Crafton stayed out under the stage break to assume the lead.

    A few drivers went off course including Johnny Sauter in the No. 13 Truck. Sauter missed the Turn 9 and 10 chicane on the backstretch and went off into the grass. By going off the racing surface, the Wisconsin native had to stop for a brief period of time before returning on track. The leader Eckes went off as well in Turn 3 while trying to hold off Crafton. The No. 18 Safelite Tundra spun, which allowed Crafton to go by with the lead. Another driver, Jennifer Jo Cobb ended up missing a corner, and was penalized and had to serve a drive-thru.

    As the laps began to wind down in the stage, Todd Gilliland and Derek Kraus came to pit road for battery changes to their machines.

    Crafton while the leader missed the Turn 9 and 10 chicane as well, thus giving up the lead. Even though Crafton did not stop after cutting through the grass, the series officials did not penalize him as he lost two positions in the process.

    With Crafton going off course, the incident saw Creed take the lead and go on to win the second stage. Hill, Ankrum, Smith, Kris Wright, Spencer Davis, Raphael Lessard, Alex Tagliani, Moffitt, and Ty Majeski were the top 10 finishers in Stage 2.

    Stage 3 Lap 28 – Lap 46

    Three cautions slowed the final stage throughout the final 18 laps.

    Jordan Anderson in his No. 3 Chevrolet came to a stop in Turn 8. Derek Kraus as well came to a stop in Turn 3 for the fourth yellow of the race. The final caution flew with just three laps to go. Carson Hocevar making a Truck start for Niece Motorsports in the No. 40 truck collected damage in the first turn and could not get his truck to fire up. In doing so, the yellow was prompted and forced NASCAR Overtime restart.

    Even the Overtime restart couldn’t slow Creed down, as he drove his No. 2 Chevy to victory lane for his first Daytona win when the checkered flag flew.

    There were five cautions for seven laps and 10 lead changes among six drivers.

    In addition, Creed picked up $50,000 due to the Triple Truck Challenge.

    Official Results following Sunoco 159 at Daytona Road Course

    1. Sheldon Creed, won Stage 2, led 19 laps
    2. Brett Moffitt, won Stage 1, led 13 laps
    3. Raphael Lessard, led three laps
    4. Matt Crafton, led seven laps
    5. Austin Hill, led one lap
    6. Tyler Ankrum
    7. Grant Enfinger
    8. Parker Kligerman
    9. Scott Lagasse Jr
    10. Stewart Friesen
    11. Austin Wayne Self
    12. Christian Eckes, led three laps
    13. Zane Smith
    14. Ben Rhodes
    15. Tanner Gray
    16. Tyler Hill
    17. Spencer Boyd
    18. Bryan Collyer
    19. Tate Fogleman
    20. Natalie Decker
    21. Johnny Sauter
    22. Alex Tagliani
    23. Mike Skeen
    24. Tim Viens
    25. Kris Wright
    26. Cory Roper, 1 lap down
    27. Norm Benning, 4 laps down
    28. Carson Hocevar, OUT, Accident
    29. Codie Rohrbaugh, 5 laps down
    30. Derek Kraus, OUT, Electrical
    31. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 8 laps down
    32. Ty Majeski, OUT, Overheating
    33. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Electrical
    34. Spencer Davis, OUT, Brakes
    35. Jordan Anderson, OUT, Drivetrain
    36. Mark Smith, OUT, Brakes
    37. Bobby Kennedy-Josh Reaume, OUT, Ignition
    38. Roger Reuse, OUT, Clutch

    Playoff Standings

    1. Sheldon Creed, 14 playoff points
    2. Grant Enfinger, 11 playoff points
    3. Zane Smith, 8 playoff points
    4. Austin Hill, 6 playoff points
    5. Matt Crafton, 5 playoff points
    6. Brett Moffitt, 4 playoff points
    7. Ben Rhodes, +75
    8. Christian Eckes, +74
    9. Tyler Ankrum, +5
    10. Todd Gilliland, +2

    Below the cut line

    11. Derek Kraus, -2
    12. Tanner Gray, -45
    13. Raphael Lessard, -55
    14. Johnny Sauter, -67

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visits Dover International Speedway Friday August 21 at 5 p.m./ET live on Fox Sports 1.

  • Weekend schedule for Daytona Road Course

    Weekend schedule for Daytona Road Course

    NASCAR heads to Daytona International Speedway this weekend where all three of the top national series will compete on the 3.56-mile road course for the first time in the sport’s history. The ARCA Menards Series will also compete and kicks off the events Friday evening with the General Tire 100.

    The NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series race and ARCA Menards Series races were originally scheduled for Watkins Glen International on August 14-16. The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series was realigned from the Iowa Speedway race that was scheduled for June 12.

    Kevin Harvick will start on the pole for Sunday’s GoBowling 235. The lineup was determined using a new formula that is based on finishing position from the previous race (50%), ranking in team owner points (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, August 14

    2 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series final practice – No TV

    5 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series General Tire 100 (28 laps, 101.8 miles) MAVTV/MRN

    Saturday, August 15

    3 p.m.: Xfinity Series UNOH 188 (Stages 15/30/52 laps, 187.72 miles) NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, August 16

    Noon: Truck Series Sunoco 159 (Stages 12/25/44 laps, 158.85 miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    3 p.m.: Cup Series GoBowling 235 (Stages 15/30/65 laps, 234.65 miles) NBC/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio


    Starting Lineup for GoBowling 235 

    Starting spotDriverCar #Team
    1Kevin Harvick4Stewart-Haas Racing
    2Denny Hamlin11Joe Gibbs Racing
    3Martin Truex Jr.19Joe Gibbs Racing
    4Kyle Busch18Joe Gibbs Racing
    5Joey Logano22Team Penske
    6Aric Almirola10Stewart-Haas Racing
    7Chase Elliott9Hendrick Motorsports
    8Kurt Busch1Chip Ganassi Racing
    9Matt DiBenedetto21Wood Brothers Racing
    10Austin Dillon3Richard Childress Racing
    11Jimmie Johnson48Hendrick Motorsports
    12Clint Bowyer14Stewart-Haas Racing
    13William Byron24Hendrick Motorsports
    14Ryan Newman6Roush Fenway Racing
    15Christopher Bell95Leavine Family Racing
    16Matt Kenseth42Chip Ganassi Racing
    17Brad Keselowski2Team Penske
    18Tyler Reddick8Richard Childress Racing
    19Bubba Wallace43Richard Petty Motorsports
    20Erik Jones20Joe Gibbs Racing
    21Chris Buescher17Roush Fenway Racing
    22Ryan Preece37JTG Daugherty Racing
    23Ty Dillon13Germain Racing
    24Ryan Blaney12Team Penske
    25Ricky Stenhouse Jr.47JTG Daugherty Racing
    26Cole Custer41Stewart-Haas Racing
    27Alex Bowman88Hendrick Motorsports
    28John Hunter Nemechek38Front Row Motorsports
    29Corey LaJoie32Go FAS Racing
    30Michael McDowell34Front Row Motorsports
    31Daniel Suarez96Gaunt Brothers Racing
    32JJ Yeley27Rick Ware Racing
    33Brennan Poole15Premium Motorsports
    34Reed Sorenson77Spire Motorsports
    35Quin Houff0StarCom Racing
    36Timmy Hill66Motorsports Business Management
    37Gray Gaulding53Rick Ware Racing
    38Joey Gase51Petty Ware Racing
    39Brendan Gaughan62Beard Motorsports
  • Four Takeaways from the Henry Food Health System 200

    Four Takeaways from the Henry Food Health System 200

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series came to play last Friday night at Michigan International Speedway for the continuation of their 2020 season and their march to the postseason.

    The 11th event of the season was a caution-filled race, just like the Pocono event was. When the smoke cleared and all was said and done, there were a record 11 cautions for 51 laps, the most ever for any Truck Series race at Michigan. Putting that all together, 47.7% of the race was run under caution while just 4.7 laps were run under green. Through the first two stages, there were definitely some yellows, but not as many as during the final stage and that allowed for some green flag runs. But, all hell broke loose with 18 to go when a caution flew for the 13 of Johnny Sauter, who spun in Turn 2 after racing with teammate Grant Enfinger.

    Soon after that, it seemed like the rest of the race was under yellow as only six laps of green flag racing were seen in the final remaining laps which included one red flag that lasted nine minutes. At the end of the day, Zane Smith finally got his first NASCAR win in the Truck Series by prevailing through the chaos and carnage.

    Meanwhile, there was another story that affected the outcome of the race and we’ll detail that in this week’s takeaways from the Truck Series race at Michigan.

    1. Choose Rule – On Friday afternoon, NASCAR implemented the choose rule which allows the drivers to decide in which lane they will restart when the race resumes after a caution. This isn’t the first time NASCAR has used the rule (see Bristol All-Star race), but this was the first time the rule was used in a Truck Series race. It seemed as though the rule worked for the most part and created some interesting choices for the drivers. While some probably liked it, I am sure there were others that did not. NASCAR will continue to implement the choose rule in all three national series for restarts except at road courses and superspeedways. It should eliminate confusion especially late in the race. A major kudos to NASCAR for stipulating that if a driver fails to commit to a lane before the painted box or change lanes after the mark, the driver will be penalized and have to restart at the tail end of the longest line. It might seem a little harsh but it should prevent drivers from trying to gain an advantage on the field.
    2. Raphael Lessard Bounces Back – Like his teammate Christian Eckes, the day looked disastrous for the Canadian Lessard when he had a flat tire at the mid-point of the race. Lessard had to come down pit road during a green-flag run while leading for a fresh new tire. With the help of late-race cautions, he was able to come back into play and record a seventh-place finish, the first top 10 finish of Lessard’s career. In addition, the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver led four laps. It was a solid day for the No. 4 team.
    3. David Gravel Competes – The World Of Outlaws star David Gravel mixed up the field this past weekend by competing in his first Truck Series race. It was a quiet race for the 28-year-old but he rallied for a 10th place finish in his first start. Sure, the cautions may have helped him, but not a bad day for Gravel and the No. 24 GMS Racing team.
    4. Playoff Schedule Announced – Last Thursday afternoon, NASCAR announced the remaining 2020 schedule for the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series. Specifically for the Truck Series, nothing major was really changed, but there were a few notables. Kansas will host its first Truck Series playoff race, and for the first time in nine years, the Trucks will head to Darlington International Raceway which will open the playoff run. The playoff schedule includes Darlington on Sept. 6, Richmond Sept. 10, Bristol Sept. 17, Las Vegas Sept. 18, Talladega Oct. 3, Kansas Oct. 16, Texas Oct. 25, Martinsville Oct. 30, and the final race of the season will be at Phoenix November 6.

    Bonus Takeaway

    1. On Sunday morning, it was announced by Kyle Busch Motorsports that Alex Tagliani will be competing in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra at the Daytona Road Course on Sunday, Aug. 16. The event will mark Tagliani’s first race since Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last year, where he finished runner up after starting fourth.

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    Friday night’s race at Michigan International Speedway marked the 11th race of the 2020 Truck Series season. It wasn’t all that long ago that race fans didn’t know when the next Truck Series race would take place. But the season continues to roll on at a decent pace as NASCAR gives their best effort with the goal of completing the entire season.

    The same can be said for rookie Zane Smith, who kept the ball rolling Friday night. He was never really a factor throughout the first two stages, especially after he received a pit penalty, but Smith never lost confidence and continued to work his way back to the front. His winning moment came on the second overtime restart when the leaders collided with each other and Smith broke through the smoke and fended off friend/competitor Christian Eckes for his first career NASCAR victory. The victory was a long time coming for the Californian who has had a strong rookie year and now can focus on the Playoffs and potentially a bid for the championship in his first year.

    While Smith enjoyed the ending of Friday’s race, many drivers probably wish they could have another shot at the race, including Stewart Friesen who wrecked out and was credited with a last-place finish. At this point, the Canadian will need to find a way to win if he has any hopes of repeating his 2019 playoff run.

    With up and down days across the board for everyone, we’ll take a look where everyone lands on this week’s Power Rankings following the Henry Food Health System 200.

    1. Zane Smith – The short break following the Kansas Truck race did not seem to hurt the No. 21 GMS Racing momentum, as Smith piloted the Bay Mountain Air Chevrolet to victory lane. His stage finishes weren’t too kind, placing ninth in the first stage and 15th for the second stage. While the stage finishes and stage points are important, they didn’t matter too much at the end of the day as Smith got the checkered flag in 12 Truck Series starts. As a matter of fact, the victory was his first victory since two-years ago in ARCA competition at Pocono Raceway. It will be interesting to see if Smith and the team can keep the train rolling through the rest of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    2. Christian Eckes – Eckes might be frustrated and tired of finishing second the last few weeks, but the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 team earned another top-five finish Friday night, Eckes fourth of the year. Early on, however, it looked liked Eckes was going to have a bad day. He brought out the second caution of the day on Lap 14 when his No. 18 Safelite Tundra spun around on the backstretch. Eckes would spend most of the race trying to get back into contention and what appeared to be no light at the end of the tunnel. However, the late cautions and wrecks put Eckes’ team back upfront and he even tried running down Smith for the win. Ultimately, he fell .318 seconds short of what could have been his first victory. Considering the day Eckes had, the second-place finish was a great rebound from the early spin. Eckes for sure will get a victory one of these days.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    3. Derek Kraus – A wild day for Kraus and the No. 19 Bill McAnally team, who ended up finishing eighth in the running order. Friday’s race may have been the wildest ever in his career, as his No. 19 NAPA machine went sliding across the finish line when the checkered flag flew. Kraus, at that point, had no other option but to hang on, hope for the best and that he would not lose any more positions. Fortunately, he didn’t and earned his seventh top 10 of the year. Kraus also earned stage finishes of fifth and 10th.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    4. Ben Rhodes – It was a rough and forgettable Michigan outing for Rhodes who came home 11th. The ThorSport driver was caught up in retaliation against Chandler Smith, as Rhodes intentionally wrecked him going into Turn 1 on lap 60. Before the incident, Rhodes was having a respectable day where he finished third in Stage 1. But the day would go south after Stage 2, when Rhodes, among others, played track position and hoped the strategy would play in their favor. But, the Kentucky native would have to settle for a finish outside the top 10.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    5. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger had one of his best races going since his Atlanta win earlier in the season, but was taken out on the second green-white-checkered start while leading. Before that, the Alabaman was having a solid day with stage finishes of seventh and fourth. Depending on how the meeting goes, the postseason could get rocky for Enfinger, as his teammate Johnny Sauter was caught up in a wreck after battling for the lead with 18 to go. Sauter noted on the radio, ‘he would make sure the 98 would not win a championship this year.’ Sure, this comment was likely out of frustration, but here’s hoping cooler heads will prevail and drivers can focus on the bigger picture.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out

    1. Matt Crafton – A tale of two races for the veteran who won at Kansas and then got caught up in someone else’s mess at Michigan, resulting in a 23rd place finish. While the finish was disappointing Crafton was able to score stage points by finishing fourth in Stage 1.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
  • Zane Smith notches first career Truck Series win at Michigan

    Zane Smith notches first career Truck Series win at Michigan

    The victory wasn’t easy but Zane Smith held off competitor Christian Eckes in the second overtime restart coming to the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway. Smith found his opportunity after race leader Grant Enfinger spun from the lead and then making sure Eckes wasn’t going to get a run on him. The Californian finally got the win in just 12 starts in his Truck Series career.

    “I really don’t know where to start. A lot of people don’t understand my situation with racing. It’s unbelievable I’ve made it to this point. Just thank you. A lot of this sport, as we all know, is about money and I don’t come from that. Making it to this point and to win and to be with such an awesome team like GMS Racing is something special,” said an emotional Smith. “I wish everyone could be here so I could celebrate with my parents and my girlfriend. Man, this is a lot to take in and it was awesome racing with all my friends. Man, an unbelievable day.”

    Stages of 20-20-60 laps made up the original 100 lap race but two overtimes forced the race into 107 laps.

    Prior to the event, major news came out of prerace inspection when ThorSport driver Johnny Sauter failed inspection due to a side panel violation. As a result, Sauter lost 10 driver points and ThorSport lost 10 owner points due to an L1 penalty. His crew chief, Joe Shear Jr. was also ejected for the race and replaced by Rich Lushes. Despite the penalty, Sauter was able to keep his starting position of 13th.

    Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Chandler Smith drew the pole via owner points.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

    It didn’t take long for cautions to fly in throughout the 107 lap event. Cautions flew as early as Lap 3 when the No. 14 of Trey Hutchens and the No. 00 of Josh Reaume collided with each other on the frontstretch.

    The second caution flew on Lap 14 for Christian Eckes as he spun on the backstretch. One final yellow of the stage flew for the No. 30 of Brennan Poole when he spun off Turn 4.

    The yellow was too late in the stage to get enough green flag laps in, therefore series officials called the stage early and ended it under yellow. Birthday boy Brett Moffitt won Stage 1. Sheldon Creed, Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, Derek Kraus, Austin Hill, Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Zane Smith and Chandler Smith completed the top 10.

    Stage 2: Lap 24 – Lap 40

    Before the second stage began, Zane Smith was penalized for too many crew over the wall.

    Canadian Raphael Lessard led the early laps of the second stage but ran into trouble when his No. 4 Toyota Tundra had a left rear tire go flat, forcing Lessard to pit and lose valuable track position.

    However, Johnny Sauter’s strategy of not pitting under the first stage break gave him the lead on Lap 29 and his first stage win of the 2020 Truck Series season. Moffitt, Gilliland, Enfinger, Gray, Creed, Hill, Nemechek, Kligerman and Kraus were the top 10.

    Stage 3: Lap 47 – Lap 107

    The third and final stage was littered with yellow flags. The first fell on Lap 49 for a wreck on the frontstretch. The No. 52 of Stewart Friesen spun after contact with the No. 18 of Eckes. Drivers Matt Crafton, Ryan Truex, Ty Majeski, and David Gravel were involved in the incident. Friesen suffered the most damage and was credited with a last place finish.

    Another yellow came on Lap 60 for an incident between Chandler Smith and Kentucky native Ben Rhodes. It appears the two had an incident with each other laps prior to the wreck as Rhodes would retaliate and wreck Smith going into Turn 1. As a result, Smith’s day was done and he finished 38th after starting on the pole.

    One of the most notable incidents that happened in the remaining laps was a battle between the two ThorSport teammates Enfinger and Sauter. Both were battling hard for position and the lead. Coming out of Turn 2, the air got taken off Sauter’s No. 13 truck and the Wisconsin native went crashing into the wall. While the team was able to get back out on the track, Sauter finished a disappointing 16th after contending for the win late.

    Two more accidents slowed the race, including one red flag that lasted nine minutes and 46 seconds.

    The defining moment came for Smith after the leaders took each other out. He would take the lead and hold on for the first checkered flag of his career.

    “It’s a super cool place to get one (the victory) for Chevrolet,” Smith said about winning. “This is their home place. I think any manufacturer wants to win here (Michigan). I don’t know how many times they (Chevrolet) won here in a Truck, but it’s really cool to be a part of that.”

    A record 11 cautions flew for 51 laps and 17 lead changes among 13 different drivers.

    Official Results following the Henry Ford Health Systems 200

    1. Zane Smith, led one lap
    2. Christian Eckes
    3. Tanner Gray
    4. Tyler Ankrum
    5. Todd Gilliland, led three laps
    6. Brett Moffitt, won Stage 1, led 20 laps
    7. Raphael Lessard, led four laps
    8. Derek Kraus
    9. Parker Kligerman
    10. David Gravel
    11. Ben Rhodes
    12. Austin Hill, led 11 laps
    13. Tate Fogleman
    14. Dawson Cram, led three laps
    15. Ty Majeski
    16. Johnny Sauter, won Stage 2, led 18 laps
    17. Josh Reaume, led one lap
    18. Codie Rohrbaugh
    19. Ryan Truex
    20. Clay Greenfield
    21. Tyler Hill
    22. Jesse Iwuji
    23. Matt Crafton
    24. Cory Roper
    25. John Hunter Nemechek, led two laps
    26. Tim Viens
    27. Spencer Boyd
    28. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    29. Trey Hutchens III
    30. Sheldon Creed, 1 lap down, led one lap
    31. Norm Benning, 1 lap down
    32. Jordan Anderson, 1 lap down
    33. Grant Enfinger, 2 laps down, led 38 laps
    34. Ray Ciccarelli, 4 laps down
    35. Brennan Poole, OUT, Accident
    36. Jeb Burton, OUT, Accident
    37. Austin Wayne Self, 8 laps down
    38. Chandler Smith, OUT, Accident
    39. Stewart Friesen, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will make their debut on the Daytona Road Course Sunday, August 16 at noon ET live on Fox Sports 1. The new venue will also mark the start of the Triple Truck Challenge where drivers have a chance to earn up to $500,000.