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Category: Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

  • Four Takeaways from the Vankor 350 at Texas Motor Speedway

    Four Takeaways from the Vankor 350 at Texas Motor Speedway

    With the Truck Series competing at Texas Motor Speedway this past weekend, many teams hoped to bring home a good finish as they try to lock themselves into the Playoffs. However, bad news came when the checkered flag flew at the end of the 350 miles and the all-time wins leader in the Truck Series, Kyle Busch, grabbed the win for the third time this season. With Busch winning, the victory meant another race where a series regular would not be locked in and will have to continue to earn points in order to be a lock for the Playoffs.

    There is some good news for the regular Truck Series teams, as Saturday’s race was Busch’s last race of the Truck Series season, with him now turning to his Cup Series efforts and looking for a third championship in that series. With Busch exiting the series for the rest of the year, this should allow for some other drivers to get some wins on the board and pick up those much needed points.

    While Busch being the talk of the night after winning the race, we take a look at what storylines might have been missed following the Vankor 350.

    1. Justin Haley Makes Rare Appearance – It’s been well over two years since Haley made a Truck Series start. The last time he made a start was at Homestead in 2018, the last full season Haley had in the series. Since then, the Indiana native has been focusing on the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing. On Saturday, Haley was reunited with former team boss Maury Gallagher and brought home the No. 24 in a respectable seventh-place finish. Before finishing in that position, Haley also earned a ninth-place position in Stage 1. It is unknown if Haley will make any more Truck Series starts this season.
    2. Austin Wayne Self Brings Home Best Finish of The Season – The 2020 season hasn’t been too kind to Wayne Self and the No. 22 AM Racing team. Last season, Wayne Self had one top-five and thee top 10 finishes. This season he has no finishes inside the top 10 but he did bring the truck home to a 14th place finish. The Texan hopes the finish will help bring more confidence to the team.
    3. Akinori Ogata Returns – For the first time in over two years, Japanese driver Akinori Ogata came back to the Truck Series to compete with Reaume Brothers Racing in the No. 33 machine. The last Truck Series race for Ogata came at Atlanta, where he started 23rd but finished 30th due to a crash. Meanwhile, Saturday at Texas, he started 25th and ended up 25th, 12 laps down. It was a disappointing return for Ogata and company.
    4. Clay Greenfield and Timmy Hill Earn Best Finishes of the Season – While Ogata didn’t have the outcome he had hoped for, team owners Clay Greenfield and Timmy Hill saw their best finishes of the year. Hill made his fourth Truck Series start and finished 18th with his own Hill Motorsports crew, and Clay Greenfield saw his best run after winding up in the 20th position.
  • Kyle Busch dominant in Texas Truck win

    Kyle Busch dominant in Texas Truck win

    In his final Truck Series event of the 2020 season, Kyle Busch Motorsports Team Owner Kyle Busch, scored the win for the fifth time at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night on what was a hot and blistering day in Fort Worth, Texas.

    “Our guys are really good with what they do,” Busch said about his recent Texas dominance in the Truck Series. “They’ve done a great job of putting some fast (Toyota) Tundras underneath me. Real proud of the effort tonight with (Danny) Stockman Jr. (crew chief). Him and I, we almost went five for five this year, I think if we didn’t have the part failure at Charlotte and speeding issues at Atlanta. We probably could have done that.”

    “It was nice to have another crew chief in the house. I haven’t worked with (Mike) Hillman Jr. (crew chief for Raphael Lessard) yet. However, it was nice to have a different crew chief, where I feel like we could go out there and be competitive, week in and week out. The 18 (Christian Eckes) and 51 ran together and fast, so that was really cool for me. Now, me turning over the 51 to Chandler (Smith) and some other guys, to cap off the rest of the year, it’s going to be exciting for me to see where their growth is at and our program is at. That’s good news for this truck, but bad news for them, they’ve got no excuses.

    Stages 40-40-87 made up the 167-lapper at Texas Motor Speedway. Last week’s winner at Kentucky, Sheldon Creed, drew the pole via random draw based on the top 12 in points.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 40

    The first stage went caution-free, but the stage did have its moments. In the early going, Spencer Davis in his own No. 11 machine, experienced a left front tire rub. Shortly after, Creed experienced similar issues when he had a tire go down on his truck, forcing him to come down pit road and give up valuable track position.

    Meanwhile, there were short-lived battles on the track for the lead. Rookie Zane Smith and Kyle Busch traded the top spot three times before Busch managed to check out on Lap 35. The Las Vegas native then held on to take home the stage win with Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Ben Rhodes, Brett Moffitt, Christian Eckes, Todd Gilliland, Matt Crafton, Justin Haley, and Grant Enfinger rounded out the top 10 in the first stage. Even though Crafton ended up in the top 10 for the stage, he pitted under the stage break as the team replaced a battery that was having issues.

    Stage 2: Lap 45 – Lap 80

    As the green flag flew for the second stage, there were 16 laps of green flag runs before the yellow flew again on Lap 63. Another problem ensued in the ThorSport camp and this time, it was Johnny Sauter who leaked fluid onto the track after blowing up.

    When the restart came with nine to go in Stage 2, Christian Eckes shined and had his battle with Busch for the lead. Eckes was able to lead five laps in his first stint out front, but the second caution flew on Lap 74 for Jordan Anderson in the No. 3 as he would crash off Turn 4. Under the yellow, there were a couple of race leaders that pitted for adjustments, which included Busch, Eckes, among a few others. However, Eckes did not take any tires whereas Busch did.

    A short seven-lap run was seen, until a caution for Tate Fogleman and Derek Kraus on the backstretch ended the stage prematurely. Brett Moffitt played strategy by staying out and won the stage. Crafton, Ankrum, Rhodes, Smith, Eckes, Kraus, Ryan Truex, Chastain, and Enfinger were the top 10 finishers. Busch would wind up 12th in the stage.

    Stage 3: Lap 87 – Lap 167

    When the final stage got underway, a fun battle between Zane Smith, Christian Eckes, and Busch was seen. As Smith and Eckes battled each other, this allowed Busch to close in. With around 63 to go, Smith had a big wiggle off Turn 4 and nearly lost it. In doing so, Busch moved to second after passing Smith in the midst of things. Unfortunately, as the laps started to wind down, Smith had a flat right rear go down and had to make a pit stop, which ultimately ruined his chances for a good finish.

    Despite Smith’s misfortune, the final round of green-flag pit stops took place right around 40 to go. Most notably, Busch would pit with 37 to go, and almost gave the win away on his stop. As the Las Vegas native made his scheduled pit stop, he almost turned into the wrong pit stall and nearly pitted in Eckes (Busch’s teammate) stall. Fortunately for Busch, he realized it at the last second and saved his day by finding the right box to pit in.

    Once stops were completed, Busch cycled out in the lead and began to check out over the leaders. The final yellow of the night flew with 15 to go when Todd Gilliland in the No. 38 got turned by Ben Rhodes in the No. 99 on the backstretch after Gilliland skid up the track and came back down.

    The caution would set up a 10 lap dash to the finish and for a few short laps, a six Truck battle for the win was seen. Eckes gave Busch a good run for his money, but Busch fended off the New York native and grabbed the checkered flag for the third time this season and for the third consecutive time in the Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway.

    When asked about Busch’s miscue on pit road, his crew chief, Danny Stockman Jr., thought it was funny.

    “Yeah, that was funny,” Stockman Jr said. “I actually thought he (Kyle Busch) was messing with them (Christian Eckes pit crew), but I haven’t talked to him about it, who knows. He drives the 18 (in the Cup Series) and he probably thought, he was going to the 18. He caught himself and eventually drove in the 51 box, so that was pretty funny.”

    There were five cautions for 26 laps and 15 lead changes among seven leaders. Busch led five times for 72 laps en route to victory.

    Official Results

    1. Kyle Busch, won Stage 1, led 72 laps
    2. Christian Eckes, led 52 laps
    3. Matt Crafton, led two laps
    4. Stewart Friesen
    5. Brett Moffitt, won Stage 2, led seven laps
    6. Tyler Ankrum
    7. Justin Haley
    8. Grant Enfinger
    9. Ben Rhodes, led one lap
    10. Ross Chastain, 1 lap down
    11. Derek Kraus, 1 lap down
    12. Raphael Lessard, 1 lap down
    13. Ryan Truex, 1 laps down
    14. Austin Wayne Self, 2 laps down
    15. Ty Majeski, 3 laps down
    16. Sheldon Creed, 3 laps down, led seven laps
    17. Cory Roper, 3 laps down
    18. Timmy Hill, 3 laps down
    19. Zane Smith, 3 laps down, led 26 laps
    20. Clay Greenfield, 4 laps down
    21. Spencer Davis, 5 laps down
    22. Codie Rohrbaugh, 6 laps down
    23. Angela Ruch, 7 laps down
    24. Spencer Boyd, 11 laps down
    25. Akinori Ogata, 12 laps down
    26. Tim Viens, 13 laps down
    27. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Crash
    28. Jordan Anderson, 15 laps down
    29. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Electrical
    30. Austin Hill, OUT, Engine
    31. Brennan Poole, OUT, Crash
    32. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Crash
    33. Johnny Sauter, OUT, Engine
    34. Norm Benning, OUT, Handling
    35. Natalie Decker, OUT, Engine
    36. Tanner Gray, OUT, Transmission

    Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series head to the Midwest at Kansas Speedway for a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday, July 24 and July 25.

  • Weekend schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

    Weekend schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

    All three national series will compete at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. First up is the Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon followed by the Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series race at 8 p.m.

    The NASCAR Cup Series will close out the weekend’s events with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday at 3 p.m. With the completion of this race, the series will have reached the halfway point of the 2020 season. Jimmie Johnson has the most Cup Series wins of active drivers at Texas with seven, followed by Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch with three victories each.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, July 18

    3 p.m.: My Bariatric Solutions 300 Xfinity Series race (200 laps/300 miles) (Stages 45/90/200 Laps) NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2019 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

    8 p.m.: Vankor 350 Truck Series race (167 laps/250.5 miles) (Stages 40/80/167 Laps) FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2019 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

    Sunday, July 19

    3 p.m.: O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Cup Series race (334 laps/501 miles) (Stages 105/210/334 Laps) NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2019 Race Winner: Denny Hamlin

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview – Texas

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview – Texas

    In what seemed highly unlikely this event would take place due to early cancellations this year for COVID, the Truck Series will get to race at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend after series officials found a way to reschedule to the event.

    Flashing back to last week, the Truck Series race at Kentucky only completed two stages, before it got cut short due to Mother Nature. Despite that, race fans saw a first-time winner GMS Racing driver Sheldon Creed. It wasn’t the way most drivers want to end up winning, but a win is a win and the victory was the first of his career in 37 starts. Though, Creed will look to earn that victory the hard way and be able to celebrate with a burnout on the track.

    However, Creed will have to hold off 35 other drivers in order to get his second win of the season.

    Here are five potential drivers who could end up winning Saturday’s Vankor 250 at Texas.

    1. Kyle Busch- “The boys are back in town.” Yep, you heard that right. The All-time wins list leader is back this weekend in his own No. 51 Toyota Tundra. This season, Busch has only managed two wins out of his four starts, but if you look at the stats and races, he probably would have had four wins to his name. The Las Vegas native has a pretty good chance to add a third to win column Saturday. Busch has made 13 starts and achieved four wins, including winning last year’s race after leading 97 of the scheduled 147 laps. His other three wins came in 2013, 2010, and 2009. However, Texas can be a tricky track for Busch, as he has four DNF’s with two of those due to engine woes. But, if the No. 51 team can have a flawless race, Busch should be back in victory lane. Even so, it’s hard to bet against him.
    2. Grant Enfinger- While Enfinger doesn’t have any wins at Texas yet, he’s been close over the last few years. His best finish was third in his first outing in 2017, but really shined in last year’s event. Enfinger led 44 laps after qualifying third. The ThorSport driver also has earned a pole position in the March race as well. Overall, the Alabaman has seen four top fives and five top 10 finishes, earning him a 5.7 average finish. In addition, Enfinger has had some solid stage finishes to his credit. The team is on a three-race winless streak, but it would not be surprising if Enfinger pilots the No. 98 Ford to victory lane.
    3. Johnny Sauter- If Enfinger doesn’t win, it may very well could be his teammate Johnny Sauter. Even though his past three finishes haven’t been too kind for Sauter, he’s seen great success in 23 starts at the 1.5 mile speedway. The Wisconsin native has five wins including two consecutive victories from 2017 to 2018. In the reunited 2019 season, Sauter finished third after starting seventh and led seven laps. Not only has Sauter won two consecutive races at Texas, but the ThorSport driver also accomplished that feat twice by sweeping the two races in 2012. And with the statistics, he’s completed 99.9 percent of the laps and impressively, has no DNF’s. Sauter even won Stage 1 in the June event and Stage 1 in the 2017 June event.
    4. Tyler Ankrum- Kentucky was pretty much a forgettable race for Ankrum and the No. 26 GMS team, after trying to play pit strategy and getting caught by the weather. This weekend, Ankrum has a good chance to potentially finish inside the top 10 or five, if the opportunity presents itself. He only has two starts, but both of those finishes were sixth and third, respectively. As for the stages, in the March event, Ankrum finished seventh and 10th, while in the June event, the GMS Racing driver led nine laps en route to a top-five finish.
    5. Sheldon Creed- It may be pretty obvious picking last week’s winner, but a win can do everything in this sport. The victory can help a driver by giving him momentum or help continue his moment, and the win last week could come at a good time for Creed with the playoffs lurking in the background. At Texas, Creed only has three starts with the best finish of third in his most recent outing and led five laps. Also in last year’s event, Creed placed eighth and 10th in both stages. The Californian did manage to have a runner up finish in the first stage in the 2018 November event.

    Qualifying can be kind of tricky as well, but in the majority of the races, most event winners have come from the pole position. In fact, just five drivers only have won from the pole position, with former Truck Series driver Todd Bodine last accomplishing the feat in 2007. The lowest a race winner started was 21st set by Cup Series rookie Christopher Bell in 2017.

    Toyota has 19 manufacturer wins with Todd Bodine getting their first victory in 2004. Chevrolet has 17 victories with Jay Sauter being the first driver to give Chevrolet the victory in 1999. No longer a manufacturer in NASCAR, Dodge has just five victories, as Dennis Setzer won their first race in the 1999 June outing, while Ford only has three total wins. Ford won the first race here back in June of 1997, with the help of the late Kenny Irwin Jr.

    As for stages, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson, Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley, Myatt Snider, Kyle Busch, and Ben Rhodes have all won stages since they were implemented in 2017.

    The rest of the entry list for the Vankor 250 can be found here.

    The Vankor 250 is scheduled to get underway shortly past 8 p.m./ET on Fox Sports 1. The race can also be heard on the Motor Racing Network.

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

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Kentucky

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited Kentucky Speedway this past Saturday for the continuation of their 2020 season. The Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 wasn’t exactly the most exciting race on the schedule, but the race was just kind of there and did not amount to a whole lot. Only eight lead changes occurred before the dreaded rains came after Stage 2 was completed and NASCAR had no choice to call the race early.

    When the race was called, Sheldon Creed was credited with the win as he made a power move on what would be the final restart of the race. While Creed and 99.9 percent of NASCAR drivers don’t really like to win this way (a race getting called by rain), but a win is still a win and the victory put Creed and the No. 2 GMS team in the playoffs.

    Even though the seventh race of the 2020 season was shortened by 79 laps, there were some drivers who had their moments and shined until the race was called.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

    1. Sheldon Creed- The Californian started eighth based on a draw, but really, had a decent race until the skies opened up. Creed would finish third in the first stage and took the lead on lap 52, and went onto win Stage 2. Eventually, he was in the right place at the right time for his first career win in the Truck Series. The victory has been a long time coming though, as he has been consistent on finishing in the top five or 10. If the GMS team can focus on the playoffs and bring a strong Truck to challenge for the championship, there should be no question Creed can’t win the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking- Second
    2. Austin Hill- Hill never really contested for the win, but continued his streak of finishing inside the top 10 ever since the 2020 season started. The Georgian finished ninth in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2, respectively. It’s anytime now that we should see the Hattori Racing team finally get their first win of the season, as they’ve been knocking on the door week in, week out. One has to wonder, despite earning those stage points and finishing in the top 10 every week, will we have another repeat like last season, where Grant Enfinger never won a race but was regular series champion, and got knocked out of the playoffs in Round 1. Only time will tell.

      Previous Week Ranking- First
    3. Ben Rhodes- The hometown boy was right up there with eventual race winner Creed for the final restart of the race. Had Rhodes been able to clear him, we most likely would be talking about a different winner right now. Still, a solid outing by the No. 99 ThorSport team, who got their best finish of the season so far by finishing second. In the stages, Rhodes placed 10th in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fourth
    4. Matt Crafton- A bounce back for Crafton after his disappointing Pocono outing, where he wrecked out on the first lap. Crafton came home in the third position for just the second top-five of the season. Kentucky, was a respectable outing, however, with the Californian placing third in the final running order. Stage 1 saw him finish 21st, but Crafton picked it up just in time before the checkered flew early and ultimately finished third in Stage 2. 2020 hasn’t been too kind for last year’s champ, as Crafton has three finishes outside the top 10 and no wins. This team will really have to get into gear over the next few weeks if they want to be a serious championship contender.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fell Out
    5. Zane Smith- Zane Smith had a really good day at Kentucky, where he led 11 laps and won the first stage. The GMS driver and remained in the top five through the first two stages. Had the rains not fell, we probably would have seen Smith up front more and getting the experience of leading laps out front. Kentucky was the fourth race this season, where the rookie led laps in a Truck Series race. Don’t be surprised if Smith can pick a win up soon.

      Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

    Fell Out

    1. Tyler Ankrum- While part of the GMS team saw success at the 1.5-mile speedway, one team did not and that was Tyler Ankrum. He did have a decent finish in Stage 1, where Ankrum placed fifth. However, a curveball was thrown to the No. 26 team when they tried some varying pit strategy. But, the strategy ended up hurting them more than helping, thanks to the incoming weather. The weather made other teams stay out and Ankrum was back in the pack, where dirty air was seen the most.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fifth
  • Sheldon Creed Wins Rain-Shortened Truck Race at Kentucky

    Sheldon Creed Wins Rain-Shortened Truck Race at Kentucky

    Sheldon Creed won his first career NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series race at Kentucky Speedway Saturday night after series officials called the race official after the completion of Stage 2 due to thunderstorms in the area.

    NASCAR completed two stages that were 35 laps each before the race became official. Getting there, however, was a different story as numerous cautions filled the stages as threatening weather began to approach the area.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 35

    On Lap 1, the No. 02 of Tate Fogleman spun in Turn 4 to bring out the first yellow of the race. As Fogleman faced trouble, his Youngs Motorsports teammate Spencer Boyd, also had issues with his Truck as smoke was coming out the back end.

    Two more cautions occurred in the first stage. On Lap 14, the No. 9 of Codie Rohrbaugh made hard contact with the Turn 1 wall after the Truck snapped loose. The final caution during the stage came out on lap 22 when Tim Veins in the No. 49 went around in Turns 3 and 4.

    The restart came on Lap 25. Rookie Zane Smith held the lead from the restart and went on to take the stage win. Brett Moffitt, Sheldon Creed, Christian Eckes, Tyler Ankrum, Todd Gilliland, Grant Enfinger, Derek Kraus, Austin Hill, and Spencer Davis rounded out the top 10.

    Under the stage break, Moffitt was penalized for a safety violation which sent him to the rear of the field.

    Stage 2: Lap 40- Lap 70

    Two cautions once more slowed the stage. Bryant Barnhill went spinning off Turn 4 as a left-rear tire went down. Meanwhile, on Lap 46, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Korbin Forrister were both involved in an accident.

    The final restart came on Lap 51 and it was the winning move of the race. Sheldon Creed got the best of Ben Rhodes and checked out. The GMS Racing driver was not only able to win Stage 2 but also claimed the eventual checkered flag at Kentucky Speedway as the rains came and left NASCAR no choice but to call the race on Lap 71.

    The victory was Creed’s first in 37 starts. The Californian also led 20 of the scheduled 71 laps. There were seven cautions for 25 laps and six lead changes among five drivers.

    One of the biggest stories before the race started was that Johnny Sauter, Ben Rhodes and Derek Kraus were dropped to the rear of the field for a violation of filler panel in prerace. For violating the rule, they will be docked 10 driver points.

    Official Results

    1. Sheldon Creed, led 20 laps, won Stage 2
    2. Ben Rhodes, led 6 laps
    3. Matt Crafton, led 1 lap
    4. Johnny Sauter
    5. Austin Hill
    6. Christian Eckes
    7. Zane Smith, led 11 laps, won Stage 1
    8. Derek Kraus
    9. Tanner Gray
    10. Todd Gilliland
    11. Brett Moffitt, led 26 laps
    12. Grant Enfinger
    13. Raphael Lessard
    14. Spencer Davis
    15. Stewart Friesen
    16. Tyler Ankrum
    17. Brennan Poole
    18. Parker Kligerman, led 7 laps
    19. Ty Majeski
    20. Austin Wayne Self
    21. Tate Fogleman
    22. Chandler Smith
    23. Cory Roper
    24. Jordan Anderson
    25. Angela Ruch
    26. Clay Greenfield
    27. Ryan Truex
    28. Dawson Cram, 1 lap down
    29. Natalie Decker, 1 lap down
    30. Tyler Hill, 1 lap down
    31. Chase Purdy, 1 lap down
    32. Ray Ciccarelli, 1 lap down
    33. Bryant Barnhill, 2 laps down
    34. Korbin Forrister, 2 laps down
    35. Tim Viens, OUT, Handling
    36. Trey Hutchens, OUT, Crash
    37. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Crash
    38. Spencer Boyd, 25 laps down
    39. Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Crash
    40. Norm Benning, OUT, Engine
  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Kentucky

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Kentucky

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will get back on track this weekend at Kentucky Speedway, located in Sparta, Kentucky. It will be Round No. 7 of the 2020 Truck Series season, just four races from the halfway point of the season, should all 23 races run.

    Last time out when the Trucks raced, the series was at Pocono Raceway for what was a ho-hum race, which featured numerous cautions. However, part-time Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Brandon Jones finally earned his first Truck Series race after 46 starts in the series. Meanwhile, Truck Series regulars, other than Grant Enfinger, have yet to earn themselves a win through the first seven races of the season.

    As the Truck Series heads to the Blue Grass state, there’s a high chance that a series regular could very well wind up in victory lane, as no Xfinity or Cup Series drivers are scheduled to compete.

    With that said, here are five drivers who could take the checkered flag Saturday night in the Buckle Up Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

    1. Matt Crafton – Crafton is a former winner at this race track, winning the 2015 event. Since then, he’s finished inside the top 10 with the exception of last year’s race, when the California native finished 13th, two laps down. Overall, Crafton has the most starts of any active drivers and the most experience with 21 starts dating back to 2001. His finishes have been up and down over time but statistically, he’s completed 94.8 percent of the laps, led 90 laps, and earned 15 top 10 finishes. Crafton is also consistent at finishing races at Kentucky, as he only has one DNF to his name at the 1.5-mile speedway. The ThorSport Racing driver may not win Saturday, but he can be a good value pick for your fantasy lineup.
    2. Parker Kligerman – While Kligerman may be an unusual pick, he could earn the Henderson Motorsports team a top 10 finish Saturday night. In seven starts, he has two runner up finishes (2011 and 2012). Granted, those finishes came with the now-defunct Brad Keselowski and Red Horse Racing teams. However, Kligerman did earn a seventh-place finishing position in the 2017 race for his current team and led 12 laps in 2018 (the last time Kligerman competed in a Truck race at Kentucky), before a late accident ended his night early.
    3. Stewart Friesen – Potentially, a driver who has been overlooked but who has done well at Kentucky, is Stewart Friesen. The Canadian has three starts going back to his first race in 2017. While his first outing didn’t go particularly well, Friesen has improved finishes the last two races as he’s finished second twice and in the 2018 event, Friesen led 37 laps before falling short. Also in the 2018 race, Friesen finished seventh in Stage 1 and fourth in the second stage. Friesen managed to place sixth in Stage 2 last year.
    4. Sheldon Creed – Creed is looking for redemption after last year’s forgettable race. The GMS Racing driver started second and led 36 laps, but finished 19 laps down in the 21st position after pit strategy ruined his chance for a strong finish. Creed, though, was able to win Stage 1 before the incident. This year, the GMS team will be using chassis No. 324, which has given Creed two top 10 finishes so far in the 2020 season.
    5. Grant Enfinger – Overall, Enfinger’s Kentucky races have not fared too well for him, having a best finish of sixth coming in 2018. However, the Alabaman scored some stage points over the last three years since stages were implemented in 2017. In the 2017 race, Enfinger placed the No. 98 machine fourth in Stage 1, fifth in both stages in 2018, and second in the first stage last year. Unfortunately, after qualifying on the pole, and leading 22 laps, a crash on Lap 64 (86 to go) relegated Enfinger to a 24th place finish. If Enfinger and the No. 98 team can have a solid race this year, don’t be surprised if they end up in victory lane Saturday night.

    Overall, there are 40 Trucks on the preliminary entry list for Saturday’s event and there are some notable names in the field.

    Angela Ruch is back in the No. 00 Reaume Brothers Racing Truck after missing the Pocono race due to sponsorship woes. Also back in the field is Natalie Decker. Decker missed the Pocono outing after she was hospitalized due to bile duct surgery. Trey Hutchens and his No. 14 team will make their debut as a team for 2020. Ryan Truex is entered in the No. 40 Niece Motorsports machine for his second start of the 2020 season. Truex’s previous outing was Atlanta, where he finished 13th. And finally, Chandler Smith makes his anticipated 2020 season debut for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Smith competed in four Truck Series races last year, where he earned a best finish of second at Bristol.

    Since 2000, Kentucky Speedway has seen 22 Truck Series races. In that 22 race span, there has been a whos-who list of race winners. These include Greg Biffle, Scott Riggs, Mike Bliss, Carl Edwards, Bobby Hamilton, Dennis Setzer, Ron Hornaday Jr, Mike Skinner, Johnny Benson Jr, Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch, James Buescher, Ty Dillon, Matt Crafton, Christopher Bell, Ben Rhodes and Tyler Ankrum.

    Hornaday has the most wins with three victories (2006, 2009, 2011). Kyle Busch and James Buescher have two wins each. Busch won in 2011 and 2014 and Buescher’s wins came in both of the 2012 events. Buescher is the only Truck Series driver to win back to back events.

    Since 2013, there have been seven different winners. Only Crafton, Rhodes, and Ankrum are previous race winners of the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 of those entered in the field.

    As far as stages are concerned, Ben Rhodes, Noah Gragson, Sheldon Creed, and Matt Crafton are all stage winners.

    On the manufacturer side, Toyota has nine wins, Chevrolet has eight, Ford has three and Dodge has one win. Ford won the first race back in 2000 with Greg Biffle. Chevrolet’s first win came with Mike Bliss in 2002, Dodge’s in 2002 by Bobby Hamilton while Toyota’s first win came in 2007 with driver Mike Skinner.

    Despite there being no qualifying this weekend, track position is key if you want to win at Kentucky. The race winner has came from the pole three times (2009, 2014, 2015). The lowest the race winner has ever started was 22nd, which occurred twice (2006 and 2013).

    The most cautions seen in this event was nine cautions for 40 laps, which occurred in 2000. The fewest amount of cautions was three yellows for 12 laps in 2002. There were also 18 lead changes (the most in the event history) for the Truck Series in 2011 with 18.

    The Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 is scheduled for Saturday night, July 11 at 6 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • Weekend schedule for Kentucky

    Weekend schedule for Kentucky

    This weekend NASCAR heads to Kentucky Speedway. The Xfinity Series will feature a double-header, competing on Thursday and Friday. The Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will provide Saturday’s racing action preceded by the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150. The Cup Series closes out the weekend Sunday afternoon with the Quaker State 400.

    In the nine previous Cup Series races at Kentucky, there have been five different race winners. Brad Keselowski leads with three victories at the 1.5-mile tri-oval (2012, 2014, 2016). Kyle Busch (2011, 2015) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017, 2018) have won twice while Matt Kenseth (2013) and Kurt Busch (2019) have one win each at the track.

    Kevin Harvick leads the Cup Series driver standings by 85 points over Chase Elliott.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, July 9

    8 p.m.: Xfinity Series Shady Rays 200
    Distance: 201 miles (134 Laps)
    Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Friday, July 10

    8 p.m.: Xfinity Series Alsco 300
    Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps)
    Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, July 11

    Noon: ARCA Menards Series final practice – No TV
    2:30 p.m.: ARCA General Tire 150 on FS1/MRN

    6 p.m.: Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Buckle Up In Your Truck 225
    Distance: 225 miles (150 laps)
    Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 150)
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2019 Race Winner: Tyler Ankrum

    Sunday, July 12

    2:30 p.m.: Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart
    Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps)
    Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267)
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2019 Race Winner: Kurt Busch

  • Four Takeaways From The Pocono Organics 150 at Pocono Raceway

    Four Takeaways From The Pocono Organics 150 at Pocono Raceway

    The Truck Series was back in action this past weekend at Pocono Raceway. The round No. 6 race was quite possibly the most bizarre race of the season which featured 29 caution laps and saw a unique percentage of 48.6% run under yellow. Here’s another bizarre stat. Just 3.1% of the laps were run under green. Something we don’t normally see in racing, especially in the Truck Series, as most of the races are short in nature. 

    With that in mind, despite all the craziness throughout the first 50 some laps, race fans were treated to a thriller finish with another first time winner. 

    Brandon Jones captured his first Truck Series win in just 46 starts. It wasn’t certainly a surprising win, as Jones has been consistent through his Truck Series starts. Aside from his starts in 2013 and 2016, Jones managed to earn a top five or top 10 finish throughout the last eight years of his part-time efforts. So, the win would only be a matter of time for Jones and company, it was just a matter of where the win would take place. Jones’ crew chief, Danny Stockman Jr, notched his third win with the organization. 

    All that said, there were some interesting moments that we may have missed during the race, or leading up to. 

    Here are this weeks Four Takeaways following the Pocono Organics 150 

    1. Natalie Decker Sits Out- In case you missed, Niece Motorsports driver Natalie Decker, had to sit the Pocono race out this past weekend as she was hospitalized due to bile duct problems. Thankfully, it looks like she’ll be good to go in the coming weeks and looks to return to the truck as soon as possible which may be Kentucky on July 11. We wish Natalie a full and speedy recovery from surgery.
    2. Angela Ruch’s Full-Time Season Effort Cut Short- Angela Ruch, who was driving for Reaume Brothers Racing owned by Josh Reaume, is forced to sit out for the time being due to sponsorship woes. The situation comes as many companies are facing financial struggle due to the current COVID-19 situation across the world. Ruch did note that she hopes to come back to the team and make another effort in the No. 00 Reaume entry. Her best finish this season is 23rd at Charlotte. You can read her description below on her twitter page. https://twitter.com/Angela__Ruch/status/1275600321537028099/photo/1
    3. Codie Rohrbaugh Pays Tribute- Codie Rohrbaugh and his own No. 9 paid a special tribute this weekend to a 8-year old Joshua Shirk. Shirk was kayaking in West Virginia. When he was kayaking, the kayak got capsized, which left Shirk with no pulse. Medical workers came to the site and did get Shirk a pulse again, though from the last update, he continues to be in critical condition. With Rohrbaugh also a West Virginia native, he paid tribute to Joshua by having a picture of Josh on the truck and the letters “Pray for Joshua” on the side. While Rohrbaugh had a special paint scheme, his Pocono outing didn’t fare too well. Despite that, people wanting to learn more can visit  https://www.facebook.com/FightingandBelieving to find out additional information.
    4. Chase Purdy Returns- It’s been well over two years since Chase Purdy was in some type of stock car, whether it was Trucks or ARCA. Purdy had competed in 23 ARCA races from 2017-2018. During his ARCA days, he was able to nab 10 top fives and 16 top 10 finishes. With Purdy back in the Trucks for one race, he last competed at Phoenix in 2018 for the now defunct MDM Motorsports where he finished 13th. Purdy had an okay outing, but more so disappointing as he would finish 21st. The Mississippi native was unable to score any stage points either. Though, here’s hoping Purdy can get more opportunities to showcase his skills and talent. 
  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Pocono

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Pocono

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series were back in action on Sunday morning at Pocono Raceway. 

    In some aspects, Pocono Raceway featured a caution filled event with the finish was a thriller between Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill. 

    Ultimately, Xfinity Series regular, Jones collected his first Truck Series victory after leading 11 laps. However, there were some Truck Series regulars who had some trouble throughout the race. Those regulars such as Matt Crafton, as he finished last due to being involved in a lap 1 crash. The incident forced him to a 40th place position. GMS Racing driver, Sheldon Creed had a consistent race and found himself challenging for the win late. 

    As the Trucks were back in action, but now heading into another week off with no races scheduled for the fourth of July, it gives us time to look at the updated Power Rankings following the Pocono Organics 150. 

    1. Austin Hill- It wasn’t quite the dominating performance for Austin Hill and the No. 16 HRE Ford F-150, but he continued a streak of finishing inside the top 10 Sunday morning, after he finished second. The Georgia native now has a streak of seven consecutive top 10’s for the 2020 season and it is showing, as Hill continues to lead the point standings by 51 over Ben Rhodes. In addition, the Hattori driver also placed second in Stage 1. He didn’t finish in the top 10 at all in Stage 2, as crew chief Scott Zipadelli called him to pit road for strategy. Obviously, the strategy worked with Hill continuing his momentum. It may be early, but don’t be surprised if Hill makes the Championship 4.

      Previous Week Ranking- Second
    2. Sheldon Creed- Creed most likely had the best truck of the field early in the going. The GMS driver led 31 laps and swept both of the stages. He avoided all the accidents and melees that were seen throughout the event, and was able to come home with a top three finish. Creed was also contending for the win with the late race restart, but fell short of grabbing the top spot. Despite not getting that victory, Creed continues consistency and notched his second top five finish.

      Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
    3. Todd Gilliland- Like Homestead, it was somewhat another quiet day for Gilliland and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports crew. Gilliland came home in the top five after finishing fourth. He didn’t contend for the lead, but did place fifth in the first stage. He had a chance to be the upset late, as Gilliland lined up third, but has matched his second best finish of the year twice now (which is fourth).

      Previous Week Ranking- Third
    4. Ben Rhodes- A solid outing for Rhodes at Pocono, who comes home fifth in the running order. The Kentucky native was able to finish 10th in Stage 1 and third in the second stage. Rhodes didn’t necessarily have the truck to contend for the win with, but quietly got his second top five finish as well. Sometimes it’s best to have a quiet day, instead of having a crazy day.

      Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
    5. Tyler Ankrum- A decent rebound for Ankrum, who finished ninth after overcoming a pit road penalty, which set the solid performance back a little. He managed to place the No. 26 Chevy third in the first stage and sixth in the second stage. Had the team not received the penalty, Ankrum most likely could have finished inside the top five. All in all, not a bad finish. It certainly could have been much worse.

      Previous Week Ranking- Second 

    Fell Out 

    1. Johnny Sauter- Sauter’s season continues to be up and down. The No. 13 team drew the pole, which gave him a good starting spot at a track that is highly dependent on track position. Though, the truck just kind of fell backwards, and couldn’t get the handle to Sauter’s liking as he would come home a disappointing 13th.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fourth
    2. Matt Crafton- Involved in a lap 1 crash, Crafton was out of the race early, and credited with a last place finish. The team looks to move onto Kentucky, where they have won once back in 2015.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fifth