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Category: Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

Halmar Friesen Racing Martinsville Pre-Race

STEWART FRIESEN READY FOR A WIN AT MARTINSVILLE

STATESVILLE, NC (March 20, 2018) – With a top 5 and top 10 finish in his rear-view, Stewart Friesen looks to Martinsville for his first win in the NCWTS. Friesen’s experience on dirt short tracks doesn’t guarantee him success on pavement, but his explosive start to the 2018 NCWTS proves that he is a contender, and ready for a win. Currently sitting 6th in points, Friesen spent this short 2 week break in the NCWTS schedule racing his dirt modified at Georgetown Speedway and spending time with his family and Halmar Racing teammates.

In 2017, Friesen was fastest in practice at Martinsville, ahead of defending series champ, Johnny Sauter. Friesen’s relative success last year and his strong start in 2018, put him in a good position to get his first win in the NCWTS. At Vegas, Friesen spent most of the race up front, going head to head with Monster Energy Cup series champ Kyle Busch.

Asked about returning to the NCWTS after the short break, Friesen beamed, “After starting the year with good finishes at Atlanta and Las Vegas Speedways, I’m pumped up to get back to a short track. The HFR guys have been awesome the first 3 races of the year and the GMS fabrication shop has given us great Chevy Silverados.”

March 20, 2018
Kyle Benjamin to Pilot No. 54 DGR-CROSLEY Entry at Martinsville Speedway

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 19, 2018) – DGR-CROSLEY announced today that 20-year-old Kyle Benjamin will drive the team’s No. 54 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) entry this weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Benjamin brings a mixture of both youth and experience to the newly formed team.

The Easley, S.C., native will be making his NCWTS debut in Martinsville; however, he is no stranger to the NASCAR racing ranks. Benjamin has six NASCAR XFINITY Series starts under his belt where he has scored two Pole Awards, one top-five and two top-10 finishes. He also has 33 NASCAR K&N Pro Series starts where he has won five races and finished in the top-five 14 times.

“Everyone at DGR-CROSLEY is excited to have Kyle in the truck this weekend,” said David Gilliland, President of DGR-CROSLEY. “Martinsville can be a challenging racetrack, but the Truck Series always puts on a good show there. We are learning and improving each and every weekend that we go to the track, and we are expecting a strong run out of the 54 team. I know that Kyle is a talent that can put us up front to compete for a win.”

Benjamin, coming off an eighth-place finish in his last NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway, will have a familiar voice calling the shots for him on Saturday afternoon in veteran Crew Chief, Kevin “Bono” Manion. The pair worked together early in Benjamin’s career when he raced one of Manion’s cars in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series.

“DGR-CROSLEY is giving me a great opportunity to make my first Truck Series start,” said Benjamin. “I’m fortunate to have worked with Bono in the past, so I know what to expect and I respect his experience and input. I’m confident in this team’s ability to provide a fast truck and excited to see what we can learn together.”

Qualifying for the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 will take place on Saturday, March 24, at 11:00 a.m., ET with racing action starting at 2:00 p.m. Both qualifying and the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 will be broadcast live on FS1.

About DGR-CROSLEY… A Mooresville, N.C., based organization operating under the leadership of former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver David Gilliland and Crosley Brands CEO Bo LeMastus. DGR-CROSLEY is a driver development team competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

March 19, 2018
Wilson to make NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 12, 2018) – Young’s Motorsports announces the addition of Reid Wilson to their driver lineup in the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado. The 21-year-old is set to make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) debut during the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Saturday, March 24.

“Reid was one of the first drivers in our development program here at Young’s Motorsports,” said team principal Tyler Young. “It’s great that we’re able to provide a place and an opportunity for him to progress as a driver and up the NASCAR ranks.”

Over the past two years, Wilson has competed part-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) with Young’s Motorsports. The Huntersville, N.C., native is ranked 10th for best on track production of all NASCAR K&N Pro Series drivers and is currently ranked in the top-75 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series prospects by Motorsports Analytics.

“In eight K&N races with Reid, we had four top-10 finishes,” said Andrew Abbott, who served as Wilson’s NKNPSE crew chief and will continue his role on the No. 20 Truck. “He has shown a lot of growth and I think we will be able to put together a good run at Martinsville.”

TrüNorth™ Warranty Programs of North America (TrüNorth™) will extend their partnership from the NKNPSE with Wilson into his NCWTS endeavors. TrüNorth™ is the leading provider of commercial asset related warranty programs and services for dealers, fleets, owner-operators and commercial finance companies.

“We’re proud of Reid’s racing accomplishments,” said TrüNorth™ SVP, John Gates. “We are excited to be a part of his next big step in NASCAR.”

This month, TrüNorth™ rolled out the industry’s only all-inclusive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) warranty, OEM²Powered by TrüNorth™ and will be featured on the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet. OEM² offers unique benefits well beyond traditional OEM warranties, providing customers added assurance in protecting their commercial asset investments by lowering the risk of unexpected failure costs beyond ordinary factory warranties.

“I’m honored to represent TrüNorth™,” exclaimed Wilson. “They’ve made it possible for me to advance up the NASCAR ladder. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is the perfect place for them to connect with their market, because many people in the trucking industry are NASCAR fans.”

Wilson will also use his NCWTS debut to promote the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). He is a member of the MDA Muscle Team, a group of professional athletes that volunteer to raise awareness and funds for MDA research and services.

“I am really excited to get behind the wheel of the No. 20 OEM² Truck at Martinsville,” said Wilson. “I can’t thank Tyler enough for providing me this opportunity to drive for his race team and to also allow me to bring awareness to MDA, an organization I have been a part of for 10 years. March is National MDA Shamrock month and being able to put them on display at a NASCAR event will bring even more attention to this great cause.”

For more information on TrüNorth™ Warranty Programs of America, please visit www.trunorthwarranty.com, follow @TruNorthNA on Twitter and like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TruNorthWarranty.

For more information on the Muscular Dystrophy Association and how you can help, please visit www.mda.org, follow @MDAnews on Twitter and like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MDANational.

For more information on Reid Wilson, please visit www.reidwilsonracing.com, follow @reidwilson66 on Twitter and like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ReidWilsonRacing.

For more information on Young’s Motorsports, please visit www.youngsmotorsports.com, follow @youngsmtrsports on Twitter and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YoungsMotorsports.

March 12, 2018
Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race From Las Vegas
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series normally visits Las Vegas in the fall during the Playoffs, but this time they visited Vegas in the spring for the first time ever. As always, the trucks did not disappoint. Here are four takeaways from the Stratosphere 200.
1. Busch Gets 50th Career Win – After starting on the pole, leading 55 laps and retaking the lead on lap 120, Kyle Busch never looked back as he scored his 50th career truck series win. With this win, he is now one win away from tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. If Busch keeps his winning ways up, he’ll more than likely surpass Hornaday’s record this year and make him the all-time wins leader.
2. Brake Problems Leaves Crafton With Poor Finish – Two-time champ Matt Crafton was winless in 17 starts prior to entering the event and was looking to earn that first elusive win at Las Vegas. However, early on in the race on Lap 40, brake problems left him with a 29th place finish. Crafton will have to wait until the fall event in hopes of scratching Vegas off the tracks he has not won yet.
3. Justin Marks Shines With 11th Place Finish – Marks made his 2018 racing season debut Friday night driving the No. 54 David Gilliland Racing machine. It was the first ever truck race for Marks since 2016 at Atlanta. He even was fastest in first practice beating guys like Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson. While Marks didn’t place in the top 10 in either stage, it was still a decent finish for the No. 54 Tundra.
4. Sauter Remains One To Beat Early In 2018 – With a second place finish at Vegas, it still shows he is the one to beat. It’s far too early to place any bets on who the 2018 champion will be and who will be challenging for the championship, but with a second at Daytona, third at Atlanta and second at Las Vegas, Sauter will for sure be a strong contender and challenger for the 2018 championship.
March 6, 2018
Former Truck Series Driver Rick Crawford Arrested in Florida

Rick Crawford, former race winner in the now Camping World Truck series, was arrested on March 1 in Seminole County, Florida, and is being held without bail.

According to the county sheriff’s website, he was arrested under a federal charge. Other sources state that he is being held for “attempted enticement of a minor.” Crawford allegedly had a regular online contact with a father and his 12-year-old daughter.

NASCAR officials shared they were aware of the incident with the former competitor and had knowledge of his arrest, but made no further comment. Crawford is no longer a member of the National Motorsports Appeal Panel.

Crawford was a veteran of the Truck series, making 336 career starts with five victories, six poles and 160 top 10 finishes across 17 seasons. His most successful year came in 2002 when he won over $545,000 in race winnings and was runner-up in the Truck series points to Mike Bliss. Crawford’s last victory came in 2006 at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He also holds two career starts in the now NASCAR Xfinity Series and attempted to qualify for four now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races. He also competed in the early to mid-1990s in the NASCAR Southeast Series with five career wins and held a promoter and manager position at Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Alabama.

His next court date is set for Thursday at 2 p.m. ET in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, which will be a preliminary and detention hearing. No other official word of his charges has been posted on the sheriff’s website.

March 6, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Las Vegas
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed out west last Friday night for the first inaugural spring race held at the 1.5-mile speedway. It was a familiar face on top of the scoring pylon at the end of the day. Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.
1. Johnny Sauter: Sauter continues the GMS Racing momentum after finishing second in the Stratosphere 200. After starting third, he remained in the top 10 in both stages while finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Sauter was up front for the win at the end, but just fell one sport short and finished behind race winner Kyle Busch .437 seconds. This gave Sauter his third top five of the season and he is the series points leader over Brett Moffitt by 39 points.
  Previous Week Ranked: 2nd
2. Brett Moffitt: Moffitt added another strong finish for Hattori Racing after visiting victory lane last weekend in Atlanta. The No. 16 AISIN Group driver started third and finished eighth in Stage 1, and fifth in Stage 2. Moffitt also led twice for 27 laps throughout the race. He is second in the standings behind 2016 champion Johnny Sauter.
  Previous Week Ranked: 1st
3. Stewart Friesen: Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar Racing continue to shine with another top-five finish in the 2018 season. He started second alongside pole winner and eventual race winner Kyle Busch. That was his best starting spot since winning the pole at Eldora last year. The team worked hard to stay in the top 10 during both stages. In Stage 1 he finished fourth. Friesen ended up winning the second stage, which could help him out later in the season should he make the Playoffs. Ultimately, the No. 52 driver ended the day fifth, leaving him with his third top five of his career and the first of the season.
  Previous Week Ranked: N/R
4. Grant Enfinger: While it shouldn’t be a surprise, Enfinger had a nice solid top-five finish outing at Las Vegas. While working a challenging truck early on in the race, he worked hard to get to the front. He didn’t place at all in Stage 1 but did earn some points in Stage 2 finishing ninth. When the checkered flag flew, the Curb Records driver finished fourth, giving him his first top five of the year and the 12th of his career. Enfinger sits third in the standings, 40 points behind Sauter.
  Previous Week Ranked: N/R
5. Dalton Sargeant: Sargeant, in just the ninth race of his career, earned a career-best sixth place finish at Vegas. As the race started, he worked his way up to the middle half of the field from the rear. After a couple of adjustments to the truck, Sargeant finished 14th just four spots short outside the top 10. The No. 25 truck continued to struggle for most of the night with handling issues and wound up 13th in Stage 2. In the final stage, the GMS Racing team continued to work on the truck to get it to Dalton’s liking and he finished sixth for the best finish of his career.
  Previous Week Ranked: N/A
Honorable Mentions
1. Ben Rhodes: Rhodes came home with another top 10 finish by placing seventh.
2. Justin Fontaine: Fontaine stood out in the top 10 finishing ninth with the Niece Motorsports entry. He gave the team their second top 10 finish of the year with the first one coming at Daytona.

Fell out of the Power Rankings
1. Matt Crafton: Brake issues limited the No. 88 team for a good finish to a 29th place finish.
2. Noah Gragson: Gragson and the No. 18 Switch Tundra finished 12th after finishing second last week at Atlanta.
3. Jesse Little: Did not compete in this week’s race.
March 5, 2018
Busch One Step Closer to Tying Hornaday’s Record with Truck Series Win at Las Vegas

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed out west to the desert Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the third race of the season. A familiar face was on top of the scoring pylon at the end of the night. Busch earned his 50th Truck Series career win. It was the first time he competed in a truck since the 2001 season driving for Jack Roush.

Kyle Busch and Stewart Friesen set the front row in qualifying mid-afternoon on Friday. It was Busch’s 20th career pole in the series.

The race got out to a great start before an early caution on Lap 16 was brought out by Justin Marks in the No. 54, spinning off Turn 4. Friesen regained the lead and led for five laps until Noah Gragson took the lead on Lap 21 and went on to win the first stage which ended on lap 32. Spencer Davis, Busch, Friesen, Myatt Snider, Ben Rhodes, Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffit, Cody Coughlin and Matt Crafton rounded out the top 10 positions in Stage 1.

The green flag came back out on lap 37 for Stage 2. Stage 2 saw no incidents but some exciting action taking place. Busch, Grant Enfinger and Friesen swapped the lead multiple times before Friesen ultimately took the lead on Lap 43 and held on to the top spot for the remainder of the stage to collect 10 Playoff points. Crafton, however, went to the garage on Lap 40 due to brake problems, which left him with a 29th place finish, leaving the two-time champion winless in 18 starts at the 1.5-mile speedway.

The final stage got back underway on lap 68 with Moffit in the lead. It didn’t take long for a caution to come out as three trucks were involved in an accident in Turn 2. The drivers involved included Justin Haley, Stage 1 winner Gragson and Snider. They finished 28th, 15th and 12th, respectively.

The race resumed on Lap 78 and was green until the final caution of the race which took place on Lap 120 for Michael Disdier spinning in Turn 4. Before the caution, the lead swapped four times before Busch regained the top spot after the restart on lap 120 and held on to win his 50th career truck series win.

Busch led six times for 55 of 134 laps. There were five cautions for 25 laps. This was Busch’s 50th career truck series win. He is now one win away from tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr.

He spoke about the significance of the victory.

“It means a lot,” Busch said. “We’ve had some great runs in the races that we’ve had at Kyle Busch Motorsports. We’ve raced and won all across the country, but I’ve just never been able to get back to Las Vegas to run a race.

“This one’s pretty cool to be able to win in my hometown and finish my list of Truck Series facilities that I’ve raced at and I’ve won at. I couldn’t be prouder to do it with this Cessna Beechcraft Toyota Tundra – just a phenomenal race truck.”

Johnny Sauter finished second, followed by Moffitt, Enfinger and Friesen to round out the top five. Sauter retains the lead in the series standings, 39 points ahead of Moffitt.

Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take a couple of weeks off before heading to the “Half-Mile Mayhem” of Martinsville Speedway on March 24.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Truck-Series-Las-Vegas-Unofficial-Results.pdf” title=”Truck Series Las Vegas Unofficial Results”]

March 2, 2018
Full Weekend Schedule for Las Vegas

March 2, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Las Vegas Race 1

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend but with a different twist. They will now have two races this year, one in the spring and of course, the annual event in the fall during the Playoffs.

There are 31 trucks on the preliminary entry list for Friday night’s Stratosphere 250. During the last 21 races, there have been 19 different winners and only two repeat winners. Jack Sprague won the first event held in 1996 and then won two years later in 1998.

In the three past fall races, there have been three different winners ranging from Ben Rhodes to Tyler Reddick and John Wes Townley.

Here’s a look at who might end up in victory lane in Friday’s race.

1. Johnny Sauter – You can never count out the 2016 champion at any race track where he competes. Sauter is a regular contender for the win every week and this week is no exception. In fact, he has won the fall event way back in 2009, his only Las Vegas win. During the span of nine starts, Sauter has one win, four top fives and six top 10 finishes, along with an average start of 9.1 and an average finish of 8.1, including 100 laps led and one DNF which took place in 2012. Another nugget to add, Sauter finished ninth in Stage 2 last year and finished 10th. He was also fastest in Thursdays’ final practice session. Keep an eye for Sauter Friday night.

2. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes is the defending race winner of the fall race and has made two career starts. In a thriller last lap run in last year’s race, he held off a hard-charging Christopher Bell by .066 seconds. He led 20 laps en route to his victory while finishing sixth in Stage 1 and first in Stage 2. Rhodes’ stats show one top five and one top 15 finish at Vegas. He placed sixth in the first practice and ninth in final practice.

3. Kyle Busch – Busch will be out for redemption in Friday’s race after last week’s pit road miscue. However, the last time Busch competed in a truck race at Las Vegas was in 2001 driving for Jack Roush where he finished ninth. But knowing Busch, it will be hard to count him out of victory lane, just like Sauter. He will have his Kyle Busch Motorsports notes from the previous races to lean on. Busch placed fifth in both practice sessions on Thursday.

4. Matt Crafton – Crafton will be itching at the bit to check Las Vegas Motor Speedway off his win list this weekend. It’s hard to imagine that he has zero wins in 17 starts. However, Crafton has been runner-up in 2009, 2011, 2012 and finished third in 2014. He has also led 136 laps. Crafton showed some speed in Thursday’s practice sessions placing 11th and 7th, respectively. Be sure to watch for the two-time Truck Series champion to finally end up in victory lane at the 1.5-mile race track.

5. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek will be back in the No. 8 family owned truck this weekend. In three starts, he has a best finish of fourth in 2015 and he finished eighth in last year’s race. This adds up to one top five and two top 10 finishes with eight laps led. He will have some work to do as he placed 13th in the first practice and eighth in the final practice.

Where you qualify will be very critical if you want to win this race. In 2017, Rhodes started sixth, Reddick won in 2016 after starting 16th and John Wes Townley started second when he won in 2015. As you can see track position is important at this race track, but with a little bit of Sin City luck you could end up in victory lane if you play your cards right.

Qualifying is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET Friday with no live coverage. Race coverage is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET with the green flag dropping at 9:16 p.m. ET, all on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

March 2, 2018
Toyota NCWTS Las Vegas Gragson & Moffitt Quotes

Toyota Racing – Noah Gragson & Brett Moffitt
NASCAR NCWTS Series (NCWTS)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 1, 2018

Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Noah Gragson and Hattori Racing’s Brett Moffitt were made available to the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Talk about your moment from last week and racing at home this weekend.

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 18 Safelite Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

“I am excited. I was preparing for a lunch down the street at Fremont Street with a couple of these guys (media). I had some fried rice. I’ve been excited. I got here Tuesday night. I’ve been hanging out and playing some iRacing in my room. I’ve hung out with some friends and have did some stuff with the (Las Vegas Motor) Speedway last night. I was at the Vegas sports pep rally downtown and have just been hanging kinda being a tourist. It has been a lot of fun being with my friends and family. It has been a good time.”

Talk about your win at Atlanta and what that meant to you.

BRETT MOFFITT, No. 16 AISIN Group Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing

“It was obviously really important to get off on a good start there at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). We had a really strong Tundra all night. Were we the best truck? Probably not. But were we good enough to be there at the end? We were. We still have some areas we need to improve upon to get better. We just need more speed in our trucks and they’ve been working really hard at that. So Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and the guys have come here with a different package, but the same truck and we’ll try to be a bit faster this week.”

Is this this a list opportunity to try and get something for you and has your perspective changed at all?

BRETT MOFFITT

“I take every opportunity no matter what series it is and I am grateful for it. To be back in winning equipment is what’s important to me. I got so burnt out running 20th on back in the Cup Series that you’re just collecting a paycheck at that point. Which is sometimes what you have to do. I would go race for free if we’re racing for wins. It’s the passion of competition. When you’re not upfront it’s not fun and this opportunity, I am grateful for it. To be back and competing for wins with these guys upfront just brings the fun back to racing. Looking forward to the rest of the year.”

You will have a lot of family and friends here tomorrow, what would you be satisfied with leaving here?

NOAH GRAGSON

“Last year I got a lot of pit road practice done in the race. I got caught speeding two times on the entry. I got my practice done prematurely to this weekend from last year’s race. We led laps. I am just excited to get back on the racetrack. I got my parents, my grandparents, all my friends coming out here. We have a lot of people from Safelite and Switch coming out, too. It’s a good homecoming to get back to my home racetrack. Growing up racing at the Bullring just outsides Turns 1 and 2, I have always dreamed of getting over to just make laps in rental car or a pace car just something that would be the coolest opportunity ever. And now I have the coolest opportunity ever to race in the Truck Series. I am really excited to get to race in my Safelite Auto Glass Toyota Tundra.”

Do you feel better you’re in a better position this season and how much different do you feel from a year ago?

NOAH GRAGSON

“It’s all confidence. Just going to the racetrack with the mindset that I am a lot better than all these guys and essentially I am going to kick their ass on the racetrack. It hasn’t showed yet. He (Brett Moffitt) won last week. I am more personally confident in myself and my preparation throughout the week. And in studying film and working with my crew chief Rudy Fugle. I know we have fast Toyota Tundra’s at Kyle Busch Motorsports. It’s just that confidence of knowing what to do when I get put in a position and I have to capitalize on it now.”

What was it like getting that first victory and does this help on the sponsorship front for 2018?

BRETT MOFFITT

“I sure hope so. It was obviously a very short week and we had to turn the truck around to come here. We didn’t have a lot of time to soak it in. But the guys were back at work Sunday getting ready to come out here to Las Vegas. I know Shige (Hattori, team owner) was extremely happy and a lot of our partners in Japan were extremely happy. And that means a lot going forward. It’s definitely going to help the cause as far as moving sponsorship down the road and trying to fill the schedule out.”

Does simulator racing help give you that edge?

BRETT MOFFITT

“The simulators we get to use, we are spoiled. Noah and I have been the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) one a lot. That is very beneficial because the crew chiefs can actually make some adjustments and change the platforms. They can do anything they want and we can get good feedback. The simulators at home, they are fun and that’s about it.”

March 1, 2018