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  • Austin Hill wins the race, Crafton collects his third championship

    Austin Hill wins the race, Crafton collects his third championship

    After a 90-minute rain delay, the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race got underway shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET. While Austin Hill didn’t qualify on the pole, he most certainly had the fastest truck of the night, winning both stages and ultimately winning the race. Hill took the lead from Matt Crafton with 22 laps to go to secure his fourth win of the season.

    “This Truck was on rails all night,” Hill said to MRN Radio. “We started off just a little on the tight side. Scott (Zipadelli, Crew Chief) made some awesome adjustments there and got the Truck a little bit better. That pit stop, I kind of took it a little too easy coming down to pit road, I think that hurt us just a tad coming back out third. I had to work extra hard to get back up there and get the lead. Can’t thank Toyota enough. Chiba Toyopet Toyota Tundra was really good all night long. TRD, United Rentals can’t thank those guys enough.”

    “To be able to win this race and lock down the Toyota manufacturer championship means a lot to me. So, I’m glad I could help Toyota out with that.”

    Early rain showers pushed the race back for a couple of hours, before finally getting underway shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET. The starting grid was set by owner points with Stewart Friesen on the pole.

    Before the race got started, the No. 15 of Anthony Alfredo had an oil leak on his Truck. With that issue, Alfredo was never able to make a lap and was credited with a last-place finish. Stages were broken up in 30/30/74 laps to make up the 134-lap race.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 30

    Nothing too crazy happened in the first stage to affect the race but there was some great racing action between the Championship 4 drivers. Ross Chastain led the first 28 laps of the first stage before Hill took the lead with just a few laps to go and won the stage. Championship 4 driver Chastain was second, Friesen was third, Brett Moffitt was fourth and Matt Crafton finished sixth in Stage 1.

    However, while the Championship 4 drivers finished in the top-10 none of them collected any stage points.

    Stage 2: Lap 35- Lap 60

    Like Stage 1, the second stage almost went green the whole way. The first real incident of the night came on Lap 50. The No. 49 of Ray Ciccarelli’s Truck had fluid coming out of the back end which prompted officials to throw the yellow flag.

    From that point on, the stage remained green and Hill once again picked up the stage win. Crafton was second, Chastain was third, Moffitt was fourth and Friesen finished fifth in Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 67- Lap 134

    It was crunch time for the Championship 4 drivers as Stage 3 began with 67 laps to go. While Chastain and Friesen certainly had the best Trucks early on in the night, Crafton’s Truck started to come to life near the end.

    Pit stops broke out with 38 to go. Both Chastain and Friesen pit. Crafton and Moffitt elected to come down pit road one lap later to stay on the lead cycle. Race leader Hill pitted with 35 to go. After pit stops, Crafton cycled back out into the lead five laps later. However, Hill retook the lead with 22 to go and led the rest of the way, taking the checkered flag to win.

    As much as Crafton wanted to win the race and the championship, the bigger picture was to collect his third Truck Series championship in 453 starts. The Tulare, California native is now tied with former series champion Jack Sprague.

    “We didn’t win the battle, but we won the war,” Crafton excitedly said. “It was such a sweet deal to put this Ford Menards F-150 into victory lane. I know it’s Fords last time here championship weekend and nothing sweeter than to put the Ford into the championship. Ford and everybody has worked so hard here.”

    Knowing Crafton could win the race at one point in the race, he quickly realized it was all about winning the championship.

    “That was really hard to do,” he added. “I wanted to race the 16 (Hill) so hard. He definitely was a little faster than us there at the end. I knew what it was about and hoisting this big trophy at the end of the night, that’s what we’re here to do and that’s what we did.”

    With Crafton locking up his third Truck Series championship, he becomes one of the few drivers to do so in Truck Series history.

    “Oh, it’s awesome. Like I said, one step closer to the great Truck Series guy Ron Hornaday. We can battle with them again next year and maybe we can get number four.”

    Quite possibly lost in the shuffle was the Owner Series Championship. Four drivers were also battling for that as well. In the end, however, it was newly announced Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christian Eckes who helped the team secure its seventh owner’s championship in the team’s existence.

    “I struggled for most of the race, honestly,” Eckes said to MRN Radio. “Got a little better out there in front. Rudy (Fugle, Crew Chief) made a great call, able to lead some laps and come home third. It’s awesome to get another championship with these guys. Just ready for 2020.”

    Hill led five times for 56 laps en route to the fourth win of his career. There were three cautions for 14 laps and 12 lead changes among six different drivers.

    Official Results

    1. Austin Hill – led 56 laps, won both stages
    2. Matt Crafton – led nine laps, 2019 Truck Series Champion
    3. Christian Eckes – led 26 laps, won Owners Championship for KBM
    4. Ross Chastain – led 36 laps
    5. Brett Moffitt – led three laps
    6. Johnny Sauter
    7. Grant Enfinger
    8. Todd Gilliland
    9. Sheldon Creed
    10. Parker Kligerman
    11. Stewart Friesen
    12. Ben Rhodes
    13. Harrison Burton
    14. Joe Nemechek – one lap down
    15. Gus Dean – led four laps, one lap down
    16. Tanner Gray – one lap down
    17. Jesse Little, one lap down
    18. Tyler Dippel – one lap down
    19. Austin Wayne Self – one lap down
    20. Natalie Decke1r – one lap down
    21. Jordan Anderson – two laps down
    22. Tyler Ankrum – 2019 Truck Series Rookie of The Year, two laps down
    23. Tyler Hill- two laps down
    24. Colby Howard – two laps down
    25. Danny Bohn – two laps down
    26. Codie Rohrbaugh – four laps down
    27. Cory Roper – five laps down
    28. Jennifer Jo Cobb- six laps down
    29. Angela Ruch – seven laps down
    30. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Electrical
    31. Ray Ciccarelli, OUT, Oil Line
    32. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Engine, Did Not Start

    Up Next: The 2019 Truck Series season is officially over after race No. 23. The next on-track action will be the 2020 season opener at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 14.

  • Friesen wins at ISM, Truck Series Championship 4 set

    Friesen wins at ISM, Truck Series Championship 4 set

    AVONDALE, Ariz. — Stewart Friesen wins at ISM Raceway in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in Friday’s Lucas Oil 150, as the Championship 4 are now officially set for next weekend’s title-deciding race.

    “We’ve got a badass piece for next week, too,” stated a confident Friesen, as he locked himself into next Friday’s championship race.

    After facing an opening-lap penalty for beating polesitter Austin Hill to the line on the initial start, Friesen battled his way back to the front, leading 44 laps in the 150 lap event.

    “It was a great race car,” said Friesen, who was sent to the rear of the field after getting to the stripe ahead of Hill, who spun his tires on the initial start. “We were able to pass ‘em all, pass ‘em all clean.

    “Great race car, great race team. We’ll all celebrate tomorrow, and then it’s game on.”

    The other three drivers to join him will be Ross Chastain, Matt Crafton and last year’s champion, Brett Moffitt.

    “My main concern for the day was getting us locked into the owner points as well,” Moffitt said. “We got both jobs done today.”

    Chastain declared points for the Truck series partway through the season, and now finds his team as one of the four who will race for the 2019 title.

    “Man, this is crazy — a dream come true though,” Chastain said.

    Crafton was below the cutoff line, but was strong all day and earned many points from Stage 1 and 2 to earn his way into Miami.

    “I didn’t have anything to lose and everything to gain,” Crafton said. “And that’s the way I drove it from the green flag to the checkered flag.”

    Brandon Jones was the highest finishing non-Playoff driver in the runner-up position. With roughly 30 laps remaining, he radioed to his crew to ask about Friesen’s point status. When his crew chief responded that Friesen was essentially locked in, the No. 19 driver drove more aggressively after the leader. He, however, fell short when they battled through lapped traffic.

    At the end of the night, two drivers were eliminated: Hill and Tyler Ankrum. Ankrum missed the first three races of the year but was able to make it as far as the Round of 6 before missing the final round. Even he didn’t realize he would make it this far but looked back on the year with much to learn. As he reflected on his year, he felt some races were missed opportunities but was still proud of what he was able to accomplish as one of the bigger underdogs of the field.

    “For me, I think there’s one or two races we should have won, but didn’t win,” Ankrum stated when reviewing his first full-time season as a whole. “I think Pocono is one of those. I think I could have done a lot better at Canada finishing wise. Bristol could have been a lot better with electrical issues there and then Las Vegas, burning up two pistons. Stuff like that I look back on and those things are out of my control, and I think we could have had a really good race, then we didn’t.

    “In most people’s eyes, we’ve overachieved or exceeded our expectations, which I’m really proud of. For me, personally, I’m really proud of what we’ve done here this year. Not just based off of what we’ve done on the racetrack, but also between what we’ve done as a team working really well together and become a family.”

    As for Hill, he knew he needed to stay ahead of Ankrum and Crafton. He started strong by earning the pole in qualifying earlier in the day and was able to outrun Ankrum during the race, who finished six laps down. But Crafton beat Ankrum overall both in finishing position and with points collected with 15 more points. That gave Crafton the edge over Hill by just a handful of points to push Hill below the cutoff line.

    “We were getting eaten up on the restarts, and were put in the middle 3-wide sometimes,” Hill shared after the race. “When we had a really long run, we were okay. That last run, we tried to loosen it up but it was the tightest we ever were. We just didn’t perform; we didn’t execute like we were supposed to. We had high hopes after qualifying on the pole, and we just fell back like an anchor.”

    The last race of the season will be held next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

  • Truck Series Playoff Drivers Lose the Brawl at Martinsville

    Truck Series Playoff Drivers Lose the Brawl at Martinsville

    For those focused on the Playoff drivers in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, it became a matter of who would be struck down next.

    Todd Gilliland prevailed at Martinsville Speedway in an overtime finish, holding off Ross Chastain, who if victorious would have been the first driver to lock himself into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He instead now sits just 20 points above the cutoff line.

    The bright side for Chastain is he was the only Playoff driver in the top five.

    With no Playoff drivers yet locked into the final race of the season, Martinsville proved yet again that it is fully capable of shuffling the points standings, creating uncertainty, and causing drama and chaos for all the race teams. After Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, and the paperclip short track on Saturday, the Truck series has just one race left to determine who will race for a championship. How did everyone fare at the short track this weekend?

    Stage One Winner Suffers Race-Ending Damage

    The Stage 1 winner and last year’s series champion, Brett Moffitt, was involved in several incidents throughout the day. That damage eventually caused fatal issues to the engine of the No. 24 Silverado after only 122 of 200 scheduled laps. He would finish in 29th position after leading 80 laps.

    “That’s Martinsville. It’s a bummer,” Moffitt said on Fox Sports.

    “People just racing too aggressive too early. Everyone at GMS (Racing) gave me a really fast CMR Construction & Roofing Chevrolet. It’s a bummer to see them like this. This was one of those dominant trucks that we’ve had a few times this year. I felt like no matter what as long as we stayed clean, we were gonna win the thing.”

    Moffitt recognized quickly though that he dodged a bullet, as many other Playoff drivers also had issues including a “Big One” that brought out a 15-minute red flag.

    “I guess the good takeaway is that we have a nice points buffer depending on how this all plays out going into Phoenix,” said the point leader coming into today’s race and after the checkered flag dropped. “Certainly not in a must-win situation. We just gotta go have a good day at Phoenix.”

    Crafton Openly Criticizes Spec Engine for Rough Day

    Despite having a competitive truck, Matt Crafton stalled under a yellow flag during Stage 2. With pit cycles in front of him, the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford was forced to come down pit road for evaluation. The pit crew changed the battery, the ECU and more regarding electronic and motor concerns before being able to get back onto the track.

    “Yeah, exactly, it was horrible,” Crafton said in response to one reporter’s question. “Three of the six (Playoff) trucks out for similar issues where we’re handcuffed and forced to run. We had a phenomenal truck. When I’d fall back, I could be two tenths faster than the leaders there at the end of the race when we were tire for tire. Something out of our control, again.”

    It wasn’t too long ago when the spec engine program was under fire. Several NASCAR Truck Series title contenders faced engine failures in the final race of the first playoff elimination round at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this season. Three of the four Thorsport Racing vehicles — Johnny Sauter, Crafton and Grant Enfinger — finished 29th, 30th and 31st in Vegas, respectively. Sauter and Enfinger were the two drivers eliminated from the Playoffs that round because of the finishes. Crafton slid by on points.

    On Saturday, Crafton was faced with a very similar issue and now heads to ISM Raceway where he hopes to slide by on points once again.

    Big One Collects Two Title Contenders, Nine Trucks in Total

    The “Big One” isn’t just for Daytona or Talladega. A nine-truck crash coming out of Turn 2 brought out the red flag for roughly 15 minutes. When the smoke cleared, two more Playoff drivers were caught up in the incident: Austin Hill and Tyler Ankrum.

    A slip by one of the front runners bottled up the middle of the pack on a restart. When some drivers attempted three, even four-wide passing out of Turn 2, chaos ensued. Other drivers involved included the regular-season champion Enfinger and Stage 2 winner Sam Mayer — the 2019 K&N Pro Series East champion.

    Hill took his truck to the garage and was done for the day. Ankrum tried to return to the race, but could not make minimum speed. He was eventually black flagged, and would finish the day with a DNF. They would finish 25th (Anrkum) and 26th (Hill).

    Friesen Recovers to Sixth After Late Spin

    On Lap 149, Martinsville attempted to take on another championship contender. Stewart Friesen was battling Sauter when he knocked into Friesen to send him spinning out of Turn 4. The caution would wave, and Friesen would use pit strategy and other yellow flags to climb his way up to sixth.

    Friesen didn’t hit anything, and all his competitors avoided him, so he came down pit road for fresh tires and fought his way back up to sixth. He also avoided other wrecks, including two separate incidents on the final lap.

    But looking throughout the race, it could have been a much different story. For now, he sits second in points, 35 points above the cutoff line. Currently, no driver is locked in, but he could join Moffitt to potentially lock himself in depending on how he finishes in both stages at the final Round of 6 race.

    After a wild race at Martinsville, here’s how the playoff picture looks with no drivers locked in: Moffitt (+45), Friesen (+35), Chastain (+20), Hill (+9), Crafton (-9) and Ankrum (-15). The Truck series will compete next at ISM Raceway with the Lucas Oil 150 (Friday, Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1). Two drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs at the conclusion of that race.

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (America’s favorite racing series) returned on track this past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Prior to Saturday’s event, it was well over a month ago that we last saw the Truck Series on track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    They began the Round of 6 in the Playoffs with six drivers who still have their championship hopes alive. It wasn’t the Talladega race we were expecting, but nonetheless, it was a great race.

    Let’s take a look at who made the Power Rankings list this week following the Sugarland Shine 250. 

    1. Brett Moffitt – It was a challenging race for Moffitt and his No. 24 GMS Racing team who was once penalized for locking bumpers with his technical teammate Stewart Friesen. Moffitt questioned the penalty on the radio and especially in his post-race comments. He was able to get back on the lead lap with a late caution and after leading seven laps and despite being penalized, Moffitt rebounded to a top-five finish. It was probably not the finish he wanted after being strong early but to escape Talladega with a clean truck and a top-five finish was a job well done.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    2. Austin Hill – Hill had a competitive truck, for the most part, finishing seventh in Stage 1 and leading two laps. The Hattori Racing driver was expected to run well after breaking through at Daytona back in February with a win. Even though Hill did not win at Talladega, he had a solid finish of sixth. He also avoided any trouble keeping his Playoff championship hopes alive heading into the two final races of the round at Martinsville and ISM Raceway.

    Previous Week Ranking – Second

    3. Stewart Friesen – Like Moffitt, Friesen had to overcome adversity throughout certain parts of the race. He was penalized twice, once for locking bumpers and then for speeding on pit road during the final round of green-flag pit stops. But Friesen caught a few lucky breaks. In what could have been a disastrous day, the Halmar Racing driver quietly rebounded to a fifth-place finish. He also finished fifth in Stage 1 and won the second stage.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not ranked

    4. Riley Herbst – Despite the post-race controversy, Herbst grabbed a third-place finish in his first Superspeedway start in a truck. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver did his job and finished the race and also had a stage finish of sixth in Stage 1. Not bad for his first Talladega start.

    Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

    5. Todd Gilliland – Overlooked in this whole race was Todd Gilliland and his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team who finished second after starting sixth. Gilliland was quiet for the majority of the race until the last few laps where he found himself in contention to win. He led seven laps and had finishes of ninth in both stages. Hopefully, this is a confidence booster for Gilliland who has faced criticism for much of the year.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out 

    Ross Chastain – Yes, Chastain had a strong truck and quite possibly the best truck. However, a blocking move took the Florida native out of the race on Lap 89 and ruined any chance of a great finish. Chastain now finds himself last in the Playoffs standings, just two points behind the cut line. Two points isn’t much but it could make all the difference in the world when the standings are set for the Championship 4.

    Previous Week Ranking – First

    Sheldon Creed- Creed showed glimpses of having a fast truck but could never really stay out in front. Possibly overshadowed in his performance was leading 20 laps and winning the first stage. In the end, however, the GMS driver could not maintain the lead but did earn a ninth-place finish.

    Previous Week Ranking – Third

    Brennan Poole – A rear-end issue took Poole out of the race on Lap 81 and resulted in a disappointing 26th place finish. It has been a difficult season for Poole and the No. 30 team who have yet to finish a Superspeedway race. 

  • Playoff battle in Truck Series stays close

    Playoff battle in Truck Series stays close

    With just three races left before crowning the 2019 champion, the Playoffs points standings in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is tight, including one championship favorite now below the cutoff line.

    Ross Chastain crashed from the lead with six laps remaining, Stewart Friesen was the only Playoff driver to earn any additional Playoff points by winning a stage, and Austin Hill was frustrated at the field when he was unable to find a drafting partner to score additional points at the conclusion of the second stage. It also didn’t help any of the six remaining drivers as none of the Playoff teams could capture the checkered flag to secure their spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. NASCAR issued a post-race penalty on Johnny Sauter to hand the win to then second-place finisher, Spencer Boyd. 

    Now, only two drivers have more than a 20-point cushion, while the other four are fighting for the last two spots with the last three drivers separated by just two points.

    The Truck Series races at Martinsville Speedway and ISM Raceway during their Round of 6 before two are eliminated. Let’s review what happened Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway that shook up the Playoffs.

    Chastain Takes Blame for “Big One” in Closing Laps

    With six laps to go, Chastain learned the hard way that he can only block once.

    Down the backstretch, the inside lane of Grant Enfinger and Harrison Burton had reached the peak of their momentum on Chastain, so the Niece Motorsports driver moved high to start blocking and using the charge from the outside lane. As the field entered Turn 3, Sheldon Creed and Todd Gilliland continued to work together to make a move around Chastain. They first moved high, then down to the middle lane to peek a bumper inside of the leader.

    Chastain blocked high successfully but started the carnage when blocking low.

    To no fault of his own, Creed hooked the rear bumper of Chastain to send him spinning. Chastain would then collect nine other trucks to create what would be the only “Big One.”

    He took all the blame.

    “I definitely turned left on (Creed),” he shared with FOX Sports after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “Sorry to everybody that got taken out. My Niece Motorsports boys and girls deserve better. The Car Shield Chevy was fast enough to go compete for the win.

    That one’s on me. I’m so glad we get to go onto Martinsville and Phoenix and redeem ourselves to keep winning and press the attack.”

    After declaring for the points championship in the Truck series earlier this year, his focus remains the same: that same Truck championship.

    “I will go try to win practice, try to win qualifying and try to win the race, and just go execute. That was poor execution on my part. Again, sorry to everybody involved, but we’ll go on and just execute. That’s my job, and that’s what we’re gonna go do.”

    Playoff Drivers Struggle Against Controversial Penalties

    On Lap 51, NASCAR issued a penalty on two Playoff drivers, as Stewart Friesen and Brett Moffitt were caught locking bumpers to draft away from the pack. They were leading at the time but came down pit road to serve a stop-and-go penalty. While they rallied back to finish fourth and fifth, they both know it could have easily been a different story if a “Big One” had happened while they marched back to the front. Being eligible for the championship just added more to the drama.

    “I don’t really know what to say about anything,” Friesen said. “I didn’t see it. I have no idea, no clue. But we were fortunate to get back to the lead lap and get a fifth out of it.”

    Although Moffitt has a 45 point buffer above the cutoff line, he wanted proof of their two trucks locking bumpers. The hard part is that no television coverage could catch exactly when they were locking bumpers.

    “I would love to see it, love to see where we locked bumpers because I was very conscious of it and staying off him, giving him a bubble,” Moffitt shared after the race. “I would love to see proof. Everyone’s pushing the limit.

    “Now had that played out like Daytona where we (went to) the back and ended up in a wreck I’d be a little more upset about it, but the fact we had really good Chevrolets here and were able to rebound – all three of us. It’s frustrating but ultimately we did our job and out-pointed everyone in the playoffs.”

    Sheldon Creed (front) and Brett Moffitt (back) appear to potentially lock bumpers driving through the tri-oval, but no penalty was issued. Photo courtesy of Stephanie McLaughlin with Speedway Media.

    To make matters more controversial about the call, there were other instances throughout the race where two trucks would clearly lock bumpers and serve no obligated penalty. Possibly the biggest missed call was on the final lap.

    Eventual race winner Boyd locked bumpers with Riley Herbst to create a run to the lead. The attempted pass between Herbst and Sauter caused Sauter to go below the yellow line, which is not allowed at all by the leader. Sauter would be penalized and hand the win to Boyd.

    “So those are tough calls and I think there were several instances where we were all looking at each other,’‘Is that too much? Is that too much?’” said NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller who addressed media questions on the officiating calls after the race. “So, there was really no other choice but to make that call (on Moffitt and Friesen).”

    However, the same driving that NASCAR claimed Moffitt and Friesen did was also executed by Boyd and Herbst fighting for the win on the final lap. No call was made.

    Austin Hill Frustrated with Competition and Lack of Stage Points

    While Hill is currently in the third position in the Playoffs, he sure would like to have more of a points gap going into the next two races. He clearly understood how valuable stage points are in a time like now, and with a points structure where each position is just one point, it’s a spot in the season where every point matters.

    Austin Hill (No. 16) had trouble finding drafting help, as depicted here. Ross Chastain (No. 45) would get drafting help from behind, while competitors behind Hill would find a way to battle around. Photo courtesy of Stephanie McLaughlin with Speedway Media.

    But for some reason, Hill just wasn’t able to find a drafting partner to work with during the race. That cost him valuable spots, and eventually valuable points by not executing strongly at the conclusion of either stage.

    “I was really frustrated all day about that,” Hill said. “I didn’t really have any help from anybody – whether a Toyota was behind me or anyone else. It didn’t matter. No one seemed to want to work with me. It was tough all day.

    “We were leading that second stage and with two (laps) to go, they had such a big run, there was no way to really block that outside lane coming. I tried to stay on the bottom because I knew I had two Toyotas behind me and then they bailed on me.”

    That tough fighting and loss of potential points could be vital as the Round of 6 continues. Hill finished the race in sixth but collected just 35 points. In comparison, Moffitt and Friesen finished fourth and fifth and collected 51 and 48 points respectively — over 10 stage points each more than Hill.

    After the race, Hill now sits just 12 points above the cutoff line.

    “Still a decent points day, just not what we wanted. At least we didn’t end up on the wrecker like a few of them did. All in all, it was a decent points day and we’ll go on to Martinsville.”

  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas II

    NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Las Vegas II

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series returned on-track this past Friday night for the final race in the Round of 8. The World of Westgate 200 featured an action-packed race and left a lot of playoff drivers in trouble. However, it saw one driver break through and quite possibly surprised some race fans who were not expecting him to win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

    Here are this week’s power rankings following the second Las Vegas Truck Series race of the season. 

    1. Ross Chastain – Chastain provided a dominant performance throughout the race before being passed late for the win. The Florida native started second, won both stages, led the most laps with 88 but ultimately fell short, finishing second. Despite this Chastain clinched a spot in the Round of 6 after winning one of the stages. Should he and the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team continue this dominance throughout the Round of 6, we could very well see Chastain in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Austin Hill – Hill came through at the end passing Chastain for the lead and the eventual race win. It was his third win of the season and he was able to lock himself into the Round of 6. While Hill was already guaranteed a spot, he made it easier for his No. 16 Hattori Racing team by winning. It shouldn’t as a surprise to anybody as this the same team that won the championship last year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Sheldon Creed – Creed and his No. 2 GMS Racing team came into Vegas with a lot of momentum after being consistent late in the season. Previously, at Canada, he finished fourth continuing his top-five finishes. Creed qualified sixth, then finished sixth and seventh in Stage 1 and 1, respectively. While he was unable to lead a lap, the No. 2 team continued their string of top-five finishes by posting their fourth of the season.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    4. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt and the No. 24 team had a quiet night finishing seventh after being dominant in the first two races of the Round of 8. The Grimes, Iowa native did, however, finish ninth and third in both stages and led 12 laps. He may have been disappointed not to sweep the entire Round of 8 but the team is going on to compete in the Round of 6 after winning at Bristol and Canada.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    5. Brennan Poole – Though not competing in the full Truck schedule as originally planned, Poole and the No. 30 On Point Motorsports is making the most of their opportunities when they do compete. It has been an up and down season for Poole who had two DNFs, one top-five and three top-10s heading into Vegas. His schedule has been sporadic due to not having the funding to compete in every race. Hoping to better his spring finish at Vegas, Poole had a lot of work to do. He qualified 18th but it didn’t take him long to get up to the front with the help of a few cautions. Poole finished seventh and fifth in both stages. After all was said and done, the No. 30 driver fell short of his second top-five but managed a sixth-place finish for his fourth top-10 of the year. It was nicely done by the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team especially considering that they don’t compete every week.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

      Fell Out
      1.  Stewart Friesen – Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar Racing team had a rough night after being down a cylinder for the majority of the race. The Canadian qualified 19th and finished 19th, down two laps. Despite not having any top-10 stage finishes, Friesen and his team will have another chance to compete for the championship by advancing to the Round of 6.

      2. Ben Rhodes – It was a solid eighth-place finish after starting 13th and surviving the chaos that happened throughout the night. He was also able to record a fourth-place finish in Stage 2.
  • Austin Hill Gambles with Four Tires to Win at Vegas As Playoff Drivers Struggle

    Austin Hill Gambles with Four Tires to Win at Vegas As Playoff Drivers Struggle

    Las Vegas, NV — In the closing laps, Austin Hill fights his way through the field and passed Ross Chastain to win the World of Westgate 200 in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    “That was a big statement win,” Hill declared in Victory Lane. “It means the world to me. This was the hardest one. We were going to stay out last caution, and everyone else pitted, so we needed to pit or we were screwed. So we came down pit road and restarted at the tail end of the longest line. Man, it stayed green, I had to drive all the way through the field and this truck was unbelievable.

    “We’re two for two with this truck, so we’re going for three.”

    Hill won the first race of the season at Daytona International Speedway, as well as the last race of the regular season at Michigan International Speedway, but he knew that wins, strong runs and no mistakes were evermore important during the Playoffs. He felt Friday night’s win was that strong run they needed to be a serious title contender.

    “Coming into tonight, our number one goal was getting stage points and we did that, we got stage points in stage one and stage two. Got through that and after the second stage and we knew that some of the Playoff drivers had some issues, my only concern was going for the win,” Hill said later. “That’s all I really cared about. I didn’t think we were going to be able to catch them under green, but we did. It’s even more of a statement win because we had a little bit of an issue during practice and lost our truck chief. I know he was up watching us in the stands, but this is so special.”

    It was a solid day for Chastain, but with old tires, he came up just a dozen laps short. After leading the most laps (88), the Niece Motorsports driver still finished second.

    “Just (no) front tires,” Chastain shared on pit road after the finish. “They thought they got enough fuel in it on the final stop. Just all tires unfortunately.”

    But the race was anything less than eventful. Three-wide action, including competitors making a five-wide pass on the front stretch early in the race, proved how each driver understood the value of every position. Unfortunately for some, mechanical issues began to unfold early throughout the race. Grant Enfinger won the regular season, but only raced for six laps, as he lost his engine and Playoff hopes. He became the first of many drivers with engine issues.

    ThorSport teammates Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter both lost their engines on Lap 38, and it started to concern the eventual race winner. He shared his concerns both at that time, and later in the race where the engine seemed to lack power at various moments on restarts and while racing competitors.

    “Yeah, we had to keep pulling tape each time,” Chastian continued when asked about his concern with competitors losing engines. “The first run, I had to let Austin (Hill) get in front of me to get some trash off the grill, and then the bugs were just terrible. Just a freak deal.”

    Pole sitter Christian Eckes, Sheldon Creed and Todd Gilliland completed the top five. Brennan Poole, Brett Moffitt, Ben Rhodes, Harrison Burton and Dylan Lupton rounded out the top 10 positions.

    Green flag flew for Christian Eckes, who won his second career pole in just his tenth career start in the Truck series. Ross Chastain quickly took over the lead and led the majority of the laps in the first stage, and went on to win Stage 1. Moffitt started the race in the rear of the field, but climbed his way up to ninth by the end of the stage.

    The biggest news happened on Lap 6 when Grant Enfinger, who was the regular season champion, lost his motor on the front stretch. The team diagnosed the issue, attempted to repair the truck, but were unable to get back out on track. After starting the race just two points above the cutoff line, he would not collect enough points to make it into the next round of the Playoffs.

    More Playoff drama unfolded during Stage 2. On the front stretch on Lap 38, teammates Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton both lost their engines at the same time. Crafton later shared that his truck appeared to lose power after running over debris that came from Sauter’s truck. That incident locked Enfinger out of the next round, and Sauter was left to the mercies of where Friesen and Ankrum finished.

    More drivers began reporting engine issues, including Friesen. Natalie Decker began to come in and out of the garage, and a few other drivers retired from the race from mechanical issues. In the end, Chastain claimed the Stage 2 victory and set the pace throughout the first half of the race.

    The field took the green flag to start the final stage on Lap 68, but quickly went back under yellow as Johnny Sauter eventually lost the entire motor. The troubled Playoff driver was looking to make up a couple more spots for the points required to make it into the next round, competing against Ankrum and Friesen for the final transfer position.

    On Lap 82, Tyler Dippel lost his engine to bring out the caution. Teams had various strategies when they came to pit road. Chastain elected for fuel only, while Hill took four fresh tires. A mishap on pit road required him to come back down under yellow, forcing his team to restart toward the back of the lead lap trucks in the 16th position. The race was restarted on Lap 87, but many other trucks declared engine issues. Jennifer Jo Cobb and Natalie Decker went behind the wall with various engine issues

    Hill fought his way through the field to catch Chastain in the closing laps, passing him on Lap 123. He led the final 12 laps to claim his third win of the season, winning by 2.116 seconds. Enfinger and Sauter were officially eliminated from the Playoffs when Ankrum and Friesen finished 11th and 19th respectively.

    “We got lucky,” Ankrum stated after the race explaining his truck cutting in and out in the middle of the final stage. “On that last restart, the motor just fell on its face and I thought I just messed up on the restart, and that’s why I fell back so fast. About five laps later, it sounded like an old ‘69 Malibu. My heart sank, I thought we were blowing up. I was going to be mad, that was the first thing that was going to happen. But it cut back on, so I think it was just electrical.

    It doesn’t matter how you get there (to the Round of 6), it’s just that you get there.”

    The Round of 6 Playoff drivers have been set with Moffitt, Chastain, Hill, Friesen, Crafton and Ankrum. The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series will compete next on October 12 in the Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    FinSt#DriverSponsor / OwnerTruckLapsStatusLedPtsPPts
    1716   Austin HillGunma Toyopet   (Shigeaki Hattori)Toyota134running29575
    2245   Ross ChastainCarShield   (Al Niece)Chevrolet134running88552
    3151   Christian EckesSiriusXM   (Kyle Busch)Toyota134running4390
    462   Sheldon CreedChevrolet Accessories   (Maury Gallagher)Chevrolet134running0420
    534   Todd GillilandJBL Fest   (Kyle Busch)Toyota134running0410
    61830   Brennan PooleOn Point Motorsports   (Steven Lane)Toyota134running0410
    7424   Brett MoffittCMR Construction & Roofing   (Maury Gallagher)Chevrolet134running12400
    81399   Ben RhodesHavoline   (Duke Thorson)Ford134running0360
    9918   Harrison BurtonSafelite Auto Glass   (Kyle Busch)Toyota134running0310
    10175   Dylan LuptonDGR-Crosley   (David Gilliland)Toyota134running0270
    111617   Tyler AnkrumB/X Custom Designs   (David Gilliland)Toyota134running0290
    121515   Anthony AlfredoSim Seats   (David Gilliland)Toyota134running0250
    131287   Tony MrakovichStreet Stores Hardware   (Joe Nemechek)Chevrolet134running0240
    14143   Jordan AndersonBommarito.com / WCIParts.com   (Jordan Anderson)Chevrolet134running0230
    152312   Gus DeanLG Air Conditioning Technologies   (Randy Young)Chevrolet133running0230
    16279   Codie RohrbaughGrant County Mulch   (Codie Rohrbaugh)Chevrolet133running0210
    172622   Austin Wayne SelfGo Texan   (Tim Self)Chevrolet133running0200
    182011   Spencer DavisAll Pro   (Mark Rette)Ford133running0190
    191952   Stewart FriesenHalmar International   (Chris Larsen)Chevrolet132running0180
    202920   Spencer BoydClickandBuyGuns.com   (Randy Young)Chevrolet132running1170
    212538   Colin GarrettWide Open Entrepreneurs   (Al Niece)Chevrolet131running000
    223044   Angela RuchThe Ruch Life   (Al Niece)Chevrolet131running0150
    233234   Justin JohnsonRedList   (Josh Reaume)Chevrolet127running0140
    243110   Jennifer Jo CobbWaldo’s Painting   (Jennifer Jo Cobb)Chevrolet90running0130
    252154   Natalie DeckerRuedebusch Development   (David Gilliland)Toyota87electrical0120
    262202   Tyler DippelLobas Productions   (Randy Young)Chevrolet80engine0110
    272419   Derek KrausEneos / NAPA Filters   (Bill McAnally)Toyota77transmission0100
    282833   Mason MasseyAnderson Power Services   (Josh Reaume)Chevrolet63engine090
    291013   Johnny SauterTenda Heal   (Duke Thorson)Ford45engine0150
    30588   Matt CraftonFisher Nuts / Menards   (Duke Thorson)Ford39engine0160
    31898   Grant EnfingerThorSport Racing / Curb Records   (Mike Curb)Ford6engine060
    32118   John Hunter NemechekBerry’s Bullets   (Joe Nemechek)Chevrolet0fuel pressure000


  • Austin Hill holds off Creed and Dippel in overtime win

    Austin Hill holds off Creed and Dippel in overtime win

    In an overtime restart, Austin Hill in No. 16 Hattori Racing Toyota was able to hold off Sheldon Creed and Tyler Dippel for his second win of the 2019 season.

    “I definitely didn’t want to do a green-white-checkered; we were kind of close on fuel,” Hill told MRN Radio. “I got a really good push out the back by the 18 (Harrison Burton), kind of propelled us and put us out front, then I just started to throw blocks and luckily, they were racing two and three wide out back and kind of gave us a gap out front, we were able to keep that gap.”

    “I thought the 2 (Sheldon Creed) was going to have a shot at it going into (Turn) 3, he got a really big run but we were able to protect that bottom because that’s the lane he was trying to go. Can’t thank Hino, AISIN enough for coming on board.”

    It was the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway for the Truck Series regulars. Drivers like Sheldon Creed, Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, Tyler Dippel, Gus Dean and Ben Rhodes had one more shot to make it into the Playoffs with a win.

    Fan-favorite Ross Chastain sat on the pole in his No. 45 Niece Motorsports truck with Christian Eckes on the outside pole. Playoff potential Matt Crafton had issues with his clutch during qualifying and made an engine change to be the cautious side, therefore had to start in the back.

    Stages were broken into 20/20/60 to make up the 100 lap race.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 20

    Nothing major happened in Stage 1 to bring out the caution. However, Tyler Ankrum and Austin Wayne Self were posted for a start violation and both were black flagged and had to serve a pass-through penalty.

    Norm Benning never had the chance to get his truck started when the command to Start Your Engines was issued. Benning unfortunately had to sit out for the rest of the race, not completing a single lap and wound up 32nd.

    Chastain went on to lead every lap in Stage 1 to take the stage win. Ben Rhodes, Eckes, Bret Moffitt, Todd Gilliland, Grant Enfinger, Austin Hill, Harrison Burton, Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton rounded out the top-10 finishers in the first stage.

    With his consistency throughout the season, Enfinger was able to lock up the regular-season title by just starting the race.

    A melee broke out on pit road during the stage break. The No. 9 of Codie Rohrbaugh was trying to pull into his pit for a scheduled pit stop but made contact with Chastain and Sauter who were trying to pull out at the same time. Chastain suffered major damage from the incident and would wind up not finishing the race.

    Gilliland was sent to the rear for a crew member over the wall too soon. Wayne Self was also sent to the rear for passing on the left on pit road.

    Stage 2: Lap 27- Lap 40

    Only one incident brought out the caution during the second stage on Lap 32 as Christian Eckes spun off Turn 2 due to a flat tire. This would be the only caution during Stage 2.

    With Chastain out of the race, Moffitt played pit strategy by staying out and taking the lead going into Turn 1 with three laps to go. Moffitt hung on to win Stage 2.

    Hill, Enfinger, Jordan Anderson, Rhodes, Self, Dean, Gilliland, Creed and Bayley Currey rounded out the top-10 finishers for the second stage.

    There were no incidents during the stage break on pit road.

    Stage 3: Lap 47- Lap 105

    There were a few laps of green flag racing before the caution flew once again on Lap 56. This time it was the No. 04 of Cory Roper who slapped the Turn 2 wall and suffered right rear damage. Roper would eventually be out of the race with a broken track bar. He finished a disappointing 28th. TJ Bell who was driving the No. 38 Niece Motorsports truck was also out for the rest of the day due to a mechanical issue. Hill was sent to the rear for speeding on pit road.

    Moffitt and Self stayed out under caution to assume the lead. However, neither could make it on fuel and would be six laps short to finish if the race remained green the rest of the way. But, another caution broke out on Lap 65 for Rohrbaugh, who spun off the exit of Turn 4. This saw race leaders Moffitt and Self pit under caution with Sauter also making a pit stop.

    The race had a short green flag run until 15 laps to go when Eckes found trouble once again with a right rear flat that went down causing him to spin out. During the green flag run, Rhodes suffered a flat tire, ending any chance to compete for the championship.

    The restart came with 10 laps to go and it was crunch time for many drivers who needed a win and were close on fuel for the finish. Fortunately, some of those drivers caught a break with another caution flying again for Eckes with eight to go.

    This set up a restart with four to go that saw Ankrum, Hill, Crafton and Moffitt in the top spots. When the restart came Crafton accidentally pushed Ankrum a little too hard which then sent him spinning in front of the field collecting Natalie Decker, Alfredo and Sauter. The DGR-Crosley drivers had the most damage with Sauter able to pull away.

    With the wreck, the race went into overtime with five extra laps added to the originally advertised distance. Despite the overtime finish and drivers like Dippel and Creed giving it one last shot, the Winston, Georgia native was able to hang on and win for the second time this season.

    “Our Toyota Tundra was really fast today, Hill said.”We had to come from the back. I sped on pit road, had issues on getting the right front tire off all day long. We had to fight a lot of adversity. This is a brand new truck for us, to be able to go one for one with it, it’s an awesome way to start this truck off. With playoffs being next week, this gives us a confidence booster going forward.”

    There were 11 lead changes among 17 lead changes with eight cautions for 35 laps.

    Playoff Seedings

    1. Brett Moffitt
    2. Grant Enfinger -3
    3. Stewart Friesen -8
    4. Ross Chastain -10
    5. Austin Hill -10
    6. Matt Crafton -11
    7. Johnny Sauter -13
    8. Tyler Ankrum -17

    Official Results

    1. Austin Hill
    2. Sheldon Creed
    3. Tyler Dippel
    4. Brett Moffitt
    5. Austin Wayne Self
    6. Bayley Currey
    7. Grant Enfinger
    8. Stewart Friesen
    9. Ray Ciccarelli
    10. Matt Crafton
    11. Harrison Burton
    12. Johnny Sauter
    13. Gus Dean
    14. Jordan Anderson
    15. Christian Eckes
    16. Trey Hutchens
    17. Codie Rohrbaugh
    18. Josh Reaume
    19. Jennifer Jo Cobb
    20. Joe Nemechek
    21. Jesse Iwuji
    22. Spencer Boyd
    23. Ben Rhodes, Two laps down
    24. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Crash
    25. Tyler Ankrum, OUT, Crash
    26. Anthony Alfredo, OUT, Crash
    27. Natalie Decker, OUT, Crash
    28. Cory Roper, OUT, Crash
    29. T.J. Bell, OUT, Clutch
    30. Ross Chastain, OUT, Crash
    31. Camden Murphy, OUT, Vibration
    32. Norm Benning, OUT, Engine

    Up Next: The Round of Eight starts at Bristol Motor Speedway Thursday, August 15 live on Fox Sports 1.

  • Austin Hill disappointed with top-five finish at Chicago

    Austin Hill disappointed with top-five finish at Chicago

    Austin Hill and his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series No. 16 Hattori Racing team were hoping to come out of Chicagoland Speedway Friday night with a win.

    Hill and company had a great start to their day, qualifying the No. 16 SiriusXM Toyota Tundra on the pole, the first pole of his Truck Series career. But, he was only able to lead twice for 10 laps and had to settle for running in the top five or top 10 for most of the night. Hill finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in Stage 1 and 2.

    Despite strong stage finishes, a long green-flag run ensued after a caution on Lap 80. With less than 35 to go, the last round of green flag pit stops began to take place. Hill pitted with 30 to go from the top five. However, the adjustments weren’t quite enough for Hill and the Hattori Racing team, as they would have to settle for a disappointing fifth-place finish after starting on the pole.

    “We’re definitely disappointed with fifth place,” Hill said to MRN Radio in his post-race interview. “We thought we had the speed to possibly win tonight, it just wasn’t there. We really thought the track was going to free up throughout the night and our truck just kept tightening up and tightening up. We could never just get on the other side of it.”

    “That last pit stop under green, we put a dent in it, but we still needed some more to be able to run with the top three. All in all, it was a great effort. I think we only fell back to sixth one time. For majority of the time, we ran inside the top five. Can’t thank HRE enough, Scott (Zipadelli, Crew Chief), they put a lot of work into these trucks and we want to win. So top five is okay but still frustrated. We’ll work on it.”

    This was Hill’s third top five of the 2019 season.

  • Johnny Sauter suspended for one race after incident at Iowa

    Johnny Sauter suspended for one race after incident at Iowa

    NASCAR officials announced Tuesday that Johnny Sauter has been suspended for one race due to his actions at Iowa Speedway under caution and cannot compete in this weekend’s upcoming Truck Series race at Gateway.

    On Lap 137 during Sunday’s M&M’s 200 at Iowa Speedway, Sauter was wrecked off Turn 4. Replays showed that it was Austin Hill who wrecked Sauter after they had been battling hard with each other laps prior, which led up to the incident.

    After Sauter was wrecked, he chased after Hill and intentionally wrecked him, sending Hill up the track. After Sauter’s actions, he was parked for the rest of the day by NASCAR and finished 27th, while Hill wound up in the 12th position. Apparently, this incident started at the previous race Texas Motor Speedway, a week before.

    However, despite the news, Sauter will still remain playoff eligible from his win at Dover and currently sits eighth in the points standings, the last spot to be qualified for the playoffs.

    Sauter spoke with Fox Sports 1 reporter Alan Cavanna after the race in a short interview and gave his side of the story.

    “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out, you know?,” Sauter said to Alan Cavanna in his interview. “You know, sometimes you have contact and it’s racing.”

    Sauter was also asked if he had spoken to Hill.

    “No, what’s there to say?” Sauter added. “I’d love too, yeah it would be great, but it’s going to be hard to get to him.”

    Hill also commented about the incident. .

    “It’s hard racing with that (Johnny Sauter) guy,” Hill said to Alan Cavanna. “We were racing hard, getting in to Turn 1, he got in to me a little bit, I kind of returned the favor. I don’t race like that, so if you’re going to race me like that and take me out, I guess he was mad from Texas last week, I don’t know. I’m not going to put up with it, I mean you seen that today (Sunday). I try to race everyone clean, but when they race you like that, I don’t put up with it.”

    When the suspension news was announced Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR senior vice president of competition Scott Miller explained NASCAR’s decision.

    “We look back at the history of everything we’ve done and try to react with the precedents that we’ve set and then obviously tailoring those to the situation that we have at hand,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. “In this case, we felt like his actions certainly warranted being sat down for an event, but it felt a little too harsh to take him straight out of the championship, so we think we landed on what we feel is fair and a deterrent.”

    “We tend to look at incidents under caution as more of a retaliatory thing,” Miller said. “Obviously, him driving half a track with a smoking truck and winding through a few cars to get to the 16 and then running over him, then bouncing off the wall and running into his door, it was pretty aggressive. It was definitely not anything that could in any way, shape or form be defended as a racing incident.”

    While Sauter will sit out this weekend, NASCAR said there will be more discussions with Hill and NASCAR will continue to monitor the two drivers for the rest of the season.

    “We did talk about that,” Miller said, “and while we haven’t typically reacted in the form of a penalty to those things, there will certainly be further discussions with the driver of the 16 and he will definitely be placed under a little bit more of a microscope as far as us watching his actions on the race track.”

    “Those conversations will take place again before they are placed on the race track again together,” Miller said, “and there will be a pretty good understanding that we don’t want to see any more contact or aggressive behavior out of either one of them  — toward each other or other competitors.”

    This is the first time a Truck Series driver has been suspended from competition since 2011.