Tag: Brett Moffitt

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Kansas
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series headed west this past weekend to the heartland and the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway and as usual, the Truck Series didn’t disappoint.

Some were worried that it was going to be a single file race. But, in the end, a crowd favorite won the race with a late race thriller while others were left disappointed and still searching for a win.

There are some fresh new names that popped up in the power rankings, while some were able to keep their position. Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.
1. Ross Chastain – Chastain finally broke through this past weekend by winning at Kansas Speedway. Chastain and the Niece Motorsports team had been running and finishing inside the top-10 all season and have been close many times, especially with a third place finish at Daytona to open the season. Some fans since then have considered the Niece Motorsports a fan favorite and quite possibly, an underdog team in NASCAR. They continued week by week to strive toward their goal in hopes of winning in the Truck Series, or NASCAR overall. That moment came Friday night when Chastain passed Stewart Friesen with three laps to go, as Friesen ran out of gas and Chastain went on by. Chastain and the No. 45 team were hoping for no cautions for the rest of the way while Ben Rhodes was trying to chase him down in hopes of redemption from a couple of years ago, but couldn’t do it. In the end, Chastain and team owner Al Niece won their first Truck Series win. Chastain led three times for five laps and finished fourth in both stages. It was his first Truck Series victory in just 66 starts and Chastain’s first top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway. The Niece Motorsports team will look to carry this momentum throughout the rest of the season in hopes of fighting for the owners’ championship in which they currently sit third, 33 points behind Kyle Busch’s No. 51 team.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 5th
2. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes had a strong No. 99 Carolina Nut Co. Ford F-150 on Friday night at Kansas and came oh so close to capturing the Digital Ally 250 checkered flag. Despite looking at practice speeds after practice was over with where Rhodes slated 12th and 14th fastest in both practices, some probably thought, he may not have the truck to win Friday night. Rhodes and the No. 99 Thorsport team proved them wrong where he finished tenth in Stage 2 and found himself with a shot at the win late in the race. Rhodes was chasing down eventual race winner Ross Chastain, but ran out of time and fell .483 seconds short. It was his third top five of the 2019 season.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
3. Grant Enfinger – After qualifying 13th, Enfinger and the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford F-150 quickly moved up into the top-10 and led 47 laps until a late race incident with 27 to go when he and Brett Moffitt made contact, bringing out the fifth caution of the race. The team was doing well before then by finishing third in both stages but eventually finished seventh. If things had gone their way, they probably could have finished inside the top five or top three. Nonetheless, Enfinger still holds the points lead over Brett Moffitt by 13 points.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 1st
4. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland and the No. 4 KBM team improved on their finish from Dover by finishing third in Friday night’s race at Kansas. He started fifth and remained consistent, running in the top-10 and finishing seventh in both stages. In an exciting late-race battle for the win, Gilliland and company wound up in the top five. It was a much needed top five after finishing 15th at Dover and his first top five of the year.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
5. Matt Crafton – Crafton was looking to snap the long winless streak this past weekend in the heartland, but once again, fell short of doing so, not without effort, however. The No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 driver showed speed in early morning practice sessions on Friday by placing third and fourth fastest, respectively, in both practices. The No. 88 Thorsport team followed that up by qualifying on the pole, Crafton’s 14th of his career and his first at Kansas. Crafton led early but only led eight laps and was not really seen up front after leading early. He finished sixth in both stages to ultimately finish a disappointing sixth after having such a fast truck in practice and qualifying.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 4th
  
  Fell Out
  
  1. Johnny Sauter – A forgettable night for Sauter and the No. 13 ThorSport team who previously won at Dover before heading to Kansas Speedway. Mechanical issues plagued Sauter early on and he was sent to the garage to fix the problem. He could never really rebound and wound up 22nd after starting 12th.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 3rd
  
  2. Brett Moffitt – Much like Sauter, Moffit and the No. 24 GMS team had a disappointing night and were ready to move on to Charlotte after the race ended. The team started well by qualifying fourth earlier in the day. He even finished second in both stages and led three times for four laps. But troubles came late in the race when Moffitt and Enfinger collided with each other off Turn 2 and spun out. Both would escape without major damage, but the incident more than likely ended Moffit’s chance at the win and he had to settle for finishing eighth. The No. 24 GMS team will look to rebound this week at Charlotte.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 2nd
May 13, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Kansas
After visiting the Monster Mile this past weekend, the Truck Series heads to the Midwest and Kansas Speedway. Some drivers may follow “the yellow brick road” to victory lane in the heartland and others will leave grateful they are “not in Kansas anymore.”

The sponsor of the race is a Lenexa, Kansas based company Digital Ally, and the Truck Series race will be called the Digital Ally 250.

Currently, there are 27 Trucks entered on the preliminary entry list for Friday night’s race at Kansas Speedway.

While Johnny Sauter won his first race of the season last weekend at Dover, is he ready to set the world on fire or will someone else take over this weekend?

Here’s a look at who might just win Friday nights Truck race at Kansas.
1. Matt Crafton – This weekend could be the weekend that snaps Crafton’s year and a half winless streak since Eldora of 2017. He has the most starts of any active drivers with 18 starts and has competed in every race since the Trucks debuted at Kansas in 2001. Crafton has two wins at Kansas (2013, 2015). Overall, he has completed 97.7 percent of the laps and has led 110 laps. The No. 88 driver also has five top fives and nine top-10 finishes but does have three DNFs with the last coming in 2005. Since then, he’s had inconsistent finishes. In 2018, Crafton finished sixth, 16th in 2017, second in 2016 and 2014, and 12th in 2012. Nonetheless, Crafton could be following the “Yellow Brickroad” to victory lane on Friday night and snapping his long winless streak.
2. Brandon Jones – Brandon Jones will once again pilot the famed No. 51. Jones returned to the Truck Series last weekend at Dover where he finished 13th. He’ll have some pressure to perform well as Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers Noah Gragson and Kyle Busch swept the top two spots last season at Kansas. Jones will also have veteran crew chief Rudy Fugle who has two career wins at the track located in Kansas City, Kansas. The first in 2016 was with William Byron and last year with Gragson. Jones has two starts overall at Kansas with a best finish of ninth coming in last year’s race. He’ll be using chassis number KBM-055 as this chassis has had three outings with two wins, both this season with owner-driver Kyle Busch behind the wheel, at Atlanta and Texas. Jones finished seventh and fourth in both stages in 2018. He also has a couple of ARCA starts as well.
3. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger has been on a roll recently in the Truck Series by taking over the points lead after Dover and he just might continue that momentum this weekend at Kansas. In just two starts, his first coming in 2017, he has a best finish of eighth at the 1.5-mile track. In the first race, Enfinger started 15th and finished eleventh, and led 14 laps led. In 2017, he finished ninth and sixth in both stages, while in 2018 Enfinger finished fifth and eight in both stages, respectively. Enfinger finished inside the top-10 last year on 1.5-mile tracks including winning the Las Vegas race in September. Look for the No. 98 team to continue their momentum this weekend for the Digital Ally 250.
4. Stewart Friesen – Friesen and the No. 52 team will be looking forward to getting back on track this weekend at Kansas, and he might do just that. While his first outing didn’t go well finishing 32nd in 2017, Friesen upped his finish in last year’s race where he finished third after starting eighth and leading six laps. He also finished 10th and fifth in both stages last year. Friesen will be hungry for a win.
5. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt only has two starts at Kansas with a best finish of seventh in his first start in 2017. Last year didn’t fare so well for the defending Truck Series champion, where he finished 16th, four laps down. However, Moffitt has had four top fives and four top-10 finishes this season and he finished second last weekend at Dover after leading 81 laps.
  
  Of note, Angela Ruch will drive the No. 44 for Niece Motorsports, Norm Benning will be in the No. 6, Joe Nemechek will drive the No. 8, Josh Bilicki will be piloting the No. 34 Reaume Brothers Racing Truck and Riley Herbst will be in the No. 46. Natalie Decker originally wasn’t supposed to race at Kansas but added six races to her schedule and will be competing this weekend in the No. 54.
  
  Update – Announced Wednesday, May 9, the No. 30 On Point Motorsports team of Brennan Poole has withdrawn from Friday night’s race due to lack of sponsorship. The team will return to Charlotte next week.
  
  The list of winners at the speedway include Ricky Hendrick winning the first race in 2001, Mike Bliss, Jon Wood, Carl Edwards, Todd Bodine, Terry Cook, Erik Darnell, Ron Hornaday, Jr., Mike Skinner, Johnny Sauter, hometown favorite Clint Bowyer, James Buescher, Matt Crafton who won twice, Kyle Busch who also won twice, William Byron in 2016, and recently, Noah Gragson in 2018.
  
  Qualifying will be critical here at Kansas, as the lowest a race winner has ever started was 10th set by Todd Bodine in 2005, Erik Darnell in 2007 and Kyle Busch in 2017. The highest a race winner has come from was first place three times, the first in 2008 by Ron Hornaday Jr., Kyle Busch in 2014 and Noah Gragson in 2018.
  
  The Truck Series gets on track early Friday morning with the first practice at 9:35 a.m. ET and final practice at 11:35 a.m. ET. Qualifying for the Digital Ally 250 is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.
  
  The Digital Ally 250 will take place Friday night a little after 8:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio for 167 laps.
May 9, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings-Dover
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series returned to on-track action this past weekend at Dover International Speedway, famously known as the Monster Mile.

While it’s known to reach out and bite drivers, the drivers, for the most part, able to tame it. One, in particular, Johnny Sauter, took the lead with 30 to go and went on to win the JEGS 200. It didn’t come without some controversy, however, as Sauter fought an ignition issue early on but he rebounded nicely for the win.

While it was Sauter’s third consecutive win at Dover, how did everyone else fair? Was Stewart Friesen able to keep the points lead?

Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.
1. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger and the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment team had a good day at Dover, finishing fourth after starting sixth and running inside the top-10 all day. Enfinger even finished fourth in both stages and led three laps. Nonetheless, Enfinger had something to smile about after the race was over, as he took over the points lead by four points over teammate Johnny Sauter. It was Enfinger’s fourth top five of the year thus far.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- 2nd
2. Brett Moffitt – Some say Moffitt should have won this race. The No. 24 team got off to a great start Friday by qualifying on the pole. As the race started, Moffitt completely dominated and won Stage 1 and finished third in Stage 2. He consistently stayed up front, led 81 laps and finished second.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
3. Johnny Sauter – You could say Sauter got the monkey off his back by winning at one of his favorite racetracks. He showed speed in qualifying by starting on the outside pole. Sauter won Stage 2 but faced an ignition issue afterward. The No. 13 team was able to get it fixed and ultimately Sauter went on to win. Believe it or not, it was his first win of the season. Keep an eye on Sauter and company as they just might start to go on a tear this summer.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
4. Matt Crafton – Crafton and the No. 88 Menards team were able to salvage a top-five finish at Dover this past weekend, but not without a tough start. The two-time champion had to drop to the rear after an engine change before the race. Problems only got worse for Crafton as they started to face plug wire issues. Crafton came back to finish fifth. However, the No. 88 team had seen better days and were looking forward to getting out of Dover. Nice rebound, however, for the veteran driver.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 3rd
5. Ross Chastain – Chastain had an eventful day at the Monster Mile. He didn’t have nearly as strong a truck as in past races this year but still managed a top 10 finish, even after some close calls. There was a moment late in the race, where he almost lost control of his truck which would have brought out a caution. A late race caution helped the team get a decent finish to continue their great run in the 2019 season.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 4th
  
  Fell Out
  
  1. Stewart Friesen – After qualifying fourth and finishing fifth in Stage 2, the No. 52 team was really nowhere to be seen throughout the race. Friesen wound up 12th and lost the points lead to Grant Enfinger, and now sits third in the standings, 11 points behind.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 1st
  
  2. Tyler Ankrum – Ankrum quietly finished ninth at Dover but didn’t make too much noise, as he has had in previous races, such as his sixth-place finish in March at Texas.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – 5th
May 8, 2019
Runner-up finish for Brett Moffitt and No. 24 GMS Racing Team

Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve for Brett Moffitt and the No. 24 GMS Racing Team.

Moffitt and company got off on the right foot Friday afternoon, as the No. 24 Team sat on the pole. He completely dominated Stage 1 and won his first stage of the year. Moffitt lost the lead in Stage 2, but still had a great stage as he finished third.

He was back up front with 83 to go, as a hold your breath moment took place on the restart as Moffitt, Harrison Burton and teammate Sheldon Creed went three wide for the top spot.

Unfournately, Moffitt didn’t come out on the top spot, but was still running near the front.

He remained strong throughout the race running in the top-10. Late in the going, he tried everything he could to catch eventual race winner Johnny Sauter, but had to settle for a second place finish.

“Track position,” Moffitt said to MRN Radio when describing how tough it was to catch Sauter. “You’re not going to beat the guy on the top, restarting on the bottom there and you are in a vulnerable position. I was lucky to hang on to second. I saw the 98 (Grant Enfinger) get a bad restart and I was able to get in line and try to go after Johnny (Sauter), but clean air here is big at Dover. We weren’t catching a big group of lap cars or anything, just a clean air thing.

Dirty air came into effect when it came to Moffitt’s chances of catching Johnny Sauter for the race win and Moffitt describes why it was so key to be out front.

“When this place rubbers in, it gets pretty slick,” Moffitt continued. “And then you’re within five car lengths of somebody, it magnifies that. All in all, I’m disappointed since we’ve had really good trucks all year and I thought today was going to be our day, but it just wasn’t. A stage win and second is good for our ISM Connect Chevy Silverado, and we’ll go on to Kansas to try and win.”

May 3, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas 1
The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series visited the Midwest this past weekend to Texas Motor Speedway.

It was the fifth race of the 2019 season and from the get-go, the Vankor 350 was a wild event. Turn 2 was the trouble spot for the night with four cautions taking place in that turn.

The action didn’t stop there though. The end of Stage 1 saw Thorsport teammates make a nervous moment for the team owner as Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes battled it out for the stage win.

When the race was winding down, Stewart Friesen found himself chasing down Kyle Busch for his first career win. Friesen was only able to get to Busch’s back bumper, but once he did, Friesen’s truck got tight and went away. Ultimately, a familiar foe played the same song, fourth verse. Fourth verse as Kyle Busch continued his winning dominance in the Truck Series.

While Busch won again for the fourth time this year, Truck Series regulars had to settle for a solid points night and look forward to a win at Dover, where Busch is not competing.

Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings following the Vankor 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.
1. Stewart Friesen – Another second place finish for the No. 52 driver out of Canada. He came close to snapping Kyle Busch’s win streak, but just got tight at the end. Only a slip up on Busch’s part (which is rare on his part) or a late race caution would have given Friesen another chance. As much as he wanted to win, the Canadian still had a solid night and continues to be the Truck Series points leader by six points.
Previous Week Ranking- 3rd

2. Grant Enfinger – A top five finish for the Alabama driver who finished fourth after starting on the pole. The highlight of the night came at the end of Stage 1 narrowly edging Ben Rhodes to win the stage. For Stage 2, he finished seventh. In the end, the No. 98 team wound up fourth after “almost wrecked all three restarts,” Enfinger said coming to the checkers. It was his third top five of the year.

Previous Week Rankings – 5th

3. Matt Crafton – The winless streak continued following Texas for Crafton and the No. 88 Menards team finishing fifth. However, since the Vegas race, it’s all been about consistency for Crafton who has finished inside the top-10 in all races this year, except Atlanta where he finished 14th which he had come down pit road for a loose wheel under caution. Crafton finished 12th and second in both stages, respectively. Ultimately, the No. 88 Thorsport driver finished fifth. He’ll look to Dover, where Crafton won a couple of years ago.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

4. Ross Chastain- While it wasn’t the night Chastain wanted, he still had a great finish and was able to claim another top-10 of the season. It was a relatively quiet night for the Floridian who finished seventh. Chastain finished 13th and fourth in both stages, respectively. He never really contended for the win, but momentum is everything in NASCAR and it’ll carry to Dover.

Previous Week Ranking- 5th

5. Tyler Ankrum- A great run for the No. 17 DGR-CROSLEY driver who finished sixth, despite his teammate Anthony Alfredo’s truck who caught on fire in a scary crash in Turn 2. Alfredo would be okay and have no serious injuries. Ankrum, however, finished seventh and tenth in both stages, respectively. Ankrum tied his best finish of sixth Friday night in his young career. The last time he finished sixth was last November at ISM Raceway.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked.

Fell Out
1. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt had a great night going until, with 20 to go, he had a tire go down and was forced to pit. The No. 24 GMS Racing team finished 19th, four laps down. If you look throughout the race, the results don’t reflect how well Moffitt was running before this unfortunate mishap. He started on the front row in second and finished sixth in both stages. After a forgettable finish, Moffitt will look forward to Dover in May.
Previous Week Ranking- 1st
1. Ben Rhodes – After an eventful ending to Stage 1 where Rhodes finished second to Enfinger and going on to finish third in Stage 2, he really was not seen for the rest of the night. The Carolina Nut Company Ford F-150 ThorSport team wound up in 10th place.
Previous Week Ranking- 4th
April 1, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Power Rankings – Martinsville – Spring
The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series returned to action from a few weeks hiatus at the famous Martinsville Speedway.

Kyle Busch continued his dominance by winning his third consecutive race in 2019 and is looking for four in a row this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

A few other drivers had a shot at the win, but trying to take down the all-time wins list leader in the Truck Series is not an easy task. In the end, it wasn’t enough for the truckers and they had to settle for a good points day instead, which could make the difference when it comes to the Playoffs later in the year.

Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.

1.Brett Moffitt – Moffitt had a somewhat quiet day at Martinsville, where he finished in the third position. He did rattle a few fenders in trying to make something happen. Track position, however, is what mattered the most in keeping Moffitt from scoring the victory.

“We were able to get them (GMS Racing) a good finish, felt like we had a truck we could’ve gotten to victory lane, but just wasn’t in our cards today,” Moffitt said in a GMS Racing recap. He finished seventh and fifth, respectively in both stages after starting 16th. Moffitt sits third in the points standings.

Previous Week Ranking – 1st

2. Ross Chastain – While Chastain in years past May have been a Cinderella story, he has proven himself to be a contender for the race win if given the right equipment. It’s a shame what happened in the off-season with sponsorship woes and we’ll never know how well he would have fared given a great car that Chastain would have been in this season in the Xfinity Series. However, while racing for the same team as he has been doing the last several years in the Xfinity Series (JD Motorsports), he saw an opportunity with Al Niece of Niece Motorsports to drive the No. 45 Truck, who is quite possibly having their best season as well. From Daytona to Martinsville, Chastain has had finishes of third, sixth, 10th, and fourth, respectively. However, he elected Xfinity points at the beginning of the season, therefore Chastain is not collecting any points. In another aspect, we’ll never know how he would be doing in the Truck Series points either. But sometimes, when things don’t work out, other things work out unexpectedly. Nice showing for Chastain and the No. 45 team who finished fourth and led 53 laps, and finished fifth in Stage 1 while winning Stage 2.

Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen continued to be a consistent driver week in and week out, but he’s getting somewhat tired of not being able to close the deal just quite yet. The same was said for Saturday, where he started on the pole, led 18 laps, finished second and fourth in both stages, ultimately finishing fifth. Friesen had to begin points racing late in the race. It’s not a matter of if he’ll win, but when he will win. Still another solid showing for the No. 52 Halmar Racing Team who continues to be consistent, but at the end of the day, it’s the wins that matter in this sport.

Previous Week Ranking – 2nd

4. Ben Rhodes – After dominating the race last year, winning both stages and leading 134 laps, Rhodes wound up with a disappointing 12th place finish. This year, he turned that around by finishing second, and though he finished second in Stage 2, Rhodes didn’t quite dominate like he did last year. He still had a solid points day and is now looking forward to Texas Friday night.

Previous Week Ranking – 4th

5. Grant Enfinger – It was a quiet, but solid day for Enfinger and the No. 98 team who finished seventh after starting 19th. He didn’t finish in the top-10 in either stage, but worked hard all day thus earning his third top-10 of the season, Enfinger’s 38th of his career.

Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

Fell Out
1. Harrison Burton – Not the day Burton and the No. 18 team needed. He finished 11th and was not a factor at all in this race. Though, Burton made the most of his day earning some stage points by finishing sixth in Stage 2.
2. Sheldon Creed – A forgettable day for the No. 2 GMS Racing team. Creed and company finished 17th after starting fourth. He did not finish in the top-10 in either stage.
March 25, 2019

Kyle Busch dominates and wins the Strat 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

LAS VEGAS – Kyle Busch obliterates the field for the Strat 200 win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

This was Kyle Busch’s 196th career win across all three top series, so naturally the conversation quickly turned to when and where he would earn his 200th win.

“It doesn’t matter where it’s at. I don’t need that extra pressure,” Busch shared when asked if he had a preference as to which track he wanted that win.

Busch led 110 of 134 laps, and really only fell behind on some various pit strategies after the first stage. This win is also the first of three that he needs to complete the triple sweep.

“We fought it in practice a little bit. We worked on it an awful lot to make it better. Rudy [Fugle, crew chief] and these guys did an amazing job on this Cessna Tundra. It was really, really fast. Just kept working on it all night long – every pit stop. It’s cool to win here in your hometown, being in Las Vegas, starting off a triple weekend. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”

Brett Moffitt finished second and was clearly the only other truck capable of running with Busch, but just wasn’t able to get a way around him.

“It’s frustrating because we were the only ones able to run with him,” Moffitt said dejectedly on pit road after the race. “I think if we were able to run up front and not use up all our stuff coming from the back, we would have had a better shot and I could have played around with a few different runs and try to learn how to pass him. No one else could run with us speed-wise.”

Hattori Racing Enterprises announced in December that they were letting go of Moffitt due to a lack of funding. The 2018 Truck Series champion didn’t miss a beat. He quickly joined with GMS racing, and starts the 2019 season strong with consecutive top five finishes.

“My confidence is at an all-time high. I guess it’s kinda fun being upset with a second place finish to Kyle Busch. Jerry Baxter [crew chief] and everyone at GMS, they work so damn hard and Maury Gallagher and the Gallagher family, they want to be the best out there, week in and week out. We qualified sixth at Daytona and they were upset with that, so that just speaks to how good they want to be. As a driver, that’s all you can ask for.”

Matt Crafton rallied from early rear end damage during the first and only yellow flag incident to run third. Stewart Friesen led 20 laps during the second stage, and finished fourth. Harrison Burton was the last truck in the top five. Sheldon Creed, Todd Gilliland, Johnny Sauter, Ryan Reed and Ross Chastain completed the top 10.

Busch Leads Opening 30 Laps

Kyle Busch chose the inside line for the initial start. As the field was finishing Lap six, Sheldon Creed chased the truck up the hill on the exit of Turn 4 to keep off another truck. He turned hard left and spun into the grass to bring out the first caution. Matt Crafton also had some rear-end damage along with Cory Roper getting some front end damage.

“I just caught that group and I was three-wide in the middle,” Creed shared with some optimism. “I tried to give the No. 4 [Todd Gilliland] space because he popped out on the bottom, just slid up into the No. 17 [Ryan Reed] and he wasn’t gonna give me room because he was just holding his ground. It just pulled the side air off the truck and making me real loose. One of those learning deals where you’d just back out of it; if I were in that situation again, I’d just let the two of them have it and then get them back. I caught that group in two laps.”

Brett Moffitt had a brief battle for second with Harrison Burton, but once he cleared his truck, the defending series champion powered his way within a few tenths of a second behind the leader. Busch’s late-run setup allowed him to gap Moffitt, and won the first stage by leading the first 30 laps.

Most pit stops went smoothly, but Moffitt’s team called for four tires. As the right side tires were finished, the hose for the lug nut gun was pinched under the right rear tire, adding a tremendous amount of time to their pit stop. Moffitt visited pit road a second time under caution for a vibration. Four penalties were handed out. Tyler Dippel’s crew had an uncontrolled tire, Austin Wayne Self had a crew member over the wall too soon before he turned into his pit stall, Angela Ruch was too fast on pit road in one section and the pit crew of Jennifer Jo Cobb was penalized for improper fueling.

Kyle Busch Sweeps Both Stages

Stewart Friesen and Sheldon Creed restarted the race from the front row to start off the second stage. Grant Enfinger, who started from the rear, battled his way into the top five.

The entire stage was under the green flag. Friesen led most of the laps until Busch was able to get by and win the second stage.

Three penalties were handed out during pit stops. Dippel, Self and Ruch all received their second penalty of the night. The only truck retired from the race was Scott Stenzel

Final Stage and Race Belonged to Kyle Busch

Racing started wild at the restart with many instances of four-wide racing. Drivers like Ross Chastain and Grant Enfinger took advantage of passing three trucks in one move.

Tire smoke surrounds Kyle Busch as he celebrates in front of the fans on the front stretch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo by Rachel Schuoler.

Around 30 laps to go, some drivers got pit road penalties during green flag pit stops, including Brennan Poole and Tyler Dippel, who was penalized during each of his three stops of the race. Ross Chastain stalled his truck during his final pit stop, losing valuable time. Jesse Iwuji was caught speeding on pit road, and Ben Rhodes had too many crew members over the wall.

Out front, it was a similar battle to the first stage. Once Moffitt was able to clear some trucks and put himself into the second position, he started to hunt down Busch. And again, as he got within a few tenths of a second behind Busch, the No. 51 Toyota Tundra found another gear and pulled out to a comfortable lead to win the Strat 200 by 1.211 seconds.

All trucks officially cleared NASCAR’s post race inspection, and no trucks went to the R&D center. Three trucks were taken to the wind tunnel (Nos. 18, 13, and 2).

Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race Number 3
Race Results for the 2nd Annual Strat 200 – Friday, March 1, 2019
Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV – 1.5 – Mile Paved Total
Race Length – 134 Laps – 201. Miles

Fin	Str	No	Driver	Team	Laps	Stage1Pos	Stage2Pos	Pts	Status
1	1	51	Kyle Busch(i)	Cessna Toyota	134	1	1	0	Running
2	2	24	Brett Moffitt	Allegiant Chevrolet	134	2	10	45	Running
3	15	88	Matt Crafton	DampRid/Menards Ford	134	0	9	36	Running
4	7	52	Stewart Friesen	Halmar International Chevrolet	134	7	2	46	Running
5	3	18	Harrison Burton #	Safelite AutoGlass Toyota	134	4	6	44	Running
6	9	2	Sheldon Creed #	A.M. Ortega/RTL Chevrolet	134	0	7	35	Running
7	13	4	Todd Gilliland	Mobil 1 Toyota	134	6	4	42	Running
8	11	13	Johnny Sauter	Tenda Heal Ford	134	0	0	29	Running
9	10	17	Ryan Reed	Dexcom Toyota	134	8	0	31	Running
10	16	45	Ross Chastain(i)	TruNorth Chevrolet	133	5	3	0	Running
11	4	98	Grant Enfinger	Champion Power Equipment Ford	133	0	0	26	Running
12	18	44	Timothy Peters	Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Chevrolet	133	9	0	27	Running
13	12	54	Natalie Decker #	N29 Technologies LLC Toyota	133	0	0	24	Running
14	25	7	Korbin Forrister	Strut Masters Toyota	132	0	0	23	Running
15	24	22	Austin Wayne Self	GO TEXAN/JB Henderson Construction Chevrolet	132	0	0	22	Running
16	22	8	Angela Ruch	JJ Resources Chevrolet	132	0	0	21	Running
17	21	2	Tyler Dippel #	Danda Concrete/Lobas Productions Chevrolet	132	0	0	20	Running
18	14	15	Anthony Alfredo #	Ceco Building Systems/Friends of Jaclyn Toyota	132	0	0	19	Running
19	17	97	Jesse Little	Parker FiberNet Ford	132	0	0	18	Running
20	8	30	Brennan Poole	KeepandBear.com Toyota	131	0	0	17	Running
21	20	3	Jordan Anderson	Lucas Oil/Knight Fire Protection Chevrolet	130	0	0	16	Running
22	26	12	Gus Dean #	Chevrolet	130	0	0	15	Running
23	31	33	Josh Reaume	Mr. Beast Chevrolet	129	0	0	14	Running
24	5	4	Cory Roper	Preferred Industrial Contractors Inc. Ford	127	0	0	13	Running
25	19	99	Ben Rhodes	Carolina Nut Ford	125	10	5	19	Running
26	28	34	Jesse Iwuji	Fueltrax Chevrolet	124	0	0	11	Running
27	29	10	Jennifer Jo Cobb	Waldo’s Painting Chevrolet	123	0	0	10	Running
28	32	6	Norm Benning	Zomongo/H&H Transport Chevrolet	121	0	0	9	Running
29	23	20	Spencer Boyd	1A Auto Chevrolet	108	0	0	8	Engine
30	6	16	Austin Hill	A&D Welding Toyota	82	3	8	18	Engine
31	27	1	Stefan Parsons	Phoenix Construction Chevrolet	67	0	0	6	Carburetor
32	30	63	Scott Stenzel	Chevrolet	34	0	0	5	Electrical

March 2, 2019

Moffitt and Crafton settle for top three finishes after crazy night in Las Vegas

Brett Moffitt and Matt Crafton both collected top-five finishes in Friday night’s NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Strat 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Moffitt has not been to victory lane since his championship winning race at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November. It looked like he had a good shot to win Friday night after starting on the outside pole.

He ran strong throughout Stage 1, where he finished second. However, troubles came early for the No. 24 GMS Racing team during the pit stop when an air hose got stuck underneath his truck, which cost them a lot of positions.

This saw Moffitt and company restart in the 25th position for Stage 2. It didn’t take them long to move through the field and he was up to 14th with 10 laps to go in Stage 2. Eventually, Moffitt was able to earn one stage point by finishing 10th.

After pitting for four tires and adjustments, Moffitt went to third with 59 to go and then to second with 47 to go. He made his final pit stop of the night with 24 to go. He got close to race leader Kyle Busch, in fact right at his back bumper, but Busch made a block on Moffitt causing him to fall back.

Ultimately, that’s all she wrote for Moffitt and the No. 24 GMS Racing team as they came up 1.21 seconds short of winning.

“I was just trying to back air on him (Kyle Busch),” Moffitt told MRN Radio. “That was going to be my one chance of getting to his bumper. Only taking two tires there, they would fall off after about five or six laps and get tight. So, when I had a run, I knew (Turns) 3 and 4 would be a one groove track, but I was trying to pack some air and get him loose off the bottom. I felt like that was my only shot and went for it, and I felt like that was going to be a make or break move.”

“Unfortunately, it was break,” last year’s defending champion said.

Moffitt finished second and 10th in Stage 1 and 2, respectively.

For Matt Crafton, it was a similar night as he rebounded to a third place finish in Friday night’s Strat 200 after barely missing a wreck off Turn 4 and receiving damage to the left rear.

But he will have to wait at least one more race to snap his long winless streak. His top-five finish, however, didn’t come without effort.

“That was hard fought for sure,” Crafton told MRN Radio. “Earlier, we had a great truck in the first few laps and then, the 2 (Sheldon Creed) spun and I checked up to miss him, and the 4 (Cory Roper) ran in to the back of me.”

The driver of the ThorSport Racing No. 88 truck, continued, saying, “We fought all night. We had great restarts, got shuffled back at one point and drove back inside the top 10 and top eight there at the end. It was amazing on how fast it was with the left-rear quarter panel as bad as it was. So, I would say the No. 88 is back.”

Crafton finished 13th in Stage 1 and ninth in Stage 2. He scored the 111th top five finish of his career at Las Vegas.

March 2, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series power rankings – Atlanta
The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series headed north of Daytona this past weekend as they went to the typically sunny Atlanta Motor Speedway.

But it wasn’t so sunny on Saturday for the Truck Series, as fog, mist and even rain interfered during the Ultimate Tailgaiting 200 by delaying the race with nine to go.

However, as the race resumed, history was seen as Kyle Busch was back to his winning ways when he went to victory lane for career win No. 52 breaking Ron Hornaday’s former record for the most all-time Truck Series wins.

But who topped this weeks power rankings?
1. Grant Enfinger – After coming oh so close last weekend at Daytona, Enfinger finished third this weekend for the 20th top-five finish of his career. After qualifying was canceled, he lined up fifth. Enfinger carried his momentum throughout the race by finishing third in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2. A late restart was seen, but it wasn’t enough for Enfinger and the No. 98 Thorsport team as they wound up third.
Previous Week Ranking- First

2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter was looking to finally capture that Atlanta win this past weekend as he has no wins in his starts there. He lined up 12th when qualifying was rained out early Saturday morning, but it didn’t take him long to get to the front. Sauter finished fourth in both stages. He led twice for nine laps and had a shot to win late on a restart with five to go, but had to settle for a second place. Sauter might be a little disappointed with second, but it was much better than his Daytona outing. Sauter sits fourth, 18 points behind.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

3. Brett Moffitt – After being wrecked out last weekend, not of his doing, Moffitt rebounded for a solid but quiet fourth place finish even after an early pit road penalty early on. Moffitt didn’t contend much for the lead but came home fourth as he finished fifth in Stage 2. The No. 24 GMS team will look to put the past two weekends behind them and look forward to Las Vegas this weekend.

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

4. Ross Chastain – Chastain and the small team of Niece Motorsports that could, followed up last week with another top-10 finish at Atlanta finishing sixth. He worked himself up to 10th in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2. Like others, Chastain had a shot to win late but his truck wasn’t enough and had to be content with a sixth-place.

Previous Week Ranking- 3rd

5. Austin Hill – The No. 16 Hattori Team was looking to carry their momentum over to Atlanta after winning at Daytona last week. The weekend got off to a rocky start, as the transmission and clutch broke in first practice, causing him to miss the entire practice. However, his day got somewhat better Saturday morning when heavy fog washed out qualifying and placed the team on the pole. While Hill finished fifth and sixth, respectively in both stages, he didn’t contend much for the win and settled for a seventh place finish after a quiet day.

Previous Week Ranking- Fourth

Fell Out
1. Matt Crafton – Crafton was running just great until that last caution, where a loose wheel caused him to make an extra pit stop and preventing him from having a shot at the win. Crafton finished 14th and his winless streak is still intact. Previous Week Ranking – 2nd
2. Spencer Boyd- Boyd was caught up in a wreck late with nine laps to go and was pretty much done for the day. After a strong finish at Daytona last week, Boyd wound up 25th. Previous Week Ranking – 5th
February 25, 2019
Brett Moffitt content with fourth-place finish

A year ago, Brett Moffitt won this race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and went on to set the season on fire to win six races, as well as the Truck Series championship. Moffitt was looking to recapture that Atlanta magic this year but came up short, finishing fourth.

However, it wasn’t for lack of trying.

“It was just being unfournate being on the inside lane there,” the 2018 Truck Series champion told MRN Radio. “It was tough on the outside, started on the outside next to Kyle (Busch) and restarted like I’ve never done it before.”

“It was a terrible restart,” Moffitt said to MRN Radio. “I was just happy we got to go back racing, I was not too happy if they (NASCAR) was gonna red flag it and end it. All in all, it was a good recovery, we need to get our Silveradoes to drive a little bit better as a team. We all three kind of struggled, we were at the front at times and lacking at times. We need to reevaluate and try again next week.”

Moffitt finished fifth in Stage 2 and fourth overall in the race after an uncontrolled tire penalty when Stage 1 ended.

February 24, 2019