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NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Preview – Atlanta
The NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series continues their schedule momentum this weekend by hearing north of Daytona and just right off of I-85 south to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

There are many storylines to watch this weekend at Atlanta, where the trucks will be making their 18th appearance at the 1.5-mile speedway since they began hosting Truck Series races in 2004.

Currently, there are 34 trucks on the preliminary entry list for 32 spots for Saturday’s race.

Here’s a look at who to watch for this weekend during Saturday’s race.
1. Kyle Busch – Busch will be making his first Truck Series start since his win at Pocono last year, tying Ron Hornaday’s all-time wins record. He’ll be looking to break that record this year and Busch will more than likely do it. He has won pretty much everywhere on the schedule. Last season, Busch averaged a 2.6 start with a 5.4 average finish in the series total. He also had two wins in 2018, but Busch finished second at Kansas and Charlotte, where he could have broken Hornaday’s record. He has four wins out of 10 starts at Atlanta, his first win coming in 2005 and winning three in a row until 2008. Busch’s last victory came in 2009, 10 years ago. He has completed 99.7 percent of the laps with 387 laps led, earning seven top fives and eight top 10 finishes, with an average start of 3.0 and an average finish of 6.6. Recently, however, Busch has not found his winning ways as he had in the past. Last year, a tire fell off the truck after a late-race pit stop, relegating him to a 21st place finish after starting on the pole. In 2017, he finished 26th. He’ll look to get back to his winning ways in Saturday.
2. Ben Rhodes – After wrecking out of the lead last week at Daytona, Rhodes looks to get back in victory lane this weekend since his win at Kentucky last year. He has a good shot, as Rhodes has two top fives and three top 10 finishes. Rhodes has three starts at Atlanta since 2016, all finishing in the top 10. He has a driver rating of 99.9 and 30 quality passes with 42 green flag passes in 2018.
3. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt will look to recapture that Atlanta magic as he did a year ago, which propelled him to winning the championship. He is the defending race winner after leading just two laps. Moffitt finished fourth and third in both stages last year.
4. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland will be making his first truck start this weekend at Atlanta, but will have an experienced crew chief on top of the box, Marcus Richmond. Richmond has one win back in 2012 with Ty Dillon. The truck Gilliland will be using races at Pocono, Chicago, and Texas. Busch also used this chassis last year at Kansas, where he finished second. Gilliland will have practice time, an experienced crew chief and an veteran owner to rely on throughout the weekend. It’s hard to imagine counting Gilliland out of winning.
5. Matt Crafton – Crafton is looking to snap that long winless streak this weekend and Atlanta could be the place to do it. He has the most starts out of all active drivers with 17, won in 2015, has one DNF, six top fives and 10 top 10 finishes, along with an average start of 13.0 and an average finish of 11.6. In the past five races, Crafton has finished fifth, second, 30th, first, and ninth. Crafton also has 180 laps led. Look for Crafton to be back in victory lane this weekend on Saturday.
Who To Keep An Eye On:
1. Parker Kligerman – Kligerman is making his first Truck Series start of 2019 this year at Atlanta with Henderson Motorsports. The team has surprised the field a few times, especially winning at Talladega a couple of years ago. At Atlanta, he has five starts, one top five and two top 10 finishes with a best finish of fourth in 2012. The No. 75 team finished 11th and 31st the past two times.
2. Johnny Sauter – Sauter will be looking for his first Atlanta win this weekend and it’s hard to believe he does not have a win at the track yet. He has two top fives and four top 10s with a best finish of third twice.
Anthony Alfredo will be making his truck debut for DGR-CROSLEY and Jesse Little returns with his family owned team.

There have been 17 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since their first event in 2004 with 13 different winners. Ron Hornaday is the only series regular to win multiple times with two victories while Kyle Busch has won four times at Atlanta.

The lowest a race winner has come from was 18th set by Ron Hornaday in 2005 and John Hunter Nemechek in 2016.

A winner has came from the pole in 2006 by Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner in 2007, Kyle Busch in 2009, Ty Dillon in 2012 and Christopher Bell in 2017.

There has been five different winners in the past five races.

The Truck Series get on track Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET on nascar.com/live and final practice at 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Qualifying will take place Saturday morning at 10:40 a.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

The Ultimate Tailgating 200 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon following the Xfinity Series race live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 4:30 p.m. ET. Stages are broken down into 40/80/130, all weather permitting.
February 22, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Preview-Daytona
The Truck Series finally gets back on track this Friday night for the first race of the 2019 season. And with the series getting on track, it’ll be the 20th time, every year since 2000, when the first race at Daytona features the Trucks.

It has been quite the off-season for the Gander Outdoor Truck Series which is the new name for the series. With a new sponsor, dawns a new era. There are familiar faces who return but in new places.

Here’s a look at who might just end up in victory lane Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Currently, there are 40 Trucks on the entry list for 32 spots.
1. Johnny Sauter – Surprise, surprise. Well not really, but he’s a guy who you expect to be up front. Sauter returns to Thorsport this season for the first time since 2009. It has been quite the off-season for Sauter, when in January, he was out of a ride at GMS Racing where he recorded six wins last year and was in the championship race at Homestead. He’ll be driving the No. 13 entry where he has found success and which was previously driven by Myatt Snider. In 10 races at Daytona, Sauter has three wins and is the defending race winner. He also won in 2016 both with GMS. However, Sauter got his first Daytona win in 2013 driving for Thorsport. It is also the site of his first Daytona start in 2009 for Thorsport. He has three DNFs four top fives and five top 10 finishes with 127 laps led. Sauter’s average start is 10.7 with an average finish of 13.4. Sauter has a driver rating of 88.6. Expect Sauter to be contending for the win Friday night at Daytona.
2. Harrison Burton – Unlike the first one, this one could be somewhat of a surprise, but maybe not. Burton will be competing full-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports taking over Noah Gragson’s ride in the No. 18. He will be making his first superspeedway start in a Truck, however, Burton has already visited victory lane at Daytona. As a matter of fact, it came this past weekend when Burton took the checkered flag in the Arca Racing Series. He dominated by leading 48 of 86 laps.
3. David Gilliland – At Daytona, Gilliland has two starts with a best finish of sixth for Ricky Benton Racing in 2015. He started on the pole last year but finished 21st after leading 30 laps, finishing five laps down. Gilliland also competed in Talladega last fall where he started on the pole again, but this time with a better finish of third. He’s been a strong contender as of late at the superspeedways, so expect him to be at the front. Gilliland will also have his son, Todd, to work with him.
4. Brett Moffitt – New year, new team for the defending champion Moffitt who is taking over Sauter’s ride, which now becomes the No. 24. Moffitt only has two starts at Daytona, neither a top five or 10. However, Sauter’s team won last year and in 2016. Given the equipment and the right opportunity, he could be at the front in the end. And it shouldn’t be a surprise, as Moffitt tied with Sauter for wins last year. He looks to start off 2019 with a bang by winning.
5. Matt Crafton – Crafton is looking to put the dismal 2018 season behind him after going winless and Daytona could just be the place to do it and snap his winless streak. He has one top five and seven top 10 finishes with eight laps led. Crafton’s average start is 16.2 with a average finish of 14.9 along with three DNFs. His best finish is fifth in 2010, nine years ago. If Crafton wins, it’ll be the first superspeedway win of any kind. Crafton has also ended upside down on the last lap.
In 19 races, there have been 16 different winners with Johnny Sauter being the only one to win three times. Todd Bodine is the only back-to-back winner from 2008-2009.

The lowest a winner has come from to win was 36th set by Bobby Hamilton in 2005. The highest a winner has come from was first, four times with Joe Ruttman, Mark Martin, Jack Sprague and Kaz Grala accomplishing the feat.

There have been three different winners in the past five races with Sauter being the only repeat winner.

On-track activity begins Thursday afternoon with two practices, the first at 2:35 p.m. ET and final practice at 4:35 p.m. ET, both on Fox Sports 2.

Qualifying will take place Friday afternoon at 4:40 p.m. ET with single vehicle qualifying and two rounds on Fox Sports 1.

The NextEra Energy Resources 250 is scheduled for Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages will be 20/40/100 to equal the 250 mile race distance.
February 13, 2019
The journey of Brett Moffitt

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was a gala evening in the Charlotte Convention Center, for the NASCAR world. Everyone dressed in their best formal wear, the spirits were flowing and the atmosphere was joyous. Inside the Crown Ball Room, the championship truck of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series laid under banners of the Championship 4 in the series. The party commenced.

For Moffitt, it was the culmination of his journey from rising prospect in the K&N Series that was thrust into a forgettable rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, to Truck Series champion.

During his time in the K&N Pro Series East, he won nine races and finished Top-three in points each season.

This turned into a test driver gig with Michael Waltrip Racing, who called him up to fill in for the injured Brian Vickers in 2015 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He led one lap and finished eighth.

Unfortunately, that was the height of his rookie season. In his 30 other starts in the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing and the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, he amassed an average finish of 30.5, and finished no higher than 17th.

And as happens too often with talented drivers thrust into the Cup Series too soon, he became damaged goods. For the next two years, he ran two one-off races in the XFINITY Grand National Series and the Cup Series.

It was his limited starts in the Truck Series in 2017 where he demonstrated that he was still a talented driver, deserving of a full-time ride, with a win at Michigan International Speedway.

While he wasn’t offered a full-time ride, a four-race opportunity came in the form of Hattori Racing Enterprises, for whom he raced for in K&N in 2013. It eventually turned into more.

“At the beginning of 2018 when Ryan (Truex) left, it was just kind of a surprise to us,” Scott Zippadeli, crew chief of the No. 16 Toyota, said. “Obviously the first person I thought of was Brett. There was a short list and it had one person on it, and it was him. I felt like with our chemistry and our history in the past, if he could get in our truck, we could go a 10 for wins. We have a chemistry that’s we’ve been able to just make it happen. Even when we have a pit road penalty or a bad pit stop, we’re able to execute the rest of the race and recover for it. Once we decided to do the first four races, it was then just keep kicking the ball a little bit farther down the road to the next race and the next race and the next race.”

The season started with a wreck at Daytona, but Moffitt rebounded with a win the following week at Atlanta.

He was third in points after nine races, and earned his second victory at Iowa Speedway. But he shocked everyone post race when he said that the team might not enter the race at Chicagoland Speedway, due to lack of sponsorship.

“We literally had times that we didn’t know if we were gonna go to the race track or not, and I think it stressed everyone out to the max on the race team, including Scott and myself and my family and Shige (Hattori, team owner) and everyone else, ’cause we all knew that we had something special,” Moffitt said. “If we were a mediocre race team without being locked into the chase, and without being what we thought was a chance to win a championship, if we would’ve missed a race it would’ve been nothing. But the fact that we knew we had something special, and to be faced with adversity, and the thought of missing a race was hard for all of us.”

Luckily, FR8Auctions.com stepped in and sponsored him for Chicago, and he took advantage of John Hunter Nemechek running out of gas on the final lap to win.

He clinched a spot in the Championship 4, with a victory at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, and won the series title the following week at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The reality of being champion didn’t hit him, until the banquet.

“Homestead, it was just another race win, and the way we had to work this year, it was accomplish one mission and go after the next, and we proved that at Phoenix,” he said. “When we could have been celebrating, we went straight back to work. Then again, at Homestead, it’s still the mission of if you’re a competitor you focus on the next thing, and for us that was next year, but we have trouble switching to that off switch of, okay, sit back and relax and enjoy this now. I think Scott and I both just as competitors were always focused on what’s next, and that’s all we’re concerned about.”

The awards banquet provided a temporary distraction from the uncertainty that Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt faces in 2019.

Earlier this week, Hattori Racing Enterprises announced that Moffitt wouldn’t return to the No. 16 Toyota Tundra in the Truck Series, in favor of an undisclosed driver that’s bringing sponsorship.

And is it frustrating to him that this is the reality of the sport, more often than not?

“Hell yeah. It’s extremely frustrating,” Moffitt said. “It’s the climate that we’re at right now, though.”

Moffitt didn’t let it bother him during the banquet, or did an excellent job of hiding it. He smiled, conversed, drank and joined team owner, Shigeaki Hattori and Zippadeli at the head table on stage.

“Regardless of my job situation or anything else, it was all about celebrating what we accomplished,” Moffitt said. “And it was this group of guys who I not only worked with, but I’m really good friends with. Scott and I have been friends for a lot of years, and a lot of the guys on the crew I’ve been friends with off and on throughout the years. There’s nothing that’s going to distract me from having a good time with these guys and celebrating with these guys, ’cause I know what all they gave into having this year.”

What the future holds for Moffitt is unknown. He thinks the championship might make him a hot commodity, but “it doesn’t solve all the issues (sponsorship) and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“As far as next year, I would hope being a champion is gonna add value to my name, but I just don’t know,” he added. “So, really all I can touch on after this whole week is how hard these guys worked and how much they mean to me as not only companions of the sport but as friends and family.”

December 9, 2018
Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Homestead

The NASCAR Camping World Truck wrapped up another exciting season of thrilling finishes and fresh faces in victory lane, as well as familiar faces who had a career high season. If this continues next year, 2019 will just be as exciting as 2018.

Here are four takeaways from the Homestead race from this past weekend.

1. Harrison Burton Full Time In 2019 – About a week ago, it was announced that Kyle Busch Motorsports signed Harrison Burton full time for next season driving the No. 18 KBM Safelite Tundra formerly driven by Noah Gragson who is moving on. Burton will have big shoes to fill when he takes over after running a partial season this year.

2. Jesse Little Shines With Top Ten – While running a limited schedule due to funding this year, Little made the most of it after completing just nine races. Homestead was his first race since Fort Worth, a couple of weeks ago. He started ninth and finished ninth. Little also finished ninth and seventh in both stages, respectively. Not a bad night for a team who I believe can compete for wins when the funding is right. Little ended the 2018 season with nine starts, six top 10s and a best finish of sixth at Iowa.

3. Johnny Sauter and Brett Moffitt End The Season With Most Wins – It was the best of both seasons for Sauter and Moffitt who had the most wins this season. Sauter and Moffitt both had six victories. The only other winners this season were Kyle Busch, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, Ben Rhodes, Chase Briscoe, Grant Enfinger, and Timothy Peters. In the end, the cream rose to the top with Moffitt winning and collecting his first championship.

4. Sheldon Creed Shines With Top Five – The 2018 season ended on a high note for the 2018 ARCA Champion Sheldon Creed, who is running full time in 2019 for GMS Racing. Creed finished the race in fifth and placed 10th and ninth in both stages. It the best finish for Creed this season after just making five starts.

November 21, 2018
Camping World Truck Series 2018 Season Just What Division Needed

The 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season is now four days over, and observers all agree that it was an ideal year for the sport’s number three division. No incessant talks of Cup drivers ruining the show, no extra nonsense with behind the scenes matters, and a series regular earned the title with an underdog team as Brett Moffitt used six season wins to score a championship.

The 2018 season was by the regulars, for the regulars, and not an ounce of hubris was in sight. Not only was there a strong storyline in Moffitt’s championship run, other drivers had their time in the sun. Justin Haley surprised many when he went from winner at Gateway and MoSport to championship threat with his Texas win in November. Johnny Sauter continued to be the best in the division with six wins. Noah Gragson was always at the front in his Kyle Busch Motorsports Tundra while teammate Todd Gilliland contended for wins throughout the season. Even ThorSport driver Grant Enfinger put up some strong numbers, even scoring a win at Las Vegas in the Playoffs.

The 2018 Truck Series season was host to some of the best racing in NASCAR during the year, which lives up to the division’s reputation as a haven for good racing. That had been a difficult claim to boast in previous seasons as part-time dominance wrecked winning hopes for series regulars. Instead, in 2018 non-series regulars won five races, as Kyle Busch won two and John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe, and Timothy Peters all won once. That left the season to be decided by who mattered the most–division regulars.

2018 was the season the Truck Series earned it’s identity back after years of just being viewed as a lesser division, a feeder/development series. Quite the opposite is true; any racing division should be recognized not as a feeder series but as it’s very own product. The Truck Series has been in this position before, producing some of the best product in NASCAR and standing on the strength of its own quality product.

The division isn’t out of the woods yet as several teams face the very real issue of finances. Season champion Moffitt and his Hattori Racing Enterprises are unsure they’ll be paired up next season despite this season’s successes. This is an ongoing problem across the board with successful drivers still going without rides as they’re not bringing in enough funding.

But if the Truck Series can have another season like 2018, and if drivers like Moffitt can secure funding for another championship run, the division might not become an equal to the Cup series, but it can come close.

November 20, 2018
Four Takeaways from the Nascar Camping World Truck Series Race at ISM Raceway

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the desert this past weekend for the annual Lucas Oil 150 at the newly renamed and reconfigured ISM Raceway.

It wasn’t much of a change track wise, as the start/finish line was moved to the backstretch, while the pit road was extended. Mainly, it was the fan experience that was added in the infield where the fans could watch from the garage area and see the cars up front.

However, as always, the Truck Series provided an action-packed race and provided some playoff drama throughout the race, and toward the end of the race as well.

Here are four takeaways from the Lucas Oil 150 from ISM Raceway.

1. Championship 4 Set – The Championship 4 was set this past Friday night with two drivers already locked into the Playoffs. Two more, Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson, were locked in at ISM Raceway. It’s a competitive Championship 4 this year with a champion in the series and the rest of the field that has run up front and won multiple races throughout the year. It’s been an exciting season for the Truck Series with plenty of thrilling finishes and familiar faces in victory lane. It all ends with the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Southern Florida.

2. Justin Haley Has No Plans For 2019 – During the post-race press conference following the Lucas Oil 150, Haley said that he currently has no plans for the 2019 racing season. He hopes winning a championship might solidify his chances and maybe bring more offers to the table. Either way, Haley is a great talent and should be able to find something for 2019, but nothing is guaranteed.

3. Johnny Sauter and Justin Haley Frustrated With Hattori Racing Using Toyota But Not So Fast Says Scott Zipadelli – During the post-race press conference, Sauter and Haley expressed their frustration with Hattori Racing using a Joe Gibbs Racing engine, which gives the team a slight advantage with shifting. Sauter was the biggest critic of them all and is concerned about the race this weekend at Homestead. If Hattori uses the same engine again, Sauter believes it’s not a fair shot for the other Championship 4 drivers and it might be game over. However, Scott Zipadelli believes it’s just an excuse for getting beat.

4. Derek Kraus Gets A For Effort In Truck Series Debut/Sheldon Creed Full Time With GMS Racing In 2019 – Derek Kraus made his Truck Series debut this past weekend at ISM Raceway and wound up finishing eighth with a 10th in Stage 2. Not bad for the Bill McAnally team. In other news, Sheldon Creed announced during qualifying that he has signed with the GMS Racing team for a full-time ride in 2019. Number and sponsor is to be announced at a later date.

November 13, 2018
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Phoenix

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the newly reconfigured ISM Raceway, formerly known as Phoenix International Raceway. It was the final race in the Round of 6 in order to set the stage for the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Southern Florida.

The race saw some familiar faces up front and it was interesting throughout the race, where drivers who were in a must-win situation were actually leading the race but fell short in the end.

Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings from ISM Raceway.

1. Brett Moffitt – After having a couple of weeks of strong finishes, Moffitt and the No. 16 team returned to victory lane this past weekend. He won Stage 1, led 16 laps and finished second in Stage 2. With a late race caution, Moffitt found himself in contention for the win. He made a pass for the lead after the restart and held on to win the final three laps for his fifth victory of the season. It was Moffitt’s first since his thrilling victory at Michigan in the summer. It’s been a dream season for Hattori Racing and Moffitt, who are now locked into the championship race.

Previous Week Ranking: 2nd

2. Noah Gragson – From a somewhat dismal finish last week at Texas, Gragson rebounded and followed it up with a dominant performance at ISM, but fell one spot short of winning. He sat on the pole and led the first 32 laps. Gragson overslid his pit stop during a caution early and lost several spots. In Stage 1, he finished second with an eighth-place finish in Stage 2. It took him a little while to get back up front, but Gragson was the leader again on Lap 136. He had to fend off a hard charging Grant Enfinger who was also fighting for a spot in the championship. At one point, Gragson was out of the championship race, but came back and finished second ahead of Enfinger. It will be his first championship appearance.

Previous Week Ranking: Fell Out

3. Stewart Friesen – It was a quiet night for the No. 52 Halmar Racing driver who finished fifth. Friesen finished third in both stages and earned his eighth top ten of the season. Furthermore, he expressed his displeasure with the zones on pit road and NASCAR.

Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

4. Grant Enfinger – An A for effort for Enfinger. He came into the night in a must must-win situation and he almost pulled it off. After qualifying 12th, Enfinger finished sixth in Stage 2. At times he had a better truck than Gragson as he led twice for 10 laps. With a late race restart, Enfinger found himself in contention for the win. He had the lead for a split second, but Moffitt and Gragson got around him, while Enfinger ultimately finished fourth. It wasn’t enough for the No. 98 Thorsport team as he fell short of advancing to the championship race. Nonetheless, a strong finish and year for Enfinger.

Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

5. Harrison Burton – Burton qualified third and finished third, making his seventh start of the season this past weekend at ISM Raceway. He topped the speed charts for both practices and it showed during the race. Burton took the lead on Lap 49 and led for 94 laps. Burton finished fourth in Stage 1 and won Stage 2, ending the race in third place.

Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked

Fell Out

1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter started 14th and finished seventh after finishing eighth in Stage 1. It was another dismal finish and week for the No. 21 team who were strong a couple of weeks ago.

2. Myatt Snider – Snider has had decent showings a couple of weeks in a row, but he was off this weekend. No top-10 stage finish and he wound up 22nd, three laps down. It was a forgettable week for the No. 13 team.

3. Todd Gilliland – Like Snider, no top-10 stage finish for Gilliland and he was caught up in an accident early on Lap 28, and could never rebound. Ultimately, Gilliland finished 17th.

4. Justin Haley – Haley finished sixth and fourth in both stages, but an oil leak prevented him from having a strong finish. He finished 28th after starting in second place.

November 12, 2018
Brett Moffitt Wins the Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway

In a wild set of final restarts, Brett Moffitt sneaks around Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton to grab the win at ISM Raceway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150.

On the final restart, Noah Gragson chose the outside, but collisions with Enfinger prevented him from getting a strong exit as Moffitt squeezed by to lead the final laps and secure the victory.

“We just had a badass Toyota Tundra,” said Moffitt. “We were focused (on Homestead) already and knew we just had to have a smooth night (tonight) but when the No. 98 (Enfinger) got up there we started worrying and knew we had to win.

“I can’t say enough about this group and all of our partners and HRE team.”

Gragson had to settle for second but dodged a bullet as the right driver won the race to allow him to secure the final Playoff spot for Homestead.

“Down there on that restart I spun the tires just a little bit in the restart zone and then in one and two I just got run up the race track,” said Gragson. “I guess I was top of three wide. We were beating and banging. I don’t know, that’s what you’ve got to do. I dish it, so I sure as hell have got to take it.

“I respect the 98 for what he did. He’s going for the win, I’m going for the win, but most importantly we’re going to be racing for a championship next weekend at Homestead.”

Harrison Burton, who won Stage 2 earlier in the night, finished third to match his best finish of the season. Grant Enfinger was in a must-win situation, but despite his valiant effort finished fourth. Stewart Friesen completed the top-five.

The other Playoff drivers were scattered across the field. Johnny Sauter finished seventh but had already secured a spot in the Championship 4 with his win at Martinsville. Matt Crafton finished 11th, but fell short on points and will not advance. Justin Haley had engine troubles late in the race and retired from the event. He finished 28th but with his win last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway will also participate for the 2018 Championship at Homestead.

Stage 1 Battles Between Gragson and Moffitt

Todd Gilliland visits pit road to get full service, including four tires and fuel, from his pit crew. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.

As the green flag flew, Gragson wasted no time securing the lead and took off, gaining an extra few seconds on second place. Slightly past halfway through the first stage, yellow came out when Todd Gilliland was hit by Tyler Ankrum, who misjudged his middle line as the two were passing the lapped truck of Jason White. The two went spinning and made slight contact with the outside wall, but both trucks were able to continue in the race.

On the restart, Brett Moffitt was able to get around Gragson on the outside and lead the final laps of the stage. Gragson stayed within a few tenths of Moffitt all of these laps but wasn’t able to get a pass on Moffitt as he took the Stage 1 win.

However, pit stops would get the best of the front two. Gragson slid into his pit box and actually clipped the inside pit wall. The team would have to push the truck back to get started on the right side, and then have to move the truck again to get to the left side for a full-service pit stop. Moffitt was caught speeding, so both ended up toward the back of the field. While they had a somewhat comfortable gap with points, this put them at risk of losing the points they would gain if they couldn’t get into the top-10 for those stage points.

Penalties & Mistakes Shake Up Front for Stage 2

At the restart, many drivers got much more comfortable with the layout, giving them the confidence to run more aggressively. The middle of the pack went 3 and 4-wide with some trucks using the apron of the new Turns 1 and 2. However, most of the laps after were uneventful until the end, as the No. 13 Tenda Ford driven by Myatt Snider started to stall. As the stage ended with Harrison Burton winning over a hard-charging Matt Crafton, some gambling happened with pit road.

John Hunter Nemechek decided to take two tires on the stage ending pit stop. Matt Crafton lost about six positions on pit road. And the Playoff picture continued to shuffle as Gragson and Moffitt both cracked into the top-10 in the final laps of the second stage.

Final Stage Desperation Among Playoff Contenders

Most of the final stage was a strong battle between John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger. Nemechek was fighting hard to prove his two-tire stop would pay off, and Grant Enfinger, over 20 points below the cutoff line for the Playoffs, was in a must-win position. As both drivers were starting to feel the pressure, Nemechek’s tires eventually gave way with about 20 laps to go in the race. He spun coming out of Turn 4, right in front of Nemechek and Gragson, who had inched his way up into the third position.

During the yellow flag, Justin Haley suddenly started to drop fluid around the track. His lucky win last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway after Todd Gilliland ran out of fuel on the last lap already secures his position at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the championship race. His truck came down pit road, and as crew members surrounded the truck, many gave the nods that appeared to be terminal.

Riley Herbst spins and crashes to bring out the final caution of the Lucas Oil 150. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.

The red flag came out while the ISM Raceway safety crew cleaned up fluid from Haley’s truck all around the raceway. The red flag was out for just over 10 minutes.

On the restart, it was a tricky decision for Enfinger. The inside line was shorter, especially with the dogleg right after the start-finish line, but it was now filled with speedy dry from the red flag incident, so he would run the risk of low grip going into the first turn. If he chose the outside, he would be clear of the speedy dry but would run the risk of Gragson slipping in the speedy dry and hitting him. The final verdict was choosing the bottom lane, forcing Gragson to restart on the outside. However, it was no contest on the restart. Gragson got a strong start and was able to clear Enfinger going into Turn 1, who was battling three-wide with trucks from the second row.

Gragson pulled out to a good lead and was on cruise control for the win, as the battle for second also calmed down. However, with a few laps to go, Riley Herbst lost control of his truck and spun to bring out the final yellow, setting up for one last restart. Gragson chose the outside once again, but as he and Enfinger were battling for the lead, Moffitt was able to make a three-wide move to get around both drivers and claim the top spot. He would hold onto that lead and take the win over Gragson.

The Camping World Trucks hold their championship race at Homestead Miami Speedway next Friday on November 16, as Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley, Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson will battle in the Ford EcoBoost 200 to see who will claim the 2018 Championship.

November 9, 2018
Gragson Starting Out Front in Lucas Oil 150

Noah Gragson claimed his sixth pole of 2018 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and will start in front for tonight’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway.

Being only 18 points above the cutoff line for the final round of the 2018 Playoffs, Gragson was determined to take the best step forward, setting a pace of 26.456 seconds at 136.075 mph.

“I’m going full offense mode,” Gragson said earlier today before qualifying. “I’m going to Phoenix to win the race. We ran really good there last year with Marcus Richmond and the team at Kyle Busch Motorsports. Myself and Christopher Bell, two teammates, we led I think all but 10 laps of that race, so I feel really confident in the way that I’ll be able to work with my Toyota Tundra out in Phoenix. It’s going to be a really good race track for my team and I feel really comfortable about it.”

Gragson beat Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, Stewart Friesen and Brett Moffitt, rounding out the top five.

While Gragson has started strong and raced well at Phoenix, he hasn’t finished better than 15th. Last year, a late-race crash with Justin Haley prevented him from getting a potential victory in the series. He has one DNF at the raceway, and during the 2018 Playoffs has only finished a best of seventh.

When asked about the new layout, Gragson gave his thoughts on moving the start-finish line.

“I guess it is kind of the same track with a different configuration — with the start-finish line. I don’t know if you’re going to be able to change your lap time — in theory, you shouldn’t. Coming off the corner you might be able to change it up a little in the old turn one –new turns three and four. It’ll be a little bit different — that’s for sure. Restarts are going to be sketchy — that’s for sure, but I feel like if we can stay up front in my Safelite AutoGlass Tundra it’ll be no problem. Just feel really confident going into this weekend and hopefully, we can pick up that win and move on to Homestead. Then it’s all hammer down from there.”

The rest of the Playoff contenders will start in the top 15 positions: Matt Crafton (ninth), Grant Enfinger (12th) and Johnny Sauter (14th). The green flag will wave at 8:40 ET later this evening.

November 9, 2018
Analyzing The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2018 Playoffs
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs will begin this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It will be the first time a road course has ever started the Playoffs for the Truck Series.

This will be the third time the Playoffs take center stage for the Truck Series since the first year it was implemented in 2016. Eight drivers over seven races will round out the Playoffs for the remaining 2018 schedule.

These seven races consist of the opener at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, then heading off to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway concluding the Round of 8.

Then the Round of 6 begins with three consecutive races in a row beginning at Martinsville on October 27th. This round goes to Texas Motor Speedway on November 2, and with the finale at ISM Raceway on Friday, November 9th.

After all is said and done, and four drivers advance on to compete for the championship that will be held at the season finale in Southern Florida at Homestead-Miami Speedway slated for November 16th.

However, let’s take a look at the eight drivers who will be running for the championship and who might have a shot to be in the final four at Homestead.

The eight drivers competing for the 2018 Truck Series championship are Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley, and Matt Crafton.
1. Johnny Sauter- Sauter will be competing in his third consecutive playoff since the first one in 2016. He has 42 bonus points and is seeded No. 1 in the playoff standings. You could say his 2018 season is almost relative to his 2016 championship season. It’s obvious that Sauter has the most experience in these situations. In his 2016 championship season, the Playoffs began at New Hampshire. Throughout the eight races that year, Sauter finished 10th, seventh at Las Vegas and seventh at Talladega. After solid finishes in the first couple of races, his time came as he won two consecutive races at Martinsville and Texas. With his win at Texas, he punched his ticket for his first Championship 4. While current Cup regular, William Byron may have won the finale, Sauter was the one who pulled through by being the highest finisher by finishing third and clinching his first ever title. In 2017, Sauter was the regular season champion and was crowned after winning the race at Chicago. He won two races again at Texas and Phoenix, allowing him to get a Championship 4 spot for the second consecutive year in a row. Sauter came up one spot short in hopes of securing his second championship to Christopher Bell who finished second. Sauter is on pace currently almost having a year comparable to 2016. This year so far, he has collected five wins, twelve top fives and 13 top-10 finishes. His wins at Daytona, Dover, Texas and Bristol locked him into the Playoffs for a third consecutive year. He was also the regular season champion. If everything goes according to plan and his season continues the way it has, it would be to no surprise to see him in Championship 4 again in 2018.
2. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt and the No. 16 Hattori Racing team will be competing in their first ever playoff. Their wins at Atlanta, Iowa, and Michigan put them in the Playoffs this year. It didn’t come without struggle though, as the team fought hard to secure sponsorship for the remaining races. They were almost done earlier in the summer as they didn’t have sponsorship for the following week. And with that, the Hattori team wouldn’t be competing in the Playoffs because they would not have been granted a waiver. The team is still in search of sponsorship for races at Talladega and Texas. If they can get sponsorship for those races and continue to win, they will have a shot at the championship in Southern Florida. Regardless of what is happening at the moment, Moffitt is the second seed with 27 bonus points. It’ll be interesting to see how the No. 16 team fares in the Playoffs after their best season to date and almost closing earlier in the year.
3. Noah Gragson – Like Moffitt, Gragson will be competing in his first playoff as well. 2018 has been a so-so year for the No. 18 Safelite Tundra driver. His 2018 season got off to a rocky start. He crashed at Daytona, finished second at Atlanta, 12th at Vegas, fifth at Martinsville, and almost had a shot to win at Dover until he and Sauter made contact in the remaining laps relegating him to a 20th place finish. He finally broke through at Kansas by earning a pole and winning the race. So far, this has been his only race win of the year. Gragson has been close multiple times by finishing second at Iowa in a thriller, fourth at Chicago after starting on the pole, and eighth at Kentucky, starting on the pole there as well. He’s led 475 laps and has an average start of 5.1 with an average finish of 8.3. But he has collected two DNF’s at Daytona and Dover. On the brighter side of things, he has seven stage wins with six top fives and 12 top-10 finishes. He will be seeded third in the standings with 22 bonus points. Gragson did not qualify for the Playoffs last year, but he did earn a win at Martinsville.
4. Ben Rhodes – With his win at Kentucky, Rhodes solidified a playoff spot. He’s had an up and down 2018 season. He started off the season by finishing fourth at Daytona and Atlanta. Rhodes earned a pole at Martinsville but finished 12th. His struggles began at Kansas by finishing 18th, 16th at Texas, 17th at Iowa and 19th at Gateway, with the Playoffs being a little uncertain for the No. 41 ThorSport team. They collected a second place finish at Chicago and finally won at Kentucky in his home state. This won’t be his first Playoffs as he competed in the Playoffs last year. In one of the rounds, Rhodes won his first ever race at Las Vegas, advancing forward, but he suffered a crash at Talladega. Despite his win at Vegas, he couldn’t continue on to compete in the Championship 4 with a couple of bad finishes. In the end, Rhodes finished fifth in the standings. He’ll be seeded fourth with 14 playoff points to carry into the first round.
5. Stewart Friesen – Friesen is having his best season to date after running off and on for the first few years. This is his first full-time season competing in the No. 52 Halmar team with having a technical alliance with GMS Racing. He’s been close multiple times this year to earn his first ever win. Friesen finished third at Kansas and second at Texas after starting on the pole and leading 13 laps. He struggled a little bit mid-summer, finishing 13th at Gateway and 19th at Chicago. Since then, however, he’s rebounded to finish in the top-five four times including a second at Bristol, where he almost won the race. It’ll be the first time Friesen competes in the Playoffs and the first time competing in the Truck Series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He is seeded fifth with 12 playoff points.
6. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger could be a sleeper in the playoff run. He’s been steadily quiet but consistent this year. The No. 98 team collected four top fives and 12 top-10 finishes. He’s had an average start of 7.7 and an average finish of 8.2. His best finish this year came at Eldora by finishing second, just .038 seconds behind of his first ever win. Enfinger has had some stage wins this year, especially at Michigan. At Bristol, he locked up his playoff spot during the second stage. In 2016, he won at Talladega which was in the Playoffs but he was was not a playoff contender. He missed out on the Playoffs last year but competed in the whole season. His best finishes came at New Hampshire and Talladega where he finished fourth. At Homestead last year, he finished eighth, ending the season in 11th place in the standings. Enfinger and the No. 98 team are slated as the sixth seed with 11 playoff points.
7. Justin Haley- Like Enfinger, Haley and the No. 24 GMS Racing team have also been quiet this year. With a win at Gateway, his first ever career win, he locked himself into the Playoffs. His season started out with a second place at Daytona but he had a couple of disappointing finishes at Atlanta and Vegas. He got right back on track with his win at Gateway and since then, Haley has collected five top-10 finishes. For 2018, the No. 24 team has collected five top fives and 12 top-10 finishes, along with an average start of 10.1 and an average finish of 9.6. With Martinsville and Texas being in the Playoffs, Haley finished 10th and third, respectively. As the regular season came to an end at Bristol, he finished sixth. In 2017, he finished 13th at New Hampshire, had engine issues at Vegas and finished 21st, collected a 16th at Talladega, an 11th at Martinsville, won the pole at Texas and finished fifth, finished 14th at Phoenix and ninth at Homestead. The No. 24 team is seeded seventh in the standings with nine playoff points. Haley can be seen as a dark horse and could punch his way into the Championship 4.
8. Matt Crafton – 2018 has been an uncharacteristic season for the No. 88 Menards ThorSport driver, almost similar to his 2012 season. This will be Crafton’s third consecutive playoff appearance since the inaugural year in 2016. Through the first two Playoffs, he qualified for the Championship 4 with his best finish of second in the standings in 2016. He was the second highest finisher to 2016 champion, Johnny Sauter. In 2016, Crafton won at Dover and Charlotte to lock himself in. In the 2016 playoff rounds, Crafton finished third at New Hampshire, eighth at Vegas, 22nd at Talladega, 17th at Martinsville, second at Texas, third at Phoenix, then finished seventh at Homestead in the championship race. In 2017, he won at Eldora just a few races prior to the Playoffs. Crafton finished fourth in the standings. He had finishes of sixth at New Hampshire, seventh at Vegas, ninth at Talladega, second at Martinsville, ninth at Texas, 21st at Phoenix and sixth at Homestead to finish fourth in the championship standings. In 2018 though, Crafton has had an up and down year. Stat wise, he collected five top fives and nine top-10 finishes, along with two DNFs and 53 laps led. Crafton also has had an average start of 9.4 and an average finish of 11.4. His season got off to a disappointing start by finishing 19th at Daytona, brake issues which saw him finish 29th at Vegas, and at Martinsville, he finished 15th. Despite those finishes, his season started to turn around a little at Dover, where Crafton finished second. He went on to finish sixth at Kansas, 11th at Charlotte, fifth at Texas, but then had problems at Iowa and Gateway. But he had solid finishes at Kentucky, Eldora, Pocono, Michigan and Bristol. Things did seem a little uncertain about making the Playoffs this year, but Crafton and the No. 88 team pulled through with an eighth-place finish at Bristol and locked themselves in for a third consecutive year. He will be seeded in the eighth position with just three playoff points but believes the team will break through anytime.
August 24, 2018