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Tag: Camping World Truck Series

  • Q&A With Matt Crafton

    Q&A With Matt Crafton

    The series of questions and answers series continues this week with two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton.

    Crafton is one of the longest active drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Since making his debut in 2000 at Fontana driving for Thorsport Racing, Crafton has notched 14 career wins, 100 top fives, 235 top 10s with 2,241 laps led and he won consecutive championships in 2013 and 2014.

    Every driver has a different story about how they got into racing. For Crafton, though, he’s been interested since he was born. “I’ve gotten into racing since birth,” Crafton said. And with every story, each driver has a favorite win in their career. Currently, Crafton has 14 career wins in the Truck Series, however, his favorite was the first win that came for him at “Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.” In that race, Crafton had only ten laps to score his first career win.

    “I’ve gotten into racing since birth,” Crafton said. And with every story, each driver has a favorite win in their career. Currently, Crafton has 14 career wins in the Truck Series, however, his favorite was the first win that came for him at “Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.” In that race, Crafton had only ten laps to score his first career win.

    And with every story, each driver has a favorite win in their career. Currently, Crafton has 14 career wins in the Truck Series, however, his favorite was the first win that came for him at “Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.” In that race, Crafton led only 10 laps as he scored his first career win.

    Before a race, some drivers have a pre-race ritual and some don’t. In Crafton’s case, it’s entirely different and it may be interesting to people on what his ritual is.

    “Eat a PB&J on wheat bread with Strawberry Jelly,” Crafton said.

    Each racer has someone who they have idolized growing up and would have liked to race with from the past. Crafton says his racing hero growing up was, “Davey Allison.” He said he “would have liked the chance to race with him from the past.”

    Every racer also has a preference on what type of track they would like to race on. In night races, the track and air temperature is much cooler and not as hot, compared to what it’s like during a race in the day. Crafton enjoys racing at “night.”

    A track Crafton would like to have back on the schedule is “The Milwaukee Mile,” Crafton said. And finally, Crafton says, “The Camping World Truck Series is the most competitive series in NASCAR.”

    You can follow Matt Crafton on Twitter @Matt_Crafton.

  • Four Takeaways From The Truck Series At Bristol

    Four Takeaways From The Truck Series At Bristol

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was back in action at Bristol Motor Speedway on a Wednesday night. Here are four takeaways from the UNOH 200 at Bristol.

    1. Kyle Busch rebounds and dominates after speeding penalty – Busch was dominating the race at the end of Stage 2 when he was busted for speeding on pit road. It wasn’t until lap 167, where Busch was back up front and held on from there to score another win at Bristol. Busch led a race high of 109 laps. Now that’s domination.
    2. Matt Crafton gets a solid a second – It’s been an up and down year for Matt Crafton. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t win until a few weeks ago at Eldora for his first win of the year, unusual for the two-time champion. Recently, however, it seems as though Crafton has been on a streak of top 10s since that win. A second place finish certainly helps him get his season back on track. Crafton sits third in points 53 behind.
    3. Credit to NASCAR for getting the race in – It was a challenge, but I have to give NASCAR credit for trying their hardest to get the race in before postponing it to the next day. Sure it created a long night, but it was well worth the wait. Kudos to the officials.
    4. Sharknado 6 featuring Noah Gragson – When there’s a rain delay, it normally creates a lot of downtime for the drivers. This time it was Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Noah Gragson who created Twitter and TV buzz during the rain delay. The 19-year-old, Gragson, happened to have a shark head costume and was having a little fun during the delay. At one point, he was standing behind John Hunter Nemechek, who, at the time, was doing a TV interview and ended up making the driver look behind. In fact, Toyota Racing put up a video of Gragson talking with the costume on, saying his name was “fuzzy.” A funny TV moment for sure. He might just get a casting call for Sharknado 6.

      And here’s the video that @ToyotaRacing put on their twitter page.

       

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule – Bristol 2

    NASCAR Racing Schedule – Bristol 2

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series travel to Bristol Motor Speedway this week. All series will race under the lights beginning with the Truck Series Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. The XFINITY Series hits the track Friday at 7:30 p.m. and the Cup Series closes out the weekend Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Wednesday, August 16

    On-Track:
    9:00-9:55 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series  Practice – FS1
    11:00-11:55 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    4:35 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS2
    8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 (200 laps, 106.6 miles) – FS1

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    10:45 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race

    Thursday, August 17

    On-Track:
    1:00-1:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    3:00-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App (Follow live)

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    2:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    12:15 p.m.: Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric and Matt Tifft
    2:15 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Friday, August 18

    On-Track:
    10:00-11:25 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    12:30-1:55 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    3:40 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
    5:45 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
    7:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Food City 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles) – NBCSN

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    Noon: Cup Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    9 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    9:15 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    Noon: Ward Burton
    2 p.m: Chris Buescher
    2:30 p.m.: Jamie McMurray
    3:35 p.m.: Trevor Bayne
    6:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
    10 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series race

    Saturday, August 19

    On-Track:
    7:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (500 laps, 266.5 miles) – NBC

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    11 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race

    Complete TV Schedule

    Race Details:

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 
    Race: UNOH 200
    Date: Wednesday, August 16
    Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 106.6 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 55), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 110), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Race: Food City 300
    Date: Friday, August 18
    Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET
    Radio: 9RN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 159.9 miles (300 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 300)

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    Race: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
    Date: Saturday, August 19
    Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
    TV: NBC, 7 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 125), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on lap 500)

     

  • Johnny Sauter Looking To Rebound At Bristol

    Johnny Sauter Looking To Rebound At Bristol

    Since the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway back in June when Johnny Sauter finished second, the GMS Racing driver has been up and down in the past four races. At Kentucky Speedway, he finished ninth, while he finished 23rd at Eldora Speedway. He had a solid run at Pocono Raceway where he finished fifth. However, Sauter’s points lead started to slip after Eldora. He eventually lost the lead at the Pocono race weekend due to Christopher Bell winning the race and taking the points lead. Bell is currently the leader by 37.

    Sauter had a disappointing recent outing at Michigan International Speedway, where he finished 18th due to a flat tire late in the going and was unable to make up any of the ground. But if he wants to turn his season around, Bristol Motor Speedway just might be the place on Wednesday night. Sauter made his Bristol Truck Series debut back in 2003 driving for Christopher Beckington, where he started 23rd and finished 25th.

    Sauter has competed at Bristol in the Truck Series full time at Bristol since 2009. Including that start in 2003, he has four top fives and five top 10 finishes, with a best finish of second coming in 2011. Since 2013, Sauter upped his game as his finishes came inside the top 10. He’s looking to notch that elusive win at Bristol and take back the point lead.

    “Bristol (Motor Speedway) is one of those tracks that I look forward to every year,” Sauter said. “I’ve never won there but that style of driving and the work that goes into these short track races is what I love. There’s always racing going on no matter where you’re running in the field and it really is a driver’s track. You can be completely comfortable with your truck and how it gets through the corners but if you aren’t completely focused on your job as a driver, on making passes and avoiding mistakes then you can get caught up in something really quick.”

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Michigan

    1. Darrell Wallace Jr. – The last time Wallace Jr. made a Truck Series start was over three years ago at the season finale in Homestead. But that didn’t show from Wallace Jr. as he picked up right where he left off. He had a solid qualifying position of ninth and finished there in Stage 1. He fell out of the top 10 in Stage 2 and didn’t take the lead until Lap 90 where he held the lead for the final 10 laps to score his sixth career truck win.

    “Such a huge moment, not only for myself but for everybody involved,” Wallace said. “This is such a huge win for me. It is good to be back in the truck series. This is a product of having the truck series come to Michigan and put on a great race. I knew those laps were going to be hectic.”

    2. Christopher Bell – Bell continues his strong championship season as he earned his ninth top five of the year and increased his points lead to 37. Bell finished 10th in Stage 1 and third in Stage 2. He didn’t lead any laps, but the only thing that mattered was increasing his points lead.

    “I don’t know, I hope the fans enjoyed that one because it was a ton of fun,” Bell said after the race. “Our SiriusXM/JBL Tundra was handling really good, we just didn’t seem to have the raw speed to get up there and get by them. That was a lot of fun. I wish I would have been able to work that inside pass like I did the time before. I didn’t quite get there. That’s awesome for Bubba (Darrell Wallace Jr.), to see him come back and win like that – that was a really fun race.”

    3. Austin Cindric – Cindric had another solid points day by finishing in the top five, even though he didn’t finish in the top 10 at all during both stages. He also led for 24 laps. Cindric needs to continue these solid runs or get a win before the playoffs start as he sits right on the bubble at 10th in the standings.

    “It was a really good call by Doug to get us out front,” Cindric said. “Clean air is king at Michigan, and we knew we had a good Draw-Tite Ford F-150 all by ourselves. I had to make a move on the No. 99 (Wallace) there at some point, and we knew we were really good in Turns 1 and 2. I got the side draft on the backstretch and had the momentum. I made the pass stick but didn’t have any help. That was so close. Maybe I should have saved that move for the last lap. We’ll take another top five and keep moving.”

    4. Matt Crafton – Crafton finished a respectable sixth at Michigan Saturday afternoon. After leading the first 10 laps of the race, he finished third in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. He was up front battling for the win late but came up six spots short. It was still another solid day for the two-time series champion.

    “We had a good truck,” Crafton said. “When Bubba (Darrell Wallace Jr.) passed for the lead, we went to the bottom, and I didn’t get myself cleared, and if you didn’t get cleared of whoever you were racing against, then you were just screwed. It was just tough to pass. I definitely had a faster truck than those guys, but if I could get under them, then I could never get clear because there was nobody behind me to help me and keep pushing me. We got out of here with a sixth-place finish.”

    Crafton leaves Michigan sitting third in the points, 62 behind Christopher Bell.

    5. Noah Gragson – Gragson had a quiet but strong day at Michigan. He finished seventh in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2. By the time the checkered flew, the scoring pylon showed Gragson finished 10th. However, he wanted a little bit more than a top 10 finish.

    “We fought hard for a top-10 finish, but I wish I could have done better,” Gragson said. “It’s difficult learning the draft and the aero at a track like this. It’s like a chess game out there since everyone is running wide open. I felt like we had a good strategy all day but just needed to execute better on my end. We’ll move on and give it another shot at Bristol on Wednesday.”

    Other notes – This was the sixth career win for Darrell Wallace Jr. in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Wallace Jr. led one time for the final 10 laps of the race. Christopher Bell now extends his points lead over Johnny Sauter by 37.

    Next Up – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for another mid-week event. It’ll be the 14th race of the 2017 season and with just three races remaining until the playoffs drivers will only have three more chances to lock themselves into the playoffs with a win.

     

  • Four Takeaways From Saturday’s Truck Race At Michigan

    Four Takeaways From Saturday’s Truck Race At Michigan

    1. Darrell Wallace Jr. gets a breakthrough win at Michigan – 2017 has been an up and down year for Wallace Jr. After the XFINITY race at Pocono, the No. 6 XFINITY team was shut down due to lack of funding. However, he’s been filling in rides since then. He’s raced four races for Aric Almirola when he was injured from Pocono to Kentucky with a best finish of 11th at Kentucky. Wallace Jr. then received an opportunity to drive for MDM Motorsports at Michigan. He was able to make the most of it scoring his sixth career win in the Truck Series.
    2. Christopher Bell extends points lead – Bell continues his strong season by finishing second in Saturday’s race, giving him his ninth top five of the year and extending his points lead to 37. He’ll head to Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday night looking for his fifth win of the season.
    3. Johnny Sauter has a rough day at Michigan – Sauter had a rough outing in this past weekend’s race. However, on the bright side, he was able to score some playoff points by finishing fifth in Stage 1. Problems continued as Sauter had to pit for a flat tire, thus ending his shot for a second win in 2017. He wound up finishing 18th and losing more points to Christopher Bell. Sauter will have to turn his season around at Bristol this Wednesday if he wants to retake the points lead from Bell.
    4. Three races remain until the playoffs – Three races, three wild cards until the 2017 playoffs begin at Loudon in September. This week the drivers will head to Bristol, then to Canada after a couple of weeks off with the final race at Chicago before the playoffs start. Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Kaz Grala are all locked in by securing wins throughout the season. However, the door is wide open after fifth as Chase Briscoe, Ryan Truex and Ben Rhodes sit on the bubble. Also, Grant Enfinger, Noah Gragson, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley are currently out at the moment. The season has provided some exciting and thrilling action so we could see three new winners in the next three races.
  • XFINITY Series Could Also Benefit From Limiting Number of Cup Drivers Per Race

    XFINITY Series Could Also Benefit From Limiting Number of Cup Drivers Per Race

    NASCAR recently announced that they will be further limiting the number of races in the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series that Cup drivers can attempt. This will go a long way toward helping the regulars in those divisions stand out and ultimately decide the championship properly amongst themselves. This is good news for the regulars, as many who have been deprived of succeeding on track will now have a chance to shine, with drivers like Brennan Poole, Blake Koch, and Brandon Jones all finally able to show the rest of the NASCAR world what they can do.

    However, in the events where Cup drivers such as Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano compete, it’s always noticeable that they’re the ones who immediately run to the front and dominate, leaving the regulars behind. At one point during Saturday’s XFINITY event at Watkins Glen, the top-six were all Cup drivers (Busch, Larson, Logano, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, and Paul Menard). In the end, Busch took yet another checkered. Meanwhile, the highest finishing regular was Justin Allgaier in fourth. The next regular was Brendan Gaughan, who finished ninth.

    This isn’t a respectable statistic for a division that boasts how “Names Are Made Here.” How does one “make a name” by running fourth, ninth, and 12th on a weekly basis? Ticket sales and attendance are down and have been declining since the other two national touring divisions in NASCAR became feeder series instead of having their own identity. This is why that, along with limiting Cup attempts in the XFINITY/CWTS, the number of Cup drivers who do compete should also be limited as well.

    By limiting the amount of Cup drivers in a XFINITY/CWTS race, other drivers on the rise can have a chance to shine as well. Ryan Preece, the winner at the standalone Iowa XFINITY event in July, wouldn’t have had to wait as long as he did to show how capable he was behind the wheel if Joe Gibbs Racing was forced to take a look at him earlier. Drivers, in general, wouldn’t have had to wait so long and languish in the dark before eventually giving up. NASCAR would be seeing new faces and sponsors and wouldn’t have to worry about diminishing field numbers and trying to drag fans to the track.

    This is an old argument, but remember the Busch Series (now XFINITY) of the 90s’? Take 20 years ago, in 1997, for example. In 30 races, five Cup drivers won 13 races. In 1996, in 26 races, four Cup drivers won 11 races. Moving forward to 1998, in 31 events, five Cup drivers won nine races. Although the numbers in ’96 and ’97 seem like a lot, truth be told they weren’t winning over half of the races. In the 2017 XFINITY Series meanwhile, three regulars have won five races in 20 races. That number will change once the playoffs kick off next month, but it’s still a glaring thing to see.

    It’s not that the Cup drivers should get out and stay out of the XFINITY Series and CWTS. Instead, it’s that they’re playing in the minor leagues and stealing the show. MLB players don’t drop to the MiLB to play for fun. NFL players don’t go to indoor football games and try to steal the show or look to play in the NCAA again just for kicks. So why is it okay for Cup drivers to take over XFINITY and Truck Series events?

    It isn’t. Competing in them is one thing, but taking over the whole show is another thing entirely and should be dealt with. Say, limit the amount of Cup drivers per race to four. Details such as equipment can be discussed later, although it is prudent to bring up the brief period in the late 00s’ when drivers such as Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle were racing for Brewco Motorsports in the Busch Series, Brewco being an organization that was primarily a Busch Series staple.

    Earlier this season the argument was made that Cup drivers in the XFINITY Series and Truck Series “brought sponsorship and funds” to those divisions. One has to wonder where those efforts really show, or if they even really benefit the series. Therefore, stating the obvious, why should that be an excuse for them? The funds and sponsorship excuse isn’t a valid claim, especially when other drivers are left in the dust. So why should the division(s) still cater to the Cup stars?

    When in doubt, look at both standalone Iowa events in the XFINITY Series this year. Names that don’t normally run up front were stealing the show. No Cup drivers to pollute the ranks. That said, we need more races like that in the XFINITY Series if we want to make the XFINITY Series/CWTS great again.

  • Despite Season Dominance, Bell Isn’t A Lock For Title

    Despite Season Dominance, Bell Isn’t A Lock For Title

    It’s easy to believe with Christopher Bell’s dominance in the Camping World Truck Series this season that he’s a lock for the 2017 championship. He leads the series with four wins, has eight top-fives and 11 top-10s, three poles, and currently leads the regular season points. He’s a Kyle Busch Motorsports pilot right now, and with backing from Toyota Racing Development, it’s tempting to just call off the competition now and hand him the championship trophy.

    But the season isn’t over, and if anyone has any doubts, they can look at the saga of Bell’s former KBM teammate William Byron a year ago. At this point in the 2016 truck season, Byron was only a rookie but had five wins including Pocono and was the season points leader. When he wasn’t winning poles and races, he was scoring top-fives and top-10s, keeping up with the consistency and making sure he was in championship shape as Homestead loomed larger.

    After opening up the playoffs with a win at Loudon, Byron rattled off four-straight top-10s, three of which were top-fives, and kept padding onto his points lead. But after winning the pole and leading 112 of the 150 scheduled laps at Phoenix (the elimination race before Homestead), he dropped an engine on lap 141 and finished 27th. That finish ultimately killed his title hopes. Adding insult to injury, Byron could have won the title as he won the season finale at Homestead.

    The target is currently on Bell’s back as he is looking to be the man to beat in 2017. He’s regularly outperformed 2016 champion Johnny Sauter, has twice as many wins as John Hunter Nemechek and team owner and part-time driver Kyle Busch, and despite not having as many stage wins as Sauter he does happen to have more playoff points (24) than Sauter (10), which is important considering this new format.

    On top of that, the list of tracks coming up could help Bell further assert his dominance over the rest of the field. Proving that he’s a well-rounded driver, in the upcoming tracks he’s finished in the top-10 at every race with the exception of 24th at Michigan a year ago, although that was due to a crash after starting fifth. But while he has an affinity for the 1.5-mile tracks, he’s excelled on short tracks, 1.0-mile tracks, 2.0-mile tracks, and even road courses (he finished fifth at Mosport in 2016).

    With Crew Chief Rudy Fugle in his corner (Fugle also led Byron’s seven-win rookie season in 2016), Bell has shown that he has grown immensely after playing second-fiddle to Byron for most of the 2016 season. But although he’s been at the front for most of the 2017 (1,703 laps completed out of 1,868 possible laps in 12 starts, 521 laps led)  with very few mishaps (a 25th at Dover thanks to a crash), he’s shown that he’s the main threat for the championship this year. However, it’s already been proven that under this playoff system, things can change in a heartbeat.

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event At Eldora

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event At Eldora

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series raced at Eldora Speedway for the fourth year in a row last Wednesday night and this race did not disappoint. Here are my four takeaways from the event.

    1. Matt Crafton gets a breakthrough win – Before Eldora, Crafton had been having an up and down year in 2017 with only two top fives and seven top 10s and hadn’t won for over a year since Charlotte of 2016. After Eldora, he has now solidified himself into the Truck Series playoffs with a win. It was a much-needed win for not only him but for the whole Thorsport Racing team, which was having an up and down year as well. Let’s see if this win can carry Crafton to the championship at Homestead.
    2. The race was hard to find for some – If you were one of the lucky ones like me, who got to watch the race on Fox Business Channel, then be thankful. However, for some people, they had to miss out on quite possibly one of the biggest races of the year for the Truck Series. I found it a little ridiculous that I had to flip through three channels to find my NASCAR. I understand a big soccer game was on, but they have their own channel for that. NASCAR right now doesn’t. This wasn’t necessary.
    3. Stewart Friesen gets a career best finish – Friesen came oh so close at Eldora and probably should have won the race, but fell short. He ended up winning Stage 2 and had the lead late in the going until Crafton passed him for the lead with 16 laps to go. However, the second place finish gave Friesen his career-best finish in the Camping World Truck Series.
    4. Christopher Bell almost rallies to the front after a wreck in Stage 1- It was a wild night for the 2015 defending race winner Christopher Bell. After spinning and colliding with Kaz Grala toward the end of Stage 1, it looked like his night was over. But the fact was, it wasn’t. He rallied by the end of Stage 2 to finish fourth. By the time the race ended, the scoring pylon read ninth. Sure it was disappointing for him and his Kyle Busch Motorsports team for finishing that way, but let’s face it, if this was a regular race, Bell would’ve been out already. So kudos to the team for fighting their way back into the race. And oh, by the way, he even led 22 laps.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Eldora

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Eldora

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed to the famed Eldora Speedway on Wednesday for the fifth annual Eldora Dirt Derby and what was the 11th race of the year. It’s time to take a look at a wild night of dirt racing at Eldora.

    1. Stewart Friesen – While Friesen may not have won the race, he held his own and led the most laps. After winning the first heat race, he would end up qualifying on the pole. Friesen led most of the laps in Stage 1 but came up one spot short as that stage ended under caution. He then rebounded to win the second stage. However, problems began for him as he pitted at the end of the stage for a flat tire. Friesen was able to hold on to the lead until 16 to go, where eventual race winner, Matt Crafton went on to take the win.

    “We didn’t come here to run second, that’s for damn sure,” Friesen said. “I’m proud of these guys (Halmar Racing) they worked hard to get the truck dialed in.”

    2. Matt Crafton – Crafton finally ended his long winless streak that started in June of 2016 at Charlotte, and claimed his first ever dirt win, in NASCAR, at least. After winning the second heat race, this placed him second alongside the pole sitter for the race. When a late race stage caution came out, Crafton was the leader and NASCAR determined him as the winner of Stage 1, due to a lengthy cleanup. In Stage 2, he placed ninth. The winning moment for Crafton came with 16 to go, as he took the lead for good and went on to win at Eldora.

    “My first dirt win,” Crafton said, “a lot of fun. In the second part of the race, we darn right just stunk. It was my fault, we over-tightened it on the first run, we were pretty good. I thought we were a little bit too free, so we just tightened up and went back to the way we started the race. At the end, I had to either tear up the right side off or take it to victory lane.”

    3. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe had a solid outing at Eldora by coming home third. It should be no surprise, however, as he has experience in dirt track racing. He raced in the second heat and came home third, which gave him a 12th place starting spot. He was a silent contender all night long placing fourth in the first stage but fell out of the top in the second stage. Briscoe rallied back, though, as he came home in the third position, giving him his fifth top five of the year.

    “The last two days at Eldora were really up and down, especially since I’ve been looking forward to this race for so long,” Briscoe said. “We had a really good Cooper Standard Ford F-150 primary truck and at the end of the final practice, we were fast with a couple of tenths in the bank. Unfortunately, I hopped the cushion wall and had no choice but to go to a backup. I lost fourth gear 15 laps into the race and had the whole race in third gear, which hurt us. When the track is that slick, having fourth gear so you can pedal it and keep it hooked up is big. I just couldn’t carry straightaway speed.”

    4. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger came home with a solid points day. You would not think of him as someone having experience in the dirt, however, he has one win at DuQuoin, which is a dirt track in the ARCA Racing Series. Enfinger was in the top 10 in both of the stages. At the end of the night, he came home fourth, thus giving him his fifth top five of the year.

    “It was definitely a great night for us,” Enfinger said. “We had a really good Champion Power Equipment Tundra the last two days we were here. It was just a matter of me getting adjusted to it. I learned a lot the whole night. I feel like we were legitimately a contending truck there at the end.”

    5. Noah Gragson – It was Gragson’s first time on dirt at Eldora. In the fifth heat race, he placed second. Toward the end of the race, it was all about track position. When Stage 3 went back underway, Gragson restarted in the fourth position. He battled hard throughout the rest of the night, only to place seventh in his first dirt track race.

    “That race was ridiculous, but also so much fun,” Gragson said. “It was something that really wasn’t in my wheelhouse. I’m used to running short-track asphalt stuff and this was nothing like anything I’d ever done before. The track was constantly changing. It was wild going three or four-wide most of the race. “It was a wild night at Eldora as the race was run under caution 38 percent of the time.

    The race featured 10 cautions for 59 laps, as well as, four leaders among 15 lead changes.

    Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Pocono International Raceway Saturday, July 29.