Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: matt crafton

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Pocono
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the Pocono Mountains this week for the annual running of the Overton’s 150 at Pocono Raceway. Currently, there are 30 trucks on the preliminary entry list. Here’s a look at who to watch for this week at Pocono.
1. Kyle Busch – Busch will no doubt be a factor like he always is in any race he’s entered in. In 2017 Busch has two wins in the Truck Series. In the last five races, Busch has only competed in the 2015 race, scoring a win. In the other only start that came in 2011, he finished second to race winner Kevin Harvick.
2. Matt Crafton – Crafton is carrying momentum after his breakthrough win at Eldora. At Pocono, he has two top fives and four top 10s. However, he also has one DNF that came in 2015. His average finish is 11.0. Crafton just may go two for two this week and start his championship run.
3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter, just like Crafton, has the same career stats at Pocono. Both of them have competed in all seven races dating back to 2010. After a rough race at Eldora, Sauter needs a win as his championship points lead has shrunk to seven over Christopher Bell. A win for him would give him a little cushion with the points lead.
4. Christopher Bell – In his only start at Pocono that came in 2016, Bell finished in 10th place. Bell is also carrying some momentum as he continues to chop into Sauter’s points lead. After a somewhat disappointing ninth place at Eldora last Wednesday, he is looking for his fourth win of the 2017 season.
5. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes has only one start that came last year as well, in which, he finished 11th. After wrecking at Eldora, Rhodes is looking for a strong finish or perhaps that breakthrough win, that he has been looking for since falling short at Kansas.
There are two practices for the Truck Series that take place beginning Friday at noon with the final practice at 2 p.m. ET. Qualifying will be held Saturday morning at 10 a.m. followed by the Overton’s 150 at noon ET on FOX and MRN Radio.
July 26, 2017
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.

July 24, 2017
Matt Crafton Ends Winless Drought At Eldora

Matt Crafton was able to end his winless drought at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday night. It has been over a year since the No. 88 team has won a race. It all started with qualifying, however.

Crafton won the second heat race, which put him on the outside pole. Alongside him was dirt track veteran, Stewart Friesen, who won the first heat race.

Forty laps made up Stage 1, while 50 laps made up the second stage and 60 laps wound up the final stage.

When Stage 1 began, it was action packed early as favorite Bobby Pierce spun out on the backstretch, involving JJ Yeley and Chris Windom.

On lap 18, the second caution was brought out again as Sheldon Creed went around and caused a huge pile up in Turn 3. Numerous drivers were involved including Norm Benning, Pierce, Harrison Burton, Johnny Sauter, Ben Rhodes, Rico Abreu, Ryan Truex and Austin Cindric.

Shortly after the restart on lap 32, a caution came out for Christopher Bell and Kaz Grala, who collided with each other off Turn 2. Grala, with heavy damage, was done for the night. As for Bell, he had major right side damage but was able to get back into the race.

After several caution laps, NASCAR decided to end the first stage under caution, thus giving Matt Crafton the win in Stage 1.

As Stage 2 took off on lap 40, it was a bit quieter but still, action packed. Just two laps after the restart, a spin by Rhodes, Korbin Forrister and Max Johnston brought out the fourth caution.

Before the end of Stage 2, there were two more cautions involving Creed on lap 67 and on lap 84 for Ray Ciccarelli spinning on the frontstretch after contact with Creed. Stewart Friesen went on to win Stage 2.

After pitting for a flat tire, Friesen was able to retain the lead on the restart with 59 laps to go as the third and final stage began. Bell took the lead a lap later and held on until 37 to go, where Friesen retook the lead. However, the pace was slowed again, as Ty Dillon had a flat right front tire go down with 33 to go.

A few laps after a restart with 25 to go, Bell pitted for a flat tire and once more, another caution was brought for Ciccarelli.

Crafton was able to take the lead with 16 to go and held on from there to end his winless drought dating back to June of 2016 at Charlotte.

“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.”

Friesen, Chase Briscoe, Grant Enfinger and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top five. Johnny Sauter’s points lead is now down to seven points over second place Bell.

This was Crafton’s 13th career Truck Series win and his first of the 2017 season.

Crafton led twice for 24 laps.

There were four leaders among 15 lead changes, as well as, 10 cautions for 59 laps.

Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series head east for Pocono International Raceway on Saturday, July 29.

July 19, 2017
Camping World Truck Series Preview – Eldora
After a week off, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action for a mid-week showdown on dirt at the famed Eldora Speedway Wednesday night.

There are thirty-four entries on the preliminary entry list.

This will be a tough race for many of the rookies. It will take them awhile to adapt to the dirt. Nonetheless, experience pays off and this will fall right into the hands of the dirt track stars.

Since its inaugural event in 2013, there have been four different winners in the last four races. Let’s take a look at who has the best shot of winning this year’s Eldora Dirt Derby 150.
1. Christopher Bell – Bell is the defending winner of this race. Other stats include two top fives and two top ten finishes, with a 1.5 average finish. Bell has also competed in some dirt races after Kentucky, picking up a USAC win, an All Star Sprints win and a World of Outlaw Series win at Eldora this past weekend. Oh, and Bell won the Midget Chili Bowl earlier this year. So yeah, expect Bell to be up front.
2. Rico Abreu – Abreu is back for a one race deal with Thorsport Racing. He is a dirt track standout star with more than 20 dirt track wins. Abreu also has a 2015 Chili Bowl win on his resume. At Eldora in his only Truck Series start, he has one top five with a third place finish in 2016. Expectations will be high for this dirt track superstar.
3. Ken Schrader – The 62-year-old veteran is a dirt track specialist. With championships in the USAC Silver Crown and Sprint Car Series, Schrader has numerous dirt track wins. He has competed in the Truck Series at Eldora since 2014. In that time, he has one top five and finishes of 11th and 12th, respectively. Schrader also won the first ever heat race in 2013 and won a heat race the last two years.
4. Matt Crafton – Crafton has competed in all four races at Eldora. During that time, he had four top 10 finishes, with an average finish of 9.0.
5. Bobby Pierce – Pierce is another favorite when it comes to dirt track racing, especially the last few years, even though the results might not show it. In the last two years that Pierce has competed at Eldora, he battled for the win in the late going. In the 2015 race, he came up one spot short and finished second to race winner Christopher Bell. Last year, he was competing for the win with Cup star Kyle Larson, until he crashed on lap 126, ending his day with a disappointing 25th place finish. Will the third time be the charm for Pierce?
There will be two practices Tuesday, with the first practice at 7 p.m. ET followed by the final practice at 9 p.m. ET. Single Truck vehicle qualifying is slated for 5 p.m. ET on FS1. Qualifying heat races are scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS2 with the Eldora Dirt Derby to cap everything off at 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox Business Channel and MRN Radio.
July 17, 2017
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview – Kentucky
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action this week after a weekend off. It will be the 10th race of the season for the Truck Series, just six races before the playoffs begin.

There are 34 entries on the preliminary list for Thursday night’s truck race. In the past five races at Kentucky Speedway, there have been five different winners. Only two of those winners are entered in the race, Matt Crafton and Kyle Busch. Here are some drivers to keep an eye on for tomorrow night’s race.
1. Kyle Busch – You better believe that whenever Kyle Busch is entered in any race, he’ll have an automatic shot to win. In the past five races, Kyle has raced in three of them with one win and two top fives. However, in his previous outing at Kentucky, Busch crashed out on lap 56, ending his night early.
2. Matt Crafton – Crafton has had a sour season so far with only two top five and five top 10 finishes in 2017. At Kentucky, he is the highest active driver stat wise. In five races, Crafton has one win plus one top five and one top 10 finish and has led 43 laps. Crafton’s turning point could take place at Kentucky.
3. Johnny Sauter – Sauter has been decent at Kentucky. He has one top five and three top 10 finishes at Kentucky. Sauter has been strong this season and is looking to continue building his momentum for a chase at the championship.
4. Christopher Bell – In two races, Bell has one top five and one top 10 finish. With two wins already this season, he’ll be looking to secure a third win as he has no career wins at Kentucky.
5. John Hunter Nemechek- Nemechek has been on a roll in the past two races, securing two consecutive wins. Nemechek’s track record at Kentucky has not been too shabby with one top five and one top 10 finish. Nemechek has a best finish of second which came in the 2016 race.Qualifying is slated for 5 p.m. ET Thursday, while the race is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, both on FS1.
July 5, 2017
Camping World Truck Series Preview – Iowa

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Iowa Speedway this Friday night for race number nine of the 2017 season.

Currently, there are 34 trucks on the preliminary entry list. In the last five races, there have been three different winners. Erik Jones, who is not entered, is the only repeat winner with victories in 2014 and 2015.

Here are some of the drivers to keep an eye on during Friday night’s M&M’s 200.

Matt Crafton – Crafton has one win at Iowa which came in 2011. However, in the last three races at Iowa, he has two top fives and three top 10 finishes, with 33 laps led. Crafton ranks number one among active drivers at Iowa Speedway. He has not won yet this season but looks to turn that around at Iowa.

John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek is coming off his first win of the season last week. In the last three races at Iowa, Nemechek has one top 10 and one pole, along with 53 laps led. His average finish 15.0, but a win carries momentum into the next race. Keep an eye on Nemechek once again this week.

Christopher Bell – Bell is having a strong season so far. In Iowa, he has competed in the last two races with a finish of ninth or better. He has one top five and two top ten finishes. Bell is always a threat week in and week out.

Johnny Sauter – Sauter has been decent in his recent Iowa outings. In the past five races, he has one top five and two top finishes. In his championship season last year, Sauter finished 10th in the 2016 race. Sauter might just sneak a win out on Friday night.

Ben Rhodes – Rhodes only has one start at Iowa coming in 2016, earning a fourth place finish.

Drivers To Watch:

Ryan Truex -Truex has been strong as of late. This season he has placed two top fives and six top 10 finishes, although, Truex has never competed in the Truck Series at Iowa.

Brandon Jones – Jones is competing in the Truck Series once again this weekend. He has competed in two races at Iowa with the best finish of second in 2015.

Chase Briscoe – Briscoe has been oh so close this season regarding victory lane. The driver of the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing F-150 has finished second in the last two races. In 2016, Briscoe competed at Iowa in the ARCA Racing Series and notched a win at the track.

Noah Gragson – Iowa might be a breakthrough point for Gragson. During his K&N Pro Series days, Gragson has a finish of third, second and sixth, respectively.

Coverage starts on Friday morning with the first of two practices beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. Qualifying is slated for 6:05 p.m. ET Friday evening. Race coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. on FS1 and the Motor Racing Network with the green flag scheduled for 8:47 p.m.

June 21, 2017
Top Five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rankings-Gateway

The NASCAR Camping Truck Series headed to Gateway Motorsports Park on Saturday night. It was the fourth race for the track since its return in 2014. The race was action packed and featured different pit strategies. Chase Briscoe won his first career pole in the series, alongside him was race winner John Hunter Nemechek.

1. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek had a decent track record coming into Gateway but never had won. Nemechek set the pace early by taking the Stage 1 win. He faltered a little bit in Stage 2 after pit stops but wound up finishing third. After a late race caution with eight laps to go, Nemechek made the pass for the win with six laps to go and held off Chase Briscoe for the win. It was a gutsy pit call by taking fuel only but it paid off.

“Incredible,” Nemechek said, “I felt like we had the truck to beat if we had track position.” Nemechek led three times for 46 laps.

2. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe was another contender for the win all night long. After Nemechek took the Stage 1 win, Briscoe had the dominant truck in Stage 2, ultimately winning the stage. However, a pit stop with 27 laps to go, cost him the win after a miscommunication with his crew. A late race caution came with 13 laps to go, this saw Briscoe come down pit road and take four tires. After the restart, he tried all he could to get to Nemechek, but eventually, settled for second place once again for the second week in a row.

“Tonight was a really great night for Brad Keselowski Racing and I’m proud of this team,” Briscoe said. “We’ve had fast Ford F-150s at every single race this year, but this was the first time we really dominated.” Briscoe now has five top-five finishes of the year.

3. Christopher Bell – After starting third, Bell was quietly in contention all night. In Stage 1, he finished fourth, while he finished fifth in the second stage. Bell made his pit stop with 30 laps to go by taking four tires. He was headed straight for the leader with 13 laps to go by taking second before a caution ultimately slowed the pace. Bell was second with two laps to go when Chase Briscoe made a dive bomb move and moved Bell up the track. He eventually got a flat tire and finished sixth.

“We had a really, really good truck there on the long run after we made our pit stop,” Bell said. “The other guys didn’t take tires and we did so that definitely helped us there and I felt like we were going to have it. We had a really strong JBL Tundra there at the end, but I didn’t get it done on the restart and I feel bad for my guys because they worked really hard.”

4. Matt Crafton – Crafton was finally looking to break through at Gateway after three years of bad luck there. He finished third in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. After a miscue by Chase Briscoe’s pit crew, Crafton took the lead with 25 laps to go. A caution came out, however, with 13 laps to go for a stalled truck. He held the lead for two laps after the restart, before eventually getting passed by race winner John Hunter Nemechek. Crafton fell back to a disappointing fourth.

“Those guys just took two tires, and I was on no tires,” Crafton said. “You win some, you lose some. Everybody is upset, but at the same time, they knew we were here tonight.”

5. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger was nobody’s pick to win, but he quietly had a solid night finishing in the fifth position.

“It turned out that way because these guys busted their tails all day,” Enfinger said. “We had a better truck, I feel like, than fifth, but it gets dicey on the restarts, and you’ve got to put yourself in compromising situations to even have a shot at it.”

The race featured only three cautions for 17 laps, with five leaders among nine lead changes.

Johnny Sauter continues to lead the point standings by thirty-eight points over second-place Matt Crafton.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series now heads to Iowa Speedway Friday night June 23.

June 18, 2017
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Gateway

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continues this week as it heads to Gateway Motorsports Park. There are currently 28 trucks on the preliminary entry list.

Since its return in 2014, there have been three different winners at Gateway. Those include Darrell Wallace Jr., Cole Custer and Christopher Bell.

Christopher Bell – In last year’s race, Bell led 38 laps en route to victory. However, his victory was overshadowed by a fight between John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher. Bell looks to repeat this year and win his second consecutive race this year. He is second in the points standings, 40 points behind Johnny Sauter.

Matt Crafton – Crafton has the most experience of any active driver at Gateway. In 13 races at Gateway, Crafton has seven top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth in 2010. In recent years, however, Crafton has a finish of 21st or worse with three DNFs in the last three races.

Kaz Grala – Grala has one start at Gateway and has one top-10 finish. Grala hasn’t won since Daytona and is looking to secure his second victory.

Johnny Sauter – Never count out the current points leader, Sauter, at any racetrack. Sauter has five starts, five top-fives, five top-1o finishes, and has led 33 laps total.

John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek has made three starts at this racetrack. In the past two races, though, Nemechek has a finish of sixth or better. Expect Nemechek to be in contention on Saturday night.

Ben Rhodes – In last year’s race, Rhodes finished second to Christopher Bell after starting on the pole. Rhodes is continuing his momentum on a good year with three top fives and four top 10s this season. He his still looking for the first win of his career.

Side note – In the last three races, the winner has come from the top-10 starting spot. With that said, qualifying is important if you want a shot at the win.

It will be an all-day event at Gateway Motorsports Park. There will be two practice sessions, qualifying at 5:45 p.m, ET and the green flag is scheduled for 8:48 p.m. ET Saturday night on FS1.

June 15, 2017
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview Texas – Spring

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the Lone-Star state on Friday night for the seventh race of the season. There are 28 entries on the preliminary entry list this week.

Here are the ones to watch in tomorrow night’s winstaronlinegaming.com 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway.

In the last five spring races at Texas, there have been three different winners with Matt Crafton being the only repeat winner entered.

Matt Crafton – Crafton has posted two wins (2014, 2015) and five top-five finishes in the spring races at Texas. Considering his past performance at this track, look for another strong run Friday night.

Christopher Bell – In his only start at Texas coming last year, Bell suffered a blown engine and was credited with a last-place finish. Bell is looking for redemption at Texas and that could come tomorrow night. Bell has gotten off to a good start, posting the fastest speed in the first Truck Series practice Thursday evening.

John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek was strong in last year’s spring race, posting a seventh place finish. However, when his father, Joe Nemechek drove the truck in 2015 and 2014, he posted one top-1o and one top-five finish. The NEMCO Motorsports stable is expected to have another decent finish at Texas.

Johnny Sauter – Sauter, the current Trick Series points leader, is coming off last week’s victory with a head of momentum. In June of 2012, Sauter won the spring race giving him three top-five and five top-1o finishes in the last five spring races. Expect him to be a strong contender at Texas on Friday.

Ben Rhodes – Rhodes is still searching for his first career win. He came close at Kansas earlier this season, which was a 1.5-mile track, the same as Texas. In the spring of 2016 at Texas, Rhodes posted an 11th place finish, thus giving him one top-15 finish.

Qualifying is slated for Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET. It will not be televised but you can follow along here. The green flag is expected to drop for the winstaronlinegaming.com 400 at 8:19 p.m. and will be broadcast on FS1.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Texas-Truck-Series-Entry-List-June-2017-T1707_ENTNUM.pdf” title=”Texas Truck Series Entry List June 2017 T1707_ENTNUM”]

June 8, 2017
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fantasy Preview – Charlotte

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series return to Charlotte Motor Speedway this Friday night for the annual running of the N.C. Education Lottery 200. Thirty-three trucks are currently entered so far on the entry list. So who are some drivers to keep an eye on at Charlotte?

Kyle Busch: Coming off a win last week at Kansas, Busch has two wins at Charlotte in the last five years. Expect him to be in contention for the win on Friday night.

Matt Crafton: After a disappointing finish at Kansas, Crafton is looking for a rebound and Charlotte may be the place. Dating back to 2013, Crafton has one win (2016) and three top fives. If anyone can beat Busch, it’s Crafton.

Christopher Bell: 1.5-mile tracks have been Bell’s strong suit as of late. Bell won at Atlanta earlier this year and placed fourth last week at Kansas. Last year at Charlotte, Bell came home in the eighth position.

Timothy Peters: Peters has a great track record at Charlotte. In the last three years, Peters finished seventh or better. Look for him to be a contender this weekend.

Ben Rhodes: Rhodes is looking for a win this week after his engine blew up at Kansas late in the going. In his only start coming in 2016, Rhodes finished 17th. However, despite Kansas, he finished fourth at Atlanta earlier this year, the other 1.5-mile track.

Brandon Jones: Jones returns to the truck series this weekend at Charlotte driving the no.99 for Matthew Miller. In two starts, Jones has finished 13th or better.

These are just some of the names to keep an eye on at Charlotte this weekend.

On track activities kick-off Thursday, May 18, for two rounds of practice at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET. Qualifying is set for Friday afternoon at 4:45 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 followed by the race at 8:30 p.m., also on Fox Sports 1.

May 16, 2017