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NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings- Martinsville II
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series was back on-track this past weekend for the continuation of the Round of 6. There was a lot of action in the 2019 Hall of Fame 200 as many of the Playoff drivers faced problems throughout the day. Some were involved in wrecks and others were facing must-win situations heading forward to Phoenix in two weeks. However, there were a few surprises in the finishing order and one driver scored his first career victory.

Here’s a look at this week’s Power Rankings
1. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt had the truck to beat all day long, especially in the first stage. The Grimes, Iowa native was out front for 84 laps and remained consistent in the early portions. But troubles plagued the No. 24 team after having such a strong truck. On Lap 117 the GMS driver was caught up in an accident in Turn 4 leaving the truck with some left-side damage. Just a couple of laps later, his day was done when Moffitt was once again caught up in a wreck that collected many others. Despite calling it quits early, the No. 24 driver still leads the championship playoff points standings heading into the penultimate race at Phoenix. If Moffitt and company can avoid disaster, then they should have no worries making it to the Championship 4.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – First
2. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland finally earned that elusive first career victory that he’s been needing for so long. He only led 11 laps but they were the ones that counted as this victory might be the most important to Gilliland’s career. As noted in his post-race press conference, he has nothing set in stone yet for 2020. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver did not gain any stage points after not finishing in the top-10 but that did not matter as Gilliland wheeled the No. 4 machine into victory lane and earned the historic Grandfather clock.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
3. Ross Chastain – From wrecking out at Talladega to finishing third at Martinsville, Chastain had the truck to win and he was trying everything he could to get to victory lane. The Niece Motorsports driver roughed up a couple of fenders while he was out there and even found himself in contention to win at one point. Chastain had the second most laps led with 68 to Moffitt’s 84. Chastain finished 10th and fourth in Stage 1 and 2, respectively, before bringing home a second-place finish. Looking back, it’s what could have been for Chastain and his No. 45 Niece Chevy. If he had scored the victory, the team would have been going to their first Championship 4. However, it was still a solid finish for the team.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
4. Timmy Hill – A tip of the cap to Timmy Hill and his No. 56 Hill Motorsports team after earning their career-best finish of fifth so far in the team’s young history. They stayed out of trouble, avoided the major wrecks and brought home a clean top-five finish, the first in the stable’s history.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
5. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger was involved in a big wreck off Turn 2 on Lap 124. That still did not stop him and the No. 98 ThorSport as they fought to get a fourth-place finish. The Truck was beaten to pieces and was all used up. If you looked at it, you would think the truck went to a demolition derby or it was another night at Bowman Gray Stadium. With those efforts, Enfinger also placed ninth and second in both stages. It was a strong outing for the No. 98 ThorSport team at the paperclip.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
  
  Fell Out
  
  1. Riley Herbst – Did not compete in this week’s race.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
  
  2. Austin Hill – Hill and the No. 16 team was also caught up in the big wreck off Turn 2 on Lap 124. With the damage too severe to be fixed, the team could not repair the truck which resulted in a 26th place finish.
  
  Previous Week Ranking – Second
  
  3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen had a separate incident of his own on Lap 150, accidentally getting wrecked off Turn 4. The team was able to rebound, however, to a sixth-place finish after starting seventh. The Candian managed one stage point, finishing 10th in Stage 2.
  
  Previous Week Ranking- Third
October 28, 2019
Truck Series Playoff Drivers Lose the Brawl at Martinsville

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

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

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

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

Stage One Winner Suffers Race-Ending Damage

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

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

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

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

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

Crafton Openly Criticizes Spec Engine for Rough Day

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

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

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

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

Big One Collects Two Title Contenders, Nine Trucks in Total

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

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

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

Friesen Recovers to Sixth After Late Spin

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

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

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

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

October 27, 2019
Todd Gilliland tops final Truck Series practice at Martinsville

Kyle Busch Motorsports dominated the two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series practices Friday at Martinsville Speedway as Todd Gilliland posted the fasted lap in his No. 4 Toyota with a speed of 95.694 mph.

Harrison Burton was second fastest (95.247) followed by defending Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt (95.170), Johnny Sauter (95.141) and rookie Sam Mayer who rounded out the top-five with a 95.036 mph.

Kyle Busch Motorsports also topped the leader board during the first Truck Series practice with driver Christian Eckes who had the fastest lap in his No. 51 Toyota at a speed of 95.391 mph. Ross Chastain, Sheldon Creed, Ben Rhodes and Gilliland rounded out the top five in the first practice.

Matt Crafton had the best 10 consecutive lap average with a speed of 94.054 mph followed by Sheldon Creed, Grant Enfinger, Sam Mayer and Tyler Ankrum.

Mayer, in only his second series start, was the fastest driver in the 30-minute rookie practice session held Friday morning with a speed of 93.604 mph. Tanner Grey who will be making his first Truck Series start was second-fastest (92.969) and Codie Rohrbaugh was third (92.751 mph). Danny Bohn, also making his first series start, was fourth (92.466 mph) and Natalie Decker, in her first Truck Series race at Martinsville, was fifth fastest with a 90.833 mph lap.

Truck Series qualifying is Saturday at 10:05 a.m. ET followed by the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 race at 1:30 p.m. ET, both on Fox Sports 1. This is the second race in the Playoffs Round of 6.

Moffitt is the current leader in the points standings. Stewart Friesen, Austin Hill, Crafton, Ankrum and Ross Chastain make up the remaining championship contenders in this round.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

October 25, 2019
Moffitt and Creed back at GMS for 2020

GMS Racing officials announced Friday afternoon that 2018 Truck Series Champion and current Playoff contender Brett Moffitt will return to the team for a second season to compete for the Truck Series title once again. Sheldon Creed will also be back in the No. 2 GMS Truck for a second season.

Moffitt has earned four wins, 12 top fives and 15 top-10 finishes and is currently looking for his second bid for the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month.

“I can’t thank Mike (Beam, team president) and Mr. Gallagher (team owner) enough for the opportunity to compete full-time with GMS Racing in 2020,” said Moffitt. “It’s been awesome to work with this organization this year and we’ve been competitive each and every week. We’ve earned four wins so far this season and held a steady lead throughout the Playoffs. Having next year locked down allows us to focus completely on competing for a championship this year. Returning with the same teammates as well will be really cool. We already know how to work together and help each other while maintaining a bit of that competitive edge. I can only imagine what we will be able to accomplish in 2020 building off the momentum from this season.”

After a rocky start to the 2019 season, Sheldon Creed has had some great runs as of late. Currently, the Alpine, California native has notched four top fives and 10 top-10 finishes along with three DNFs but he does have 164 laps led and a best finish of second twice, at Eldora and Michigan.

“I feel very confident going into next season with GMS Racing. I know I have the best group of people around me and the best organization to go out next year and compete for wins and hopefully the championship,” Creed stated. “I’m thankful to Mike (Beam, team president) and Maury (Gallagher, team owner) for the opportunity and continued support. The beginning of this season was a bit of a learning curve for me but we found our groove and I’m excited to go out and compete for wins and build momentum for next year. It’ll be great to have my teammates back with me as well.”

Not to be overshadowed by the two returning drivers is NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion, Sam Mayer. Mayer, who has piloted the No. 21 GMS Chevy also returns but with more races scheduled compared to two races that he has done this year. The Franklin, Wisconsin native will now have six races on his schedule in 2020, but those have yet to be announced. Mayer will also compete for the ARCA Menards East championship.

“I am excited to be returning to GMS Racing in 2020,” said Mayer. “We are being very aggressive with my schedule next year and I think that will help challenge me and help me grow even more in my career. We are doubling the number of Gander Trucks races from what I am running in 2019 and once the ARCA series is finalized, I should be running more races than the entire truck schedule. I’ve been able to accomplish a lot this season with the support from GMS and I can’t wait for next season.”

GMS Racing Team President, Mike Beam, is excited about the 2020 season.

“To have all three of these talented young men back with our organization is a blessing,” said Mike Beam, team president. “They have all brought a lot to the table for GMS in 2019. Mayer winning the K&N East Championship, Moffitt being in the hunt for GMS’ second Truck championship and Creed with multiple runner-up finishes. Needless to say, that they have represented GMS well in 2019 and I have no doubt that success will continue in 2020.”

October 25, 2019
Weekend Schedule for Martinsville

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series head to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. The Xfinity Series is off.

The Playoffs continue with the first race in the Cup Series Round of 8 while the Truck Series drivers compete in the second race of their Round of 6.

Joey Logano is the defending Cup Series race winner while Johnny Sauter returns to defend his 2018 Truck Series victory at the 0.526-mile paperclip.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, October 25

11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Truck Series Rookie Practice (Rookie Drivers Only) – No TV

12:05 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – No TV

2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV

Saturday, October 26

9:05 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.: Cup Series First Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App/MRN

10:05 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – FS1

12 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN

1:30 p.m.: Truck Series NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 – (Stages 50/100/200 Laps = 105.2 Miles) – FS1/MRN

4:35 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN

Sunday, October 27

3 p.m.: Cup Series First Data 500 – (Stages 130/260/500 Laps = 263 Miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Cup Series Round of 8 Drivers:

1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,046 points
2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,042 points
3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,037 points
4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford, 4,030 points
5. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, 4,028 points
6. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 4,024 points
7. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, 4,011 points
8. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford, 4,009 points

Truck Series Round of 6 Drivers:

1. Brett Moffitt, No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet, 3,085 points

2. Stewart Friesen, No.52, Halmar Friesen Racing Chevrolet, 3,062 points
3. Austin Hill, No.16, Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota, 3,052 points
4. Matt Crafton, No.88 ThorSport Racing Ford, 3,041 points
5. Tyler Ankrum, No.17 DGR-Crosley Toyota, 3,040 points
6. Ross Chastain, No.45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, 3,039 points

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

October 25, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Preview-Martinsville II
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series returns on-track this weekend at the “Paperclip” known as Martinsville Speedway. It’s the continuation of the Round of 6 for the Truck Series drivers that began a couple of weeks ago at Talladega Superspeedway and, which also featured an exciting race.

Flashing back, the Truck Series raced at Talladega to begin the Round of 6. In what looked liked it was a going to be a Johnny Sauter victory, it was found that he had accidentally forced Spencer Boyd below the yellow line which is out of bounds. In this case, Boyd was determined the winner and Sauter who had originally won, wound up a disappointing 14th place finish after being dominant late.

Talladega saw some troubles arise for the playoff drivers as well. Ross Chastain was leading before he went down to make a block and ended up being in a wreck, which sees the Niece Motorsports driver two points below the cut line should the Championship 4 start now. Still, the Florida native can point his way in if he ends up winning a couple of stages between now and ISM Raceway next month in November.

Looking ahead to this weekend, no driver can’t afford a bad break with the points being so tight. Here are five drivers to keep an eye on in Saturday’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

There are currently 32 Trucks on the preliminary entry list with 32 spots available which means all of the drivers will make the field no matter what happens during their qualifying run on Saturday.
1. Johnny Sauter – With the Talladega disappointment behind him, Sauter will be as hungry as ever to win this weekend at Martinsville and he very well could do so. The Wisconsin native has 23 starts, four wins, nine top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 11.8. In the last five fall races, Sauter won in 2018, finished third in 2017, won in 2016, placed ninth in 2015 and seventh in 2014. With the Playoffs not on his mind anymore, the ThorSport driver has nothing to lose and can play any strategy he wants when it comes race time on Saturday.
2. Brett Moffitt – The current NASCAR Truck Series championship Playoffs points leader would also be hard to count out of a victory this weekend. While Moffitt might be in a play it safe mode, if the opportunity arises you can expect him to be at the front. In all four of his starts dating back to 2017 in his first start at the track for Red Horse Racing, Moffitt has finished inside the top five every race since the spring of 2018. The Grimes, Iowa native also finished runner up last fall after starting 17th. Be sure to keep an eye on the No. 24 GMS Racing team as they try to lock themselves into the Championship 4 this weekend.
3. Christian Eckes – Fresh off his 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship, Christian Eckes will be back in a racecar once again this weekend. But this time, it will be in the famed No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra. The New York native only has one start but it came with a top-10 finish back in spring of this year when Eckes finished ninth driving for Busch. One start may not be much to base his hopes on but Eckes has earned two top-fives and three top-10 finishes along with two poles in just six starts this year in the Truck Series. Don’t be surprised if the New York native wheels the No. 51 Toyota into victory lane Saturday afternoon.
4. Matt Crafton – Martinsville might be an equalizer for Crafton and his No. 88 ThorSport team who have been lacking in victories over the past two years. The ThorSport driver is currently the last driver in the Championship 4 by just one point over rookie Tyler Ankrum. However, the experience Crafton has might play into his favor as well. The California native has the most starts of any active driver of 35, dating back to 2001. Since then, Crafton has earned two wins, nine top-fives and 29 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 10.6. This weekend might be the weekend we can look back on if Crafton and his team can pull something out of the hat and score the victory on Saturday.
5. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek has been hot and cold at Martinsville in his 11 starts. It’s either been a crash or a top-five finish for the NEMCO Motorsports driver. There is some light for Nemechek, however, as he has four top-five and top-10 finishes with a victory here in the spring of 2018 after leading 31 laps. If the team can keep out of trouble and not get caught up in an incident, you could easily find Nemechek in the top five.
  
  Playoff drivers
1. Stewart Friesen – Friesen currently sits second in the Playoff standings, just 22 points above the cut line. The Halmar Racing driver has five starts with a best finish of fifth after starting on the pole back in the spring and leading 18 laps. Other finishes include 11th, 20th, sixth and 25th.
2. Austin Hill – Hill sits third in the standings and is 12 points above the cut line. He has eight starts at Martinsville with a best finish of ninth which came in last year’s race while driving for Youngs Motorsports. When it comes to his latest ride with Hattori Racing, Hill started ninth and finished 16th after leading five laps back in the spring.
3. Tyler Ankrum – Ankrum and his No. 17 DGR-Crosley team will be looking to improve from his previous two starts at Martinsville, with finishes of 18th and 19th. He sits just one point below the cut line in the fifth position.
4. Ross Chastain – Chastain is last in the Playoff standings and is currently facing elimination but is just two points below the cut line. The Niece Motorsports driver has amassed seven starts with a best finish of fourth earlier this year when Chastain led 53 laps and won Stage 2.
New on the entry list this week includes rookie Sam Mayer competing in the No. 21 GMS Racing entry, Danny Bohn in the No. 30 On Point Motorsports Toyota, Dawson Cram in the No. 34 Reaume Brothers Racing machine, Jeb Burton in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Truck, Ray Ciccarelli in his own No. 49 and Timmy Hill with their Hill Motorsports No. 56 Chevrolet. The No. 0 of Jennifer Jo Cobb, the No. 15 of DGR-CROSLEY and the No. 33 of Josh Reaume entries have yet to be announced.

Martinsville Speedway has seen 41 races since the Truck Series first season back in 1995. Since then, there has been a long list of drivers who have gone to victory lane. The list includes Joe Ruttman, Mike Skinner, Rich Bickle, Jay Sauter, Jimmy Hensley, Bobby Hamilton, Scott Riggs, Dennis Setzer, Jon Wood, Rick Crawford, Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte, Ricky Craven, David Starr, Jack Sprague, Johnny Benson, Kevin Harvick, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter, Ron Hornaday, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Matt Crafton, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Noah Gragson and John Hunter Nemechek.

Toyota has the most manufacturer wins with 16, followed by Chevrolet with 15 while Ford and Dodge are tied with five wins apiece.

Truck Series drivers will get on-track Friday afternoon with two practice sessions. The first practice session is at 12:05 p.m. ET and their final practice takes place at 2:05 p.m. ET with no live TV coverage. Qualifying is set for Saturday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 is slated to get underway shortly after 1:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio. Stages are 50/50/100 laps to make up the 200 lap race.

Playoff Standings
1. Brett Moffitt, +45
2. Stewart Friesen, +22
3. Austin Hill, +12
4. Matt Crafton, +1
  Below the cut line
5. Tyler Ankrum, -1
6. Ross Chastain, -2
October 24, 2019
Four Takeaways from the Sugarland Shines 250 at Talladega Superspeedway
The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series was back on track this past weekend to begin the Round of 6 in their playoff run and it did come with some controversy (more on that later). Despite the race being overshadowed by controversy, there was some great racing action with some drivers who rebounded from a penalty or took themselves out of the race and are below the cut line.

Let’s take a look at the Four Takeaways from the Sugarland Shines 250.
1. Boyd gets the ultimate upset – Regardless of the controversial finish, Spencer Boyd and his No. 20 Youngs Motorsports team were the ultimate victors in the end. The Missouri native led just one lap en route to his first career Truck Series victory. Prior to his win on Saturday, Boyd only had two top fives and top-10 finishes over his short career so far.
2. Late Race Controversy – One of the biggest stories coming out of Talladega weekend, at least in the Truck Series, was the last lap. Originally, Johnny Sauter was the first to cross the line but Sauter accidentally forced Boyd below the yellow line. Due to the issue, Sauter did not win and came home with a disappointing 14th place finish after leading 28 laps. It would have been his first victory since Dover in what has been an up and down season for Sauter. When trucks return later this month in October, Sauter and his No. 13 ThorSport team will now be more hungry to get back to victory lane.
3. Calm race – When coming to Talladega or Daytona, race fans expect there to be tons of wrecks. However, that was not the case this time around. There were only seven cautions for 29 laps and 29.6% of the race was run under green. It was a different race than what we saw at the season opener at Daytona. Despite there not being that many wrecks, it was a relatively great race even considering that there were some questionable calls.
4. All Out Motorsports Returns – It was announced earlier this season that Korbin Forrister and his All Out Motorsports team would shut down. But this past weekend the team made a return to the track. Forrister qualified ninth and ended up finishing 13th, one lap down. It is unclear if the team will finish out the season or remain on a partial schedule.
October 16, 2019
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Talladega

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

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

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

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

Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

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

Previous Week Ranking – Second

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

Previous Week Ranking – Not ranked

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

Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked

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

Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

Fell Out

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

Previous Week Ranking – First

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

Previous Week Ranking – Third

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

October 15, 2019
Moffitt rebounds to top five finish after penalty

Brett Moffitt and his No. 24 GMS Racing team had their work cut out for them after he and his technical teammate Stewart Friesen were penalized for locking bumpers while leading. Moffitt was running his own race, while having help from Friesen in hopes of keeping the field behind them.

Once both were penalized, Moffitt and his teammate had to serve a pass-through penalty. With the help of a caution the Grimes, Iowa native was able to catch back up with the field to have one more shot.

Despite being penalized, Moffitt brought home the No. 24 CMR Construction and Roofing Chevy to a third place finish. Though he wasn’t overly happy with the finish or the penalty.

“It’s Talladega, that’s for sure,” Moffitt told MRN Radio. “I can’t thank everyone at GMS enough, we had really fast three Chevy Silverado’s and CMR, all the folks from CMR were here, which was exciting. I wish we could be in victory lane right now. Ultimately, we out pointed everyone in the playoffs and we now have a comfortable buffer. We’ll look forward to the next two races and try to win one. If not, we’ll try to make it to Homestead.”

When asked about the penalty, Moffitt wasn’t too pleased.

“I would love to see whatever clip they were calling. Everyone on TV could see, I was doing an extremely good job of hitting him and getting off of him three or four inches and then getting back to him. I guess we were stinking up the show and they wanted to make it interesting.”

Moffitt finished second in both stages and ultimately earned his 12th top five of the season. He maintains the championship points lead by +45.

October 13, 2019
Playoff battle in Truck Series stays close

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

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

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

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

Chastain Takes Blame for “Big One” in Closing Laps

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

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

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

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

He took all the blame.

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

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

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

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

Playoff Drivers Struggle Against Controversial Penalties

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Austin Hill Frustrated with Competition and Lack of Stage Points

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 13, 2019