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  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas 1

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Texas 1

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was in the heat of the heartland this past Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. There were definitely some thrills and spills, but some guy named Johnny Sauter who has been victorious multiple times this season topped this week’s power rankings.

    1. Johnny Sauter – Same song, second verse for the 2016 Truck Series champion. Sauter started fifth in Friday nights PPG 400. While he wasn’t all that dominant as he was in past races, he still found a way to make it to the top. In Stages 1 and 2, Sauter finished fourth and ninth respectively. However, after some late race cautions for incidents, Sauter found himself challenging for the win. It wasn’t until Lap 117, where he ultimately took the lead and led for the final 51 laps. It’s hard to stop Sauter and the GMS Racing No. 21 team at the moment as this was their fourth win of the season. They’ll be hard to beat when the trucks go to Iowa this week. Previous Ranking: 1st
    2. Stewart Friesen – Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar Racing team continues to shine this year in the 2018 Truck Series season. The Ontario, Canada driver started on the pole for Friday night’s race. It was just the second pole of his career, his first since Eldora of last year, and his first of the year. After slipping up on the start of the race, Friesen rallied back to the lead on Lap 30 and on Lap 34, where he held on to win the first stage. He was a mainstay in the top three as well for the second stage, as he finished second. Friesen gave all he could challenging Johnny Sauter for the win. However, he came up just .092 seconds short of the win. Previous Ranking: 4th
    3. Justin Haley – Haley and the No. 24 team continues to creep up into the top five finishing position week after week. He started 10th and finished eighth and third, respectively, in both stages. He even led just for a short period of time (three laps in total), before ultimately finishing third. It was Haley’s third top five of the season. Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
    4. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger scored another top five for the 2018 season. After starting in the eighth position, his No. 98 team fell outside the top 10 for Stages 1 and 2. When multiple cautions fell late in the race, Enfinger was able to capitalize and bring home his Protect The Harvest Ford in the fourth position to earn his third top five of the season. A solid effort by the Fairhope, Alabama driver. Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
    5. Matt Crafton – The No. 88 team gets an A for effort in this week’s power rankings. The Menards Ford driver has been having an up and down year so far. Prior to the Texas race, Crafton only had two top five’s and four top 10 finishes coming into the race. He started ninth and was able to power his way up to the second position in the first stage. Late in the run, his Ford F-150 got too tight in order to battle for the win. Despite the tightness of his truck, Crafton brought it home in the fifth position for his third top five of the year. However, he still remains winless in the 2018 season. Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Charlotte

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Charlotte

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had a home race this past Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was the seventh race of the season with a first-time winner at the track, but it was a familiar foe that ended up in victory lane.

    Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.

      1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter tops off the power rankings list this week by notching his third career win of 2018, the 20th of his career and his first time ever at Charlotte. He continues to dominate the 2018 season by having six top fives and six top 10 finishes. Sauter even started from the pole after qualifying was washed out due to thunderstorms earlier in the day. With a 59 point lead over Noah Gragson in the regular standings, the sky is the limit for the No. 21 GMS Racing team and they will be tough to beat for the championship. Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
      2.  Brett Moffitt – Moffitt had a solid career night at the 1.5-mile track. After starting sixth based on owner points, the No. 16 Hattori Racing driver worked his way up to the lead by Lap 27, with just four laps to go in Stage 1. Moffitt was able to remain in the lead for those four laps to win the first stage and collect 10 championship Playoff points. He would take the lead two other times in the race to lead 28 laps and ultimately finishing in the fourth spot for his fourth top five of the year. Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
      3.  Ben Rhodes – Rhodes finished in the fifth position rounding out the top five in Friday night’s race. It was just his third top five of 2018. While only finishing sixth in Stage 2, Rhodes battled changing track conditions all night long and had a tough time restarting on the inside for the restart. Nonetheless, it’s only a matter time before the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Ford driver breaks out and earns his first win of the season and career. Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
      4. Stewart Friesen – Friesen continues to be part of the talk this year finishing inside the top 10 once more after almost winning the previous week at Kansas. He didn’t finish in the top 10 in either stages, but Friesen worked his way up to finish sixth and earned his fourth top 10 of the year. Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
      5. Noah Gragson – Gragson comes down in the power rankings this week with his finish of eighth, but that wasn’t from the lack of trying. For most of the race, it was him and Sauter battling for the race lead, at least in the early laps. From Laps 1-22, Sauter and Gragson traded the lead five times before Sauter took over. When Gragson took the lead on Lap 10, it would be the last time he led for the rest of the night. He didn’t finish in the top 10 in Stage 1 due to a pit road speeding penalty, which set him back to finish 14th in the first stage. Stage 2 was just a little better for the No. 18 Safelite Tundra, finishing 10th. However, it was the last restart of the night that cost Gragson a shot at winning as he spun his tires and he almost spun out. After losing a few spots on the restart, the 19-year-old driver climbed his way back into the top 10, finishing eighth. Previous Week Ranking: 1st

    Honorable Mentions:

      1. 1. Parker Kligerman – After a disappointing finish at Dover a couple of weeks ago, Kligerman rallied back to finish seventh. He even finished seventh in the first stage. While the team doesn’t run all the races, they seem to be a potential threat to win when the cards fall in their favor.
      1. 2. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland will finally be able to race full time after turning 18-years- old this past week. It was his first start on a 1.5-mile track and he did alright for the most part. He finished eighth and fourth, respectively in both stages. Gilliland was running well until late race contact with two-time champion Matt Crafton. This ultimately put the Pedigree driver 10th on the scoring pylon at the end of the night.
      1. 3. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger is once again in the honorable mentions this week. He was one of the first cautions of the night after cutting down a right rear tire and leaving debris on the racetrack. It was an uphill battle for the Thorsport driver the rest of the night as he didn’t finish in the top 10 in either stage. Enfinger finished 12th.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Kansas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Kansas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to Kansas Speedway this past weekend.

    It was the sixth race of the 2018 racing season and so far, there have been six different winners this year as a new, but familiar, face ended up in victory lane.

          1. Noah Gragson – After last week’s heartbreak at Dover, Gragson was able to back it up with a dominant win at Kansas. After starting from the pole position, he led all but four laps to win Stage 1. While he still had a fast truck in Stage 2, Gragson didn’t lead all the laps but went on to win the second stage. The lead was swapped multiple times in the remaining laps with Stewart Friesen, Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter, and Myatt Snider until Gragson reclaimed the lead with six laps to go and was able to hang on to score just the second victory of his career. He lead 128 laps of the scheduled 167 laps and now sits second in the points, 35 points behind Johnny Sauter. Previous Ranking: 2nd
          2. Stewart Friesen – Friesen had another career night at the 1.5-mile speedway. After starting eighth, he finished 10th in Stage 1 and fifth in the second stage. Friesen took the lead twice and led for six laps. At the end of the day, the scoring pylon placed the No. 52 Halmar Racing team third to earn his second top five of 2018 and his fourth of his career. Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
          3. Johnny Sauter – Although, Sauter didn’t have the best truck all night, he was able to make the best with what he had. He started in the fifth position and fell back a bit during the two stages. In Stages 1 and 2, Sauter finished ninth and eighth, respectively. It was not the dominant truck that he had last week at Dover, but Sauter managed with what he had and finished fifth for his fifth top five of the season. He still remains as the point leader, leading over 35 points. Previous Ranking: 1st
          4. Matt Crafton – Crafton had a very similar night to what Sauter did. He was able to start on the front row alongside eventual race winner, Noah Gragson. He led just the first four laps of the race and struggled to get back into the lead to fight for the win, as Crafton battled a tight truck most of the night. Despite not having the best truck of the race, he managed to finish eighth and ninth, respectively in both stages. Ultimately, Crafton finished sixth for his third top 10 of the season. Previous Ranking: 3rd
          5. Cody Coughlin – Coughlin remains in the power rankings again this week by finishing in the seventh position. He finished 10th in Stage 2 to earn one playoff point. Coughlin sits 11th in the point standings. Previous Ranking: 4th

      Honorable Mentions
      1.  Grant Enfinger- Enfinger scored another top 10 finish by placing eighth.
      2. Justin Haley- Haley finished 10th and earned his fourth top 10 of the year.
      3. Dalton Sargeant- Sargeant started 11th and finished 11th.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Martinsville

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Martinsville

    After two postponements due to rain and snow, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumed action on Monday morning after completing just 23 laps before being red-flagged Saturday afternoon. There are some new names on top of the power list rankings and some who fell out, while others get honorable mentions. Here’s a look at this week’s truck series power rankings.

      1. John Hunter Nemechek: After having a dismal start to 2018 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Nemechek sure turned that around Monday by collecting his first ever grandfather clock. After starting eighth, he finished sixth and fifth in both stages, respectively. Nemechek didn’t take the lead until the final 31 laps of the race and held off a hard-charging Kyle Benjamin by .106 seconds. However, Nemechek didn’t collect truck points as he is collecting NASCAR Xfinity Series points this year.
        Previous Rankings: Not Ranked
      2. Brett Moffitt: Moffitt continues to impress in the Truck Series. In the previous race outing at Las Vegas, he finished third after starting sixth.  This week at Martinsville, Moffitt finished third once more after starting seventh. He finished ninth in Stage 1 and finished sixth in Stage 2. Hattori Racing and Brett Moffitt continue their momentum from their Atlanta win a few weeks ago. The No. 16 driver sits third in the point standings, 31 behind leader Johnny Sauter.
        Previous Ranking: 2nd
      3. Ben Rhodes: After earning his first pole of the season, Rhodes led 23 laps until the red flag came out Saturday afternoon. Once the race resumed Monday, he was the dominant truck to beat. Rhodes won Stages 1 and 2 after leading most of the laps in those stages and collecting 10 playoff points each. Unfortunately, losing positions on pit road was the issue that ultimately cost Rhodes the race win. The scoring pylon at the end of the race showed the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Ford 12th.
        Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
      4. Kyle Benjamin: Benjamin and the No. 54 David Gilliland Racing team almost scored an upset victory Monday at Martinsville. Benjamin started fourth and stayed in the top 10 for Stage 1 to finish fifth. In Stage 2, he, unfortunately, did not place in the top 10.  After Stage 2, however, Benjamin took the lead on lap 146 and led for 74 laps until Nemechek took the lead on lap 220. The No. 54 driver stayed up there with Nemechek especially in the remaining laps and gave everything he could for the race win. He came up .106 sec short, finishing second in his first ever career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
        Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
      5. Grant Enfinger: Enfinger earned another top-five finish of his career at Martinsville. A strong qualifying effort placed the No. 98 Tundra third. Enfinger finished third and ninth, respectively in Stages 1 and 2.  Ultimately, he wound up fourth for his second top-five of the year.
        Previous Ranking: 4th

    Honorable Mentions

    1. Noah Gragson: Fall winner Noah Gragson finished fifth after starting 11th.
    2. Timothy Peters: Peters was back in a truck for the first time this year driving the No. 92 Ricky Benton Racing Ford. He would come home inside the top 10 finishing seventh.
    3. Cory Roper: Roper competed for the first time ever in the Truck Series driving for his team Roper Racing. The No. 04 Ford finished 13th in his first ever NASCAR start. Not bad for a place like Martinsville.

    Fell out of the Power Rankings
    1.  Johnny Sauter: Sauter was looking for his second win of the season at Martinsville on Monday. However, he brought out the caution on lap 225 and collected competitor, Matt Crafton. Sauter collected a disappointing 19th place finish.
    2. Dalton Sargeant: While not a dismal day, Sargeant battled a difficult truck as he did not place in the top 10 in either stage. He wound up finishing 11th.
    3. Stewart Friesen: Friesen looked like he had the truck to beat early on. He qualified fifth and finished seventh in Stage 1. Unfortunately, Friesen was collected in two incidents. One on Lap 87, which was an accident that involved others in Turn 2 and again was involved in an incident on Lap 117. This ultimately placed him 20th.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Las Vegas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Las Vegas

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed out west last Friday night for the first inaugural spring race held at the 1.5-mile speedway.  It was a familiar face on top of the scoring pylon at the end of the day. Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.

    1. Johnny Sauter: Sauter continues the GMS Racing momentum after finishing second in the Stratosphere 200. After starting third, he remained in the top 10 in both stages while finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Sauter was up front for the win at the end, but just fell one sport short and finished behind race winner Kyle Busch .437 seconds. This gave Sauter his third top five of the season and he is the series points leader over Brett Moffitt by 39 points.
      Previous Week Ranked: 2nd
    2. Brett Moffitt: Moffitt added another strong finish for Hattori Racing after visiting victory lane last weekend in Atlanta. The No. 16 AISIN Group driver started third and finished eighth in Stage 1, and fifth in Stage 2. Moffitt also led twice for 27 laps throughout the race. He is second in the standings behind 2016 champion Johnny Sauter.
      Previous Week Ranked: 1st
    3. Stewart Friesen: Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar Racing continue to shine with another top-five finish in the 2018 season. He started second alongside pole winner and eventual race winner Kyle Busch. That was his best starting spot since winning the pole at Eldora last year. The team worked hard to stay in the top 10 during both stages. In Stage 1 he finished fourth. Friesen ended up winning the second stage, which could help him out later in the season should he make the Playoffs. Ultimately, the No. 52 driver ended the day fifth, leaving him with his third top five of his career and the first of the season.
      Previous Week Ranked: N/R
    4. Grant Enfinger: While it shouldn’t be a surprise, Enfinger had a nice solid top-five finish outing at Las Vegas. While working a challenging truck early on in the race, he worked hard to get to the front. He didn’t place at all in Stage 1 but did earn some points in Stage 2 finishing ninth. When the checkered flag flew, the Curb Records driver finished fourth, giving him his first top five of the year and the 12th of his career.  Enfinger sits third in the standings, 40 points behind Sauter.
      Previous Week Ranked: N/R
    5. Dalton Sargeant: Sargeant, in just the ninth race of his career, earned a career-best sixth place finish at Vegas. As the race started, he worked his way up to the middle half of the field from the rear. After a couple of adjustments to the truck, Sargeant finished 14th just four spots short outside the top 10. The No. 25 truck continued to struggle for most of the night with handling issues and wound up 13th in Stage 2. In the final stage, the GMS Racing team continued to work on the truck to get it to Dalton’s liking and he finished sixth for the best finish of his career.
      Previous Week Ranked: N/A

    Honorable Mentions
    1. Ben Rhodes: Rhodes came home with another top 10 finish by placing seventh.
    2. Justin Fontaine: Fontaine stood out in the top 10 finishing ninth with the Niece Motorsports entry. He gave the team their second top 10 finish of the year with the first one coming at Daytona.

    Fell out of the Power Rankings
    1. Matt Crafton: Brake issues limited the No. 88 team for a good finish to a 29th place finish.
    2. Noah Gragson: Gragson and the No. 18 Switch Tundra finished 12th after finishing second last week at Atlanta.
    3. Jesse Little: Did not compete in this week’s race.

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Atlanta

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Atlanta

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the 1.5-mile racetrack in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend for the annual Active Pest Control 200. Here are four takeaways from that event.

    1. Brett Moffitt Shines In Last Lap Restart – Moffitt hasn’t won a race since Michigan of 2016, where he scored his first career win with Red Horse Racing before they ended up closing their doors. However, for Hattori Racing, it was the first time for them to end up in victory lane. With a late race restart that came with two laps to go, Moffitt was there when it counted and led the only laps that were the most important. With that win, Moffit and the No. 16 team are now locked into the Playoffs. It will be interesting to see how he and the team carry this momentum.
    2. Noah Gragson Finishes Runner-Up – When there’s a restart with two laps to go in any race, you can expect it to be a wild finish. That statement rang true for Gragson. The No. 18 Safelite Tundra restarted ninth and finished second in just two laps. You could say it was almost like a video game for the No. 18 driver.
    3. Busch Will Have To Wait Another Couple Of Races To Tie Hornaday’s Record – It looked like Kyle Busch could have been one step closer to tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday last Saturday night. However, under caution, Busch’s left rear tire fell off due to miscues on pit road with the late race caution. He led 67 of the scheduled 134 laps and even won Stage 2, but was relegated to a 21st place finish. It’s no doubt though that Busch will most likely either tie or surpass Hornaday’s record as he sits at 49 wins. Busch is currently scheduled to compete in Las Vegas this weekend, Kansas in May and Charlotte.
    4. Stewart Friesen Earns Top 10 Finish – The No. 52 of Halmar Racing continues to impress in the Truck Series. Friesen started seventh, ran ninth in Stage 1 but was outside the top 10 in Stage 2. However, he rallied his way back in the remaining laps to wind up sixth on the scoring pylon. This was Friesen’s sixth top 10 finish of his career. The No. 52 team could surprise the field and the fans by ending up in victory lane at some point this season.
  • Several Truck Series Veterans Leave Daytona Disappointed; Hopeful For Turnaround At Atlanta

    Several Truck Series Veterans Leave Daytona Disappointed; Hopeful For Turnaround At Atlanta

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicked-off its 23rd year of competition and its eighth year racing at Daytona International Speedway. Some drivers left Daytona happy, but others like Matt Crafton (still searching for his first win at Daytona) left unhappy. Others included Noah Gragson, John Hunter Nemechek, Myatt Snider, Stewart Friesen, Cody Coughlin and Brett Moffit.

    Thorsport Racing – Two of its entries were involved in multiple incidents at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. On Lap 74, Snider was collected in a six-truck crash. He barely made it through the crash but was caught at the last second by Nemechek. After finishing seventh in Stage 1, Snider’s night was done early and he was relegated to a 24th place finish after finishing in the top 10 last year.

    “I almost got through the wreck, but John (Hunter Nemechek) ended up coming down the track and we made contact,” Snider said.  “Then, I was in the grass and dug the splitter in and tore the nose off. We had a really good truck – the guys at ThorSport brought me a really good Liberty Tax Ford F-150, and I’m really proud of the work they’ve all done, especially for how quick we had to get things turned around before the season started. It’s a great group of guys, I just hate that all of their hard work ended up getting torn up like that.”

    Matt Crafton was involved in a five-truck crash late in the race on Lap 83. With the incident, Crafton is still searching for his first Daytona win and it will have to wait another year, as he wound up finishing 19th. Despite not getting the finish he wanted, Crafton is looking forward to Atlanta next weekend.

    “Tonight just wasn’t our night,” he said.  “We had the pit road issue early, and then we had an issue with something under the hood – never could quite figure that out. Then, there at the end, we got turned and had to make multiple trips down pit road to repair the damage on the rear. Overall though, this Menards Ford F-150 was good. Even after the pit road penalty, I knew we could make our way back to the front whenever we wanted, we just had to play it smart. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get to make that move. We will regroup and head to Atlanta next week – hands down one of my favorite tracks.”

    Cody Coughlin found himself in a new team this season driving the No. 2 JEGS Chevy for GMS Racing. Things started off well as he started 10th and finished there in Stage 1 while finishing fourth in Stage 2. However, at Daytona, you have to some luck in order to be there at the end to capitalize on it. Unfortunately, Coughlin was collected in the first wreck of the night off Turn 4. At the end of the night, the scoring pylon showed the No. 2 in 17th.

    “Well, we had a good run going tonight and a really fast JEGS.com Chevrolet Silverado,” Coughlin said. “We just had terrible luck. It’s hard to overcome two flat left rear tires and having to start at the tail of the field a lot due to those issues. Hopefully, we can get this luck turned around for next weekend at Atlanta (Motor Speedway).”

    Noah Gragson who is now in his second year at Kyle Busch Motorsports also had unfortunate luck after having a strong run. Gragson posted a fifth place qualifying effort Friday afternoon giving him a good starting position. But at Daytona, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. The first two stages saw him finish ninth and 14th, respectively. On Lap 56, the No. 18 Safelite Tundra was involved in a multi-vehicle wreck which thus ended their night early with a 23rd place finish.

    “In Daytona, a lot of the luck is not in the drivers’ hands — it is what it is. We qualified really good — Rudy Fugle and the guys on this No. 18 team built a really fast Safelite AutoGlass/Switch Toyota Tundra during the offseason,” Gragson said.  “I’m thankful for the opportunity to be driving for this team. This is not the way we wanted to start our season, but we can go to Atlanta next week with our heads held high that we had a lot of speed and I’m confident that we’ll have speed again next weekend in our first mile-and-a-half race of the year.”

    Hunter Nemechek finished 25th after being taken out on Lap 74, Stewart Friesen (27th) on the same lap and Brett Moffit was shown 26th.

    While some teams are already ahead and look forward to Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend, other teams are behind and will be playing catch up.

     

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Homestead-Miami

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Homestead-Miami

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came to Homestead-Miami Speedway this past weekend to settle the Championship 4, however, there were 28 other drivers who had a shot at the win.

    Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings from Homestead-Miami.

    1. Chase Briscoe – It was the perfect storybook ending for Brad Keselowski Racing, who closed its doors at the end of the season. The No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford driver started on the pole after qualifying early Friday afternoon. Throughout the race, Briscoe placed second in Stage 1 and third in the second stage. On lap 96, he retook the lead from Ben Rhodes, who had to pit for troubles with his vehicle. Briscoe inherited the lead from him and held on from there to win his first ever career win as BKR closed its doors. As it was announced this past week, Briscoe has 2018 plans, as he will share the No. 60 ride of Roush Fenway Racing along with Ty Majeski and his teammate, Austin Cindric.
    2. Christopher Bell – Bell didn’t have the strongest qualifying spot all year by qualifying 13th. With adjustments, the No. 4 JBL Tundra team worked their way through the field. In fact, Bell won the first stage and finished second in Stage 2. He led once for 10 laps. It was just enough for him though, as Bell would win the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. He will now compete for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series full time in 2018 competing for that championship.
    3. Ryan Truex – After a disappointing finish the week before at Phoenix International Raceway, Truex rebounded and finished fourth in the season finale at Homestead. He qualified sixth and stayed in the top 10 for most of the race. Truex finished fifth in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. At the end of the Ford Ecoboost 200, the scoring pylon showed him fourth, thus earning his eighth top-five finish of the year.
    4. Stewart Friesen – Another race, another top 10 finish for the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario driver. Friesen qualified ninth but did not finish in the top 10 at all in either stage. However, the No. 52 Halmar Racing driver worked hard and wound up seventh. This would be his fifth top 10 of the 2017 season.
    5. Timothy Peters – It was great seeing Timothy Peters back in the truck series this past weekend. After the Charlotte Motor Speedway race in May, Red Horse Racing announced it would close its doors due to lack of sponsorship. This left Peters and Brett Moffitt without a ride for the rest of the season. Peters has been racing off and on for various teams like MDM and Young Motorsports. After only racing eight races this season in what would have been a full season for Peters, he finished 10th for Young Motorsports in the last race of the year. Here’s hoping Peters can find a full-time next year for the truck series.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Phoenix

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Phoenix

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came to the Arizona desert last Friday night to settle the Championship 4. As always, the truck series action did not disappoint. Here’s a look at who topped the top five power rankings this week.

    1. Johnny Sauter – When there is a truck race, you can always expect Sauter to be up front and challenging for the win, however, it came with a little luck. In both stages, he placed sixth, but his luck turned around when the two leaders had contact and were involved in a racing incident. Sauter did not take the lead until Lap 146 and held off a hard-charging John Hunter Nemechek, scoring back to back wins.
    2. John Hunter Nemechek – Could have, would have, should have, was the title for Nemechek on Friday night. He started sixth and stayed in the top 10 for both stages, placing fourth and seventh, respectively. Like Sauter, however, he got a little bit of luck in the remaining laps and tried to challenge for the win late but unfortunately came up one spot short.
    3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen continued his 2017 success by coming home sixth at Phoenix this past weekend. Even though he did not place in the top 10 in Stage 1, Friesen placed 10th in Stage 2. After all the melee was over, the No. 52 Halmar Racing team came home sixth for his fourth top 10 finish of the year.
    4. Cody Coughlin – Coughlin placed third Friday night at the 1-mile race track. It was the best finish of his three-year career in the Truck Series, despite not finishing in the top 10 in both stages. Coughlin will look to end the season on a high note by either winning or scoring another top three finish.
    5. Kaz Grala – If Grala was not knocked out of the championship hunt, who knows where he would have been now. In the past three races, he has finished inside the top 10. In fact, Grala’s whole round has been solid, but wrecking at Talladega and finishing 29th was the ultimate blow to his championship hopes. He will be hoping to end the season winning at Homestead after winning the first race of the season at Daytona.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Martinsville

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Martinsville

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was back in action this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway to kick off the Round of 6 and the final stretch for the championship run at Homestead-Miami.

    Here’s a look at who did well.

    1. Noah Gragson – The 19-year old finally scored his first career win this weekend in style. He qualified fifth and did well in the first stage by placing fifth. In the second stage, Gragson wound up third behind Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton. On the final restart, Gragson restarted second on the outside of Crafton and passed him with a power move to lead the final 10 laps to score win number one at the famous half-mile track.
    2. Matt Crafton – The 2015 winner fell one spot short on the final restart, to eventual race winner, Noah Gragson. Before that, however, Crafton dominated Stage 1 by winning and leading the most laps. In Stage 2, it was the other way around as he finished second. Crafton had the lead until Gragson passed him on the outside with 10 to go for the restart and settled for second. He wound up leading the most laps with 102 and earning one playoff point.
    3. Johnny Sauter – It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Sauter in the top five or top three at Martinsville. He placed second and first, respectively, in Stages 1 and 2. He battled for the lead late, but at the end of the day, the 2016 champion finished third after leading 33 laps.
    4. Stewart Friesen – The Canadian driver had another solid run this season by finishing sixth. It’s great to see this out of a team that doesn’t normally compete regularly for the win. It was Friesen’s third-best finish of his career. He placed ninth as well in Stage 2.
    5. Kaz Grala – Just because you’re eliminated from competing for the championship, it doesn’t mean that you’re done competing for the race win. This was shown Saturday afternoon as Grala started eighth and finished sixth in Stage 1, and 13th in Stage 2 after pit stops. By the end of the checkered flag, Kaz placed seventh to score his ninth top 10 of the year.