NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: NextEra Energy Resources 250
The Place: Daytona International Speedway
The Date: Friday, Feb. 20
The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1, 7 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
Distance: 250 miles (100 laps)
Crafton Begins Quest For Three-Peat
Matt Crafton ran away with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship last season to become the first driver to win consecutive titles in its 20-year history. The No.88 ThorSport Racing driver visits Daytona on Friday for the first stop on his quest for a three-peat – the NextEra Energy Resources 250 (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). He will look to improve on his 13th-place finish at Daytona last year.
Superspeedways the likes of Daytona and Talladega are not Crafton’s forte, though. He claims eight top-10 finishes in 23 starts at superspeedways (34.8%) compared to his 184 top-10 finishes in 312 starts at all other tracks (59.0%).
Notable three-peats across sports include: Jimmie Johnson (2006-10), Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02), New York Yankees (1998-00), Chicago Bulls (1996-98, 1991-93), UCLA Basketball (1967-73), Green Bay Packers (1965-67).
Erik Jones Ready To Roll
Erik Jones, 18, has burst on to the NASCAR national series scene, racing part-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series the last two seasons. The Byron, Michigan native became the youngest NASCAR national series winner after his victory at Phoenix in 2013 (a record since broken by Cole Custer). He didn’t slow down in 2014, compiling three wins in just 12 starts and ranking third in laps led with 1,789. Jones plans on competing in all 23 Camping World Truck Series races for KBM this year and is arguably the front-runner for Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Despite his youth, don’t be surprised if he vies with Crafton for the series crown.
“My goal this year is to go out and win races and bring home a driver’s championship to KBM,” Jones said. “I feel like running a part-time schedule the last few years has helped prepare me for the chance to run full-time this year, especially last year racing at a couple of mile-and-half tracks.
“Matt (Crafton) has won the championship the last two years by being very consistent and we know that if we are going to beat him, we need to make sure on the days where we don’t have a winning truck we don’t try to make something happen and have it bite us.”
Superspeedway Studs
Superspeedway racing is tricky for even the best drivers in the world. But it hasn’t been for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veterans Johnny Sauter and Timothy Peters. The two drivers are the only current full-time competitors to boast victories at both Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Sauter swept the superspeedways in 2013, while Peters won at Talladega in 2014 (the last Camping World Truck Series race at a 2.5-mile track) and Daytona in 2010. The pair started off last season strong with Peters taking second and Sauter placing third, behind race-winner Kyle Bush, in the Daytona opener.
Tyler Reddick Leads Brad Keselowski Racing
Erik Jones is not the only teenage driver with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title aspirations.
Tyler Reddick, 19, eyes the series’ top spot after flashing his potential in 2014. The Corning, California resident, racked up two poles, four top-six and one top-10 finish in his last five starts last season and placed runner-up for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award despite only running 16 races. Reddick, the last Camping World Truck Series driver to win a pole at a superspeedway (10/18/14, Talladega) will attempt to repeat the feat in his No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford and improve on his fourth-place finish in Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250.
Reddick will head to Daytona early, meeting with the National Guard Youth Foundation in St. Augustine, Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 18 before any on-track activity.
Daytona Do-Over For Kennedy
Ben Kennedy began his rookie NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season the best way he possibly could in 2014 – by starting from the pole at Daytona. The 23-year-old led the first 52 laps of the race, but a pit road issue on lap 53 led to ultimately finishing 15th. Kennedy built on the experience, and his consistent driving in the season’s final 21 races earned him the series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.
After competing for Turner Scott Motorsports in a Chevrolet last year, Kennedy joined Red Horse Racing in the offseason and will pilot its No. 11 Toyota Tundra on a full schedule. His first goal with his new team – take the checkered in his hometown of Daytona Beach.
Sunshine State Of Mind
A flurry of Floridians will be competing in their home state in Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250. Ben Kennedy (Daytona Beach, Fla.), Ray Black Jr. (Palm Coast, Fla.) and Brian Silas (Stuart, Fla.) all hail from the Sunshine State where they began their careers on Florida racing circuits. Silas and Kennedy finished ninth and tenth, respectively in the 2014 Camping World Truck Series last point standings, while Black ran seven races on a part-time schedule. All three drivers are in search of their first NASCAR national series wins.
In addition to racing a full-time Truck Series schedule and operating his own NASCAR K&N Pro Series East team (Ben Kennedy Racing), Kennedy completed his sport management degree at the University of Florida in 2014.