NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News and Notes – April 15, 2016

CWTS-NN

Up Next: Kansas Speedway

The high-octane NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has the next three weekends off before returning on Friday, May 6 for the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway at 8:30 pm ET.

Kansas was a dramatic race last season. Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suárez all ran out of fuel while in the lead, and Matt Crafton saved enough in the tank to pass them for the victory.

Crafton is the only full-time Truck Series driver with a win at Kansas. Johnny Sauter (third), Timothy Peters (fourth), Cameron Hayley (fifth) and Daniel Hemric (tenth) all finished in the top-ten in last season’s race.

One-Man Band:

Nemechek Headlines NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Standings

John Hunter Nemechek lays sole claim to the top spot in the Camping World Truck Series standings. The NASCAR Next member leads second-place Parker Kligerman by three points on the strength of one win and a runner-up in three starts this season.

Timothy Peters ranks third in the series standings -6 points behind Nemechek and following him is Tyler Young (-16) and Cameron Hayley (-17).

Ryan Truex (-17), Daniel Hemric (-18), Brandon Brown (-21), Spencer Gallagher (-21) and Ben Rhodes (-22) round out the top-ten.

Nemechek and Johnny Sauter are the only drivers who have clinched berths in the Camping World Truck Series Chase as full-time race winners, assuming they both remain eligible per the rule book.

Rhodes is the top Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender in the standings. NASCAR Next members William Byron is 12th, -32 points behind Nemechek and Rico Abreu is at 14th, -34 – both are the next best rookies in the standings.

Byron’s Bash:

NASCAR Hall Of Fame Hosting Richmond Watch Party With No. 9 Toyota Driver

The NASCAR Hall of Fame welcomes fans to watch the Toyota Owners 400 (Richmond) on April 24 at 1 p.m. in its 278-seat High Octane Theater, which features high-back seating, a 64-foot-wide, curved projection screen with surround sound and direct-from-track, in-car video feeds of two drivers.

Camping World Truck Series driver William Byron of Kyle Busch Motorsports will be in attendance to meet fans, answer questions and sign autographs from noon to 1 pm before the race.

Admission is free for all Toyota, Lexus and Scion owners, who present their keys at the Toyota table. They will also receive a VIP package, which includes a lanyard, $10 concession card, Toyota Owners 400 koozie and more.

NASCAR Hall of Fame members will also get free admission.

General admission tickets to the party are only $10 and available to buy HERE. Attendees can buy food, soft drinks, beer and wine at the event.

Byron had a career-best third-place finish in his last Truck Series race at Martinsville. The 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion is a member of the NASCAR Next program.

Canadian Cruiser: Cameron Hayley Off to Strong Sophomore Start

Following an up and down Sunoco Rookie season in the Camping World Truck Series, Cameron Hayley has shown marked improvement in his sophomore campaign.

The 19-year-old Canadian ranks tied with his ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton for the series lead in driver rating (100.2), and claims one top-five and two top-tens this season.

Hayley’s strong start has positioned him fifth in the series points standings, 17 marks behind John Hunter Nemechek. He finished ninth on Saturday at Martinsville where he led 11 laps.

Last year, Hayley placed sixth in the Truck Series standings on the strength of four top-fives and 13 top-tens.

NASCAR IMC