NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams head to Kansas Speedway next week for the Toyota Tundra 250. Competitors will race 167 laps for 250.5 miles of action on Friday, May 6th with television coverage on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 8 pm ET and a green flag around 8:30 pm ET. Radio coverage is on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
One More Weekend Until NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Returns
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.
Kennedy Joins GMS Racing
Ben Kennedy will join GMS Racing for multiple races, beginning with the Toyota Tundra 250 on Friday, May 6 at Kansas Speedway. The NASCAR Next alum has ten races already confirmed and will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado.
“I am very excited to join GMS Racing for the remainder of the 2016 season,” Kennedy said. “I have watched the organization grow into a powerhouse team over the last year. All of their teams show up to the track each weekend with fast Chevrolets and I have total confidence that GMS will provide me with a solid truck each weekend.”
In 53 career Truck Series starts, Kennedy has produced six top-fives and 16 top-tens. He left Red Horse Racing on April 15.
GasBuddy Partners with MAKE Motorsports
GasBuddy, the world’s leading gas mobile app, joins MAKE Motorsports as the primary sponsor of their No. 50 Chevrolet Silverado piloted by Travis Kvapil for multiple races this season, beginning with the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway.
GasBuddy helps people find cheap fuel. It has more than 56 million downloads and 15 million monthly active users.
“NASCAR, MAKE Motorsports and GasBuddy share many key characteristics: driving, teamwork and fueling up efficiently,” said Mike Schneider, chief marketing officer for GasBuddy. “Millions of people turn to GasBuddy to save money at the pumps and we look forward to revving up our exposure in this exciting market.”
Kvapil finished fifth at Daytona and 23rd at Atlanta this season.
Nemechek Tops NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Standings
John Hunter Nemechek lays sole claim to the top spot in the NASCAR 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 Truck Series standings (-6 points behind Nemechek) with Tyler Young (-16) next, then 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 NASCAR 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 (12th, -32 points behind Nemechek) and Rico Abreu (14th, -34) are the next best rookies in the standings.
Custer’s First Stand:
NASCAR Next Driver Earns Top-Ten Finish in First XFINITY Series Start
Two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner and current Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Custer finished sixth in his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series start on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway.
Custer worked his way up from the 17th position in a field that included NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Austin Dillon.
Bell Stays Busy with Win in ARCA Debut
Despite the break in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule, Christopher Bell continues to hone his racing skills.
Last Sunday, the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver won in his ARCA debut at Indiana’s Salem Speedway. He led 91 go-arounds, including the last 44 of the 200-lap race. Bell topped a field that included NASCAR Next member Dalton Sargeant, NCWTS race-winner John Wes Townley, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standout Justin Haley and NASCAR national series veteran Brian Keselowski.