On the Outside, Cameron Hayley Still One to Watch in Inaugural Truck Series Chase

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Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

Coming into Chicagoland Speedway this weekend ThorSport Racing driver, Cameron Hayley knew he needed to win to get into the inaugural Chase for the NASCAR Camping World Truck championship. With results of 13th and 17th in the first two practices and a 20th-place qualifying effort for the American Ethanol E15 225, the No. 13 crew chief Eddie Troconis made wholesale changes to give his driver a chance at victory.

Despite starting at 20th, Hayley battled his way to the front to contend for the win in the closing laps of the event. He ran as high as second giving his team hope for a victory. But the veteran Kyle Busch, the eventual race winner effectively blocked Hayley’s faster Toyota, keeping from realizing that goal. 

“We didn’t have a winning truck at the beginning of this race,” said Hayley. “Eddie Troconis and the entire No. 13 RIDE TV team really battled back, gave me a great Tundra there at the end. I have a lot to learn from Kyle (Busch). We definitely had the faster Tundra there at the end. He (Busch) blocked my move there, and it was all I could do. Overall a great Toyota Tundra. We tried. We’re not in the Chase, but we can’t say we didn’t try.”

Hayley was running down Busch for the win, when the last caution of the night came out.

“We had the truck to win,” said Hayley on pit road after the race. “We had the best truck, we just didn’t need to see that last caution. We were coming on to Kyle (Busch) and we could have made it. But those restarts killed us when we needed another green flag run. We tried, we just didn’t quite make it.”

This was Hayley’s second start at Chicagoland and his first top-five finish at the 1.5-mile track. In 16 Truck Series races this season, Hayley has led 21 laps en route to five top-five, and nine top-ten finishes.

Heading to the first race of the Camping World Truck Series Chase at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 24th, Hayley is ninth in the series point standings on the outside of Chase contention. But with some momentum behind him from Chicagoland Speedway and a big desire for victory, he’ll be one to watch in their last seven races of the 2016 season.