After the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ visit to Martinsville Speedway, the series takes a six-week break and hits the track next at Kansas Speedway for the Toyota Tundra 250 on Friday, May 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
William Byron is the defending race winner. Matt Crafton (second), Christopher Bell (fourth), Ryan Truex (sixth) and Timothy Peters (eighth) all scored top-ten finishes at Kansas last season.
Chase Elliott Nets GMS Racing Second Victory of 2017 at Martinsville
Chase Elliott delivered GMS Racing its second Camping World Truck Series victory in the first three races of the young season when he won from the pole at Martinsville Speedway.
This marks GMS Racing’s ninth Camping World Truck Series win since the team began competing in the series in 2013.
It’s the second consecutive season that the team has won at least two races and, with Elliott’s teammate Johnny Sauter finishing second, it’s the 41st top-five for the team since 2013.
Martinsville was Elliott’s second Camping World Truck Series win of his career and the first time he’s registered a NASCAR national series victory from the pole. Through two Camping World Truck Series races this season (both with GMS Racing), Elliott has two top-fives.
With his win from the pole, Elliott became the sixth Camping World Truck Series driver to win the race from the pole at Martinsville Speedway since 2010.
He joins the following list of drivers to also carry out the feat since 2010:
- Chase Elliott (2017 – spring)
- Joey Logano (2015 – spring)
- Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014 – fall)
- Kevin Harvick (2012 – spring)
- Johnny Sauter (2011 – spring)
- Kevin Harvick (2010 – spring)
Bell Blazes to Consecutive Top-Three Finishes
Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christopher Bell scored his second consecutive top-three finish of the season at Martinsville Speedway after finishing third.
Bell led a race-high 96 laps, including 90 in the last 110-lap stage. Race winner Chase Elliott took the lead from Bell on lap 234 while he and Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender Austin Cindric battled for track position.
Bell continues to produce strong results in the stage racing format. He’s won two stages this season (sweeping Stage 1 and Stage 2 at Atlanta) and sits behind only defending Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter (three) in stages won this season.
Following his finish in Martinsville, Bell remarked,
“Stage racing is great. It gives us drivers a point to look forward to during the race and reward us during the race. It breaks the races up to make them feel not so long. I love stage racing. I am thankful for NASCAR for making the change and it’s a win-win all the way around.”
Gragson Scores First Top-Five Finish of Career at Martinsville
Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Noah Gragson notched his first career Camping World Truck Series top-five when he finished fourth at Martinsville Speedway.
Gragson was the highest finishing Sunoco Rookie at Martinsville and was candid when assessing his performance in his first season in the Camping World Truck Series after the race,
“Wrecking in the first two races, you will doubt yourself. You’re not sure if you’re put out to race with these guys as a rookie. Thankfully, Martinsville is what I am used to. Kyle Busch, my crew chief Marcus Richmond and Brandon McReynolds, they’ve been helping me build my confidence back up. I am just trying to take my mind off the negatives and focus on what’s coming up and prepare next so I can be ready and better than ever for that.”
The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver moved up six spots in the Camping World Truck Series standings. He now sits 11th and is behind fellow rookies Kaz Grala (fifth), Chase Briscoe (seventh) and Grant Enfinger (eighth).
Sauter the Stage Master
Reigning Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter hasn’t lost a step since last season.
In three Camping World Truck Series races this season, Sauter has amassed more stage wins (three) than any other Camping World Truck Series driver. (Christopher Bell is second with two.)
Sauter is now atop of the Camping World Truck Series standings with 140 points, leading Bell (-4), Matt Crafton (-23), Timothy Peters (-30) and Kaz Grala (-37) to round out the top-five.
Chastain Wheels Gamecocks to Top-Ten Finish: Ross Chastain sported some basketball pride on his Camping World Truck Series truck at Martinsville Speedway on his way to back-to-back top-ten finishes. He sponsor was The University of South Carolina Gamecocks and they had both the women’s and men’s basketball programs in the NCAA Final Four this past weekend. The women’s team defeated Mississippi State for the championship and the men’s team fell in the semifinals to Gonzaga.