NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams are ready for the Overton’s 150 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, July 29th at 1 pm ET. Coverage begins on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 1 pm ET.
Drivers will race 150 miles over 60 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 15, Stage 2 on lap 30 and the last stage ending on the last lap 60.
What to Watch for: Three-time Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton goes for his second straight win.
Five races remain until the Camping World Truck Series playoffs. Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Kaz Gala have virtually earned berths in the eight-driver field by winning races.
Only two points separate leader Chase Briscoe and second-place Grant Enfinger in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
Crafton Cranks it Up in the Dirt
Two-time Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton dug his way to a win at Eldora Speedway – capturing his first career win at the dirt track.
The win broke a 27-race winless streak for Crafton, who last won a Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2016.
In four prior Camping World Truck Series races at Eldora, Crafton had been strong and finished inside the top-ten each time, but never got that first win.
“My first dirt win – a lot of fun,” said Crafton, who picked up his 14th career win in the series. “In the second part of that race we down-right just stunk. It was my fault. We over-tightened it a little bit in the first run. It got free and we just went back to the way we started the race.”
As the Camping World Truck Series pivots next to Pocono Raceway for the Overton’s 150, Crafton will look to continue his streak of winning at tracks where he’s yet to visit victory lane.
In seven Camping World Truck Series starts at the Tricky Triangle, Crafton has two top-fives and four top-tens, with an average finish of 11.0.
Friesen Flourishes at Eldora
Canada-born driver and Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Stewart Friesen had a career night at Eldora Speedway.
Friesen won his first career Keystone Light Pole Award to start the evening and came very close to finishing the night perfectly. He would ultimately finish second to two-time Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, but led a race-high 93 laps and won Stage 2.
Both Friesen’s finish (second) and laps-led (93) were career highs for the Sunoco Rookie. He was disappointed that he didn’t capture the win, but was proud of his team and their effort.
“We didn’t come here to run second that’s for damn sure, but I’m proud of these guys. They worked hard to get this truck dialed in. We had a great truck, he (Crafton) just got rolling on the top, it cleaned up, I was so committed to the bottom and go there in the middle and he just found a line and got us. It burns.”
Sunoco Rookie Race Going the Distance
The heat is on for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award as Chase Briscoe and Grant Enfinger continue to keep it a tight race.
Through 11 Camping World Truck Series races this season, Briscoe leads Enfinger by two points heading into the Overton’s 150 Pocono Raceway.
Even though both drivers scored top-five finishes at Eldora Speedway, Briscoe walked away with the two-point lead in the Sunoco Rookie standings – but Enfinger won the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award.
Over the past five races, the lead has volleyed between the two Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookies. Below shows the point battle for the lead over the last five Camping World Truck Series races.
Winstaronlinegaming.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway
Enfinger – 88
Briscoe – 84
Drivin’ For Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park
Briscoe – 104
Enfinger – 104
M&M’s 200 at Iowa Speedway
Enfinger – 122
Briscoe – 117
Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway
Briscoe – 125
Enfinger – 125
Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway
Briscoe – 143
Enfinger – 141
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff Countdown: Five Races
As the Camping World Truck Series heads to Pocono Raceway Saturday for the Overton’s 150, it’s a good time to remind you there are five races until the Camping World Truck Series playoffs begin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Christopher Bell (three wins), John Hunter Nemechek (two wins), Johnny Sauter (one win), Matt Crafton (one win) and Kaz Grala (one win) are all virtually locked in the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs thanks to their wins this season.
This leaves three potential Camping World Truck Series playoffs spots up for grabs over the next five races.
Below are six drivers right on the playoff bubble who could use wins to solidify their playoff path.
Chase Briscoe: In the current playoff standings, Chase Briscoe sits sixth and has earned one playoff point this season thanks to his stage win. The Sunoco Rookie has had a blazing season so far with five top-fives, six top-tens and 105 laps led. He’s also added two Keystone Light Pole Awards.
Grant Enfinger: ThorSport Racing Sunoco Rookie Grant Enfinger sits seventh in the Camping World Truck Series playoffs standings after 11 races. He has five top-fives and seven top-tens and has finished outside the top-16 just once.
Ben Rhodes: Poor luck has pushed Ben Rhodes to eighth in the current Camping World Truck Series playoff picture. He’s wrecked in back-to-back races, but prior to that had yet to finish outside the top-23. He’s led 121 laps this season and could use a ‘W’ to verify his playoff aspirations.
Ryan Truex: Currently sitting right outside the Camping World Truck Series playoff cutoff at ninth, Ryan Truex is looking for any way to get back into the top-eight. He’s finished top-25 or better in ten of 11 races this season and has led 47 laps.
Noah Gragson: Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Noah Gragson has run extremely well as of late and is looking to carry that right into the playoffs. He’s finished top-ten or better in eight of the last nine races. He’s led 61 laps this season and is currently tenth in the Camping World Truck Series points standings.
Austin Cindric: Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Cindric is also making a charge of his own right towards the Camping World Truck Series playoffs. He’s finished top-11 or better in five of his last six races this season. If Cindric keeps this up over his next five races, he could be in sooner rather than later.
Pocono Raceway Quick Facts
As the Camping World Truck Series heads to Pocono Raceway Saturday, July 29, below are some series quick facts at the Tricky Triangle:
Races: seven
Pole Winners: five
Youngest Pole Winner: Erik Jones (08/01/2015 – 19 years, 2 months, 2 days)
Oldest Pole Winner: Kevin Harvick (08/07/2011 – 35 years, 7 months, 30 days)
Race Winners: seven
Youngest Winner: William Byron (07/30/2016 – 18 years, 8 months, 1 days)
Oldest Winner: Kevin Harvick (08/07/2011 – 35 years, 7 months, 30 days)
Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): three
Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): William Byron (07/30/2016)
Race Record: Ryan Blaney 128.3 mph (08/03/2013)
Qualifying Record: Nelson Piquet Jr 169.504 mph (08/04/2012)
First Timers At The Tricky Triangle
There are nine Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders making their track debut at Pocono Raceway in Saturday’s Overton’s 150. They include Chase Briscoe, Wendell Chavous, Austin Cindric, Cody Coughlin, Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Noah Gragson, Kaz Grala and Justin Haley.
Other Camping World Truck Series drivers making their track debut at Pocono Raceway this weekend include Bryan Dauzat, Justin Fontaine, Matt Mills, Camden Murphy, Josh Reaume, Regan Smith, Ryan Truex and Cody Ware.
In seven Camping World Truck Series races at Pocono Raceway, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson is the only driver who has won his first career Camping World Truck Series pole at Pocono (08/02/2014).
Joey Coulter is the only driver to win his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway (08/04/2012).
Also Noteworthy…
Kyle Busch Trucking At The Tricky Triangle: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch will be running the Overton’s 150 in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra this weekend. Busch has two career Camping World Truck Series starts at Pocono Raceway and has finishes of first (2015) and second (2011).
Owner Standings Update: The Camping World Truck Series owner standings have become a tight race as the back end of the 2017 season begins. GMS Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Silverado retains a small seven-point lead over the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 29 Ford F-150 (-47), and ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra (-51) and No. 98 Toyota Tundra (-122) make up the top-five.
Manufacturer Standings Update: Through 11 Camping World Truck Series races this season, Toyota leads Chevrolet by a slim four-point margin in the manufacturer championship standings. Toyota has six Camping World Truck Series wins to Toyota’s five. Ford is in third place in the manufacturer championship standings and has yet to win in the Camping World Truck Series this season.