NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News and Notes – Friday, September 8, 2017

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams are on break before heading to Chicagoland Speedway next Friday, September 15th for their last race of the regular season.

Austin Cindric Scores First Career Camping World Truck Series Win

NASCAR Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender and Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Cindric won his first career Camping World Truck Series race with the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

Cindric, who also won his first career Camping World Truck Series pole earlier in the day, was aggressive in his last lap bump into fellow rookie and GMS Racing Kaz Grala for his first win and a ticket to the Playoffs.

Cindric did not shy away from the incident or going after his win to get into the postseason.

“I’d say it’s an incredible week for this entire 19 race team. Everyone has seen this race and from how it plays out in the end. I don’t think I saw one highlight that didn’t show someone getting into the back of another driver to win the race. I hate for it to come down to that. I think I made an easy decision since Kaz already had a win to get into the playoffs. For us, it gives us a brighter light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully something for us to chase after for the rest of the year.”

With the win, Cindric became the sixth Camping World Truck Series driver to win this season joining Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and Kaz Grala.

Cindric has had a very strong season, winning once and scoring four top-fives and nine top-tens. He’s led 66 laps this season and has seven consecutive top-tens.

Chase Briscoe Clinches Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Berth

It was a strong week for Brad Keselowski Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park as Austin Cindric won the Chevrolet Silverado 250 and Chase Briscoe clinched a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs berth with his seventh-place finish.

Briscoe is currently the seventh seed on the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs grid and still has a shot to win his first career race with one regular season race remaining at Chicagoland Speedway.

He’s had a strong Sunoco Rookie season with five top-fives and nine top-tens. Briscoe has never finished outside the top-25 this season and has led 109 laps in the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford.

Top-Four Finishers at Canadian Tire Under 20-Years-Old

The top-four finishers in Sunday’s Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park have two things in common…they’re all under the age of 20 and are all in contention for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the Camping World Truck Series this season.

Race winner Austin Cindric and second-place finisher Noah Gragson are both 19, while third-place finisher Kaz Grala and fourth-place finisher Justin Haley are both 18.

All four drivers have had strong Sunoco Rookie campaigns as Cindric and Grala both have wins this season and will be in the 2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoffs. Gragson (11th) and Haley (12th) are both on the outside of the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs bubble, but a win at Chicagoland Speedway could change everything for either driver.

Speaking of young drivers, 17-year-old NASCAR Next driver Todd Gilliland made his third career Camping World Truck Series start this season at Canadian Tire last Sunday. He scored a career-best finish in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, placing 11th after starting 13th.

2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Final Countdown: One Race

With only one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season race remaining before the playoffs begin, below is a look at the playoff picture following Canadian Tire Motorsports Park:

Trucking Down Into The Windy City

The Camping World Truck Series is off this week – but picks back up next week at Chicagoland Speedway.

Kyle Busch is the defending race winner, while Christopher Bell (fourth), Johnny Sauter (fifth) and Grant Enfinger (sixth) all finished inside the top-ten. 

Camping World Truck Series Clinch Scenarios at Chicagoland

With a pair of Brad Keselowski Racing drivers clinching two Camping World Truck Series Playoffs spots in Austin Cindric (win) and Chase Briscoe (points) at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, there is only one Playoff spot up for grabs at Chicagoland Speedway.

ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes, who is currently in the eighth and final Camping World Truck Series Playoffs position could officially clinch that spot with a win at Chicagoland or on points if he scores at least 49 points in the race.

The following drivers could clinch their Playoffs berth with a win or on points based on a repeat winner and help from other drivers:

  • Ryan Truex
  • Grant Enfinger
  • Noah Gragson 

Also Noteworthy…

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner Standings Update: Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4 Toyota Tundra retains a 30-point lead over GMS Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Silverado in the Camping World Truck Series owner standings after 15 races this season. ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra (-60), Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 29 Ford F-150 (-61) and ThorSport Racing’s No. 27 Toyota Tundra (-129) round out the top five.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Manufacturer Standings Update: Through 15 Camping World Truck Series races this season, Toyota leads Chevrolet by 23 points in the manufacturer standings, 559-536. In third place, Ford sits at 472 points and captured their first Camping World Truck Series win this season when Austin Cindric won at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.