After an off week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams are ready for the TheHouse.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway, Friday, September 15th at 8:30 pm ET. Coverage begins on FOX Sports 1 at 8 pm ET with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Drivers will race 225 miles over 150 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 35, Stage 2 on lap 70 and the last Stage ends on the last lap 150.
What to Watch for: Only one playoff berth remains heading into the Camping World Truck Series season finale.
Right now, Ben Rhodes holds the final points position. He’s seven points ahead of Ryan Truex and 31 markers above Grant Enfinger.
A win automatically earns a driver a playoff spot.
John Hunter Nemechek is the only driver in the field who has won at Chicagoland.
Kyle Busch is the defending race winner, while Christopher Bell (fourth), Johnny Sauter (fifth) and Grant Enfinger (sixth) all finished inside the top-ten.
2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Final Countdown: One Race
With only one 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:
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 playoff 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 playoff berth with a win or on points based on a repeat winner and help from other drivers:
- Ryan Truex
- Grant Enfinger
- Noah Gragson
Playoff Bubble Drivers at Chicagoland
With the Camping World Truck Series playoff picture above, below is an outlook of drivers No. 8-12 in the current playoff standings.
- Ben Rhodes: Right now, Ben Rhodes occupies the eighth and final Camping World Truck Series Playoffs spot heading into Chicagoland Speedway. He is seven points above Ryan Truex. Rhodes has driven well as of late, as he knows every point in every race matters. He has four top-11 or better finishes in his last four races. Rhodes has one career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Chicagoland and finished 25th there last season due to a crash.
- Ryan Truex: Ryan Truex continues to have a very strong 2017 season and is only seven points away from a Camping World Truck Series Playoffs berth heading into Chicagoland. He’s finished top-five or better in three of his last four races. Truex has one career Camping World Truck Series start at Chicagoland and finished 15th after starting 21st.
- Grant Enfinger: Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender and ThorSport Racing driver Grant Enfinger has had a very strong rookie season. He leads the Sunoco Rookie points by one point over Chase Briscoe heading into Chicagoland. Enfinger has experience on his side, as he has one career Camping World Truck Series start at Chicagoland. He finished sixth there last season after starting 14th.
- Noah Gragson: Sunoco Rookie contender Noah Gragson is coming off a Camping World Truck Series career-best finish after placing second at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. He currently sits 47 points away from a playoff berth heading into Chicagoland Speedway – a track he will be making his track debut at in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this weekend.
- Justin Haley: GMS Racing driver and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Justin Haley has been a machine as of late. He has yet to finish outside the top-11 since Charlotte and is coming off a fourth-place finish at Canadian Tire. Haley will be making his track debut in the Camping World Truck Series at Chicagoland Speedway. He will need a win to enter the 2017 Playoffs.
Chicagoland Speedway Quick Facts
As the Camping World Truck Series heads to Chicagoland Speedway for TheHouse.com 225, below are some series quick facts at the final race of the regular season:
Races: Eight
Pole Winners: Six
Youngest Pole Winner: Jen Burton (09/13/2013 – 21 years, 1 months, 7 days)
Oldest Pole Winner: Todd Bodine (08/27/2010 – 46 years, 6 months, 0 days)
Race Winners: Four
Youngest Winner: John Hunter Nemechek (09/19/2015 – 18 years, 3 months, 8 days)
Oldest Winner: Kyle Busch (09/16/2016 – 31 years, 4 months, 14 days)
Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 0
Race Record: Kyle Busch 142.882 mph (09/13/2014)
Qualifying Record: Spencer Gallagher 176.148 mph (09/16/2016)
First Timers at Chicagoland
There are eight Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders making their track debut at Chicagoland Speedway. They include Chase Briscoe, Wendell Chavous, Austin Cindric, Cody Coughlin, Noah Gragson, Kaz Grala and Justin Haley.
Grant Enfinger is the only Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie contender who has made a start at Chicagoland Speedway.
In eight Camping World Truck Series races at Chicagoland Speedway, one Camping World Truck Series driver in John Hunter Nemechek (09/19/2015) won his first career Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland.
Current NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Spencer Gallagher (09/16/2016) and Justin Lofton (07/21/2012) are the only drivers to win their first Camping World Truck Series pole at Chicagoland.
Also Noteworthy…
Gray Gaulding to Make 2017 Camping World Truck Series Debut: NASCAR Next (Class of 2013) driver Gray Gaulding will make his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of 2017 season at Chicagoland Speedway in the No. 15 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson. Gaulding last made a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in 2015 for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Myatt Snider Driving the No. 51 Toyota for Kyle Busch at Chicago: Myatt Snider will make his fourth start this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the No. 51 Toyota. Snider finished 16th at Kentucky, 16th at Texas and tenth at Daytona earlier this season.
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 NASCAR 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.
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.