Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Three of the past four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships have been won by two drivers in this season’s playoffs — Johnny Sauter (2016) and Matt Crafton (2013 and ’14). Erik Jones, now a Monster Cup Series driver, won the title in 2015.
Sauter has momentum, entering the playoffs with a victory last week at Chicago (he also won earlier at Dover) and has 25 playoff points.
“Momentum is a big part of this sport,” Sauter said. “We’ve had a dominant truck and I think we’ve saved our bullets for go time.”
Crafton said the pressure he felt in winning his second championship in 2014 was different than what he felt a year earlier. He hopes he can continue to handle the intensity that comes from the postseason.
“I remember there was so much pressure on you the first time,” said Crafton, the fourth seed this season. “The second one was more like, ‘what happens, happens.’ But you’re always nervous. You don’t want any gremlins there that can make things go wrong.”