NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Preview

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams head next to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for its second Playoffs race of the Round of 8 – the Las Vegas 350 is on Saturday, September 30th at 8 pm ET. Coverage begins at 7:30 pm ET on FOX Sports 1 with radio coverage available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Tyler Reddick is the defending race winner while Christopher Bell (sixth), Johnny Sauter (seventh) and Matt Crafton (eighth) all finished inside the top-ten. 

Drivers will race 219 miles over 146 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 55, Stage 2 on lap 110, and the last Stage ends on the last lap 175.

What to Watch for – The Camping World Truck Series heads to Las Vegas for the second race of its Playoffs after Christopher Bell won the postseason opener at New Hampshire.

Brad Keselowski Racing finished one-two in Sin City last season and looks to do the same this year with drivers Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe.

John Hunter Nemechek attempts to rebound from a 20th-place finish at New Hampshire due to a rear gear failure.

There have been 18 different winners in 20 Camping World Truck Series races at Las Vegas.

Eleven-time X-Games champion Travis Pastrana will make his first NASCAR start in two years for Niece Motorsports.

Bell Rings in First Playoffs Win at New Hampshire

2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoffs top-seed Christopher Bell made his presence felt at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and set the tone for the Playoffs by winning the UNOH 175 last Saturday in dominating fashion.

Bell captured Stages 1 and 2 in the race, as well as the checkered flag, to collect seven more playoff points and catapult his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports team into the Round of 6. Excited for his first Playoffs victory this season, Bell knows how important it was for his chances at a championship.

“This win was big for us. To be able to win the first Playoffs race allows us to be aggressive going forward to Vegas and Talladega, and try to win those races as opposed to last year. This is a credit to Rudy and the rest of the No. 4 team.”

Listen to the rest of the post-race audio…

With the win at New Hampshire, it gives Bell five Camping World Truck Series wins in 2017. He’s led 666 laps with 11 top-fives and 15 top-tens in 17 races this season. 

Rear Gear Failure Sidelines Nemechek – Falls to Eighth in Playoffs Standings

NEMCO Motorsports and 2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoffs driver John Hunter Nemechek couldn’t overcome mechanical issues in his first Playoffs race this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

After starting 14th at New Hampshire, Nemechek headed to the garage by lap 46 and learned he had a broken rear gear. It took his team 36 laps to fix the issue. He returned the race in 23rd  and was able to salvage a 20th-place finish.

Nemechek fell to eighth in the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs standings and will look to get back on track at Las Vegas and Talladega.

Playoffs Finishers at New Hampshire

Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christopher Bell captured the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Round of 8’s opening race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Below is how the rest of the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs field fared in the ace:

6th – Matt Crafton

7th – Ben Rhodes

8th – Austin Cindric

9th – Johnny Sauter

10th – Kaz Grala

11th – Chase Briscoe

20th – John Hunter Nemechek 

2017 NASCAR Playoffs Outlook Update: Post-New Hampshire

Following the opening Camping World Truck Series Playoffs race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, below is an updated Playoffs leaderboard:

Camping World Truck Series Playoffs by Round

The 2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoffs kicked off the Round of 8 at New Hampshire Motorsports last weekend.

The Round of 8 continues with Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend with the Las Vegas 350.

Below is a look at the remaining Camping World Truck Series Playoffs rounds and which tracks line up per round.

ROUND OF 8

Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

(Saturday, September 30 at 8 pm on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Fred’s Pharmacy 250 at Talladega Super Speedway

(Saturday, October 14 at 1 pm ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

ROUND OF 6

Texas Roadhouse 200 at Martinsville Speedway

(Saturday, October 28 at 1 pm ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

JAG Metals 350 at Texas Motor Speedway

(Friday, November 3 at 8 pm on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway

(Friday, November 10 at 8:30 pm on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

CHAMPIONSHIP 4

Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

(Friday, November 17 at 8 pm on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Bet the Over for a Different Winner at Vegas

In 20 Camping World Truck Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, there have been 18 different race winners.

There has never been a back-to-back race winner in the Camping World Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway since the series began running there in 1996.

Jack Sprague, who won at Las Vegas in 1996 and 1998, and Mike Skinner, who won there in 2006 and 2008, are the only two drivers to have won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway more than once.

Tyler Reddick (2016), John West Townley (2015), Erik Jones (2014), Timothy Peters (2013) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012) are your last five Camping World Truck Series winners at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Quick Facts

As the Camping World Truck Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Las Vegas 350, below are some series quick facts at the second race of the 2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoffs:

Races: 20

Pole Winners: 15

Youngest Pole Winner: Austin Dillon (09/25/2010 – 20 years, 4 months, 29 days)

Oldest Pole Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr. (10/15/2011 – 53 years, 3 months, 25 days)

Race Winners: 18

Youngest Winner: Erik Jones (09/27/2014 – 18 years, 3 months, 28 days)

Oldest Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr. (10/15/2011 – 53 years, 3 months, 25 days)

Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 7

Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Ron Hornaday Jr. (10/15/2011)

Race Record: Tyler Reddick – 143.163 mph

Qualifying Record: Mike Skinner – 178.065 mph (09/23/2006)

First Timers at Las Vegas 

There are six Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders making their track debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Saturday’s Las Vegas 350. They include Chase Briscoe, Wendell Chavous, Austin Cindric, Noah Gragson Kaz Grala and Justin Haley.

Cody Coughlin, Stewart Friesen, and Grant Enfinger are the three Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie contenders who have made their previous career starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In 20 Camping World Truck Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 2016 Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter (09/26/2009), David Starr (10/13/2002) and John Wes Townley (10/03/2015) are the only three drivers to win their first series race at Las Vegas.

David Starr (10/13/2002) is the only driver to win his first career Camping World Truck Series pole at Las Vegas.

Also Noteworthy…

Todd Gilliland Scores Best Career Finish at New Hampshire: NASCAR Next driver Todd Gilliland scored his best career Camping World Truck Series finish when he placed third in the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Gilliland has raced in four Camping World Truck Series races and has finishes of 20th (Dover), 21st (Gateway), 11th (Canadian Tire) and third (New Hampshire). 

Enfinger Edging Briscoe in Sunoco Rookie Battle: Throughout the 2017 Camping World Truck Series season, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Chase Briscoe and Grant Enfinger have been battling for the Sunoco Rookie points lead. Following New Hampshire, Enfinger lengthened his lead over Briscoe by nine points. He leads 205-196 with six races remaining this season. 

Camping World Truck Series Owner Standings Update: Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4 Toyota Tundra and No. 51 Toyota Tundra occupy spots of number one and number two in the Camping World Truck Series owner standings after 17 races this season. GMS Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Silverado (-40), ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra (-41), and Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 19 Ford F-150 (-58) round out the top-five.

Camping World Truck Series Manufacturer Standings Update: Through 17 Camping World Truck Series races this season, Toyota leads Chevrolet by 25 points in the manufacturer standings, 633-608. Ford sits in third place at 536 points.