NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Fred’s 250 at Talladega Preview

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Following an off-week, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will close out the Round of 8 at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday, October 14th with the Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at 1 pm ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Drivers will race 250.04 miles over 94 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 20, Stage 2 on lap 40 and the last stage ends on the last lap 94.

What to Watch for – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Talladega for the Round of 8 cutoff race of its Playoffs. Austin Cindric now holds the last points transfer spot to the Round of 6. He is eight points ahead of Kaz Grala and 14 points better than John Hunter Nemechek.

2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Grant Enfinger is the defending race winner, while 2017 Playoffs contenders Christopher Bell (sixth) and Johnny Sauter (seventh) both finished inside the top-ten.

Entering the race, the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 4 Toyota leads ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota by 51 points in the owner standings.

2017 NASCAR Playoffs Leaderboard Update

Following the second Camping World Truck Series Playoffs race in the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, below is an updated Playoffs leaderboard heading into the elimination race at Talladega Superspeedway:

Playoff Bubble Drivers at Talladega

As the 2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoff field gears for its first elimination race of the post-season at Talladega Superspeedway, below is an outlook of how the bubble drivers have performed this season and at the superspeedway, if they’ve registered a start: 

Chase Briscoe: The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender and Brad Keselowski Racing driver now sits ten points above the cutoff line. Briscoe has been on a tear all season – finishing top-25 or better in every race this year. He’s coming off a third-place finish at Las Vegas and has never made a Camping World Truck Series start at Talladega. 

Austin Cindric: Also a Brad Keselowski Racing driver and a Sunoco Rookie, Austin Cindric sits eight points above the cutoff line heading into Talladega. Cindric has been stout during his Playoffs run as he has finishes of eighth (New Hampshire) and fourth (Las Vegas). He has one career Camping World Truck Series start at Talladega – he finished 20th in this race a year ago in the No. 2 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford. 

Kaz Grala: Having a strong Sunoco Rookie season for GMS Racing, Kaz Grala sits eight points below the Round of 8 Playoffs bubble. Grala has finished top-ten or better in four consecutive races and will need a strong finish, plus some help, to stay in the 2017 Playoffs. Grala will be making his first career Camping World Truck Series start at Talladega this weekend. 

John Hunter Nemechek: Due to mechanical trouble in the opening race of the Round of 8, John Hunter Nemechek is 14 points below the cutoff line heading into Talladega. He will need some help to get in the Round of 6 on points if he doesn’t win the race. Nemechek has two career Camping World Truck Series starts at Talladega. He finished 32nd there last year due to an engine issue and 11th there in 2015.

Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Clinch Scenarios at Talladega

  • Matt Crafton (0 Wins, 2101 Points): can clinch this weekend on points with 37 points and a new winner.  If there is a repeat winner, he would clinch on points with 29 points.  He can also clinch with a win this weekend.
  • Johnny Sauter (0 Wins, 2098 Points): can clinch this weekend on points with 40 points and a new winner.  If there is a repeat winner, he would clinch on points with 32 Points. He can also clinch with a win this weekend.
  • Chase Briscoe (0 Wins, 2084 Points): can clinch this weekend on points with 54 Points and a new winner.  If there is a repeat winner, he would clinch on points with 46 Points. He can also clinch with a win this weekend.
  • Austin Cindric (0 Wins, 2082 Points): can clinch this weekend on points with 55 Points and a new winner.  If there is a repeat winner, they would clinch on points with 48 Points.  He can also clinch with a win this weekend.
  • Kaz Grala (0 Wins, 2074 Points): He can clinch with a win this weekend and could clinch on points with help.
  • John H Nemechek (0 Wins, 2068 Points): He can clinch with a win this weekend and could clinch on points with help. 

Camping World Truck Series Playoffs by Round

The 2017 Camping World Truck Series Playoffs concludes the Round of 8 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway with the Fred’s 250 on Saturday.

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

ROUND OF 8

Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola 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) 

Sauter Looking for Another Dega Win

Reigning Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter is looking to make his mark in the last race of the Round 8. Sauter was victorious at Talladega in 2013 and finished seventh there in back-to-back seasons (2016 and 2015).

Sauter had a rough night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his last race out but still managed to finish tenth. He finished ninth in the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs opening race at New Hampshire.

Sauter now sits fourth in the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs point standings and remains a threat to win anywhere or any week. 

Talladega Superspeedway Quick Facts

As the Camping World Truck Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the Fred’s 250 on Saturday, below are some series quick facts at the 2.66-mile track:

  • Races: 11
  • Pole Winners: 11
  • Youngest Pole Winner: Cole Custer (10/22/2016 – 18 years, 8 months, 29 days)
  • Oldest Pole Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr. (10/30/2010 – 52 years, 4 months, 10 days)
  • Race Winners: Eight
  • Youngest Winner: Parker Kilgerman (10/06/2012 – 22 years, 1 months, 28 days)
  • Oldest Winner: Mike Wallace (10/22/2011 – 52 years, 7 months, 12 days)
  • Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Three
  • Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Timothy Peters (10/24/2015)
  • Race Record: Todd Bodine 145.513 mph (10/04/2008)
  • Qualifying Record: Tyler Reddick (186.827 mph (10/18/2014)

First Timers at Talladega

There are six Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders making their track debut at Talladega Superspeedway in Saturday’s Fred’s 250. They include Chase Briscoe, Wendell Chavous, Stewart Friesen, Noah Gragson Kaz Grala and Justin Haley.

Cody Coughlin, Austin Cindric, and Grant Enfinger are the three Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie contenders who have made career starts before at Talladega Superspeedway.

In 11 Camping World Truck Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Grant Enfinger (10/22/2016) and current NBC NASCAR analyst Parker Kligerman (10/06/2012) are the only two drivers to win their first series race at Talladega.

Current XFINITY Series driver Tyler Reddick (10/18/2014) is the only driver to win his first career Camping World Truck Series pole at Talladega.

Also Noteworthy…

From the Booth to the Truck: Two current NASCAR broadcasters in Parker Kligerman (NBC Sports) and Regan Smith (FOX Sports) will be racing in the Camping World Truck Series this weekend at Talladega. Kligerman won at Talladega in 2012 – becoming the youngest winner at Talladega in series history. Smith has one career Camping World Truck Series start at Talladega and finished ninth there in 2007.

Camping World Truck Series Owner Standings Update: Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4 Toyota Tundra leads ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota by 51 points in the Camping World Truck Series owner standings after 18 races this season. GMS Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Silverado (-54), Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 19 Ford F-150 (-71) and GMS Racing’s No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado (-78) round out the top-five.

Camping World Truck Series Manufacturer Standings Update: Through 18 Camping World Truck Series races this season, Toyota leads Chevrolet by 33 points in the manufacturer standings, 673-640. Ford occupies third place with 570 points.