NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Rackley Roofing 200
The Place: Nashville Superspeedway
The Date: Friday, June 18
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 199.5 miles (150 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 150)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Camping World Trucks head back to Music City, U.S.A.
For the first time in almost a decade the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to Music City, U.S.A. for the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway this Friday, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Nashville Superspeedway is a 1.33-mile, D-shaped, all concrete oval located just outside Nashville, Tennessee. The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway was on August 10, 2001, and the race was won by Scott Riggs driving a Dodge for team owner Jim Smith. Riggs dominated the event leading 131 of the 150 laps (87.3%). In total, Nashville Superspeedway has hosted the Camping World Truck Series 13 times producing 10 different pole winners and 11 different race winners from 2001 to 2011. ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton is the only series driver to make starts in all 13 previous Truck races at Nashville.
At 5:05 p.m. ET on Friday, June 18 Cometic Gaskets Pole Qualifying will be held at Nashville Superspeedway to determine the starting lineup for the Rackley Roofing 200. Nashville has produced 10 different Truck Series pole winners all-time, led by Mike Skinner (2005, 2007), Kyle Busch (2010, 2011), and Todd Bodine (2008, 2010) with two poles each.
Johnny Benson (2006, 2008) and Kyle Busch (2010, 2011) lead the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins at Nashville Superspeedway with two victories each. The fans are guaranteed to see a new Truck winner at Nashville this weekend, as none of the former winners are entered in the event.
John Hunter Nemechek is after his third straight win this weekend
Like a shooting star, Kyle Busch Motorsports’ driver John Hunter Nemechek has shot across the wins column in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season. In 11 races Nemechek has scored a series leading four victories this season; including the last two and now in Friday night’s Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway he looks to become just the eighth different driver in series history to win three consecutive races; joining Ron Hornaday Jr., Kyle Busch, Johnny Benson, Greg Biffle, Todd Bodine, Kevin Harvick, and Mike Skinner.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in consecutive wins with five straight back in 2009. 11 times in the Truck Series has a driver won three or more consecutive races. Nemechek’s truck owner Kyle Busch was the most recent driver to accomplish the feat in the series in 2019 winning four straight.
Nemechek is currently atop the series driver standings with a 78 points lead over second place Ben Rhodes. The 24-year-old from Mooresville, N.C., will be making his series track debut this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
Six Pack: Only six drivers entered this weekend have competed at Nashville before
Since the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hasn’t competed at Nashville Superspeedway in nearly a decade, having experience at the 1.33-mile track is at premium. This weekend of the 43 drivers entered to compete in the Rackley Roofing 200, only six have previous series experience at the concrete facility just outside Music City, U.S.A.
ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton has the most experience of any Camping World Truck Series driver at Nashville having made all 13 previous series starts at the track. In his 13 starts, he has collected one top five, seven top 10s and an average finish of 10.7.
The driver with the next most starts at Nashville is Norm Benning with six career starts at the track. Benning has put up an average finish of 27.6 in his six starts and has posted a best finish of 22nd twice, most recently 2010.
Next in line in terms of Nashville experience is Crafton’s ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, who has made five series starts at the 1.33-mile track posting two top fives, four top 10s and a series leading average finish of 6.2. In his last start at Nashville (2011), he finished runner-up to Austin Dillon.
Jennifer Jo Cobb has the next most series starts at Nashville among active drivers with three. In Cobb’s three starts she posted a best finish of 19th in 2010. Her average finish at the track is 22.1. Tina Gordon holds the series record for best finish by a female competitor at Nashville with a 13th-place finish in 2003.
Parker Kligerman has also made two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Nashville posting one top five and two top 10s. His average finish at 1.33-mile track is 7.5.
Lastly, Clay Greenfield has made two series starts at Nashville posting a best finish of 23rd in 2010.
Playoffs are approaching and points are tight along the postseason cutoff
Just four races left in the regular season for drivers to lock themselves into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs, including this weekend’s Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Four drivers have secured spots in the postseason on wins – John Hunter Nemechek (four wins), Ben Rhodes (two wins), Todd Gilliland (one win) and 2020 series champion Sheldon Creed (one win). That leaves six spots still up for grabs by virtue of a win or on points.
Kyle Busch Motorsport’s rookie driver Chandler Smith is currently 10th in the Truck Series Playoff outlook – the final postseason transfer position – and holds an eight-point advantage over veteran ThorSport Racing driver Johnny Sauter in 11th – the first spot outside cutoff. Austin Wayne Self is in 12th only nine points back from Smith in 10th.
Of the drivers along the Playoff cutline this season, Johnny Sauter has the most experience at Nashville Superspeedway having made five starts posting two top fives and four top 10s. Self and Smith will be making their series track debuts this weekend at Nashville.
The next four race weekends to wrap up the regular season will be a challenging stretch for those drivers still looking for a spot in the Playoffs. This weekend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Nashville Superspeedway for the first time in nearly a decade. Nashville Superspeedway is a 1.33-mile, D-shaped, concrete oval. The following race is at Pocono Raceway (6/26) and that track is a one-of-kind three-turn, triangle shaped, paved 2.5-mile track. After Pocono, the series will make its debut at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, for the second dirt race of the season (Bristol Dirt, Knoxville). Knoxville Raceway is located at the Marion County Fairgrounds, 30 miles southeast of Des Moines, Iowa, and is a 0.5-mile dirt track with eight degrees of banking. Then to set the Playoff field the Trucks will battle it out at the high-speed Watkins Glen International. The famously historic, 2.45-mile, seven turn road course located just outside Watkins Glen, NY.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.
Rackley W.A.R. brings heavy hitters William Byron and Josh Berry to Nashville – For the first time in their short history, the Rackley W.A.R. organization will field two teams this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway for the Rackley Roofing 200. Rackley W.A.R. tapped two of the hottest drivers in NASCAR to field their trucks this weekend, in NASCAR Cup Series star William Byron and NASCAR Xfinity Series standout Josh Berry. Byron alongside crew chief Willie Allen will pilot the No. 27 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet Friday night and Berry with crew chief Chad Kendrick will be making his second start for the organization. Berry made his debut with the team last weekend at Texas posting the team’s first top-10 finish. Both Byron and Berry will be making their series track debuts this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
“I am excited for the opportunity to get behind-the-wheel in the Camping World Truck Series again,” Byron said. “I haven’t been in a truck for a while, so the opportunity to do so with Rackley W.A.R. allows me to get back and accustomed again. I have never raced at Nashville Superspeedway before either. While I think that the NASCAR Cup Series entries will handle differently compared to the trucks, the Rackley Roofing 200 will give me a chance to learn a few things on my end that I may not be able to try. Plus, this gives me a chance to get more acclimated to the track overall – I can learn the braking zones, pit road entrance and exit, and the overall characteristics of Nashville Superspeedway.”
Action Packed Friday for Trucks at Nashville – Nashville Superspeedway is one of six tracks this season that will host both practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. This Friday, June 18 the series is scheduled to practice at 11:05 a.m. ET to 11:55 a.m. and then qualify at 5:05 p.m. ET and race at 8 p.m. ET later that evening. All on-track activity by the Truck Series can be viewed on FS1.
Ryan Preece to make NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with Team DGR – JTG Daugherty Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece will be making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway driving the No. 17 Ford for David Gilliland Racing (Team DGR). Preece will be pulling double duty this weekend racing in both the Trucks and NASCAR Cup Series races.
Preece has made 93 NASCAR Cup Series starts in his career and 59 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts. This weekend will be his NASCAR national series debut at Nashville Speedway.
Truck Sunoco Rookie Standings Update – With the first 11 races of the 2021 season in the books, Niece Motorsport’s Carson Hocevar continues to hold on to the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by a solid 36 points over Kyle Busch Motorsport’s Chandler Smith in second. Smith rallied last weekend to grab his fifth Sunoco Rookie of the Race award of the season last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway with his fifth-place finish. His second top five and fourth top 10 of the year.
But Hocevar continues to be the man to beat in the rookie class this season. In 11 starts this year, the 18-year-old from Portage, Michigan has put up three top fives and four top 10s; including a best finish of runner-up at Charlotte Motor Speedway a few weeks ago.
Team DGR’s Hailie Deegan is sitting in third in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings 98 points back from Hocevar. Deegan has posted three top-15 finishes this season.
Toyota is screaming past the competition – Toyota drivers have won nine of the first 11 races on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2021 season; including the first seven races consecutively. Chevrolet and Ford each only have one victory this season.
Now the series heads to Nashville Superspeedway for the first time in nearly a decade, and it’s a place Toyota has relished in success as well. Toyota leads the series in wins at Nashville Superspeedway with six of the 13 races going to the Japanese automaker. The most recent Toyota winner at Nashville was Kyle Busch on April 22, 2011.
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