NCWTS Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Chevrolet Silverado 250 Preview

After a week off following the race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Sunday, September 3. This year’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 will be the fifth race for the NCWTS at the high speed, 10-corner circuit near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the final road course of the NCWTS season and the next to last race before the playoffs.

In the previous four races held at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, there have been no repeat winners. There has also been no winner over 20 years old, with the oldest being Ryan Blaney at 20 years 5 months in 2014. Other previous winners are John Hunter Nemechek (2016), Erik Jones (2015) and the youngest winner at 17 years 9 months, Chase Elliott (2013). Nemechek is the only previous winner entered in the 2017 race. The qualifying record is 111.808 mph set by last year’s runner-up finisher Cole Custer. None of the previous four races have been won from the pole position. The race record is 95.514 mph by Ryan Blaney in 2014.

There are three drivers that will be pulling double duty at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park this weekend. Gary Klutt, D.J. Kennington and Jason Hathaway will all drive in the NCWTS Chevrolet Silverado 250 and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series Total Quartz 200. All three drivers have won here before in the NASCAR Pinty’s series. Todd Gilliland will be pulling a double of his own. Gilliland will be racing the No. 51 KBM Toyota Tundra at CTMP and will shuttle back to Virginia after Saturday qualifying for a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East night time event at Langley Speedway where he will attempt to retain his slim championship points lead over Harrison Burton. Gilliland holds a razor-thin margin of four points over his sometimes KBM teammate with three events to go. First time racers in the Chevrolet Silverado 250 will include championship contender Chase Briscoe, championship hopefuls Noah Gragson and Grant Enfinger, and series regulars Wendell Chavous, Cody Coughlin and Stewart Friesen.

The points battle took a somewhat dramatic turn after the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Ben Rhodes, with his fifth place finish, jumped him over Ryan Truex into seventh place in the season standings and a seventeen point cushion over the No. 16 truck. Truex meanwhile, has fallen to within nine points of Grant Enfinger, who is now mounting a very serious challenge for the eighth and final playoff spot with only two races remaining before the cut. Noah Gragson (-34) and Austin Cindric (-55) also find themselves fighting for a spot in the playoffs, but they will need some help to leapfrog into the top 8 before the checked flag falls at Chicagoland Speedway on September fifteenth. Of course, a race win by any of these contenders, or by someone currently outside of points contention, could turn the entire playoff picture on it’s head.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races Sunday, September 3, in the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (FS1, 2:30pm ET)

Shane Burton
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