Matt Tifft hoped to leave a recent run of tough luck off at the border as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario for Sunday’s 64-lap event at the 2.459-mile 10-turn road course.
Tifft had improved from his 15th starting position to the 13th spot when he rubbed fenders with another competitor during a restart on lap 47 and developed a tire rub. One lap later, he blew a left front tire and ended up in the tire barriers off of Turn 3. The incident cause significant damage to the No. 51 Rally for Kids With Cancer Tundra and the team spent was forced to the garage for repairs. After repairs were completed, the Ohio native was able to return to the track, but he was scored eight laps down and ended the event with a disappointing 23rd-place finish.
“We had a good run going and we were knocking on the door and then just had contact with the 15 truck (Mason Mingus) going into turn one and it caused us to blow the left front tire going into (turn) three and that pretty much ended our day going into the barriers there,” Tifft said of his first career Truck Series start on a road course. “Had a good Rally for Kids With Cancer Tundra – just didn’t get to put it together today. Hope to come back strong in Chicago.”
Tifft made 13 laps in Saturday’s opening round of practice and was 13th fastest. He turned his fastest lap, 82.454 seconds at 107.362 mph, on his final trip around the Canadian course. He ranked 15th in the final session, turning his fastest lap, 81.171 seconds at 109.059, on his 12th and final lap of the session.
The 19-year-old driver’s fastest lap in the opening round of knockout qualifying, 81.643 seconds at 108.428 mph, was not quick enough to advance to the final round and earned him the 15th starting position for Sunday’s race.
After the green flag dropped Sunday, Tifft had improved to the 11th position when crew chief Jerry Baxter summoned him to pit road for the first time. The over-the-wall crew administered a four-tire and fuel stop and returned their driver to the track scored in the 19th position as several teams had not made their first stop yet.
The field was slowed for the first time for a stalled truck on lap16. On the ensuing restart, things got bottled up in Tifft’s lane and he ran into the back of Brandon Jones’ truck. The Rally for Kids With Cancer Tundra sustained damage to the front end, but it was minor and was able to continue on. The field was slowed for the second time for a one-truck accident on lap18.
Tifft took the lap-21 restart from the 14th position, but three laps later spun and flat spotted his tires. The team was forced to get off strategy and pit earlier than planned to get four fresh tires on the No. 51 Tundra. After completing the stop, the Ohio native returned to the track scored in the 22nd position.
Baxter called his young driver to pit road for the final set of fresh tires on lap 40. Tifft entered the pits in the 19th spot and after stops had cycled through he was scored in the 18th position. A one-truck accident slowed the field for the third time on lap 44.
Tifft reported that his Tundra was “free off,” but an adjustment to the brake bias from inside the cockpit helped cure the problem. Scored just outside the top 10 with under 20 laps remaining, the University of North Carolina Charlotte student was ready to take what he had learned through the event and turn it into a top-10 finish. Unfortunately, shortly after the restart his tough luck continued as the contact with Mingus occurred and caused the accident one lap later.
Tifft’s KBM teammate Erik Jones collected his second win of 2015 and his sixth in 32 career Truck Series starts. Matt Crafton finished 1.665 seconds behind Jones in the runner-up position. Ben Kennedy finished third, while Daniel Hemric and Alex Tagliani rounded out the top-five finishers. Gray Gaulding in KBM’s No. 54 Tundra finished 11th.
With Jones’ win, Toyota has now won at every active NCWTS track and Kyle Busch Motorsports has won at each active NCWTS track except Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The 14th race of the 2015 season featured five cautions for a total of 13 laps. There were 14 lead changes among six drivers.
With 15 of 23 races completed, the No. 51 team sits fifth in the Truck Series Owner’s championship standings, 62 points behind KBM’s No. 4 team.
Tifft will move over to the No. 54 Tundra when the Truck Series resumes action Sept. 18 at Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway and Daniel Suarez will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 Tundra. Live coverage of the American Ethanol E15 225 begins with the NCWTS Setup Show at 8 p.m. ET
KBM PR
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