The Great Clips 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is race No. 2 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The 130-lap race is part of a Saturday double header that will also include the XFINITY Series. A total of 35 drivers are currently scheduled to qualify and run on the 1.54-mile Georgia track.
After winning in Daytona last week Johnny Sauter comes into Atlanta leading the Chase standings for the truck series. The No. 21 GMS Racing driver has a previous record of two top-10 finishes at the Georgia track.
“I’ve had some decent runs at Atlanta, but nothing that I’ve ever really felt great about,” Sauter said in a team press release earlier this week. “After Grant (Emfinger’s) test there, we left feeling pretty optimistic about what we have for a package.”
Matt Crafton is a master of the 1.5 mile ovals. He is the defending race winner at Atlanta having led 85 of 130 laps in the 2015 event. He also won in Kansas last year, also a 1.5-mile course. The driver of the No. 88 Menards Toyota is currently ranked 9th in the NCWTS points standings.
Ones To Watch
- John Hunter Nemechek became the youngest driver in the NCWTS to win a race when he scored his first victory at Chicago in September of 2015.
- A runner-up at Daytona, Ryan Truex hopes to continue the momentum. He enters the weekend ranked 2nd in the truck series driver standings. The No. 81 Toyota is sponsored by Aisin.
- Atlanta is a ‘home game’ for the No. 05 Chevrolet of John Wes Townley. Hailing from Watkinsville, Ga., the 26-year-old has proven to be successful on intermediate tracks, winning the Vegas race back in October of last year. Townley, last week’s ARCA race winner at Daytona, will have ESPFANCLUB.org on the hood.
- Daniel Suarez is scheduled to run double duty in both trucks and Xfinity for Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports, running a total of 293 laps. His truck entry will be the No. 51 ARRIS Toyota. Suarez finished fourth at Atlanta in the truck series a year ago.
Coverage for the Great Clips 200 is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM ET. The race can be seen and heard on FS1, PRN and Sirius XM Channel 90.
I didn’t decide I wanted to pursue a career in NASCAR until the summer of 2012. I’m not a wrench head or strong enough for a pit crew so media was the next best thing. At the beginning of 2013, I started going to races and making connections within the sport. I also studied Motorsports Management at Sports Management Worldwide. Although I love what happens on the track, I’ve always been interested in what goes on behind the scenes and I’ve gotten to know many people throughout the radio, TV and digital media world.
While I’m a long time writer, 2015 was my first year actually covering the sport with www.nascarfemale.com . I also became a media correspondent for Raceline. I’ve been able to help the TV show gain recognition on social media. My current goal is to acquire more experience in covering NASCAR and move up the media ladder. Outside of motorsports, I have been an equine-sports statistician for 16 years.
I currently reside in Gillette, WY where I’m still involved with horses. I enjoy riding them, rodeo, swimming, traveling and meeting people.
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