NCWTS: Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 Preview

After a weekend off, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action at Kentucky Speedway for the seventh annual Buckle Up In Your Truck 225. Stage lengths will be 35-35-80 laps.

34 drivers are slated to compete on Thursday night at Kentucky Speedway. Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, JJ Yeley, and Brandon Jones are the only non-Truck series drivers competing in the event.

Teams had two practice sessions on Wednesday afternoon at Kentucky Speedway. In the first session, Grant Enfinger was fastest at 182.020 mph, Ky. Busch, B. Jones, Noah Gragson, and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top-five. In the second and final practice session, Ky. Busch was fastest at 180.886 mph, Christopher Bell, Kaz Grala, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter rounded out the top-five. Chase Briscoe will be in a backup truck during the race after smacking the wall in the final session.

There have been 19 races at Kentucky Speedway for the Truck Series. 16 of those 19 races have had different pole winners. There have only been 15 different race winners. Only three races have been won from the pole with Matt Crafton being the last driver to do so in 2015. Mike Bliss set the race record in 2002 at 143.515 mph. In 2016, Daniel Suarez set the qualifying record at 192.983 mph.

Drivers are excited about the return to Kentucky Speedway.

“I feel really good about where the No. 21 is at this point in the season and think that will carry over into Kentucky. It’s a track that has really been an all-or-nothing type of place for me, but we were able to kind of turn that around last year and pull out a top-five thanks to some good pit strategy earlier in the race. We’ve got the same truck that we ran at Kentucky last season and it’s done well for us this year, so I’ll just do my part and hopefully we’ll come out with another win on the other side,” said Johnny Sauter.

“I always look forward to getting back to the race track,” said TJ Bell.  “We are still working hard every day at the shop to get our trucks better and better.  I feel confident that we will have a strong Truck for this week’s race at Kentucky Speedway.  I’ve made several starts at this track, so it’s some place I am familiar with, but I’m interested to get on track in this Truck since the repave.  If we can keep our truck clean, we should have a chance at a solid finish.”

“We had a really good truck there last year and probably had a good shot of taking home a win, but we got caught up in a wreck that kept us from winning. I’m really looking forward to coming back to Kentucky with Banfield on board with us this weekend,” said Ky. Busch. “They’ve been with us on the Cup side at JGR, but this is the first time we get to welcome them to KBM. As far as running the triple, it always seems like a better idea when you plan it in the beginning of the year but, getting into the weekend, it’s usually hot there and it’s a lot of racing. Still, I’m up for the challenge of racing and learning what we can for the weekend, but also trying to win all three. I would like nothing more than to get Banfield its first win in its first race with KBM.”

Teams will qualify at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Fox Sports 1. The race will begin on Fox Sports 1 and Motor Racing Network at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Caleb Whisler
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