Thanks, but no thanks

Of all the championship contenders, Matt Crafton is in the most enviable position. With a 46-point lead over second-place Ty Dillon, Crafton can wrap up the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title simply by taking the green flag on Sunday.

If Crafton is a no-show, however, Dillon can win the championship by winning Friday’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead.

Team owner Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather, didn’t realize there was even a glimmer of hope for Dillon until he spoke to Crafton after Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix.

“I was talking to Richard Childress after the race on Saturday, and he thought that I’d wrapped it up,” Crafton said. “I said, ‘No, actually I don’t. I still have to show up and start it, if Ty won.’

“And he jokingly said, ‘You want to go hunting?'”