NCWTS: DC Solar 350K Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race Preview

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series goes west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the DC Solar 350K. The race at the 1.5-mile oval serves as the 18th stop on the series tour in 2016 and the second stop in the Camping World Truck Series Chase. John Wes Townley, who will pilot the No. 05 Jive Communications / Zaxby’s Chevrolet, enters as the defending race winner.

There are 32 drivers on the weekend preliminary entry list. Some of these include Jenifer Jo Cobb, Tyler Young, Matt Tifft, Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger, Tommy Joe Martins, Wayne Edwards, Cody Coughlin, Norm Benning, Carlos Contreras, Timothy Viens and Parker Kligerman. No drivers will go home at the moment as there are 32 on the preliminary entry list.

William Byron captured his sixth win of the Camping World Truck Series season last weekend at Loudon. Byron, a native of North Carolina, will advance into the next round of the Chase with the victory last weekend.

“Not really, we already know what we are going to run,” said Byron when asked if the team will experiment with things this weekend in a team release. “We just might do a thing, or two different than normal since we’re always trying to learn a little bit. At this point in the year we’re just trying to refine everything we already have. Now we just go out there and enjoy a little less pressure and try to go win again.”

The favorite to win the championship holds six victories, nine top five and 11 top 10 finishes in 2016. Byron earned his first career Camping World Truck Series pole last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Parker Kligerman will rejoin the Camping World Truck Series fold this weekend. Kligerman will make his first start in the series since Bristol Motor Speedway in August where he finished 20th.

“I know it’s cliche to say I’m excited, but I truly am,” said Kligerman. “Everyone on the 92 team has worked really hard over the last couple months to build a brand new truck and to make our whole program more competitive. So as we head to a very fast 1.5-mile Vegas track, I am looking forward to getting on track and having a lucky night in Vegas!

The 25-year old goes into Las Vegas Motor Speedway with one top five and three top 10 finishes through 10 starts. The part-time racer started the year off hot as he sat one through three in points in the first three races of 2016.

Christopher Bell brought home the second-place finish at Loudon last weekend. Bell enters Las Vegas looking to capture his second win of the year to advance into the next round of the playoffs.

“As we approach the final stretch of the season we are going to tracks that I raced at last year and it’s going to be very beneficial to me to already have experience at these tracks as I try to advance in the Chase,” said Bell in a release. “We had a really fast Tundra last year at Las Vegas and were running in the top five when we took a gamble on fuel and came up just a little short. Since that race, I’ve raced a lot more mile-and-a-half tracks and have a lot more confidence so I’m really looking forward to Saturday’s race. The mile-and-a-half tracks seem to suit my driving style because you can move around to try and find speed and pass people like you do when you’re racing on dirt.”

Bell will enter Las Vegas with one victory, eight top five and 12 top 10 finishes through 17 races in 2016. The 21-year old driver left the 1.5-mile track last season with a 14th place finish.

You can catch the DC Solar 350K on FOX Sports 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM Channel 90 will carry the live radio broadcast.

Brett Winningham
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