As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Pocono Raceway this week for the CRC Brakleen 150 on Saturday, Derek Kraus returns to another of the tracks where he experienced success as a rookie last year.
The 19-year-old driver of the No. 19 Hunter Nation Toyota Tundra notched a top-10 finish and was the top finishing rookie in the 40-truck field a year ago at the 2.5-mile track, known as The Tricky Triangle.
His MHR crew made a strategic call to bring him to the pits early during the second stage, which put him up front for the restart in the final segment of the race. His 10th-place finish kept him in the mix as he battled for a playoff spot last season. It was one of 13 top-10 finishes Kraus had in 23 races last year.
The Camping World Truck Series returns to Pocono this year as part of a big weekend of NASCAR competition. It features a doubleheader for the NASCAR Cup Series – with a race on Saturday, paired with the truck race; and another on Sunday, paired with a NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
Pocono marks the third consecutive weekend of racing for the Camping World Truck Series. Kraus had 35th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway on Friday; after winning his first career series pole award in qualifying, leading the first 48 laps and winning Stage 1. The weekend before at Texas Motor Speedway, he finished 13th.
Derek Kraus – About this week
What are your thoughts in preparing for Pocono?
“Pocono is one of the most challenging tracks on the schedule, with three very different turns. It’s easy to have a bad day if you don’t stay focused. We plan to put our Tundra up front and stay out of trouble.”
BMR PR
