BROOKLYN, Mich. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America photo —
He’s back.
Defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton bounced back from an abysmal (by his standards) 13th-place showing in first practice to lead the final practice session for the Trucks on Friday at Michigan International Speedway.
Crafton’s best lap of 38.573 seconds (186.659 mph) was not only the fastest lap of the weekend to date for the NCWTS, it establishes Crafton as a contender for his fifth intermediate-track victory of the season during Saturday’s Careers for Veterans 200 presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).
Trailing Crafton was the rookie that impressed multiple onlookers after pacing the opening session, NTS Motorsports’ Daniel Hemric. While Hemric wasn’t able to sweep ‘Fast Friday,’ he did improve on his earlier lap time by more than two tenths of a second, posting a time of 38.666 seconds (186.210 mph) to land second overall on the final speed charts.
Cameron Hayley also dropped one position from his first practice showing, but improved almost 2 mph on his average speed during final practice after zipping around the 2-mile oval at 38.729 seconds (185.907 mph). The lap was good enough for third-fastest on the pylon at the end of the session.
Cody Coughlin (38.775/185.687) and Austin Dillon (38.775/185.687) laid down identical laps on their best runs to round out the fast five. Coughlin is making his debut series start for Kyle Busch Motorsports this weekend driving the No. 54 JEGS Toyota.
Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Johnny Sauter and Timothy Peters made up the balance of the top 10 in final practice, while title contender Erik Jones was only able to muster the 13th-fastest lap during the 85-minute session.
Qualifying for the Careers for Veterans 200 will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, live on FOX Sports 1.
RESULTS: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Final Practice; Michigan International Speedway; August 14, 2015
- Matt Crafton
- Daniel Hemric
- Cameron Hayley
- Cody Coughlin
- Austin Dillon
- Kyle Busch
- Tyler Reddick
- Ryan Blaney
- Johnny Sauter
- Timothy Peters
- John Wes Townley
- Ben Kennedy
- Erik Jones
- Mason Mingus
- Alex Bowman
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Ray Black Jr.
- Chad Finley
- Spencer Gallagher
- Tyler Young
- Garrett Smithley
- Travis Kvapil
- Jordan Anderson
- Korbin Forrister
- Caleb Roark
- Timothy Viens
- Justin Jennings
- Jennifer Jo Cobb
- Wendell Chavous
- Tyler Tanner
- Norm Benning
- Todd Peck
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s. He is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
