FORT WORTH, Texas — Story by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images North America photo —

Ask 19-year-old Tyler Reddick if he thought his Brad Keselowski Racing team would be a threat for the season championship in 2015 at the start of the year, and he’ll emphactically tell you “Absolutely!”

But ask the young Corning, Calif. driver if he pictured that same team having two wins in the season’s first six races — at Daytona and Dover, no less — and you might get a slightly different answer.

“Did I hope for [the success we’ve had] this soon? Of course,” Reddick said last month at Charlotte of his 2015 campaign. “But I still am thankful for what we’ve done. It’s amazing, really.”

Reddick, who after his win in last week’s Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway sits only 11 points behind championship leader Matt Crafton (second in the standings), now looks to make that statement even truer as he tries to become the first three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner of the year in Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 400 (9 p.m. Eastern, FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90).

A third win would not only bring Reddick closer to dethroning the two-time defending series champion, it would also be a hallmark on a season that has already exceeded expectations in many eyes for both driver and team.

“We knew getting one win was the first step,” Reddick said following his Dover win. “The only thing we want [now] more than one win is several, and we’ve started to accomplish that. We’ve worked really hard [all season] to better our truck, and we’ve put together a great package now.”

“[As an organization], we (BKR) have won at Daytona, Martinsville and Dover. It’s been a perfect way to start the year. I haven’t really allowed myself to think about points as much though yet — I’m just focused on each individual race and knowing that if we go out and do what we’re capable of each week, the championship will really take care of itself [at that point.]”

For the California Kid, a stop in the Lone Star State could not come at a better time with his recent surge of momentum. Reddick captured the pole in last fall’s Texas truck race en route to a fourth-place result, one of three top-five finishes he claimed during his rookie campaign in 2014, and will be hoping to improve on that Friday night under the lights.

The rising star says that he took a liking to the old, worn-out surface at TMS last year, and that it will allow for a lot of multi-groove racing as the track cools throughout the race.

“You can definitely move around at Texas but you’ve got to get across the bump between turns one and two,” Reddick explained of the tricky mile-and-a-half oval. “Once you get that figured out, turns three and four are not as bad. You can move around in both corners but turn two and turn four [on exit] are really tricky and flat.”

Reddick was in contention for the win in his Texas debut last June as well, but was collected in two early race accidents — one involving fellow Truck competitor Norm Benning — that left him in a deep hole. Reddick finished 21st that day as the last truck running, but is gunning for redemption this time around.

“The Bulldog Ford F-150 was really good at Texas last June but we got caught up in a wreck early in the race that really killed our chances,” Reddick said. “Hopefully we can be up front this go-round and be able to stay out of the early chaos.”

Reddick’s veteran crew chief, Doug Randolph, is also fired up about his driver’s chances on Friday night and circles Reddick’s prior TMS experience and mental awareness at the wheel as two big checks in his corner heading into the race.

“Everyone on the Bulldog Ford F-150 team is optimistic about Texas. Tyler did a great job in the first race there last June but unfortunately got collected in [that early-race] accident that left us out of contention after that. After we made repairs Tyler was running lap times comparable to the leaders.”

“The nice thing about the older, bumpier, worn out tracks like Texas is that the tires go away and the driver has multiple grooves. If you’re smarter than the other guys and keep tires on your vehicle then you can pass, and Tyler has proven as he’s gained more experience that he’s not afraid to change things up to make his truck work as the race goes on.”

And oh, by the way? If the current points runner-up manages to hit victory lane in his 24th-career Truck start on Friday night (to give himself a one-for-eight career winning record to date), he’s also aware of a very special trophy in Victory Lane that awaits the driver lucky enough to tame Texas.

The fabled six-shooters and cowboy hat.

“Daytona is special. [The Miles the Monster trophy] is special. But there’s nothing quite like the six-shooters,” Reddick smiled.

You can keep up to date with Tyler Reddick by following him on Twitter @TylerReddick or by visiting the Brad Keselowski Racing website at www.teambkr.com.

Race seven for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the WinStar World Casino 400 from Texas Motor Speedway, takes the green flag at 9 p.m. Eastern on Friday night, with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90. The Setup rolls off at 8:30.

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 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 Must See Racing Sprint Car Series in 2015.

Email Jacob at: [email protected]

Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77