LAS VEGAS — Recap by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Robert Laberge/Getty Images photo —
After 86 prior NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts that saw crashed trucks, mechanical issues and various unsundry issues hamper numerous promising attempts, John Wes Townley finally got his moment in the spotlight Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Townley led a total of 23 laps on the night, but it was the final five — after he passed two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton, who did not have enough fuel to make it to the checkered flag — that mattered most as the Watkinsville, Ga. driver coasted home to notch his first career NCWTS victory in upset fashion.
Crafton had the dominant truck all night, leading 69 of the 146 laps in the Rhino Linings 350, but Townley had the fuel mileage and the speed (as one of the top five trucks all night long) to go the distance, rolling the dice successfully in Sin City.
“I would have run myself out of gas if it wasn’t for (spotter) Terry (Cook),” Townley said in victory lane. “These guys did an awesome job with this thing. I’ve got to thank Zaxby’s, they’ve stuck with me all the way. Have to give a nod to the Hendrick power too, it’s just been awesome this year.”
Townley proved early on, to both himself and those watching, that he was going to be a contender — hanging with polesitter and early race leader Crafton on the outside before settling into second for the first run of the race.
“I would say honestly, within the first five laps I knew we were going to have a shot. That is the first time, well not the first time, but one of the only times this year I’ve had that much security on the outside. Just being able to hang with those guys, really gave me some confidence. We just stayed up there all day and I took care of this thing and it took care of me.”
Timothy Peters, Ben Kennedy, John Hunter Nemechek and Brandon Jones rounded out the top five on a night where nothing was as it seemed and multiple twists shuffled both the final rundown and the championship standings as the night went on.
The big story in the early stages of the race was Erik Jones, who dropped to the rear before the green flag for an engine change aboard his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Jones qualified 15th and ultimately started 31st, but passed 15 trucks in the first five laps and was running 16th at lap 14 when the first caution of the race flew for a violent crash involving Brad Keselowski Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Theriault.
Reddick’s truck stepped sideways in turn four and the championship contending driver chased it down the track on corner exit in an attempt to save it, but impacted the right side of Theriault’s machine and sent it sideways, where it ultimately pounded the concrete frontstretch wall at a near-90 degree angle, just feet after the SAFER Barrier ended.
Theriault was assisted from the truck, awake and alert, but went to the ground moments later and was taken to the trackside ambulance on a backboard. The 21-year-old young gun from Maine was later airlifted to University Medical Center for further observation.
Just before that incident, Townley had shot through a gap between the lapped truck of Akinori Ogata and race leader Crafton to assume the top spot, and would utilize a no tire call on pit road to maintain track position and lead for just the second time in his Truck Series career and first on an intermediate-style race track. On the other end of the spectrum, Crafton took four tires and dropped through the pack, sitting 12th following the first round of pit stops.
When the race finally resumed at lap 26, Townley and rookie Cameron Hayley battled side-by-side for two straight laps before the Georgia native reassumed control of the race on older tires. The advantage would not last for long though, as Crafton’s teammate Johnny Sauter picked his way through traffic and to the lead on lap 31.
Crafton’s charge back to the front would stall at sixth when the second caution of the night flew on lap 37 for potential fluid on the track, but he would use the same no-tire call that Townley did on the previous round of stops to restart second alongside Timothy Peters for the next restart five circuits after.
A three-wide gaggle on the restart shuffled Crafton back to sixth as Peters took off, but the third caution of the night would come out at lap 48 when John Hunter Nemechek got loose on the bottom entering turn one and came up into Sauter, spinning both trucks and causing damage to the back end of Sauter’s truck — all happening while the duo was battling for the second spot on-track.
On the ensuing restart, Crafton bolted from third to the lead, but was dogged by his Canadian teammate Cameron Hayley for 16 laps before Hayley powered to the point on lap 69 to assume the lead in the race’s ninth lead change. The young standout and 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Most Popular Driver would bolt away from the field through the middle stint of the race, opening up a 2.3-second lead by the lap 80 benchmark and not giving up the lead until his final pit stop at lap 92.
That pit stop would prove disastrous though, as Hayley overshot his pit stall and gave up valuable seconds on track — also giving up the lead to Sauter on lap 93, who made an incredible rebound from his crash 45 laps prior.
Sauter would not make his final pit stop until lap 99, handing the lead to another driver making an impressive rebound in Reddick. The California young gun would pick up a bonus point for leading laps 99 and 100, but when he came to pit road to conclude the cycle of pit stops, Crafton would be the beneficiary and pick off the lead — a position he thought he would not have to relinquish again.
However, the fuel tank of his truck had other ideas. Crew chief Junior Joiner called down to Crafton with 15 laps to go that he would need a splash of fuel, and the reigning champion ducked to the pit road coming to four laps to go.
Crafton ultimately finished eighth, sandwiched in between title rivals Reddick (seventh) and Jones (ninth) to keep the top three within 16 points heading to Talladega Speedway in two weeks’ time.
“The night was alright,” Crafton said with a smile. “We had a lot of speed. The track didn’t quite free up as much as we thought it was going to, but on the third run we made a big swing at [the truck] and it got a lot better. I was happy with it there at the end, and when I went to saving fuel Junior told me, ‘You’re not going to be able to save that much fuel.’ At that point I just took off to see what I could do, and then we didn’t get enough fuel in it [on our gas and go stop] and ran it out in turn one coming to the checkered (laughs).”
“All in all, not a bad day. It could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse too.”
Jones and Reddick each capped their nights with solid rallies, with Jones’ effort proving the speed in his backup TRD motor and Reddick’s run coming despite the crash damage he sustained in his shunt with Theriault.
“We had a lot of ups and downs,” Jones said of his night. “We had to start at the back after putting the new motor in and it really woke our Tundra up. I was saving and saving trying to get to the end, and when I saw the 17 (Timothy Peters) coming I decided it was time to go coming to the white. I tried to hustle it hoping it would make it, and it came up about a lap short. We did all we could do today to get a decent finish out of it, and I think keeping our points lead where we did is probably the best possible outcome for us after the way our day started.”
While Reddick did not comment on the early-race crash, he did give props to his Brad Keselowski Racing crew for rallying together to salvage a top 10 effort and close the points gap slightly after a trying evening.
“I’d rather not say all of the emotions I went through tonight,” Reddick laughed. “Our truck was really good, even after we about ripped the body off and tore up two really good trucks. All the props to my crew. They never gave up, got us back out there and we came home with a seventh place finish — ahead of the guys ahead of us in points. After all that, to finish like we did, it’s a blessing.”
“Hats off to my crew. They did their job, I didn’t do mine. The last few weeks have been shaky on my part, but thankfully, when I finally get it figured out, we’re gonna be coming.”
RESULTS: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; Rhino Linings 350; Las Vegas Motor Speedway; October 3, 2015
- John Wes Townley
- Timothy Peters
- Ben Kennedy
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Brandon Jones
- Daniel Hemric
- Tyler Reddick
- Matt Crafton
- Erik Jones
- Cameron Hayley
- Brennan Poole
- Johnny Sauter
- Ray Black Jr.
- Christopher Bell
- Spencer Gallagher
- Travis Pastrana
- Tyler Young
- Travis Kvapil
- Matt Tifft
- Mason Mingus
- Jennifer Jo Cobb
- Jordan Anderson
- Akinori Ogata
- Wayne Edwards
- Chad Boat
- Norm Benning
- Korbin Forrister
- B.J. McLeod
- Justin Jennings
- Caleb Roark
- Austin Theriault
- Tyler Tanner
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.
The 21-year-old 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
Follow Race Chaser Online: @RaceChaserNews
