After a much welcomed two-week break from competition, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
While Saturday afternoon’s fred’s 250 at Talladega serves as an elimination race in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, an expected healthy entry list for the race will see a number of new and even some returning faces enter the scene and look to spoil the party.
With Tyler Reddick winning the series’ most recent race in Las Vegas, his Brad Keselowski Racing teammate Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek face elimination this week – unless either driver scores a win.
For Nemechek, it would the biggest victory of his career, while a memorable first career triumph for Hemric who’ll leave trucks at the end of the season for a new XFINITY Series career at Richard Childress Racing.
William Byron, the sensational rookie for Kyle Busch Motorsports is the only driver of the current eight Chasers that is completely safe after winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month for his sixth win of the year.
Here’s a look at some of the close to 40 entries you may be surprised to see this weekend at Talladega:
• 02 Dylan Lupton: The NASCAR Next alumnus will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on Saturday afternoon driving for Young’s Motorsports. Lupton, a native of Wilton, Calif. is utilizing the truck series race to earn his full NASCAR license across all three of NASCAR’s top divisions. The Wilton, Calif. native will pilot the same truck team owner Tyler Young finished sixth with at Daytona in February.
• 07 Cody Ware: Accomplished road racer Cody Ware earned a shot to compete at Talladega Superspeedway for SS Green Light Racing after a solid showing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in September. For Ware, the 20-year-old looks to make his fifth truck start of his career and second at Talladega. In his debut last October, the son of XFINITY Series team owner Rick Ware suffered overheating issues and finished 27th.
• 2 Austin Cindric: Fresh off a second-place finish in the ARCA Racing Series finale at Kansas Speedway, Cindric returns to Brad Keselowski Racing for his final planned truck start of the season. Surprising to some that Cindric is approved to compete at Talladega despite minimal experience on the tour mainly on the short tracks, Cindric will drive a third entry for Brad Keselowski Racing for only the fourth time in 2016.
• 5 Korbin Forrister: After missing the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona with another team, Forrister will look to make his first start of the year in the No. 5 Toyota for Wauters Motorsports. Known for bringing top notch equipment to the track, Forrister has an unbelievable opportunity to shine at Talladega with truck owner Richie Wauters. Forrister no doubt needs to have a successful weekend at Talladega, especially after failing to qualify at Daytona, Atlanta and Eldora.
• 10 Clay Greenfield: In a partnership with Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Greenfield will look to make his first start of the season after missing the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in February. The Tennessee native looks to make his fifth start at Talladega and improve on his 13th place effort in 2013.
• 30 Terry Jones: After mounting three back-to-back top-five finishes to close out the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season, Rette Jones Racing returns to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the first time in a year with Canadian driver and co-owner Terry Jones at the wheel. The team raced at Chevrolet last year, but converted that truck to a Ford for Saturday’s event with former ARCA champion Mark Rette expected to crew chief for what Jones hopes will be his sixth career start. < strong>Editor’s Note: Rette Jones Racing announced that Jones will withdraw from Saturday’s fred’s 250 after sustaining a minor injury on a work job site in Canada. Team plans to debut new truck in February 2017 at Daytona International Speedway.
• 36 Bobby Gerhart: Although the expected truck number could change, ARCA veteran Bobby Gerhart returns to the Truck Series looking to make his second start of the year. Gerhart, the Lebanon, Pennsylvania native qualified 25th and finished 12th earlier this year at Daytona in a truck once driven by Bryan Silas. A former winner at Talladega in ARCA competition, Gerhart enjoys racing at the restrictor-plate tracks because he’s good at it. And that is a reason you can never count him out.
• 49 Reed Sorenson: After missing the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway with another team, Sorenson is expected to maintain his partial Truck Series presence with Premium Motorsports. Looking to make just his fourth truck start ever, the Peachtree, Georgia native looks to better his season-best 18th place run at Pocono in August.
• 63 Ryan Ellis: Traditionally, Ryan Ellis is paired with FDNY Racing team for the restrictor plate tracks, but with the all-volunteer crew focused on their upcoming race at Martinsville Speedway and 2017, Ellis is expected to pair with MB Motorsports for Saturday’s race. Ellis hopes to make his second truck start at Talladega and better his 23rd place run in 2014.
• 71 Brandon Hightower: The Natchitoches, La. native hopes to make his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in almost a year on the heels of five XFINITY Series finishes this year driving for MBM Motorsports. Hightower, 18, will drive the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado for Contreras Motorsports with support from SS Green Light Racing. Saturday’s race will be a big test for the rookie who has been criticized this year for some of his on-track maneuvers.
• 75 Parker Kligerman: In a number traditionally driven by Caleb Holman, Parker Kligerman returns to trucks this weekend at Talladega in the No. 75 Toyota for Henderson Motorsports. It marks the return of the part-time team to a superspeedway since the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in 2014. Oh, did I mention that the current NBC analyst is a former winner at Talladega pulling off a win in 2012 driving for Red Horse Racing.
• 78 Chris Fontaine: When a restrictor plate track rolls around you know Chris Fontaine will be there. Having a niche for restrictor plate racing, Fontaine has found himself in contention for strong finishes and aims for his third straight top-10 run at Talladega. In 54 truck series starts, Fontaine has a best finish of seventh, twice at Daytona (2012) and Talladega (2014).
• 81 Ryan Truex: Nearly pulling off an upset win in the season-opener at Daytona has obviously been the highlight of the year for Truex and his Hattori Racing Enterprises team and they’ll get another shot to put the No. 81 Toyota in Victory Lane Saturday afternoon. Truex, one of the popular drivers on the tour despite not running a full schedule is looking for his first top-10 finish since Dover in May.
• 86 Brandon Brown: Expected to be his final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race of the season at Talladega, Brown and his family-owned team have turned their concentration to the NASCAR XFINITY Series, but with a stout top-five finish at Daytona, the team returns to trucks hoping the magic can rekindle again.
Whether you’re a Truck Series Chaser trying to make it to the Round of 6 starting next weekend at Martinsville or a part-time driver or team looking to make your mark in one of the most anticipated races of the year – Saturday’s fred’s 250 is bound to filled with high speed drama and that’s exactly what NASCAR Nation expects.
After all, this is Talladega.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
