Matt Crafton won the 18th annual WinStar World Casino & Resort 400 at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night, but in a season that has been flooded by cautions, a long green-flag run preempted, with the finishing order seeing some new, yet some welcomed fresh faces across the rundown.
While Crafton in his No. 88 Slim Jim / Menards Toyota Tundra earned his fifth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, some of his competition behind him earned some noteworthy mentions.
Many expected that Justin Lofton would fade after winning his second career pole on Friday afternoon and while he did during the early stages of the race, the NTS Motorsports team adjusted their No. 20 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet, and when push came to shove, the former ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards champion found himself with his first top-five finish since his last trip to Texas Motor Speedway last fall with Sharp Gallaher Racing. That night he finished fifth.
“We had a good truck, we were gaining on the right adjustments throughout the race,” said Lofton, whose next scheduled event for NTS Motorsports is at Iowa Speedway next month. “We hit on it at the end. The gas man did a great job packing the cell fuel and getting us to the end. I’m really proud of NTS Motorsports, they really have a good program and we’ll be in victory lane soon.”
Joe Nemechek finished third in his No. 8 smokeandsear.com Toyota Tundra earning his best finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since 1996 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. It’s been a few good weeks for the family-owned SWM-NEMCO Motorsports team. Joe’s son, John Hunter Nemechek earned a sixth-place finish last weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Nemechek’s weekend isn’t over yet though – he’ll head to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on Saturday morning to participate in final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice aboard the No. 66 Toyota Camry for Identity Ventures Racing. Fellow NASCAR driver Timmy Hill practiced and qualified his entry on Friday at the 2.5-mile triangle.
For the second time in three races, John Wes Townley posted a top-five finish for Wauters Motorsports in the No. 5 Zaxby’s Toyota Tundra. The Watkinsville, Georgia native earned just his second top-five finish of his career on the heels of a career-best fourth at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Much like Nemechek’s, Townley’s weekend is just getting started. Townley boarded a flight late Friday night from the Dallas Fort Worth area to the Pocono Mountains to participate in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race on Saturday afternoon. Former ARCA winner Brennan Poole practice and qualified Townley’s No. 15 Zaxby’s Toyota Camry on Friday, earning the second-place starting position. Townley will be forced at the start of the rear of the field for a driver change, but with a potent team like Venturini Motorsports in his corner, Townley will be a candidate for his second-career ARCA victory.
Townley sits eighth in the championship standings, just 34 points behind series leader Matt Crafton.
Stuart, Florida native Bryan Silas earned a career-best eighth place finish on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway in his No. 99 PBG / Bell Trucks America Chevrolet Silverado. Silas surpassed
his previous best finish of 11th at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park last September.
The 26-year old’s best finish came in his 66th career start and is his first top-10 finish in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition in his third full-time season on the tour. Silas was under direction of new crew chief Cal Boprey, who returned to lead the family-owned organization at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last Saturday.
Boprey, ironically, guided Silas to his first-career victory in the CARS X-1R Pro Cup Series at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway in 2011.
GMS Racing is finding their niche as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series digests into some consistency.
Driver Joey Coulter delivered back-to-back top-10 finishes for the Huntersville, North Carolina-based organization on Friday night. After a shaky start to the year, Coulter, after finishing fifth at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Friday, May 30 overcame an ill-handling No. 21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet Silverado for a ninth-place performance.
Next up for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a return trip to Gateway (Ill.) Motorsports Park for the running of the Drivin’ For Linemen 200 on Saturday night, June 14.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
