BRISTOL, Tenn. – Based on statistics alone, competition should be fierce when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series begins competition in the Round of 8 of its Playoff with Thursday night’s UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics (9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Last Friday’s winner at Kansas Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek, has recorded four third-place finishes in seven Truck Series starts at Bristol.
Grant Enfinger, winner of the Round of 10 Playoff opener at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, has finished in the top 10 in each of his five starts at the .533-mile high-banked short track. In his last race there (2021), Enfinger was the runner-up.
Then there’s Chandler Smith, who exhibited an immediate affinity for the high-speed venue. A winner at Richmond in the Round of 10, Smith boasts top-five results in each of his three Bristol races.
And by the way, he’s the defending winner of Thursday night’s race.
“It definitely helps having a good notebook and knowing what works good there,” Smith said. “Not only did I win last year, but in 2019 I nearly won. So, it’s a track I’m really comfortable with and looking forward to hopefully starting off the first race in the Round of 8 on a strong note.
“(That’s) extremely important, especially with having Talladega as the middle race of the round. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to make it to (the Championship 4 race at) Phoenix, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes.”
Source: Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service
