CHARLOTTE, N.C. – More often than not in recent years, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been won by double or triple-duty Cup Series drivers—in fact, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain found Victory Lane in three of the last four events at the track.
That won’t be the case in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (8:30 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Chastain won’t defend his victory from 2022, and other Cup regulars are notably absent, because Charlotte is hosting the first event of this year’s Triple Truck Challenge, which pays a $50,000 bonus to win one race, $150,000 to win two of the three and $500,000 to sweep the three races.
After Charlotte, the Triple Truck Challenge continues at World Wild Technology Raceway (near St. Louis) on June 3 and Nashville Superspeedway on June 23.
“In order to win the race, you’ve got to be able to run well on the bottom of the track as well as up on the top,” said Grant Enfinger, who finished second to Chastain last year. “I feel like Charlotte is probably one of the trickiest tracks on the schedule in terms of how much the weather conditions from the daytime practice to the nighttime race change the handling characteristics for us.
“It’s a really fun place when you’re dialed in, but it is easy to miss the setup there and have a long night. (Crew chief Jeff) Hensley and I have worked hard at this place, and I’m sure we will unload our Champion Power Equipment Chevy with a good package. We’re taking the same truck that we won Kansas with, so hopefully we can go out there and contend for another win with it on Friday night.”
Source: Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service
