NASCAR Truck Series at Michigan 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
After a brief hiatus, the NASCAR Truck Series returns Saturday for the Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway.
It's been a wild month and change for the Series. Things got sloppy, or muddy, rather, at the 1-800 CarCash Mud Summer Classic. Then things transitioned to Pocono, where not even the Truck Series could stop Kyle Busch's dominant run.
In the process, there have been serious leaderboard shakeups, including right at the very top. With Matt Crafton gunning to regain his top spot, Saturday's event isn't one to miss as the season heats up.
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Careers for Veterans 200
Where: Michigan International Speedway
When: Saturday, August 15, 1 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox Sports 1
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Careers for Veterans 200 Weekend Schedule
| Friday, August 14 | 1:30-2:25 p.m. | Practice | FOX Sports 1 |
| Friday, August 14 | 3-4:25 p.m. | Final Practice | FOX Sports 1 ( 8.p.m. ET) |
| Saturday, August 15 | 9:40 a.m. | Qualifying | FOX Sports 1 |
| Saturday, August 15 | 1 p.m. | Careers for Veterans 200 | FOX Sports 1 |
Truck Series Standings
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 479 |
| 2 | Matt Crafton | 468 |
| 3 | Erik Jones | 463 |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter | 420 |
| 5 | Cameron Hayley | 391 |
| 6 | John Wes Townley | 387 |
| 7 | Daniel Hemric | 382 |
| 8 | Timothy Peters | 380 |
| 9 | Spencer Gallagher | 366 |
| 10 | Ben Kennedy | 362 |
Drivers to Watch
Cameron Hayley
Don't look now, but the Truck Series might have a budding superstar on its hands with 19-year-old Cameron Hayley.
Hayley sits fifth in the standings after a career-best finish in Pocono, where he came in fourth. Not bad considering Sprint Cup juggernauts such as Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, among others, were in the lineup.
For Hayley, it's been a season of firsts on tracks he's never raced. The trend continues Saturday. Dean McNulty of the Toronto Sun captured his thoughts on the matter:
"Michigan will be another first for me, but I do know it's a real fast race track. These trucks are so big, and they punch such a big hole in the air that we don't have the ability to run by ourselves, so drafting will be a huge thing for us. I think it will be a cross-breed between a normal mile-and-a-half and Daytona.
"
Hayley is hotter than ever at the moment, so it's easy to think he's capable of another strong performance regardless of whether it's his first time on the track or how many big names suit up.
Keep a close eye on Hayley, who will be gunning for his fourth straight top-10 finish in an impressive debut campaign.
Johnny Sauter
Just above the rookie in the standings is the veteran Johnny Sauter, who looks in form and ready to make a push at cracking the top three.
Sauter won this race a year ago and looks ready to do so again based on his sixth-place finish in Pocono despite starting 17th. The impressive performance broke a string of three consecutive finishes 12th or worse.
The ThorSport Racing driver spoke about how his experience one year ago will translate to Saturday, per PaddockTalk.com:
"The track is losing grip, and that's what ultimately makes people search around the race track - from the bottom to the top. It's a fast race track, and track position will probably be really important, but maybe not as important as other places, because you can move around the race track. Handling will also be at a premium on Saturday, by the end of the race.
"
Wise words from a veteran who knows how to duel with the best. It was a duel last season when Sauter won the fuel battle and held off Crafton late.
There's no denying Sauter can do the same again if his current form holds and meshes well with experience. He's one of the weekend's top candidates for another leaderboard shuffle.
Matt Crafton
Speaking of Crafton, the last month and change has just been odd.
The former Series leader took home the checkered flag in the UNOH 225, then turned around and looked solid with a top-10 finish in the 1-800 CarCash Mud Summer Classic.
Things got chippy in Pocono last time out, though, as Crafton tangled with Brad Keselowski and made an early exit after a wreck.
He wasn't too pleased after, as FoxSports.com's Jay Pennell recorded:
"The idiot hooked me in the right rear, that's all there was to it getting into Turn 3," said a frustrated Crafton. "I guess that's maybe how he wants to win a championship with that 19 truck (Reddick). He's got another thing coming. I promise you that truck won't win it. If that's how he wants to do it, we'll get it done.
"
It should go without saying that Crafton enters Michigan with a chip on his shoulder. He wants the lead back from Tyler Reddick, who races for Keselowski's garage, and the wreck at Eldora didn't help matters.
The wreck was one of two non-top 10 finishes for Crafton this year, so odds are he'll be back to form this weekend. The budding rivalry with Reddick only figures to intensify, too.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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