NASCAR Truck Series at Homestead-Miami 2014: Schedule, Standings and More
Twenty-five points. That's the distance that separates Ryan Blaney from Matt Crafton in the Camping World Truck Series. With only one race remaining, that's the distance that stands between Crafton and a second straight title, as well.
Much like the rest of the season, Crafton fell short of winning a race behind the No. 51 truck. Only this time, it was Erik Jones who dominated with 114 laps led before driving to Victory Lane.
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Blaney wasn't far behind Crafton, winding up fourth after starting 17th on the night. But even finishing slightly after the points leader means the distance grew even more, as he has a slim hope of winning it all in Homestead.
Before the final race gets underway, here's a look at the full schedule, standings and preview for the Ford Ecoboost 200.
Race Information
Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida
When: Friday, Nov. 14
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio: Motor Racing Network
| 1 | Matt Crafton | 798 | 2 | 13 | 16 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 773 | 1 | 11 | 16 |
| 3 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 752 | 3 | 8 | 13 |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter | 739 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
| 5 | Timothy Peters | 705 | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Joey Coulter | 659 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 7 | German Quiroga Jr. | 654 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 8 | Ben Kennedy | 652 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Jeb Burton | 648 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Mason Mingus | 530 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Race Preview
Unlike the Nationwide points chase, nothing is for certain right now in the trucks standings. Crafton might not have the title clinched, but he's definitely got a great shot at making history.
No trucks driver has ever won two consecutive titles, but Crafton can change all of that on Friday night. NASCAR Illustrated lined out exactly what the ThorSport driver needs to do to change the face of the sport:
"Per @ThorSportRacing press release, if @Matt_Crafton finishes 21st or better at HMS, he’ll become @NASCAR_Trucks 1st back-to-back champ.
— NASCAR Illustrated (@NASCARIllustr8d) November 11, 2014"
Crafton has top-five finishes in over half of the starts he's made this year. His ability to run near the front sets him apart from every other driver, but that won't be his focus during the season finale.
Crafton referenced his intentions heading into Homestead, per Zack Albert of NASCAR.com:
"I'm going into Homestead and trying to win the race. Like I said, that's been our goal from Daytona. We haven't looked at the points, focused anything on points. We've just gone out and tried to win as many races as possible and we've only won two. We've had some bad luck leading the race, blew a right-front tire and we've finished second too many damn times, too.
"
Still technically alive in the points race, Blaney will need some help to catch the defending champion. Even if he wins while leading the most laps, the 20-year-old would need Crafton to finish 22nd or worse.
If there's anything he might have learned from his friend Chase Elliott, it's that anything is possible. Blaney congratulated Elliott after becoming the youngest driver to win a Nationwide title:
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Blaney's chances going in are quite as promising as Elliott's were. Strange things have happened in the final race across all national series in NASCAR, but Crafton keeping a clean truck might be all he needs.
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