NFLNBANHLMLBWNBARoland-GarrosSoccer
Featured Video
Mitchell Headed to 1st Conference Finals 🔥
KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 08:  Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Slim Jim/Menards Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway on May 8, 2015 in Kansas City, Kansas.  (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 08: Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Slim Jim/Menards Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway on May 8, 2015 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)Jerry Markland/Getty Images

NASCAR Truck Series at Kansas 2015 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction

Joseph ZuckerMay 8, 2015

Matt Crafton may have only led six laps of the Toyota Tundra 250 on Friday night, but all that matters is that he was in first place as the checkered flag waved at the Kansas Speedway. 

The biggest question as the race reached its final stages was whether Crafton would have enough fuel left in the tank to reach the finish line. Erik Jones, who led 151 of the 167 laps, ran out of fuel and fell to 11th, while Tyler Reddick led for a short time before he too watched his gas tank reach "E."

The Toyota Tundra 250 truly turned into a war of attrition, per Motorsport.com's Nick DeGroot:

TOP NEWS

Colts Jaguars Football
With Jayson Tatum sidelined, Celtics' fourth-quarter comeback falls short in Game 7 loss to 76ers

ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass felt bad for Jones, who watched all of his great driving go to waste:

On Friday night, Crafton was one of the better drivers on the track, but he unquestionably got his fair share of luck as the competition dropped out of contention one by one. He admitted as much after the race.

"I said when we took the checkered flag, 'We'd rather be lucky than good sometimes,'" Crafton said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "You have to be close enough to sneak one out once in a while. I've lost them in things like this, so every once in a while, you steal one, I don't feel too bad about it."

"It was almost comical, the way they dropped like flies there at the end," added Crafton's crew chief, Carl Joiner Jr. "It was good. We'll take it."

Crafton was followed by Ryan Newman in second and Johnny Sauter in third.

1Matt Crafton6
2Ryan Newman2
3Johnny Sauter0
4Timothy Peters0
5Cameron Hayley0
6Daniel Suarez1
7Justin Boston0
8Scott Lagasse Jr.0
9Mason Mingus 0
10Daniel Hemric0

This is Crafton's second win of the season, and as a result, he owns a sizable early lead over Reddick and Jones.

1Matt Crafton1752
2Tyler Reddick1581
3Erik Jones1570
4Johnny Sauter1530
5Cameron Hayley1230
6John Wes Townley1220
7Timothy Peters1210
8Justin Boston1140
9Ray Black Jr.1120
10Spencer Gallagher1110

A driver can't lose in much more heartbreaking fashion than Jones. Not only were his 151 laps led the most on the night, they were also the most ever on a 1.5-mile track, per NASCAR Trucks:

Jones didn't mince words in his post-race reaction:

Some might argue that rather than continue to increase his lead earlier in the race, Jones should've worked to conserve more fuel. After all, whether you lead by one second or three, it's not going to matter if you can barely manage to finish the race at all.

In addition to Jones' fuel shortage, Crafton really benefited from Newman's last pit stop in which he incurred a penalty after one of his crew members lost the handle on one of his tires, per Jim Utter of The Charlotte Observer:

The fact Newman worked his way up to second was like a win in and of itself.

Crafton will look to further pad his lead at the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, scheduled for next Friday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

You can bet that more drivers and crew chiefs will be more diligent with how they handle their fuel next week.

Mitchell Headed to 1st Conference Finals 🔥

TOP NEWS

Colts Jaguars Football
With Jayson Tatum sidelined, Celtics' fourth-quarter comeback falls short in Game 7 loss to 76ers
DENVER NUGGETS VS GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS, NBA
Fox's "Special Forces" Red Carpet

TRENDING ON B/R