NASCAR Truck Series at St. Louis 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
The rest of the NASCAR Truck Series continues to chase leader Matt Crafton as things next shift to Gateway Motorsports Park just outside of St. Louis for the Drivin' for Linemen 200.
After a brief hiatus, this particular race re-entered the series last year, when Darrell Wallace Jr. took home the top spot.
This year, a field of around 30 drivers looks to mimic his success on the tricky course. Crafton seems unstoppable, but this race presents a chance for the rest of the field to close the gap after some of the biggest contenders on the leaderboard suffered setbacks at last week's Winstar World Casino & Resort 400.
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Here's a look at how and what to watch for at the event.
Drivin' for Linemen 200
Where: Gateway Motorsports Park
When: Saturday, June 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox Sports 1
Drivin' for Linemen 200 Weekend Schedule
| Saturday, June 13 | 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Final Practice | N/A |
| Saturday, June 13 | 5:45 p.m. | Qualifying | FOX Sports 2 |
| Saturday, June 13 | 8:30 p.m | The Drivin' For Linemen 200 | FOX Sports 1 |
Entry List
| 00 | Cole Custer |
| 0 | Adam Edwards |
| 1 | Ryan Ellis |
| 02 | Tyler Young |
| 4 | Erik Jones |
| 05 | John Wes Townley |
| 6 | Norm Benning |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr |
| 08 | Korbin Forrister |
| 8 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb |
| 11 | Ben Kennedy |
| 13 | Cameron Hayley |
| 14 | Daniel Hemric |
| 15 | Mason Mingus |
| 17 | Timothy Peters |
| 19 | Tyler Reddick |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher |
| 29 | Austin Theriault |
| 33 | Brandon Jones |
| 36 | Justin Jennings |
| 45 | Tommy Regan |
| 50 | Travis Kvapil |
| 51 | Matt Tifft |
| 54 | Justin Boston |
| 63 | Tyler Tanner |
| 74 | Jordan Anderson |
| 88 | Matt Crafton |
| 94 | Timmy Hill |
| 98 | Johnny Sauter |
Truck Series Standings
| 1 | Matt Crafton | 305 |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 280 |
| 3 | Erik Jones | 273 |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter | 257 |
| 5 | John Wes Townley | 227 |
| 6 | Cameron Hayley | 215 |
| 7 | Daniel Hemric | 211 |
| 8 | Spencer Gallagher | 209 |
| 9 | Timothy Peters | 207 |
| 10 | Justin Boston | 205 |
Drivers to Watch
Erik Jones
One of the leaderboard contenders who suffered last week, Erik Jones has much to prove going into Saturday's event if he's to keep those behind him, well, behind him.
Thanks to a splash of alternator trouble and other bad luck, Jones finished 15th despite leading 68 laps. Now he seems intent on making a comeback story out of his bad luck, as Kyle Busch Motorsports captures:
Even with last week's hiccup, Jones remains near the top, which is what happens when a driver can pull off five top-10 finishes in seven starts, although it's interesting to note both placements outside of the top 10 came with his lone pair of pole wins this season.
Regardless, Jones remains in good form. Sprinkle in a dash of good fortune this time around, and he figures to at least secure another placement in the top 10.
Tyler Reddick
Last week wasn't too kind to Tyler Reddick, either.
Reddick now has contenders breathing right down his neck instead of his doing the same to Crafton thanks to an 11th-place finish last week. Unlike Jones, though, Reddick owns two victories, one at the NextEra Energy Resources 250 in February and at the Lucas Oil 200 at the end of May.
Bad luck also struck Reddick, as truck problems on pit road caused some issues and knocked him out of contention.
As for this weekend's event, Reddick himself hopes experience gained last year helps him secure a strong placement, as a release from Brad Keselowski Racing captures (via CatchFence.com):
"Gateway is a very unique racetrack. There are two very different corners and you’ve got to have a compromise from one corner to the next. You have to decide which corner you want to be better at. We learned some things last year at Gateway with the Broken Bow Records Ford F-150 that are definitely going to help us this time around.
"
If one has to guess based on recent performances, last week's mishap won't translate much to Saturday's event.
Provided he shows in a strong manner, the leaderboard situation will only become more interesting.
Matt Crafton
The two-time defending series champion and current points leader, Crafton needs to just keep doing what he does best to extend his lead.
Crafton led 77 laps last week en route to the victory, his third of the year and seventh top-10 finish in as many starts. As ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass noted after the victory, Crafton put on a show after a late restart, holding off the competition in expert fashion:
Which is what folks should expect from Crafton by now.
If there's something negative to say, it's that he finished a season-worst 26th at Gateway last June, a rather minor blip considering the success of the season.
What better time than the present to improve? Last week gifted Crafton with a bit of wiggle room at the top, and if he can put past struggles behind him, increasing the gap between him and the rest of the field is a likely outcome.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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