NASCAR Truck Series at Iowa 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
The NASCAR Truck Series next takes to Iowa, where series leader Matt Crafton and others will look to bounce back from an odd performance by top contenders last week in St. Louis.
There, Cole Custer stormed to a victory on a tricky course, although little changed on the leaderboard—Crafton sees just Tyler Reddick, Johnny Sauter and Erik Jones in his rear-view mirror for now.
Jones won this event last year, a 175-mile trek drivers seem to enjoy for its brevity as well as its propensity for shuffling the leaderboard.
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Before things get underway at Iowa Speedway, here's a look at the details to know for the American Ethanol 200.
American Ethanol 200 Weekend Schedule
| Friday, June 19 | 11 a.m.-1:25 p.m | Final Practice | FOX Sports 2 |
| Friday, June 19 | 5:45 p.m. | Qualifying | FOX Sports 2 |
| Friday, June 19 | 8:30 p.m | The Drivin' For Linemen 200 | FOX Sports 1 |
Entry List
| 00 | Cole Custer |
| 1 | Ryan Ellis |
| 02 | Tyler Young |
| 03 | Michael Affarano |
| 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 |
| 12 | Ted Minor |
| 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 | B J McLeod |
| 50 | Travis Kvapil |
| 51 | Christopher Bell |
| 54 | Justin Boston |
| 63 | Jake Griffin |
| 74 | Jordan Anderson |
| 75 | Caleb Holman |
| 88 | Matt Crafton |
| 94 | Timmy Hill |
| 98 | Johnny Sauter |
Truck Series Standings
| 1 | Matt Crafton | 329 |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 317 |
| 3 | Johnny Sauter | 299 |
| 4 | Erik Jones | 296 |
| 5 | John Wes Townley | 260 |
| 6 | Cameron Hayley | 254 |
| 7 | Spencer Gallagher | 251 |
| 8 | Daniel Hemric | 246 |
| 9 | Timothy Peters | 245 |
| 10 | Ben Kennedy | 238 |
Drivers to Watch
Matt Crafton
Were this a normal week, it would be easy to swap out the series leader for a more interesting storyline.
Crafton is the interesting storyline, though.
Last week, Crafton posted his first finish outside of the top 10 of the season, claiming 21st place and securing just enough points to keep his spot atop the leaderboard. Fox Sports 1 captures the crash that ruined Crafton's night:
It's redemption time for Crafton, who finished third in this event a year ago and needs a similar performance, if not better, to regain his comfort zone atop the series he so routinely runs.
Odds are Crafton puts on yet another elite performance, but keep an eye out just in case.
Johnny Sauter
The driver of the No. 98 Toyota was one of the rare contenders to make the most of an odd race last week, finishing third and helping himself in the leaderboard outlook.
Now Sauter will look to continue his climb at an event he finished 18th at one year ago. Sauter owns six top-10 finishes this year, and last week's third tied with his season best.
In a statement released by ThorSport Racing, Sauter says there are simple adjustments his team needs to make to improve (via CatchFence.com): "We had some trouble on pit road that cost us valuable track position, but we were able to fight back and get another top-five finish. With that being said, we are making gains each week, moving in the right direction, and that says a lot about this team.”
Now third in the standings, there might be a big jump in store for Sauter if his words ring true, his team improves and he trumps an event that gave him serious issues last season.
Erik Jones
Now would be the time for Jones to strike.
Like Crafton, Jones crashed out of last week's event, finishing 23rd. He still sits fourth in the standings, though, and can make a big leap with a strong performance, something he should be able to do after winning this event last year.
On the surface it looks like Jones sits in a dangerous position with his last two starts producing finishes of 15th place or worse. But keep in mind he led 84 laps last weekend before the crash, so it's hard to discredit his current form.
Jones features five top-10 finishes on his resume this year for good reason. Were it not for a stroke of bad luck, he might rest even higher in the standings considering Crafton suffered the same fate.
There's no better time for Crafton to make his move. He didn't just win this event last year—he led 131 laps in the process. Back in a comfort zone, Jones is the driver to watch.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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