NASCAR Truck Series at Kentucky 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns Thursday at Kentucky Speedway just as things begin to heat up on the leaderboard.
Matt Crafton still leads the Series, but things behind him continue to get more bundled and interesting. Like a multi-car pileup around a bend, it takes just one race to impact most of the names in the top 10.
Kentucky Speedway always offers intrigue as a track where anything can happen. With several drivers peaking as Crafton struggles to find answers, Thursday's spectacle under the bright lights in Kentucky isn't one to miss.
UNOH 225
Where: Kentucky Speedway
When: Thursday, July 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox Sports 1
UNOH 225 Weekend Schedule
| Thursday, July 9 | 8 a.m.-noon | Final Practice | FOX Sports 1 |
| Thursday, July 9 | 5:15 p.m. | Qualifying | FOX Sports 2 |
| Thursday, July 9 | 7:30 p.m | UNOH 225 | FOX Sports 1 |
Full weekend schedule available at NASCAR.com.
Truck Series Standings
| 1 | Matt Crafton | 370 |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 358 |
| 3 | Erik Jones | 344 |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter | 327 |
| 5 | John Wes Townley | 294 |
| 6 | Spencer Gallagher | 288 |
| 7 | Timothy Peters | 283 |
| 8 | Daniel Hemric | 282 |
| 9 | Cameron Hayley | 280 |
| 10 | Ben Kennedy | 269 |
Drivers to Watch
Matt Crafton
When one puts the word "struggle" with Crafton, it means he continues to do well, just not in the usual elite, Series-running sense.
Crafton won in early June, but he since has finished 21st and fourth despite leading more than 30 laps in each of those two outings.
Despite the rough finishes when most figured he would win, Crafton didn't sound too upset with fourth, per NBCSports.com's Jerry Bonkowski: "We just couldn’t get the momentum up top, and it just takes so long when you get stuck down on the bottom, it’s so aggravating. Finally, when we got clear we had a really fast truck, but we could just not get clear of him. But all in all, not a terrible day.”
Crafton will need to get back to his winning ways—or quite close to it—Thursday. Names behind him continue to close the gap, and the Rhonda Thorson driver losing his grip on the top spot isn't so unimaginable.
Look for Crafton to attempt a bounce-back performance in Kentucky.
Tyler Reddick
If a driver will seize the top spot sooner or later, it figures to be Tyler Reddick.
Reddick remains one of the fastest in the Series, riding to two top-10 finishes in his last pair of outings. In fact, barring a 13th-place finish at the start of May and an 11th-place finish three outings ago, Reddick stands as one of the top finishers in seven of nine races.
Last time out should provide strong momentum for Reddick, who finished third at the American Ethanol 200. He continues to take on Crafton in head-to-head scenarios, experience sure to prove vital as the season stretches toward a conclusion.
As one of the most consistent drivers, look for Reddick to make another push to move up the leaderboard Thursday.
Erik Jones
Erik Jones might be ready for a major breakthrough.
Two weeks ago, he won his fourth pole of the season and his third consecutive, then he went on to lead the most laps of any driver in his fourth race.
The difference? He won.
Jones has been on a tear of epic proportions this year, but he's seemed to lack whatever it is when it comes to sealing the deal with a win.
As Bonkowski captures, Jones and his crew equate the win to a familiar situation one year ago:
"It’s been a long time coming and sure feels good to get a win here in Iowa. This was kind of where we turned our season around last year and got our Tundra into Victory Lane. It’s just awesome. What a day, what a day. Sat on the pole, led a ton of laps and won the race. That’s how you do it. And it feels good to finally to put it all together and win at the end of the day.
"
The win not only takes the pressure off Jones, it erases the fact his prior two races saw him finish 15th or worse.
Jones seems in form now and not a moment too soon, with things at the top looking as jumbled as ever. He'll try to make it two in a row Thursday, which would start an even more impressive streak in what seems a year filled with them for the veteran.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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