NASCAR Truck Series at Talladega 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
Just five races remain in the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, but the championship battle could be altered in a big way Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway.
No track on the NASCAR circuit is more unpredictable than Talladega since a huge wreck is seemingly always around the corner. That means one or more of those in contention for a points title could see their hopes go up in smoke if luck isn't on their side at the 2.66-mile oval.
The results of Saturday's race could have a significant hand in who hoists the championship trophy when the campaign reaches its conclusion. With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the crucial Fred's 250, including which drivers have the best chance of taking the checkered flag.
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Where: Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
When: Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
NASCAR Truck Series at Talladega Schedule
| Friday, Oct. 23 | 1 p.m. | Practice | Fox Sports 1 |
| Friday, Oct. 23 | 3 p.m. | Practice | Fox Sports 1 |
| Saturday, Oct. 24 | 10:30 a.m. | Qualifying | Fox Sports 1 |
| Saturday, Oct. 24 | 1 p.m. | Fred's 250 | Fox |
NASCAR Truck Series Standings
| 1 | Erik Jones | 4 | Leader | 2 |
| 2 | Matt Crafton | 88 | -4 | 4 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 19 | -16 | 2 |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter | 98 | -51 | 0 |
| 5 | Daniel Hemric | 14 | -105 | 0 |
| 6 | Timothy Peters | 17 | -106 | 0 |
| 7 | Cameron Hayley | 13 | -117 | 0 |
| 8 | John Wes Townley | 05 | -136 | 1 |
| 9 | Ben Kennedy | 11 | -156 | 0 |
| 10 | Spencer Gallagher | 23 | -168 | 0 |
Drivers to Watch
Erik Jones
There may only be three or four drivers with a legitimate shot to take the truck series title, but with so little separating the top few competitors in the standings, Erik Jones simply can't afford to have a letdown.
The 19-year-old phenom has held the points lead for much of the season, and he continues to pace the field entering Talladega. His advantage over two-time defending champion Matt Crafton has shrunk to just two points, though, and he is only 16 points up on Tyler Reddick.
Despite his tenuous lead, Jones is still the envy of every other driver because he has slightly more margin for error.
The youngster is well aware of how quickly things can go terribly wrong at Talladega, so he is simply hoping to stay out of trouble and bring the No. 4 truck home with a solid finish, according to KyleBuschMotorsports.com:
"The biggest thing we've done there in the past that has worked out well has just been staying on the bottom and staying out of trouble and trying to stay up front and stay out of trouble. We did a good job last year of staying out of trouble and getting a top-10 finish out of it. Hopefully this year we can do the same. As long as we can bring home a top 10, lead a lap or two and get some good points out of it that would be a good day for us. I feel like we can make up some more points at some other tracks rather than there, as long as we can just get through Talladega.
"
Even if Jones doesn't win, he has a chance to increase his lead since Crafton hasn't enjoyed much success at Talladega over the years.
Despite being one of the top drivers the truck series has ever seen, Crafton has an average finish of just 15.3 at Talladega with one top-five finish in nine tries.
Jones seemingly has a smart strategy entering Saturday's event, and that should allow him to be in the mix when it's all said and done.
Johnny Sauter
Among the drivers who are within 100 points of the truck series lead, Johnny Sauter undoubtedly has the steepest uphill climb, as he enters Talladega 51 points behind Jones in fourth place.
He'll need to be great down the stretch and get plenty of help in order to have a chance to win his first truck series title, but Talladega has been kind to him over the years.
The 37-year-old veteran has one win and three top-five results in six truck series starts at Talladega. He has yet to win a race this season; however, he'll have every reason to go for the gusto with reckless abandon Saturday.
In addition to that, Sauter's time with ThorSport Racing is coming to an end. Per NASCAR Race Hub, via NASCAR.com, he will make the leap to GMS Racing starting next season.
"Very excited about the move and I've had a great time with ThorSport in the past, but looking forward to 2016," Sauter said.
Some might argue that Sauter won't give it his all as a lame-duck driver; however, he has had some great moments at ThorSport Racing, and ending his tenure with the team as a champion would be a fitting way to go out.
The odds obviously aren't in Sauter's favor, but a win at Talladega would go a long way toward getting him back in the mix.
Timothy Peters
All eyes will be on Jones, Crafton, Reddick and Sauter as they vie for a title, but the door is certainly open for another driver to play spoiler and enter Victory Lane Saturday.
John Wes Townley did precisely that at the most recent truck series race, and the top candidate to pull off the feat at Talladega is 35-year-old veteran Timothy Peters.
The longtime truck driver is currently sixth in the standings, and he has won at least one race in every season since 2008. That streak is in danger of ending this year, though, as he has yet to take the checkered flag in 2015.
Peters has a win and three top-10 results in six truck series starts at Talladega, so he is well aware of what it takes to conquer one of the most challenging tracks NASCAR has to offer.
It is tough to imagine Peters making up the 106-point deficit that exists between himself and Jones, but his place in the standings gives him even greater incentive to throw caution to the wind.
Nothing short of a victory does Peters any good at this point, so look for him to be extremely aggressive throughout the Fred's 250.
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