NASCAR Truck Series at Phoenix 2015 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction
A massive crash between leaders Erik Jones and Matt Crafton with 29 laps left at the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway ended up giving Timothy Peters his second victory of the year Friday.
It was the 10th career victory for Peters in 206 starts, per Racing-Reference.info.
Phoenix Raceway tweeted a celebratory picture of Peters after the race:
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Jones began in pole position and led 106 of the 121 laps before the crash. Peters began in the first position after the red flag and never lost the lead:
| 1 | Timothy Peters | Toyota |
| 2 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chevrolet |
| 3 | John Wes Townley | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Daniel Suarez | Toyota |
| 5 | Tyler Reddick | Ford |
| 6 | Spencer Gallagher | Chevrolet |
| 7 | JJ Haley | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Matt Tifft | Toyota |
| 9 | Erik Jones | Toyota |
| 10 | Mason Mingus | Chevrolet |
Peters earned the victory, but the crash that derailed race and overall points leaders Jones and Crafton dominated the talk after the race. A win would have all but sealed the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship for the No. 4 driver, though he is still the leader with one race remaining after salvaging a ninth-place finish.
Crafton was unable to put up any kind of fight after the wreck, as the No. 88 took 23rd.
USA Today's Jeff Gluck expressed what most people watching the race were feeling at the 121-lap mark:
Stock-car driver Jennifer Jo Cobb understood the implications of the wreck, which also included No. 98 driver Johnny Sauter:
Most thought the wreck occurred as a result of good, hard racing. Gluck noted that may have been the case, but Jones wasn't happy about losing the lead:
Jones' team tweeted shortly after the crash:
The No. 4 driver interviewed after the race and showed some class, per retired driver Kyle Petty, although he tweeted at the wrong Erik Jones at first:
After the dust settled, it was time to move on and take a look at the updated overall points standings:
| 1 | Erik Jones (Kyle Busch Motorsports) | 861 | 1 |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick (Brad Keselowski Racing) | 842 | 3 |
| 3 | Matt Crafton (ThorSport Racing) | 829 | 2 |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter (ThorSport Racing) | 772 | 4 |
| 5 | Timothy Peters (Red Horse Racing) | 765 | 5 |
| 6 | Cameron Hayley (ThorSport Racing) | 731 | 6 |
| 7 | Daniel Hemric (NTS Motorsports) | 697 | 7 |
| 8 | John Wes Townley (Athenian Motorsports) | 695 | 8 |
| 9 | Ben Kennedy (Red Horse Racing | 650 | 9 |
| 10 | Spencer Gallagher (GMS Racing) | 644 | 10 |
Peters remained in fifth despite the win, and the only change in position was Crafton switching places with Tyler Reddick.
Jones is still in great position and just needs a decent finish Nov. 20 in the Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim the title.
A wreck is never good for those involved, but since everyone came out uninjured, it added some drama to both the Lucas Oil 150 and the race for the championship.
Postrace Reaction
Peters was just a little excited after soaking it all in:
His Red Horse Racing team shared No. 17's victory celebration on Twitter:
Tracks across the country congratulated Peters, including Kansas Speedway:
It was all about Peters late Friday night and into Saturday morning, but Jones still holds the overall points lead. Despite the rough ending to the race, he seemed optimistic about the near future:
It was a great win for Peters, but Jones does have reason to be happy with where he currently stands. This will all be a distant memory if he can have a good showing Nov. 20, and wrap up the championship.
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