The Buck Up your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway is set to get underway July 7th at 8:30 pm E.T. on Fox Sports 1. Matt Crafton raced on to the winners circle in last years event. The race was shortened by five laps due to a wreck that damaged the fence beyond repair. Consequently, Crafton was out in front when the chaos ensued and was awarded the victory. Erik Jones, with Kyle Busch Motorsports, settled for a second place finish.
This years Buck Up Your Truck 225 should provide plenty of intrigue for racing enthusiasts. The 1.5 mile track has had a few renovations since last years event. The banking has been increased from 14 to 17 degrees with brand new asphalt. This specific change should allow the trucks to exit the turns two at a higher rate of speed heading into Turn three. Furthermore, the whole venue was repaved, so all the bumps and rough spots have been eliminated.
One of the glaring story lines for the Buck Up your Truck 225 is the return of the reigning Sprint Cup champion behind the wheel. Kyle Busch is attempting to capture his companies record breaking 51st Camping World Truck Series win. Kyle Busch Motorsports is currently dead-locked with Roush/Fenway Racing at 50 victories.
Kyle Busch has to be considered a favorite going into the Buck up your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway. The veteran took the checkered flag here in 2011 and again in 2014. He posted the third fastest time in the first practice round and seems to have his Toyota dialed in. With the added incentive to capture the record while driving his #18 truck, Busch will be a force to be reckoned with tomorrow night.
Rookie William Byron posted the second fastest time in the practice round. He is only .004 seconds off of the leader Parker Klingerman. The Kyle Busch Motorsports greenhorn has been fast at virtually every venue in 2016. He is currently atop the Camping World Truck Series point standings and is also coming off two winning performances in June. As a result, Byron will be looking to reel in his fourth win on the season.
Parker Klingerman sat out last week’s contest but has shown up in Kentucky with some impressive lap times. The savvy driver has only one top five finish on the season and currently sits eighth in the point standings. His #5 Jive Communications/Zaxby’s Chevrolet post a 179.099 miles per hour, 30.151 second lap time.
That was the top time and speed posted by any driver in the first practice round. Klingerman has had trouble keeping his truck in the race in 2016. If the speedster can stay out of trouble he has a good chance to run up front on Thursday.
Matt Crafton, last years winner, also seems to have mastered the new layout already. Crafton drove his #88 Menards Toyota to the fourth fastest practice run. He led 43 laps in last years race that seen 13 lead changes between seven different drivers.
Furthermore, he was out front when the race was red-flagged because of damage to the fencing that protects the spectators. As a result, the race was called and he was crowned the winner. Crafton currently sits only one point behind William Byron for the Camping World Truck Series lead.
Daniel Hemric’s #19 hot-rod is the only Ford to breach the top ten in the first practice round. He posted the fifth fastest time in the afternoon warm-up. Last year he started out of the 11th spot and never could get his car to the front of the field. The Brad Keselowski team driver had a mediocre day but survived a wreck filled race to finish in 18th. Hemric currently sits fourth in the points chase and hopes to improve in the standings in the Buck Up Your Truck 225.
Last weeks race winner Christopher Bell looks to extend his hot streak in the Buck Up Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway. The rookie wasn’t flashy in his first practice round at the morphed venue. He finished out the day with the 17th fastest time.
Bell moved himself up to ninth in the points list with his performance last week at Gateway Motorsports Park. The Kyle Busch Motorsports rookie has an experienced owner to gain valuable information from. I expect him to be up front with the leaders if he can keep his truck out of any in race shenanigans.
Results from the 2015 UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway:
1 88 Matt Crafton Ideal Door/Menards Toyota 145 47 4 142.4 $59,498 Running 2 43
2 3 4 Erik Jones # Special Olympics World Games Toyota 145 44 2 130.3 $48,487 Running 3 55
3 6 29 Ryan Blaney(i) Cooper Standard Careers for Vets Ford 145 0 107.1 $34,948 Running 2 14
4 4 51 Daniel Suarez(i) ARRIS Toyota 145 0 118.5 $22,029 Running 1 18
5 10 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota 145 39 93.0 $19,072 Running
6 2 19 Tyler Reddick BBR Music Group Ford 145 39 1 98.5 $17,403 Running 3 13
7 31 92 David Gilliland(i) Blacks Tire/GdyrComrclTire&Service Ford 145 0 72.2 $14,608 Running
8 7 05 John Wes Townley Zaxby’s Chevrolet 145 36 96.3 $16,314 Running
9 12 13 Cameron Hayley # Advics Toyota 145 35 75.5 $16,205 Running
10 9 33 Brandon Jones # Master Force Chevrolet 145 34 87.8 $17,018 Running
11 13 8 John H. Nemechek # D.A.B. Constructors Inc. Chevrolet 145 34 1 103.3 $15,959 Running 1 1
12 5 98 Johnny Sauter Nextant/Curb Records Toyota 145 32 81.0 $15,766 Running
13 15 07 Ray Black Jr # ScubaLife.com Chevrolet 145 32 1 65.3 $15,657 Running 1 1
14 23 1 Travis Kvapil Burnie Grills Chevrolet 145 30 58.7 $15,548 Running
15 19 94 Timmy Hill Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 145 29 50.8 $15,811 Running
16 14 11 Ben Kennedy Local Motors Toyota 145 28 73.5 $15,497 Accident
17 16 54 Christopher Bell Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota 144 27 78.3 $15,188 Running
18 11 14 Daniel Hemric # California Clean Power Chevrolet 143 26 52.3 $15,079 Running
19 22 15 Mason Mingus 811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet 143 25 56.2 $14,970 Running
20 30 25 Cody Coughlin JEGS Toyota 143 24 47.2 $12,811 Running
21 18 08 Korbin Forrister # Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 141 23 40.3 $15,052 Running
22 21 63 Justin Jennings Mittler Bros. Mahine & Tool/Ski Soda Chevrolet 140 22 40.7 $14,643 Running
23 20 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet 140 21 34.3 $13,284 Running
24 8 23 Spencer Gallagher # Allegiant Travel Chevrolet 139 20 64.5 $13,175 Accident
25 29 86 Brandon Brown Coastal Carolina University Chevrolet 132 19 49.0 $12,216 Running
26 17 02 Tyler Young AKLInsuranceGroup/RandcoInd Chev 132 18 48.0 $11,957 Running
27 28 75 Caleb Holman Food Country USA Chev 124 17 57.3 $11,848 Accident
28 26 74 Jordan Anderson Chevrolet 98 16 35.4 $11,508 Suspension
29 27 45 BJ McLeod Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 32 15 27.3 $11,400 Electrical
30 25 50 Ryan Ellis Shane Duncan Band Chevrolet 16 14 26.0 $10,900 Electrical
