The Careers For Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway will get under way on Saturday, August 27th, at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox sports 1. Kyle Busch led 44 of the 200 laps turned and drove on to his first Camping World Truck Series victory at Michigan in 2015. The reigning and defending Sprint Cup champion will not be participating in this year event.
Points leader William Byron has never competed at Michigan International Speedway, but larger venues are nothing new for him. Four of Byron’s five 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories have been at tracks that are a mile and a half or larger.
The draft in the Careers for Veterans 200 will be a biggest challenge for the youngster. Furthermore, it is not a restrictor-plate track like Daytona or Talladega. Adapting to how his #9 Liberty University Tundra will handle in the draft will be first on the phenom’s list.
William Byron will have a lot of experience backing him up. His boss Kyle Busch, won the Careers For Veterans 200 last year. He will also be driving the same Toyota Tundra that he had at Kentucky. Byron led 70 circuits in that contest and drove on to Victory Lane.
Daniel Hemric sits second in the Camping World Truck Series points standings. As a result, the Brad Keselowski Racing up-start is 37 points back of Kyle Busch Motorsport’s William Byron. Hemric started on the outside of the pole and finished in seventh the last time he participated in the Careers For Veterans 200.
Although Daniel Hemric sits second in the point standings, he is currently in seventh in the Chase. A victory at the two mile oval would secure his spot in the playoffs. The speedy youngster has ten top 10 finishes on the 2016 season. That is also more than any other racer in the Camping World Truck Series. Hemric commented on the importance of Saturday’s race.
“Michigan is a very important race for our entire company. We also have an opportunity to visit Cequent Performance Products, Ford and so many other people who support our program. Consequently, we really want to run well there for those guys. Going off of how I ran at Michigan last year and knowing how the truck needs to feel will also play big into how we approach practice. The most important thing is making sure the truck is exactly where it needs to be in the race. You have to get your truck to where it’s not only fast, but it also drives good; that’s the key at Michigan. The guy who can stay in the gas the longest is probably going to be the best.”
Johnny Sauter enters the Careers For Veterans 200 third in the Camping World Truck Series points standings. Unlike Daniel Hemric, Sauter has sealed his spot in the playoffs. The veteran driver got that worry out of the way in the first race of the 2016 season. Sauter mastered the draft and sped off to victory at Daytona International Speedway.
The experienced driver has excelled at Michigan International Speedway. Johnny Sauter won this event two years ago and finished in a respectable fourth place in the last contest here. So far this year, he has reeled in one win, seven top five’s and nine top 10’s. He only has one did not finish on the season.
With 13 contests completed in the Camping World Truck season, Timothy Peters is fourth in the driver championship point standings. The youngster with Red Horse Racing has a lot to be excited about heading into the Careers For Veterans 200 at Michigan.
After joining the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition in 2005, Red Horse Racing has logged 502 starts. As a result, they have accumulated 15 victories, 105 top five finishes, and 13 pole awards. Timothy Peters currently has reeled in three top five’s and eight top 10’s in 2016. The talent also needs to find a way into the Winner’s Circle if he wants to compete in the post season. Last year he started in the fifth spot and finished the Careers For Veterans 200 in eighth.
Christopher Bell has been able to move up to fifth in the Camping World Truck Series point standings. Entering Saturday’s Career for Veterans 200 he currently sits fourth on the eight-driver grid for the inaugural Truck Series Chase. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver also found a way to get the job done at Gateway Motorsports Park in June. Currently, Bell has gathered one win, five top five’s and nine top 10’s. The youngster commented on what he expects in his first race at the two mile oval.
“I know that it is a really big race track. From watching previous races it’s also a place where aerodynamics really come into play and knowing how to manipulate the air to create momentum is going to be huge. Furthermore, I’ve learned a lot about the aerodynamics this year at the races we’ve had at the mile-and-a-half tracks and Pocono. Jerry (Baxter, crew chief) also had a really fast truck with Kyle (Busch) last year and Erik (Jones) was also fast, so I’m confident that we’ll have a strong JBL Tundra again this weekend.”
The Top 20 Camping World Truck Series Point Standings Heading into Michigan:
1. William Byron # 29 349
2. Daniel Hemric 2 312 -37
3. Johnny Sauter 9 306 -43
4. Timothy Peters 5 302 -47
5. Christopher Bell # 8 296 -53
6. Matt Crafton 16 295 -54
7. Ben Kennedy 4 287 -62
8. John H Nemechek 5 281 -68
9. Cole Custer # 1 273 -76
10. Tyler Reddick 7 270 -79
11. Cameron Hayley 4 260 -89 -10
12. Spencer Gallagher 1 237 -112 -23
13. Ben Rhodes # 3 236 -113
14. Rico Abreu # 1 225 -124
15. Austin Wayne Self # 0 162 -187
16. Tyler Young 0 160 -189
17. Travis Kvapil 1 150 -199
18. Parker Kligerman 0 145 -204
19. Brandon Brown 0 145 -204
20. John Wes Townley 2 142 -207
