- Matt Crafton earned the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver’s championship with a ninth-place finish in Friday night’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Crafton became the first driver in series history to earn back-to-back driver’s titles. He captured the title by 21 points over second-place Ryan Blaney.
- Tundra driver Darrell Wallace Jr. earned his fourth NCWTS victory of the season with a first-place finish in Friday night’s NCWTS race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Wallace led the field four times for a total of 30 laps (of 134) en route to victory lane at the 1.5-mile Florida track.
- It was Wallace’s fifth career NCWTS victory — and his first win on an intermediate speedway.
- Wallace’s win was the 18th of the season for Camry drivers — it equals the single season record for wins by one manufacturer in the series.
- Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) earned a third NCWTS owner’s championship in the season-finale with the No. 51 Tundra — which was driven by Busch (seven wins) and Erik Jones (three wins) during the 22-race season.
- Tundra drivers Timothy Peters (third), Busch (fourth), Joe Nemechek (eighth) and Johnny Sauter (10th) also earned top-10 finishes at Homestead.
- Tundra drivers Wallace (third), Sauter (fourth), Peters (fifth), German Quiroga (sixth) and Jeb Burton (eighth) also finished the season in the top-10 in the driver’s point standings.
- Earlier this season, Toyota won this year’s NCWTS manufacturer’s championship — the seventh title in 11 years.
DARRELL WALLACE JR., No. 54 Toyota Care Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 1st
How special was this victory?
“Eddie’s (Troconis, team engineer) mom (Alejandra Troconis) — she passed away this morning — and I told them to take my name off the truck and put her name on there. I said we had a guardian angel and she took us to victory lane. I told everybody that we wanted it more than anybody else and let’s show us. I saw that trophy coming down the stage and said that was a cool one — it’s a unique one. I have all the unique ones so why not add that one to the shelf. I can’t thank these guys enough for their hard work over two years. It’s been fun at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports). I’m not sure what the future brings for me, but this is one hell of a way to go out. Huge thanks to Toyota, Toyota Care — my parents. This is cool — definitely a lot more emotional than Martinsville. Couldn’t do it without these guys right here, these guys never gave up over two years and came home with five wins and a hell of a season.”
Did you expect to be this strong at Hometead?
“We sucked here last year and we came here and tested and I thought we were bad ass. It definitely showed again. I said it was like Eldora and who did I have to fend off but Kyle Larson. I tried to be calm about it. They said to get ready for the slide job and he was too far back to pull it off. Great racing there at the end. Can’t thank Kyle Busch (team owner) and Sam (Busch, Kyle Busch wife) enough for giving me this opportunity — and Coach Gibbs. I’m about to go relax and try to break 100 in golf — it ain’t going to happen — but I’m going to go have some fun.”
Did you expect all the lanes to be used tonight?
“That’s what Miami produces and it’s such a driver’s track and I have so much fun here. We ran 15th to 20th all night last year here and I said that was the most fun I’ve ever had. This beats that, of course we’re winning. Five wins with these guys up here. Can’t thank the fans for coming out enough. This is exciting — this is cool.”
What does this win mean in the final race of the season?
“This is special. I don’t know what the future holds for me yet, we’re working on things. These guys right here, every one of them never gave up all season long. Texas came about and we said we’re not out. We’re going to come back and bounced back to another trophy.”
TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
KYLE BUSCH, No. 51 Toyota Care Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 4th
JOE NEMECHEK, No. 8 swmtx.com Toyota Tundra, NEMCO Motorsports
Finishing Position: 8th
MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Jeld-Wen/Menards Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
How does it feel to be the first back-to-back NCWTS champion?
“Awesome. To say I made history is definitely very, very cool, but it’s all about the guys that are behind me. Without them, I’m just an average race car driver at best. It’s all about the truck that these guys put underneath me each and every week. This Menards Toyota Tundra has been really — it’s been unbelievable to drive every week this year. I wanted to race so much harder tonight. I kept asking, I was just waiting for them to say that there were like 20 trucks running at that point and then I could go. When it was five (laps) to go and I had asked again how many trucks were still in and there were 22 on the lead lap and I said I couldn’t take any chances. I know I could have went further forward, but I said it is what it is.”
How close was the spin by Tyler Reddick late in the race?
“I knew that everybody was going to be very chaotic there at the end and I figured we were going to have a green-white-checkered and we always usually do here. Whenever the 19 (Tyler Reddick) got underneath him there and they were three-wide and I saw he was in a bad way down there and they couldn’t give him any room. It was great racing in the Camping World Truck Series.”
What was your goal when you started and what can you do moving forward?
“Being a Camping World Truck Series champion — I’ve got that goal and I said hopefully we can run a few more. I’m not done — I’m only 38 years old. I feel like a young buck.”
What does it mean to be the only repeat series champion with Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine and Jack Sprague?
“It’s awesome — to say that I’ve done it back-to-back and no one has done that, it’s such a good, good feeling. I just remember watching Ron Hornaday race my dad back in the Southwest Tour days. He was an animal then and an unbelievable race car driver. To say I’m in the history books with Ron Hornaday and all those great race car drivers — it’s great being in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and I still say it’s the best racing in NASCAR.”
JOHNNY SAUTER, No. 98 Nextant Aerospace/Curb Records Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
ROSS CHASTAIN, No. 35 watermelon.org Toyota Tundra, WinTron Racing
Finishing Position: 11th
JEB BURTON, No. 13 Estes/Carolina Nut Company Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 13th
GERMAN QUIROGA, No. 77 Otterbox Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
JOHN WES TOWNLEY, No. 05 Zaxby’s Toyota Tundra, Athenian Motorsports
Finishing Position: 35th
