The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series normally visits Las Vegas in the fall during the Playoffs, but this time they visited Vegas in the spring for the first time ever. As always, the trucks did not disappoint. Here are four takeaways from the Stratosphere 200.
- Busch Gets 50th Career Win – After starting on the pole, leading 55 laps and retaking the lead on lap 120, Kyle Busch never looked back as he scored his 50th career truck series win. With this win, he is now one win away from tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. If Busch keeps his winning ways up, he’ll more than likely surpass Hornaday’s record this year and make him the all-time wins leader.
- Brake Problems Leaves Crafton With Poor Finish – Two-time champ Matt Crafton was winless in 17 starts prior to entering the event and was looking to earn that first elusive win at Las Vegas. However, early on in the race on Lap 40, brake problems left him with a 29th place finish. Crafton will have to wait until the fall event in hopes of scratching Vegas off the tracks he has not won yet.
- Justin Marks Shines With 11th Place Finish – Marks made his 2018 racing season debut Friday night driving the No. 54 David Gilliland Racing machine. It was the first ever truck race for Marks since 2016 at Atlanta. He even was fastest in first practice beating guys like Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson. While Marks didn’t place in the top 10 in either stage, it was still a decent finish for the No. 54 Tundra.
- Sauter Remains One To Beat Early In 2018 – With a second place finish at Vegas, it still shows he is the one to beat. It’s far too early to place any bets on who the 2018 champion will be and who will be challenging for the championship, but with a second at Daytona, third at Atlanta and second at Las Vegas, Sauter will for sure be a strong contender and challenger for the 2018 championship.