The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the desert this past weekend for the annual Lucas Oil 150 at the newly renamed and reconfigured ISM Raceway.
It wasn’t much of a change track wise, as the start/finish line was moved to the backstretch, while the pit road was extended. Mainly, it was the fan experience that was added in the infield where the fans could watch from the garage area and see the cars up front.
However, as always, the Truck Series provided an action-packed race and provided some playoff drama throughout the race, and toward the end of the race as well.
Here are four takeaways from the Lucas Oil 150 from ISM Raceway.
1. Championship 4 Set – The Championship 4 was set this past Friday night with two drivers already locked into the Playoffs. Two more, Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson, were locked in at ISM Raceway. It’s a competitive Championship 4 this year with a champion in the series and the rest of the field that has run up front and won multiple races throughout the year. It’s been an exciting season for the Truck Series with plenty of thrilling finishes and familiar faces in victory lane. It all ends with the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Southern Florida.
2. Justin Haley Has No Plans For 2019 – During the post-race press conference following the Lucas Oil 150, Haley said that he currently has no plans for the 2019 racing season. He hopes winning a championship might solidify his chances and maybe bring more offers to the table. Either way, Haley is a great talent and should be able to find something for 2019, but nothing is guaranteed.
3. Johnny Sauter and Justin Haley Frustrated With Hattori Racing Using Toyota But Not So Fast Says Scott Zipadelli – During the post-race press conference, Sauter and Haley expressed their frustration with Hattori Racing using a Joe Gibbs Racing engine, which gives the team a slight advantage with shifting. Sauter was the biggest critic of them all and is concerned about the race this weekend at Homestead. If Hattori uses the same engine again, Sauter believes it’s not a fair shot for the other Championship 4 drivers and it might be game over. However, Scott Zipadelli believes it’s just an excuse for getting beat.
4. Derek Kraus Gets A For Effort In Truck Series Debut/Sheldon Creed Full Time With GMS Racing In 2019 – Derek Kraus made his Truck Series debut this past weekend at ISM Raceway and wound up finishing eighth with a 10th in Stage 2. Not bad for the Bill McAnally team. In other news, Sheldon Creed announced during qualifying that he has signed with the GMS Racing team for a full-time ride in 2019. Number and sponsor is to be announced at a later date.
