After a crazy week in the NASCAR Truck Series, the series returned to Gateway this weekend. There were many newsworthy items going into the 11th race of the 2019 season:
Johnny Sauter was suspended by his actions at Iowa and was replaced by part-time ThorSport driver Myatt Snider in the No. 13 Tenda Ford F-150. Sauter would, however, participate in the classic Dick Trickle 99 Super Late Model race in Wisconsin during the truck race. Snider would go on to finish 10th after being solid early in the night.
The racing world had its eyes on Ross Chastain and the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team after failing post-race inspection last week at Iowa which led to them being stripped of a win. NASCAR fans watched late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, as Chastain claimed the win at Gateway.
Where did everyone end up after all was said and done in the CarShield 200?
- Grant Enfinger – Another week, another solid finish for the No. 98 ThorSport team, who placed sixth after a strong run. Enfinger started second due to qualifying being rained out and was strong from the get-go, taking the lead on Lap 22 and never looking back for the majority of the stages. The Alabama native swept both stages but fell off late in the going when it mattered. But despite a sixth-place finish, Enfinger and the No. 98 team still leads the championship points standings by 54 points over Stewart Friesen. He dominated Saturday, leading 52 laps and earned his 10th top-10 of the season.
Previous Week Ranking – Third - Ross Chastain – Chastain claimed redemption and got another popular win in the NASCAR world Saturday night. It was a statement sent by his No. 45 Niece Motorsports team that they are not backing down without a fight. Chastain took a gamble when the final round of pit stops began, taking fuel only while the other drivers took fuel and tires. Even with a late race restart with seven to go, the Floridian was able to hold off the field for his second win of the year. Chastain currently sits 28 points out of the top-20, in which he needs to make up in order to have a shot at the Playoffs later this year.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Brett Moffitt – Moffitt quietly finished in the top-five after struggling throughout most of the night. The team was nowhere to be found in the previous stages, but with some late race pit strategies and a late-race caution to help the No. 24 GMS Racing entry, they were able to come away with a fifth-place finish. It wasn’t what Moffitt was looking for after winning last week, but it was still a solid points day in his hunt for a second series championship.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth - Sheldon Creed – Creed placed his No. 2 GMS Racing Chevy in seventh after the checkered flag flew Saturday night. He continues his consistent streak of top-10s since Texas earlier this month. The California native finished seventh and fifth in both stages, respectively, during Saturday’s event. With his seventh-place finish, it was Creed’s fourth top-10 finish of the year.
Previous Week Ranking- Fourth - Stewart Friesen – Friesen earned a third-place finish, but not without some controversy on the last lap of the race. The driver of the No. 52 accidentally spun out Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christian Eckes. Despite the controversy, the team earned a much-needed strong finish after being up and down since Texas back in March, with finishes of 12th at Dover, 15th at Kansas, a third at Charlotte, 20th at Texas, and then a fifth at Iowa. If Friesen and his team continue the top-five runs and possibly win a couple of races, he’ll be sitting pretty in the Playoffs.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Unranked:
1. Harrison Burton – Burton had a great night going for the No. 18 Safelite Tundra, finishing fourth in Stage 1. However, a late-race incident involving Sheldon Creed took him out of contention for a possible win. Burton was relegated to a 16th-place finish.
2. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes finished third and sixth in both stages, respectively, but finished eighth after having a strong truck earlier in the night.
