Last Thursday, the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series visited Eldora Speedway for their 15th race of the season and saw an unfamiliar face in victory lane.
While some have criticized the race for not being as exciting as it has been in years past, some drivers earned a much-needed points day, others had a disappointing night and one finally got to victory lane.
Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.
- Stewart Friesen – Worst to first for Friesen in one week as he finally earned his first career win in four years and 63 starts after being so close multiple times. With the win, he finally locks himself into the Playoffs and could potentially be a threat in the postseason if he keeps this pace up. Friesen dominated the race leading 57 of the 150 laps, despite not winning any stages. It will be interesting to see if the Canadian can keep this run going and start to heat up when it counts. He can’t afford any more finishes like he had at Pocono the week before.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Grant Enfinger – Enfinger came close to getting that elusive win on Thursday night after falling short in a close battle the year before. The No. 98 team placed third after starting 15th. While he didn’t lead any laps, Enfinger had a decent finish of fifth in the second stage. Coming out of Eldora, he still remains the regular-season points leader over teammate Matt Crafton by 52 points. With Michigan being the season finale this weekend, something catastrophic will have to happen to Enfinger in order for him not to win the regular title.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Sheldon Creed – Creed almost became a wild card in last week’s race by coming up one spot short. He worked hard all night, finishing fourth in Stage 1 while not earning any stage points in Stage 2. Now, Creed will have to win on Saturday at Michigan in order to put himself in the Playoffs. The second-place finish was his first top-five of the season.
Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked - Todd Gilliland – A much needed fourth place for Gilliland who came close to winning the Dirt Derby last Thursday. Still, it’s not going to be enough to point his way into the Playoffs without a lot of help. In the race, Gilliland started eighth, finished second in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2 while he finished fifth overall. He will have to have a great run on Saturday with some help from others to fight for the championship.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Tyler Dippel – A somewhat surprising eighth-place finish for Dippel, who is really not a dirt expert. He bested last year’s finish of 13th to have his career-best finish last Thursday. Dippel finished ninth in Stage 2 before earning his second top-10 of the year. Unfortunately, it’s win or go home for Dippel and the No. 02 Youngs Motorsports team this week at Michigan.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
Fell Out
1. Ross Chastain – A difficult night for Chastain and his No. 45 Niece Motorsports team who finished 12th after being in the top five at one point in the race. The Floridian lead no laps and finished ninth, and sixth in both stages, respectively. It was a different week for Chastain after coming off a strong dominant win at Pocono the week before. However, he is locked into the Playoffs at this point sitting 14th in the regular-season standings with three wins.
Previous Week Ranking – First
2. Harrison Burton- Speaking of disappointing nights, it was one for Burton and his No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports team. Burton caused a caution on Lap 57 when he spun on the backstretch collecting some damage to his truck. After the incident, Burton could never really rebound from it and wound up 31st.
Previous Week Ranking – Second
3. Brett Moffitt – A struggle for Moffitt and his No. 24 GMS Racing team after being involved in a big wreck in Turn 1 on Lap 65. Like Burton, Moffitt never had the chance to have a better finish and finished 29th after starting third. On the bright side, the Grimes, Iowa native did finish third in Stage 1 but did not earn any stage points in Stage 2. Moffitt looks forward to Michigan, the site where he won in a thrilling finish last year against Johnny Sauter making a last-lap pass.
Previous Week Ranking – Third
4. Tyler Ankrum- It was a ninth-place finish for Ankrum and the No. 17 DGR-Crosley team after starting 26th. The No. 17 team did not win any stage points despite their top-10 effort.
Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
5. Matt Crafton- Hard to believe, it’s been two years now without a win for Crafton and his No. 88 ThorSport Racing team. The California native started the night well on the outside pole but wound up with a 10th place finish. Crafton finished fifth and third in both stages, respectively. Still, the finish could probably have been somewhat better for the No. 88 team who is facing pressure to get into the Playoffs with just one race remaining.
Honorable Mention
1. Mike Marlar – Marlar earned a fourth-place finish in his first-ever career Truck Series start at Eldora after qualifying in the 23rd position. It’s the same truck that Josh Reaume owns and got them the publicity the team deserves. At one point, Marlar found himself contending for the lead but had to settle for a top five finish. He was able to finish eighth in Stage 2. It shouldn’t be surprising to dirt fans, however, as he competes regularly in the Super Late Model Racing Series. In fact, Marlar went to victory lane in Tennessee in the series just a few days after his Truck Series debut.
