The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series visited Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday afternoon for race No. 18 of the season and the second race in the 2019 Playoffs. To no surprise, Brett Moffitt once again reigned supreme north of the border and earned his second consecutive win in dominating fashion.
Moffitt earned the dominant win at Canada and several other playoff drivers took top spots. Some are still on the bubble including Tyler Ankrum who won at Kentucky, two-time champion Johnny Sauter who won at Dover, regular-season champion Grant Enfinger and Austin Hill. All face possible elimination before heading to the next round.
However, we have a couple of weeks to get there yet, so before we do, let’s take a look at this week’s Power Rankings.
- Brett Moffitt – Moffitt followed up his dominant Bristol performance with another one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The Grimes, Iowa native started his day off strong early Sunday morning by qualifying on the pole, his third of the season. Because he has already won and will move on to the next round of the Playoffs, Moffitt played strategy from the get-go. He stated in the post-race press conference that his goal was to win Stage 1 for a point, then win the race for the most points. He was able to do that, leading all the laps in the first stage and winning the stage. After the stage, the GMS team made some pit stops in order to get track position for the final stage. Moffitt was able to start on the front row for the final restart. There were no cautions throughout the final stage and Moffitt went on to win the race. To make things wilder, Moffitt ran out of gas doing burnouts. Still, it was after the checkered flag and Moffitt, at this point, has dominated the opening round.
Previous Week Ranking – First - Sheldon Creed – Creed had a great outing in Canada but not without a little bit of luck. The No. 2 GMS Racing team had to play pit strategy just like his teammate Moffitt to get the track position needed for a possible win. He was up front for the final stage and remained in the top five but all Creed could do was manage a top-five finish. Still, not bad for a backup truck after he wrecked his primary during practice on Saturday.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth - Stewart Friesen – Like Creed, Friesen was also in a backup truck after crashing during practice Saturday. The hometown favorite qualified 12th, finished seventh in Stage 1 but was not able to record a top-10 finish in Stage 2. He was able to lead one lap but that’s all Friesen could do as he would wind up seventh in the overall running order. With the top-10 finish, the Canadian was able to add to his impressive list of top-10s this season and now has 13 top-10 finishes. While it may not be the finish he had at Bristol, Friesen still remains in good standing in the Playoffs, currently seeded third, +6 above the cut line.
Previous Week Ranking – Third - Ben Rhodes – Rhodes followed up on his Bristol finish with a third-place at CTMP. He played pit strategy as most other drivers did throughout the race. The ThorSport driver was able to do anything he wanted in the race, as Rhodes is not in the Playoffs contending for the championship. Therefore, the team did all they could to get the No. 99 driver out front. The Kentucky native was up front for nine laps, finishing 12th in Stage 1 and ninth in Stage 2. In the end, Rhodes wound up third for a decent outing in Canada.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Ross Chastain – Chastain and his No. 45 Niece Motorsports team had a great run going until the final stage when pit strategy shook up the running order. Chastain was racing hard with others, almost going off course with a driver. Before somewhat struggling in the third stage, the Florida native had a great first two stages, finishing second in Stage 1 and winning the second stage, earning stage points. Chastain only led twice for nine laps until the final stage. Overall, the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team earned an eighth-place finish after being dominant in the first half of the race.
Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
Fell Out
1. Grant Enfinger – It was a struggle for Enfinger and the No. 98 ThorSport team who finished 13th after starting 14th. He was able to manage stage finishes of eighth and fourth in both stages, respectively. However, during one point in the race, Enfinger was accidentally taken out by his teammate Johnny Sauter, which cost him a great finish. Now, Enfinger sits on the bubble, +2 heading into the final round at Las Vegas, possibly facing elimination from the championship after having such a strong regular season.
Previous Week Ranking – Second
