The Truck Series was back in action this past weekend at Pocono Raceway. The round No. 6 race was quite possibly the most bizarre race of the season which featured 29 caution laps and saw a unique percentage of 48.6% run under yellow. Here’s another bizarre stat. Just 3.1% of the laps were run under green. Something we don’t normally see in racing, especially in the Truck Series, as most of the races are short in nature.
With that in mind, despite all the craziness throughout the first 50 some laps, race fans were treated to a thriller finish with another first time winner.
Brandon Jones captured his first Truck Series win in just 46 starts. It wasn’t certainly a surprising win, as Jones has been consistent through his Truck Series starts. Aside from his starts in 2013 and 2016, Jones managed to earn a top five or top 10 finish throughout the last eight years of his part-time efforts. So, the win would only be a matter of time for Jones and company, it was just a matter of where the win would take place. Jones’ crew chief, Danny Stockman Jr, notched his third win with the organization.
All that said, there were some interesting moments that we may have missed during the race, or leading up to.
Here are this weeks Four Takeaways following the Pocono Organics 150
- Natalie Decker Sits Out- In case you missed, Niece Motorsports driver Natalie Decker, had to sit the Pocono race out this past weekend as she was hospitalized due to bile duct problems. Thankfully, it looks like she’ll be good to go in the coming weeks and looks to return to the truck as soon as possible which may be Kentucky on July 11. We wish Natalie a full and speedy recovery from surgery.
- Angela Ruch’s Full-Time Season Effort Cut Short- Angela Ruch, who was driving for Reaume Brothers Racing owned by Josh Reaume, is forced to sit out for the time being due to sponsorship woes. The situation comes as many companies are facing financial struggle due to the current COVID-19 situation across the world. Ruch did note that she hopes to come back to the team and make another effort in the No. 00 Reaume entry. Her best finish this season is 23rd at Charlotte. You can read her description below on her twitter page. https://twitter.com/Angela__Ruch/status/1275600321537028099/photo/1
- Codie Rohrbaugh Pays Tribute- Codie Rohrbaugh and his own No. 9 paid a special tribute this weekend to a 8-year old Joshua Shirk. Shirk was kayaking in West Virginia. When he was kayaking, the kayak got capsized, which left Shirk with no pulse. Medical workers came to the site and did get Shirk a pulse again, though from the last update, he continues to be in critical condition. With Rohrbaugh also a West Virginia native, he paid tribute to Joshua by having a picture of Josh on the truck and the letters “Pray for Joshua” on the side. While Rohrbaugh had a special paint scheme, his Pocono outing didn’t fare too well. Despite that, people wanting to learn more can visit https://www.facebook.com/FightingandBelieving to find out additional information.
- Chase Purdy Returns- It’s been well over two years since Chase Purdy was in some type of stock car, whether it was Trucks or ARCA. Purdy had competed in 23 ARCA races from 2017-2018. During his ARCA days, he was able to nab 10 top fives and 16 top 10 finishes. With Purdy back in the Trucks for one race, he last competed at Phoenix in 2018 for the now defunct MDM Motorsports where he finished 13th. Purdy had an okay outing, but more so disappointing as he would finish 21st. The Mississippi native was unable to score any stage points either. Though, here’s hoping Purdy can get more opportunities to showcase his skills and talent.
