In a rare event, the Truck Series competed for the second time at Kansas Speedway, after two previous races on July 24 and 25 earlier this season. Brett Moffitt won Saturday afternoon after a battle with his GMS Racing teammate Zane Smith.
Moffitt blocked Smith going into Turns 3 and 4, causing Smith to go sideways and bringing out a late-race yellow. Despite the contact between the teammates, Moffitt is now in the Championship 4 for a third consecutive year dating back to his championship year in 2018.
Smith, however, lost out on an opportunity after having the dominant truck and leading 37 laps, only to finish 11th. The Huntington Beach, CA native now sits fourth in the standings, only seven points above the cut line. The next two races at Texas and Martinsville won’t be easy for Smith but if he can manage his own race and win a couple of stages, he looks good to make the Championship 4 as long as he does not suffer any engine failures or other issues along the way.
With Moffitt winning for the 12th time in his career, we’ll take a look at how others did following Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway.
- Sheldon Creed – Had there been one more lap, we could have been a different story in terms of a winner. Sheldon Creed had the best truck early on throughout the first two stages of the race, sweeping them both. Creed led a race-high of 61 laps en route to a second-place finish, earning his seventh top five of the season. Currently, Creed is 26 points above the cut line and could lock himself into the Championship 4 in the next two races.
Previous Week Ranking – Fourth - Austin Hill – Despite the contact with competitor Christian Eckes, the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises team rebounded to a third-place finish after fixing damage during a long pit stop under a stage break. Aside from the contact, Hill led 13 laps and ended up with his 10th top five of the year. Though the finish was probably disappointing after winning here back in July, Hill sits somewhat comfortably, 19 points above the cut line in third.
Previous Week Ranking – Fifth - Grant Enfinger – It was somewhat a quiet Kansas outing in Enfinger’s camp after winding up fourth for his seventh top-five of the 2020 season. The Alabaman finished inside the Top 10 in both stages with finishes of seventh and 10th respectively. However, things will begin to get tight for the No. 98 team as Enfinger sits seven points below the cut line, among the first to possibly be eliminated. But, as usual, anything can and will happen in racing over the next two weeks. Still, not a bad finish by Enfinger.
Previous Week Ranking – Second - Zane Smith – Smith came close to his third victory of the year if not for the late-race contact with his teammate Moffitt and could have been fighting for his first championship. While the 11th place finish was certainly frustrating, the California native had a strong race going up to that point. Smith finished fourth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. Unfortunately, he could never rebound for a Top 10 finish despite putting four fresh tires on following the spin, prior to the original final lap.
Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked - Matt Crafton – A ninth-place finish was all Crafton could do in his No. 88 Ford F-150 Saturday afternoon at Kansas. In Stage 1 and Stage 2, he finished fifth and sixth respectively. Though the ThorSport driver will more than likely have to win at either Texas or Martinsville if the defending champion wants to defend his title again as he is 15 points below the cut line.
Previous Week Ranking – First
Fell Out
- Ben Rhodes – Hurting his playoff chances on Saturday was Ben Rhodes and the No. 99 ThorSport team. The Kentucky native now faces a must-win situation (33 below the cut line) after being penalized twice for too many men over the pit wall while under the damaged vehicle policy. Rhodes’ final finishing position was 20th, three laps down.
Previous Week Ranking – Third
