The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited Kentucky Speedway this past Saturday for the continuation of their 2020 season. The Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 wasn’t exactly the most exciting race on the schedule, but the race was just kind of there and did not amount to a whole lot. Only eight lead changes occurred before the dreaded rains came after Stage 2 was completed and NASCAR had no choice to call the race early.
When the race was called, Sheldon Creed was credited with the win as he made a power move on what would be the final restart of the race. While Creed and 99.9 percent of NASCAR drivers don’t really like to win this way (a race getting called by rain), but a win is still a win and the victory put Creed and the No. 2 GMS team in the playoffs.
Even though the seventh race of the 2020 season was shortened by 79 laps, there were some drivers who had their moments and shined until the race was called.
Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway.
- Sheldon Creed- The Californian started eighth based on a draw, but really, had a decent race until the skies opened up. Creed would finish third in the first stage and took the lead on lap 52, and went onto win Stage 2. Eventually, he was in the right place at the right time for his first career win in the Truck Series. The victory has been a long time coming though, as he has been consistent on finishing in the top five or 10. If the GMS team can focus on the playoffs and bring a strong Truck to challenge for the championship, there should be no question Creed can’t win the championship.
Previous Week Ranking- Second - Austin Hill- Hill never really contested for the win, but continued his streak of finishing inside the top 10 ever since the 2020 season started. The Georgian finished ninth in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2, respectively. It’s anytime now that we should see the Hattori Racing team finally get their first win of the season, as they’ve been knocking on the door week in, week out. One has to wonder, despite earning those stage points and finishing in the top 10 every week, will we have another repeat like last season, where Grant Enfinger never won a race but was regular series champion, and got knocked out of the playoffs in Round 1. Only time will tell.
Previous Week Ranking- First - Ben Rhodes- The hometown boy was right up there with eventual race winner Creed for the final restart of the race. Had Rhodes been able to clear him, we most likely would be talking about a different winner right now. Still, a solid outing by the No. 99 ThorSport team, who got their best finish of the season so far by finishing second. In the stages, Rhodes placed 10th in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2.
Previous Week Ranking- Fourth - Matt Crafton- A bounce back for Crafton after his disappointing Pocono outing, where he wrecked out on the first lap. Crafton came home in the third position for just the second top-five of the season. Kentucky, was a respectable outing, however, with the Californian placing third in the final running order. Stage 1 saw him finish 21st, but Crafton picked it up just in time before the checkered flew early and ultimately finished third in Stage 2. 2020 hasn’t been too kind for last year’s champ, as Crafton has three finishes outside the top 10 and no wins. This team will really have to get into gear over the next few weeks if they want to be a serious championship contender.
Previous Week Ranking- Fell Out - Zane Smith- Zane Smith had a really good day at Kentucky, where he led 11 laps and won the first stage. The GMS driver and remained in the top five through the first two stages. Had the rains not fell, we probably would have seen Smith up front more and getting the experience of leading laps out front. Kentucky was the fourth race this season, where the rookie led laps in a Truck Series race. Don’t be surprised if Smith can pick a win up soon.
Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
Fell Out
- Tyler Ankrum- While part of the GMS team saw success at the 1.5-mile speedway, one team did not and that was Tyler Ankrum. He did have a decent finish in Stage 1, where Ankrum placed fifth. However, a curveball was thrown to the No. 26 team when they tried some varying pit strategy. But, the strategy ended up hurting them more than helping, thanks to the incoming weather. The weather made other teams stay out and Ankrum was back in the pack, where dirty air was seen the most.
Previous Week Ranking- Fifth
