Ben Rhodes was able to collect a win during the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. However, he had to wait until the playoffs race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to do so. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's take a look at how Rhodes's season went.
The 2017 season started off with a bang for the No. 33 GMS Racing driver Kaz Grala. The season opener saw him starting on the pole and winning the race after a last-lap crash on the backstretch. Since that Daytona finish, however, he was inconsistent with his finishes.
The 2017 year saw two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton make his 18th career season start dating back to the 2000 season. The long-running sponsor Menards returned to sponsor him once again in the series with the different brands such as Shasta, Goof Off, Fisher Nuts, Ideal Door, Hormel Gatherings, Jack Links, Great Links, Rip IT and FVP just to name a few.
The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was an interesting one, to say the least, for John Hunter Nemechek. He hadn't scored a win since his first one at Atlanta in 2016. Come to find out, Gateway could have been his last race of the season if sponsorship did not continue. Before that, however, Nemechek had a career-best finish of fourth at Daytona.
It is apparent that Jordan Anderson is quickly becoming a fan favorite in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The 26-year-old is highly interactive with the fans on social media. He has even held contests on Twitter where fans can have their names on the truck lid. It's safe to say Anderson is respected among the fans on and off the track.
This year Wendell Chavous was racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the third time in his career. He made all but two starts in the 2017 season. While only collecting five DNF's, he finished in the top 20 in 12 races in what was almost his first full season start.
Back for his sophomore season is twenty-one-year-old Erik Jones. In 2017, Jones raced his first full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for Furniture Row Racing in the No. 77. The 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year is going back to a familiar team, Joe Gibbs Racing.
The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers analysis continues with Huntersville, North Carolina native Harrison Burton. It was a busy 2017 season in general for the 17-year-old. Burton made six starts in the Truck Series, one start in the ARCA Racing Series, one start in the CARS Super Late Model Tour and competed in the full K&N Pro Series East series while winning the championship.
Todd Gilliand had an interesting 2017 racing season across all series. Just like his teammate Harrison Burton, he made full time starts in the K&N Pro Series East and West as well. On the West side, Gilliland collected six wins and the 2017 series championship.
My NASCAR writing journey began nine years ago when my daughter went away to college. As an only child, she decided I would be very lonely without her. She saw an ad for NASCAR writers on a then new website called Bleacher Report. So, she signed me up and off I went writing all sorts of posts, some of which were really awful and some of which were only semi-awful. But it was great fun and I met some wonderful writers, editors, and photographers, many who have become lifetime friends.
