Trucks: Kyle Busch Wins, Eight Move on to the Chase at Chicago
By Alex Herbst
Kyle Busch was in control during Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, but the bigger story was the eight drivers who were locked into the Chase.
Racing under the lights at Chicagoland Speedway took on a new level of importance on Friday night, as drivers battled for the final two spots in the first Camping World Truck Series Chase. As Kyle Busch cruised his way to victory lane for his 46th series win, Daniel Hemric and Timothy Peters claimed the final spots on the grid to race for the championship.
The race would come down to a final restart in overtime, with Busch holding off two drivers hungry for a win, Daniel Hemric and Cameron Hayley. While Hemric would get into the Chase on points at the end of the day, Hayley would fall just short. A win would have locked the driver of the #13 Toyota into the hunt.
Many of those on the Chase bubble fought adversity throughout the 150-lap event. Timothy Peters, who entered the race in the final grid spot, made two unscheduled pit stops for tire problems, but still bounced back to finish in the top ten. Meanwhile, Chase hopefuls including John Wes Townley and Tyler Reddick would get caught up in incidents, ending their hopes of a title in 2016.
Even those already securely in the championship battle were not immune from problems. William Byron was one of the first to run into trouble, hitting the wall hard after getting loose. He would be relegated to a 30th place finish. Later on, Matt Crafton and Ben Kennedy would get together after contact for the #33 truck from teammate Johnny Sauter.
The threat of rain loomed over the event just outside the Windy City, but Mother Nature held out long enough for the full event to be completed. In fact, the showers began just after the event was over, as Kyle Busch was celebrating in victory lane.
Here are the full results from the American Ethanol E15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway:
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Daniel Hemric, Ford, Brad Keselowski Racing
- Cameron Hayley, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- Christopher Bell, Toyota, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Timothy Peters, Toyota, Red Horse Racing
- Cole Custer, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Tyler Reddick, Ford, Brad Keselowski Racing
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Matt Tifft, Toyota, Red Horse Racing
- Josh Berry, Chevrolet, Contreras Motorsports
- John Hunter Nemechek, Chevrolet, NEMCO Motorsports
- Ryan Truex, Toyota, Hattori Racing Enterprises
- Tyler Young, Chevrolet, Young’s Motorsports
- Austin Wayne Self, Toyota, AM Win-Tron Racing
- Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, SS Green Light Racing
- Rico Abreu, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, Athenian Motorsports
- Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, MAKE Motorsports
- Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, MAKE Motorsports
- Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Bolen Motorsports
- Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, Martins Family Racing
- Ben Rhodes, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- Ben Kennedy, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Matt Crafton, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Jesse Little, Chevrolet, MB Motorsports
- William Byron, Toyota, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Norm Benning Racing
- Caleb Roark, Chevrolet, JJC Racing
Cup Update: Qualifying at Chicagoland Rained Out, Busch On Pole
With the regular season for the Camping World Truck Series now completed, just seven races remain to decide who will be the 2016 series champion.
Similar to the Chase for the Cup, the Truck Series Chase will have an elimination format over three rounds. The first round will have eight drivers contending, racing at New Hampshire, Las Vegas, and Talladega. After that, only six move on to contend for the title in the next three at Martinsville, Phoenix, and Texas. Finally, just four will race at Homestead-Miami for the big crown.
Here are the eight drivers racing for the Truck Series Chase in 2016, ordered based on their points after the reset:
- William Byron, 2015 points
- Matt Crafton, 2006
- John Hunter Nemechek, 2006
- Christopher Bell, 2003
- Johnny Sauter, 2003
- Ben Kennedy, 2003
- Daniel Hemric, 2000
- Timothy Peters, 2000
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The Chase for the Camping World Truck Series title officially gets underway next Saturday from the Granite State. See the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway live on FS1 at 12:30 pm eastern.