NASCAR Truck Series Power Rankings after 2019 CarShield 200
By Mark Kristl
Ross Chastain officially won the CarShield 200 to claim his first win as a full-time NASCAR Truck Series driver. How did this affect the power rankings?
Ross Chastain was arguably the most determined NASCAR Truck Series driver in the CarShield 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (formerly known as Gateway Motorsports Park).
In the previous race at Iowa Speedway, he crossed the finish line first, but his #44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet failed post-race inspection, thereby negating his win. After NASCAR denied his team’s appeal, Chastain stated that the ruling affected everyone at Niece Motorsports.
Inclement weather affected the race weekend schedule for the CarShield 200, forcing NASCAR to cancel qualifying and reduce the two practice sessions into one practice session. In the lone practice session, Chastain posted the eighth fastest time.
Chastain didn’t win either of the race’s first two stages. At the end of stage one, Matt Crafton even expressed his displeasure with Chastain. But during the final pit stop, crew chief Phil Gould opted to not put any tires on Chastain’s #45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, allowing him to take the the lead on older tires.
Chastain appeared to have a decent lead, but a caution flag on lap 147 wiped it away. On the ensuing restart, he spun his tires but got a generous push from Todd Gilliland. Holding off Gilliland and Christian Eckes, Chastain maintained his lead, and he won the CarShield 200 by 0.704 seconds over Gilliland in second place after Eckes was spun out by Stewart Friesen.
He and his team celebrated in victory lane, although his #45 Chevrolet still needed to pass inspection. Upon receiving the good news, Chastain jubilantly entered the media center.
.@RossChastain comes into the media center @WWTRaceway and screams....... "Guess who passed tech today....."
— Chris Knight (@Knighter01) June 23, 2019
I'm guessing the No. 45 has passed technical inspection, still awaiting official word from #NASCAR, however.
This victory is his second career NASCAR Truck Series victory, but it was his his first as a full-time Truck Series driver. In all likelihood, he clinched a playoff berth, but he still needs to finish the regular season inside the top 20 in the championship standings. It is only a matter of time before he cracks the top 20, as he is currently just 38 points out in 25th place.
Chastain’s win totally shifted the Truck Series playoff picture in addition to these power rankings. Before you read the power rankings after the CarShield 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, here are the 20 drivers who are currently in the top 30 in the championship standings but are not in these rankings.
NOTE: “LW” means last week and “NR” means not ranked.
- Sheldon Creed, #2, GMS Racing, Chevrolet
- Tyler Dippel, #02, Young’s Motorsports, Chevrolet
- Brennan Poole, #30, On Point Motorsports, Toyota
- Jordan Anderson, #3, Jordan Anderson Racing, Chevrolet
- Spencer Boyd, #20, Young’s Motorsports, Chevrolet
- Tyler Ankrum, #87, NEMCO Motorsports, Chevrolet
- Austin Wayne Self, #22, AM Racing, Chevrolet
- Gus Dean, #12, Young’s Motorsports, Chevrolet
- Anthony Alfredo, #17, DGR-Crosley, Toyota
- Cory Roper, #04, Roper Racing, Ford
- Josh Reaume, #33, Reaume Brothers Racing, Chevrolet
- Natalie Decker, #54, DGR-Crosley, Toyota
- Jesse Little, #97, JJL Motorsports, Ford
- Jennifer Jo Cobb, #10, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Chevrolet
- Angela Ruch, #44, Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet
- Myatt Snider, #13, ThorSport Racing, Ford
- Timothy Peters, #92, Ricky Benton Enterprises, Ford
- Korbin Forrister, #7, All Out Motorsports, Toyota
- Norm Benning, #6, Norm Benning Racing, Chevrolet
- Raphael Lessard, #17, DGR-Crosley, Toyota