Matt Crafton, the defending truck champion and current points leader, has competed in 10 previous truck races at Gateway. Crafton’s best finish here is fifth, which came in the most recent event four years ago. The driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota won last week’s race at Texas. It was his second victory of the season.
“At least we’ve been there and we have a pretty good notebook of setups for Gateway,” Crafton said, “We’ve been there quite a bit in the past, and we’re hoping that gives us a little bit of a leg up on the competition.”
Gateway is a 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval that is similar to Darlington. This track has 11 degrees of banking in turns 1 and 2 and 9 degrees in turns 3 and 4.
“To me, Gateway races a lot like Phoenix — the old Phoenix — and everyone knows how I feel about that place,” Crafton noted. “Turns 1 and 2 [at Gateway] are quite a bit tighter, kind of like Darlington, but 3 and 4 are really like Phoenix.”
Crafton presently holds an 11-point lead over second-place and teammate Johnny Sauter.
Ron Hornaday Jr., the four-time truck champion, is the only driver competing in this race that has won here in the past. Hornaday is third in the point standings (-23).
“I’m excited to get back to Gateway for the first time since 2010,” Hornaday said. “We’ve had some success here in the past, especially back in 2008 when we won this race.”
Thirty-two teams are on the entry list for the Drivin’ for Linemen 200.
Series: NASCAR Camping World. Date: Saturday, June 14. Race: Drivin’ for Linemen 200. Site: Gateway Motorsports Park. Track: 1.25-mile oval. Start time: 8:30 p.m. ET. Laps: 160. Miles: 200. Television: FOX Sports 1. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.