Truck Series Preps For Critical Texas Stop

James Buescher

James Buescher heads home to Texas Motor Speedway with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points lead and a championship in his grasp. In 200 laps at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, Buescher turned an ill-handling truck and a one-point deficit to main challenger Ty Dillon into a 21-point advantage. Now, Buescher heads home to the Lone Star State hoping to hold serve and claim a title he’s been chasing since he joined the series fulltime in 2009.

All four of Buescher’s 2012 Truck Series wins have come on 1.5-mile tracks; two at Kentucky and one each at Kansas and Chicagoland.  Both Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the championship will be awarded next month, are also 1.5-mile facilities.

Buescher has not thrived on TMS’ home cooking in the past. Despite leading laps in each of the last three races there – and winning the pole in two -- Buescher has an average finish of 14.3. Lifetime, he has three Top-10 finishes in seven Texas truck starts.

By comparison, Dillon has only two career starts at Texas, with Top-10 finishes in each. His best showing was a third in the fall race last year. Timothy Peters –still within striking distance -- is 25 points behind Buescher and has one Top-10 finish in nine starts at Texas.

Kyle is looking to rebound this weekend

Truck Notes: It’s been a difficult season for the Kyle Busch Motorsports team. In 2011, KBM piled up eight wins, six of them with Busch at the wheel. This season, a revolving roster of drivers that includes Busch, elder brother Kurt, Denny Hamlin, Jason Leffler, David Mayhew, German Quiroga, Drew Herring and Brian Scott have combined for just one checkered flag. That win came last week at Martinsville with Hamlin at the controls, and his checkered flag that could be a positive sign for the team. In the past, success has come in bunches for Busch, whose 30 wins as a driver rank him second all-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team will double-down again this weekend, with Busch and NASCAR Toyota (Mexico) Series champion Quiroga both eying Victory Lane.

Chevrolet leads the Camping World Truck Series manufacturers’ standings by 18 points, and can clinch the title this weekend by leaving Texas with a 13-point lead over Toyota. The title can be secured by earning third-place points, or better.

Based on prior success, ThorSport Racing could figure prominently this weekend. Johnny Sauter won at Texas in the spring, with teammate Matt Crafton close behind in second. Crafton also had a strong run at Martinsville last week before being ushered aside in the late going by eventual winner Denny Hamlin.  

Brandon McReynolds, son of NASCAR On FOX analyst Larry McReynolds, will pilot the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado for Turner Motorsports Friday night. 

 

Brendan Gaughan will drive the No. 2 truck for Richard Childress Racing this weekend at Texas, a track where he collected four consecutive Truck Series wins from 2002-2003.  

Todd Bodine leads all drivers with six career Texas wins, and will drive the No. 11 Toyota for Red Horse Racing.  

Nelson Piquet Jr. will make his 50th NCWTS start Saturday.