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Camping World Trucks
TRUCKS: Old Hands Vs. Newcomers At Pocono
SPEED™ live with coverage of inaugural NCWTS at Pocono Raceway, new multi-truck qualifying format.
Timothy Peters and Kyle Busch lead the field to the green flag at Indianapolis. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Timothy Peters: “I think Pocono is going to level the playing field.”
Rick Ren: “I think the guys who have more experience at Pocono, as far as crew chiefs and/or drivers, will have an edge at that race track.”
When the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rolls into Pocono Raceway for its inaugural race Saturday (1 p.m. ET live on SPEED; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 12:30 p.m. ET), a few of the drivers already may have a leg up on the competition before they even hit the track.
But is it the veterans or the younger drivers?
While the series never has raced at Pocono, a few of its veterans have some NASCAR Sprint Cup Series experience under their belts, which logic might suggest hints at an advantage. However, some of their younger counterparts approach this challenge differently, thinking that maybe for a change, the playing field might be a bit more level this time around.
Series veterans and former champions Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner, in addition to special guests and Cup regulars Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler, have competed at Pocono at the highest level. Bodine holds 13 Cup starts; Hornaday, two; Skinner, 12 (one pole); Hamlin, four (two wins); Kahne, 13; and Sadler, 23. Kahne, though, has driven to Victory Lane in both of his two Truck Series starts.
But the younger Truck Series regulars, sometimes at a disadvantage at tracks new to them, hope to turn the tables this weekend. A few anticipate the across-the-board lack of seat time at Pocono will help to more evenly stack the deck between the veterans and younger drivers.
Rookie Austin Dillon, who won his first Truck race at Iowa Speedway, and Ricky Carmichael, a sophomore in the series, are among the believers:
“Being able to do that tire test at Pocono helped me a lot,” said Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. “It cut my learning curve in half and should help level the playing field between the veterans and younger drivers.”
“I think that it will definitely help even the playing field out for sure,” said Carmichael, driver of the No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet. “But at the end of the day, the good guys will still be good and find their way up to the front. Also, the people that got a chance to do the tire test, which wasn't any of us at TMS (Turner Motorsports), will have a bit of an advantage as well. I am really looking forward to going there, though, considering the circumstances, and looking forward to trying to get another personal best.”
Ironically, Timothy Peters, in his second full Truck Series season, is tied for fourth in the points with Hornaday, the series’ winningest driver. But Peters views Pocono as a chance to gain on “The Professor” and other veterans.
“I think Pocono is going to level the playing field,” Peters said. “You’ve got your veterans who might take to the place a little quicker than other guys, but at the same time, they’re making their first Truck appearance ever at Pocono, too. I’m looking forward to them not having as much of an advantage and I think we’ll be right there with them. It would be even better if we could beat them.”
“To some degree, I think the veterans will have a leg up,” SPEED reporter Ray Dunlap said. “But will the equipment make enough of a difference for someone with no experience there, such as Austin Dillon or Timothy Peters? Or will the veteran experience come through? Pocono should hold an advantage for the veterans simply because of the difficulty factor, plus some of them have a good bit of experience there.”
And from the “good bit of experience” department, four-time and defending champion Ron Hornaday, who holds two Cup Series starts at Pocono.
“I ran Pocono (in the Cup Series) but never in a truck,” Hornaday recalled. “I know the two series are two different animals. But Austin Dillon tested and ran really well there and we’ll have his notes … It’s about knowing what I need when we get there.”
And the man whose job for years as Hornaday’s crew chief was knowing what the champ needed in his race truck now is charged with preparing Kyle Busch Motorsports for Pocono with Kahne behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota. Rick Ren, director of competition at KBM, is confident in the team’s preparation.
“We were fortunate enough to be one of the teams who did the tire test and we basically took a setup that we had run really well with earlier in the spring,” Ren said. “I have raced Cup up there and Kyle (Busch) has raced Cup up there, so you picture in your mind all three corners, which are completely different. We looked at which corner is the most challenging and kind of took a setup from a race with a corner kind of like that. I think the guys who have more experience at Pocono, as far as crew chiefs and/or drivers, will have an edge at that race track.”
But if you’re betting on a veteran, the odds would favor the Cup regulars, who frequent Pocono twice a season.
“You’d be crazy to bet against Kasey, Denny and Elliott, and I think their vast experience has to play to their favor,” Dunlap stated. “However, we have some new rules about camber and air pressure for that race, so the setups in these trucks will be very different from what they’re used to in the Cup car.”
Rick Ren: “I think the guys who have more experience at Pocono, as far as crew chiefs and/or drivers, will have an edge at that race track.”
When the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rolls into Pocono Raceway for its inaugural race Saturday (1 p.m. ET live on SPEED; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 12:30 p.m. ET), a few of the drivers already may have a leg up on the competition before they even hit the track.
But is it the veterans or the younger drivers?
While the series never has raced at Pocono, a few of its veterans have some NASCAR Sprint Cup Series experience under their belts, which logic might suggest hints at an advantage. However, some of their younger counterparts approach this challenge differently, thinking that maybe for a change, the playing field might be a bit more level this time around.
Series veterans and former champions Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner, in addition to special guests and Cup regulars Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler, have competed at Pocono at the highest level. Bodine holds 13 Cup starts; Hornaday, two; Skinner, 12 (one pole); Hamlin, four (two wins); Kahne, 13; and Sadler, 23. Kahne, though, has driven to Victory Lane in both of his two Truck Series starts.
But the younger Truck Series regulars, sometimes at a disadvantage at tracks new to them, hope to turn the tables this weekend. A few anticipate the across-the-board lack of seat time at Pocono will help to more evenly stack the deck between the veterans and younger drivers.
Rookie Austin Dillon, who won his first Truck race at Iowa Speedway, and Ricky Carmichael, a sophomore in the series, are among the believers:
“Being able to do that tire test at Pocono helped me a lot,” said Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. “It cut my learning curve in half and should help level the playing field between the veterans and younger drivers.”
“I think that it will definitely help even the playing field out for sure,” said Carmichael, driver of the No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet. “But at the end of the day, the good guys will still be good and find their way up to the front. Also, the people that got a chance to do the tire test, which wasn't any of us at TMS (Turner Motorsports), will have a bit of an advantage as well. I am really looking forward to going there, though, considering the circumstances, and looking forward to trying to get another personal best.”
Ironically, Timothy Peters, in his second full Truck Series season, is tied for fourth in the points with Hornaday, the series’ winningest driver. But Peters views Pocono as a chance to gain on “The Professor” and other veterans.
“I think Pocono is going to level the playing field,” Peters said. “You’ve got your veterans who might take to the place a little quicker than other guys, but at the same time, they’re making their first Truck appearance ever at Pocono, too. I’m looking forward to them not having as much of an advantage and I think we’ll be right there with them. It would be even better if we could beat them.”
“To some degree, I think the veterans will have a leg up,” SPEED reporter Ray Dunlap said. “But will the equipment make enough of a difference for someone with no experience there, such as Austin Dillon or Timothy Peters? Or will the veteran experience come through? Pocono should hold an advantage for the veterans simply because of the difficulty factor, plus some of them have a good bit of experience there.”
And from the “good bit of experience” department, four-time and defending champion Ron Hornaday, who holds two Cup Series starts at Pocono.
“I ran Pocono (in the Cup Series) but never in a truck,” Hornaday recalled. “I know the two series are two different animals. But Austin Dillon tested and ran really well there and we’ll have his notes … It’s about knowing what I need when we get there.”
And the man whose job for years as Hornaday’s crew chief was knowing what the champ needed in his race truck now is charged with preparing Kyle Busch Motorsports for Pocono with Kahne behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota. Rick Ren, director of competition at KBM, is confident in the team’s preparation.
“We were fortunate enough to be one of the teams who did the tire test and we basically took a setup that we had run really well with earlier in the spring,” Ren said. “I have raced Cup up there and Kyle (Busch) has raced Cup up there, so you picture in your mind all three corners, which are completely different. We looked at which corner is the most challenging and kind of took a setup from a race with a corner kind of like that. I think the guys who have more experience at Pocono, as far as crew chiefs and/or drivers, will have an edge at that race track.”
But if you’re betting on a veteran, the odds would favor the Cup regulars, who frequent Pocono twice a season.
“You’d be crazy to bet against Kasey, Denny and Elliott, and I think their vast experience has to play to their favor,” Dunlap stated. “However, we have some new rules about camber and air pressure for that race, so the setups in these trucks will be very different from what they’re used to in the Cup car.”
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