NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to Battle Under the Lights at Las Vegas

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series leaps back into action under the lights this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Presented by Westgate Resorts (Friday, March 1 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Next Race: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Presented by Westgate Resorts

The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

The Date: Friday, March 1

The Time: 9 p.m. ET

The Purse: $736,214

TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 201 miles (134 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30)

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)

Notably, there have been 31 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, producing 25 different winners and 21 different pole winners.

A total of 10 races have been won from the pole or first starting position (a 32.2% winning percentage) – most recently veteran driver Kyle Busch grabbed the win from the pole last season. Kyle Busch and Matt Crafton currently hold the most records at the 1.5-mile track:

• Qualifying record: Kyle Busch 178.903 mph (03/01/2019)
• Most wins: Kyle Busch – 4
• Most laps led: Kyle Busch – 404
• Most races: Matt Crafton – 27
• Most top fives: Matt Crafton – 11
• Most top 10s: Matt Crafton – 17

Tyler Reddick holds the race record with his speed of 143.163 mph on October 1, 2016, and Mike Skinner, along with Jack Sprague, are tied for the most poles with three each.

Practice for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will begin Friday, March 1 at 4:35 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio followed by qualifying at 5:05 p.m. ET.

Former Vegas winners looking to double down

Four previous winners are entered in this weekend’s Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Presented by Westgate Resorts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – and all four are looking to double down under the neon lights of Sin City.

Kyle Busch: The winningest driver in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series history added another victory to his name last weekend in Atlanta bringing his total number of wins to 65. In Busch’s seven starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he has posted four wins (2018, 2019, 2020, 2023), three poles, six top fives, and seven top 10s. Busch currently holds the series-most led laps (404). If the driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet wins this weekend, he could be the first driver to post back-to-back wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

Christian Eckes: In seven starts, the driver of the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet has posted one win (2021), one pole, two top-five, and five top-10 finishes. He’s also led 27 laps.

Grant Enfinger: The veteran behind the wheel of the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet has the most starts at Las Vegas between the former victors with 13. In those 13 starts, Enfinger’s posted one win (2018), two top-five, eight top-10 finishes, and has led 50 laps.

Ben Rhodes: The reigning 2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Champion has had a slow start to the year – finishing 30th in Daytona and 28th in Atlanta. The driver of the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford has made 12 starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, posting one win (2017), one pole, five top-five, and eight top-10 finishes. Rhodes has also led 41 laps.

Toyotas take over the ‘Diamond in the Desert’

Toyota leads the manufacturers in NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with 14 victories – most recently Chandler Smith’s victory in 2022. Now the manufacturer heads back to Las Vegas looking to win their 15th.

Let’s look at the Toyota win breakdown at the 1.5-mile track:

Notably, Kyle Busch is the only driver to post wins with two different manufacturers (Toyota and Chevrolet). Chevrolet, the most recent manufacturer to win in the desert, follows behind with 10 victories. Ford has five series wins and Dodge has two.

Leader of the pack: Tyler Ankrum

Through two races, 22-year-old, Tyler Ankrum, has quietly extended his lead in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points standings to 10 points over second place Ty Majeski. Prior to this season, the highest rank in the standings Ankrum ever reached was fifth.

The driver of the No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet led 46 of the 135 laps at Atlanta and finished his weekend with a seventh-place finish. With two remarkable stage finishes, Ankrum accumulated 48 points retaining his position as the points leader in the series and his best at the 1.54-mile track in five starts.

Now in his fifth full-time season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Ankrum has one win (Kentucky, 2019) to his credit. The San Bernadino, California native has made seven starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His first start at Las Vegas in 2019 netted an 11th-place finish, and when he returned in 2020, Ankrum scored a track-best 10th-place finish. Last season, Ankrum finished 15th.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Etc.

Christopher Bell to team with TRICON Garage for Las Vegas – NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell will attempt to pull double duty this weekend, joining forces with TRICON Garage to pilot the No. 1 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.

The Norman, Oklahoma native and fifth-year NASCAR Cup Series driver has 56 career Truck starts on his resume, amassing seven victories, 27 top fives and 42 top 10s with over 1,200 laps led.

The longtime Toyota driver is coming off an outstanding 2023 NASCAR Cup Series campaign that saw the 29-year-old capture two victories and make his second consecutive appearance in the Championship 4.

“It’s always really fun to compete in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and I’m very excited to race with Mobil 1 under the lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” said Bell. “I really appreciate Toyota, TRD, TRICON and Mobil 1 for the opportunity. I’ve come close to the win at Vegas before in Trucks and would love to make it happen this time.”

Zane Smith makes his return to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series – This weekend, 2022 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Champion Zane Smith will attempt his first race this season as he takes on a partial Truck Series schedule. Smith will be behind the wheel of the No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet this weekend at Las Vegas.

In 2023, Smith tallied two wins (Daytona, COTA), three poles, 10 top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The renowned driver also led 227 laps on the year.

Heading into Las Vegas, the NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender knows the 1.5-mile track all too well. In six starts in the Truck Series, he has tallied one top-five, and four top-10 finishes with 23 laps led. Last season, Smith finished second.

The remainder of Smith’s schedule includes Bristol (March 16), Texas (April 12), and Kansas (May 4).

HendrickCars.com extends partnership with Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports – HendrickCars.com has extended its partnership of driver Rajah Caruth and Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team to include the entire calendar of races on the 2024 schedule.

It was previously announced HendrickCars.com would serve as Caruth’s primary sponsor for 10 races this year. The 21-year-old Washington D.C. native opened the season with a third-place finish at Daytona International Speedway and backed it up with an eighth-place showing last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“Rajah has had a tremendous start to 2024,” said Gary Davis, executive vice president, Hendrick Automotive Group. “When you combine his on-track potential, how he represents himself and HendrickCars.com, his impressive social media presence, and the incredible fan support he receives, we couldn’t pass on supporting him for the entire season.”

2024 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year breakdown – Thadd Moffitt holds an early lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings following a pair of races in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

The driver of the No. 46 Faction46 Chevrolet was the highest-finishing Sunoco Rookie contender at Atlanta (26th) and now sits four points over both Connor Jones and Layne Riggs.