The Craftsman Truck Series kicks off a triple header weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. The hills will be alive at Thunder Vallery over the next three days with the sound of roaring engines.
A total of 38 teams have brought trucks for 36 starting spots in the UNOH 200.
It has been three weeks since the Truck Series have been on the track and the second race in round one of the playoffs.
The drivers have been place into two groups for 15 minute practice sessions.
Eighteen year old Corey Day makes his Truck Series debut at Bristol. Early in Group A’s practice, Day has put his truck in the top five.
With all 10 of the playoff drivers in Group B, the top eight drivers are separated by just one tenth of a second!
Several of the drivers in the Truck Series race will also be running in the ARCA race for double duty racing on a hot Tennessee Thursday afternoon.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Corey Day with a time of 15.780 seconds around the half mile track.
The crew is making some repairs on Kaden Honeycutt’s truck and he will not be making a qualifying. Honeycutt will start the race from the back of the field.
With 38 trucks for 36 starting spots, two drivers will not make the race. Drivers must beat seven trucks to make the race on time.
Tyler Tomassi and Marco Andretti posted the exact same time a 16.143 seconds.
Rajah Caruth and Corey Heim also posted the exact same time of 15.451 seconds.
With a time of 15.325 seconds Connor Zilisch puts his number seven truck on the pole for his third pole in a row (he sat on the pole in the Xfinity race last week and the ARCA race at Bristol). Rajah Caruth will start alongside Zilisch on the front row.
The starting lineup for the UNOH 200:
Connor Zilisch
Corey Heim
Rajah Caruth
William Sawalich
Stewart Friesen
Nick Sanchez
Daniel Dye
Christian Eckes
Chase Purdy
Tanner Gray
Matt Crafton
Ty Dillon
Stefan Parsons
Tyler Ankrum
Grant Efinger
Taylor Gray
Dean Thompson
Layne Riggs
Ty Majeski
Connor Mosack
Jake Garcia
Corey Day
Conner Jones
Jack Wood
Ben Rhodes
Bayley Currey
Timmy Hill
Bret Holmes
Lawless Alan
Matt Mills
Spencer Boyd
Mason Maggio
Tyler Tomassi
Keith McGee
Justin Mondeik
Kaden Honeycutt
Justin Carroll and Marco Andretti failed to qualify for the race.
Ty Majeski will have to start the race from the back of the field after the crew made some unapproved adjustments to the truck.
Stages one and two of the race are 55 laps each with stage three lasting 90 laps for a total of 200 laps around the half mile track. Drivers can run around 150 laps on a single load of fuel.
He was crashed out early in the ARCA race, but Connor Zilisch looks for better results in the Truc Series race as he leads the field down for the green flag start of the race with Corey Heim alongside. Zilisch jumps out in front for the lead with Corey Heim in second.
Lap three, Connor Zilisch leads the race with Corey Heim in second; William Sawalich, Rajah Caruth, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.
Lap six, Ty Majeski started the race at the back of the field and has moved up to 32nd.
Lap eight, Connor Zilisch has a third of a second lead on Corey Heim; William Sawalich, Rajah Caruth, and Christian Eckes round out the top five.
Lap 12, Connor Zilisch leads the race and is not far from beginning to lap the field.
Lap 24, leader Connor Zilisch is already beginning to lap slower traffic. There are 31 trucks on the lead lap.
Lap 28, the top five are Connor Zilisch, Corey Heim, William Sawalich, Rajah Caruth, and Christian Eckes.
Rajah Caruth passes William Sawalich for third.
Lap 32, Connor Zilisch has a near half second lead on Corey Heim; Rajah Caruth, William Sawalich, and Christian Eckes round out the top five. Eckes and Nick Sanchez are in a battle for fifth.
Lap 36, as the leaders encounter slower traffic; Corey Heim begins to challenge Connor Zilisch for the lead.
Laap 43, with 30 trucks on the lead lap, Corey Heim passes Connor Zilisch for the lead.
With 10 laps remaining in stage one, Corey Heim leads the race with Connor Zilisch in second; Rajah Caruth, William Sawalich, and Nick Sanchez round out the top five.
Connor Zilisch and Rajah Caruth battle for second.
Four laps remaining in stage one, drivers are getting three wide on the track.
Three to go, Rajah Caruth battle with Corey Heim for the lead.
Rajah Caruth wins stage one. Coming into the race he was below the cut line in the playoffs.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Rajah Caruth
Corey Heim
Christian Eckes
Connor Zilisch
Nick Sanchez
Stewart Friesen
William Sawalich
Layne Riggs
Chase Purdy
Daniel Dye
Drivers come down pit road for service with Corey Heim inning the race off of pit road. Christian Eckes reports some possible brake issues; saying they are getting hot.
After staying out on the track, Timmy Hill brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 66 but it is Corey Heim who jumps out in front for the lead.
Lap 67, the top five are Corey Heim, Rajah Caruth, Christian Eckes, Timmy Hill, and Connor Zilisch.
Lap 70, Corey Heim has a half second lead on Rajah Caruth as drivers battle three wide around the track.
After several drivers took the wave around, there are 33 trucks on the lead lap.
Conner Jones makes contact with Grant Enfinger; causing a tire rub and smoke on Conner Jones’ truck. The track stays green.
Lap 75, Corey Heim has a half second lead on Rajah Caruth; Christian Eckes, Connor Zilisch, and Layne Riggs round out the top five.
Lap 90, Corey Heim continues to lead the race with Rajah Caruth a near half second behind; Christian Eckes, Connor Zilisch, and Layne Riggs round out the top five.
Starting the race in 23rd and only making up to 21st, Ben Rhodes said that the truck came off of the hauler wrong.
Lap 99, Rajah Caruth battles with Corey Heim for the lead among slower traffic.
Lap 104, Ben Rhodes goes a lap down; leaving 28 trucks on the lead lap.
With five laps remaining in stage two, Corey Heim holds on to the lead with Rajah Caruth and Christian Eckes in a battle for second.
Conner Jones is off the track.
Connor Zilisch spins out to bring out the caution flag at the end of stage two. Corey Heim wins stage two for his seventh stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Corey Heim
Christian Eckes
Rajah Caruth
Layne Riggs
Nick Sanchez
Stewart Friesen
William Sawalich
Matt Crafton
Dean Thompson
Chase Purdy
Nick Sanchez is the only playoff driver to come down pit road.
Connor Mosack was caught speeding on pit road. Corey Day was charged with a safety violation.
Corey Heim brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 121 with Christian Eckes alongside. Heim jumps out in front for the lead but Layne Riggs comes up to battle for the lead. Riggs takes the lead.
The top five are Layne Riggs, Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Rajah Caruth, and Stewart Friesen.
When he started the race, Rajah Caruth was four points below the cut line; when stage three began he was 27 above the line. Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes are the two drivers below the cut line.
Lap 127, Layne Riggs has a lead of over half a second on Corey Heim; Christian Eckes, Rajah Caruth, and William Sawalich round out the top five.
Lap 139, Christian Eckes passes Rajah Caruth for third.
Lap 141, Layne Riggs has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on Corey Heim with Christian Eckes and Rajah Caruth in a battle for third; Stewart Friesen is in fifth with 28 trucks on the lead lap.
Lap 148, Rajah Caruth has retaken third place.
Fifty to go! Layne Riggs has a lead of over half a second on Corey Heim and is lapping more traffic.
With 46 laps to go, the top five are Layne Riggs, Corey Heim, Rajah Caruth, Christian Eckes, and Stewart Friesen
The caution flag comes out with 43 laps remaining in the race, Kaden Honeycutt brings out the caution flag when he spins out from contact with Daniel Dye who got into the wall. Daniel Dye comes down pit road with a flat tire while pit road was still closed. He is now one lap down.
Once pit road opens, some of the drivers back in the field come down pit road for service.
Layne Riggs brings the field down for the green flag restart with 29 laps remaining in the race with Corey Heim alongside. Riggs and Corey Heim battle for the lead with Riggs holding on to the lead.
The top five are Layne Riggs, Corey Heim, Rajah Caruth, Christian Eckes, and Stewart Friesen.
Kaden Honeycutt is out of the race.
Just 24 laps to go with 24 trucks on the lead lap. Layne Riggs has a near one second lead on Corey Heim; Christian Eckes, Rajah Baruth, Matt Crafton, and Stewart Friesen round out the top five.
Daniel Dye had to make a second trip down pit road and is now five laps down.
Jack Wood brings out the caution flag with 19 laps to go when he spins out after some on track contact.
Connor Zilisch is the “lucky dog” and is back on the lead lap.
Layne Riggs brings the field down for the green flag restart with 13 laps to go, Driver get three wide on the restart with Layne Riggs holding on to the lead and Corey Heim in second; Rajah Caruth, Christian Eckes, and Matt Crafton round out the top five. There are 23 trucks on the lead lap.
Seven to go, Layne Riggs has a near one second lead on Corey Heim.
After winning the first race in the playoffs at Milwaukee, Layne Riggs is on his way to winning the second race in round one of the playoffs.
Three to go, Layne Riggs has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Corey Heim.
Layne Riggs takes the white flag.
Layne Riggs goes back to back to win the first two races in round one of the playoffs.
Corey Heim, Nick Sanchez, and Christian Eckes have locked up a spot in the playoffs and will be a part of the Round of Eight.
The unofficial results of the UNOH 200:
Layne Riggs
Corey Heim
Rajah Caruth
Christian Eckes
Nick Sanchez
Matt Crafton
Chase Purdy
Ty Majeski
Stewart Friesen
Stewart Friesen
Tyler Ankrum
William Sawalich
Taylor Gray
Bret Holmes
Dean Thompson
Bayley Currey
Steven Parsons
Grant Enfinger
Corey Day
Connor Zilisch
Connor Mosack
Jake Garcia
Timmy Hill
Tanner Gray
Lawless Alan
Matt Mills
Jack Wood
Ben Rhodes
Justin Mondeik
Spencer boyd
Ty Dillon
Mason Maggio
Daniel Dye
Keith McGee
Tyler Tomassi
Kaden Honeycutt
Conner Jones