Camping World Truck Series race for the Chase points update
With only four races remaining before the inaugural seven-race Camping World Truck Series Chase commences at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24, it's time to take a look at where the top drivers in the series stand following Saturdays Pocono Mountain 150 at Pocono Raceway.
Obviously, William Byron is lock to not only make the Chase but be one of the favorites going into it after winning his series-high fifth race Saturday at Pocono.
Byron is one of only four full-time drivers in the series to have scored wins thus far this season, virtually locking them into the Chase. The others with wins are two-time series champion Matt Crafton with two, and Johnny Sauter and Christopher Bell with one apiece.
But eight drivers in all will qualify for the Chase, with two drivers eliminated after each three-race round in the seven-race playoffs, leaving four competitors to run for the championship in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
If there are fewer than eight winners before the Chase cutoff -- which obviously is likely to be the case -- the highest non-winners in the points standings will fill out the Chase field. Right now, that would be Daniel Hemric, Timothy Peters, John Hunter Nemechek and Cameron Hayley.
Hayley essentially is tied for eighth in points with Ben Kennendy after finishing second to Byron in Saturday's race at Pocono. But he would earn the Chase berth by virtue of a tiebreaker over Kennedy, who currently has fewer top-five finishes than Haley.
Hayley, in fact, was the big winner in the points game at Pocono, jumping two spots in the standings. Tyler Reddick was the biggest loser, dropping two spots to 10th after wrecking with his Brad Keselowski Racing teammate Hemric and finishing 26th in Saturday's race. Still, Reddick remains only one point behind Haley and Kennedy in the standings.
The other two drivers closest to earning Chase berths but currently on the outside looking in are Cole Custer, who is four points out of eighth, and Ben Rhodes, who is 13 points back.
Eleven races remain in the series overall, but the last race of the regular season will be at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16. The Truck Series will next race again Aug. 17 at Bristol.
For a complete look at the standings following Saturday's race, check below.
