NASCAR Truck Series at Martinsville 2014: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
Nate Loop@Nate_Loop
Featured ColumnistOctober 23, 2014
The 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series chases the cold and heads north as the top pickup truck drivers get set to participate in the Kroger 200 at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.
Timothy Peters will look to build on his win at the Fred's 250 at the Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 18. It's going to take a sterling finish from Peters if he wants to catch up with Matt Crafton, the current leader and last year's Truck Series champion. With just four races left on the 2014 calendar, pickup truck racing fans are set for an intriguing finish to the year.
Here is the complete schedule for the Kroger 200 at Martinsville, the current Truck Series standings and a quick preview of the upcoming race.
| NASCAR Truck Series at Martinsville 2014 Schedule | |||
| Date | Event | Time (ET) | TV |
| Friday, Oct. 24 | Practice 1 | 1:30 p.m. | Fox Sports 1 |
| Friday, Oct. 24 | Practice 2 | 3 p.m. | Fox Sports 1 |
| Saturday, Oct. 25 | Qualifying | 10 a.m. | Fox Sports 1 |
| Saturday, Oct. 25 | Kroger 200 | 1:30 p.m. | Fox Sports 1 |
| NASCAR.com | |||
| NASCAR Truck Series Standings 2014 | |||
| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
| 1 | Matt Crafton | 88 | 674 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 29 | 658 |
| 3 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 54 | 646 |
| 4 | Johnny Sauter | 98 | 638 |
| 5 | Timothy Peters | 17 | 597 |
| 6 | Joey Coulter | 21 | 593 |
| 7 | German Quiroga Jr. | 77 | 574 |
| 8 | Ben Kennedy | 31 | 562 |
| 9 | Jeb Burton | 13 | 555 |
| 10 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | 9 | 494 |
| 11 | Bryan Silas | 99 | 453 |
| 12 | John Wes Townley | 05 | 444 |
| 13 | Mason Mingus | 15 | 439 |
| 14 | Tyler Young | 02 | 426 |
| 15 | Tyler Reddick | 19 | 388 |
| 16 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | 10 | 374 |
| 17 | Norm Benning | 6 | 371 |
| 18 | Justin Jennings | 36 | 348 |
| 19 | Joe Nemechek | 8 | 341 |
| 20 | Erik Jones | 51 | 338 |
| 21 | T.J. Bell | 325 | |
| 22 | Tayler Malsam | 32 | 314 |
| 23 | John Hunter Nemechek | 269 | |
| 24 | Cole Custer | 246 | |
| 25 | Brennan Newberry | 20 | 242 |
| NASCAR.com | |||
Preview
The Kroger 200 is either going to see a challenger make a big gain on Crafton, or it will be the site of the current leader pulling away from the pack for good with just four races left in the season.
Crafton won at this track back in March at the Kroger 250, one of his two wins on the season. He certainly knows what it takes to win on this course, but he is unfortunately coming off one of his more disappointing races of the season.
Crafton finished 14th at the Fred's 250 and was even penalized for push drafting during the contest, per Fox Sports NASCAR:
His biggest challengers appear to be Ryan Blaney, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Peters.
Blaney is second in the standings and a mere 16 points behind Crafton. He also had a fine race at Fred's 250, finishing in fifth place.
He's been putting in assured, confident performances and is willing to do what it takes to make sure he's still in the running by the time Ford EcoBoost 200—the last race of the season, set to take place at Homestead-Miami Speedway—rolls around.
"This is a long five-race stretch to Homestead here, and I told our guys, ‘If we have weeks like this, we’re gonna be right there at Homestead,'" he said, via NBC Sports' Chris Estrada.
Peters, by virtue of his recent victory, moved up to fifth place and should be feeling mighty confident after earning his first win of the season.
Motor Racing Network noted he did well to hold the inside part of the track and secure a win after leading out of a restart with 32 laps to go:
Wallace Jr. won the Kroger 200 last year and is one of the Truck Series' most consistent performers, with two wins already on the season. He comes into the weekend in third place and will be looking to utilize his experience at the track and recent good form to come away victorious.
Kentucky Speedway pointed out he's been outperforming the likes of Crafton and Blaney as of late:
They say that if you look good, you feel good, and one would imagine Wallace Jr. is going to feel like the most confident driver out on the track with this baby-blue ride, via Kyle Busch Motorsports:
With just four races left in the season and only so many points up for grabs, expect this race to be a close, tense affair. There are several other worthy competitors capable of making noise at this race, including fourth-place Johnny Sauter.
Wallace Jr.'s recent string of strong results and 2013 victory at this competition makes him my favorite to win in Virginia on Sunday and challenge Crafton's hegemony over the Truck Series.