Playoff Pressure Follows Gander Trucks to Canada

By NASCAR Wire Service

With the opening race of the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs behind them, the eight drivers contending for the title head to the lone road course on the series schedule this weekend for the seventh annual Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, August 25 (2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Brett Moffitt is sitting pretty as the Gander Trucks head north of the border – he opened the postseason with a win at Bristol Motor Speedway and has locked in his spot in the second round of the Playoffs. But after that, it’s a big unknown for the Playoff contenders.

The trio of ThorSport Racing teammates in the Playoffs (Grant Enfinger, Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter), along with the fourth driver in their stable, Ben Rhodes, took a unique approach to preparing for the 2.459-miles of twists and turns in Bowmanville, Ontario. They paired up (Rhodes and Enfinger in one entry, Crafton and Sauter in another) and entered the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race in Ford Mustang GT4s with Multimatic Motorsports in early July.

But no matter who comes out on top this Saturday, it’s guaranteed that a new winner will be pulling into Victory Lane – and it will be the seventh consecutive different winner in the Chevrolet Silverado 250. Current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standout Chase Elliott won the inaugural event in 2013, and was followed by Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley during the 2014-2018 versions of the race. All of those drivers have also moved on to either the NASCAR Xfinity Series or Monster Energy Series competition.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series

Next Race: Chevrolet Silverado 250

The Place: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

The Date: Sunday, August 25

The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 157.37 miles (64 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 64)

2018 Winner: Justin Haley

What to Watch For: This race is the second NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoff event of the season. Defending series champion Brett Moffitt won the first Playoff race last week at Bristol, Tenn. … There have been six different winners in the series’ six-race Canadian Tire Motorsport Park history. … Austin Cindric is the only driver to win from pole position (2017). … Ryan Blaney – 2014 – won from 14th starting position – the farthest on the grid to produce a winner. … The 2015 race won by Erik Jones produced the most lead changes (14). … Only twice in the six races has the driver who led the most laps won the race – Cindric led 32 laps in his 2017 win and Ryan Blaney led 34 laps in his 2014 win. … NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott scored his first career NASCAR national series win in this inaugural race in 2013. He edged Ohio driver Chad Hackenbracht in a race that ended under caution. … The closest Margin of Victory is .034-seconds when John Hunter Nemechek dueled Cole Custer to the finish line in a thrilling 2016 finale. … The largest Margin of Victory is Cindric’s 3.481-second win over Noah Gragson in 2017. … No 2019 series regular has won this race previously. … This will be the track debut for Playoff contender Tyler Ankrum. … Among the Playoff eight drivers, Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter are the only two drivers who have started every race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. … Crafton’s runner-up finish in 2015 is the best effort at the track among the Playoff drivers.