On Saturday morning, ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton claimed the pole for the Camping World Truck Series’ LTi Printing 200 at Michigan International Speedway. Crafton’s second round lap of 39.076 seconds (184.256 mph) was six-hundredths of a second faster than GMS Racing’s Johnny Sauter.
Afterwards, Crafton noted just how important the pole really is at Michigan.
“Track position will be everything,” Crafton said. “You can pass here, but over the years, the track’s getting rid of that…new asphalt. Track position is going to be everything.”
Sauter, who was fastest in the first round, is happy with his starting spot, but wanted a little bit more.
“Close, but no cigar with our Karl Chevrolet Chevrolet,” Sauter told FOX Sports’ Chris Neville. “I felt like I did everything the same as I did the run prior, and ran about the same speed. Maybe [I] should have come down to the apron.”
John Hunter Nemechek will start third, followed by Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson. Grant Enfinger will start in sixth, followed by Justin Haley and Austin Cindric. Darrell Wallace Jr., driving for MDM Motorsports, will start ninth with former boss Kyle Busch alongside.
Christopher Bell failed to qualify for the second round and will start 13th. It is only the second time all season that Bell will start worse than sixth, let alone missing the final round. The other race that Bell failed to make the final round was Texas in June. There, he started 21st and won.
Starting Lineup for the Camping World Truck Series LTi Printing 200
Coverage of the LTI Printing 200 is scheduled to start with NCWTS Setup at 12:30 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports 1. The race itself is scheduled to go green around 1:15 p.m.
About the author
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.
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