Truckin’ Thursdays: 3 Memorable Pocono Truck Series Crashes in the Last 3 Years

Tyler Reddick, Daniel Hemric Wreck – 2016

Matt Crafton, Brad Keselowski Tangle – 2015

Just 10 laps into the 2015 race at Pocono, Brad Keselowski and Matt Crafton got together, sending both trucks to the garage and out of the race early with terminal damage. The driver of the No. 88 Toyota was none too pleased with the owner of Brad Keselowski Racing.

“That’s your Cup champion,” Crafton said after the wreck. “The idiot hooked me in the right rear, that’s all there was to it getting into Turn 3. I guess that’s maybe how he wants to win a championship with that 19 truck (Tyler Reddick). He’s got another thing coming.”

While Crafton realistically had a right to be angry, replays make it appear he was actually drifting up the track when the pair collided. And though it doesn’t make the early wreck sting any less, Keselowski made it clear he wanted Reddick to earn the championship if he was going to get it that year.

The wreck ultimately marked the beginning of the end of Crafton’s bid for a historic third-straight championship. It was the first time he had lost the point lead since taking it following a runner-up finish at Martinsville in March. A pair of crashes at Talladega and Phoenix marked the final nails in the coffin, and even a dominant win in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway wasn’t enough. He finished third in the championship standings.

quiroga/reddick 2014

Tracking The Trucks: Dillon Takes Pocono Mountains 150

Truckin’ Tidbits:

• In seven races, Pocono has showcased seven different winners. That could change on Saturday, though, as Kyle Busch, who won this race in 2015, is entered in the No. 23 Toyota. But Busch’s presence doesn’t necessarily guarantee he’ll dominate and win. The last time he raced in the series at Kentucky Speedway, he lacked speed and qualified 27th. He ultimately ended up finishing sixth, though he failed to lead a single lap.
• The top 10 is where drivers seemingly need to qualify to make the trip to Victory Lane at Pocono. Six of the seven races winners started inside the top five, with Ryan Blaney, who started sixth when he won in 2013, sitting as the lone driver to start outisde the top five… in sixth.
• Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer at Pocono with four victories (Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Joey Coulter and Austin Dillon). Toyota has two (Kyle Busch and William Byron), while Ford has one (Ryan Blaney).
• The Pocono Truck Series race wasn’t always 150 miles. For the first four races, it was a 125-mile sprint. The additional 10 laps were added prior to the 2013 contest.
• Earlier this year, Pocono announced the addition of more than 5,000 feet of SAFER barriers to the frontstretch wall between Turns 2 and 3. Also, the crossover gates were rebuilt, using SAFER materials.