The 2021 Toyota 200 presented by CK Power was the 16th stock car race of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, the 21st iteration of the event, the first race of the playoffs, and the first race of the Round of 10. The race was held on Friday, August 20, 2021 in Madison, Illinois at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race was extended from 160 laps to 163 due to a NASCAR overtime finish. After dominating most of the race, Sheldon Creed of GMS Racing would win the race and lock himself into the Round of 8.[1] To fill the rest of the podium, Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes, both from ThorSport Racing would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 22 of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | August 20, 2021 | ||
| Official name | Toyota 200 presented by CK Power | ||
| Location | Madison, Illinois, World Wide Technology Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.25 mi (2.01 km) | ||
| Distance | 163 laps, 203.75 mi (327.956 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 160 laps, 200 mi (321.868 km) | ||
| Average speed | 80.684 miles per hour (129.848 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hattori Racing Enterprises | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | |
| Laps | 142 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Vince Welch, Michael Waltrip, Kurt Busch | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The race was the debut for Chris Hacker[2] and Armani Williams.
Background
editKnown as Gateway Motorsports Park until its renaming in April 2019, World Wide Technology Raceway is a 1.25-mile (2.01 km) paved oval motor racing track in Madison, Illinois, United States.[3] The track previously held Truck races from 1998 to 2010, and returned starting in 2014.[4]
Entry list
edit*Withdrew due to the team breaking the rules, as they did not know they had run an illegal nose on the car. NASCAR rules state that 2018 bodies for the car after June 30, 2021 are only allowed for dirt races and road courses, and as Norm Benning had a 2018 body, they were forced to withdraw.[5]
**Withdrew due to unknown reasons.[6]
***Driver changed to Chris Hacker in order for Hacker to make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut.[6]
Starting lineup
editQualifying was determined by a qualifying metric system based on the previous race, the 2021 United Rentals 176 at The Glen and owner's points. As a result, Austin Hill of Hattori Racing Enterprises would win the pole.[7]
The entry of Clay Greenfield of Clay Greenfield Motorsports and the initial entry of Chris Hacker for On Point Motorsports would fail to qualify, albeit Hacker would replace Lawless Alan in the #34 Reaume Brothers Racing truck to ensure that he would make his debut.[6]
Race
editPre-race ceremonies
editRace recap
editPost-race driver comments
editRace results
editStage 1 Laps: 55
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 21 | Zane Smith | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 66 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 4 | John Hunter Nemechek | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Derek Kraus | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 55
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | John Hunter Nemechek | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 66 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Derek Kraus | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 26 | Tyler Ankrum | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 98 | Christian Eckes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 50
References
edit- ^ DeHarde, Christopher (2021-08-21). "Sheldon Creed Dominates Truck Field At Gateway". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Glover, Luken (2021-08-16). "Chris Hacker Making Truck Debut At Gateway". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "Gateway announces venue naming rights agreement". RACER. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Roberts, Ken. "NASCAR returns to Gateway with truck series race". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ ""This Was A Huge Miscommunication Between Us and NASCAR," Illegal Nose Forces Norm Benning to Withdraw from Gateway Truck Race". TobyChristie.com. 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
- ^ a b c Beard, Brock. "PREVIEW: Many drivers make first Michigan starts in XFINITY; Gateway Truck Series race features a few debuts". Retrieved 2021-10-02.
- ^ Kristl, Mark (2021-08-18). "Austin Hill On Gateway Truck Pole". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "2021 Toyota 200 presented by CK Power - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.