Thirty-eight trucks will take the green flag under sunny skies led by 2020 series champ Sheldon Creed (2) and veteran Matt Crafton (88). We’re introduced to a new tv guy on the broadcast, Josh Sims. I was hoping Kurt Busch might be in the booth, but Todd Bodine is the third guy today. Winston Kelley is in the booth on the MRN broadcast today. The stages for today’s race are 45-45-147. A competition caution is scheduled for lap fifteen.
Creed gets the early lead.
FS1 is copying the idiot camera shots NBCSN uses. On lap 5 we’re stuck with a nauseating shot inside a truck looking out through the windscreen. The camera was shaking so much it was unwatchable.
John Hunter ‘JHN’ Nemecheck (4) takes the lead from Creed on lap 9 of 147. Matt Crafton (88) follows Nemecheck past Creed taking second position on lap 10 of 147.
Competition caution on lap 15 of 147.
Some come, some stay out.
Restarting on lap 20 of 147 with JHN and Crafton (88), who stayed out along with fifteen other truck, on the front row. Austin Hill (16) drops to the back to serve a ‘too fast entering’ pit road penalty.
JHN gets the early lead.
Caution for debris on lap 21 of 147. There was a chain reaction collision as Ben Rhodes (99) ran into the back of Sheldon Creed (2) who got into the back of the truck in front of him.
So far, lap 24 of 147, I’m hoping this race will pass quickly. Maybe something interesting will happen and bring some on-track excitement.
Congrats to Elladee Crafton on her win last night at Milburne. She told proud father Matt Crafton he had to win today since she won last night.
Restarting on lap 26 of 147 with Nemecheck and Crafton up front as a .
Caution on 26 of 147 for Colby Howard (9) spinning sideways in front of the field in turn two
Restarting on lap 28 of 147 with JHN (4) and Crafton (88) up front.
JHN gets the early lead again.
Again with the extended windscreen shots. Looks like I’m going to have to stop watching the FS1 Truck broadcasts; they’re becoming as unwatchable as the NBCSN broadcasts with the gimmick shots.
JHN wins stage one.
Restarting on lap 52 of 147 with Sheldon Creed (2) and JHN on the front row.
Creed gets the early lead.
MRN is excitedly calling the race for ninth on lap 57 of 147. It doesn’t look very interesting on the television broadcast.
They switch to calling the battle for second between teammates JHN (4) and Chandler Smith (18). Smith eventually gets the better of JHN.
Chandler Smith (18) has caught up to Sheldon Creed (2) on lap 62 of 147 and is working on him for the lead.
Smith (18) completes the pass on lap 63 of 147 as Creed (2) has a little wobble.
Caution on lap 67 of 147 for a crash involving Jack Wood (24) and Kris Wright (02) and Ben Rhodes (99). Ben Rhodes (99) attempted to pass Jack Wood, got alongside and slid up into Wood pinning him to the wall and leaving Kris Wright no place to go.
The hood is up on Matt Crafton’s truck during the caution. Michael Waltrip of FS1 reports Crafton said he was having trouble with his brakes.
Restarting on lap 71 of 147 with Sheldon Creed (2) up front.
Carson Hocevar (42) gave Creed a strong push and MRN reports almost turned him around. Creed gets the early lead.
Hocevar is just behind JHN who is just behind leader Sheldon Creed.
JHN and Creed battle door-to-door on lap 74 of 147.
Now, lap 75 of 147, we’re stuck looking at the bed of Creed’s truck at the truck behind him. Stupid camera tricks are aggravating.
Dylan Lupton (51) hits the outside wall on lap 87 of 147. The green flag remains out as Lupton heads to pit road.
Sheldon Creed (2) wins stage two.
Steve Post of MRN reports that Matt Crafton (88) says he has about 20% of his brakes.
MRN reports that Crafton tagged the left rear of Zane Smith (21) which spun Smith around in his pit box. Carson Hocevar (42) has a slow stop due to right tire issues. He enters pit road in the top five and exits in 21st position. Winston Kelley of MRN says Smith was impatient and cut off Crafton’s truck which spun Zane Smith around.
Restarting on lap 97 of 147 with Sheldon Creed (2) and Chandler Smith (18) on the front row.
Johnny Sauter (13) gives Creed a strong push for the early lead.
Lap 99 of 147 again with the horrible windscreen view.
Tanner Gray (15) tags the wall on lap 103 of 147. The MRN guy
Caution on lap 105 of 147 for a spin by Lawless Alan (45) after a tap by Derek Kraus (19). Lawless slid a glancing blow into Hailie Deegan (1).
Restarting on lap 110 of 147 with Sheldon Creed and Chandler Smith (18) at the head of the field.
Creed gets the early lead.
Caution before the end of the lap for a spin by Josh Reaume (34) trying to avoid Hailie Deegan (1) who has a left rear flat.
Steve ‘Postman’ Post of MRN reports the 1 team were attempting to avoid going a lap down so they had her slowly follow the field. She has pitted under caution.
Restarting on lap 115 of 147 with Sheldon Creed (2) and Chandler Smith (18) on the front row.
Strong push from Grant Enfinger (98) on Sheldon Creed sends him to the front of the field.
Tyler Hill (56) is slow and smoking on the track after visiting the wall – the race remains green on lap 144 of 147.
Sheldon Creed takes the white flag.
Sheldon Creed wins.
Congratulations to Stewart Friesen (52) on a third place finish.
Kudos to Parker Kligerman (75) on a fifth place finish.
Another boring race with a satisfying outcome.
I miss the captivating, exciting camera-work that was used with NASCAR during the first few years I watched. I imagine the action these days would look similar if the camera-work was as good as it was then. The races look boring more often than not with the seemingly endless shots of pavement, the wall, bumpers, hoods, truck beds, sides of cars, drivers steering a vehicle. All of that is just totally boring visually. It provides the least interesting, engaging aspects of being ‘in the car’. I would love to drive a race car. I never feel like I’m doing so with the gimmicky camera shots. I just feel like I don’t know what’s going on in the race I’m watching. Since the drivers with talent and experience generally don’t have the fastest, big money trucks we frequently spend entirely too much time watching mediocre drivers with extremely fast trucks that allows them to be up front making menaces of themselves without ever learning to drive. So they need camera-work to make their driving look better. That’s one of the reasons I listen to the radio broadcasts instead of the television audio, because the radio guys call a better race. Sometimes they go overboard with their attempt to hype the action, but they call the action that’s of interest to fans. The television broadcasts are full of former NASCAR team personnel, but very lacking in talented broadcasters able – and allowed – to tell the story of the race.
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