Nick Sanchez will lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field to the green flag Saturday at Kansas Speedway after rain washed out Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions.
Sanchez, driving the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, was awarded the pole position through NASCAR’s metric formula. The starting lineup was set by the metric after persistent rain made it impossible for the Truck Series to get on track for qualifying.
The pole gives Sanchez a great opportunity heading into the Race to Stop Suicide 200, which will mark his 50th career Truck Series start. He enters the race with seven career Truck Series poles and two victories.
Garcia Joins Sanchez on the Front Row
Jake Garcia will start alongside Sanchez on the front row.
Garcia is coming off the biggest win of his Truck Series career after capturing his first career victory at Bristol last week. He’ll now have another chance to make an impact as the Chase continues at Kansas.
Gio Ruggiero will start third, followed by Kaden Honeycutt in fourth. Brent Crews rounds out the top five.
Other notable starters include Stewart Friesen in sixth, Ty Majeski in eighth and Grant Enfinger in 10th.
Chase Battle Continues
The Kansas race is another important event in the Truck Series Chase, with the championship battle beginning to take shape.
Points leader Layne Riggs will have some work to do from 22nd on the starting grid. Kaden Honeycutt, who sits just three points behind Riggs entering the race, starts fourth.
With no practice or qualifying laps to provide teams with additional track time, drivers will have to adjust quickly once the race begins.
Sanchez Has Strong Kansas History
Sanchez has plenty of experience at Kansas Speedway and has been competitive at the 1.5-mile track across multiple series.
In four previous Truck Series starts at Kansas, Sanchez has recorded three top-10 finishes. Across all three NASCAR national series, he has two victories at the track and has never finished worse than 12th in his nine Kansas starts.
Now, he’ll have the advantage of starting at the front of the field.
The Race to Stop Suicide 200 is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN. The 134-lap event will be the third race of the Truck Series Chase.
For Sanchez, it will be an opportunity to turn an unexpected pole position into another trip to Victory Lane.