The 2018 Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 was the 12th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season and the eighth iteration of the event. The race was held on Thursday, July 12, 2018, in Sparta, Kentucky, at Kentucky Speedway, a 1.5-mile (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway. The race took the scheduled 150 laps to complete. At race's end, Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing would win after not pitting for tires on the final round of pit stops, earning his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win and his first and only of the season. To fill out the podium, Stewart Friesen of Halmar Friesen Racing and Matt Crafton of ThorSport Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned Kentucky Speedway until 2008. The speedway has a grandstand capacity of 117,000. Construction of the speedway began in 1998 and was completed in mid-2000. The speedway has hosted the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Xfinity Series, IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, and most recently, the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2011.

Entry list #DriverTeamMakeSponsor0Camden MurphyJennifer Jo Cobb RacingChevroletJennifer Jo Cobb Racing2Cody CoughlinGMS RacingChevroletJegs02Austin HillYoung's MotorsportsChevroletWhitetail Heaven Outfitters3Jordan AndersonJordan Anderson RacingChevroletLucas Oil, Bommarito Automotive Group4Todd GillilandKyle Busch MotorsportsToyotaMobil 16Norm BenningNorm Benning RacingChevroletZomongo7Korbin ForristerAll Out MotorsportsToyotaN. O. W. Matters More8John Hunter NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevroletD. A. B. Constructors, Inc.10Jennifer Jo CobbJennifer Jo Cobb RacingChevroletDriven2Honor.org13Myatt SniderThorSport RacingFordLouisiana Hot Sauce, The Carolina Nut Company15Robby LyonsPremium MotorsportsChevroletSunwest Construction16Brett MoffittHattori Racing EnterprisesToyotaAisin17Chris EgglestonDGR-CrosleyToyotaBlazeMaster Fire Protection Systems18Noah GragsonKyle Busch MotorsportsToyotaSafelite Auto Glass20Tate FoglemanYoung's MotorsportsChevroletRandco, Young's Building Systems21Johnny SauterGMS RacingChevroletISM Connect22Austin Wayne SelfNiece MotorsportsChevroletAM Technical Solutions, GO TEXAN.24Justin HaleyGMS RacingChevroletFraternal Order of Eagles25Dalton SargeantGMS RacingChevroletPerformance Plus Motor Oil33Josh ReaumeReaume Brothers RacingChevroletColonial Countertops41Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFordThe Carolina Nut Company45Justin FontaineNiece MotorsportsChevroletProMatic Automation49Wendell ChavousPremium MotorsportsChevroletSobrietyNation.org50Timmy HillBeaver MotorsportsChevroletBeaver Motorsports51Brandon JonesKyle Busch MotorsportsToyotaSoleus Air52Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingChevroletHalmar "We Build America"54Bo LeMastusDGR-CrosleyToyotaCrosley Brands63Bayley CurreyMB MotorsportsChevroletMB Motorsports68Clay GreenfieldClay Greenfield MotorsportsChevroletAMVETS #PLEASESTAND75Parker KligermanHenderson MotorsportsChevroletFood Country USA, Tide Pods83Tyler MatthewsCopp MotorsportsChevroletAccent Imaging, Cane River Brewing Company87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevroletPetron Plus88Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFordMenards, Great Lakes Flooring98Grant EnfingerThorSport RacingFordCurb RecordsOfficial entry list

Practice

First practice The first practice session would occur on Thursday, July 12, at 9:05 AM EST and would last for 50 minutes. Justin Haley of GMS Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.658 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed124Justin HaleyGMS RacingChevrolet29.658182.076252Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingChevrolet29.705181.788313Myatt SniderThorSport RacingFord29.733181.616Full first practice results

Second practice The second and final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, would occur on Thursday, July 12, at 11:05 AM EST and would last for 50 minutes. Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.535 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed141Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord29.535182.834298Grant EnfingerThorSport RacingFord29.686181.904317Chris EgglestonDGR-CrosleyToyota29.732181.622Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying Qualifying would occur on Thursday, July 12, at 5:10 PM EST. Since Kentucky Speedway is at least a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) racetrack, the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13–32. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1–12.

Noah Gragson of Kyle Busch Motorsports would win the pole, setting a lap of 29.355 and an average speed of in the second round.

Myatt Snider would crash on his first lap, hitting the turn 4 wall. He would not make a lap, but would still qualify by owner's points.

Two drivers would fail to qualify: Joe Nemechek and Timmy Hill.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTime (R1)Speed (R1)Time (R2)Speed (R2)118Noah GragsonKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota29.403183.65529.355183.95524Todd GillilandKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota29.664182.03929.474183.212341Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord29.619182.31529.476183.200417Chris EgglestonDGR-CrosleyToyota29.581182.55029.522182.914598Grant EnfingerThorSport RacingFord29.832181.01429.578182.568651Brandon JonesKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota29.668182.01429.636182.211721Johnny SauterGMS RacingChevrolet29.824181.06229.667182.020875Parker KligermanHenderson MotorsportsChevrolet29.709181.76329.707181.775925Dalton SargeantGMS RacingChevrolet29.746181.53729.719181.7021024Justin HaleyGMS RacingChevrolet29.854180.88029.797181.226112Cody CoughlinGMS RacingChevrolet29.841 180.95929.941180.3551202Austin HillYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet29.942180.34930.079179.527Eliminated in Round 11316Brett MoffittHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota29.943180.343——1452Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingChevrolet29.951180.294——157Korbin ForristerAll Out MotorsportsToyota29.973180.162——1620Tate FoglemanYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet30.034179.796——178John Hunter NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet30.067179.599——1822Austin Wayne SelfNiece MotorsportsChevrolet30.215178.719——1945Justin FontaineNiece MotorsportsChevrolet30.264178.430——203Jordan AndersonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet30.348177.936——2168Clay GreenfieldClay Greenfield MotorsportsChevrolet30.371177.801——2254Bo LeMastusDGR-CrosleyToyota30.595176.499——2315Robby LyonsPremium MotorsportsChevrolet30.618176.367——2483Tyler MatthewsCopp MotorsportsChevrolet30.683175.993——250Camden MurphyJennifer Jo Cobb RacingChevrolet30.742175.655——2633Josh ReaumeReaume Brothers RacingChevrolet30.830175.154——2763Bayley CurreyMB MotorsportsChevrolet30.989174.255——Qualified by owner's points2849Wendell ChavousPremium MotorsportsChevrolet31.219172.972——2910Jennifer Jo CobbJennifer Jo Cobb RacingChevrolet31.264172.723——3088Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord31.927169.136——316Norm BenningNorm Benning RacingChevrolet32.878164.244——3213Myatt SniderThorSport RacingFord————Failed to qualify3387Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet31.043173.952——3450Timmy HillBeaver MotorsportsChevrolet31.238172.866——Official qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup

Race results Stage 1 Laps: 35 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts141Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord10218Noah GragsonKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota934Todd GillilandKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota8451Brandon JonesKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota0598Grant EnfingerThorSport RacingFord6688Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord5752Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingChevrolet4875Parker KligermanHenderson MotorsportsChevrolet3921Johnny SauterGMS RacingChevrolet21025Dalton SargeantGMS RacingChevrolet1 Stage 2 Laps: 35 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts118Noah GragsonKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota10251Brandon JonesKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota0341Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord8452Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingChevrolet7598Grant EnfingerThorSport RacingFord664Todd GillilandKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota5724Justin HaleyGMS RacingChevrolet488John Hunter NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet0988Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord21021Johnny SauterGMS RacingChevrolet1 Stage 3 Laps: 80 FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPts1341Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord15038running5821452Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingChevrolet15037running4633088Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord1500running414651Brandon JonesKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota1500running05178John Hunter NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet1500running06598Grant EnfingerThorSport RacingFord1500running43724Todd GillilandKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota1501running438118Noah GragsonKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota15062running489925Dalton SargeantGMS RacingChevrolet1500running29101024Justin HaleyGMS RacingChevrolet1500running3111417Chris EgglestonDGR-CrosleyToyota1490running2612112Cody CoughlinGMS RacingChevrolet1490running2513157Korbin ForristerAll Out MotorsportsToyota1490running24141822Austin Wayne SelfNiece MotorsportsChevrolet1490running2315721Johnny SauterGMS RacingChevrolet1480running25161202Austin HillYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet1480running21171945Justin FontaineNiece MotorsportsChevrolet1480running20181316Brett MoffittHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota1480running1919203Jordan AndersonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet1460running18202254Bo LeMastusDGR-CrosleyToyota1460running17212168Clay GreenfieldClay Greenfield MotorsportsChevrolet1450running16222315Robby LyonsPremium MotorsportsChevrolet1430running15232633Josh ReaumeReaume Brothers RacingChevrolet1430running14242849Wendell ChavousPremium MotorsportsChevrolet1390running1325316Norm BenningNorm Benning RacingChevrolet1380running12263213Myatt SniderThorSport RacingFord1370running1127875Parker KligermanHenderson MotorsportsChevrolet13312crash13281620Tate FoglemanYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet1030suspension9292910Jennifer Jo CobbJennifer Jo Cobb RacingChevrolet280overheating8302763Bayley CurreyMB MotorsportsChevrolet220vibration731250Camden MurphyJennifer Jo Cobb RacingChevrolet110electrical6322483Tyler MatthewsCopp MotorsportsChevrolet10crash5Failed to qualify3387Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet3450Timmy HillBeaver MotorsportsChevroletOfficial race results

References