Ted Musgrave was looking for some improvement after recent struggles in the No. 9 Team ASE Toyota, and with a strong qualifying effort at Kansas Speedway it appeared Musgrave had a chance to make his way back into the top ten at the finish of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. At the drop of the green, Musgrave hung around the back of the top ten from his sixth starting position, but handling woes plagued the defending series champion from the halfway point through the finish, relegating him 22nd when the checkered flag flew.

"We were looking for some improvement here in Kansas," Musgrave said. "We had a good qualifying run, and we were more optimistic coming into the race than we have been recently. But as we went deeper into the race the truck's handling seemed to get worse."

Musgrave and the rest of the Truck Series drivers and teams were forced to deal with extreme heat, with temperatures reaching into the high 90s, which meant track temperatures of 135 and cockpit temperatures in the low 140s.

"It was extremely hot out there today," Musgrave said. "You always hear that it's not really a problem when you're racing, and it's not. But there were a lot of cautions and even a red flag period. When you're not racing is when the heat starts to get to you. There is talk of maybe moving this race to April. It will be a little cooler, which will be better for everyone - the drivers, teams, and the fans."

The O'Reilly 250 had 8 caution periods for 36 laps and a red flag period that lasted nine and a half minutes for a crash involving Kelly Sutton on the backstretch. With the dry conditions in the Midwest recently, the infield grass caught fire in the aftermath necessitating the red flag.