Matt Crafton grabbed his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in
last year's Lowe's Motor Speedway race, launching a string of races that saw
first time winners.
Who, if anyone, is next to put their first notch in the wins column?
The two prime candidates, statistically, are Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-Way Freight
Ford) and T.J. Bell (No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota). Both excelled in their
first visit to the Concord track. Braun's first LMS race was last season; Bell's
was in 2007.
Braun finished 15th a year ago but the result was a deceiving one. In actuality,
he performed much better than his finish would suggest.
In that race, Braun had a Driver Rating of 101.4, an Average Running Position of
7.4, nine Fastest Laps Run and ran 136 of the 138 laps among the top 15.
In 2007, Bell finished ninth with a Driver Rating of 90.5, an Average Running
Position of 9.4 and ran all 136 laps in the top 15.
Also watch for Chad McCumbee (No. 07 ASI Limited Chevrolet), who also seeks his
first win. His first two visits to LMS resulted in finishes of 15th and 18th.
But last year, McCumbee came just .184 seconds short of stealing Crafton's glory
- and becoming a first time series winner himself.
McCumbee notched the runner-up finish, his best finish to date. In that race, he
had a Driver Rating of 97.2, an Average Running Position of 11.1, three Fastest
Laps Run and ran 114 of the 138 laps among the top 15 (82.8%).