The DC Solar 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 1 will carry some added weight for eight drivers this year.
The 146-lap race is the second of three legs of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase's Round of 8 and will be crucial for the eight drivers who have qualified for the inaugural Chase grid. Not only will they be battling for the checkered flag in Las Vegas, but also crucial Chase points as they look to advance in the series' playoff bracket.
William Byron, Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, Ben Kennedy, Daniel Hemric and Timothy Peters have qualified for the Round of 8, and one of them will become the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion. Their battle begins this weekend in New Hampshire, continues with the DC Solar 350 at LVMS and moves on to Talladega, Ala., the following weekend.
After Talladega, the Chase field is pared down to six for a trio of races in Martinsville, Va., Texas and Phoenix before the Championship 4 round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2016 NCWTS champion will be crowned there on Friday, Nov. 18.
Of the eight drivers qualified for this year's NCWTS Chase, only Sauter has won at LVMS. He was the event's champion in 2009. John Wes Townley won the DC Solar 350 last year, with Peters, Kennedy and Nemechek following in the next three positions.
Fans can buy race tickets online at LVMS.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444. All ticket buyers will have free access to the Neon Garage throughout the course of race day, and the race will be preceeded by the inaugural "350 Fest," a daylong festival of activities that will include a car show, petting zoo, kids zone, live music, poker run, pet adoptions, raffles and a beer garden.
