Nick Sanchez, who has just two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts this season, got the call from Spire Motorsports to compete in this weekend’s Race to End Suicide 200 at Kansas Speedway after he secured a top-five finish for the No. 77 Spire team at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon, and Sanchez got a massive gift from Mother Nature, as he’ll start from the pole position on Saturday afternoon after practice and qualifying were rained out at the 1.5-mile facility.
Obviously, with Sanchez earning the pole position by way of the metric formula — NASCAR’s way of determining a starting lineup when qualifying is wiped out — this won’t count as an official pole position for Sanchez. But, the driver will have a distinct advantage as he’ll start from P1 as he chases after his third career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on Saturday.
“It just got a whole lot easier with qualifying being rained out,” Sanchez quipped. “And I feel like I have a good handle on Kansas. So, you know, the no practice thing is not really a big deal for me. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow in the Freeway No. 77 [Chevrolet] and chasing a checkered flag.”
Adding to Sanchez’s confidence level heading into the race is the familiarity he has with the crew members, who comprise the No. 77 Spire Motorsports team, as he was paired with them during his previous full-time runs in the series with Rev Racing.
“Most of this team is the team I ran my 2023 and 2024 Truck Series seasons with, so, we obviously know each other really well. It’s just kind of business as usual,” Sanchez explained in a media availability after qualifying was axed. “You know, they know me very well, and I know them. So, we expect to go out there and contend for a win.”
Sanchez admits the difficulty of pulling off a win on Saturday dropped tremendously as he was able to snag optimal track position. But the driver is confident in his abilities at Kansas Speedway, and feels he can remain in the mix for the win all race long.
Jake Garcia, who scored his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win a week ago at Bristol Motor Speedway, will line up alongside Sanchez on Saturday, as his metric score secured him the second starting spot. The driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Ford, who went 0-for-93 to start his Truck Series career, will look to go on a two-race winning streak.
Gio Ruggiero comes into this race fifth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chase standings, however, he will start Saturday’s race from the best starting position of any Chase contender. Ruggiero, who sits 39 points behind point leader Layne Riggs, will roll from the starting grid in the third position at Kansas Speedway.
Brent Crews, a full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series contender for Joe Gibbs Racing, will compete in the Truck race during the O’Reilly Series’ off-week this week, and he’ll start from the fourth position, driving the No. 5 TRICON Garage Toyota.
Kaden Honeycutt, the second-place driver in the championship standings, who trails Riggs by just three points coming into this weekend’s race, will start from the fifth position.
With Riggs slated to start 22nd following a rough finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, the Race to Stop Suicide 200 presents an incredible opportunity for a shake up in the championship fight.
Official Race to Stop Suicide 200 Starting Lineup
(C) denotes Chase contenders
Pos
Truck
Driver
Team
Make
1
77
Nick Sanchez
Spire Motorsports
Chevrolet
2
98
Jake Garcia
ThorSport Racing
Ford
3
17
Gio Ruggiero (C)
TRICON Garage
Toyota
4
11
Kaden Honeycutt (C)
TRICON GARAGE
Toyota
5
5
Brent Crews
TRICON Garage
Toyota
6
52
Stewart Friesen
Halmar Friesen Racing
Toyota
7
62
Leland Honeyman
Halmar Friesen Racing
Toyota
8
88
Ty Majeski (C)
ThorSport Racing
Ford
9
16
Justin Haley
Kaulig Racing
RAM
10
9
Grant Enfinger (C)
CR7 Motorsports
Chevrolet
11
99
Ben Rhodes (C)
ThorSport Racing
Ford
12
19
Daniel Hemric (C)
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Chevrolet
13
45
Landen Lewis
Niece Motorsports
Chevrolet
14
18
Tyler Ankrum (C)
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Chevrolet
15
38
Chandler Smith (C)
Front Row Motorsports
Ford
16
15
Tanner Gray
TRICON Garage
Toyota
17
26
Toni Breidinger
Rackley W.A.R.
Chevrolet
18
44
Andres Perez de Lara
Niece Motorsports
Chevrolet
19
7
Brennan Poole
Spire Motorsports
Chevrolet
20
10
Corey LaJoie
Kaulig Racing
RAM
21
12
Brenden Queen
Kaulig Racing
RAM
22
34
Layne Riggs (C)
Front Row Motorsports
Ford
23
2
Stephen Mallozzi
Team Reaume
Ford
24
25
Conor Daly
Kaulig Racing
RAM
25
91
Christian Eckes (C)
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Chevrolet
26
1
Nick Leitz
TRICON Garage
Toyota
27
14
Mini Tyrrell
Kaulig Racing
RAM
28
81
Kris Wright
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Chevrolet
29
13
Cole Butcher
ThorSport Racing
Ford
30
42
Parker Eatmon
Niece Motorsports
Chevrolet
31
4
Connor Hall
Niece Motorsports
Chevrolet
32
33
Josh Reaume
Team Reaume
Ford
33
76
Spencer Boyd
Freedom Racing Enterprises
Chevrolet
34
22
Clayton Green
Team Reaume
Ford
35
20
Daniel Dye
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Chevrolet
36
93
Caleb Costner
Costner Motorsports
Chevrolet
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