Insanity in Iowa, Austin Hill is the King of the Hill in Knoxville

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has two races left in the regular season and one of those stops is in Knoxville, Iowa for the Corn Belt 150 at the Knoxville Raceway. This is the second dirt race of the 2021 season that the truck series will run on. The race featured many dirt ringers and featured four 15-lap heat races that lead to a feature of all 40 trucks that have entered.    

For Qualifying Race 1, Josh Berry in the #25 Chevrolet Silverado ran away with the lead and had about a five-second lead. Hailie Deegan had the biggest mover of the Heat race, getting the most passing points, moving from 8^th to 3^rd in the race.

Qualifying Race 1 Results:

1. Josh Berry
2. Parker Price-Miller
3. Hailie Deegan
4. Chandler Smith
5. Austin Wayne Self
6. Tanner Gray
7. Cody Erickson
8. Tate Fogleman
9. Jett Noland
10. Devin Rouse

In the second qualifying race, this race featured 10x Knoxville Nationals Winner, Donny Schatz, driving for David Gilliland Racing. Zane Smith and Kyle Strickler led the field to the green flag for 15 laps. Smith was able to stay out in front as Ben Rhodes challenged Strickler for second. A caution came out with five laps to go due to the flagman accidentally waving the white flag when there was still five to go. Strickler jumped into the lead with three to go and holds off Zane Smith to win Heat two. Todd Gilliland was the biggest mover of the race, going from 10^th to 4^th.

Qualifying Race 2 Results:

1. Kyle Strickler
2. Zane Smith
3. Matt Crafton
4. Ben Rhodes
5. Todd Gilliland
6. Donny Schatz
7. Chase Purdy
8. Ryan Truex
9. Jake Griffin
10. Cody Rohrbaugh

In the third heat race, Chris Windom was called in last minute to sub in for Michael Annett in the #02 Chevrolet for Young’s Motorsports. Brian Brown and Jack Wood led the field to the green flag. Brown in the #51 for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Wood in the #24 for GMS Racing. Brown and Wood battle side by side for the lead and Wood took off to the lead on lap two. On lap six, GMS teammate, Tyler Ankrum, took the lead from Jack Wood. Derek Kraus also works his way around Brian Brown for third. John Hunter Nemechek brought his truck in, who will have to start in the back regardless due to going to a backup truck. There was nothing to gain so they ran a few laps and went behind the wall. In the closing laps, Derek Kraus chased down Tyler Ankrum but Ankrum would hold on to win the third Heat race.

Qualifying Race 3 Results:

1. Tyler Ankrum
2. Derek Kraus
3. Brian Brown
4. Johnny Sauter
5. Jack Wood
6. Jessica Friesen
7. Danny Bohn
8. Chris Windom
9. Morgan Alexander
10. John Hunter Nemechek

Brett Moffitt and Carson Hocevar led the field to start the fourth and final heat race of the evening. Hocevar jumped into the lead and Chase Briscoe moved up to second as Moffitt drops back. It was a calm race as Hocevar would win the fourth heat.

Qualifying Race 4 Results:

1. Carson Hocevar
2. Chase Briscoe
3. Brett Moffitt
4. Austin Hill
5. Sheldon Creed
6. Grant Enfinger
7. Stewart Friesen
8. Andrew Gordon
9. Norm Benning
10. Jennifer Jo Cobb

Derek Kraus received the pole for having the most passing points from the Heats. Tyler Ankrum started next to him as the Truck Series goes racing in Knoxville, Iowa! Kraus was able to settle into the lead with Ankrum in second and Johnny Sauter working the outside line in third. Sauter quickly charged his way into the lead on lap three, making that outside line work. Hailie Deegan’s truck got out of shape on lap six as she smacked the wall on the front stretch, after getting high up on the track coming off turn four. Deegan also made contact with Sheldon Creed. Both drivers would keep going. On Lap 12, Carson Hocevar would make the move to take the lead from Sauter. A caution came out around lap 16 when Chase Briscoe made contact with the left rear panel of Johnny Sauter, then coming back around, Briscoe turned Sauter. Sauter is fighting for a playoff spot. The race restarted on lap 20 with Hocevar leading and Todd Gilliland in second. Gilliland took the lead for a moment as Hocevar looked to bounce back, but Gilliland, the COTA winner, took the lead with 18 laps left in stage one. The caution came out with ten laps left in stage one from Brian Brown who went spinning to initially cause the caution. It was a mad dash to the end of stage one as Gilliland looked to hold the lead with four to go. Hocevar almost went into the wall and he loses a few spots. Derek Kraus made the bottom line stick as he took the lead just in time when the caution came out from the #62 of Jessica Friesen, who spun. Jessica Friesen was making her truck series debut. Derek Kraus went on to win stage one.

Stage 1 Results:

1. Derek Kraus
2. Todd Gilliland
3. Carson Hocevar
4. Josh berry
5. Sheldon Creed
6. Tyler Ankrum
7. Brett Moffitt
8. Stewart Friesen
9. Austin Hill
10. Chandler Smith

Controlled pit-stops took place at the end of the stage, which meant no one would lose or gain positions. Donny Schatz was the lone driver to stay out, which gave him track position to take the lead. The race resumed on lap 41 and immediately, Gilliland and Kraus squeeze out Donny Schatz to head up front. Schatz continued to drop back on the old tires while Todd Gilliland takes the lead. Hocevar moved into second, passing by Derek Kraus. On lap 50, Josh Berry moved up to second as Gilliland had a 3.5-second lead. By the halfway point in stage two, Berry slipped up after contact with Derek Kraus and lost several positions, moving Austin Hill to second. Then on lap 66, Jessica Friesen and Morgan Alexander get into a wreck to bring out the caution. The race restarted on lap 73 with Gilliland still leading the way. Austin Hill dropped back on the restart, similar to what happened to Donny Schatz on the previous restart. On lap 80, Sheldon Creed bumped Hailie Deegan up the track, shuffling her back. Brian Brown’s truck began smoking a bit at the end of stage two as Derek Kraus worked to chase down the leader, Todd Gilliland. Kraus came into the race 55 points below the cutline for the playoffs, a win would be very much needed. Carson Hocevar then jumped into second and a caution came out with four laps left in the stage with a spin from the #51 of Brian Brown. Derek Kraus will go on to sweep both stages at Knoxville.

Stage 2 Results:

1. Derek Kraus
2. Carson Hocevar
3. Todd Gilliland
4. Matt Crafton
5. Grant Enfinger

The final stage resumed with 60 laps to go in the race as Chandler Smith took off with the lead, Creed loses several positions on the outside as Kraus and Hocevar charged their way thru the field. The caution comes out a lap later for Parker Price-Miller and Jack Wood with heavy damage. Both drivers would be done for the night. On the next restart, Hocevar jumped back into the lead with Chandler Smith settling into second. However, Smith would quickly fight back to take the lead. Both drivers in much need of a victory. With 45 to go, Ben Rhodes bumped into Derek Kraus after a bump from Todd Gilliland, causing his #19 truck to have a flat and go spinning. The next restart came with 39 to go as Smith and Hocevar fight for the lead. Smith jumped out in front. A black flag was issued to Ben Rhodes who had a part sticking out of the front of his truck. The Thorsport team wasn’t pleased that it wasn’t issued during the last caution. Stewart Friesen was spun by Austin Wayne Self, Ryan Truex then got together and spun to bring out another caution with 34 to go. Rich Lushes, Rhodes’ crew chief, was frustrated and will meet with NASCAR at the hauler after the race to discuss. Chandler Smith continued to lead after the restart. Trouble for the late substitute Chris Windom with 21 laps to go as he has a tire go flat, then his truck comes to a stop. The race resumed with 14 laps to go as Chandler Smith led with Matt Craton in second. Smith was able to clear for the lead with Hocevar second and Moffitt in third. Grant Enfinger and Brett Moffitt were beating and beating for a couple of laps until Moffitt had a flat and spun, ending Moffitt’s chances of winning and this will bring out yet another caution. With five to go, Smith was able to get another successful restart as Grant Enfinger charged to second, which then a pileup that featured Nemechek, Jett Noland, Deegan, Creed, and Sauter occurred, setting up for a green-white-checkered finish. Much of a restart didn’t occur as some trucks didn’t get going and this caused a huge pileup that involved possibly half of the field. Chase Briscoe, Jett Noland, Donny Schatz, Sheldon Creed, among others piled up as it looked like a junkyard in turn one. This would bring out the red flag, delaying the finish of the race. After a long clean-up, the race resumed with two to go- and nevermind another wreck… Austin Wayne Self and Kyle Strickler wreck in turn one as well as Ryan Truex spinning. So we try again… Smith and Hill on the front row for the next attempt and another pileup as Stewart Friesen wrecks. Friesen, Sauter, and Zane Smith are also involved. Austin Hill pulled away on the next restart and it’s a miracle we’ve reached the white flag. Hocevar gets turned on the backstretch as Austin Hill would take his first win of 2021 at Knoxville.

Beef took place after the race as Tyler Ankrum spun Derek Kraus on the cool-down lap. A handful of drivers were not too pleased with Derek Kraus, including Grant Enfinger as well. Tempers flared at the end of the race for sure. Carson Hocevar tweeted immediately after the race, “What a joke.”

Zane Smith and Matt Crafton would clinch a playoff spot via points, meanwhile, Chandler Smith has the last spot with 40 points above the cutline with the final race of the regular season coming on August 7^th at Watkins Glen.