Are you experienced?

Johnny Sauter (Getty Images)

Three of the past four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships have been won by two drivers in this season’s playoffs — Johnny Sauter (2016) and Matt Crafton (2013 and ’14). Erik Jones, now a Monster Cup Series driver, won the title in 2015.

Sauter has momentum, entering the playoffs with a victory last week at Chicago (he also won earlier at Dover) and has 25 playoff points.

“Momentum is a big part of this sport,” Sauter said. “We’ve had a dominant truck and I think we’ve saved our bullets for go time.”

Crafton said the pressure he felt in winning his second championship in 2014 was different than what he felt a year earlier. He hopes he can continue to handle the intensity that comes from the postseason.

“I remember there was so much pressure on you the first time,” said Crafton, the fourth seed this season. “The second one was more like, ‘what happens, happens.’ But you’re always nervous. You don’t want any gremlins there that can make things go wrong.”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.