Brad Keselowski Racing has dominated Bristol Motor Speedway recently by winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race there the last two seasons.
The Statesville, North Carolina-based outfit will go for its third consecutive victory at The Last Great Colosseum in Wednesday’s UNOH 200 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).
BKR’s full-time drivers Daniel Hemric and Tyler Reddick will be joined by up-and-comer Austin Cindric in a third truck. Neither Brad Keselowski, who won in 2014, or Ryan Blaney who visited Victory Lane for BKR in 2015, will compete in the race.
Hemric finished fourth last year in his only career start at Bristol, rallying from the 17th starting position. He currently ranks sixth on the Chase Grid, 31 points ahead of ninth-place Ben Kennedy on the cutoff line. The consistent Hemric leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with nine top-10 finishes this season.
“Bristol is one of the tracks that our entire Brad Keselowski Racing organization has had circled on the calendar all year,” Hemric said. “The company has proven that it can win there, and I think our team has what it takes to do it again. We’ve had a lot of good finishes this year and I’ve had very fast Ford F-150 trucks that have put me in contention for the win. I’m confident that this is the race where we all make smart decisions, perform to the best of our ability and follow through with the trip to Victory Lane.”
Reddick, the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship runner up, placed eighth in his lone career start at Bristol last season. He sits 10th on the Chase Grid – one point behind eighth-place Cameron Hayley on the cutoff line with just four races left until the playoff begin. A win would secure Reddick an automatic berth in the Chase.
“I really like how Bristol is set up, from the surface to the pits, the grandstands, everything,” Reddick said. “It truly feels like you’re in a Colosseum.”
Cindric, 18, will attempt to make his third career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start and his first of the season. He’s made starts in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races this season, winning both of them.
“I’m definitely being thrown into the deep end of the pool again going into Bristol,” Cindric said about the .533-mile high-banked oval. “The most important thing I need right now is laps under my belt. The team has a great history at Bristol and excellent knowledge of that track.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race: UNOH 200
Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
Date And Time: Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Tune-in: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 106.6 miles (200 laps)
What To Watch For: Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner William Byron looks to add to his series-leading five wins. … Three automatic-qualifying spots remain via victory with four races left until the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase. … John Hunter Nemechek had the top finish (third) among Wednesday’s field last season. … Jake Griffin, who finished fourth in his last start at Eldora, takes the wheel for MB Motorsports.
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.
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