Canadian Hayley in race to finish
NASCAR truck driver has some ground to pick up before title cutoff
It’s not win or go home, but as far as Calgary’s Cameron Hayley is concerned, it’s a must-win situation for his race team if they want to compete in the chase for the title of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“We were in chase contention before Bristol and then we had a parts failure and finished 24th — and now we’re 11th, 40 points out of the chase,” Hayley said, explaining how they fell out of the precious eighth and final spot in the chase, the NASCAR playoff format.
“It’s really kind of unnerving. It’s unsettling as a driver. I have the ability and this team has the ability to be in the chase, but we’re still on the outside looking in.
“We’re definitely looking to get the win in these next three races.”
The pursuit of a win and a guaranteed spot in the chase begins with Saturday’s 17th annual Ca- reers For Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway and Friday’s morning practice, Hayley turned in the fastest lap time of 186.604 miles per hour in his Thor Sport Racing No. 13 Ride TV/ Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra.
Just 20 years old and in his second season in the series, you could argue that for Hayley to be 11th in the points standings is an impressive achievement.
He’ll be the first to dispute such a notion. “We came into this fully expecting we’d make the chase and everything would be great, but we’ve had a lot of issues plague our season so far,” Hayley said.
“We’ve had everything from flat tires to parts failures to people wrecking us, to just mistakes on our part. We really haven’t had the best year.”
Hayley didn’t even mention the fire that raged through Thor Sport’s racing shop in Sandusky, Ohio in mid-June.
“We weren’t able to build our new trucks to keep developing,” Hayley said. “But at the same time, it brought us together more as an organization.”
Michigan, with its wide-open racing, could be the chance to make it happen for Hayley and his race team.
“Michigan is one of the few tracks on the circuit that you really do feel the speed,” Hayley said. “Maybe it’s because of the two-mile oval, but in a Camping World truck, we never lift off the throttle. We’re wide open from the time we start the lap until the time we finish.”
Unlikely to make up the 40-point deficit he faces in the three races prior to the chase cut-off point, Hayley knows he must run up front and get after it.
“Where we’re at right now, it still tells us that these next three races we need to get a win,” Hayley said. “We’re definitely going to take some chances and go for the win.”