Craig Goess

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

No. 46 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Toyota Tundra

Kansas Speedway Advance

Track Details

Construction Completed in 2001

Distance : 1.5 miles

Shape : D-shaped oval

Banking : 15° turns, 10.4° backstretch, 5° frontstretch

Seating : 81,687

Start 10 for Craig, Start 400 for Series: This weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway will mark the 400th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event, and will also be the 10th career start for Rookie of the Year candidate Craig Goess. Both the series and driver have come a long way since 1995, when the first NCWTS event was held at Phoenix International

Raceway. While the trucks were laying the foundation for what the series is today, Goess was in beginning stages of his racing career, competing locally on two-stroke four wheelers. 

“It’s really an honor to be a part of the celebrations this weekend for the 400th truck series race,” the North Carolina native commented. “It’s going to be a big day in the history of the sport and the team and I are proud to be a part of it. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has come a long way since the first race in 1995, and it’s a great feeling knowing that I’ve brought my career a long way as well in the same amount of time to now race with some of the best in the business.”

Changes in Game Plan for Kansas: A total team collaboration prior to this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway resulted in a decision revert to a different setup for the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Tundra that veteran crew chief Trip Bruce has successfully used in the past. The baseline setup has carried Bruce to victory lane several times in previous years, and everyone hopes it will have similar results with Goess.

“It’s something different than what I’m used to, but it’s going to be nice to try something different and see if it’ll fit my driving style better,” Craig commented about the changes. “I’m hoping that going a different direction than we have so far will help us unload faster and just make small adjustments from there.”

Last Race: Loose track conditions and a significant amount of caution flags contributed to a long night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Each team struggled with a hard compound in the right side tires, making it tough to grasp the handling of the trucks. After qualifying 29th for the 200 mile event, the ESR team and driver Craig Goess chased the handling of the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of NC Toyota Tundra all evening while avoiding trouble on the track, concluding the night in the 22nd position.

Craig Goess on Kansas Speedway: “From what I remember, Kansas is a lot like the other fast, intermediate tracks we go to. It’s not a one day show, so we’ll actually get a little more time to analyze our truck in between practice, qualifying and the race. It’s my favorite type of track and I’m hoping to get back on course here with another top-10 run.”

Crew Chief Trip Bruce on Kansas Speedway: “Compared to some of the other intermediate tracks we go to, I think Kansas is a little more forgiving in the learning curve department. The track has a little bit of character and a few bumps that we’ll have to work around while dialing the truck in. But we’re going back to a setup that I used on the older Nationwide Series cars and had a lot of success with, so I’m more familiar with how the truck is going to handle in those situations. It’s something different than what Craig is used to, but I think it’ll give us a baseline that’s workable and will help us get back to the basics with consistent runs and finishes.”

Truck Information: Eddie Sharp Racing will bring chassis No. 008 to Kansas Speedway this weekend for the second consecutive race. Purchased last season from Kyle Busch Motorsports, this will be the third appearance for the truck with a best finish of 12th last season in Craig’s second career start.

For More Information: Follow updates Eddie Sharp Racing, Craig Goess and the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Tundra throughout the weekend by following @TeamESR on Twitter, and log on to the Eddie Sharp Racing Fan Page on Facebook.

Craig's NCWTS Kansas Speedway Preview

Craig and the ESR team are hoping for a strong run in Kansas this weekend.