Sounding Off – Ben Rhodes:
As hard as Kansas was to digest, have you moved on? Are you focused on Charlotte this weekend?
“Yes, we’ve moved on from Kansas. You have to move forward if you expect to win a race. We are actually having fun with it now. My crew chief has taken the ‘debris’ that went through the radiator and made a necklace out of it. He says it will be our good luck charm at Charlotte. Last week we proved that what we learned at the Charlotte test, all the hard work we put in, is enough to win a race with our Safelite Tundra. We plan to do just that at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday night.”
News & Notes:
- Chassis Information…The No. 27 ThorSport Racing (TSR) team will utilize chassis No. 62 for Friday night’s NC Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte (NC) Motor Speedway (CMS). This is the same chassis Rhodes piloted earlier this season at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, finishing fourth.
- Intermediate Track Success… In 11 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) starts on an Intermediate-style track (1.5-miles to 1.54-miles in length), Rhodes has one top-five (Atlanta), two top-10, and five top-15 finishes.
- Testing, 1, 2, 3, Testing… Rhodes and his No. 27 Safelite AutoGlass team participated in the NCWTS test at CMS on Tuesday, May 2. The ThorSport driver posted the seventh-fastest time overall in the session.
- Take me back – Charlotte, 2016… In his CMS debut, the ThorSport Racing driver started 12th, ran as high as fourth, and finished 17th.
- Rearview Mirror – Kansas… Making his second start at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS, Rhodes started eighth, led the field four times for 25 laps, and finished 23rd. The Safelite AutoGlass driver was leading the 32-truck field with eight laps remaining in the 167-lap event when a bolt went through the radiator, and ultimately blew up the motor.
- Catch Ben in Kansas… Rhodes, will be at the Safelite AutoGlass display in the Fan Zone on Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20 from 2-2:45pm ET and will join his TSR teammates for the NCWTS autograph session from 3-3:45pm ET in the Whiskey River Hospitality area, under the Ford Grandstands at CMS. Follow @BenRhodes on Twitter for more appearances throughout the weekend.
Rhodes Charlotte Motor Speedway Stats:
- Starts: 1 (2016)
- Started: 12th
- Finished: 17th
- Laps Completed: 134 of 134 laps (100%)
- Laps Led: 0
Rhodes Career NCWTS stats:
- Starts: 31 since 2014
- First Full-time Season: 2016
- Poles: 1 (Martinsville-1, 2016)
- Top-5 Finishes: 4
- Top-10 Finishes: 9
- Laps Completed: 4552
- Laps Led: 100
- First Start: Martinsville-1, 2014 (8th)
- Best Finish: 2nd; Gateway
- Start: 9.9
- Finish: 15.1
Team Stats:
Driver Points: 7th
Owner Points: 9th
Charlotte Stages:
- Stage 1 – 40 laps (concludes at lap 40)
- Stage 2 – 40 laps (concludes at lap 80)
- Stage 3 – 54 laps (concludes at lap 134)
Race Information:
Date: Friday, May 19
Time: 8:30pm ET on FOX Sports 1
Track: 1.5-mile
Distance: 134 Laps, 201 Miles