Almirola makes a name for himself: The VFW 200 Camping World Review
On lap 93, No. 51 Aric Almirola, No. 30 Todd Bodine and No. 18 Kyle Busch got three-wide across the start-finish line in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200 Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. via nascar-assets.americaneagle.com. Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR
What a truck race. Seriously. Did anyone else watch this? Even with the short rain delay, this was a great race. I feel like we can finally say that Austin Dillon has talent. Dillon spent the entire race up in the top 10. Dillon sat on the pole and the only time he wasn’t up front was during green flag pit stops. Dillon would finish in 5th place. It was another young gun who would take the checkered, and I’m not talking about Kyle Busch. Aric Almirola won just his second ever win. It was also the second of this year for him and Billy Ballew won his first ever Michigan race. More over, Almirola moved within 55 points of Todd Bodine for 1st place in points.
Results, Points and More after the JUMP!
| Finish | Start | Trk # | Driver | Team | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 10 | 51 | Aric Almirola | Zyclara / Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 2 | 7 | 30 | Todd Bodine | Germain.com Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 3 | 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota Tundra Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 4 | 2 | 33 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Longhorn Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 5 | 1 | 3 | Austin Dillon # | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 6 | 12 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Red Horse Racing Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 7 | 16 | 23 | Jason White | GunBroker.com / www.rmef.org Ford | 100 | Running |
| 8 | 24 | 81 | David Starr | Randy Moss Motorsports Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 9 | 5 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | Grange Insurance Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 10 | 14 | 15 | Nelson Piquet | Qualcomm / ArcSight Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 11 | 9 | 60 | Stacy Compton | SafeAuto Insurance Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 12 | 19 | 5 | Mike Skinner | International Trucks / Monaco RV Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 13 | 13 | 07 | Donny Lia | Outdoor Channel Outfitters Dodge | 100 | Running |
| 14 | 6 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | ez Grill / Curb Records Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 15 | 11 | 4 | Ricky Carmichael | Monster Energy Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 16 | 3 | 31 | James Buescher | Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 17 | 20 | 84 | Chris Fontaine | Glenden Enterprises Chevrolet | 100 | Running |
| 18 | 18 | 7 | Justin Lofton # | visitPIT.com Toyota | 100 | Running |
| 19 | 23 | 90 | Brad Sweet | Great Clips Toyota | 99 | Running |
| 20 | 15 | 48 | Hermie Sadler | www.shoptna.com Chevrolet | 99 | Running |
| 21 | 27 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb # | DrivenMale.com Ford | 99 | Running |
| 22 | 25 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | S&W Services Chevrolet | 99 | Running |
| 23 | 17 | 12 | Mario Gosselin | TireMonkey.com Chevrolet | 98 | Running |
| 24 | 32 | 47 | Brett Butler # | Fuel Doctor Chevrolet | 97 | Running |
| 25 | 33 | 6 | Donnie Neuenberger | EZ Slider Cylinder Liners Chevrolet | 93 | Running |
| 26 | 35 | 01 | Michael Guerity | Koma / Unwind / Iamafootsoldier.com Chevrolet | 91 | Running |
| 27 | 4 | 88 | Matt Crafton | NIBCO / Menards Chevrolet | 83 | Engine |
| 28 | 34 | 57 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet | 58 | Engine |
| 29 | 28 | 85 | Brent Raymer | Ford Drive one. Ford | 30 | Vibration |
| 30 | 21 | 21 | Chad McCumbee | ASI Limited Dodge | 29 | Fuel Pump |
| 31 | 29 | 93 | Mike Garvey | S&W Services Chevrolet | 24 | Handling |
| 32 | 36 | 95 | Terry Jones | Team Gill Racing Dodge | 23 | Engine |
| 33 | 22 | 87 | Chris Jones | Copy Wizard Chevrolet | 21 | Transmission |
| 34 | 30 | 89 | Mike Harmon | Darrell Abbott Ride for Dime Ford | 13 | Suspension |
| 35 | 26 | 46 | Chase Austin | Walgreens Dodge | 10 | Engine |
| 36 | 31 | 16 | J.C. Stout | Fuel Doctor Chevrolet | 6 | Ignition |
Oh Yeah! The #51 back in victory lane again. There was a great three wide battle between Almirola (whose name I can’t seem to spell right the first time) Bodine and Busch with 7 laps to go. Almirola took over the lead, and never gave it up. It’s great to see a guy who’s been kicked around the past few years get to shine. Almirola was a Gibbs driver, who kept gettin passed up by guys like Brian Ickler, Brad Coleman, and Joey Logano. Almirola left Gibbs to join DEI. After Budweiser and US Army left DEI, Almirola was trying to get the #8 car full time sponsorship. Almirola finally was given the car for the full season, but without money, the #8 team closed. Almirola then kicked around a few different teams before landing with James Finch. But Miccosukee left the #09 Chevy, and again Almirola was without a sponsor. Aric left Finch to focus on the Truck Series. And now he’s got two wins and is second in points. Aric is still young, and there’s a great chance that he will be back in Cup soon. Lets take a look at the point standings:
| 1 | 30 | Todd Bodine | Geico Toyota | Steve Germain | 1,443 |
| 2 | 51 | Aric Almirola | Graceway Pharmaceuticals Chevy | Billy Ballew | 1,388 |
| 3 | 17 | Timothy Peters | K&N/Strutmasters.com Toyota | Tom Deloach | 1,278 |
| 4 | 33 | Ron Hornaday (PC) | Longhorn Chevy | Delana Harvick | 1,273 |
| 5 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | Easy To Install Chevy | Mike Curb | 1,179 |
| 6 | 5 | Mike Skinner | International Truck Toyota | David Dollar | 1,171 |
| 7 | 23 | Jason White | Gunbroker.com Dodge | Steve Urvan | 1,145 |
| 8 | 81 | David Starr | Zachry Toyota | Randy Moss | 1,132 |
| 9 | 4 | Ricky Carmichael | Monster Energy Drink Chevy | Delana Harvick | 1,107 |
| 10 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Menards Chevy | Rhonda Thorson | 1,098 |
| 11 | 3 | Austin Dillon ® | Bass Pro Shops Chevy | Richard Childress | 1,093 |
| 12 | 7 | Justin Lofton ® | Visitpit.com Toyota | Tom Deloach | 995 |
| 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Heluva Good/Dollar General Toyota | Kyle Busch | 957 |
| 14 | 12 | Mario Gosselin | MyTireMonkey.com Chevy | Michelle Gosselin | 949 |
| 15 | 39 | Ryan Sieg ® | S&W Services Chevy | Susan Bates | 883 |
| 16 | 47 | Brett Butler ® | Fuel Doctor Chevy | Rick Ware | 842 |
| 17 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb ® | drivenmale.com Ford | Jennifer Jo Cobb | 840 |
| 18 | 31 | James Buescher | Wolf Pack Rentals Chevy | Steve Turner | 834 |
| 19 | 57 | Norm Benning | Benning Chevy | Norm Benning | 807 |
| 20 | Tayler Malsam | 798 | |||
| 21 | 18 | Johnny Benson (PC) | Toyota Tundra Toyota | Kyle Busch | 735 |
| 22 | 60 | Stacy Compton | SafeAuto Insurance Toyota | Chad Kendrick | 654 |
| 23 | 85 | Brent Raymer | Ford Drive One Ford | Chrissie Raymer | 611 |
| 24 | 07 | Donny Lia | ASI Limited Dodge/Chevy | Steve Urvan | 600 |
| 25 | 2 | Kevin Harvick | E-Z-Go/Tide Chevy | Delana Harvick | 560 |
| 26 | 15 | Nelson Piquet | Qualcomm Toyota | Billy Ballew | 541 |
| 27 | 76 | Rick Crawford | Superseal Ford | Ray Hackett | 527 |
| 28 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | Best Buy/Hunt Bros. Chevy | Delana Harvick | 497 |
| 29 | 6 | Donnie Neuenberger | EZ-Slider Chevy | Rick Ware | 439 |
| 30 | 60 | Narian Karthikeyan | SafeAuto Insurance Toyota | Chad Kendrick | 421 |
| 31 | 73 | Chris Fontaine | Glenden Enterprizes Chevy | Chris Fontaine | 379 |
| 32 | 2 | Ken Schrader | E-Z-Go Chevy | Delana Harvick | 372 |
| 33 | 21 | Chris Eggleston | H20 Fire Protection Chevy | Steve Urvan | 370 |
| 34 | 95 | Terry Jones | Dodge | Danny Gill | 346 |
| 35 | 48 | Hermie Sadler | TNA Wrestling Chevy | Andy Hillenburg | 346 |
| 36 | 90 | Brad Sweet | Great Clips Toyota | Doug Stringer | 333 |
| 37 | 18 | Brian Ickler | Toyota Tundra Toyota | Kyle Busch | 330 |
| 38 | 07 | Tony Jackson Jr | ASI Chevy | Ken Smith | 326 |
| 39 | 9 | Max Papis | Geico Toyota | Bob Germain | 323 |
| 40 | 92 | Dennis Setzer | Plane Guts Dodge | Danny Gill | 319 |
| 41 | 93 | Shane Sieg | S&W Services Chevy | Pam Sieg | 317 |
| 42 | 89 | Mike Harmon | Lafferty Perf Ford | Chris Lafferty | 296 |
| 43 | 15 | Steve Wallace | Red Top Toyota | Billy Ballew | 292 |
| 44 | 63 | Jack Smith | Mittler Brothers Ford | Michael Mittler | 244 |
| 45 | 01 | Michael Guerity | Koma Unwind Chevy | Daisy Ramirez | 243 |
| 46 | 16 | J. C. Stout | Fuel Doctor Chevy | Rick Ware | 219 |
| 47 | 01 | Carl Long | Koma Unwind Chevy | Daisy Ramirez | 217 |
| 48 | 87 | Chris Jones | D.W. Campbell Chevy | Rick Jones | 216 |
| 49 | 21 | Chad McCumbee | Dodge | Steve Urvan | 200 |
| 50 | 76 | Ryan Hackett | Sears Sand and Gravel Ford | Ray Hackett | 191 |
| 51 | 29 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | Brad Keselowski | 188 |
| 52 | 93 | Mike Garvey | S&W Services Chevy | Pam Sieg | 180 |
| 53 | 21 | Johnny Chapman | ASI Limited Dodge | Steve Urvan | 155 |
| 54 | 46 | Brian Rose | Team Gill Dodge | Danny Gill | 152 |
| 55 | 76 | Brian Johnson Jr | Superseal Ford | Ray Hackett | 140 |
| 56 | 01 | JJ Yeley | Koma Unwind Chevy | Daisy Ramirez | 139 |
| 57 | 48 | Tim Bainey Jr | Delgrosso Chevy | Andy Hillenburg | 134 |
| 58 | 00 | Carlos Contreras | Potencia Energy Chevy | Daisy Ramirez | 126 |
| 59 | 07 | Sean Murphy | Dietz & Watson Chevy | Ken Smith | 124 |
| 60 | 89 | Chris Lafferty | Lafferty Perf Chevy | Chris Lafferty | 119 |
| 61 | 6 | DJ Kennington | Chevy | Rick Ware | 112 |
| 62 | 86 | Jamie Dick | Viva Auto Group Chevy | Jimmy Dick | 103 |
| 63 | 46 | Clay Greenfield | Dodge | Danny Gill | 100 |
| 64 | 01 | Dillon Oliver | Koma Unwind Chevy | Daisy Ramirez | 94 |
| 65 | 01 | Joe Aramendia | Koma Unwind Chevy | Daisy Ramirez | 91 |
| 66 | 95 | Geoff Bodine | Team Gill Dodge | Danny Gill | 85 |
| 67 | 50 | T.J. Bell | Ronald McDonald House Dodge | Mark Beaver | 82 |
| 68 | 90 | Jesse Smith | Great Wolfe Toyota | Doug Stringer | 76 |
| 69 | 46 | Willie Allen | Team Gill Dodge | Danny Gill | 76 |
| 70 | 15 | Ted Musgrave | Hope for Haiti Toyota | Billy Ballew | 70 |
| 71 | 21 | Butch Miller | Dodge | Steve Urvan | 67 |
| 72 | 48 | Bryan Silas | Rockingham Speedway Chevy | Andy Hillenburg | 67 |
| 73 | 95 | Tim Andrews | Team Gill Dodge | Danny Gill | 67 |
| 74 | 95 | Lance Fenton | Team Gill Dodge | Danny Gill | 61 |
| 75 | 16 | Wes Burton | Green Burton Chevy | Green Burton | 61 |
| 76 | 65 | Wayne Edwards | Lafferty Perf Chevy | Chris Lafferty | 61 |
| 77 | 46 | Chase Austin | Team Gill Dodge | Danny Gill | 58 |
| 78 | 98 | Landon Cassill | Easy To Install Chevy | Duke Thorson | 55 |
| 79 | 50 | GR Smith | Ronald McDonald House Dodge | Mark Beaver | 55 |
This is the points race I’m most interested in right now. Bodine, Almirola, Peters, Hornaday, Sauter and Skinner all have a great chance at taking home the Camping World Title. It should get interesting here soon. The race for the top 25 in points heated up. Here’s a look at the battle:
| 23 | 57 | Norm Benning | Benning Chevy | Norm Benning | 807 |
| 24 | 01 | JJ Yeley/Carl Long/Dillon Oliver/Michael Guerity/Joe Aramendia | Koma Unwind Chevy | Daisy Ramirez | 806 |
| 25 | 6 | Donnie Neuenberger/DJ Kennington/Brian Rose/J.C. Stout/Michael Guerity | EZ-Slider Chevy | Rick Ware | 785 |
| 26 | 21 | Donny Lia/Butch Miller/Chris Eggleson/Johnny Chapman/Chad McCumbee | ASI Limited Dodge | Steve Urvan | 743 |
| 27 | 31 | James Buescher | Wolf Pack Rentals Chevy | Steve Turner | 710 |
| 28 | 85 | Brent Raymer | Ford Drive One Ford | Chrissie Raymer | 651 |
James Buescher has only raced in 5 races, the #21 and #6 have raced in 9. Yet Buescher is about to skyrocket past both of them. Should be interesting.
The Camping World Trucks will be taking a month off for who knows why. So we will have to put our excitement on hold. I’ll let you all know when the trucks are coming back. July 12th they will head to Iowa. Stay tuned!
