Halfway into the schedule, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appears headed for a typical, nail-biting championship finish.
Standings leader Johnny Sauter clings to a four-point lead over Austin Dillon, the closest margin since after race No. 7 when Cole Whitt led Sauter by one point.
The top five – Sauter, Dillon, James Buescher, Lucas Oil Raceway winner Timothy Peters and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt – are separated by just 29 points.
Circumstances – odd or otherwise – have tightened this points battle. Consider:
• Sauter topped the standings after each of the last six races, and has led laps in each. Still the finishes haven’t been there, thanks to a restart penalty, a broken rear end and an inopportune flat tire that have produced three finishes of 22nd or worse.
• Dillon, the Nashville Superspeedway winner, was positioned to overtake Sauter in Indianapolis until being dropped to a ninth-place finish by a final-lap accident. In Kentucky – where Sauter finished 24th – Dillon had victory in sight when his Chevrolet’s hood blew open costing him a lap.
While the two leaders have fumbled opportunities, their rivals – notably Peters and Buescher – have gained ground. The pair finished one-two at Lucas Oil Raceway.
• Since early June, Buescher has more than halved a 59-point deficit gaining four positions in the standings.
• Peters has gone from 47 behind Sauter to just 22 off the lead.
Sauter will be making his 75th series start at Pocono. He finished 14th in last year’s inaugural race at the 2.5-mile track. Dillon and Peters had top-10 finishes while Buescher was 11th.
| 
|