 | |
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| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway |
| Location | Madison, Illinois, U.S. |
| Corporatesponsor | Toyota (title sponsor) CK Power (presenting sponsor) |
| First race | 1998 |
| Last race | 2024 |
| Distance | 200 miles (321.869 km) |
| Laps | 160[1] Stages 1/2: 55 each Final stage: 50 |
| Previous names | Ram Tough 200 Presented by Pepsi (1998, 2001) Ram Tough 200 (1999) Ram Tough 200 by Pepsi (2000) Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 (2002–2004, 2006–2007) Dodge Ram Tough 200 (2005) Camping World 200 Presented by Honda Power Equipment (2008) Copart 200 (2009) CampingWorld.com 200 (2010) Drivin' for Linemen 200 (2014–2017) Villa Lighting delivers the Eaton 200 presented by CK Power (2018) CarShield 200 presented by CK Power (2019–2020) Toyota 200 (2021–2024) |
| Most wins (driver) | Ted Musgrave Sheldon Creed Corey Heim (2) |
| Most wins (team) | GMS Racing (4) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (12) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.25 mi (2.01 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
TheToyota 200 was aNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race atWorld Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (formerly Gateway Motorsports Park). The race has been held each year since 1998 except for 2011, 2012 and 2013. The track closed after the 2010 race, reopened in 2012 under new ownership, and the race returned to the schedule in 2014.
Rick Carelli won the first truck race at Gateway. A year laterGreg Biffle won the first night race for the series at Gateway. In 2000, the race date was moved to May, and the time of race was once again day.Jack Sprague not only won that race, but holds the average speed record for the event to this day. A year later Ted Musgrave won the event after showers moved the race back into the evening.
In 2004, the NASCAR Craftsman truck was using its version of the green-white-checkered rule, which stated that every race must end under green, for the last time. With five laps left in the race Jack Sprague cut a tire bringing out the caution. Caution would come out. On the first green-white-checkered attempt a wreck in turn 1 brought the yellow flag out again. The very next green flag saw first and second position drivers,Shane Hmiel andBobby Hamilton get together bringing the yellow out again. On the second attempt on the back straightway,Rick Crawford's truck was involved in an accident that had the truck sliding on its side against the wall. On the fourth attempt,David Starr came out on top in a race with a record for most green-white-checkered laps and most attempts. Shortly thereafter NASCAR adopted a universal green-white-checkered rule for all three of its major series which said that if the caution flag comes out at any time during the green-white-checkered run the race will end under caution.
NASCAR-sanctioned events stopped being run at the track after the 2010 season whenDover Motorsports shut down the circuit at the end of the 2010 season. The circuits were sold to former club racer and INDYCAR Indy Lights driver Curtis Francois in 2011, who promptly brought back the NHRA tour in 2012. Francois and NASCAR successfully negotiated the Truck Series return on June 14, 2014.[2]
During the 2016 race,Spencer Gallagher andJohn Wes Townley crashed in turn one and got into a fight after climbing out of their trucks.[3]
In March 2018, CK Power was announced as the new presenting sponsor for the race (which they remain to this day),[4] and in June, Villa Lighting and Eaton Electrical Products were announced as that year's title sponsors.[5] CarShield became the title sponsor in 2019 and returned in 2020.[6]Toyota (specifically their dealerships in or near St. Louis) became the title sponsor for the 2021 race at the track,[7] which was the first time that it was the opening race of theTruck Series playoffs.[8]
| # Wins | Driver | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ted Musgrave | 2001, 2005 |
| Sheldon Creed | 2020, 2021 | |
| Corey Heim | 2022, 2024 |
| # Wins | Team | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | GMS Racing | 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023 |
| 3 | Kyle Busch Motorsports | 2014, 2016, 2022 |
| 2 | Ultra Motorsports | 2001, 2005 |
| Kevin Harvick Inc. | 2008, 2010 |
| # Wins | Make | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 12 |  Chevrolet | 1998, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017-2021, 2023 |
| 7 |  Toyota | 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024 |
| 3 | Dodge | 2001, 2003, 2005 |
| 2 | Ford | 1999, 2002 |