Stewart Friesen comes into Friday’s Jegs 200 at Dover International Speedway as the point leader in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. While other drivers make their mark in the series driving for mega teams such as Kyle Busch Motorsports or ThorSport Racing, Friesen has ascended to the top of the standings driving for his family owned No. 52 Halmar Friesen team.
Through five starts this season, Friesen has recorded an impressive four top-10 finishes. But he is still on a quest to secure that elusive first-career victory after 53 starts in the series.
The last time the Series was in action was at Texas Motor Speedway back in late March. After a close duel with Kyle Busch in the closing laps, Friesen recorded a runner-up finish for the fifth time in his NGOTS career. Is it time for a break through in Dover?
Looking at Friesen’s past at Dover doesn’t signal that his dry spell will be broken this weekend, as both previous starts for the Canadian driver at the Monster Mile have ended in carnage. In fact, Friesen has completed only 173 of the possible 410 laps at this track in his two starts and his average finish is an abysmal 25.5.
However, Friesen has shown speed in two practice sessions on Thursday (sixth-fastest in practice 1 and third-fastest in final practice) and his performance at nearly every track has been elevated to a new level through the first handful of races in 2019.
Expect Friesen to play a factor in who wins the race Friday at Dover, and if the planets align correctly the 35-year-old could be standing in victory lane when all is said and done.
