While all of the hype surrounded Greg Biffle and his much-anticipated return to NASCAR, it was a treacherous Texas Motor Speedway that was the real story on Thursday. Two fast drivers, who were driving fast trucks were minding their business when the track reached out and bit them.
Ben Rhodes led the opening NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice session, but turning the fastest lap couldn’t save him. Rhodes slammed into the wall, which led to massive repairs to his No. 99 Truck. The repairs forced the driver to miss out on the other two practice sessions during the day but at least the ThorSport Racing team were able to salvage their primary truck.
Related: Truck Series Practice 1 Speeds
Stewart Friesen was not as fortunate.
Just as the second practice session was concluding, Friesen — who had turned the 11th-fastest lap in the session — got loose, turned around and backed his No. 52 Chevrolet Silverado into the wall hard. The crash caused severe damage, too severe to repair. Friesen will continue his quest for a first-career win in his backup truck.
Related: Truck Series Practice 2 Speeds
The driver who ends up winning Friday night’s SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas may just be the one who survives as the track looks quite challenging for the drivers this weekend.
