Ever since the playoffs began, the Craftsman Truck Series has been relatively dry in terms of big news.
Not this week.
Lots of news broke since the last time I authored this column, and most of it is important in the grand scheme of the Truck Series. So instead of picking one piece to analyze, we’re going to analyze all of it.
Some news was expected. Others, not so much. Let’s dive in.
Conner Jones Suspended for Martinsville, Johnny Sauter Filling In; Landen Lewis Replacing Sauter at Hattori
Perhaps one of the more expected pieces of news dropped on Wednesday (Oct. 30), when it was announced that part-time Rookie of the Year contender Conner Jones would be suspended for the upcoming race at Martinsville Speedway.
The suspension comes after Jones intentionally wrecked Matt Mills at Homestead-Miami Speedway after the latter blocked Jones into turn 3. After Mills slammed the turn 3 wall and caught fire, Jones angrily keyed the radio saying that the crash was a result of several run-ins throughout the year.
Mills exited his truck under his own power, but was then transported to a local hospital, where he stayed two nights before heading home Monday (Oct. 28).
After declining to talk to the media, citing he may “say something stupid,” Jones released a statement on X taking responsibility for his role in the incident.
My full thoughts on the situation can be found here. The suspension is deserved and warranted. Some believe that the penalty is too harsh, citing similar past incidents in which drivers were not suspended.
But the issue is that Jones has a history of irresponsible driving, which is what warranted the suspension. He’s been suspended from the zMAX CARS Tour before, had several run-ins in the ARCA Menards Series that drew the ire of his competitors and, this season alone, has been called to the NASCAR hauler and angered competitors on several occasions.
Sending a fellow competitor to the hospital isn’t necessarily grounds for suspension, but when you’ve caused enough trouble like Jones has, it certainly doesn’t do you any favors. For NASCAR, its patience with Jones was likely thin, and the contact with Mills was the last straw.
Hopefully this sends some sort of wake-up call to the 18-year-old that if he wants to continue racing in NASCAR, his behavior over the course of the season will not be tolerated. Otherwise, he will flame out really fast. His team, ThorSport Racing, already has…
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