Gander Outdoors Truck Series 2018 Championship 4 season review

Brett Moffitt


Wins: 6

Top 5s: 13

Top 10s: 13

Laps led: 269

Ave. finish: 8.9

Poles: 0

Despite competing against teams with more funding and deeper resources, Brett Moffitt and Hattori Racing Enterprises had a Cinderella-esque run that culminated in their first-ever championship. Moffitt's six wins were tied for most in the series and the driver had a flare for late-race charges that resulted in wins. Moffitt capturing the title was one of NASCAR's feel-good stories.

Noah Gragson


Wins: 1

Top 5s: 8

Top 10s: 17

Laps led: 625

Ave. finish: 8.5

Poles: 6

Gragson faced scrutiny following an uneven start to the season, but one week after crashing out at Dover he responded in emphatic fashion with a dominating win at Kansas. Although he wouldn't reach Victory Lane again for the remainder of the year, he was regularly near the front of the field and would lead the series in laps led and stage wins. The 20-year-old will move up to the Xfinity Series next year, joining JR Motorsports.

Justin Haley

Wins: 3

Top 5s: 9

Top 10s: 18

Laps led: 60

Ave. finish: 8.9

Poles: 0

While Haley may not have been on a lot of people's radars to begin the season, by the end the 19-year-old had established himself as one of NASCAR's emerging prospects. He earned his first series win at Gateway, then followed with victories at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and Texas. The latter triumph punched Haley's ticket to the Championship 4 where he finished eighth in the race and third in the standings. Haley will transition to the Xfinity Series next season, joining Kaulig Racing.

Johnny Sauter

Wins: 6

Top 5s: 14

Top 10s: 17

Laps led: 585

Ave. finish: 6.4

Poles: 1

As he does seemingly every year, Sauter again turned in a stellar season. His six wins were tied for series-best, and he was ranked first both in top-fives and average finish. And a testament to his ability to win just about anywhere, Sauter registered victories across an array of different types of ovals including a superspeedway, an intermediate and a short track. He also moved up to fifth on the series all-time wins list.