2016 American Ethanol E15 225
# 2016 American Ethanol E15 225

The 2016 American Ethanol E15 225 was the 16th stock car race of the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the final race of the regular season, and the 8th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, September 16, 2016, in Joilet, Illinois, at Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race was increased from 150 laps to 151 laps, due to a NASCAR overtime finish. Kyle Busch, driving for his own team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, held off Daniel Hemric and Cameron Hayley in the final 2 laps, and earned his 46th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win, along with his second of the season. Busch dominated the majority of the race, leading 95 laps.

The eight drivers to qualify for the inaugural Truck Series playoffs are William Byron, Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, Ben Kennedy, Daniel Hemric, and Timothy Peters.

## Background

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and actively hosted NASCAR racing including the NASCAR Cup Series until 2019. Until 2010, the speedway has also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is currently owned and operated by Nascar.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Cole Custer (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | PitStopsforHope.org |
| 02 | Tyler Young | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Randco, Young's Building Systems |
| 4 | Christopher Bell (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | JBL |
| 05 | John Wes Townley | Athenian Motorsports | Chevrolet | Jive Communications, Zaxby's |
| 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | Norm Benning Racing |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. (i) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | RTFT All Star Racing League |
| 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | #TeamTurtle, #TeamFoot |
| 9 | William Byron (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | Liberty University |
| 10 | Caleb Roark | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | Driven2Honor.org |
| 11 | Matt Tifft (R) | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | Brain Gear, Surface Sunscreen |
| 13 | Cameron Hayley | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | Ride TV, Cabinets by Hayley |
| 17 | Timothy Peters | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | Red Horse Racing |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | SiriusXM |
| 19 | Daniel Hemric | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | DrawTite |
| 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Alamo Rent a Car |
| 22 | Austin Wayne Self (R) | AM Racing | Toyota | AM Technical Solutions |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Chapel of the Flowers |
| 24 | Grant Enfinger (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Champion Power Equipment |
| 29 | Tyler Reddick | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | Cooper-Standard Automotive |
| 33 | Ben Kennedy | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Weber Inc. |
| 41 | Ben Rhodes (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | Alpha Energy Solutions |
| 44 | Tommy Joe Martins | Martins Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cross Concrete Construction |
| 49 | Reed Sorenson (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | Premium Motorsports |
| 50 | Travis Kvapil | MAKE Motorsports | Chevrolet | Team Brackeen |
| 51 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | Arris |
| 63 | Jesse Little | MB Motorsports | Chevrolet | Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool |
| 66 | Jordan Anderson | Bolen Motorsports | Chevrolet | Columbia SC - Famously Hot |
| 71 | Josh Berry (i) | Contreras Motorsports | Chevrolet | American Club, RaceTrac |
| 81 | Ryan Truex | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | Toyoda Gosei Scorpions |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | Fisher Nuts, Menards |
| 98 | Rico Abreu (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | Safelite, Curb Records |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Thursday, September 15, at 3:00 pm CST, and would last for 55 minutes. John Wes Townley, driving for his family team, Athenian Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.825, and an average speed of 175.182 mph (281.928 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 05 | John Wes Townley | Athenian Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.825 | 175.182 |
| 2 | 9 | William Byron (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 30.873 | 174.910 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 31.074 | 173.779 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session was held on Thursday, September 15, at 5:30 pm CST, and would last for 55 minutes. Daniel Hemric, driving for Brad Keselowski Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.584, and an average speed of 176.563 mph (284.151 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 19 | Daniel Hemric | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | 30.584 | 176.563 |
| 2 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.601 | 176.465 |
| 3 | 51 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 30.603 | 176.453 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, September 16, at 3:45 pm CST. Since Chicagoland Speedway is at least 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length, the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13–32. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1–12.

Spencer Gallagher, driving for GMS Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 30.656, and an average speed of 176.148 mph (283.483 km/h) in the second round.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.835 | 175.126 | 30.656 | 176.148 |
| 2 | 05 | John Wes Townley | Athenian Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.858 | 174.995 | 30.700 | 175.896 |
| 3 | 51 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 30.849 | 175.046 | 30.732 | 175.713 |
| 4 | 29 | Tyler Reddick | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | 30.863 | 174.967 | 30.764 | 175.530 |
| 5 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | 30.791 | 175.376 | 30.767 | 175.513 |
| 6 | 33 | Ben Kennedy | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.896 | 174.780 | 30.775 | 175.467 |
| 7 | 41 | Ben Rhodes (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 30.891 | 174.808 | 30.794 | 175.359 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 30.884 | 174.848 | 30.799 | 175.330 |
| 9 | 9 | William Byron (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 30.903 | 174.740 | 30.829 | 175.160 |
| 10 | 19 | Daniel Hemric | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | 30.980 | 174.306 | 30.860 | 174.984 |
| 11 | 11 | Matt Tifft (R) | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | 30.993 | 174.233 | 30.860 | 174.984 |
| 12 | 4 | Christopher Bell (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 30.960 | 174.419 | 30.903 | 174.740 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 30.996 | 174.216 | – | – |
| 14 | 24 | Grant Enfinger (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.016 | 174.104 | – | – |
| 15 | 98 | Rico Abreu (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 31.095 | 173.661 | – | – |
| 16 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.100 | 173.633 | – | – |
| 17 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.107 | 173.594 | – | – |
| 18 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.157 | 173.316 | – | – |
| 19 | 02 | Tyler Young | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.160 | 173.299 | – | – |
| 20 | 13 | Cameron Hayley | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 31.216 | 172.988 | – | – |
| 21 | 81 | Ryan Truex | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 31.296 | 172.546 | – | – |
| 22 | 71 | Josh Berry (i) | Contreras Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.548 | 171.168 | – | – |
| 23 | 66 | Jordan Anderson | Bolen Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.572 | 171.038 | – | – |
| 24 | 44 | Tommy Joe Martins | Martins Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.720 | 170.240 | – | – |
| 25 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (i) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 31.773 | 169.956 | – | – |
| 26 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self (R) | AM Racing | Toyota | 31.892 | 169.321 | – | – |
| 27 | 1 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 32.032 | 168.581 | – | – |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 28 | 63 | Jesse Little | MB Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.271 | 167.333 | – | – |
| 29 | 49 | Reed Sorenson (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.286 | 167.255 | – | – |
| 30 | 50 | Travis Kvapil | MAKE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.578 | 165.756 | – | – |
| 31 | 10 | Caleb Roark | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 34.511 | 156.472 | – | – |
| 32 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 35.396 | 152.560 | – | – |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 151 | 95 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 10 | 19 | Daniel Hemric | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | 151 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 3 | 20 | 13 | Cameron Hayley | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 151 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 4 | 12 | 4 | Christopher Bell (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 151 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 5 | 16 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 6 | 14 | 24 | Grant Enfinger (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 7 | 1 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 151 | 8 | Running | 27 |
| 8 | 5 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | 151 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 9 | 17 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 10 | 4 | 29 | Tyler Reddick | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | 151 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 11 | 3 | 51 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 151 | 43 | Running | 0 |
| 12 | 11 | 11 | Matt Tifft (R) | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | 151 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 13 | 22 | 71 | Josh Berry (i) | Contreras Motorsports | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 14 | 18 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 15 | 21 | 81 | Ryan Truex | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 151 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 16 | 19 | 02 | Tyler Young | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 17 | 26 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self (R) | AM Racing | Toyota | 151 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 18 | 25 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (i) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 19 | 15 | 98 | Rico Abreu (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 150 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 20 | 2 | 05 | John Wes Townley | Athenian Motorsports | Chevrolet | 149 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 21 | 30 | 50 | Travis Kvapil | MAKE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Engine | 12 |
| 22 | 27 | 1 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 23 | 23 | 66 | Jordan Anderson | Bolen Motorsports | Chevrolet | 138 | 0 | Engine | 10 |
| 24 | 24 | 44 | Tommy Joe Martins | Martins Motorsports | Chevrolet | 137 | 1 | Accident | 10 |
| 25 | 7 | 41 | Ben Rhodes (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 125 | 0 | Accident | 8 |
| 26 | 6 | 33 | Ben Kennedy | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 111 | 4 | Accident | 8 |
| 27 | 13 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 111 | 0 | Accident | 6 |
| 28 | 29 | 49 | Reed Sorenson (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Clutch | 0 |
| 29 | 28 | 63 | Jesse Little | MB Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Engine | 4 |
| 30 | 9 | 9 | William Byron (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 40 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 31 | 32 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 14 | 0 | Suspension | 2 |
| 32 | 31 | 10 | Caleb Roark | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 11 | 0 | Electrical | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | William Byron | 2,015 |
| 2 | 2 | Matt Crafton | 2,006 (−9) |
| 5 | 3 | John Hunter Nemechek | 2,006 (−9) |
| 3 | 4 | Christopher Bell | 2,003 (−12) |
| 2 | 5 | Johnny Sauter | 2,003 (−12) |
| | 6 | Ben Kennedy | 2,003 (−12) |
| 5 | 7 | Daniel Hemric | 2,000 (−15) |
| 3 | 8 | Timothy Peters | 2,000 (−15) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
