Pole: Nick Sanchez
Outside pole: Jack Wood
Stages: 77 – 45 – 45
Competition caution scheduled for lap 35 of 167.
No live pit stops since this is a stand-alone race and the truck teams usually share their pit crews with the Xfinity and Cup series. The teams can only change tires during the scheduled cautions (Competition, and Stage-End). They can’t lose position under the modified caution rules.
Fill-in spotters are on the roof for the event, according to MRN. Many of the spotters are from the NTT IndyCar Series, which is competing at the same track this weekend.
Weather: Mostly sunny 74 degrees, winds 3 mph with 5 mph gusts.Chad Chastain (41), Ross’ younger brother, spins in turn two on the first lap of 167 bringing out the first caution.
On lap 17 leader Nick Sanchez (2) is 2.4 seconds ahead of second position and he’s steadily driving away from Christian Eckes (19).
Caution on lap 22 of 167 for a spin by Chad Chastain (41) – again. MRN reports he’s taken his truck to the garage. He spins all alone from the middle of turn two out and into the outside wall.
Competition caution on lap 35 of 167.
The teams have to wait for NASCAR to give them the go-ahead to jump off the wall to service the trucks. The teams also have to begin the service with tires before making any chassis adjustments and before the trucks are fueled.
On lap 43 of 167 MRN reports Keith McGee (34) had taken his truck to the garage.
On lap 45 of 167 Nick Sanchez (2) is 2.059 seconds ahead of second place Ben Rhodes (99).
Stage one ends with Nick Sanchez (2) out front.
MRN reports at 77 laps it is the longest stage in the history of the NASCAR Truck series.
This pit stop will be three minutes long.
Caution on lap 78 of 167 for a spin by Lawless Alan (45).
Restarting on lap 82 of 167 with Nick Sanchez (2) out front.
Rajah Caruth (24) is on pit road under green on lap 89 of 167. The team took off the front right tire and clearanced the front left. He hit the outside wall and was allowed to change tires due to the damage on the right side.
Nick Sanchez (2) wins stage two 1.065 seconds ahead of second.
Restarting on lap 123 of 167.
On lap 125 of 167 MRN reports Matt ‘MattiD’ DiBenedetto (25) heads to the garage. Also MRN reports that Taylor Gray (17) tags the wall, but keeps going. Dean Thompson (5) falls back through the field.
Caution on lap 137 of 167 for debris. Jack Wood (51) went through the grass and kicked a lot of grass up onto the track.
Restarting on lap 142 of 167 with Nick Sanchez (2) and Zane Smith (38) on the front row followed by Ben Rhodes (99) and Christian Eckes (19) and Carson Hocevar (42) and Stewart Friesen (52).
Nick Sanchez (2) gets the early lead.
Caution on lap 143 of 167 for a crash involving Dean Thompson (5), Matt (20) Mills, Trey Hutchens (14), Armani Williams (46). Thompson hit the wall and began spinning. His car kicked up a lot of smoke and it appears Matt Mills hit Thompson spinning him up in front of Trey Hutchins who also hit him Dean Thompson went to the ground when he got out of the truck. Tyler Ankrum (16) was also damaged in the incident hitting the outside wall. Dean Thompson was loaded onto the Matt Mills said that was the hardest hit he’s ever had in his life when he hit Dean. He said he didn’t know there was a truck sitting there and the brake pedal went to the floor. Matt Mills said he was still shaky. He said his spotter told him to go high which was the right call, but he didn’t know where high was and he couldn’t’ve done anything about it if he did.
The trucks were taken down pit road due to the crash.
Red flag is out 1846 eastern.
MRN’s Kim Coon is reporting it’s very quiet during the red flag and that members of several teams have asked her if she had any word on how Dean Thompson is.
At 1903 eastern the race is back under caution.
Restarting on 150 lap of 167 with Nick Sanchez (2) and Zane Smith (28) up front followed by Carson Hocevar (42) and Christian Eckes (19).
Sanchez gets the early lead.
MRN reports on lap 154 of 167 that Ben Rhodes (99) is off the pace and dropping through the field.
The racing has gotten interesting. TV decides now is the time to go with the idiotic windscreen shot. They were doing okay for a while showing a wide enough shot that you could see the trucks battling for the lead and the nearest trucks catching the leaders. As the battle intensified, they stopped showing the battling trucks and began showing a random truck’s bumper. I say random because I don’t know which truck it is from that viewpoint. There’s no way to know unless I happen to know the sponsor for each truck.
Caution on lap 155 of 167 for an incident involved Taylor Gray (17) and Daniel Dye (43). Ben Rhodes (99) is on pit road getting a new tire to replace the right rear when the caution comes out. Gray spins collecting Daniel Dye.
Restarting with Sanchez (2) and Smith (38) on the front row followed by Carson Hocevar (42), and Ty Majeski (98).
Matt Crafton (88) spins out on lap 161 of 167. Colby Howard (9) collects Tanner Gray (15) sending both of them into Grant Enfinger (23) who was trying to avoid the spinning Crafton (88).
Restarting in overtime with Nick Sanchez (2) and Zane Smith (38) on the front row followed by Stewart Friesen (52) and Christian Eckes (19) Ty Majeski (98) and Carson Hocevar (42) followed by Corey Heim (11) and Hailie Deegan (13) and Chase Purdy.
Caution for a spin and a crash by Lawless Alan (45).
Restarting in overtime with the same group up front.
Sanchez gets turned into Zane Smith just after the white flag came out.
Carson Hocevar came through the wreck in front.
The checkered flag is being displayed with the caution so Carson Hocevar (42) gets his first win.
What a disappointing finish. The last 25 or 30 laps of that race were entertaining. The first 240 laps were mediocre.
It’s official NASCAR names Carson Hocevar (42) the winner.
Chase Purdy (4) finishes second for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Stewart Friesen (52) finishes third. He’s bummed that he didn’t get a clean enough start to give Nick Sanchez (2) a good push.
Looks like Hocevar turned Sanchez (2) sending him into Zane Smith (38). On the replay Nick Sanchez banged doors with Smith and was saving it when Hocevar plowed into his rear-end sending Sanchez spinning into Zane Smith. Christian Eckes (2) hit Nick Sanchez (2).
Very disappointing finish.
Zane Smith said Sanchez “was dooring [him] all the way around, while [they] had been side-drafting fine in all the other restarts.” When asked if they needed to have a conversation, Smith said, “I’d like to say it was a racing incident, but I know how sketchy most of these guys are so it wouldn’t matter.”
The racing was intense. The event was not exciting until the last 30 laps or so. The race was not very competitive for most of the event. It became much more competitive in the last 30 laps. It was not a memorable race.
Nick Sanchez (2) said he “was playing an aggressive side-drafting game with zane smith throughout the day and he got too aggressive on the side-drafting game with Zane Smith and he went into the grass and saved it then got hit from behind by Hocevar.”
Carson Hocevar (42) says “…they’re probably all mad at him, but I get a trophy to give to these guys and that makes it all worth it.”
Sanchez led almost all of the laps.
I hate to see bad behavior rewarded. Hocevar caused the wreck sending Sanchez into Smith then was rewarded with the win. Very disappointing; very undeserved. I guess its a case of if you can’t beat them, wreck them. If you’re the right guy NASCAR will look the other way.
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