The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the desert this past weekend for the annual Lucas Oil 150 at the newly renamed and reconfigured ISM Raceway.
It wasn’t much of a change track wise, as the start/finish line was moved to the backstretch, while the pit road was extended. Mainly, it was the fan experience that was added in the infield where the fans could watch from the garage area and see the cars up front.
However, as always, the Truck Series provided an action-packed race and provided some playoff drama throughout the race, and toward the end of the race as well.
Here are four takeaways from the Lucas Oil 150 from ISM Raceway.
1. Championship 4 Set – The Championship 4 was set this past Friday night with two drivers already locked into the Playoffs. Two more, Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson, were locked in at ISM Raceway. It’s a competitive Championship 4 this year with a champion in the series and the rest of the field that has run up front and won multiple races throughout the year. It’s been an exciting season for the Truck Series with plenty of thrilling finishes and familiar faces in victory lane. It all ends with the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Southern Florida.
2. Justin Haley Has No Plans For 2019 – During the post-race press conference following the Lucas Oil 150, Haley said that he currently has no plans for the 2019 racing season. He hopes winning a championship might solidify his chances and maybe bring more offers to the table. Either way, Haley is a great talent and should be able to find something for 2019, but nothing is guaranteed.
3. Johnny Sauter and Justin Haley Frustrated With Hattori Racing Using Toyota But Not So Fast Says Scott Zipadelli – During the post-race press conference, Sauter and Haley expressed their frustration with Hattori Racing using a Joe Gibbs Racing engine, which gives the team a slight advantage with shifting. Sauter was the biggest critic of them all and is concerned about the race this weekend at Homestead. If Hattori uses the same engine again, Sauter believes it’s not a fair shot for the other Championship 4 drivers and it might be game over. However, Scott Zipadelli believes it’s just an excuse for getting beat.
4. Derek Kraus Gets A For Effort In Truck Series Debut/Sheldon Creed Full Time With GMS Racing In 2019 – Derek Kraus made his Truck Series debut this past weekend at ISM Raceway and wound up finishing eighth with a 10th in Stage 2. Not bad for the Bill McAnally team. In other news, Sheldon Creed announced during qualifying that he has signed with the GMS Racing team for a full-time ride in 2019. Number and sponsor is to be announced at a later date.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the newly reconfigured ISM Raceway, formerly known as Phoenix International Raceway. It was the final race in the Round of 6 in order to set the stage for the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Southern Florida.
The race saw some familiar faces up front and it was interesting throughout the race, where drivers who were in a must-win situation were actually leading the race but fell short in the end.
Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings from ISM Raceway.
1. Brett Moffitt – After having a couple of weeks of strong finishes, Moffitt and the No. 16 team returned to victory lane this past weekend. He won Stage 1, led 16 laps and finished second in Stage 2. With a late race caution, Moffitt found himself in contention for the win. He made a pass for the lead after the restart and held on to win the final three laps for his fifth victory of the season. It was Moffitt’s first since his thrilling victory at Michigan in the summer. It’s been a dream season for Hattori Racing and Moffitt, who are now locked into the championship race.
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
2. Noah Gragson – From a somewhat dismal finish last week at Texas, Gragson rebounded and followed it up with a dominant performance at ISM, but fell one spot short of winning. He sat on the pole and led the first 32 laps. Gragson overslid his pit stop during a caution early and lost several spots. In Stage 1, he finished second with an eighth-place finish in Stage 2. It took him a little while to get back up front, but Gragson was the leader again on Lap 136. He had to fend off a hard charging Grant Enfinger who was also fighting for a spot in the championship. At one point, Gragson was out of the championship race, but came back and finished second ahead of Enfinger. It will be his first championship appearance.
Previous Week Ranking: Fell Out
3. Stewart Friesen – It was a quiet night for the No. 52 Halmar Racing driver who finished fifth. Friesen finished third in both stages and earned his eighth top ten of the season. Furthermore, he expressed his displeasure with the zones on pit road and NASCAR.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
4. Grant Enfinger – An A for effort for Enfinger. He came into the night in a must must-win situation and he almost pulled it off. After qualifying 12th, Enfinger finished sixth in Stage 2. At times he had a better truck than Gragson as he led twice for 10 laps. With a late race restart, Enfinger found himself in contention for the win. He had the lead for a split second, but Moffitt and Gragson got around him, while Enfinger ultimately finished fourth. It wasn’t enough for the No. 98 Thorsport team as he fell short of advancing to the championship race. Nonetheless, a strong finish and year for Enfinger.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
5. Harrison Burton – Burton qualified third and finished third, making his seventh start of the season this past weekend at ISM Raceway. He topped the speed charts for both practices and it showed during the race. Burton took the lead on Lap 49 and led for 94 laps. Burton finished fourth in Stage 1 and won Stage 2, ending the race in third place.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
Fell Out
1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter started 14th and finished seventh after finishing eighth in Stage 1. It was another dismal finish and week for the No. 21 team who were strong a couple of weeks ago.
2. Myatt Snider – Snider has had decent showings a couple of weeks in a row, but he was off this weekend. No top-10 stage finish and he wound up 22nd, three laps down. It was a forgettable week for the No. 13 team.
3. Todd Gilliland – Like Snider, no top-10 stage finish for Gilliland and he was caught up in an accident early on Lap 28, and could never rebound. Ultimately, Gilliland finished 17th.
4. Justin Haley – Haley finished sixth and fourth in both stages, but an oil leak prevented him from having a strong finish. He finished 28th after starting in second place.
In a wild set of final restarts, Brett Moffitt sneaks around Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton to grab the win at ISM Raceway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150.
On the final restart, Noah Gragson chose the outside, but collisions with Enfinger prevented him from getting a strong exit as Moffitt squeezed by to lead the final laps and secure the victory.
“We just had a badass Toyota Tundra,” said Moffitt. “We were focused (on Homestead) already and knew we just had to have a smooth night (tonight) but when the No. 98 (Enfinger) got up there we started worrying and knew we had to win.
“I can’t say enough about this group and all of our partners and HRE team.”
Gragson had to settle for second but dodged a bullet as the right driver won the race to allow him to secure the final Playoff spot for Homestead.
“Down there on that restart I spun the tires just a little bit in the restart zone and then in one and two I just got run up the race track,” said Gragson. “I guess I was top of three wide. We were beating and banging. I don’t know, that’s what you’ve got to do. I dish it, so I sure as hell have got to take it.
“I respect the 98 for what he did. He’s going for the win, I’m going for the win, but most importantly we’re going to be racing for a championship next weekend at Homestead.”
Harrison Burton, who won Stage 2 earlier in the night, finished third to match his best finish of the season. Grant Enfinger was in a must-win situation, but despite his valiant effort finished fourth. Stewart Friesen completed the top-five.
The other Playoff drivers were scattered across the field. Johnny Sauter finished seventh but had already secured a spot in the Championship 4 with his win at Martinsville. Matt Crafton finished 11th, but fell short on points and will not advance. Justin Haley had engine troubles late in the race and retired from the event. He finished 28th but with his win last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway will also participate for the 2018 Championship at Homestead.
Stage 1 Battles Between Gragson and Moffitt
Todd Gilliland visits pit road to get full service, including four tires and fuel, from his pit crew. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.
As the green flag flew, Gragson wasted no time securing the lead and took off, gaining an extra few seconds on second place. Slightly past halfway through the first stage, yellow came out when Todd Gilliland was hit by Tyler Ankrum, who misjudged his middle line as the two were passing the lapped truck of Jason White. The two went spinning and made slight contact with the outside wall, but both trucks were able to continue in the race.
On the restart, Brett Moffitt was able to get around Gragson on the outside and lead the final laps of the stage. Gragson stayed within a few tenths of Moffitt all of these laps but wasn’t able to get a pass on Moffitt as he took the Stage 1 win.
However, pit stops would get the best of the front two. Gragson slid into his pit box and actually clipped the inside pit wall. The team would have to push the truck back to get started on the right side, and then have to move the truck again to get to the left side for a full-service pit stop. Moffitt was caught speeding, so both ended up toward the back of the field. While they had a somewhat comfortable gap with points, this put them at risk of losing the points they would gain if they couldn’t get into the top-10 for those stage points.
Penalties & Mistakes Shake Up Front for Stage 2
At the restart, many drivers got much more comfortable with the layout, giving them the confidence to run more aggressively. The middle of the pack went 3 and 4-wide with some trucks using the apron of the new Turns 1 and 2. However, most of the laps after were uneventful until the end, as the No. 13 Tenda Ford driven by Myatt Snider started to stall. As the stage ended with Harrison Burton winning over a hard-charging Matt Crafton, some gambling happened with pit road.
John Hunter Nemechek decided to take two tires on the stage ending pit stop. Matt Crafton lost about six positions on pit road. And the Playoff picture continued to shuffle as Gragson and Moffitt both cracked into the top-10 in the final laps of the second stage.
Final Stage Desperation Among Playoff Contenders
Most of the final stage was a strong battle between John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger. Nemechek was fighting hard to prove his two-tire stop would pay off, and Grant Enfinger, over 20 points below the cutoff line for the Playoffs, was in a must-win position. As both drivers were starting to feel the pressure, Nemechek’s tires eventually gave way with about 20 laps to go in the race. He spun coming out of Turn 4, right in front of Nemechek and Gragson, who had inched his way up into the third position.
During the yellow flag, Justin Haley suddenly started to drop fluid around the track. His lucky win last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway after Todd Gilliland ran out of fuel on the last lap already secures his position at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the championship race. His truck came down pit road, and as crew members surrounded the truck, many gave the nods that appeared to be terminal.
Riley Herbst spins and crashes to bring out the final caution of the Lucas Oil 150. Photo by Rachel Schuoler for Speedway Media.
The red flag came out while the ISM Raceway safety crew cleaned up fluid from Haley’s truck all around the raceway. The red flag was out for just over 10 minutes.
On the restart, it was a tricky decision for Enfinger. The inside line was shorter, especially with the dogleg right after the start-finish line, but it was now filled with speedy dry from the red flag incident, so he would run the risk of low grip going into the first turn. If he chose the outside, he would be clear of the speedy dry but would run the risk of Gragson slipping in the speedy dry and hitting him. The final verdict was choosing the bottom lane, forcing Gragson to restart on the outside. However, it was no contest on the restart. Gragson got a strong start and was able to clear Enfinger going into Turn 1, who was battling three-wide with trucks from the second row.
Gragson pulled out to a good lead and was on cruise control for the win, as the battle for second also calmed down. However, with a few laps to go, Riley Herbst lost control of his truck and spun to bring out the final yellow, setting up for one last restart. Gragson chose the outside once again, but as he and Enfinger were battling for the lead, Moffitt was able to make a three-wide move to get around both drivers and claim the top spot. He would hold onto that lead and take the win over Gragson.
The Camping World Trucks hold their championship race at Homestead Miami Speedway next Friday on November 16, as Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley, Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson will battle in the Ford EcoBoost 200 to see who will claim the 2018 Championship.
Noah Gragson claimed his sixth pole of 2018 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and will start in front for tonight’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway.
Being only 18 points above the cutoff line for the final round of the 2018 Playoffs, Gragson was determined to take the best step forward, setting a pace of 26.456 seconds at 136.075 mph.
“I’m going full offense mode,” Gragson said earlier today before qualifying. “I’m going to Phoenix to win the race. We ran really good there last year with Marcus Richmond and the team at Kyle Busch Motorsports. Myself and Christopher Bell, two teammates, we led I think all but 10 laps of that race, so I feel really confident in the way that I’ll be able to work with my Toyota Tundra out in Phoenix. It’s going to be a really good race track for my team and I feel really comfortable about it.”
Gragson beat Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, Stewart Friesen and Brett Moffitt, rounding out the top five.
While Gragson has started strong and raced well at Phoenix, he hasn’t finished better than 15th. Last year, a late-race crash with Justin Haley prevented him from getting a potential victory in the series. He has one DNF at the raceway, and during the 2018 Playoffs has only finished a best of seventh.
When asked about the new layout, Gragson gave his thoughts on moving the start-finish line.
“I guess it is kind of the same track with a different configuration — with the start-finish line. I don’t know if you’re going to be able to change your lap time — in theory, you shouldn’t. Coming off the corner you might be able to change it up a little in the old turn one –new turns three and four. It’ll be a little bit different — that’s for sure. Restarts are going to be sketchy — that’s for sure, but I feel like if we can stay up front in my Safelite AutoGlass Tundra it’ll be no problem. Just feel really confident going into this weekend and hopefully, we can pick up that win and move on to Homestead. Then it’s all hammer down from there.”
The rest of the Playoff contenders will start in the top 15 positions: Matt Crafton (ninth), Grant Enfinger (12th) and Johnny Sauter (14th). The green flag will wave at 8:40 ET later this evening.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads west to the desert this weekend in Phoenix Arizona to ISM Raceway, formally known as Phoenix International Raceway. Two drivers are locked into the Playoffs, while four drivers are fighting for two spots.
Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson sit comfortably in right now, but two drivers sit below the cut line, Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton, and are more than likely in a must-win situation. Anything can happen, but Enfinger and Crafton will need a lot of help from the other two if they both want to make it in. Something catastrophic will have to happen to Gragson and Moffitt in order to make it in. Moving the start-finish line to the backstretch will make it a little more interesting as well. That could see one driver make a desperation move.
Currently, there are 32 trucks on the preliminary entry list. Here’s a look at who might wind up in victory lane at ISM Raceway. Some drivers will be back in their seats, while others will be making a debut.
John Hunter Nemechek is back in the No. 8 Stefan, Parsons returns to the No. 15 and Tyler Akrum will be in the No. 17. Derek Kraus will be making his debut in the No. 19 Bill Macanally entry, Jason White in the No. 33, Landon Huffman in the No. 38, D.J. Kennington in the No. 49, Riley Herbst in the No. 54, Jesse Iwuji in the No. 63, and Chase Purdy in the No. 99.
1. Johnny Sauter – It’s no surprise that the 2016 champion makes the top of the list once again. It’s hard to beat a man who is on a tear this year with six wins. There are tons of young drivers this weekend, but experience beats inexperience and his stats show that. He has nine starts and is the defending winner at this track. Sauter does have one DNF that occurred in 2015, along with five top fives and seven top 10 finishes with 16 laps led. He has an average start of 9.0 and an average finish of 9.1. Sauter sat on the pole in his first at track start in 2009.
2. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek is back piloting the No. 8 truck. He has five starts with a best finish of second, twice in 2015 and 2017. Nemechek also has two top fives and four top 10 finishes. He has an average start of 10.0 and an average finish of 7.6. During the 2017 race, Nemechek finished fifth and seventh in both stages.
3. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland will be looking for redemption this weekend after his truck fell short of winning. This week could be the week where he might just get it done. Gilliland only has one start in 2017, where he started fifth and finished seventh. The No. 4 truck previously driven by Christopher Bell won both stages last year. Gilliland won the 2015 K&N Pro Series West race. The Kyle Busch Motorsports team is using a chassis that finished 10th at Dover, crashed at Iowa (29th), and Las Vegas in September (27th). He’ll be a man on a mission this weekend at Phoenix.
4. Matt Crafton – Crafton is still searching for a victory this season and is in a must-win situation. He could just do it on Friday night and lock himself into the Championship 4 at Homestead. In 17 starts, he has zero wins, but 15 laps led, six top fives and 11 top 10 finishes. Crafton has an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 9.9. He has a best finish of second in 2014. In 2017, Crafton finished third in both stages.
5. Justin Haley – Haley is coming off a win last weekend at Texas and he could just do it again this weekend. In two starts in 2015 and 2017, his best finish was seventh in 2015 and he finished 14th in last year’s race due to a crash. Haley has an average start of 9.5 and an average finish of 10.5.
Playoff drivers –
Brett Moffitt – Making track debut
Noah Gragson – Two starts (16th and 15th), did not finish last year after starting second and led 55 laps.
Grant Enfinger – One start (2017), finished 24th due to a crash.
There have been 27 races since 1995 with a list of who’s who for winners –
Jack Sprague won three in a row from 1996-1997. Kevin Harvick won four times (2002, 2003, 2008, 2009).
Mike Skinner, Joe Ruttman, Ron Hornaday, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones have all won twice.
The lowest a race winner has ever come from to win was 16th, set by Skinner in 1995. The race winner has come from the pole six times. The track went to fall races only since 2012. There have been four different winners in the past five races.
The on-track action starts with the first practice at 10:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 2. Final practice takes place at 12:05 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2. Qualifying will begin at 5:35 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
Race coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET with the approximate green flag at 8:40 p.m. ET live on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continued their playoff run last Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. A few drivers shined while others had problems. It was a jam-packed race with tons of pressure on these drivers.
Here are four takeaways from the JAG Metals 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.
1. GMS Team One To Beat For Championship – On Friday night, GMS Racing locked in one more driver, Justin Haley. Haley and Johnny Sauter are teammates and GMS and now have a 50 percent chance of winning the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Both drivers have put up stellar numbers this year and either one will be worthy of a championship. For Sauter, it would be his second championship in two years. For Haley, if everything goes to plan, it will be his first championship for the young rising star coming through the ranks.
2. One Race Left For Four Drivers With Two Spots Left – This is it. On Friday night at ISM Raceway, the two final spots will be locked up. There are just four drivers who have one more chance to secure a championship spot. Those drivers are Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt, Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton. Gragson and Moffitt are comfortably in right now, but nothing is guaranteed. As seen a couple of years ago, then Truck Series driver William Byron set a win total of six, but late in the race, he blew a motor that took him out of championship contention. Two other driver’s that are in must-win situations include Enfinger and Crafton unless something catastrophic happens to Gragson and Moffitt.
3. Turns 1 and 2 Trouble Spot – Throughout most of the race Turns 1 and 2 were the trouble spots. At least four cautions came from those turns, while the others occurred in Turn 4. It continued to be a trouble spot for the Xfinity Series race as well.
4. Austin Hill Shines With Top Five – Hill and the No. 02 Young Motorsports team had a quiet night but finished with a strong top five. He finished second in Stage 2 after starting 15th and ultimately finished fifth. It was his first top five of the year along with having six top 10 finishes. Without a doubt, it would be interesting to see what Hill could do with top tier equipment such as GMS, or Kyle Busch Motorsports. Never say never.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to Texas Motor Speedway this past weekend in the Lone Star State for race number 21 of the season and the second race in the Round of 6. With one driver already locked in, another driver also locked himself into the Championship 4.
Here’s a look at this week’s power rankings.
1. Justin Haley – Coming into Texas, Haley was just two points below the cutline. He didn’t necessarily have to win, but a strong points finish was needed in the next two races to make him a championship contender. What becomes someone’s misfortune can often become another’s good fortune. That’s what was said Friday night when race leader, Todd Gilliland, had fuel issues, which saw him slow on the backstretch. This gave the eventual race winner, Justin Haley, the opportunity to grab the win and he is now locked into the Championship 4 with his teammate, Johnny Sauter. Haley won Stage 1 and finished third in Stage 2. It was the third win of the season for the GMS Racing driver.
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
2. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt ran a quiet race for the most part. The Hattori Racing driver finished fifth and sixth in both stages. In the middle part of the race, Moffitt ran in the top 15 but was back in the top 10 on lap 59. Throughout the final stage, the team reported “chattering the right front tire.” With late-race pit stops occurring, Moffitt recycled in the sixth position. Ultimately, the No. 16 team finished third and now sits comfortably 22 points ahead of the cutline. Moffitt needs one more solid race to be locked into the Championship 4.
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
3. Johnny Sauter – Last weeks winner at Martinsville fought adversity all night long. He has a great qualifying lap that put him on the pole. From the start, Sauter fought a loose-handling truck all night and was involved in a wreck on Lap 40 which set the team back a bit. They were eventually back in the top 10 and top five late in the going, but ended up finishing 11th. Not the best day for the No. 21 GMS Racing team, but they’re able to breathe as they’re locked into the Championship 4. That’s what the championship is all about. Fight through the bad days to get the good days.
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
4. Todd Gilliland – Gilliland had the truck to beat Friday night in the Lone Star State. He qualified 12th and raced his way into the top 10 to finish 10th in Stage 1. In Stage 2, Gilliland finished one spot better in ninth. On Lap 71, the No. 4 team took the lead and led for 37 laps until he pit with 33 to go. Gilliland retook the lead as the leader on Lap 124. It looked liked he had the race won, but fuel issues prevented him from winning and he was relegated to a fourth-place finish. It’s only a matter of time before Gilliland starts winning numerous races.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
5. Myatt Snider – It seems as though the No. 13 team is getting one step closer to leading races, and eventually finding victory lane. Last week at Martinsville, Snider took the lead for a brief moment, but still finished in the top five. Before Stage 2 started at Texas, Snider and six other drivers stayed out, which saw Snider taking the lead. He led for 35 laps before handling started to go away and he reported, “the Truck was not turning.” Snider and company finished 13th, one lap down. However, it was enough to keep him in the top five power rankings.
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
Fell Out
1. Noah Gragson – Gragson was involved on a Lap 40 wreck and collected damage on the side of his truck. He came back to finish 10th and is now 18 points above the cutline.
The 2018 season has been a stellar year so far for Noah Gragson, the young Las Vegas native, who has posted six top fives and 15 top-10 finishes, along with a win at Kansas in May, to put him in championship contention.
Stage wins and finishing in the top 10 for most stages gave him enough points to carry him from round to round. Since the Playoffs started, however, circumstances haven’t been too kind to the No. 18 Safelite Toyota driver.
Gragson was in contention to win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park before making contact with his teammate relegating him to a ninth-place finish. At Las Vegas, he won the pole, but issues caught him one lap down to finish 18th. In Talladega, Gragson was leading on the last lap before getting turned around and making some airtime before settling back down to finish 13th.
Martinsville was a better showing for the Kyle Busch Motorsports team as he was up front and finished seventh. However bad luck caught Gragson again Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.
On Lap 40, Gragson was involved in a big wreck that involved several others on the track. This saw him collect damage on the side of his truck leaving it tough to handle. However, he was able to rally back and finish in the top 10, but he wanted more and was somewhat disappointed with the finish. But, Gragson knows what to do next week at ISM Raceway.
“Just rough,” Gragson said to MRN Radio, describing his race. “Got set back on a pit stop and took fuel only. I could never get the balance right in traffic and just really struggled tonight. Got some damage on the right side. No excuse. I’m going to work my ass off this week and next week, and do whatever we have to do. Just unacceptable. Just got to get out there to Phoenix and go win that one.”
“Win,” the No. 18 driver told MRN Radio. “That’s it.”
With the 10th place finish at Texas, his 15th top 10 this season, Gragson sits fourth in the standings, just 22 points to the good.
After qualifying for the Playoffs with his win at Kentucky earlier this season, Ben Rhodes and the Camping World Truck Series No. 41 Thorsport team were looking to compete for their third championship. Unfortunately, Rhodes got caught up in an incident at Talladega which left him eliminated from the Playoffs.
However, NASCAR is a sport like any other where you can still compete even after being eliminated from competing for the championship. Rhodes and company were determined to finish the season strong and hoped to collect more wins. Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway almost saw them do just that.
After race leader Todd Gilliland had fuel issues on the last lap of the Jag Metals 350 and fell off the pace, eventual race winner Justin Haley drove by to pick up the win. But lurking close by was Rhodes who finished second after all the craziness.
“Yeah, we pretty much had to start last after scruffing the wall in qualifying,” Rhodes told MRN Radio. “Disappointed in that, but very proud of how the team has rallied and put this Carolina Nut F150 up in second place. I feel like overall this race was run on track position and managing restarts, and pit stops. The disappointing part for us is I feel like we were even better than where we finished tonight.”
“We just burn the tires up. A lot of people were blocking tonight and you know, blocking was the name of the game it seemed like for everybody, except us. It was just a weird race on how that all played out. Congrats to the 24 getting the win and to Homestead. We’ll continue to do our best to compete for the owner’s championship.”
Rhodes’s second place was his eighth top five of the season.
Stewart Friesen and the No. 52 team of Halmar Racing are still searching for their first win. Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway looked promising until a late pit stop resulted in a penalty.
Friesen started the race in third after a strong qualifying effort and ran in the top 10 for most of the stages, staying out of trouble. Then, with 40 to go, he passed Todd Gilliland for the race lead. Just a few laps later, both went in to pit with 33 to go but misfortune came for Friesen as he was penalized for speeding during that final pit stop.
He could never catch the break he wanted in hopes of a caution but ultimately finished eighth after leading 12 laps.
“Just blew the green flag stop, Friesen told MRN Radio. “Got in there and wheel hopped, I don’t know, there was a little confusion on when we were actually going to pit. They called me into the pits in Turn 3 outside of a guy and I screwed up. I should have just made another lap and came in to take my time. It is what it is, just thanks to Halmar and Chris Larsen, everybody. They work so hard and bust their ass. They deserve to win more than I did.”
