After a week removed from being locked into the Championship 4 with his win at Martinsville Speedway, Johnny Sauter took on the Lone Star State at Texas Motor Speedway in hopes of carrying the momentum with him.
It started out well in qualifying as he ended up winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole for the seventh time in his career. Unfortunately, his night went sour as soon as the race started.
His truck was loose from the get-go and he slipped back several spots. Sauter ended up bringing out the caution on Lap 7 due to a right rear flat going down. Throughout Stage 1, he continued to report on his truck, saying it was “loose center off 1 and 2” and pitting for chassis adjustments.
Sauter continued to fight his truck as it continued to get loose and made his way up to 19th after a caution. Ultimately, this is where he would finish for Stage 1. Sauter made adjustments for his loose handling truck during the pit stop.
On Lap 40, he was involved in the multi-truck crash that occurred and Sauter collected damage. His night continued to go south as he had another tire go down, this time occurring with a flat left rear. He continued to battle an ill-handling truck for the rest of Stage 2, and wound up 17th.
Even with the truck Sauter had, he managed to make it into the top five and ran in the top 10 for part of the final stage. The No. 21 GMS Racing team and Johnny Sauter did the best they could, and he salvaged an 11th place finish.
After the race, Sauter told MRN Radio, “That’s why last week was so important. Just proud of everybody at GMS on our ISM Connect Chevy. I got a flat rear tire right there at the beginning of the race and got a lap down, and the lucky dog or whatever they call it nowadays.”
“We were getting ready to back to green again and I was like, hey the left rear tire is flat. So we came and changed left sides, and from there I don’t even know what happened. We didn’t have any tires left obviously because we were out of tires at that point. We ran the last however many of laps on 10 set of tires. A night like tonight and you still finish 11th, that’s just persevering.”
“All in all, not the day we wanted,” he said, “but that’s the way it goes in racing.”
Justin Haley passed Todd Gilliland on the last lap of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race to win at Texas Motor Speedway after Gilliland ran out of fuel on the backstretch. It was his third trip to victory lane this season as he advances to the Championship 4.
Haley will join his GMS Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, who won at Martinsville Speedway last week, in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“Yeah, we had a really fast truck where we were closing in there and I was hoping there would be a teammate that would kind of block him (Todd Gilliland),” Haley told MRN Radio. “You know we don’t want to win like that, but it’s the playoffs man, you got to go for it. Todd stuck with me and I kept my faith in it, and I just had an amazing year. You know, Fraternal Order of Eagles, GMS Fabrication, it’s been amazing. Third win of the season, I just wanted one.”
Playoff drivers Johnny Sauter and Noah Gragson started on the front row for this race.
Stage 1 began and it saw cautions from the get-go. On Lap 2, Bo LeMastus hit the wall off Turn 2 ending his night. Sauter had issues with a flat right rear on Lap 7, David Gilliland had a flat right front on Lap 13 and Codie Rohrbaugh brought out two cautions on Lap 20 (flat tire) and on Lap 31 for an incident.
The first stage ended under yellow on Lap 35 and it saw GMS driver, Justin Haley, pick up the stage win.
Six drivers stayed out and it was Myatt Snider who picked up the lead for Stage 2 on Lap 40. And just like Stage 1, Stage 2 saw numerous incidents.
On the restart, there was a big wreck in Turns 3 and 4 with several drivers involved. These included Cory Roper, Joe Nemechek, Tyler Young, Noah Gragson, Tanner Thorson, and Sauter. Throughout Stage 2, Jordan Anderson’s motor blew up, and he went behind the wall.
On lap 59, 10 laps after the restart, ARCA champion Sheldon Creed spun out off of Turn 2 to bring the yellow out once more. Then on Lap 66, debris came from Creed’s truck which brought out another caution with Stage 2 ending under caution. Myatt Snider won Stage 2.
The final stage resumed with 73 to go with race leader, Todd Gilliland. With 40 to go, Stewart Friesen closed in and made the pass for the lead. Pit stops began with 33 to go, as Friesen and Gilliland pit with each other. Unfortunately, Friesen received a speeding penalty for too fast entering.
As green-flag stops cycled through, Gilliland resumed with the race lead with 22 to go. He was maintaining his pace until the last lap when low fuel caused him to slow on the backstretch and Haley was able to go by him for the lead.
With that last lap pass, Haley wound up winning the race and has now punched his ticket to the Championship 4 along with his teammate, Johnny Sauter.
“I’m relieved,” he told MRN Radio. ” That was good. That was I wanted to do. Texas isn’t always our best track, so to finally cap it off is amazing.”
This is Haley’s third win of the year and his first since Mosport in Canada.
In what could have been the night for his first victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it quickly turned into a night of disappointment for the 18-year-old rookie, Todd Gilliland.
Gilliland was just a half lap away from taking home his first ever truck series victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, fuel issues with his truck on the backstretch denied him his first win and relegated him to a fourth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night.
“We were in position to win that race … it sucks, it’s horrible. We were just a touch short on fuel,” said Gilliland. “I didn’t know there was anything happening (on fuel). I’m incredibly disappointed … but I’m super-proud to be in position to be fighting for wins.
“It’s just heartbreak and kind of disbelief. You’re a half-lap away from my first win at a place like this that’s so special and after everything we did today coming from the back, I felt like we executed a perfect race, honestly. Besides lacking a little bit of speed to beat some of those guys straight-up. With what our cards were dealt for the race, we ran 100 percent perfect, I felt like, minus the last half-lap. That’s all we can do is look forward now. It’s over and just need to move on.”
Gilliland finished 10th and ninth respectively in both stages and led for a race-high 60 laps while Justin Haley took home the winner’s trophy for his third victory of the season at Texas.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continues their Round of 6 playoff run in the Lone Star State in Fort Worth, Texas for the annual running of the Jags Metals 350. Three spots are still up for grabs in the Championship 4 and five drivers have just two more chances. There is a great chance of another driver locking himself into the Championship 4 race at Homestead Miami.
Here’s a look at who could punch their way into victory lane Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.
Currently, there are 35 trucks entered on the preliminary entry list. There are also some familiar faces in different rides.
These include Reed Sorenson in the 49, Baley Currey in the 83, Bo LeMastus in the 54, Parker Kligerman in the 35, Timmy Hill in the 87, David Gilliland in the 17, Corey Roper in the 04, Mike Harmon in the 15, Reid Wilson in the 7, Codie Rohrbaugh in the 9, Tyler Young in the 12, Camden Murphy in the 0, and Ross Chastain in the 38.
1. Johnny Sauter – It’s hard to beat a man who is just on a roll this year in the Truck Series. That person just happens to be six-time winner and 2016 champion, Johnny Sauter. In the last five fall races, he has won twice, finished 13th in 2015, 16th in 2014, and second in 2013. The 2016 race saw him advance to the Championship 4, and he ultimately won the championship that year. Last fall Sauter finished second and ninth respectively and led 21 laps. He finished fifth here in the spring race. Sauter has won at Texas overall five times giving him 20 starts, 10 top five and 16 top 10 finishes, with 360 laps led, an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 6.0. He’ll be tough to beat as he a man on a mission looking to collect his second championship.
2. Matt Crafton – It’s hard to believe that the two-time champ does not have a win this year and he could go winless. However, much more is on the line than just a win – a spot in the Championship 4. Crafton is currently 10 points below the cutline, but this weekend could be the site for his first win of the season. He has a best finish of second that came in the fall of 2016. In the previous fall race, Crafton finished ninth after finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, in both stages. Overall, he has 35 starts with two wins, 429 laps led, 14 top fives and 24 top 10 finishes, giving him three DNF’s and an average start of 12.5 with an average finish of 9.1. In the spring race, Crafton finished fifth after placing second and 10th in both stages. This weekend could be the site where Crafton once again locks himself into the Championship 4 at Homestead and looks to be a three-time champion.
3. Stewart Friesen – Friesen only has one start in the fall race which came last year where he finished 14th. In the spring race, Friesen finished third after winning Stage 1 and finishing second in Stage 2 but came up short of winning. Overall in his career, he has just three starts with 13 laps led, one top five and one top 10 finish, giving him an average start of 11.7 and an average finish of 12.7. He might be out of the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean it stops Friesen from winning. Look for Friesen to be a strong contender Friday night.
4. Grant Enfinger – Like Crafton, Enfinger is on the bubble with just two points to the good. He’ll need two more good runs if he wants a shot at the championship. He has three overall starts with eight laps led, two top fives and three top 10 finishes. This gives Enfinger an average start of 10.7 and an average finish of 4.7. He has just one fall start that came last year where he finished seventh and led one lap. In the spring race, Enfinger finished fourth after he won Stage 2.
5. Justin Haley – Haley could be the next GMS truck driver that makes the Championship 4. He has three overall starts that gave him 28 laps led, two top fives and three top 10 finishes. This gives Haley an average start of 7.0 and an average finish of 4.7. He won the pole last fall and wound up fifth. The spring race saw Haley third on the scoring pylon.
Other notables and stats – Johnny Sauter has won five times at Texas. If he wins this weekend, Sauter will tie Todd Bodine who has six wins at the 1.5-mile track in Fort Worth. Brendan Gaughan is the only one to have won four in a row. Ron Hornaday is a three-time winner.
Since 1997, the Truck Series has competed at Texas Motor Speedway 41 times with just 19 fall races. Jay Sauter won the first fall race in October 1999. Five drivers have won from the pole with the last time in 2007 by Todd Bodine. The lowest a race winner has come from to win was 22nd in 2004, also set by Bodine.
The truckers get on track Thursday afternoon with the first practice slated for 4:05 p.m. ET and the final practice scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET. Qualifying takes place Friday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 2.
The JAGS Metal 350 race coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio with stages of 35/70/147 laps.
The Round of 6 began this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Six drivers had a shot to punch their ticket in the Championship 4. Familiar faces ran up front all afternoon as expected, but one playoff driver has already clinched his spot in the championship race at Homestead Miami in Southern Florida.
Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.
1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter dominated the race by leading 148 laps of the scheduled 200 laps. He won both stages after starting in the eighth position. It was a huge win for the No. 21 GMS Racing team as it was Sauter’s sixth win of the year and 23rd of his career. It will also mark his third consecutive appearance in the Championship 4. Sauter will be tough to beat in the next two races, especially the championship race.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
2. Justin Haley – Haley followed up Talladega with another top 10 earning a sixth-place finish. He started 13th and finished 10th, and eighth, respectively, in both stages. Haley is two points below the cut line, however, good tracks are coming up for him such as Texas and Phoenix. Haley hopes to be the second GMS driver in the Championship 4 by either pointing his way in it or collecting a win at the next two races.
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
3. Brett Moffitt – Earlier this year, Moffitt was the Cinderella story with the little team that could, but as the season wore on, he won four races that got him a spot in the playoffs. He’s been quietly consistent throughout the playoffs and is now in the Round of 6. Moffitt currently is 15 points to the good and sits third in the standings. If the No. 16 team continues to do the things that got them here, then they will be in the Championship 4. But a win guarantees that and everyone will step it up in the next two races. So Moffitt will have to continue to bring his A game for Texas and Phoenix, and get stage points to secure his spot.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
4. Noah Gragson – After being wrecked on the final lap at Talladega when racing for the win, Gragson earned a solid top 10 finish at Martinsville. He started third and finished second in both stages. Gragson fell back a bit due to late race cautions and strategy, ultimately finishing seventh. However, he is 24 points to the good and if he continues to run the way he has, Gragson will be in the Championship 4 as well. Although, stranger things have happened in the world of NASCAR and nothing is guaranteed.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
5. Myatt Snider – Snider continues his strong runs late in the season by earning a top five at Martinsville and taking the lead momentarily after a restart. He finished second after the wildcard of Talladega. Snider started 16th and did not finish at all in either stage, but wound up in the third position with his Louisiana Hot Sauce Ford.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series begins the Round of 6 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Six drivers will be looking to lock themselves in with a win to the Championship 4 in Southern Florida.
There are at least three playoff drivers that have a good chance to do that this weekend, but there can only be one winner. But of course, stranger things have happened and in NASCAR, anything can happen and a different playoff driver could shine.
Here’s a look at who could wind up in victory lane this weekend at the paperclip, Martinsville Speedway.
There are currently 35 drivers entered on the preliminary entry list.
1. Johnny Sauter – It’s no surprise that Sauter is at the top of this list. He has 21 starts and has won in three of those in 2011, 2013, 2016. In those starts, Sauter has led 431 laps and has eight top fives and 11 top-10 finishes. One DNF occurred in 2016. He has an average start of 9.1 and an average finish of 12.1. Sauter finished 19th after starting sixth in the spring race and collected a third-place finish last fall. If he has a season like any of those, he could secure his spot in the Championship 4 if everything goes to plan.
2. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek has 10 starts and one win which came in the spring race of this year. In the 2018 race, he finished sixth and fifth in both stages, respectively. Nemechek has 81 laps led, along with four top fives and four top-10 finishes. He currently has an average start of 14.0 and an average finish of 13.5. The Nemco Motorsports driver collected a pair of top-five finishes in the 2015-2016 races. He could just wind up in victory lane this weekend, completing a season sweep.
3. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes had one got away in the springtime. He started on the pole and won both stages. However, Rhodes was relegated to a 12th place finish after a strong race early and leading 134 laps. In Martinsville, he has six starts, 176 laps led, two top-10 finishes and two poles (2016,2018). With those starts, he accumulated an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 14.0. Rhodes may be eliminated from the playoffs, but he’ll be looking for redemption this weekend at Martinsville.
4. Noah Gragson – Gragson is another driver that has a chance to secure a Championship 4 spot this weekend. He is the previous fall race winner and has led 10 laps in his three starts. Gragson has an average start of 8.3 and an average finish of 3.3. In the spring race, he finished fifth after placing eighth in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2.
5. Matt Crafton – Crafton has been winless all season and just barely made it into the Round of 6. He’ll have to win if he wants to have a shot at the championship. Martinsville could be just the place. Crafton has the most starts of anyone currently with 33. He has two wins (2014, 2015), along with nine top fives and 19 top-10 finishes with 385 laps led. Crafton finished 15th in the spring race and wound up second last fall after race winner Gragson got around him on the final restart.
Since 1995, there have been 39 races with 29 race winners that has a list of who’s who. Of those winners, Mike Skinner and Kevin Harvick won three times. Crafton, Sauter and Dennis Setzer are the only ones to win twice. But if the weather is not permitting this weekend, check out www.houseofjack.com and have some fun.
The race winner has won from the pole nine times and the lowest a race winner has come from to win was 33rd in 2002 set by Dennis Setzer.
There will be some fresh faces at the track this weekend. The list includes Tyler Dippel in the No. 25 GMS truck, Timothy Peters returns for another race with GMS in the No. 23 and Sheldon Creed in the No. 2. It also includes Chad Finley in the 33, Dawson Cram in the 83, and Chase Purdy in the 99. K&N East Champ, Tyler Akrum, will make his debut in the No. 54 DGR-Crosley Brand. Jeb Burton also returns to the 30 of On Point Motorsports.
Two practice sessions are scheduled for Friday afternoon with first practice taken place at 12:05 p.m. ET and final practice slated for 2:05 p.m. ET.
Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
The Texas Roadhouse 250 takes place Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET with the green flag approximately at 1:16 p.m. ET, all weather permitting.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumed action this past weekend at the biggest track on NASCAR’s schedule, Talladega Superspeedway. It featured the 19th race of the season and the final race in the Round of 8.
Here are four takeaways from this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.
1. Typical Dega – As expected, it was typical Dega fashion with aggressive driving and several incidents. The expected “big one” occurred on Lap 58 and saw Justin Haley accidentally clipping Justin Fontaine, which saw Fontaine go back up the track and the whole field was collected. Todd Gilliland was sent spinning with 12 to go after trying to make a pass for the lead. Grant Enfinger was accidentally spun after the restart with six to go. On the last lap, Noah Gragson was spun and was hit several times before resting on the backstretch. Several others were involved as well before NASCAR threw the caution to end the race. The race saw 22 lead changes and six cautions for 21 laps. It was a typical Dega race that ended in exciting fashion.
2. Six drivers move on to the Round of 6 – Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley, and Matt Crafton all survived the Round of 8 and are moving on to the Round of 6 that begins at Martinsville. The Round of 6 will feature tracks such as Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix, and the penultimate race in Southern Florida, Homestead Miami. The championship points race is only going to get tighter from here on out.
3. GMS Racing 2019 Lineup Almost Set – During the media availabilities this past weekend, Maury Gallagher and team said Johnny Sauter is expected to return, along with the new additions of Sheldon Creed and Tyler Dippel who are expected to join the team.
4. Brett Moffitt Unknown For 2019 – You could say that Moffitt is having his best career season to date with four wins at tracks Atlanta, the thrilling finish at Iowa, Chicago and his last win at Michigan in a last-lap pass. Despite having sponsorship struggles throughout the season and the future looking bleak for the Hattori Racing team, they have been able to make every race and could be championship contenders should things go their way. However, we all know nothing is guaranteed in NASCAR and that is true with the four-time winner, Brett Moffitt. With his media availability on Friday, he claimed he was unsure what his plans were for next year and was uncertain where he would land.
The father-son duo was in full force this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
It was David and Todd Gilliland who were both competing in the Kyle Busch Motorsports stable with David in the No. 51 and Todd in the No 4.
Todd started sixth and was strong early as he finished sixth in Stage 1, and was able to win the second stage after taking the lead on Lap 38.
It wasn’t until Lap 63 where we would see Todd take the top spot once more, working with his dad, David. Unfortunately, Todd was involved in an incident on Lap 84, after some hard racing and contact with race leader, Grant Enfinger. Gilliland spun all the way down to the inside wall, which saw his truck pound the wall and catch air.
After leading 13 laps and winning Stage 2, his day was done and he was relegated to a 20th place finish.
“I was just trying to get under the 98 (Grant Enfinger) while I could,” Gilliland said to MRN Radio. “I felt like this was a good situation. I could see him (Enfinger) coming up more and more. I got into him a little bit in the middle of Turns 3 and 4. He got really far off the bottom and I tried to fill the hole, and I was to his wheel, then he just came back down.”
“Just racing here, that’s what it’s all about, I guess,” Todd told MRN Radio.” “I was having a lot of fun up until then, as my truck was so fast. That was a lot of fun. Guess we’ll just rebound. Won a stage and everything, so just focus on Daytona next year, I guess. First time doing it, not too bad.
The final race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took place Saturday afternoon in Talladega, Alabama and as always, it proved once again anything is possible and nothing is over until the checkered flag falls.
This was the case for Timothy Peters who earned his third win at Talladega Superspeedway after an incident with leader Noah Gragson on the last lap.
“We had a great run,” Peters told MRN Radio. “You know, at the end, it’s pretty much game on and everyone for themselves. We’re good with all of our teammates. I messed up on that initial start and let that 88 (Matt Crafton) hang me out, but we made up for it at the end. I hate it that the big one was started, but you know, I couldn’t see the replay very good a minute ago on TV. Block or whatever, you’re going for the win.”
“Without Mike Beam giving me that call, I wouldn’t even be here,” he told MRN Radio. So thank you to him, Maury Gallagher, Spencer Gallagher, the whole 25 team for working their butts off and I’m just glad to be a part of it. The plane ride home is going to be really nice. ”
David Gilliland and Spencer Gallagher set the front row in qualifying late Friday afternoon.
The first stage was 20 laps and it went green without any incidents. Playoff driver and Las Vegas winner, Grant Enfinger, took the checkered flag in the first stage. There were some issues on pit road, however, as David Gilliland was penalized for pitting outside the box and given a one lap penalty. The No. 16 of Brett Moffitt was penalized for an uncontrolled tire.
Stage 2 took place on lap 25-lap 40. Like the first stage, there were no incidents until Moffitt and Austin Hill had damage in the remaining laps. This time, David’s son, Todd Gilliland, won Stage 2.
The third and final stage began on Lap 45 with 48 to go and it saw several incidents all the way to the checkered flag. It started on Lap 48 when Tanner Thorson spun on the backstretch to bring out a caution.
Then the expected big one was seen with 35 to go. The No. 47 of Chris Fontaine was clipped by the No. 24 of Justin Haley, which saw Fontaine go back up the track and several others were involved including John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, Justin Fontaine, Bo LeMastus, Parker Kligerman, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter. During the pit stops, Enfinger was penalized for removing equipment (a gas can).
After a red flag, the restart came with 31 laps to go. Austin Hill was penalized for passing Jennifer Jo Cobb underneath the yellow line. Enfinger took the lead with 22 to go. As laps were winding down, playoff hopeful, Moffitt had a flat right rear and had to make a pit stop.
With 12 to go, Todd Gilliland was spun and hit the inside wall after contact with Enfinger.
This saw the race resume with six to go. Gragson was out front trying to hold off the field for his first win since Kansas in May. However, too many trucks had good runs and there was aggressive pushing. On the last lap, Gragson was turned by eventual race winner Timothy Peters. Gragson’s truck got air and others started wrecking as well.
NASCAR had no choice but to throw the caution. Peters was in the right spot at the right time to take home his 11th career win, his third at Talladega.
It was his last race of the season in the No. 25 GMS Racing Chevy.
“Everyone was wanting to win, wanting to block,” Peters told MRN Radio. “I’m wanting to win too. This was my last go around of the three-race stint. At the end of the day, I was going for it.”
Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley, and Matt Crafton all move on to the Round of 6 that begins at Martinsville Speedway Saturday, Oct. 27.
Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen were eliminated from competing for the championship.
After a wild race with 5-wide passing, Grant Enfinger emerges on top to grab the win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the World of Westgate 200 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“Unbelievable day,” Enfinger said with a big sigh of relief. “[David] Pepper over here is pretty dry is it comes, so it’s kinda happy to see him get choked up a bit. We’ve put together a couple individual performances that could’ve won a race throughout the year, and this was the first time we put the whole package together. It’s a testament to ThorSport Racing.”
Johnny Sauter was rarely in the top ten, but managed to get better throughout the night. The final stage and restarts had his truck fighting for the win.
“We were off a little bit,” Sauter shared in the media center after the race. “So hats off to Joe and all my guys for working it all over. We drove to the lead, and felt like we were in good shape, but caution after caution after caution. Struggled on the restarts tonight, so we have work to do there.”
Sauter explained more specific frustrations claiming some competitors had built motors.
“Restarts are crazy. You have built motors out there that can turn an additional 1500 RPMs going on the restarts, so you feel very vulnerable. The No. 16 and 88 had built motors, and you’re at a disadvantage especially late in the race, and it’s been that way all year. It’s starting to really piss me off.”
Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton completed the results of the top five finishers. The other three playoff contenders were Brett Moffit, Stewart Friesen and Noah Gragson, who finished 11th, 17th and 18th respectively.
“We didn’t start off the best,” Haley said as he addressed the media. “We didn’t qualify too well, and were running with Johnny [Sauter] there. I’m really tired since I’m still on east coast time, but it was a good night. I agree with Johnny on the built motor statement, and it definitely is a disadvantage. I think it’s going to be a bigger disadvantage going into Homestead where there’s tire fall off.”
As Haley made these statements, Sauter was nodding his head.
Noah Gragson Leads All Laps in Stage 1
While running the second lap of competition, Tanner Thorson in the No. 20 GO Share Chevrolet swerved in the entry of Turn 4 to avoid a collision, causing his truck to drift outside of the preferred racing line and smacked the outside wall. His truck started to smoke from the damage along the front stretch, but before he could complete the third lap and enter pit road, his truck caught fire at the entrance of pit road, bringing out the first yellow of the race. He was evaluated and released from the infield care center.
As the field took the green for the second time of the evening, Matt Crafton, who started from the back, made an exciting 5-wide move on the back stretch to fight his way up to the sixth position. Joe Nemechek was the only other truck that
At the end of the first stage, Noah Gragson not only led all 30 laps but ran in front to over a four second lead over John Hunter Nemechek, 52, 4, 51. This was Gragson’s 10th stage win of the season.
Grant Enfinger Claims the Stage 2 Victory
As the field took the green flag for the second stage, Grant Enfinger was the dominant truck leading the most laps. On Lap 46, Bo LeMastus spun in Turn 3 to bring out the third yellow flag of the night. The second stage also saw more lead changes.
Gragson started to lead the opening laps, but was quickly passed by Friesen. Grant Enfinger put his truck out in front for one lap before Friesen reclaimed the top spot. The last 11 laps were led by Enfinger. The only yellow flag in the second stage was for the No. 17 Toyota of LeMastus.
Strategies Unfold in the Final Stage
Todd Gilliland was running in the top 10 for most of the race, but on lap 82, was battling with Friesen. On the front stretch, Gilliland tried to tuck in behind Friesen entering Turn 1, but Jesse Little was too close behind Friesen. Gilliland and Little made contact, sending Gilliland into the outside wall.
During pit stops, the various strategies between the teams began to unfold. Enfinger was the only truck that elected for fuel only. A small handful of drivers got right-side tires, and the rest of the field, including Gragson and Sauter, received full service.
With almost thirty laps to go, a four-wide pass on the backstretch caused contact with the outer two drivers. Gragson, the furthest to the outside, receive right front damage and a lap later, blew the left front tire. While he was able to keep it off the wall and enter pit road, he also received a commitment line violation as he entered pit road too late.
Friesen slipped out of Turn 4 and slid through the grass. Because of all the debris that got tossed onto the track, NASCAR through the yellow flag, trapping Noah Gragson a lap down. Gragson visited pit road multiple times after the right rear tire started to go flat.
With 13 laps to go, Cory Roper’s truck stalled on the front stretch to bring out the yellow flag. Brandon Jones also brought his Toyota Tundra on pit road, and as the crew raised the hood, it appeared that his truck was done for the race.
Stewart Friesen spun again on lap 130 to bring out the caution with five laps to go.
Three Attempts to Finish the World of Westgate 200
The “Big One” erupts at Vegas during the second overtime finish attempt. Photo by Rachel Myers for Speedway Media.
On the first attempt to finish the race with a green-white-checkered, it all started on the restart. While Brett Moffit got a great start on the outside, Johnny Sauter slightly slipped on the restart, but was able to stay within a truck-length of Moffit. However, Ben Rhodes made a move to the inside on the apron going into Turn 1. That forced both drivers to back out of the throttle and cram the field behind them. Sauter played defense on the exit of Turn 2 and along the backstretch. Thinking he was clear, he tried to close the door on Enfinger, but contact between the two trucks caused Sauter to go sideways slightly on the backstretch, but towards the back of the field. Cody Caughlin ended up spinning out, making heavy contact with the inside wall. The yellow came out before the leaders took the white flag, forcing a second attempt to finish the race.
On this restart, the field seemed to have a better start as a whole. Moffit still had a strong restart, but as the field entered the backstretch, mayhem began to unfold. By the time they entered Turn 3, there were three different 3-wide battles, one 4-wide battle and one 5-wide battle. Before the leaders could get to the start/finish line, the No. 25 truck of Timothy Peters was sideways in the exit of Turn 4. Roughly nine trucks were involved, including John Hunter Nemechek, TJ Bell, Jordan Anderson and Austin Hill.
The race was red flagged for just over ten minutes to clean up debris and fluid from pit road entrance, in the grass and along the front stretch.
The final attempt was heartbreak for Moffit. When the green flag waved for the last restart, Moffit’s truck appeared to not pick up fuel in time, as he barely got out of Sauter’s way in the outside lane. Moffit would eventually get back up to speed, but not before most of the field got around him. He finished 11th.
“Just ran out of fuel,” Moffit shared “I didn’t put enough in the pick up.”
Enfinger to his inside took full advantage and cleared the field going into Turn 1. He never looked back, leading the final two laps to claim the victory over Johnny Sauter.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races again at Talladega Superspeedway on October 13. Visit the Talladega Superspeedway website to purchase tickets today!
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Unofficial Race Results for the 22Nd Annual World Of Westgate 200 – Friday, September 14, 2018 Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV – 1.5 Mile Paved Total Race Length – 144 Laps – 216 Miles
Pos
St
Trk
Driver
Team
Make
1
3
98
Grant Enfinger
(P) Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records
Ford
2
6
21
Johnny Sauter
(P) Allegiant
Chevrolet
3
12
24
Justin Haley
(P) Fraternal Order Of Eagles
Chevrolet
4
18
41
Ben Rhodes
(P) The Carolina Nut Co.
Ford
5
29
88
Matt Crafton
(P) Ideal Door/Menards
Ford
6
13
13
Myatt Snider #
Century Container
Ford
7
24
15
Ross Chastain(i)
Premium Motorsports
Chevrolet
8
21
30
Austin Theriault
Cross Insurance
Toyota
9
25
22
Austin Wayne
Self GO TEXAN
Chevrolet
10
4
54
Chris Eggleston
H2O Fire Protection
Toyota
11
9
16
Brett Moffitt
(P) TZ
Toyota
12
27
10
Jennifer Jo
Cobb Waldo’s Painting Company
Chevrolet
13
20
7
Korbin Forrister
TruClear
Toyota
14
30
45
Justin Fontaine #
ProMATIC Automation/Superior Essex
Chevrolet
15
26
97
Jesse Little
JJL Motorsports
Ford
16
28
83
Bayley Currey
Chevrolet
17
2
52
Stewart Friesen
(P) We Build America
Chevrolet
18
1
18
Noah Gragson
(P) Safelite AutoGlass
Toyota
19
14
25
Timothy Peters
Kingman
Chevrolet
20
32
3
Jordan Anderson
Commercial Property Services
Chevrolet
21
23
38
TJ Bell
Niece Equipment
Chevrolet
22
8
8
John Hunter
Nemechek(i) Berry’s Manufacturing
Chevrolet
23
16
02
Austin Hill
Young’s Building Systems/Randco
Chevrolet
24
15
2
Cody Coughlin
GOD BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD
Chevrolet
25
19
04
Cory Roper
Preferred Industrial Contractors Inc.
Ford
26
7
51
Brandon Jones(i)
Delta Faucet/Menards
Toyota
27
10
4
Todd Gilliland #
JBL/SiriusXM
Toyota
28
31
49
Wendell Chavous
Sobriety Nation
Chevrolet
29
5
46
Riley Herbst
Advance Auto Parts
Toyota
30
17
17
Bo LeMastus #
Crosley Brands
Toyota
31
22
87
Joe Nemechek
Harrah’s
Chevrolet
32
11
20
Tanner Thorson
GO Share
Chevrolet
(P) Playoff Contender
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
(#) Rookie
