For Matt Crafton, the victory couldn’t were sweeter.
The 44-year-aged reigning NASCAR Gander RV & Outside Truck Series champion held off a undeniable fee from 19-year-aged Christian Eckes and held on to make a decision on Saturday’s E.P.T. 200 at Kansas Speedway.
In the second leg of NASCAR’s first Truck Series weekend doubleheader, Crafton broke a 67-inch drought dating encourage to his 2017 victory on the Eldora Speedway’s half of-mile grime display screen. Crafton took the lead moments after a restart on Lap 113 of 134 and held the head region the comfort of the diagram in which.
The three-time series champion beat Eckes to the carry out line by .324 seconds to bag his third opt on the 1.5-mile display screen and the 15th of his profession. Crafton had been in a stop fight for one of the considerable perfect Playoff spots; now, with two races left in the frequent season, he’s locked into the postseason with the victory.
“It used to be very, very candy,” Crafton acknowledged taking the checkered flag as a keepsake. “Now not loads of give-up in these guys (the No. 88 ThorSport Racing personnel), for spin. Our Ford F-150 used to be lovely, in actuality lovely all day.
“It used to be lovely on that final flee, as smartly. The 18 (Eckes) had a small little bit of bound-he used to be making me apprehensive appropriate there. I stored attempting to amass his line away and make him tight and loose… At the tip of the day, I’m in a position to’t thank these guys sufficient for working so onerous every and per week on this ingredient.”
The runner-up carry out used to be bittersweet for Eckes, who ran a pedestrian 13th in Friday evening’s doubleheader opener at Kansas.
“What a comeback for our personnel,” acknowledged Eckes, who applied fixed pressure to Crafton in the closing laps however couldn’t bag a diagram around him. “We sucked the day prior to this. That it’s in all probability you’ll’t sugar-coat it-we were unpleasant. (Crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) and the guys labored in actuality, in actuality onerous final evening and this morning to salvage it greater.
“We light started the inch a small bit off, however the display screen roughly came to us. It used to be ideal on the tip. I true bought a small tight on the encourage of him (Crafton).”
Grant Enfinger ran third on the encourage of Crafton and Eckes, with Tanner Grey and Ben Rhodes finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Grey secured the vital high 5 of his profession in his 13th Truck Series originate.
If Crafton picked the ultimate time to make a decision on for the vital time this season, the inch used to be an unmitigated danger for Tyler Ankrum, Johnny Sauter and Stewart Friesen, all of whom certified for the Playoffs final year. Even with the postseason arena expanded to 10 drivers this season, all three are in dire jeopardy of missing the Playoffs after Saturday’s inch. Sauter used to be KO’d in a 12-truck damage that started when Grey became the No. 68 Toyota of Clay Greenfield all the diagram in which by web page visitors on Lap 83.
Sauter used to be eliminated in 33rd region and fell 43 factors on the encourage of Todd Gilliland for the 10th and perfect Playoff region. Friesen used to be a victim of the the same damage, done 34th and stands 14th in factors, 71 on the encourage of Gilliland.
In a damage engrossing three GMS Racing teammates, Ankrum drifted up the display screen on Lap 94, became all the diagram in which by the nostril of Zane Smith’s No. 21 Chevrolet and picked up the No. 23 of teammate Brett Moffitt, the 2018 series champion. Smith had swept the vital two phases of the inch however done ninth after damage to the left entrance of his Silverado.
Ankrum, who dropped out of the head 10 after a 33rd-region carry out on Friday evening thanks to mechanical problems, done 28th on Saturday and is 11th in factors, 22 on the encourage of Gilliland.
“My nostril true started taking off,” Ankrum acknowledged of the damage. “I don’t know what took region. I was elegant, and I’ve never in actuality had the nostril possess off-it used to be a in actuality unparalleled region.
“I had the wheel into to. Slightly embarrassing. A demoralizing weekend, in actuality. When you discover at ‘demoralizing’ in the dictionary, my title would potentially be in it. We’ve had a quick truck all weekend. We true must take a damage.”
Friday evening’s winner, Austin Hill, ran sixth on Saturday, followed by Derek Kraus, Brandon Jones, Smith and polesitter Dawdle Purdy.
— NASCAR Wire Service —
Watch inch info at: Speed Results, Drivers Functions Standings, House owners Functions Standings, Cumulative Narrative, Penalty Narrative
Watch the Friday inch web page and Saturday inch web page for entire event data.
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