Johnny Sauter has won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Solutions 250 at Daytona International Speedway. It’s his third win at Daytona, and that makes him the winningest Truck Series driver at the track.
Five incidents slowed the race, along with the two stage breaks, totaling seven cautions. The first caution came out on lap three after Travis Kvapil blew an engine, and it was the only caution of the 20-lap first stage. Pole winner David Gilliland won stage one. Stage two was rather uneventful, although the racing was some of the best of Speedweeks thus far, until the last few laps, when the field went single-file. Johnny Sauter won that stage.
In the final stage, several wrecks slowed the event. First, Grant Enfinger, who was running up front, got sideways and spun, and many trucks piled in behind, including Dalton Sargeant, Cody Coughlin, Scott Lagasse Jr., and Parker Kligerman. Jennifer Jo Cobb swerved to avoid the wreck, sliding towards the inside of the track and slamming the inside wall. She climbed out okay. Here’s what Cobb had to say on Twitter after the race.
So now I can tell you what it feels like to hit a wall and burst into flames at 180+ mph! The way it worries family and friends is the worst part. I am ok.
My arm hit something and swelled and bruised immediately so the delay in being released was for XRays. 1/2— Jennifer Jo Cobb (@JenJoCobb) February 17, 2018
I have complete faith in NASCAR and the safety measures that just continue to improve. I haven’t seen the wreck. I was hoping to dodge down pit road to miss Grant and it just seemed like my rear end started to fishtail which definitely isn’t normal. More later. 2/2
— Jennifer Jo Cobb (@JenJoCobb) February 17, 2018
Only a few laps later, two incidents occurred simultaneously. Parker Kligerman blew a tire, sending him into the wall, and Bo Le Mastus spun, collecting Noah Gragson. Later in the race, John Hunter Nemechek had a right rear tire explode while he was running in the top three after contact with Ben Rhodes. Brett Moffitt, Stewart Friesen, and Myatt Snider were also involved, with Moffitt and Friesen taking impacts to the outside wall. Another wreck happened soon after when Clay Greenfield pounded the outside wall head-on. Matt Crafton also sustained significant damage, while Bryan Douza and Korbin Forrister spun but continued. Here are the remains of the Crafton truck, which finished the race in nineteenth.
Well at least he finished … the Crafton truck: pic.twitter.com/3StyRcNDHL
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 17, 2018
The wreck would cause a short red flag as safety crews cleaned up the remains of Greenfield’s truck.
With only a handful of laps left, David Gilliland got sent into the wall while up front, but the race stayed green, with no other trucks involved. The incident would relegate Gilliland to 21st spot after leading 30 laps and winning stage one.
As Johnny Sauter crossed the line to win, Jordan Anderson and Spencer Davis spun, but neither hit anything. Anderson collected his first career Truck Series top-ten finish, an emotional ninth-place result.
.@j66anderson & his father, Clif, hug after his first career top-10 in @NASCAR_Trucks career. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/JDj3pJOOO7
— Zack Albert (@zack_albert) February 17, 2018
Here are the full results from Friday night’s Nextera Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway:
- Johnny Sauter
- Justin Haley
- Joe Nemechek
- Ben Rhodes
- Scott Lagasse Jr.
- Grant Enfinger
- Spencer Davis
- Dalton Sargeant
- Jordan Anderson
- Justin Fontaine
- Austin Hill
- Wendell Chavous
- Robby Lyons
- Norm Benning
- Scott Stenzel
- Korbin Forrester
- Cody Coughlin
- Bryan Dauzat
- Matt Crafton
- Austin Wayne Self
- David Gilliland
- Clay Greenfield (Crash)
- Noah Gragson (Crash)
- Myatt Snider (Crash)
- John Hunter Nemechek (Crash)
- Brett Moffitt (Crash)
- Stewart Friesen (Crash)
- Parker Kligerman (Crash)
- Chris Fontaine (Electrical)
- Bo Le Mastus (Crash)
- Jennifer Jo Cobb (Crash)
- Travis Kvapil (Engine)
