By AMANDA VINCENT
After top-two drivers Nick Sanchez and Zane Smith wrecked in turn one of the final lap, Carson Hocevar took the lead and claimed his first-career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win in his 59th-career start Saturday in the SpeedwayCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
“All the times we were the fastest car and this team don’t win, and they deserve to win.” Hocevar said. “We didn’t deserve to win today; we were just in the right spot at the right time.”
After two overtime restarts, Sanchez finished 15th and reigning series champion Smith in 16th. Sanchez led nearly the entire race, running up front for all but four laps of the race that was scheduled for 167 laps but extended to 172 laps.
“Coming to the last lap, me and the 38 (Smith) were playing an aggressive side-drafting game,” Sanchez said. “Went a little too aggressive on him, got loose, went through the grass, saved it, and just got hooked by the 42 (Hocevar), so I don’t know what else to say on that.”
Chase Purdy finished second for his first-career top-five. Stewart Friesen was third, Ty Majeski fourth, and Jake Garcia was fifth. Garcia’s finish was his first-career top-five.
The yellow flag waved 11 times throughout the race with five cautions in the final 35 laps, including a yellow flag on lap 145 when Dean Thompson spun, and Matt Mills, Trey Hutchens and Armani Williams were collected. Thompson was loaded into an ambulance by stretcher to be transported to the infield care center.
Sanchez won the 77-lap opening stage after starting on the pole and dominating the stage that was the longest stage in Truck Series history. It was Sanchez’s first-career stage win.
In addition to a lap-35 competition caution, stage one included two early-race cautions for Chad Chastain on laps one and 22.
Sanchez’s domination continued into the 45-lap stage two and resulted in a second stage win at lap 122. Ben Rhodes took a brief lead from Sanchez on a lap-78 restart, bit Sanchez retook the top spot the next lap, just before a caution for a Lawless Alan spin.
Rhodes was back to third by the end of the second stage, also losing a position to Christian Eckes.
Hailie Deegan finished sixth in Saturday’s race. Corey Heim finished seventh, Ryan Vargas eighth, Jack Wood ninth and Rhodes 10th.
