Sammy Smith snags Dash 4 Cash prize at Rockingham

Posted on April 19, 2025April 20, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Sammy Smith and the No. 8 JR Motorsports team walked away from Rockingham Speedway $100,000 richer Saturday evening.

The third-year racer was declared the winner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ return to “The Rock” after Jesse Love’s No. 2 Chevrolet was disqualified in post-race inspection, with Smith netting the final bonus prize of the 2025 campaign with his best result of the season.

Restarting in NASCAR Overtime, Smith held the top spot alongside Joe Gibbs Racing’s Taylor Gray — a recent rival from an aggressive run-in at Martinsville Speedway on March 29. With Smith on the inside and Gray to his right, Smith got the better jump on the restart and cleared Gray for the lead entering Turn 1.

But on corner entry, Love charged to Smith’s bumper and moved him up the track, allowing Love to surge for the lead and apparent win before post-race inspection determined problems with Love’s rear suspension.

“That was good, hard racing,” Smith said. “I was happy with our car all day. We did a really good job. Just hard racing there at the end, and we were stumbling on fuel. It was just an overall good day.”

Smith may have jumped away with the lead on the overtime restart, but it wasn’t for Gray’s lack of effort. Gray tried to match Love’s timing on the re-fire, but a shove from Parker Retzlaff approaching the restart zone impacted Gray’s ability to hit the throttle, dropping his No. 54 Toyota to a fifth-place finish.

“I still haven’t seen a replay, but just from in the car, the 4 jacked me up in the restart box, and as soon as he popped me, Sammy launched,” Gray told NASCAR.com. “I went to go launch with him, and obviously my back tires are jacked up off the ground, so I’m spinning the rear tires and trying to get hooked back up. And then once I get hooked back up, I didn’t get the restart I would like to.”

James Gilbert | Getty Images

Three weeks ago at Martinsville, Smith charged through Gray in the closing two corners, crashing Gray and costing either driver the victory and resulting in a 50-point penalty and a $25,000 fine to Smith. Any lingering emotions from that night didn’t carry into Saturday’s fight for the Rockingham win.

“He raced me very clean all day,” Smith said. “We raced hard and I’m happy with how we made it at the end.”

Smith finds himself on a hot streak heading into next Saturday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with finishes of ninth (Darlington), fourth (Bristol) and now a win in consecutive weeks.

Gray, on the other hand, has struggled to find results in that same span, finishing 29th at Martinsville, 33rd at Darlington and 19th at Bristol.

“I’ll be honest, we’ve struggled since Martinsville, so I haven’t really been around (Smith),” Gray said. “I mean, they’ve been running good, and we haven’t been running very good — or at least had good finishes. So we haven’t been around each other that much besides today, and today was kind of the first time we were back around each other. I thought the racing was fine between me and him.

“I had it set in my mind: I knew I could beat him on a restart. I’ve done it plenty of times, and I just know I’m better at restarts than he is, and I was going to sort of manipulate him on my restart, manipulate his air getting into (Turn) 1. I promise I’m not cocky; I was just, I was in my mindset, right? I was confident in the restart, and then once the 4 popped me, it kind of took me out of contention of being able to do that. So it’s unfortunate, but I mean, they’re fast. Honestly, probably a little better than us today.”

Posted on April 19, 2025April 21, 2025 by Reid Spencer

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Long after the checkered flag waved in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ long-awaited return to Rockingham Speedway, Sammy Smith’s fortunes improved dramatically.

Smith was awarded the victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 after the No. 2 Chevrolet of ostensible race winner Jesse Love was deemed to have violated Rule 14.14.2.I-5.h that covers trailing arm spacers and pinion angle shims.

“All mating surfaces of those parts need to be in complete contact with each other, and unfortunately they violated that rule and were disqualified,” series director Eric Peterson said.

On Monday, Richard Childress Racing posted on social media that it would appeal NASCAR’s ruling to disqualify the No. 2 Chevrolet.

The disqualification of Love’s car gave Smith his first victory of the season and the third of his career; he also earned a $100,000 bonus as the winner of the final Xfinity Dash 4 Cash race of the season. Love was relegated to a 37th-place finish.

“It’s a tough way to win that, but I feel like we’ll take ‘em any way we can get ’em,” Smith said after learning of Love’s disqualification. “We waited here to see what happens, but overall, it was a good day, and I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made recently.

“I’m kind of speechless, to be honest with you.”

After Love climbed from his car at the finish line, the No. 2 Camaro rolled away from him down the banking and into the infield grass. Perhaps that was an omen of problems to come.

Love had just done a celebratory burnout after a magnificent restart in overtime propelled him to the apparent victory. He finished 0.691 seconds ahead of Smith, but the margin was negated by the infraction, and the win went to the driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

In a race that featured 14 cautions for 83 laps — with nine yellows occurring in the final stage — Parker Retzlaff ran second, a career best; Harrison Burton was third, giving AM Racing its best-ever Xfinity Series finish; and Brennan Poole came home fourth, scoring his second top five in the last four races.

Sunoco rookie Taylor Gray completed the top five. Austin Hill, Josh Williams, Jeb Burton, Daniel Dye and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

Ryan Sieg led a race-high 77 laps battling Love for the lead in the final stage, but he was collected in a massive Lap 241 crash when Christian Eckes ran short of fuel on a restart and backed up the field behind him.

That wreck ruined the Dash 4 Cash hopes of the three other contenders for the bonus, Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil and Brandon Jones.

MORE: Allgaier, Hill, Smith take 2025 Dash 4 Cash bonuses | Every Dash 4 Cash winner

Nick Sanchez was out front for 52 circuits, including the first 44 of the race, but he, too, fell victim to the Lap 241 crash, which forced the first of two red-flag periods.

Carson Kvapil led 47 laps in the second stage as he and Love fought for the lead. Sanchez won Stage 1, and Dean Thompson scored the first-ever stage win for Sam Hunt Racing in Stage 2.

Fans who came to Rockingham anticipating a show weren’t disappointed. A workable second groove opened above the bottom lane, and drivers were even able to roll three-wide through the corners on occasion, though some of the attempts to do so produced regrettable outcomes.

Katherine Legge’s sixth Xfinity Series start — and her first since 2023 at Road America — came to an early end on Lap 52, when hard contact from William Sawalich turned her No. 53 Chevrolet sideways in Turn 1.

Unable to avoid Legge’s spinning car, Kasey Kahne, making his first start in the series since 2017, sustained damage to the right front of his No. 33 Chevrolet, with the blow sending Legge’s Camaro up the track into the outside wall, eliminating her from the race.

Legge had failed to qualify during time trials earlier in the day, but she arranged to take over J.J. Yeley’s ride and started from the rear because of the driver change. She had already been lapped by then-leader Jesse Love when the accident occurred.

Kahne had to pit for repairs to the nose of his car and lost a lap in the process, but he recovered to finish 14th.

The No. 19 Toyota of Justin Bonsignore also was disqualified for lug nuts not installed in a safe and secure manner. Bonsignore had finished 36th of 38 drivers before the disqualification.

The Xfinity Series returns to action next Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway for the Ag-Pro 300 (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by Staff Report

See where your favorite NASCAR Xfinity Series driver will pit for the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black’s Tire at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

See where your favorite NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver will pit for the Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham Speedway on Friday (5 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on April 19, 2025April 20, 2025 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series both race at Rockingham Speedway this week. Bookmark this page and come back often for your race-week essentials — from links to qualifying order, average practice speeds, results and more.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Race day: Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on The CW. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information is available.

Tires: Seven sets

Note: Driver audio won’t be available on Scanner this weekend.

Entry list
Qualifying order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Race day: Friday at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information is available.

Tires: Five sets

Note: Driver audio won’t be available on Scanner this weekend.

Entry list
Qualifying order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

Posted on April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

It’s been a long seven weeks, but Josh Williams is finally feeling better.

Williams, driver of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, has been battling the lingering effects of pneumonia since March 1 at Circuit of The Americas. The past month and a half hasn’t been easy — and he’s still getting winded just moving boxes around the house. But at long last, Williams is getting back to normal ahead of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I’ve never felt anything like this before, ever,” Williams told NASCAR.com.

MORE: Xfinity standings | Rockingham schedule

The illness started in early March, just before the Xfinity Series’ first road-course race of the year at COTA. Williams woke up “freezing cold” without a voice and knew it wasn’t good, but he assumed it was some sort of flu he got while traveling.

What began was one of the worst bouts of sickness he’s ever faced. He trudged through the Austin road course for a 15th-place finish — “wasn’t terrible for me on a road course” — but returned one week later to Phoenix Raceway still feeling dismal.

“I went to the care center at Phoenix because I was having trouble breathing and stuff,” Williams said. “I had, like, crackling fluid in my lungs, so I was in there for a pretty good while. I didn’t feel bad — I mean, I felt bad, but I didn’t feel terrible. So I got an IV at Phoenix … and they were like, ‘Well, there’s really nothing we can do for you.'”

Williams went on to finish 12th that weekend for his best finish of 2025, but Las Vegas proved to be a different story. The Florida native soldiered through the first 45-lap stage of the March 15 event but needed to exit the car as soon as it came to an end.

“Dude, I literally felt like somebody was holding me underwater,” Williams said. “That was the longest 45 laps of my life.”

RELATED: Williams exits race at Vegas

As Ty Dillon stepped in as his substitute, Williams climbed from the car, removed his helmet and took a seat atop the pit box to watch as Stage 2 got underway — simply trying to catch his breath. And after his experience at the infield care center one week prior, he didn’t see much use in heading back to the Vegas care center.

“I knew they couldn’t do anything for me because it was just like a breathing thing,” Williams said. “It’s not like I had carbon monoxide (poisoning). It’s not like I was overheated and dehydrated. It was just a struggle to breathe in the car under lateral loads in the corners and things like that because it was compressing my chest, my body in the corners, and we already talked about at the infield care center weeks before that, there’s really nothing we can do. You just kind of got to wait it out.

“So the best thing for me was just fresh air, right? So that’s why I sat on the pit box and just took a minute to sit there and breathe and get everything back.”

Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Digital Media

While miserable, Vegas proved to be the lowest point for Williams competitively. Dillon was on standby for Williams again at Homestead-Miami Speedway the following week, but Williams mustered through the entire race and scored a 19th-place finish.

The race track wasn’t the only place Williams was suffering the effects of his illness, though. Since 2015, Williams has visited over 200 children’s hospitals on the “Josh Williams Hospital Tour,” wearing his firesuit to brighten the days of children and their families during difficult times, an endeavor for which Williams was recognized in 2022 as a finalist for the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. Because Williams has been sick, multiple visits were canceled over the past seven weeks.

“It’s been terrible,” Williams said. “I mean, some of our greatest visits that we do (are out there), one of them being Vegas. And Phoenix, having guests out to the race track and going to tour some of these places — we haven’t been able to go. It just sucks, because that’s what I’m used to. That’s what we do, and that’s what I enjoy doing.”

Williams is ready to put it all behind him now. His voice is still on its way back, he said, but the hospital tours are set to resume in two weeks when the circuit heads to Texas Motor Speedway. As he returns to feeling better, he’s ready for improved results, too, because “it kind of hurt our season too,” he said.

The 31-year-old has finished inside the top 20 in all but two races this year — 29th at Vegas when Dillon stepped in on short notice, and 36th at Darlington with a DNF after his car overheated. Those results are OK, Williams said, but the goal is much more than that.

“I mean, we need to make the playoffs for sure. I think that’s achievable,” Williams said through a lingering cough. “We’re running out of time, but I think that’s achievable. You know, some of the tracks where I thought that we would really strive, like Bristol and Martinsville, we weren’t as good as I thought we were going to be. But we’ve got some good tracks coming up that I enjoy up until the playoffs. So I think that that’s really our main goal is just to get the 11 into the playoffs, and then if we can achieve that goal, then we’ll worry about staying in the playoffs.”

MORE: 2025 Xfinity schedule

This season marks Williams’ second with Kaulig Racing but eighth running the majority of the races of the Xfinity schedule. His average finish of 19.7 in 2025 is already two spots better than he finished in 2024 (21.7) and his average start has improved from 23.5 to 19.6.

“I think it’s been OK,” Williams assessed of his 14 months so far with Kaulig. “It’s just one of those deals, like we do have some good runs, and then sometimes we have things happen out of our control, but I think we’re moving still in the right direction. I just don’t know if we’ve moved fast enough.”

Crew chief Eddie Pardue is back on the pit box for Williams this year after replacing Kevin Walter just past the midpoint of the 2024 campaign. Williams said he believes they’re “on the right track” but ultimately needed to set up Williams’ cars more optimally for his driving preferences.

“I’ve always drove off of the right-rear (tire), so everything for me is on-the-throttle kind of driving,” Williams said. “So I’ve struggled with the cars being a little bit tight for me, just because the style of driving that I have. …

“We’re gaining on it. I just wish we’d gain on it a little faster.”

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

Track: Rockingham Speedway
Location: Rockingham, NC
Track length: 0.94 miles
When: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race purse: $1,651,939
Race distance: 250 laps | 235 miles
Stages: 60 | 120 | 250
Defending winner: Jamie McMurray, February 2004

Xfinity Series ready to rock with return to Rockingham

For the first time since 2004, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is racing at Rockingham Speedway. The 0.94-mile high-banked tri-oval is back, allowing North Carolina’s Richmond County to host NASCAR national series racing once again for the first time since the Craftsman Truck Series returned for two years in 2012-13.

At long last, Jamie McMurray’s streak of four straight Xfinity wins at “The Rock” will fall. The question is: Who will be the first new Xfinity winner at Rockingham since Jason Keller in 2002?

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Full 2025 schedule

Sheldon Creed — still in search of his first Xfinity win — posted the best 10-lap average in Friday’s 50-minute practice session, picking up where he and his Haas Factory Team left off after a mid-winter NASCAR test. But his overwhelming takeaway wasn’t just his lap times — it was how much speed the track’s new coat of pavement allows drivers to carry through the corner.

“It’s just super fast,” Creed told NASCAR.com. “Like, we’re wide open at the quarter mark in (Turn) 3. It’s so fast. And we’re wide open at like the center in (Turns) 1 and 2 — in race trim. It’s just really fast.”

Defending series champion Justin Allgaier raced at Rockingham back in 2008 in ARCA Menards Series competition. With that experience came preconceived notions that may not be serving well, despite scoring the sixth-quickest single lap in practice.

“I think in my mind, I expected (the track) to do something,” Allgaier told NASCAR.com. “And I think that’s a tough spot to be in because a lot of these younger drivers that are coming in, they don’t have a perception of what to expect, and I think that they’re willing to do things that, while I’m not saying I’m not willing to do them, my thought doesn’t even go there because I’m so used to how I think it should go.”

RELATED: Rockingham through the years

Matt DiBenedetto is one of those drivers who doesn’t have much Rockingham experience, but he did test a Cup Series car for 600 miles at “The Rock” a number of years ago. Walking into the track again Friday, only one came to DiBendetto’s mind:

“Legendary,” DiBenedetto told NASCAR.com. “That’s the word. I think it’s cool, just because I grew up watching it as a kid on TV, and watching ‘The Rock’ and thought just how cool. I mean, this place is historic, legendary — kind of like going back to North Wilkesboro. It’s got some of that same cool factor to it. …

“I’ve just always, as a fan, thought this place was cool for the history of it, and to be actually coming here, seeing an event here, seeing it sold out, and all the excitement and enthusiasm, all the people wanting passes — friends and everybody wanting to come to this one — it’s just a good thing. It just shows how excited everybody is, especially locally too.”

From atop the pit box …

What do crew chiefs and pit crews have in focus to win Saturday’s race?

Though Rockingham is traditionally known for its high tire wear and abrasive surface, a 2022 repave smoothened the track significantly.

“The Rock” still has its quirks — a relatively long backstretch, steeply banked turns and a late apex in the tri-oval before diving into Turn 1 — but a lack of significant tire wear could play a role in how crew chiefs strategize for Saturday’s 250-lap feature.

“If the fall-off model is low and we’re not seeing it, you’re going to see guys flipping stages and trying to hold that track position for the race win,” Jim Pohlman, crew chief of Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet, told NASCAR.com. “And if you get off cycle to take some tires or stay out, you might get your points, but man, it’s going to be hard to get back through there. So unfortunately, we’re probably going to see a split field when it comes to some of that, guys fighting for points right now.

“That becomes a qualm for all the crew chiefs as to what strategy (they choose) and how they want to play and where how your season’s been so far. So yeah, I think track position — getting it and maintaining — it’s gonna be a big priority.”

RELATED: Rockingham race weekend hub

History tells us …

Chevrolets will be at the front of the field. Chevrolet teams have combined to lead 1,313 of 1,666 laps in the Xfinity Series this season. That should favor teams like JR Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing on Saturday afternoon.

He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for …

NICK SANCHEZ. Of the 27 drivers and teams who posted a 10-lap average in Friday afternoon’s practice, Sanchez was fourth-quickest on average. The Big Machine Racing rookie has posted top 10s every other week in 2025. Good news for the Florida native: The numbers say he’s due for his fifth top 10 of the year in race No. 10.

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Welcome back, Kasey: Kahne, one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, returns for Xfinity race| Read more
• Rocking out: Best photos from a doubleheader weekend at Rockingham | View gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Rewind with full-race Rockingham replays from the archives | Watch races
• Paint Scheme Preview: All the schemes on track for “The Rock’s” return | View gallery

Posted on April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Pole position. Career-high number of laps led. Second-place finish.

Jake Garcia had a career day Friday at Rockingham Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ first race at the 0.94-mile tri-oval since 2013.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos: ‘The Rock’

The driver of the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Ford paced the field for 43 laps in the Black’s Tire 200 and saved just enough fuel in the closing moments of Friday’s race to notch the second runner-up result of his career to tie a career-best finish.

“Yeah, it was a good day,” Garcia said. “Obviously we want to be one stop or one spot higher, but I’m proud of our guys. We brought a really fast truck to the race track. Strategy deal there at the end.”

Indeed, Tyler Ankrum stretched his fuel mileage across the final 88 laps at “The Rock” to score his first win since 2019 and snap a 130-race winless streak, the longest in series history. Garcia is still searching for his first trip to Victory Lane, but a stretch of four consecutive top 10s is building momentum in the right direction for the 20-year-old Georgian.

“These guys work really, really hard and put together really nice pieces for me to come drive,” Garcia said. “I’ve got good trucks under me now and can run up front.”

That credit goes, in part, to crew chief Jeriod Prince, now heading the No. 13 team after spending the 2024 campaign with ThorSport teammate Matt Crafton. Garcia ended the 2024 season with a 19.7 average finish — a five-position drop from his rookie year in 2023. Through seven races in 2025, Garcia’s average has skyrocketed to 9.4.

“I don’t know that I really improved a whole lot driver-wise — maybe a little,” Garcia said. “But we’re running about 20 spots better every week, so this is certainly refreshing. I was getting to doubt myself a little bit there. So yeah, I’m happy to have fast trucks and glad to be at ThorSport Racing.”

James Gilbert | Getty Images

Once he climbed from the pit box, Prince was kicking himself after the checkered flag wondering if their Ford had enough fuel to chase down Ankrum for the victory — but those kicks were mixed with smiles after a season-best day for the third-year driver.

“When it was like 30 to go and we weren’t catching leaders, I said go to fuel-save mode and just lift early,” Prince told NASCAR.com. “We slowed down half a second a lap and just rode there. And I really wasn’t worried about the 18 (because) he pitted so early; I didn’t think he topped off there. So I was just worried about the 38 (Chandler Smith) and 34 (Layne Riggs) and they ran out. I thought we were gonna be OK, but (Ankrum) made it.

“The last two or three laps, we just went full fuel-save mode. We were two seconds off the pace, but at that point, it was just ‘get to the finish line.’ (Grant) Enfinger was a whole straightaway behind us. So at that point, I just wanted to finish. Now looking back, we’re gonna go to tech (inspection) here and see how much fuel it took. And probably had a gallon left, and we could have went hard the whole time, and I’ll be kicking myself. But I’d hate to run out of last lap in the top five.”

Leaving Rockingham, the goal for Garcia and Co. is to continue capitalizing on the pace the No. 13 team is producing. That starts with the driver, who has put his trust in the group around him.

“They always say it in racing, but it’s true: If he’s got faith in it, he’ll drive it harder,” Prince said. “Now he’s pushing it harder. Restarts are better. Qualifying up front. Today’s the first day we actually had a really good stage-point day, so hopefully it’s a good points day in total. We’re all working better together, getting to learn what he likes and doesn’t like, and just (building) experience together.”

A good points day indeed: Garcia totaled a race-high 52 points Friday, netting nine points in Stage 1 with a second-place finish and eight in Stage 2 by placing third.

Next up is Texas Motor Speedway on May 2 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where Garcia placed fifth in his first Texas start in 2023.

Posted on April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Triple Truck Challenge incentive program returns for the 2025 campaign, with a trio of intriguing races making up this year’s event.

This hub page will provide you with everything you need to know about the program, including links and more for each race event. Continue to monitor this hub as results from each Triple Truck Challenge race are added.

What is the Triple Truck Challenge?

Beginning in 2019, “The Trip” is a program that rewards drivers financially for performing well during a three-race stretch in each Truck Series season. Over that span, drivers compete for a $50,000 bonus for winning a race. Should a driver win multiple events, the bonus money increases. If a driver wins two out of three races, he or she will be awarded $150,000. If a driver wins all three Triple Truck Challenge races, a $500,000 prize is awarded.

Where will the Triple Truck Challenge take place this season?

“The Trip” begins its 2025 campaign on March 28 at Martinsville Speedway. The second of the three Triple Truck Challenge races will be on April 11 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 2025 Triple Truck Challenge finale will occur on April 18 at Rockingham Speedway. This will be the first time all three tracks have hosted the Triple Truck Challenge program.

Who qualifies for the Triple Truck Challenge?

In order to qualify for the Triple Truck Challenge, drivers must be declared to collect Craftsman Truck Series points.

MORE: Every Triple Truck Challenge winner

Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images

2025 Triple Truck Challenge recaps:

At Martinsville Speedway (March 28)

MORE: Hemric captures first career Truck triumph at Martinsville, secures Triple Truck Challenge bonus

Recap: What better way to cap off your first career Craftsman Truck Series win than with a $50,000 check to boot? That’s exactly what Daniel Hemric did at the Virginia short track, capitalizing on late-race cautions and outlasting McAnally-Hilgemann Racing to claim the first 2025 bonus of the season.

***

At Bristol Motor Speedway (April 11)

MORE: Smith scores Truck Series victory at Bristol, banks Triple Truck check

Recap: In his first season back in the Craftsman Truck Series and having a hand in hiring his team weeks before the season. Chandler Smith was able to keep Kyle Larson at bay in closing moments at the “Last Great Colosseum” to win and earn a bonus check for Front Row Motorsports.

***

At Rockingham Speedway (April 18)

Recap: Falling a lap down early on, Tyler Ankrum and company used clever pit strategy, avoided a Stage 3 crash and conserved enough fuel down the stretch to snap a 130-race drought and bank $50,000 at Rockingham. While several of his competitors ran out of fuel in the final moments of a 77-lap run to the checkers, Ankrum even had enough juice to burn it down afterward.

MORE: Tyler Ankrum snaps 130-race winless streak in Truck Series at Rockingham

Posted on April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by Reid Spencer

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — It had been so long since Tyler Ankrum won his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race that the driver of the No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Chevrolet couldn’t find Victory Lane after winning Friday’s Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham Speedway.

After a prodigious effort at saving fuel, Ankrum coasted across the finish line 6.657 seconds ahead of pole winner and runner-up Jake Garcia to break a 130-race drought, dating to July 11, 2019.

Ankrum’s last win was so long ago that the track that gave him his maiden victory — Kentucky Speedway — has long since fallen off the NASCAR national series schedule.

In the series’ return to “The Rock” after a 12-year absence, Ankrum had to battle back from damage sustained during an accident on Lap 2, an incident that put him a lap down. Ankrum got his lap back as the beneficiary under caution for the Stage 2 break after Lap 90 and embarked on a heroic drive to the front.

The trophy wasn’t the only reward Ankrum got for the victory. He also earned a $50,000 check for winning the final Triple Truck Challenge race.

“It’s strange — I didn’t know where Victory Lane was at,” Ankrum said after climbing from his truck. “The way this day started, going a lap down and (crew chief) Mark (Hillman) making a pit call to get the track position back…

“Just saving fuel, man. I knew we were five (laps) short. I was hoping I had saved enough, and we did… I just found something there where I was pretty much lifting 60 percent down the straightaway, and I was able to draft off of (Matt) Crafton and a couple of other guys, and I was able to save that way.

“It’s just surreal. I feel like this is pretty much the way it went down at Kentucky in 2019.”

Ankrum took the lead for good on Lap 172 after Corey Heim and Gio Ruggiero came to pit road. The two Tricon Garage drivers stayed on the track during consecutive cautions early in the final stage and were running 1-2 before having to come to pit road for fuel.

Heim seemed confused by the strategy that kept him on the track while other top contenders pitted for the fuel they hoped would carry them to the end of the race.

“I felt like if we had the track position we would have been in really good shape from the very start,” said Heim, who started 15th and finished eighth. “Just didn’t have a good qualifying effort on my end. It was kind of an uphill battle from there all day.

“I didn’t exactly know what happened there the last 40 laps there, but we pitted, and it seems like some of the other guys didn’t run of fuel. Unfortunate. Just a weird deal in that last stage but have to be better on my part to qualify better and have the track position.”

Even though the Front Row Motorsports Fords of Layne Riggs and Chandler Smith pitted after Heim’s final stop, both ran short of fuel and had to bring their trucks to pit road in the closing laps.

Daniel Hemric, Rajah Caruth and Grant Enfinger benefited from the Fords’ gas shortage, finishing third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

WATCH: Multiple trucks involved in crash as Caruth gets loose

Trouble continued to follow reigning series champion Ty Majeski, whose truck broke loose from the inside lane in Turn 1 while he was racing Enfinger on Lap 109. Majeski’s No. 98 ThorSport Ford backed into the outside wall and was eliminated from the race. He finished 31st after a 13th-place run at Martinsville and a 33rd-place result at Bristol in the previous two races.

“I can’t really blame Grant,” Majeski said. “He held me tight, obviously took the air off my right side. Yeah, just embarrassed, honestly. These last three weeks isn’t who I am as a driver. I feel so bad for everybody at ThorSport—(owners) Duke and Rhonda (Thorson) — yeah, I just need to be better.”

Heim, who led a race-high 52 laps compared to 43 for Garcia and 29 for Ankrum, held the top spot in the series standings by 22 points over Chandler Smith and 62 points over Ankrum in third. Kaden Honeycutt, Jack Wood, Corey Heim, Connor Mosack and Gio Ruggiero finished sixth through 10th, respectively, in Friday’s race.

The Truck Series will return to action in two weeks at Texas Motor Speedway for the SpeedyCash.com 250 on Friday, May 2 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Craftsman Truck Series garage was completed without issue, confirming Ankrum as the race winner.

Posted on April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by Seth Sharp

The NASCAR Classics library has officially added some Craftsman Truck Series races.

A total of 41 races have been added, with those events falling under four categories: Closest Finishes, Legendary Tracks, Milestone Races and Championship Battles.

The following races are just some of what you can expect with the newest uploads:

CLOSEST FINISHES

Fas Mart Supertruck Shootout, September 7, 1995, Richmond Raceway

The 15th race in Truck Series history, and the first at Richmond Raceway, turned out to be a thrilling battle to the checkered flag between two NASCAR Cup Series stars.

Terry Labonte qualified his No. 5 truck for Hendrick Motorsports on the pole for the event, headlining a field that included multiple NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

Geoff Bodine, Ken Schrader, Derrike Cope and Darrell Waltrip all qualified for the race, which kicked off a tripleheader weekend that saw the Xfinity Series and Cup Series both in action.

It didn’t take long for the first caution to wave, as a handful of trucks, including Labonte’s teammates Scott Lagasse and Jack Sprague, were involved in an accident.

Labonte, Bodine and Ron Hornaday Jr. dominated the race, as they were the only three drivers to lead a lap. The three traded the lead multiple times throughout the race, as it looked like one of the three would end the race in Victory Lane.

The drivers were battling for the lead with less than 10 laps remaining, when Bodine made contact with Hornaday Jr., sending him around and into the wall.

This set up a restart with three laps remaining. When the green flag waved, Bodine attempted to chase down Labonte and caught his bumper as they were approaching the white flag.

The Cup Series stars raced the entire final lap side-by-side, with Mike Skinner right on their tail. Labonte beat Bodine to the line by inches, taking his No. 5 truck to Victory Lane for the first time.

NASCAR Classics

LEGENDARY TRACKS

Stevens Beil/Genuine Car Parts 150, August 19, 1995, Flemington Speedway

The Craftsman Truck Series took their inaugural tour to Flemington, New Jersey in August of 1995 to Flemington Speedway, which was paved in late 1990. The track was originally operated as a dirt track since it opened in 1916.

One of the unique quirks of the speedway was the use of styrofoam blocks that were used in front of the walls to help drivers receive less of an impact.

The interesting shape to the track ended up creating a wild event, as the caution flag waved 11 times for 50 laps. Scott Lagasse was the first driver to hit the styrofoam, as he made contact with it less than 10 laps into the race.

The two biggest impacts of the day came when separate incidents involving John Nemechek’s No. 87 truck and the No. 83 of Steve Portenga left styrofoam scattered all across the track. Glenn Jarrett proclaimed on the broadcast, “It’s snowing in August in New Jersey.”

A late caution flag reset the field as Rick Carelli led the field back to the green flag with just two laps to go.

Ron Hornaday Jr. slid under Carelli as they raced to the white flag. The two raced side-by-side for the win, which was captured by Hornaday Jr., despite contact from Carelli, which sent Hornaday’s No. 16 truck spinning after crossing the line.

MILESTONE RACES

Good Sam Roadside Assistance Carolina 200, April 15, 2012, Rockingham Speedway

When the checkered flag dropped at Rockingham in February 2004 for the final time, it marked the end of an era.

The NASCAR Cup Series debuted at the track in October 1965, racing there until Matt Kenseth held off Kasey Kahne for the win in a thrilling finish in 2004.

Fast forward to 2012 and the anticipated return of Rockingham became a reality, as the Craftsman Truck Series made their debut at the track.

Future Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain and Ty Dillon were in the field that day.

Kahne avenged his loss to Kenseth by leading the final 46 laps en route to Victory Lane. The race marked the fifth race of Kahne’s Truck Series career and fourth victory.

Eventual Truck Series champion James Buescher finished second.

Rainier Ehrhardt | Getty Images for NASCAR

CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLES

1998 Sam’s Town 250, November 8, 1998, Las Vegas Motor Speedway

The first few seasons in Truck Series history featured dominance from Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Jack Sprague.

The three drivers combined to win 41 of the first 70 races and three championships through the first three seasons.

With Skinner racing in the Cup Series, Hornaday Jr. and Sprague’s friendly rivalry turned into an intense championship battle between the two drivers.

They entered the season finale at Las Vegas first and second in points, with just 13 points separating the two.

It was no surprise when the checkered flag waved that the two drivers finished first and second at Las Vegas, with Sprague winning the race but Hornaday Jr. winning the title by just three points.

NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images