Trackin’ Trucks: Brett Moffitt Wins at Bristol

Credit: Debbie Ross for Skirts and Scuffs

Brett Moffitt earned his third victory of the 2019 Gander Outdoors Truck Series season at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Moffitt led 65 of 200 laps during the opening Playoff event on Thursday night, holding off 17-year old Chandler Smith for the win at the half-mile track.

“It was tough,” Moffitt said in Victory Lane. “Our (No. 24) Silverado was strong on long runs, but it was hard to get fired off. So it was really tough just getting the first couple of laps under our belt after a restart.

“There’s no more important win than right now for the season, getting into the Round of 6, so we’ll take this and move on with it. We’re playing with house money now. We still want to go get points and ultimately win races and get playoff points to set ourselves up with a little safety net for the next round. But now we’ll just go and race to win, and the pressure’s off.”

Smith took the lead on the final restart, but the defending champion retook the lead for the fifth and final time to earn his first Bristol win.

Ross Chastain overcame a safety violation on pit road to finish third. Multiple crew chiefs and drivers voiced their displeasure to the Niece Motorsports driver after the race because of his aggressive driving.

“I think the crew chiefs come down here and puff their chests out—they’re old washed-up race car drivers,” Chastain said. “I love Marcus (Richmond) and Rudy (Fugle), but, my goodness, let your drivers come handle it. And one at a time, line ‘em up, and let’s race. And let’s handle it after, outside the race car.

“Obviously, I’m no stranger to this.”

The UNOH 200 was filled with tons of action that produced 12 cautions for 73 laps, including one that took out John Hunter Nemechek and playoff contender Johnny Sauter sustained heavy damage.

Sauter made contact with Nemechek on Lap 76 that resulted in the ThorSport Racing driver suffering right side damage. Sauter fought hard to finish in 11th place.

Sauter wasn’t the only playoff driver to have trouble, Stewart Friesen and Matt Crafton made contact with each other in Turn 4 after battling alongside Tyler Dippel.

Friesen finished fourth while Crafton finished seventh.

A Look Ahead In The Playoffs

The Gander Outdoors Truck Series head to the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, August 25th, as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series take their final off weekend of the season.

Moffitt finished third at the 2.459-mile road course in last year’s event. The GMS Racing driver is seeded first in the playoff standings, 16 points ahead of Chastain.

Friesen is third in the standings, while Crafton and Grant Enfinger are tied for fourth place.

Tyler Ankrum is eighth after battling electrical issues that resulted in a 20th-place finish.

Trackin’ Trucks: Brett Moffitt Wins at Bristol Trackin’ Trucks: Brett Moffitt Wins at Bristol Reviewed by Anonymous on Saturday, August 17, 2019 Rating: 5