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Buescher takes win in Iowa

Turner Motorsports back in victory lane with James Buescher.

Race winner James Buescher

Race winner James Buescher

Getty Images

The No. 31 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet of James Buescher got to the lead on a restart after the first of two green-white-checker attempts at Iowa Speedway in Newton on Sunday to claim the win in the Fan Appreciation 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race for his second win of the season and the sixth victory of his Truck Series career.

"Slow and steady wins the race," Buescher said of slowly gaining points on series leader Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota. "We're coming for this championship."

The No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford of Ross Chastain finished second after dominating the race. It was his best-career Truck Series finish. Chastain led 118 laps of the race that had a scheduled distance of 200 laps but was extended to 212 with two green-white-checker attempts.

"I've never had a race car that handled like that," Chastain said.

The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Ty Dillon finished third, the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Toyota of Johnny Sauter was fourth and the No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota of Darrell Wallace Jr. rounded out the top-five.

Chastain started from the pole and led the way until the first caution of the race came out on lap 37. Dillon stayed out while everyone else pitted to restart in the lead. He held on to the lead until having to come down pit road, himself, under green-flag conditions on lap 80. Dillon's pit stop moved Chastain back up into the top spot.

Chastain continued to run up front until the field cycled through green-flag pit stops just past lap 122. As a result of pitting under green about 40 laps earlier, Dillon stayed out and cycled back into the lead. Dillon gave up the top spot to head down pit road the next time the yellow flag waved on lap 135. With the other front runners staying out, Chastain and the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota of Timothy Peters restarted the race on the front row.

Peters took the lead from Chastain on the restart. Chastain retook the position on the following restart that followed a caution on lap 168. The No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford of Ryan Blaney moved into second on the same restart to give BKR the top-two spots in the running order.

The two teammates ran first and second until the fifth caution of the race came out with five laps to go. Because of a fuel pickup issue, Blaney slowed on the track under the caution, and therefore, lost several positions before the restart. That moved Buescher up to second on the restart for the first green-white-checker attempt. Buscher had made his way back twoard the front after being one of the few trucks to pit for tires during the lap 168 caution. Buescher had taken fuel only during the first caution of the race, so he still had a set of sticker tires remaining. According to Buescher, the call to take fuel only was a strategy discussed by his team before the race.

"Don't put a set on before lap 100, because we're going to want them later," Buescher said he told his crew chief before the race. Buescher took the lead from Chastain on the restart and then held off Chastain again on the final restart to claim the win. "I gave one away," Chastain said. "The way I was driving it was not the right way."

Finishing sixth through 10th were the No. 77 Red Horse Racing Toyota of German Quiroga, Crafton, the No. 4 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet of Jeb Burton, the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota of Erik Jones and Blaney.

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