Moffitt earns much-needed win in last-lap pass at Chicagoland
Brett Moffitt scored an impressive Camping World Truck Series win at Chicagoland Speedway Friday night.
Brett Moffitt, Hattori Racing Enterprises, Toyota Tundra celebrates in victory lane
Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
While it appeared John Hunter Nemechek was ready to celebrate his second win of the season with less than a lap to go, his truck went sour entering Turn 2, allowing Brett Moffitt to take the lead and win the Overton’s 225 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Moffitt, who’s team is in desperate need of sponsorship, wasn’t even planning on competing in the event until a last-minute sponsorship deal came together on Tuesday. The Iowa native made the most of it, picking up his second win in the last three races and third overall this season.
“Man this is great, we didn’t know if we were coming (to Chicagoland),” said Moffitt. “To be here in Victory Lane is an honor and a blessing. These guys work hard and … we’ll take (a win” any way we can get them right now.”
Moffitt had the lead on the final restart on Lap 126 until Nemechek got around him and controlled the race until running out of fuel on the final lap.
Nemechek, who was trying to score his second win of the season and at Chicagoland was understandably disappointed with his finish.
“My guys gave me a great truck tonight and we were not even three-quarters of a lap away from winning the thing and (ran out of fuel) going into Turn 1,” said a dejected Nemechek. “We hauled the mail tonight and they knew that we were here. It’s frustrating and disappointing but we’ll move on from it.”
Ben Rhodes finished third for his first top-five since Charlotte, while points leader Johnny Sauter rebounded from a bad pit stop to finish fourth and Noah Gragson completed the top five.
Justin Haley followed last week’s win coming home sixth while Nemechek, Grant Enfinger Austin Hill and Myatt Snider rounded out the top 10 finishers.
Stage 1
Gragson won his third pole of the season and led the field to green for the start of the Overton’s 225 Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.
His lead was short-lived as rookie Dalton Sargeant, who started the race on the front row as well, took the lead on Lap 2 and remained out front for the next 26 laps.
The stage was slowed just one time by caution on Lap 22 after Bo Lemastus spun in Turn 4. He didn’t make any contact and was able to continue. On the ensuing restart, Sargeant spun his tires, which allowed Gragson to move into the lead on Lap 27.
Gragson led the next seven laps before John Hunter Nemechek made a daring pass on the final lap of the stage to take the win.
Gragson followed in second with Stewart Friesen third and Sargent fourth. Moffitt was fifth with Rhodes, Sauter, Todd Gilliland, Haley and Cody Coughlin rounding out the top 10.
Stage 2
Gragson came out of the pits with the lead on the restart of Stage 2 and remained out front the entire way to win his sixth stage of the season - more than any other driver.
Brett Moffitt followed closely in second with Stage 1 winner Nemechek in third. Friesen and Sauter completed the top five.
Friesen survived contact with Sargeant while racing for fifth-place on Lap 65 sending Sargeant spinning coming out of Turn 2. Sargent, who led 25 laps in Stage 1 was able to continue after losing several laps in the pits.
Matt Crafton was sixth with last week’s race winner Haley seventh and Gilliland eighth. Coughlin and Enfinger rounded out the top 10.
Stage 3
Nemechek took the lead after the round of pit stops and remained out front until Moffitt passed him for the top spot once again on Lap 89 after a five-lap battle for the lead.
Nemechek was able to get back past Moffitt for the lead on Lap 98 and remained out front until the final caution flag of the race was needed when Friesen made contact with Jordan Anderson while running fifth.
This sent him a 25-lap dash to the checkered flag where Moffitt would ultimately claim the victory after Nemechek's misfortune.
Cla | # | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Laps Led |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Toyota | 150 | 17 | |
2 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | Ford | 150 | 5.092 | |
3 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | 150 | 5.300 | |
4 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Toyota | 150 | 10.262 | 42 |
5 | 51 | Brandon Jones | Toyota | 150 | 12.414 | |
6 | 24 | Justin Haley | Chevrolet | 150 | 12.988 | |
7 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chevrolet | 150 | 17.355 | 64 |
8 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | Ford | 150 | 18.660 | |
9 | 02 | Austin Hill | Chevrolet | 150 | 20.852 | |
10 | 13 | Myatt Snider | Ford | 149 | 1 lap | |
11 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Ford | 149 | 1 lap | |
12 | 2 | Cody Coughlin | Chevrolet | 149 | 1 lap | |
13 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | Chevrolet | 149 | 1 lap | |
14 | 45 | Justin Fontaine | Chevrolet | 149 | 1 lap | |
15 | 54 | Bo Lemastus | Toyota | 149 | 1 lap | |
16 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Toyota | 148 | 2 laps | |
17 | 3 | Jordan Anderson | Chevrolet | 148 | 2 laps | |
18 | 7 | Korbin Forrister | Toyota | 148 | 2 laps | 2 |
19 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Chevrolet | 148 | 2 laps | |
20 | 25 | Dalton Sargeant | Chevrolet | 147 | 3 laps | 24 |
21 | 33 | Josh Reaume | Chevrolet | 147 | 3 laps | |
22 | 49 | Wendell Chavous | Chevrolet | 146 | 4 laps | |
23 | 20 | Max Tullman | Chevrolet | 146 | 4 laps | |
24 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Chevrolet | 138 | 12 laps | 1 |
25 | 50 | Brian Kaltreider | Chevrolet | 98 | 52 laps | |
26 | 15 | Ross Chastain | Chevrolet | 51 | 99 laps | |
27 | 83 | Bayley Currey | Chevrolet | 45 | 105 laps | |
28 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 29 | 121 laps | |
29 | 63 | J.J. Yeley | Chevrolet | 22 | 128 laps | |
30 | 0 | Camden Murphy | Chevrolet | 11 | 139 laps | |
31 | 6 | Norm Benning | Chevrolet | 2 | 148 laps | |
32 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Chevrolet | 0 | 150 laps |
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