Stewart Friesen disqualified from NASCAR Truck race, stripped of podium finish

Friday was a special day for Stewart Friesen, who was both celebrating his 42nd birthday and making his 200th career start in the NASCAR Truck Series .. and it almost had a storybook ending.

Friesen utilized an alternate strategy, taking his final set of tires early in order to gain track position. He had the lead for the start of the final stage, and held that advantage until Layne Riggs made the pass for the win with just over 50 laps to go.

However, Friesen held strong, finishing third after leading 20 laps. Unfortunately, the No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing Chevrolet did not pass post-race technical inspection.

Friesen's truck failed front height checks, as it was too low. As a result, he has lost his third-place finish and all stage points he scored on Friday night. Officially, he will be credited with a last-place finish (35th).

The disqualification moves newly crowned regular season champion Corey Heim up to third, Grant Enfinger fourth, and gives Ty Majeski a top five. Chandler Smith is now sixth, Daniel Hemric seventh, Tyler Ankrum eighth, Ross Chastain ninth, and Rajah Caruth snags the final spot inside the top ten.

Friesen is the tenth different driver to face a post-race disqualification across all three national divisions this year. 

The team will appeal the penalty, claiming the failure was "caused by a part malfunction that occurred during the race by circumstances out of our control."