Fansided

Johnny Sauter wins NextEra Energy Resources 250 for third time

ByNick Tylwalk|
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Dalton Sargeant, driver of the #25 Performance Plus Motor Oil Chevrolet, stands by his car during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Dalton Sargeant, driver of the #25 Performance Plus Motor Oil Chevrolet, stands by his car during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

The new NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season is underway at Daytona International Speedway, and weā€™ve got the highlights and results.

The Clash and Can-Am Duels are great, but the new NASCAR season truly starts in earnest when the trucks hit Daytona. Friday night was the first chance for them to do just that, with the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250.

There was no shortage of potential storylines headed into the race. The championship appeared to be fully up for grabs since 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series king Christopher Bell had departed for the XFINITY Series. One notable team, Brad Keselowski Racing, shut down in the offseason, while Truck Series powerĀ ThorSport RacingĀ switched manufacturers from Toyota to Ford.

In the end, though, Johnny Sauter, former Truck Series champion and two-time Daytona winner, proved to be a little better and a little savvier than the younger talent all around him.

With the field reduced to just a handful of trucks running in the front pack late, Sauter saw a challenge materialize behind him on the final lap in the form of Scott Lagasse Jr. Lagasse actually picked a decent time to try pulling out and making a move, but Sauter simply had too much momentum and took the checkered flag while Spencer Davis and Jordan Anderson spun behind him.

The victory for Sauter puts him alone in first place with three Truck Series triumphs at Daytona International Speedway. Todd Bodine is the only other driver with more than one.

NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES 250 RESULTS

  1. Johnny Sauter (also Stage 2 winner)
  2. Justin Haley
  3. Joe Nemechek
  4. Ben Rhodes
  5. Scott Lagasse Jr.
  6. Grant Enfinger
  7. Spencer Davis
  8. Dalton Sargeant
  9. Jordan Anderson
  10. Justin Fontaine
  11. Austin Hill
  12. Wendell Chavous
  13. Robby Lyons
  14. Norm Benning
  15. Scott Stenzel
  16. Korbin Forrister
  17. Cody Coughlin
  18. Bryan Dauzat
  19. Matt Crafton
  20. Austin Wayne Self
  21. David Gilliland (Stage 1 winner)
  22. Clay Greenfield
  23. Noah Gragson
  24. Myatt Snider
  25. John Hunter Nemechek
  26. Brett Moffitt
  27. Stewart Friesen
  28. Parker Kligerman
  29. Chris Fontaine
  30. Bo Le Mastus
  31. Jennifer Jo Cobb
  32. Travis Kvapil

HIGHLIGHTS

As an example of the kind of chaos the Daytona truck race can create, the Fox Sports crew reminded us that a year ago, this wreck shook things up on the final lap and allowed 18-year-old Kaz Grala to emerge with an unlikely victory.

Veteran David Gilliland was able to take and keep the lead early, but it didnā€™t even take five laps for the first caution flag to fly. Travis Kvapil was blowing smoke from the back of his truck.

Despite some semi-touchy moments with three-wide racing, the remainder of Stage 1 finished without incident. Gilliland was able to stay well out in front of the fastest line and get the stage win, with Johnny Sauter finishing second.

Sauter won the race off pit road to take the lead immediately in Stage 2, and he never gave it up. The former Truck Series champion knows a lot about stage victories at restrictor plate tracks, claiming nearly all of them in 2017.

During the caution after Stage 2, Matt Crafton had a mistake trying to get into his pit that you wouldnā€™t expect from a driver with his experience.

Not long after, Grant Enfingerā€™s misfortune started a chain reaction that didnā€™t quite end up as the Big One, but collected several trucks nonetheless. Jennifer Jo Cobb took a scary hit as her truck made a beeline for the inside wall, but she fortunately was able to climb out without aid.

Despite running up front, John Hunter Nemechek looked like may have had a tire rub after making contact while trying to block Ben Rhodes. Sure enough, a vibration was next and this mess followed right after that.

What do they say about cautions breeding cautions at Daytona? That proved to be pretty apt, because shortly after the race went green following the previous wreck, Clay Greenfield had some trouble right in front of Crafton, necessitating a red flag for an incident that could have been a lot worse than it was.

Craftonā€™s tough night continued as he and his team ran afoul of NASCARā€™s Damaged Vehicle Policy and incurred a two-lap penalty. Meanwhile, Justin Haley and Gilliland led the field back to the green flag with less than 15 laps to go.

The field got whittled down even further in the closing laps, with less than ten trucks seriously battling for the win. When Sauter got in front, though, he was able to stay there.

With 19 points over the first two stages and a race win already in the bag, Sauter looks like heā€™ll be a very serious contender for the championshipĀ ā€” a fact that should surprise exactly no one.

Home/NASCAR