Johnny Sauter wins NextEra Energy Resources 250 for third time

The new NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season is underway at Daytona International Speedway, and we’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 power ThorSport Racing 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 didn’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 wouldn’t expect from a driver with his experience.

Not long after, Grant Enfinger’s misfortune started a chain reaction that didn’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.

Crafton’s tough night continued as he and his team ran afoul of NASCAR’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 he’ll be a very serious contender for the championship — a fact that should surprise exactly no one.