Getty Kyle Busch (right) and John Hunter Nemechek (left) talk before a Truck Series race at Pocono.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed to Pocono Raceway on Saturday, June 26 for one of the three remaining regular-season races. Several drivers had the goal of winning and reaching the playoffs, but John Hunter Nemechek beat all of them off of the line during the final restart and captured the checkered flag.
Kyle Busch had the lead with nine laps remaining in the race and appeared to be en route to win No. 62 in the Truck Series. However, Stewart Friesen collided with the wall and brought out the caution flag. The drivers lined up for one final restart, which Nemechek used to jump out to the front of the pack. He held off Busch during the remaining seven laps and captured his fifth win of the season.
HE BEATS THE BOSSMAN. Retweet to congratulate John Hunter Nemechek on his WIN at Pocono!
In addition to increasing his stranglehold on the points lead, Nemechek also left Pocono Raceway with bragging rights at Kyle Busch Motorsports. He and Busch had faced off four times prior to Saturday’s race, each winning twice. However, Nemechek captured his third against his boss and took the season lead.
Busch, on the other hand, ended his 2021 Truck Series schedule with another strong run. He competed in five races, winning two. He captured second place in the other three and proved why he is the winningest driver in the series.
The Race Started With a Stunning Moment
Prior to the Truck Series race, the drivers took several pace laps around the Tricky Triangle in preparation for 60 laps of intense action. The pace car shut off its warning lights and then headed down pit road while the starter waved the green flag. However, the official had to quickly grab the caution flag due to a surprising sequence of events.
Chaos unfolded as the drivers hit the gas and shifted through the gears. Jack Wood’s No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado careened sideways and slammed violently into the wall. He rebounded and clipped the front end of Johnny Sauter’s No. 13 Toyota Tundra, causing damage to the splitter. The incident occurred so early that the majority of drivers did not even make it across the start-finish line before the caution flag waved.
Wood headed to the infield care center for further evaluation while the safety crew towed his truck off of the track. Sauter, on the other hand, headed to the pits for repairs. The No. 13 crew was able to make repairs but not before the driver fell a lap down.
Sauter entered the race 15 points below the playoff cutoff line with only three races remaining. He needed to make positive strides in short order to leapfrog Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Chandler Smith for the final spot. However, he spent the majority of the race trying to work his way back through the field and fell to 28 points below the line at the end of the race.
A Cup Series Driver Continued to Impress at Pocono
GettyRyan Preece and wife Heather celebrate a Truck Series win at Nashville.
Prior to the race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, JTG Daugherty driver Ryan Preece announced that he would make his first-ever Camping World Truck Series start. He partnered with David Gilliland Racing and drove the No. 17 Ford F-150 to Victory Lane at the 1.33-mile concrete oval outside of Nashville, walking away with a custom Gibson guitar.
Preece returned to the No. 17 Ford on Saturday, June 26, for his second Truck Series start. He headed out onto the Tricky Triangle and logged some crucial practice laps before the Cup Series doubleheader. Preece also impressed in the process.
The Cup Series regular finished Stage 1 in the 11th position but dropped to 25th by the end of Stage 2 due to a scheduled pit stop. He raced in the 10th position with only five laps remaining in the stage but headed to pit road early for fresh tires.
This strategy paid off for Preece. He spent the entire final stage inside the top five, reaching third on the green-flag laps before dropping to fourth as the caution waved with nine laps remaining.
Following a late restart due to Stewart Friesen’s collision with the wall, the trucks began fighting for position. Preece fell to ninth in the shuffle but continued to fight for position over the remaining laps and secured his second top-10 finish in only two starts.
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