Raphael Lessard celebrates in Victory Lane after winning Saturday’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Chevy race at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
In a wild two-lap shootout that ended prematurely with a multicar wreck near the entrance to turn 3, 19-year-old Canadian Raphael Lessard earned his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victory in Saturday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Lessard had nosed ahead of runner-up Trevor Bayne while Stewart Friesen’s Chevrolet spun into the outside backstretch wall on the final lap, causing the caution that froze the field. The yellow made a winner of Lessard, but what was euphoria for one Kyle Busch Motorsports driver was heartbreak for another.
With Playoff spots in the elimination race still on the line for the final restart on lap 93 of 94 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Christian Eckes was a victim of the final wreck that also left Playoff driver Austin Hill hustling out of his No. 16 Toyota, which sat on the apron with flames shooting from underneath the hood.
With the Round of 10 completed, Eckes was eliminated by eight points, as Tyler Ankrum, another victim of the last-lap wreck, advanced to the Round of 8 in the Playoff by that margin. Hill already had secured a spot in the next round with last weekend’s win at Las Vegas.
Those two drivers are joined by Sheldon Creed (12th Saturday), Ben Rhodes (fourth), Brett Moffitt (seventh), Matt Crafton (eighth), Grant Enfinger (13th) and Zane Smith (33rd). Crafton took the green flag on the final restart below the Playoff cut line but avoided the final wreck to finish the day fifth in the Playoff standings.
But the big winner was Lessard, who did not qualify for the Playoff but earned a significant consolation prize on Saturday, with a strong push from Rhodes.
“Oh, my gosh, that was awesome,” said Lessard, who moved to Mooresville, North Carolina from Quebec this year. “First of all, I just want to thank everyone at home, my team — Kyle Busch Motorsports. I can’t believe it. It’s just my second superspeedway race.
“To get my first Truck Series win here is amazing. I don’t know who was behind me, but he gave me a heck of a push. I can’t thank him enough. He pushed me as hard as he could, and I was just along for the ride. The caution came out at the right time. I’m so happy. I got to do a burnout after the win. I’m hoping I can do some more.”
Smith avoided elimination despite being swept up in an 11-car wreck on lap 13. He spent the rest of the race waiting anxiously to learn whether he would advance to the Round of 8.
“It sucks, for sure,” Smith said after the accident. “They just kept getting bunched up. My teammate (Chase Purdy) got all out of shape, and I was just kind of an innocent bystander.”
Also exiting the Playoff was Todd Gilliland, whose No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford retired from the race after 47 laps because of engine issues. Gilliland had finished second in Stage 1 (won by Hill) and seventh in Stage 2 (won by Derek Kraus) before the mechanical failure.
Jasper, Georgia’s Chandler Smith ran third, giving non-Playoff drivers the top three positions. Rhodes was fourth, followed by Codie Rohrbaugh, Jordan Anderson, Moffitt, Crafton, Kaz Grala and Kraus.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, AL
Chevrolet Silverado 250 – October 3, 2020
1. (15) Raphael Lessard #, Toyota, 94.
2. (25) Trevor Bayne, Chevrolet, 94.
3. (5) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 94.
4. (11) Ben Rhodes (P), Ford, 94.
5. (34) Codie Rohrbaugh, Chevrolet, 94.
6. (26) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 94.
7. (8) Brett Moffitt (P), Chevrolet, 94.
8. (7) Matt Crafton (P), Ford, 94.
9. (28) Kaz Grala(i), Chevrolet, 94.
10. (17) Derek Kraus #, Toyota, 94.
11. (14) Johnny Sauter, Ford, 94.
12. (1) Sheldon Creed (P), Chevrolet, 94.
13. (4) Grant Enfinger (P), Ford, 94.
14. (22) Clay Greenfield, Toyota, 94.
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16. (9) Tyler Ankrum (P), Chevrolet, 94.
17. (13) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 94.
18. (6) Christian Eckes # (P), Toyota, Accident, 93.
19. (2) Austin Hill (P), Toyota, Accident, 93.
20. (19) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 93.
21. (38) Bryan Dauzat, Chevrolet, 93.
22. (36) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 93.
23. (32) Josh Reaume, Toyota, 93.
24. (31) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 92.
25. (30) Jason White, Toyota, 92.
26. (37) Robby Lyons(i), Chevrolet, 92.
27. (27) Ray Ciccarelli, Chevrolet, 88.
28. (10) Todd Gilliland (P), Ford, Engine, 47.
29. (12) Tanner Gray #, Ford, Accident, 47.
30. (23) Gus Dean, Chevrolet, Accident, 36.
31. (16) Tate Fogleman #, Chevrolet, Accident, 19.
32. (18) Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, Accident, 12.
33. (3) Zane Smith # (P), Chevrolet, Accident, 12.
34. (20) Danny Bohn, Toyota, Accident, 12.
35. (33) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Accident, 12.
36. (29) Korbin Forrister, Ford, Accident, 12.
37. (35) Joe Nemechek, Ford, Accident, 12.
38. (24) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, Accident, 12.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 129.424 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 55 Mins, 55 Secs. Margin of Victory: Under Caution.
Caution Flags: 5 for 24 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 10 drivers.
Lap Leaders: S. Creed (P) 1;A. Hill (P) 2;S. Creed (P) 3-4;A. Hill (P) 5-12;C. Eckes # (P) 13-18;S. Creed (P) 19;A. Hill (P) 20-21;D. Kraus # 22-40;C. Smith 41;B. Moffitt (P) 42-54;J. Sauter 55-65;J. Cobb 66-81;S. Creed (P) 82-87;S. Friesen 88-93;R. Lessard # 94.
Leaders Summary: (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led) Derek Kraus # 1 time for 19 laps; Jennifer Jo Cobb 1 time for 16 laps; Brett Moffitt (P) 1 time for 13 laps; Johnny Sauter 1 time for 11 laps; Austin Hill (P) 3 times for 11 laps; Sheldon Creed (P) 4 times for 10 laps; Christian Eckes # (P) 1 time for 6 laps; Stewart Friesen 1 time for 6 laps; Raphael Lessard # 1 time for 1 lap; Chandler Smith 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 16,38,18,2,99,51,56,26,23,19
Stage #2 Top Ten: 19,13,51,16,23,99,38,2,26,88
Top 8 in Points: 1. Austin Hill – 3028 (2 Wins); 2. Sheldon Creed – 3028 (3 Wins); 3. Zane Smith – 3022 (2 Wins); 4. Grant Enfinger – 3019 (3 Wins); 5. Brett Moffitt – 3016; 6. Ben Rhodes – 3014 (1 Win); 7. Matt Crafton – 3009 (1 Win); 8. Tyler Ankrum – 3003.
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