Chandler Smith celebrates after winning Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Chandler Smith took the lead with two laps remaining and held off 2021 championship contender Zane Smith and the winningest driver in NASCAR national-series history, his team owner Kyle Busch, to win the Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It was a deservedly dramatic ending for a hugely competitive race at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track. Smith’s .289-second win over Zane Smith was his first of the season and third of his career and good enough to propel him to the championship points lead by six-points over Zane Smith.
The move for the win came after a restart with three laps remaining. Smith, of Talking Rock, Georgia, got around his team owner Busch, then pulled alongside Zane Smith at the finish line with one lap to go and finally drove out front for the final of the 134 laps to take the win.
“When you guys tune into me halfway through the race, ‘how did he get up there?”’ Smith said motioning toward the sky. “It’s the good Lord man, he performs miracles all day. He’s given me this talent, this opportunity to drive this truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports and for (sponsor) Safelite.
“I’m just beyond thankful for this whole opportunity. All the glory goes to him, my guys, my wife, all the guys part of this deal. I’m just super thankful right now.”
There were five different leaders in the final furious 11 laps that included a caution for Christian Eckes, who was tagged from behind by Busch while leading the race with eight laps remaining. The final restart produced a wild – sometimes three-wide contest to the checkered.
Behind Smith, who led a race-best 32 laps, Zane Smith was flagged in second place, but would see that go away in post-race tech inspection due to a lug nut violation.
That moved Busch to second, with Stewart Friesen in third, and Ryan Preece in fourth. Preece, making only his third series start, was leading when the final caution flag came out but was penalized five positions for not maintaining speed behind the pace car.
Tanner Gray came home in fifth.
Matt DiBenedetto, Matt Crafton, Bret Holmes, Austin Wayne Self, and Ty Majeski rounded out the top 10.
Defending series champion Ben Rhodes won both Stage 1 and Stage 2 and led nine laps on the night, but a collision with his ThorSport Racing teammate Ty Majeski with 30 laps remaining badly damaged his No. 99 ThorSport Toyota, eliminating him from competition. Instead of contending for the win, the race favorite took his first DNF since the 2020 Daytona season-opener.
“I can’t speak to what happened with my teammate there, I’m just going to try to stay positive,’’ said Rhodes, who was credited with a 32nd-place finish. “Can’t imagine my teammate trying to wreck me.”
“Just a bummer,’’ he added.
Sentimental favorite, Todd Bodine, a two-time series champion who last raced in 2013, finished 22nd in the first of his six scheduled starts for 2022 in an effort to reach 800 NASCAR national series starts.
Bodine had an eventful night in the No. 62 Toyota, including two pit road speeding penalties, a penalty to his crew for being over the wall too soon and even surviving a pair of on-track incidents to finish on the lead lap.
With his win, Smith takes a six-point lead over Zane Smith in the championship standings.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV
Victoria’s Voice 200 – March 4, 2022
1. (3) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 134.
2. (2) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 134.
3. (17) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 134.
4. (5) Ryan Preece(i), Ford, 134.
5. (8) Tanner Gray, Ford, 134.
6. (15) Matt Dibenedetto, Chevrolet, 134.
7. (7) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 134.
8. (32) Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 134.
9. (18) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 134.
10. (10) Ty Majeski, Toyota, 134.
11. (29) Dean Thompson #, Chevrolet, 134.
12. (21) Tate Fogleman, Toyota, 134.
13. (12) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 134.
14. (19) Chase Purdy, Toyota, 134.
15. (27) Matt Mills(i), Chevrolet, 134.
16. (14) Tyler Ankrum, Toyota, 134.
17. (16) Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 134.
18. (28) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 134.
19. (26) Lawless Alan #, Chevrolet, 134.
20. (36) Loris Hezemans, Toyota, 134.
21. (23) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 134.
22. (33) Matt Jaskol, Toyota, 134.
23. (11) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 134.
24. (13) Derek Kraus, Chevrolet, 134.
25. (1) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 134.
26. (34) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Accident, 133.
27. (35) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, Accident, 132.
28. (9) Christian Eckes, Toyota, Accident, 126.
29. (31) Thad Moffitt, Chevrolet, 114.
30. (25) Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, Engine, 113.
31. (4) Ben Rhodes, Toyota, Accident, 103.
32. (24) Jack Wood #, Chevrolet, Accident, 71.
33. (20) Hailie Deegan, Ford, Accident, 44.
34. (22) Colby Howard, Chevrolet, Accident, 28.
34. (30) Blaine Perkins #, Chevrolet, DVP, 21.
DQ: (6) Zane Smith, Ford, 134.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 93.223 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 9 Mins, 22 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.289 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 10 for 52 laps.
Lead Changes: 21 among 10 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Nemechek 1;K. Busch(i) 2-10;Z. Smith 11-24;C. Smith 25-27;B. Rhodes 28-32;T. Gray 33-36;C. Hocevar 37-45;K. Busch(i) 46-55;T. Gray 56-58;B. Rhodes 59-62;K. Busch(i) 63-71;J. Nemechek 72-91;T. Hill 92;J. Nemechek 93-94;C. Smith 95-101;C. Eckes 102;C. Smith 103-122;C. Eckes 123-125;R. Preece(i) 126-128;K. Busch(i) 129-131;Z. Smith 132;C. Smith 133-134.
Leaders Summary: (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led) Chandler Smith 4 times for 32 laps; Kyle Busch(i) 4 times for 31 laps; John Hunter Nemechek 3 times for 23 laps; Zane Smith 2 times for 15 laps; Carson Hocevar 1 time for 9 laps; Ben Rhodes 2 times for 9 laps; Tanner Gray 2 times for 7 laps; Christian Eckes 2 times for 4 laps; Ryan Preece(i) 1 time for 3 laps; Timmy Hill 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 99,18,15,24,42,88,51,4,66,17
Stage #2 Top Ten: 99,51,66,4,15,18,88,98,52,19
Playoff Standings: 1. Chandler Smith – 87 (1 Win); 2. Zane Smith – 47 (1 Win); 3. Tanner Gray – 82; 4. Ty Majeski – 72; 5. Ben Rhodes – 70; 6. Stewart Friesen – 65; 7. Matt Dibenedetto – 58; 8. Carson Hocevar – 58; 9. Austin Wayne Self – 57; 10. Matt Crafton – 55.
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
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