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Peters victorious in wild NASCAR Truck Series win at Talladega

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service (Talladega, AL) -- Racing for just the fourth time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season, Timothy Peters fought off a block from Noah Gragson on the final lap of the Fr8Auctions 250 at Talladega Superspeedway to become the first three-time winner in the series at the 2.66-mile track.

Driving in the last of his three events for GMS Racing, Peters started a move to the outside of Gragson’s Toyota on the backstretch. When Gragson moved up to block, Peters stayed in the gas, and Gragson’s No. 18 Tundra spun across the nose of Peters’ Chevrolet into the outside wall.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

NASCAR called a caution for the wreck, freezing the field with Peters in the lead.

For Gragson, there was the consolation of moving into the Round of 6 of the NCWTS Playoffs. Matt Crafton did likewise, despite being collected in a 10-car wreck on Lap 59 of 94 and finishing 26th. Gragson and Crafton join Round of 8 winners Justin Haley and Grant Enfinger, along with Brett Moffitt and Johnny Sauter, in the Round of 6.

Despite a sixth-place result, Stewart Friesen was eliminated from the playoffs, as was Ben Rhodes, who ran 16th, one lap down, after his No. 41 Ford sustained damaged in the same wreck that sidelined Crafton.

But it was Peters who emerged from the last-lap chaos with the victory.

“Everybody’s wanting to win,” Peters said, who triumphed for the 11th time in his career and the first time since 2015. “Everybody’s wanting to block. I wanted to win, too, because this is my last go-around on the three-race stint. So, at the end of the day, I was going for it.

“These guys right here (the No. 25 GMS Chevrolet team) worked their butts off. It just feels so good, so good. … Man, I love this place, and it’s so cool to be a three-time winner. But this is not about me. It’s about the team. This team put together this truck back at the shop, and I was just the lucky one who got to drive it today.”

Myatt Snider finished a career-best second, followed by pole winner David Gilliland, Haley and Wendell Chavous, who scored his only top five in 50 starts.

With his playoff hopes on the line, Crafton had to sweat out the final 30 laps after exiting the race in the aftermath of the afternoon’s largest wreck. But Rhodes couldn’t recover the lap he lost because of the accident, and Friesen couldn’t challenge for the victory because his engine was down on power.

“I saw some people getting turned up in front of me, and I got hooked in the right-rear,” Crafton said of the wreck that put his playoff chances in jeopardy. “The next thing I knew I was facing the fence and hit head-on. …

“That’s Talladega for you. It’s all out of your hands from when we drop the green. I mean, when you’re racing and people are side-by-side bouncing off each other like that. We did everything we could do the first two segments and let her fly from there.”

Crafton, a two-time series champion, was fourth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2, collecting 16 points that proved crucial to his advancement into the Round of 6. Crafton finished the Round of 8 four points ahead of Rhodes and six ahead of Friesen.

Sauter also sustained heavy damage in the Lap 59 wreck, but by then the regular-season champion had collected 17 stage points, enough to lock him into the next round.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race Number 19
Unofficial Race Results for the 13Th Annual Fr8auctions 250 - Saturday, October 13, 2018
Talladega Superspeedway - Talladega, AL - 2.66 Mile Paved

Total Race Length - 94 Laps - 250.04 Miles

Fin Str Trk Driver Team Laps Stage 1 Pos Stage 2 Pos Pts Status Tms Laps Playoff Pts

1 3 25 Timothy Peters Kingman Chevrolet Chevrolet 94 40 Running 1 1 5
2 28 13 Myatt Snider # RideTV Ford 94 3 10 44 Running
3 1 51 David Gilliland Pedigree Toyota 94 7 38 Running
4 16 24 Justin Haley (P) Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet 94 8 8 39 Running 1 2
5 32 49 Wendell Chavous SobrietyNation Chevrolet 94 32 Running
6 11 52 Stewart Friesen (P) We Build America Chevrolet 94 31 Running
7 21 3 Jordan Anderson Rusty's Off Road Chevrolet 94 30 Running
8 27 28 Bryan Dauzat FDNY Chevrolet 94 29 Running
9 30 20 Max Tullman(i) YurPal.com Chevrolet 94 0 Running
10 10 02 Austin Hill Young's Building Systems/Randco Chevrolet 94 6 32 Running 3 8
11 22 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Osage Contractors Chevrolet 94 7 30 Running 1 3
12 24 22 Austin Wayne Self GO TEXAN Chevrolet 94 25 Running
13 13 18 Noah Gragson (P) Safelite AutoGlass Toyota 93 5 30 Running 1 3
14 26 33 Robby Lyons Sunwest Construction LLC Chevrolet 93 23 Running
15 15 7 Korbin Forrister TruClear Toyota 93 22 Running
16 14 41 Ben Rhodes (P) Carolina Nut Co. Ford 93 9 4 30 Running
17 8 16 Brett Moffitt (P) Toyota 92 20 Running
18 25 30 Scott Lagasse Jr.(i) Strutmasters.com Toyota 92 0 Running
19 4 98 Grant Enfinger (P) Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford 92 1 28 Running 4 31 1
20 6 4 Todd Gilliland # Pedigree Puppy Toyota 82 6 1 32 Accident 2 13 1
21 29 45 Justin Fontaine # ProMATIC Automation/Superior Essex Chevrolet 82 16 Electrical
22 5 21 Johnny Sauter (P) ISM Connect Chevrolet 73 2 3 32 Accident 2 8
23 23 63 Bobby Gerhart Lucas Oil Chevrolet 61 14 Electrical
24 19 47 Chris Fontaine Glenden Enterprises Chevrolet 58 13 Accident
25 2 2 Spencer Gallagher(i) Allegiant Chevrolet 58 0 Accident 4 15
26 9 88 Matt Crafton (P) Fisher Nuts/Menards Ford 58 4 2 27 Accident 1 7
27 31 8 John Hunter Nemechek(i) Fleetwing Corporation Chevrolet 58 10 5 0 Accident
28 20 75 Parker Kligerman Food Country USA Chevrolet 58 9 11 Accident
29 12 54 Bo LeMastus # Fred's/Crosley Brands Toyota 58 8 Accident 1 1
30 7 87 Joe Nemechek Fleetwing Corporation Chevrolet 50 7 Vibration 1 2
31 17 12 Tanner Thorson K & L Ready Mix Chevrolet 48 6 Suspension
32 18 68 Clay Greenfield AMVETS Please Stand Chevrolet 47 5 Suspension

Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 48 Mins, 47 Secs. Average Speed: 137.911 MPH

Margin of Victory: Caution

98,21,13,88,18,4,51,24,41,8
4,88,21,41,8,02,10,24,75,13

Race Comments: Timothy Peters won the 13th Fr8Auctions 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, his 11th victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Prior to the start of the race, the following cars dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reasons indicated: Trucks?to the rear:?Nos. 8, 75, 02, 52, 21 (unapproved adjustments), No. 13 (unapproved tire change), No. 30 (engine change).

Failed to Qualify: (4) 6 Norm Benning, 83 Joey Gase(i), 0 Ray Ciccarelli, 15 Jamie Mosley.

Caution Flags: 6 for 21 laps: Laps: 22-25 (End of Stage 1 [68]); 42-45 (End of Stage 2 [51]); 50-52 (#12 Incident Backstretch [16]); 60-63 (#75,47,24,21,2,88,41,8,54,45 Incident Turn 4 [Red Flag: 11:42] [None]); 84-88 (#4, 98 Incident Turn 4 [02]); 94-94 ( [None]).

Lead Changes: 22 among 12 drivers: 0; S. Gallagher(i) 1-9; J. Sauter (P) 10-15; G. Enfinger (P) 16-21; J. Nemechek 22-23; A. Hill 24-25; S. Gallagher(i) 26; A. Hill 27-31; S. Gallagher(i) 32-33; A. Hill 34; S. Gallagher(i) 35-37; T. Gilliland # 38-41; B. LeMastus # 42; G. Enfinger (P) 43-48; M. Crafton (P) 49-55; J. Sauter (P) 56-57; G. Enfinger (P) 58-59; J. Cobb 60-62; T. Gilliland # 63-71; G. Enfinger (P) 72-88; J. Haley (P) 89-90; N. Gragson (P) 91-93; T. Peters 94;

Duralast GT Brakes ?Brake in the Race Award? - Stage 1 : Grant Enfinger, #98 Stage 1
Duralast GT Brakes ?Brake in the Race Award? - Stage 2 : Todd Gilliland, #4 Stage 2
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race : Ilmor Engines (IE), #51 Mobil 1 Driver of the Race : Myatt Snider, #13
Sunoco Rookie of the Race : Myatt Snider, #13

(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Next Race: Oct. 27, 2018 - Martinsville Speedway

NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications @ P.O. Box 2875, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2875

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