Johnny Sauter ended the night in victory lane at Phoenix Raceway, but it was a series of wrecks with under 25 laps to go that has the NASCAR garage talking.
The playoffs in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series have officially hit a fever pitch, with one final spot in the Championship 4 on the line at Phoenix Raceway. The jewel in the desert never disappoints with racing, and on Friday night the top truckers battle each other and the track for ultimate victory. At the end of the night, Johnny Sauter was celebrating in victory lane, while more than half the field sat in the garage.
The closing laps of the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix were marred by multiple wrecks, including three red flag periods. Perhaps the most high-profile of these wrecks occurred when Austin Cindric and Ben Rhodes came together on the frontstretch, eliminating the latter from championship contention. Rhodes’ teammate Matt Crafton would also be collected in the incident. Two subsequent wrecks would eliminate more race-winning contenders, leaving just ten trucks on the lead lap at the finish.
Johnny Sauter would end the night in victory lane, with his first ever victory at Phoenix Raceway. He was able to hold off a hard-charging John Hunter Nemechek on the final restart to grab the win.
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Had Nemechek been able to pass Sauter, the #8 Chevy would have advanced in the final spot to the Championship 4. Instead, Austin Cindric joins Sauter, Christopher Bell, and Matt Crafton in the final round of the title fight.
Rounding out the top five behind Sauter and Nemechek on Friday night were three rookies – Cody Coughlin, Chase Briscoe, and Kaz Grala. Only thirteen trucks were running at the finish, with Bayley Curry (10th), Jason Hathaway (11th), and Robby Lyons (12th) earning career-best finishes.
Here are the full race results from the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway (playoff drivers in italics):
- Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- John Hunter Nemechek, Chevrolet, NEMCO Motorsports
- Cody Coughlin, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- Chase Briscoe, Ford, Brad Keselowski Racing
- Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, Halmar Racing
- Todd Gilliland, Toyota, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Christopher Bell, Toyota, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Austin Cindric, Ford, Brad Keselowski Racing
- Bayley Curry, Chevrolet, Copp Motorsports
- Jason Hathaway, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Robby Lyons, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Beaver Motorsports
- Justin Haley, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Noah Gragson, Toyota, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Josh Reaume, Chevrolet, Beaver Motorsports
- Dalton Sargeant, Chevrolet, MDM Motorsports
- Jesse Little, Toyota, JJL Racing
- Ryan Truex, Toyota, Hattori Racing Enterprises
- Ben Rhodes, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- Matt Crafton, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Norm Benning Racing
- Austin Hill, Ford, Austin Hill Racing
- Grant Enfinger, Toyota, ThorSport Racing
- Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, Martins Motorsports
- Ray Ciccarelli, Chevrolet, JJC Racing
- Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, JJC Racing
- Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Harmon Racing
- Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, NEMCO Motorsports
- T.J. Bell, Chevrolet, Niece Motorsports
- Ted Minor, Chevrolet, MB Motorsports
- Mike Senica, Chevrolet, Norm Benning Racing
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Be sure to stay tuned for the season finale for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next week from Homestead-Miami Speedway. Coverage of the race begins on Friday, November 17 at 7:30 PM eastern live on FS1. Who do you think will win the Camping World Truck Series championship?