NASCAR Truck Series: 2018 PPG 400 results – Johnny Sauter wins
By Mark Kristl
Johnny Sauter won the PPG 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. The win was his fourth NASCAR Truck Series victory of this season.
Victory lane with the #21 GMS Racing Chevrolet driven by Johnny Sauter have been a common sight together this NASCAR Truck Series season. Sauter, of course, won the most recent Truck Series race at Charlotte. This time at Texas Motor Speedway, he held off a furious late charge from Stewart Friesen to win the PPG 400 for his fourth Truck Series win of the season in eight races.
This weekend, the Cup Series and Xfinity Series do not race at the same track as the Truck Series did. Typically when the Truck Series races at the same track as either of the other two series, most Truck Series teams hire other teams’ pit crews.
As a result, in this race, Truck Series teams used different pit crews. This would have affected the outcome of the race if there would have been green flag pit stops. However, the PPG 400 did not feature green flag pit stops thanks to several caution flag periods.
Nearly all the cautions in the PPG 400 featured drivers making contact with the wall. Six laps into the race, Justin Fontaine slammed the wall. A couple of laps later, Bayley Currey got out of the racing groove and also slid into the wall. With 12 laps to go in stage one, Brett Moffitt got loose under Austin Wayne Self, causing them to make contact, and Moffitt to spin into the wall.
More from Camping World Truck Series
- NASCAR: New team confirmed for Kyle Busch for 2024
- NASCAR: Replacement confirmed for driver released before Talladega
- NASCAR team releases driver with three races left
- NASCAR Truck Series: Spencer Boyd speaks on Montucky, Bristol tradition
- NASCAR title-winning team shutting down after 2023
This caution flag period brought some lead-lap trucks to pit road. When the first stage ended, race polesitter Stewart Friesen was the leader, which allowed him to capture another playoff point. Not surprisingly, Truck Series champions Sauter and Matt Crafton earned stage points. Yet the varying pit strategy allowed Cody Coughlin and Austin Wayne Self, two drivers in need of a good race, to also nab some stage points.
The second stage also ended with a shootout. With six laps to go in the stage, Bo LeMastus cut a tire and slid up in front of race leader Todd Gilliland. Unfortunately, LeMastus made contact with Norm Benning, smacked the wall, and NASCAR threw the caution flag.
During this caution flag period, several lead-lap trucks pitted. When the stage ended, Grant Enfinger was in the lead, thus earning his first stage win and his first playoff point of the season. Once again, Crafton and Sauter collected stage points. Of note, playoff hopefuls Myatt Snider and Justin Haley also earned some stage points.
Later in the race on lap 107, Snider and Dalton Sargeant raced for position. As they approached the lapped truck of Jennifer Jo Cobb, Snider attempted to use her as a pick. Unfortunately, Sargeant and Snider made contact. As a result, Snider and Jo Cobb wrecked.
YELLOW! A multi-truck incident unfolds entering Turn 3.
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) June 9, 2018
Heavy damage for @MyattSnider & @JenJoCobb. #PPG400 pic.twitter.com/oZgyOtejQB
The wreck between Jo Cobb and Snider brought the leaders to pit road. Several drivers, including Sauter, sought to make that pit stop their last pit stop. With 18 laps to go, Moffitt brought out another caution flag period. This time, drivers such as Gilliland and Noah Gragson pitted to ensure that their fuel loads could carry them to the end of the race.
Shortly after the race restarted with 10 laps to go, Jordan Anderson hit the wall. After a lengthy cleanup, the race ended in a shootout. GMS Racing drivers Sauter and Haley restarted on the front row. As the laps wound down, Friesen made a valiant effort to earn his first victory. Alas, he fell just short, and Sauter won the PPG 400.
TO THE LINE! 🏁@JohnnySauter holds off @StewartFriesen to win a thriller at @TXMotorSpeedway! pic.twitter.com/rZ9nwSNADW
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) June 9, 2018
Here are the full race results from the NASCAR Truck Series PPG 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Manufacturer |
| 1 | Johnny Sauter | #21, GMS Racing, Chevrolet |
| 2 | Stewart Friesen | #52, Halmar Friesen Racing, Chevrolet |
| 3 | Justin Haley | #24, GMS Racing, Chevrolet |
| 4 | Grant Enfinger | #98, ThorSport Racing, Ford |
| 5 | Matt Crafton | #88, ThorSport Racing, Ford |
| 6 | Todd Gilliland | #4, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota |
| 7 | Tyler Young | #20, Young’s Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 8 | Cody Coughlin | #2, GMS Racing, Chevrolet |
| 9 | Spencer Davis | #51, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota |
| 10 | Noah Gragson | #18, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota |
| 11 | Dalton Sargeant | #25, GMS Racing, Chevrolet |
| 12 | Wendell Chavous | #49, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 13 | Austin Hill | #02, Young’s Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 14 | Chris Eggleston | #54, DGR-Crosley, Toyota |
| 15 | Joe Nemechek | #8, NEMCO Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 16 | Ben Rhodes | #41, ThorSport Racing, Ford |
| 17 | Austin Wayne Self | #22, Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 18 | Brett Moffitt | #16, Hattori Racing Enterprises, Toyota |
| 19 | Jordan Anderson | #3, Jordan Anderson Racing, Chevrolet |
| 20 | Clay Greenfield | #68, Clay Greenfield Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 21 | Norm Benning | #6, Norm Benning Racing, Chevrolet |
| 22 | Korbin Forrister | #7, All Out Motorsports, Toyota |
| 23 | Myatt Snider | #13, ThorSport Racing, Ford |
| 24 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | #10, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Chevrolet |
| 25 | Josh Reaume | #33, Reaume Brothers Racing, Toyota |
| 26 | Bo LeMastus | #17, DGR-Crosley, Toyota |
| 27 | Reed Sorenson | #15, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 28 | Kyle Donahue | #63, MB Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 29 | Bayley Currey | #83, Copp Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 30 | Justin Fontaine | #45, Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 31 | Camden Murphy | #0, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Chevrolet |
| 32 | Todd Peck | #50, Beaver Motorsports, Chevrolet |
Next: NASCAR Playoffs: Pros and Cons
In the most recent NASCAR Truck Series power rankings, Johnny Sauter was ranked #1. With his victory, he will most assuredly stay there. He and the other Truck Series drivers will race next weekend at Iowa Speedway in the M&M’s 200. Viewers can watch that race on Saturday, June 16, on Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET.