Fr8 208: Eckes gets first win of the year

Christian Eckes wins his first race of the year after a last lap crash ends the race under caution.

Qualifying on Friday was rained out, so the NASCAR metric was used to determine the line-up. Defending champion Zane Smith had the pole with Ty Majeski to his outside. 

The green flag flew and it wasn’t long until Eckes’ #19 took the point and logged most of stage one in the top spot, with most of the field single file behind him.

The first caution flew on lap 24 when TRICON teammates Layne Riggs and Tanner Gray collided in the quad-oval.

The race resumed with one to go in the stage and Eckes held on to get the win in stage 1. 

Stage One Results

1. #19
2. #38
3. #23
4. #88
5. #25
6. #98
7. #52
8. #99
9. #4
10.  #35

The race commenced again with the #42 of Hocevar and #88 of Crafton out front on pit strategy. But before the completion of the first lap of stage 2, the caution flew again due to debris in the form of a piece of ballast.

Crafton and the #04 of Honeycutt started out front on the restart and Crafton took and held the lead for the victory in stage 2 after a challenge from John Hunter Nemechek in the #17. 

Stage Two Results

1. #88
2. #98
3. #17
4. #99
5. #11
6. #38
7. #16
8. #23
9. #52
10.  #2

Lap 68 saw the resumption of the final stage with the #25 of DiBenedetto and the #17 out front. Nemechek took the lead for the next 10 laps until the #46 of Akinori Ogata spun, bringing out another yellow. 

The field lined up for the restart on lap 84 but it was immediately called off after the #11 of Heim and the #2 of Sanchez got into each other on a stack up restart, resulting in Heim’s hood being punched in. 

The green flew again with the #17 and the #51 out front. Nemechek jumped to the lead until the caution flew again for the #5 of Thompson in the wall with a flat. 

Nemechek and the #51 of Wood lined up on the front row again and began to trade the lead between each other until the #51 got clear out front. Wood’s time out front was cut short as he got spun from the front of the #17. 

Sanchez and Nemechek lined up at 15 to go when the green flew again. Ben Rhodes in the #99 took the lead before a caution came out for the #42, #23 and #45 up in the wall in turn 4. 

6 to go saw the green flag fly until the field was immediately put under caution again due to the #42 of Hocevar.

The field lined up for the overtime finish with Eckes and Sanchez on the front row. Sanchez took the lead at the white flag with Eckes behind him. Going into turn 3 Eckes looked to the outside with a push from Rhodes as they wrecked into the wall behind them. Coming out of turn 4 Eckes had the lead as the caution flew, making him the winner from Sanchez.

Nemecheck finished 3rd, Bayley Currey in the Niece Motorsport #41 got 4th and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top 5. 

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