Ryan Preece wins second-straight Nashville truck race
Michael Manny recaps Ryan Preece's victory in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Last season, Ryan Preece earned his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at Nashville Superspeedway.
History repeated itself.
Leading a race-high 75 laps, Preece won at Nashville Superspeedway for the second-straight year in the Rackley Roofing 200.
The win is Preece’s second in just eight truck series starts. With the win, Preece also earns a $50,000 bonus as part of the Triple Truck Challenge, a three-race stretch that offers extra prize money to the winners. Plus, it is the second-straight win for David Gilliland Racing, (Todd Gilliland won at Knoxville last week).
“I just want you guys to know, a lot of this [truck] is built in the shop, the speed is built in the shop, and these guys work their tails off and I know what it takes to win races and they give me phenomenal race cars,” Preece said to Fox Sports’ Regan Smith after the race. “I’m just proud to be the one holding the steering wheel.”
Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith nearly closed the gap in the final few laps, with Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar close behind. Preece was able to hold them off for the victory.
Preece started the race on the pole for the first time in his career, but Smith near immediately took the lead in his No. 38 truck. Smith held the lead for the next 49 laps.
Though it was early in the race, Smith looked like he could dominate in a similar fashion to his win at Kansas Motor Speedway earlier in the season. In that race, Smith led 108 of 134 laps.
However, Smith would struggle to regain ground when he lost the lead, finishing second.
It did not take long for the race’s first caution flag. Matt Crafton made contact with the back of rookie Jack Wood’s No. 24 truck, spinning him into the wall and ending his day.
Soon after the race went back to green, Camden Murphy spun in turn two on lap 19. The spin ended Murphy’s day early on. Murphy, who also is competing in the Nashville Monster Jam event this weekend, was making his first truck start of the season.
Smith went on to win the opening stage. That is when one of the more surprising moments of the night occurred.
While doing a pit stop, a member of Jesse Little’s No. 2 crew lost control of a tire. The pit crew member ran onto the live pit road, chasing after the rolling tire in front of oncoming trucks. Little was assessed an uncontrolled tire penalty and had to drop to the rear.
ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski won the race off of pit road, but Smith regained the lead on lap 54. Smith held onto the lead the next 20 laps.
Early in stage two, Kyle Busch Motorsports’ John Hunter Nemechek was spun by Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar on the backstretch. Though Nemechek was able to finish ninth, he lost his slim regular season points lead to Smith.
Preece took the lead from Smith on lap 74 and held onto it for the next 25. Smith would only lead one more lap, as Preece went on to lead all but three laps the rest of the way.
Preece went on to win the second stage.
In a race that included six cautions for cause, the most significant accident came later in the final stage.
Matt DiBenedetto, Corey Heim and Grant Enfinger went four-wide in turn three with Majeski. Heim, Enfinger and DiBenedetto quickly crashed, ending their nights.
Besides two laps from Parker Kligerman in the No. 75, Preece led the rest of the race, holding off a charging Smith.
Making just his second truck series start, 19-year-old Max Gutiérrez finished eighth.
The series heads next to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 150, Saturday, July 9 at 1:30 p.m. EST. Coverage can be found on Fox Sports 1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Race Results:
Driver points report: