Haley ultimately came home eighth on the track, more than 24 seconds behind race winner and champion Moffitt.

The 19-year-old ended the year with three victories, nine top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in 23 races.

“We had a good run at it there at the start of the race and I really thought we were going to be one to contend with,” noted Haley. “We had really good fire‑off speed all night, but it just seemed like four or five laps into the run, we would plow tight and then get loose. Then about 13 or 14 laps into the run, we’d get okay again, but it was too late at that point because we were so far behind.

“We just fought the balance all night, but it was still a pretty good day. We just missed the setup.”

Last, there was Sauter, who won the 2016 Truck Series championship in the elimination format but was never a factor in this year’s title tilt. Sauter ran outside the top 10 for much of the night, eventually fading to the tail end of the lead lap and crossing the line 33 seconds behind in 12th place.

It was a disappointing end to a career season for Sauter, who won six times and won the regular season championship but closed the year with two rough races at ISM Raceway and Homestead.

“I’ve been racing long enough to know when you get that really good feeling about the way things are going, and I just never had it today,” said Sauter, who was fastest in practice to start the day. “Even this morning, when we made our mock run and we were top of the board, it just didn’t seem gripped up.

“Tonight’s race was a bit of a shock to us. I didn’t think we would be that awful, but we were,” he added. “Like (Justin) said, we just missed it … and such is life, you know? Nobody died. We’re all good. It’s just part of it.”

Sauter admitted that with the momentum Moffitt carried coming into the finale, he knew that everyone was likely chasing the No. 16 truck for the title.

“Momentum is definitely a factor in this sport, and I can speak from past experience. Two years ago, we got hot towards the end of the year, especially around the playoffs, and we won a couple races and came down here and had a good run and won the championship. … So yeah, I wasn’t surprised. I knew today just looking at the lap tracker that they had good speed in their truck, and I felt like that’s the guy we were chasing.

“When you get on a roll, sometimes you feel invincible, and they had it going on. We just struggled down the stretch. I can sit up here and sugar coat it until the cows come home, but that’s not my style. Let’s call it what it is; we sucked last week and we sucked tonight.”

As far as how each driver planned to cope with the disappointment of missing out on the championship, Sauter had his plan laid out before he ever left the media center after the race.

“These guys ain’t old enough to drink, but I can go home and have a 12‑pack of Bud Light, maybe some Old Style,” Sauter said with a wry laugh. “Nights like tonight help you to appreciate the good days.”