BOWMANVILLE, Ontario – Justin Haley was in the right place at the right time to capitalize on calamity Sunday afternoon at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, surging from third to first in the final corner to win the Chevrolet Silverado 250.
Haley was running a second and a half back in third on the final lap of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff opener when Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson got together in turn 10 while racing for the victory.
Gragson shoved his nose to the inside of Gilliland’s truck where there was almost enough space to make a lane, but in doing so Gragson sent Gilliland spinning into the tire barriers before the momentum of his move sent his No. 18 Toyota around in a cloud of smoke as well.
As all that was happening, Haley was just coming into the final corner. He kept his GMS Racing-prepared No. 24 FOE Chevrolet hugged against the pit wall to driver’s right, dodged the tail section of Gragson’s truck and crossed under the checkered flag to score a thrilling Truck Series victory.
“That was amazing,” said Haley of the improbable win. “I knew going in there (to the last lap) that (Noah) Gragson was probably going to do something not very smart, and that was going to line us up pretty good. We had a really fast truck; I just saw (the contact) coming and I knew we were in the catbird’s seat.”
By virtue of his second win of the season, Haley – who entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed – punched his ticket to the next round of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series postseason and banked an additional five playoff points in the process.
But more importantly to the 19-year-old native of Winimac, Ind. – who has an extensive background in Trans-Am Series competition –it was a very long-awaited first NASCAR-sanctioned road course victory.
“This is one that I’ve been chasing for a long time – a road course win in NASCAR,” Haley noted. “I’ve run a lot of them and never quite gotten to this point (in victory lane). This win means more than Gateway.”
Gragson swept the first two stages, but pit strategy before the start of the final stage meant that he had to rally forward from 11th, while points leader Johnny Sauter led the field to the green flag with 16 to go.
A quick caution for a spinning Austin Self on the backstretch bunched the field back up and meant that Gragson had even fewer laps to find his way to the front, all while Sauter continued to hold court up front.
When racing resumed with 13 to go, Gragson drove like a man possessed to make up ground, charging from ninth to fifth in just over a lap while his teammate Gilliland closed on Sauter for the race lead after starting the final stage in sixth.
Gilliland made his move with 11 laps left, surging to Sauter’s left to seize the top spot and quickly opening up a near-four second margin as Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger and Gragson waged a torrid war for third position behind them.
Gragson finally came out ahead of that battle coming onto the frontstretch with nine to go, using up a portion of dirt to driver’s left on the frontstretch to get the pass completed. He then passed Sauter for second one circuit later, bringing Haley with him into third, but by then Gilliland appeared to be out of reach.
That all changed, however, when the caution flag waved with four laps remaining and set up a NASCAR Overtime restart with Gilliland and Gragson sharing the front row.
Gilliland escaped with the advantage on the restart and drove out to nearly a full second’s advantage over Gragson, but Gragson began reeling his younger teammate in coming to the white flag and was all over Gilliland’s back bumper when the duo hit the backstretch for the final time.
Unable to make a move at the end of that straightaway, Gragson patiently waited for Gilliland to slip, which happened coming off turn nine and gave Gragson the tiniest of holes to try and attack in the last corner.
That led to the contact that swept up both KBM Toyotas, while Haley snuck through and stole the win.
John Hunter Nemechek, who is racing for the owner’s championship with the No. 8 Chevrolet, followed Haley through and crossed the line 2.223 seconds adrift in the runner-up spot. Brett Moffitt completed the podium for Hattori Racing Enterprises.
Subbing for Spencer Gallagher in the No. 25 truck as a last-minute call-in, Timothy Peters finished fourth and two-time series champion Matt Crafton followed in fifth.
Sauter crossed the line sixth, while Gragson faded to ninth after leading a race-high 35 laps. Gilliland edged DJ Kennington at the finish line for 11th with his battered machine.
