DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Robert Laberge/Getty Images North America photo —
For 19-year-old Corning, California driver Tyler Reddick, Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 was a Daytona dream come true.
Reddick, in his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start as a full-time driver for Brad Keselowski Racing, used help from teammate Austin Theriault to hold off the pack coming off turn four and claim his first-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in the tour’s season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
The win comes in Reddick’s 18th career Truck start, after the “California Kid” lost out on Rookie of the Year honors in 2014 to Ben Kennedy.
“(This) feels amazing — I can’t begin to say how thankful I am for everybody on this Brad Keselowski Racing team,” an emotional Reddick said in Victory lane. “Everyone here made this possible and we wouldn’t be in victory lane tonight if it wasn’t for each and every one of them.”
“My teammate (Austin Theriault) — I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for him too. Our Draw-Tite F-150 was outstanding tonight. We got here to victory lane at Daytona. It’s unbelievable.”
Reddick also led a race-high 46 of 100 laps en route to the upset victory.
Behind Reddick, a frantic four-wide scramble for second saw Kyle Busch Motorsports young gun Erik Jones charge up the outside in the same manner his team owner did a year ago to win the Daytona truck race. While Jones didn’t get all the way to the win, he did move from fourth to second in the final hundred yards.
“It’s tough (to not get to the win),” Jones said. “I didn’t know if the 20 (Lagasse) could go and make it happen on the top. He just had too much nose damage. Awesome Tundra. It was fast. I just wish we could have won. Second is always no fun. It’s good to start the season off strong. It’ll be nice to go into Atlanta with such a strong start and not having to make up (points) all year.”
“Thankful to Toyota for this opportunity to run full-time. It’s going to be a fun year.”
Unofficially, Austin Theriault finished third in a dead heat with Scott Lagasse, who was scored fourth. Florida native Ray Black Jr. shot below the yellow line, but was credited with a fifth place result in the final rundown — the rookie’s best career finish in his eighth start.
“That was wild,” Black laughed. “I looked behind me and everyone was coming up the outside so I moved up to block them and came back down. When I saw them going three-wide (in front of me) I figured I could sneak underneath them, but it didn’t quite work. I’ll take a top five though.”
Theriault played the loyal teammate until the very end, trying to hold second to give team owner Brad Keselowski his first-ever one-two finish in the Truck Series. While it didn’t quite work out, the effort was still a career night for the Fort Kent, Maine driver — who notched a top five in his first career Truck Series start.
“I’m really proud of the guys, they brought an unbelievably fast truck tonight,” said Theriault, who ended up fourth at the checkers in his first series start. “I’m really excited for Tyler. He is running for a championship. I think this is pretty good momentum for them. The 29 is running for an owner’s championship too, so it’s a good, solid finish leaving Daytona. We’ll bring it back (home) and go from here.”
Ty Dillon lead the opening laps from the pole, with the top 11 trucks settling out before five laps had even gone up on the board and the early stages of the race being relatively calm.
However, two major crashes before halfway would mar the event and cut the field in half by the time lap 50 went up on the scoring pylon.
The first incident occured on lap 14 when Empire Racing’s Austin Hill blew a left rear tire and went spinning into traffic, collecting Joe Nemechek and Red Horse Racing’s Ben Kennedy. In a secondary incident, the machine of Donnie Neuenberger got into the back of Justin Marks while checking up for the crash and collected Marks along with rookie Justin Boston, who was competing in just his second career Truck race.
Boston would also be involved in the race’s second caution, smacking the backstretch wall on lap 26.
Dillon and Reddick exchanged the lead six times between one another in the most competitive stretch of the race — from lap 22 to lap 38 — before Dillon used a push from teammate Spencer Gallagher to reassert his command at the head of the field. But, the “Big One” would bite just 11 circuits later, when Theriault slowed up and started an accordion effect that saw former series champion James Buescher and John Wes Townley get together and spin into the paxk.
The ensuing carnage would collect 12 trucks in total, including Johnny Sauter, Townley, Buescher, Cameron Hayley, Timothy Peters and Daniel Hemric and leave just 17 trucks on the lead lap when the green flag was displayed past halfway.
Dillon had to pit for fuel under the caution before pit road was open, forcing him to the end of the line for the restart with 42 laps to go and ending his hopes to claw back to the front of the field and challenge for the win. Dillon was scored 11th at the checkered flag.
A lap 64 caution for rookie Matt Tifft’s spin in turn two allowed the leaders to make their final pit stops and saw Reddick assume the race lead from Theriault after a slightly quicker gas-and-go pit stop.
It was a lead Reddick would not relinquish again, despite two more cautions that forced the young rookie to fight through the gearbox and prevent the pack from getting a run.
Several drivers, including Johnny Sauter and Bryan Silas, experienced problems with their hoods flying up in the turbulent air of the draft that forced them to pit road for repairs throughout the night. Both Silas and Sauter, however, rallied back for top-ten finishes — Silas was seventh and Sauter tenth at the checkered flag.
Ryan Ellis made a brilliant save with 29 laps to go coming off of turn two, but lost several laps in the process and ultimately slowed on track to bring out the final caution with nine laps to go.
Asked if he was nervous over the final six lap sprint, Reddick just smiled a thousand-watt grin and shook his head.
“There wasn’t a lot going on behind me so I was pretty rest assured,” Reddick said. “My teammate behind me — he’s an outstanding guy — and he would have done just about anything to keep anyone from getting to me and he sure did all he could. I really gotta thank him for that.”
The Camping World Truck Series will be on track at Atlanta Motor Speedway for their second race of the season, the Hyundai Construction Equipment 200, on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. The event will be the first appearance for the Trucks at Atlanta since 2012.
RESULTS: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; NextEra Energy Resources 250; Daytona International Speedway; Feb. 20, 2015:
- Tyler Reddick
- Erik Jones
- Austin Theriault
- Scott Lagasse Jr.
- Ray Black Jr.
- David Gilliland
- Bryan Silas
- Matt Crafton
- Daniel Suarez
- Johnny Sauter
- Ty Dillon
- Korbin Forrister
- Tyler Young
- Norm Benning
- Travis Kvapil
- Ryan Ellis
- James Buescher
- Jennifer Jo Cobb
- Matt Tifft
- Joe Nemechek
- Spencer Gallagher
- John Wes Townley
- Cameron Hayley
- Timothy Peters
- Chris Fontaine
- Daniel Hemric
- Todd Peck
- Ben Kennedy
- Justin Boston
- Austin Hill
- Donnie Neuenberger
- Justin Marks
