Trucks: Wallace beats adversity at Gateway

Trucks: Wallace beats adversity at Gateway

NASCAR

Trucks: Wallace beats adversity at Gateway

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Darrell Wallace Jr. won the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday night at Gateway Motorsports Park, holding off German Quiroga Jr. after passing him on a late restart.

Wallace, who qualified second, dominated from the start, leading the first 62 laps of the 160-lap race. But Wallace suffered damage when he drove off from pit road before his left-rear tire was completely on and fell out of the top 10.

Wallace clawed his way back to the front, finally wrestling the lead away from John Hunter Nemechek on Lap 134. Wallace led a race-high 85 laps. It was Wallace’s second career win on the Truck Series tour and his first of the season.

Timothy Peters placed third, Johnny Sauter fourth and Ron Hornady Jr. was fifth.

Cole Custer, who at the age of 16 years and four months became the youngest pole winner in NASCAR history earlier in the day, placed a career-best sixth.

Points leader Matt Crafton, who has two wins this season, led 11 laps and had just regained the lead when he blew a tire and slammed into the wall on lap 123. He finished in 26th-place.

John Hunter Nemechek, 17, had never led a race in the Truck Series before Saturday, but led the field for 52 laps at Gateway before spinning out on lap 147 and settling for 15th.

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