Clean Harbors 250
After three weeks off, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returned to the track at Richmond Raceway for the conclusion of their regular season. The Clean Harbors 250 was a great welcome back for race fans. In typical NASCAR fashion, a hurricane moved through the east coast the week before which threatened the chances of the race even happening. Christian Eckes sat on pole, with Ty Majeski alongside him. The stage lengths were 70 laps for the first two stages and 110 for the final stage.
Locked Up
Eckes grabbed the lead on the start, while Majeski was not ready and ended up falling to third. Ben Rhodes wasted no time as he moved Nick Sanchez up the track into turn one. Majeski caught back up and passed Eckes for the lead. The field spread out but that didn’t stop the action. Majeski opened a gap of over three seconds over second place. He caught lapped traffic quickly which allowed the gap to close. Many potential playoff trucks complained of no grip including Tanner Gray and Stewart Friesen. Matt Mills brought out the first caution on lap 57. His right front tire went flat which sent him into turn three. Eckes and the trucks behind him decided to pit for tires, while Majeski stayed out.
Chaos on the Restart
Eckes, with fresher tires, passed the first three cars on the outside to take the lead. Majeski fell back quickly. Eckes led the final seven laps and won stage one! That stage win clinched the regular season championship for him, and he got 15 bonus points for the playoffs. Taylor Gray finished the stage in second. Majeski finished the stage in 18th. Majeski got a penalty under the yellow, as a tire rolled away from his pit stall while pitting. He had to restart the race from the rear.
Locked Out
Eckes jumped out in front on the restart. Grant Enfinger was able to pass Taylor Gray for second. Majeski restarted in 22nd after the penalty. He was the fastest truck on the track as he had the freshest tires. He sliced through the field, passing his way to 16th halfway through the stage. Tanner Gray, who had to start close to the back of the pack, struggled to make passes. He was a driver that was close to the playoff line in points. Enfinger used lapped traffic to catch Eckes and take the lead. Taylor Gray was also able to catch up to the top two trucks. Taylor Gray made the pass on Eckes for second. With 15 to go, Majeski was able to pass his way into the top ten. Taylor Gray squeezed Enfinger into a lapped truck and snatch the lead.
Turn It Up!
Matt Crafton brought out a caution after spinning out underneath Kaden Honeycutt. He was hot on the radio complaining of Honeycutt leaving him “no room.” He did tag the inside wall, but it was not a ton of damage. Crafton is one of the drivers on the outside of the playoffs and needs to win to get in, so this spin was not ideal for him.
Most trucks used this opportunity to pit for new tires. Enfinger was able to retake the lead coming out of the pits. He had to restart behind Ty Dillon, Bayley Currey, and Stewart Friesen after they stayed out under the caution.
The restart was full of chaos. They were four wide as they went into turn one. Enfinger retook the lead after they shook out. The trucks that didn’t pit fell very quickly. Enfinger led the last six laps and won Stage 2! It was his first stage win this season.
Locked In
Eckes and Enfinger restarted on the front row for the final stage. Corey Heim got into Daniel Dye as they dove into turn one. Heim was able to snag the lead. Before the first lap could finish the caution came out. Dean Thompson got turned by Ty Dillon. Dillon had some help from Chase Purdy. Thad Moffit and Keith McGee got a ton of damage that ended their days.
It was a long caution because of fluids that were spilled on the track. Enfinger got a great restart. Ben Rhodes shot into second. Before the race could get going, Lawless Alan brought out the next caution after getting spun around in Turn 4.
Tires Matter
Rhodes restarted on the inside with Enfinger choosing the outside. Enfinger was able to hold on to the lead on the restart. The temperature of the race seemed to be increasing as the action amped up. Connor Jones brought out the next caution. He lost power in his truck.
They restarted with 72 laps left. Enfinger took the lead with Rhodes and Eckes behind him, side by side. The action did not stop. They were four wide in the back of the pack. Corey Heim began to make passes. Ty Majeski made his return into the top five, after his troubles on pit road. He was patient as he got around Eckes and Rhodes into the top three.
Fourty-four laps to go saw Majeski chasing Heim, who had fresher tires. Heim closed the gap to the leader. Eckes and Rhodes battled hard for the fourth position. Layne Riggs made his way into fourth after getting around Eckes and Rhodes. Heim got around Enfinger in Turn 1 and two. He used a lap car to curb Enfingers’ momentum.
A Late Caution
Honeycutt got spun by Stefan Parsons which brought out the next caution. This allowed the field to pit for new tires. Heim did not have a set of new tires so it was scuffs for him. William Sawalich took two tires which gave him the lead off of pit road. Enfinger was the first truck off with four new tires.
Sawalich and Enfinger restart on the front row. They got tight in turn one. That allowed Majeski to snag the lead. Layne Riggs followed into second but Enfinger did not give up so easily. Majeski watched Enfinger, Riggs, and Eckes battle for second in his rear view mirror. This allowed him to pull away by a second.
Another Late Caution
Connor Zilisch brought out the next caution as he backed his truck into the wall. He immediately pulled the truck behind the infield wall. Bret Holmes helped Zilisch get around. With 10 to go in the Clean Harbors 250, Majeski and Enfinger restarted on the front row. Riggs and Eckes were behind them in the second row. They battled for the lead but Majeski got the lead and he pulled away. He led the final seven laps to get the win in Richmond! It is his second consecutive truck series race. Eckes, Taylor Gray, Enfinger and Riggs rounded out the top five.
Marvin’s Minute
A great win by Ty Majeski gave him a ton of momentum going into the playoffs. He will have to fight off some heavy hitters in Christian Eckes and Corey Heim. With Milwaukee and Bristol next up on the schedule, Majeski could lock himself into the next round with a win in one of those races. With Milwaukee being his home track, and already having a win at Bristol, he could easily keep this momentum going.
