NCTS Race Recap: DQS Solutions & Staffing 250

The DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 took place at one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks on the circuit, Michigan International Speedway. Luke Fenhaus showed his FORD blue oval speed in qualifying and got himself the best starting spot. Carson Hocevar joined him on the front row. Matt Crafton, Jake Garcia, and Jack Wood rounded out the top five. Grant Enfinger started the race back in 14th. The stage lengths were 30 laps for the first two stages, and the final stage was 65 laps.

Two to Tango

Fenhaus got the better jump on the start of the race. He jumped out into the lead. Garcia, his teammate, began to push for the lead on the inside but got loose and slipped back. Connor Mosack made the pass on the outside while Hocevar passed for the lead on the inside.

Rajah Caruth was brought down pit road on the third lap of the race with a tire issue.

Mosack used the inside line of turns one and two to jump out in front of Hocevar. Hocevar did not wait and took his lead back into turn three. While they fought back and forth for the lead, Corey Heim found his way into third behind the duel. He made the pass on Mosack to slide into second. Heim hunted for a way around Hocevar in the lead. The two out front pulled away from third by over a second.

Heim continued to push Hocevar out front. They caught lapped traffic, but both were able to slice through it. Mosack was able to use the traffic to close the gap between him and Heim. That did not last as Heim and Hocevar used more clean air to pull away again. Heim would wait till turn three on the last lap to lunge for the lead. He used the inside line to drive right past Hocevar and get the stage win!

Heim Doing Heim Things

Heim and Mosack brought the field back to green. They both got good restarts, but Hocevar pushed Heim out in front. Hocevar was able to follow Heim and take second from Mosack. Majeski sat in third with Mosack and Ruggiero behind him. Kaden Honeycutt moved his way into the top six.

Hocevar used a big run on the back stretch to drive right by Heim and take back the lead with twenty laps to go in the stage. The top three separated themselves from the field. Hocevar acquired some debris on his nose and allowed Heim to pass for the lead in order to dislodge the trash. Majeski was able to use the ailing Hocevar to pass him for second. Hocevar immediately passed Majeski back for second.

Heim and Hocevar pulled away from third. Hocevar used this opportunity to make his plan to pass for the lead. He would get to the back of Heim and then back off a hair. He used a run on the front stretch, but it was not enough. The failed attempt messed him up for the rest of the final lap. Corey Heim was able to complete the stage sweep!

Cautions Begin

Heim and Honeycutt brought the field back to green, both getting equal restarts. Heim had Hocevar pushing, which proved to be a big advantage. Hocevar pushed Heim back out into the lead and was able to drive underneath Heim and retake the lead. Honeycutt settled in third.

Jack Wood brought out the third caution of the day. He got loose by himself and spun around into the wall. He was able to drive his truck back to the pits and keep it going.

Hocevar and Honeycutt chose the front row for the restart. Both with great restarts, but Hocevar prevailed. Before they could get going, the fourth caution came out when Rajah Caruth got turned around and backed into the fence. Matt Mills drove down into Caruth in turn one.

Hocevar and Honeycutt brought the field back to green. Heim pushed Hocevar back as far as he could, but got out of line. Ross Chastain filled in the gap left by Heim. Honeycutt took the lead, but not for long. Hocevar drove around the outside of Honeycutt to get back out front.

The fifth caution came out when Morgen Baird and Nathan Byrd got together. Baird got loose and slid into Byrd, sending them both into the wall. Mixed strategies on pit road allowed Daniel Hemric and Chandler Smith to be the first two out. Heim slid seven spots and came out tenth.

Another Break in the Wall

With 38 laps to go, NASCAR displayed the red flag after pit stops. They stopped the race to fix a problem with the outside wall.

With 35 laps to go in the race, Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton restarted the race. Enfinger got a much better launch and was able to take the lead with Ruggiero following him to second. Tyler Ankrum smacked the wall but was able to keep it straight. He was tapped on the left rear by Mosack who was loose in the turn.

Honeycutt had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a tire that had gone down.

Hocevar was able to make up ground after losing on pit road. He was the fastest truck on the track after making his way into the top ten. Heim was able to get back into the top five. Layne Riggs made his way into the top five after taking tires on the last caution. Chastain was stuck behind Ruggiero with Heim breathing down his neck.

20 to Go

Enfinger was able to keep Riggs behind him. Chastain passed Ruggiero for third by powering his way around the outside. The top six were separated by under a second. Riggs tried to pass for the lead but could not complete it. That allowed Chastain to move into second. He dove into turn one but could not find the speed to take the lead. Chastain and Enfinger were side by side coming out of the turn. Riggs got a huge run to make it three wide. Chastain and Riggs passed Enfinger and stayed next to each other.

Enfinger drove underneath them both on the apron of the front stretch. Heim used a run to get around Riggs for third. Hocevar closed the gap behind Riggs in fifth. Hocevar made quick work and passed for third, and dropped Riggs to fifth. Heim used the slingshot to pass Hocevar back for fourth. Then, Riggs made contact with the wall.

Chastain took the lead with twelve to go. Hocevar did not like that and immediately took a shot at the lead. Coming out of turn two, Chastain got loose and sideways but was able to keep it straight. He made contact with the left rear of Hocevar and fell to fifth. Hocevar was able to pull away by almost a second. A caution was thrown for a tire from Riggs’ truck sitting on the back stretch.

Hocevar was forced to pit after the contact. Enfinger also pitted for tires and fuel.

Chaos Ensues (Too Many Overtimes)

Chastain and Ruggiero restarted the race with six laps to go. They did not get up to speed before another caution. Chastain was turned sideways by Tanner Gray, and Ruggiero was run over by Heim. Heim, Jake Garcia, Tanner Gray, Ruggiero, Daniel Hemric, Chandler Smith, Ross Chastain, Mosack, Wood, and Ty Majeski were all caught up in the incident.

Dawson Sutton and Corey Lajoie were on the front row for the restart. Frankie Muniz and Hemric took the second row. Muniz did not get going at all, which gave the lead to Lajoie. Garcia made his way to second. Lawless Alan and Hemric both lost tires and hit the wall, which brought out another caution.

Garcia and Lajoie brought the green flag back out. Enfinger pushed Lajoie out into the lead. Enfinger dove under Lajoie to take the lead. Ben Rhodes sat in second. Another caution was brought out when Matt Mills was turned on the back stretch. He hit the outside wall nose first. Tanner Gray, Jack Wood, and Toni Breidinger were also involved. In the chaos, Hocevar was issued a restart penalty.

Stewart Friesen and Enfinger restarted the race with Fenhaus and Lajoie behind them. They got equal jumps with no help from behind. Enfinger had a nose ahead out of turn two. Friesen took the lead into turn three and took the white flag. He blocked Enfinger on the back stretch and took the checkered flag to win the DQS Solutions & Staffing 250!

Marvin’s Minute:

Stewart Friesen used the chaos and carnage late in the race to get the job done. A clean first two stages do not deserve the ending to that race. Impatience can be very prevalent in these late race restarts. I cannot imagine watching that in person. It cannot be fun to watch that ending.

One last thing – I have been biting my tongue on this all season. Why can’t FOX send the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series announcers to the race? This race was on actual FOX and not FS1, but we still cannot get them to the track. They kept saying, “Here in Michigan…” when they are not even there. FOX has the money to send them.

The truck series takes a break but will be back in two weeks in Pocono.