Results
Fresh From Florida 250
Friday, February 16th, 2024
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
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- Friday, February 16th, 2024
- NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer
Nick Sanchez scores first victory in wild NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck race
With cars wrecking and flipping behind him in overtime, Nick Sanchez claimed the first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory of his young NASCAR Cup Series career in Friday night’s Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
The race ended under caution on the second lap of the overtime after Rajah Caruth, running fourth, moved up the track and turned the No. 91 Chevrolet of Jack Wood in front of the field.
Sanchez and runner-up Corey Heim were clear of the chaos, and Caruth escaped with minimal damage to run third. But behind them, the Chevy of Daniel Dye launched the Toyota of Taylor Gray, which flipped in mid-air and landed upright on its tires in a gaggle of mangled cars.
All told 12 trucks were involved in the wreck, which caused the record 12th caution of the evening.
Coincidentally, Sanchez rallied from a 13-truck crash on Lap 6 to score the victory for his No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet team in his sophomore season.
“It’s huge,” Sanchez said. “We spent all of last year trying to get a win. I knew coming into this year I knew that I had to, right? What better race than to do it than Daytona? Honestly, out of every race, if I was going to do it, this would have been the last one (I expected), but happy to do it. It’s awesome.
“I just knew I had to lead at the white flag, because they were probably going to wreck. I’m glad they wrecked — if everyone is OK. I’m just happy.
“It’s huge. Obviously, we have a new technical partner in Spire (Motorsports)—our first race with them. What a better way to start a partnership. (Sponsor) Gainbridge has stuck with me. They were winless last year. They all deserve it, and they’re going to celebrate with me.”
Caruth was thankful for his third-place finish, but he rued the wreck that ended the race.
“I’m trying to play it back differently in the last laps, but thank you to everybody at Spire Motorsports, HendrickCars.com, the Hendrick Automotive Group, and Mr. H (Hendrick) for what they’ve done for me along with everybody at Spire and Chevy,” Carruth said.
“Man, I felt like I got a bad push there, and you’re already getting tight off of the corner, and everybody is going for all they have on the last lap. I feel terrible to see trucks like that torn up. I hope Taylor (Gray) is all right. But a good night to start the year.”
Fifty-one of the 101 laps were run under caution, and it didn’t take long for the action to start. The first major incident KO’d a handful of drivers.
On the backstretch on Lap 6 of a scheduled 100 circuits, a shove from Christian Eckes’ Chevrolet turned the Ford of three-time series champion Matt Crafton into the Ford of Layne Riggs, igniting a 13-truck accident that eliminated Ty Dillon, Thad Moffitt and Jake Garcia.
With his team unable to effect repairs on his No. 38 Ford F-150, Riggs took his Truck to the garage under caution on Lap 17.
“Chaos, a lot of craziness — everybody was just kind of all over the place,” Dillon said after a mandatory trip to the infield care center. “I’ve never seen anything look like that from behind the wheel four laps into a race.
“With my experience, I knew something like that was going to happen. That’s why I got myself to the bottom to hopefully have a spot to bail. And sure enough, it happened. I thought I got through… I hit the grass and it knocked the tires out of my hand, and I was trying to catch it with the throttle…
“Just hate to be taken out so early and not have a chance.”
The Lap 6 incident was a harbinger of the chaos to come.
Defending series champion Ben Rhodes saw a good night turn bad when Tyler Ankrum door-slammed his Ford on Lap 68. Rhodes pitted with a flat tire a lap later, but after leaving the pits, he spun and crashed as the lead packed tried to dodge the No. 99 Ford in the center of the track.
Rhodes exited the race, and soon after, Johhny Sauter was an innocent victim of a four-truck wreck off Turn 4—after leading 24 laps, second only to Sanchez’s 26.
Bret Holmes finished fourth, followed by Spencer Boyd. Stefan Parsons, Crafton, Timmy Hill, Bryan Dauzat and Eckes completed the top 10.
- Drivers Entered: 40 (4 drivers will not make the race)
- Laps Scheduled: 100
- Laps Actual: 101 - NASCAR OVERTIME!
- Margin of Victory: 0.187 Seconds
- Time of Race: 2 Hours 33 Minutes 8 Seconds
- Average Speed: 98.933
- Cautions: 12 for 57 laps
- Lead Changes: 24
- Green Flag Passes: 2,981 (67.8 passes per green flag lap)
Race weekend links appear as data becomes available.
| FIN | ST | # | DRIVER | MAKE | TOT PTS | FIN PTS | STG PTS | PO PTS | LAPS | LED | X LED | S1 | S2 | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 2 | 45 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | 19 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 79 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Accident |
| 17 | 22 | 9 | Grant Enfinger | Chevrolet | 23 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 101 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | Running |
| 7 | 11 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Ford | 38 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Running |
| 8 | 33 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Toyota | 29 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 20 | 3 | 7 | Corey Lajoie | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 7 | Accident |
| 35 | 28 | 25 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Accident |
| 13 | 9 | 41 | Bayley Currey | Chevrolet | 32 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Running |
| 5 | 31 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | Chevrolet | 32 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 26 | 4 | 42 | Matt Mills | Chevrolet | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 25 | 32 | 2 | Mason Massey | Chevrolet | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 27 | 75 | Stefan Parsons | Chevrolet | 31 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 14 | 17 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Toyota | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 30 | 24 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | Ford | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 71 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Accident |
| 9 | 29 | 28 | Bryan Dauzat | Chevrolet | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 11 | 5 | 18 | Tyler Ankrum | Chevrolet | 44 | 26 | 17 | 1 | 101 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 1 | Running |
| 22 | 30 | 4 | Cory Roper | Chevrolet | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Accident |
| 10 | 25 | 19 | Christian Eckes | Chevrolet | 39 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 101 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | Running |
| 28 | 18 | 77 | Chase Purdy | Chevrolet | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Accident |
| 23 | 14 | 97 | Codie Rohrbaugh | Chevrolet | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Accident |
| 15 | 1 | 98 | Ty Majeski | Ford | 36 | 22 | 14 | 0 | 101 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | Running |
| 16 | 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Toyota | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 3 | 26 | 11 | Corey Heim | Toyota | 36 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | Running |
| 32 | 35 | 33 | Lawless Alan | Ford | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Overheating |
| 24 | 15 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Toyota | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | Accident |
| 4 | 19 | 32 | Bret Holmes | Chevrolet | 38 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 101 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 0 | Running |
| 31 | 36 | 27 | Keith McGee | Ford | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Accident |
| 18 | 23 | 91 | Jack Wood | Chevrolet | 23 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | Running |
| 19 | 12 | 17 | Taylor Gray | Toyota | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | Accident |
| 36 | 10 | 46 | Thad Moffitt | Chevrolet | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Accident |
| 1 | 6 | 2 | Nicholas Sanchez | Chevrolet | 47 | 40 | 2 | 5 | 101 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 9 | Running |
| 2 | 20 | 71 | Rajah Caruth | Chevrolet | 35 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 34 | 16 | 13 | Jake Garcia | Ford | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Accident |
| 33 | 21 | 38 | Layne Riggs | Ford | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DVP |
| 21 | 7 | 43 | Daniel Dye | Chevrolet | 23 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Accident |
| 12 | 34 | 22 | Jason M White | 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running | |
| 27 | 13 | 1 | Toni Breidinger | Toyota | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
Race Infractions
Penalties imposed prior to or during the race.
| Driver | Infraction | Penalty | Lap | Lap Assessed | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason M White | Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments | Tail End | 0 | 0 | White |
| Ben Rhodes | Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments | Tail End | 0 | 0 | White |
| Spencer Boyd | Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments | Tail End | 0 | 0 | White |
| Lawless Alan | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 5 | 12 | Yellow |
| Stewart Friesen | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 5 | 12 | Yellow |
| Jake Garcia | Pitting before pit road is open Garage | Tail End | 5 | 0 | Yellow |
| Keith McGee | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 5 | 12 | Yellow |
| Nicholas Sanchez | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 5 | 12 | Yellow |
| Tanner Gray | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 5 | 12 | Yellow |
| Lawless Alan | Driving through more than 3 pit boxes On Entry | Tail End | 5 | 12 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Tire violation | Tail End | 6 | 12 | Yellow |
| Chase Purdy | Safety violation | Tail End | 6 | 12 | Yellow |
| Layne Riggs | Pitting before pit road is open Garage | Tail End | 6 | 0 | Yellow |
| Rajah Caruth | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 6 | 12 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 6 | 12 | Yellow |
| Chase Purdy | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 6 | 12 | Yellow |
| Keith McGee | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 16 | 19 | Yellow |
| Lawless Alan | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 23 | 26 | Yellow |
| Stewart Friesen | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 31 | 37 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Unspecified Improper Driver Assist. | Tail End | 33 | 37 | Yellow |
| Johnny Sauter | Crewmember(s) over the wall too soon | Tail End | 33 | 37 | Yellow |
| Taylor Gray | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 35 | 37 | Yellow |
| Johnny Sauter | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 35 | 37 | Yellow |
| Toni Breidinger | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 35 | 37 | Yellow |
| Bayley Currey | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 35 | 37 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 35 | 37 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Speeding on pit road | Tail End | 35 | 37 | Yellow |
| Ty Majeski | Crewmember(s) over the wall too soon | Tail End | 41 | 44 | Yellow |
| Keith McGee | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 41 | 44 | Yellow |
| Jason M White | Driving through more than 3 pit boxes On Exit | Tail End | 42 | 44 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 43 | 44 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 48 | 51 | Yellow |
| Nicholas Sanchez | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 50 | 51 | Yellow |
| Timmy Hill | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 50 | 51 | Yellow |
| Ty Majeski | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 50 | 51 | Yellow |
| Jason M White | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 50 | 51 | Yellow |
| Bayley Currey | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 57 | 61 | Yellow |
| Bret Holmes | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 58 | 61 | Yellow |
| Grant Enfinger | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Ben Rhodes | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Christian Eckes | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow | |
| Bryan Dauzat | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Nicholas Sanchez | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Codie Rohrbaugh | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Jason M White | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Tyler Ankrum | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Chase Purdy | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Jack Wood | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Timmy Hill | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Rajah Caruth | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Stewart Friesen | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 60 | 61 | Yellow |
| Ben Rhodes | Pitting before pit road is open Garage | Tail End | 73 | 0 | Yellow |
| Tanner Gray | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 74 | 77 | Yellow |
| Nicholas Sanchez | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 76 | 77 | Yellow |
| Timmy Hill | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 76 | 77 | Yellow |
| Dean Thompson | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 76 | 77 | Yellow |
| Christian Eckes | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 79 | 84 | Yellow |
| Johnny Sauter | Pitting before pit road is open Garage | Tail End | 79 | 0 | Yellow |
| Stefan Parsons | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 80 | 84 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 81 | 84 | Yellow |
| Nicholas Sanchez | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 86 | 91 | Yellow |
| Toni Breidinger | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 86 | 91 | Yellow |
| Dean Thompson | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 86 | 91 | Yellow |
| Matt Mills | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 88 | 91 | Yellow |
| Tyler Ankrum | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 94 | 99 | Yellow |
| Timmy Hill | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 94 | 99 | Yellow |
| Toni Breidinger | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | 94 | 99 | Yellow |
| Bret Holmes | Unspecified Choose Violation | Tail End | 98 | 99 | Yellow |