In a bizarre finish, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes snagged his first win of the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season in Sunday’s South Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Darlington Raceway.
The driver of the No. 99 truck got around Derek Kraus, who was driving a throwback scheme in honor of Ron Hornaday Jr., for the race win.
This marks Rhodes’ third-career NGROTS victory, and it’s his first triumph since July 2018 when he won at Kentucky Speedway.
The bizarre part of the finish was the fact that a caution with a couple of laps left for a spinning Josh Reaume gave the field a hard decision with a looming green-white-checker finish. Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt, who had dominated the race, headed to pit road with the majority of the field to get fresh tires.
However, 11 trucks, led by Kraus, stayed on track.
With just a couple of laps left, it was impossible for the dominant trucks to get back to the front.
Austin Hill, who had pitted under the caution, finished third behind Rhodes and Kraus.
Grant Enfinger was fourth and he was followed by Christian Eckes in fifth.
Raphael Lessard, Todd Gilliland, Stewart Friesen, Timmy Hill and Moffitt rounded out the top-10 finishers on the day.
Creed finished a super-disappointing 18th.
Moffitt and Creed, who won Stages 1 and 2, led a total of 146 of the 152 laps on Sunday, yet they left with nothing to show for their efforts.
The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series has just one race remaining until they begin their Playoffs. Here is how the Cutoff Line looks heading into Richmond Raceway next week:
9. Tyler Ankrum, +14 points
10. Todd Gilliland, +10 points
—Cut Line—
11. Derek Kraus, -10 pointsAny driver behind Kraus in the standings must win to lock a position in the Playoffs.
Post-Race Stat Pack:
