In his 188th NASCAR National Series start, Ryan Truex is no longer the bridesmaid, scoring the victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series A-Game 200 at Dover Motor Speedway.
Truex, making his fifth appearance of the season in the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, was able to put on a dominating performance on his way to the checkered flag, leading 124 of the race’s 200 laps.
The 31-year-old driver ran a flawless race at the one-mile concrete oval, making the final pass for the lead with 11 laps remaining in the event, when Sheldon Creed sacrificed the lead to pit for fuel, after running long in search of a caution.
However, that caution flag never came, allowing the part-time Xfinity Series competitor to return to his position in the lead while stretching the advantage that he had built up throughout the final stage of the race.
After the 200th lap, Truex held an advantage of 4.820 seconds over Josh Berry, who was able to battle with his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier to clinch the runner-up spot in the A-GAME 200.
“Just so thankful… all these fans, my team, everybody that’s stuck behind me, most people didn’t believe in me and I still did, my girlfriend, my family, my parents, my brother, my cou- just everybody,” said Truex. “I’m just so thankful to be here, this is amazing.”
"This is for everyone that doubted me … I belong here and I just proved that."- @Ryan_Truex pic.twitter.com/8mUV7VMXir
— Josh Sims (@JoshRSims) April 29, 2023
For Berry, his second-place finish continues a three-race run of top-two results at Dover Motor Speedway, which includes the victory he scored in last season’s event at the track known as ‘The Monster Mile’.
Justin Allgaier, who has traditionally shown strength at Dover, put down a solid finish in Saturday’s race, scoring a third-place finish in his No. 7 Chevrolet. Austin Hill and John Hunter Nemechek continued strong seasons with top-five results.
In his first start at Dover Motor Speedway, Sammy Smith recorded a sixth-place result, while Cole Custer, Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, and Daniel Hemric completed the top-10.
Sheldon Creed, who pitted for fuel from the race lead with 11 laps to go, ended up with the result of 11th place, after leading 41 laps early in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event. Kyle Weatherman also led four laps, but faded to 14th at the end of the race.
Leaving Dover, Austin Hill continues to hold the points lead in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, maintaining a razor-thin advantage of four points over John Hunter Nemechek. Chandler Smith, Josh Berry, and Justin Allgaier round out the top five in points.
Next for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, after a much-needed off-week, comes a trip to Darlington Raceway for ‘Throwback Weekend’, where drivers will contest one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit, with some of the world’s best drivers in attendance.
A-GAME 200 RACE RESULTS:
Race Results: 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series A-Game 200 at Dover
