I think it’s pretty safe to say that Ryan Preece is a fan of Nashville Superspeedway.
The 31-year-old was able to hold off a late-race charge from Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar to capture his second victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, both of which have come at Nashville Superspeedway.
Despite starting Friday’s contest from the pole, Preece didn’t hold the lead for a long time, with outside polesitter Zane Smith taking the top spot on the first lap, and holding it throughout the race’s first stage.
Multiple instances of split strategy kept both Preece and Smith on their toes throughout the second and third stages, as drivers would take two tires in an attempt to gain track position.
The David Gilliland Racing driver would steal the lead from Parker Kligerman at the start of stage three, holding the lead throughout the race’s entire final stage, amassing a race-high 74 laps led.
While a restart inside the final 10 laps of the event made it look like Preece would sail away from the field, both Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar drew in the leader over the final run of the race, to put themselves within striking distance with three to go.
Zane Smith – a three-time winner in the NASCAR Truck Series this season — finished second, after a drag race to the start-finish line with Carson Hocevar for the position on the final lap.
Ty Majeski earned another top-five result in fourth place, with Stewart Friesen rounding out the top five. Christian Eckes and Tyler Ankrum each earned solid results with finishes of sixth and seventh.
Likely the biggest surprise of the event was Max Gutierrez, who brought the No. 22 AM Racing Chevrolet Silverado home in eighth place, marking the team’s best finish of the season.
The event featured a total of eight caution flags for a total of 43 laps, the biggest of which occurred on lap 128, when a daring four-wide move by Ty Majeski sent Matt DiBenedetto, Grant Enfinger, and Corey Heim into the outside wall.
With a second-place finish, Zane Smith retook the regular-season points lead over John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, and Chandler Smith, as the series has only two regular-season races remaining.
Race Results: 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200
