CONCORD, NC – Retaking the lead from Carson Hocevar after a restart on lap 111 of 134, Ben Rhodes pulled away to win the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Rhodes, the ninth separate winner of 11 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races this season, also collected a $50,000 bonus for winning the first of three events in the Triple Truck Challenge, a bonus event that could mean $500,000 for a driver. Who can sweep all three.
More: unofficial result , Triple Truck Challenge Description
“I didn’t think we were that good in practice,” said Rhodes, who beat runner-up Corey Heim by 2.398 seconds, while Heim, third-place Dean Thompson and Carson Hocevar battled for second place. Did. Last 24 laps.
“I didn’t deserve the best, and life came to life here at night… Oh, man, I had so much fun. It’s so much fun. Charlotte is a track we come to – Thorsport Racing, we’re based in Sandusky, Ohio We come home to the people of North Carolina, and we love to win.
The win was Rhodes’ first of the season, his first at Charlotte, and the seventh of his career. In addition to the triple Truck Challenge bonus, Rhodes is locked in the Craftsman Truck Series playoffs.
Rhodes said, “It’s very hard to put together an entire season.” “It’s been incredibly tough, and it’s only gotten more tough over the years….Locking up a championship, I’ll take it. The last three races have been incredibly tough for my team. We have been badly wasted in three matches and because of that our performance has not been very good.
“Then I’ll take the points – thanks.”
Hocevar led for the lap 111 restart, but got stuck in the middle of a three-wide situation and dropped to sixth in the running order. Heim took second and Thompson third, while Hocevar rallied and swapped third with Thompson before finishing fourth.
“Me and 42 (Hosever) and 5 (Thompson) were probably the best trucks,” said Heim, who led a race-high 49 laps and held off Hosever to win the first stage. “But the 99 (Rhodes) came in really strong, and once we got to second on the restart where 42 was put in the middle, I really thought we had a shot.
“But it just proves that clean air is king here, but I feel like if I had done a better job sooner rather than waiting on a run, we might have had a better chance.”
Notes: Thompson’s third-place finish was a career-best … Hocevar led 43 laps and won a 5.746-second lap over Heim … Rhodes, the 2021 series champion, led 37 laps – 25 From Last Run to Finish … The final two Triple Truck Challenge races are scheduled for June 3 at World Wide Technology Raceway and June 23 at Nashville Superspeedway.
