{"id":19572,"date":"2018-06-16T21:30:50","date_gmt":"2018-06-17T02:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=19572"},"modified":"2018-06-19T09:56:42","modified_gmt":"2018-06-19T14:56:42","slug":"hometown-hero-moffitt-dodges-daring-move-by-gragson-for-iowa-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/06\/16\/hometown-hero-moffitt-dodges-daring-move-by-gragson-for-iowa-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Hometown hero Moffitt dodges daring move by Gragson for Iowa victory"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Brett Moffitt, driver of the #16 Destiny Homes Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series M&M’s 200 presented by Casey’s General Store at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2018 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Rob Gray, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

NEWTON, Iowa \u2014 Heat and humidity. Three-wide action. One race-changing wreck \u2014 and a rousing triumph for a local favorite.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Brett Moffitt, driver of the #16 Destiny Homes Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series M&M’s 200 presented by Casey’s General Store 200 at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2018 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Robert Laberge\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The wild, competitive and unpredictable M&M\u2019s 200<\/strong> Saturday at Iowa Speedway<\/strong> certainly showcased the drama the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series<\/a> delivers from week-to-week.<\/p>\n

But once the dust settled and the sun sank low in the sky, a relative sense of calm swept over speedway veteran Brett Moffitt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Why relative?<\/p>\n

Because Moffitt \u2014 who grew up on Iowa dirt tracks before climbing NASCAR\u2019s ranks \u2014 had to hold off a hard-charging Noah Gragson in a furious finish that featured sparks from Gragson\u2019s No. 18 after a failed last-gasp slingshot attempt sent him into the wall as the Iowan sailed under the checkered flag.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is everything,\u201d said Moffitt, who led the final 76 laps. \u201cBeing in my home state on Father\u2019s Day weekend \u2014 my dad has done everything for me in my career and been my rock my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gragson still took second and polesitter Harrison Burton surged through adversity to take third.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Brett Moffitt, driver of the #16 Destiny Homes Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series M&M’s 200 presented by Casey’s General Store 200 at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2018 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Robert Laberge\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cVideo game style racing there,\u201d Gragson said. \u201cIt\u2019s fun racing at this track. I drove it in there. … just overshot a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were shots, knocks, and seismic shifts through the three-stage 200-lap event.<\/p>\n

The race\u2019s complexion changed completely when a crash on lap 135 doomed four top contenders.<\/p>\n

Coming out of Turn 4, Matt Crafton\u2019s left front tire went flat, causing his No. 88 truck to slide up the track. He then collided with John Hunter Nemechek \u2014 last year\u2019s race winner at Iowa. <\/p>\n

“There\u2019s really nothing you can do there,\u201d Nemechek said after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. \u201cI hate it for all my guys. \u2026 We were really fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

All four involved in the incident were.<\/p>\n

Three of the four had previously led laps before the accident. Crafton paced the field for 20 laps. Nemechek led 15 and won stage one. Friesen ran out front for 48 laps while winning stage two.<\/p>\n

None of that mattered as they headed to the garage, though, and Moffitt, of Grimes, Iowa \u2014 about a 45-minute drive from the speedway \u2014 took the lead at the restart and thrived in clean air as Gragson and Burton eventually chased him down within passing distance.<\/p>\n

Moffitt prevailed, though, earning his second win of the season. He also gained ground on Gragson in the point standings. Johnny Sauter \u2014 who settled for fifth \u2014 leads Gragson by 71 points. Moffitt\u2019s another 14 points back and praised his talented, if cobbled-together team that\u2019s seeking additional sponsorship to help fund the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know if we were going to Texas and we\u2019re still uncertain about Chicago,\u201d Moffitt said. \u201cSo we really need some more sponsors on this truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was his impromptu Victory Lane pitch, besides winning?<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just such a great group of guys,\u201d Moffitt said. \u201cEverybody\u2019s so passionate. We work really hard. We\u2019re not the biggest team but we proved tonight that we\u2019re the best. I think we can have some more wins this season and go to Victory Lane a few more times \u2014 and more importantly, compete for a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – M&M’s 200 presented by Casey’s General Store<\/b><\/p>\n

Iowa Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

Newton, Iowa<\/b><\/p>\n

Saturday, June 16, 2018<\/b><\/p>\n

               1. (16) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               2. (3) Noah Gragson, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               3. (1) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               4. (12) David Gilliland, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               5. (7) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               6. (13) Jesse Little, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

               7. (14) Cody Coughlin, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               8. (9) Christian Eckes, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               9. (5) Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               10. (17) Myatt Snider #, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

               11. (15) Grant Enfinger, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

               12. (27) Justin Fontaine #, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               13. (22) Tanner Thorson, Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

               14. (18) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

               15. (19) Austin Self, Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

               16. (6) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 196.<\/p>\n

               17. (11) Ben Rhodes, Ford, 195.<\/p>\n

               18. (26) Cory Roper, Ford, 195.<\/p>\n

               19. (10) Dalton Sargeant #, Chevrolet, 195.<\/p>\n

               20. (30) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 194.<\/p>\n

               21. (28) Wendell Chavous, Chevrolet, 191.<\/p>\n

               22. (31) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 173.<\/p>\n

               23. (23) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Engine, 153.<\/p>\n

               24. (29) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, Engine, 152.<\/p>\n

               25. (32) Bobby Reuse, Chevrolet, Suspension, 136.<\/p>\n

               26. (2) Matt Crafton, Ford, Accident, 135.<\/p>\n

               27. (8) John Hunter Nemechek(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 135.<\/p>\n

               28. (20) Reid Wilson, Chevrolet, Overheating, 109.<\/p>\n

               29. (4) Todd Gilliland #, Toyota, Accident, 102.<\/p>\n

               30. (24) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, Suspension, 56.<\/p>\n

               31. (21) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, Brakes, 50.<\/p>\n

               32. (25) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 19.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  89.936 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  01 Hrs, 56 Mins, 45 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.333 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  6 for 44 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  7 among 7 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   H. Burton 1-30; M. Crafton 31-50; J. Nemechek(i) 51-64; C. Eckes 65-68; N. Gragson 69-75; J. Nemechek(i) 76; S. Friesen 77-124; B. Moffitt 125-200.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  B. Moffitt 1 time for 76 laps; S. Friesen 1 time for 48 laps; H. Burton 1 time for 30 laps; M. Crafton 1 time for 20 laps; J. Nemechek(i) 2 times for 15 laps; N. Gragson 1 time for 7 laps; C. Eckes 1 time for 4 laps.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 8,88,51,52,21,18,24,16,25,46<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 52,8,16,18,13,51,97,21,54,88<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Rob Gray, NASCAR Wire Service NEWTON, Iowa \u2014 Heat and humidity. Three-wide action. One race-changing wreck \u2014 and a rousing triumph for a local favorite. The wild, competitive and unpredictable M&M\u2019s 200 Saturday at Iowa Speedway certainly showcased the drama the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series delivers from week-to-week. But once the dust settled […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[551,456,16,268],"class_list":["post-19572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-brett-moffitt","tag-iowa-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-ncwts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Iowa_NCWTS_Moffitt_VL_061618-e1529419837124.jpg?fit=640%2C416&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-55G","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19572"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19581,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19572\/revisions\/19581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}