{"id":26920,"date":"2019-06-16T16:15:48","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T21:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=26920"},"modified":"2019-06-23T18:01:55","modified_gmt":"2019-06-23T23:01:55","slug":"brett-moffitt-takes-home-state-victory-in-eventful-iowa-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2019\/06\/16\/brett-moffitt-takes-home-state-victory-in-eventful-iowa-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Brett Moffitt takes home state victory in eventful Iowa race \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

NEWTON, Iowa \u2014 Brett Moffitt<\/strong> shed his race suit. He simmered silently in street clothes, sipped on a beer, and stewed over what seemed to be a missed opportunity at his home state track.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brett Moffitt, driver of the #24 Destiny Homes Smart Series Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Gander Truck Series M&M’s 200 Presented by Casey’s General Store at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2019 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Then strange, but welcomed news arrived \u2014 and that brew tasted somewhat sweet rather than extremely bitter.<\/p>\n

Ross Chastain\u2019s No. 44 truck, which he apparently wheeled to a much-needed victory, had failed post-race inspection because of being too low in the front.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, a sense of second-place dejection transformed into mild celebration, as Moffitt repeated as the official race winner of Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series<\/a> M&M\u2019s 200 race at Iowa Speedway.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously I was very disappointed,\u201d said Moffitt, the defending series champ who grew up in nearby Grimes, Iowa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big change of emotions \u2014 and obviously this is not the way I want to win it. As a driver, I still know I got beat on the track, which is frustrating. But back in the beginning of the year when NASCAR implemented this new system, it was to clear up the Tuesday disqualifications and the encumbered wins and let the fans know and everybody else know who actually won the race. I\u2019d still rather take the checkered and be the first one to it, but I\u2019ll take a win any way I can get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brett Moffitt, driver of the #24 Destiny Homes Smart Series Chevrolet, speaks during a press conference after being declared the winner of the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series M&M’s 200 Presented by Casey’s General Store at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2019 in Newton, Iowa. Ross Chastain, driver of the #44 TruNorth\/Paul Jr Designs Chevrolet, was disqualified after a rules violation. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Ben Rhodes took second and Harrison Burton, Grant Enfinger and Stewart Friesen completed the top five.<\/p>\n

Moffitt\u2019s win cemented his spot in the series playoffs. It also earned his team $50,000 for winning the second stage of the Triple Truck Challenge, while giving him a sunny Father\u2019s Day ending on what had seemed to be a deeply disappointing afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was halfway to the airport,\u201d Moffitt said. \u201cI was already changed in the motor home drinking some beers and headed to the airport and mad as hell. I didn\u2019t know and then the team called me and said, \u2018Head back this way.\u2019 So obviously there was an issue, but I think for the integrity of the sport, it\u2019s the right thing to do. Obviously I came out on the good end of it. Obviously if I were in Ross\u2019s shoes, I probably wouldn\u2019t be too thrilled about it, but it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s an odd, unexpected victory \u2014 and a sweeping change of emotions for the driver of the No. 24 Destiny Homes Smart Series Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went from drinking my sorrows away to being happy,\u201d Moffitt quipped.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ross Chastain, driver of the #44 TruNorth\/Paul Jr Designs Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series M&M’s 200 Presented by Casey’s General Store at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2019 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Chastain had dominated the final 141 laps. He declared for Xfinity Series points earlier this season, but shifted to chasing the Truck Series playoffs this month and was giddy about doing the \u201chard part\u201d \u2014 winning a race \u2014 as accruing enough points to be in the top-20 would almost certainly happen.<\/p>\n

But instead of being one step closer to qualifying for the playoffs, he lost ground and finished last.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically we have a procedure and rules in place, trucks are restricted on their ride heights, the front and the rear of the vehicles,\u201d said NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Managing Director Brad Moran, who spoke to media to explain the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately the 44 (truck) was low on the front \u2014 extremely low. We have a process of what happens at that point. They do get an opportunity to roll around. They put fuel in the vehicle. They put air the tires.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brett Moffitt, driver of the #24 Destiny Homes Smart Series Chevrolet, leads a pack of trucks during the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series M&M’s 200 Presented by Casey’s General Store at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2019 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Then, Moran added, officials wait at least 5-10 minutes to inspect the car again, but that re-inspection failed to help Chastain\u2019s team. \u201cUnfortunately, the 44 did not rise on the front at all,\u201d Moran said.<\/p>\n

Moran said, per the rulebook, the team is allowed to appeal the decision and the process would be expedited. The No. 44\u2019s team must indicate by noon ET Monday if it plans to appeal.<\/p>\n

The jaw-dropping post-race development was preceded by a dramatic on-track clash. Austin Hill took exception to contact from Johnny Sauter and responded with a push to Sauter, which sent his No. 13 into the wall.<\/p>\n

Sauter did not pit. Instead, as Hill wheeled his No. 16 ARCO National Construction Toyota back around the track, Sauter retaliated, using his No. 13 Tenda Products Ford to spin out Hill.<\/p>\n

The incident ended Sauter\u2019s day. Hill recovered to claim 13th. The shared animosity is likely to simmer long past this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wants to come talk to me about it he can,\u201d Hill said after the race. \u201cBut there won\u2019t be nice words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moffitt wasn\u2019t muttering \u201cnice words\u201d after the race, either, until his phone buzzed and he smiled as the surprise winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a rollercoaster of emotions,\u201d Moffitt said. \u201cI\u2019ve been through that a lot in my career and thankfully it worked out in my favor for once.\u201d<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/NGOTS_Iowa_BMoffitt_061619.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race – 11th Annual M&M’S\u00ae 200 presented by Casey’s General Store<\/b><\/p>\n

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

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

Sunday, June 16, 2019<\/b><\/p>\n

   1. (6)  Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

   2. (7)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

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

   4. (2)  Grant Enfinger, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

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

   6. (12)  Sheldon Creed #, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

   7. (4)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

   8. (1)  Chandler Smith, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

   9. (13)  Raphael Lessard, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

   10. (11)  Todd Gilliland, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

   11. (15)  Brennan Poole, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

   12. (9)  Austin Hill, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

   13. (5)  Kyle Benjamin, Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

   14. (16)  Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

   15. (26)  Riley Herbst, Toyota, 199.<\/p>\n

   16. (18)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 198.<\/p>\n

   17. (23)  Natalie Decker #, Toyota, 198.<\/p>\n

   18. (17)  Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 198.<\/p>\n

   19. (14)  Tyler Dippel #, Chevrolet, 197.<\/p>\n

   20. (22)  Gus Dean #, Chevrolet, 197.<\/p>\n

   21. (24)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 196.<\/p>\n

   22. (25)  Jesse Little, Ford, 194.<\/p>\n

   23. (21)  CJ McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 189.<\/p>\n

   24. (29)  Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 186.<\/p>\n

   25. (32)  Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 183.<\/p>\n

   26. (30)  Tyler Hill, Chevrolet, 179.<\/p>\n

   27. (8)  Johnny Sauter, Ford, Parked, 137.<\/p>\n

   28. (27)  Chad Finley, Chevrolet, Rear End, 68.<\/p>\n

   29. (20)  Trey Hutchens III, Chevrolet, Brakes, 61.<\/p>\n

   30. (28)  Juan Ma Gonzalez, Chevrolet, Accident, 40.<\/p>\n

   31. (31)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, Brakes, 17.<\/p>\n

   32. (19)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  104.686 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 40 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory:  5.596 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  4 for 25 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  3 among 4 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   C. Smith 1-55;M. Crafton 56-58;J. Sauter 59;R. Chastain 60-200.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Ross Chastain 1 time for 141 laps; Chandler Smith 1 time for 55 laps; Matt Crafton 1 time for 3 laps; Johnny Sauter 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 13,16,18,2,24,52,88,97,98,99<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 13,16,18,2,24,51,52,88,98,99<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Robert Gray, NASCAR Wire Service  NEWTON, Iowa \u2014 Brett Moffitt shed his race suit. He simmered silently in street clothes, sipped on a beer, and stewed over what seemed to be a missed opportunity at his home state track. Then strange, but welcomed news arrived \u2014 and that brew tasted somewhat sweet rather than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":26925,"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":[551,456,16,663],"class_list":["post-26920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-brett-moffitt","tag-iowa-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-gander-outdoors-truck-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/NGOTS_Iowa1_BrettMoffitt_061619.jpg?fit=3636%2C2552&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-70c","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26920","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\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26920"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26929,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26920\/revisions\/26929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}