🕑4 min read
Justin Haley led Kaulig Racing’s five Ram 1500s with a 10th-place finish Friday night in the Ecosave 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. All five drivers avoided the late crashes and finished inside the top 17.
Brenden “Butterbean” Queen finished 13th, Timothy “Mini” Tyrrell recovered to 15th, Corey LaJoie came home 16th, and Ram Free Agent driver Regan Smith finished 17th.
The 200-mile race on Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval stayed caution-free through its first two stages. Accidents interrupted the final 35 laps, eventually bringing a 20-minute red flag and an 11-lap run to the finish.
Justin Haley behind the wheel of the No. 16 Ram 1500. (Kaulig Racing).
Haley Adds Another Top-10
Haley stayed within reach of the top-10 before restarting seventh with 11 laps remaining. He finished 10th for his sixth top-10 result this season.
“We had a good truck all weekend. We unloaded close, and I’m proud of the guys. I think the worst we ran all day was 12th. Good pit stops, good adjustments. — we kept up with the track all night, and had a little luck on those restarts to get another top-10. I love to see the progress.”
Mini Tyrrell piloting his No. 14 Ram 1500. (Kaulig Racing).
Tyrrell Makes The Most Of Fresh Tires
Debris on Tyrrell’s grille caused overheating and forced a green-flag pit stop. Late cautions helped him return to the lead lap with 15 laps remaining. He restarted 22nd on fresh tires for the final sprint and drove to 15th.
“I thought we had a really good truck. We struggled earlier in the day and did all we could to just throw anything at it and make it a little better, and during the race, I felt like we really had something to work with. Chad [Kendrick] did a great job all night, just trying to make some good adjustments for me and put me in the right spot. Unfortunately we had some debris on the grille and started overheating really bad, so we had to come down and pit under green and lost a couple laps. Finally something went our way there at the end, and we were able to get the laps back and put four fresh tires on and had a great recovery. I’m super proud of everyone for the effort.”
Brenden Queen piloting his No. 12 Cummins Ram 1500. (Kaulig Racing).
Queen Builds Momentum
Starting farther back made Queen’s job harder, but his crew improved the truck as the race progressed. His 13th-place finish gave him two consecutive top-15 results heading into Phoenix.
“Obviously, wish we could have started closer to the front. I think that would have helped, but almost snuck the top 10 out at the end there. Just a little too tight on exit. Overall, we’ve started turning things around from the last month with two top 15s in a row building momentum going to Phoenix. I thought it was an awesome day. Eddie and the guys worked on it and got us better throughout the race. Each stage we were able to get a little better, and it was fun to finally race with some of the faster trucks. It was a positive day.”
Corey LaJoie behind the wheel of the No. 10 Mopar Ram 1500. (Kaulig Racing).
Smith Recovers, LaJoie Battles Grip
Smith worked past an early missed shift and a speeding penalty to finish 17th after restarting 19th.
“What a night, it was getting a little crazy. We were loose all day and we got it tightened up in the race. The main thing we fought was the driver’s lack of seat time! These restarts are nuts, it was wild out there. I really want to thank Ram and Kaulig Racing for giving me the chance here and at Bristol. This was fun. It rekindled my passion for NASCAR racing. This was a blast.”
LaJoie spent much of the race chasing better handling. A lack of grip in the final stage left him 16th at the checkered flag.
The Truck Series returns Friday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m. EDT at Phoenix Raceway.
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Robert S. Miller