Carson Hocevar wins again in Texas overtime after chaotic Truck race

Honeycutt leaves Texas with the championship lead, 14 points clear of C. Smith and 19 points clear of Riggs.

Stage 1

Rhodes held the lead early in the race, while Busch found the wall at the back-end of the top ten. He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop and the winningest driver in Truck Series history fell off the lead lap.

The first caution was for Cory Roper, who spun at the exit of Turn 2 while making his first start in two years.

A handful of trucks chose to pit during the yellow, including Corey Lajoie, who had an extended stop due to issues with that Ram's right-front.

On the ensuing restart, one of LaJoie's fellow Ram drivers got hit with a pass-through penalty as Brenden Queen pulled out of line too early.

Hocevar had an impressive restart, charging up to second and harassing Rhodes for the race lead. However, Rhodes held on to win Stage 1 ahead of Hocevar, Ruggiero, Honeycutt, C. Smith, Friesen, Enfinger, Riggs, Majeski, and Chastain.

Stage 2

Five trucks stayed out during the stage break, while Majeski and Riggs led those who pitted. B. Jones and Tan. Gray shared the front row for the restart.

Hocevar was incredibly aggressive om the restart, passing several trucks with an outside three-wide move in Turn 1. He surged up to second, right behind Jones as Cole Butcher wrecked mid-pack. That yellow helped Busch back onto the lead lap via the free pass.

A chaotic restart followed with lots of three-wide action. Hocevar muscled his way into the lead with Rhodes settling into second and Chastain. Riggs then made his way around both Chastain and Riggs, later challenging Hocevar for the stage win.

Unfortunately, their battle was interrupted for a caution as Kris Wright hit the wall.

With just a handful of laps to go in the stage, most of the field came down pit road. Riggs spent a lot of time on pit road to make repairs to the rear window, as a brace failed and the window was no longer secure.

Sutton and Tyrrell were the only two drivers who stayed out. Chastain won the race off pit road, but lost a lot of spots on the restart as Hocevar went on to win Stage 1.

Hocevar was followed by Honeycutt, Ruggiero, Sutton, Ankrum, Tyrrell, Enfinger, Tan. Gray, C. Smith, and Perez.

Stage 3

During the stage break, Chastain came down pit lane to repair some damage to the right-front from the previous restart. Both he and Riggs, who had been running in the top five just a few minutes earlier, were now running outside the top 25.

Hocevar had to fend off Ankrum at the start of the final stage. There was then a three-wide battle for second, allowing Hocevar to slip away. Riggs made a wild charge through the field, getting all the way back up inside the top five.

With 46 laps to go, Honeycutt and Ruggiero pitted from second and third, and Hocevar followed suit one lap later. It was a disaster for Hocevar, who suffered a 24-second stop as the pit crew struggled with the right front.

As stops cycles through, it was Ruggiero who inherited the race lead, with Honeycutt a second back but Hocevar over five seconds behind.

Chastain pulled off an impressive save mid-pack after contact from Majeski, keeping the long green-flag run going. Riggs, who ran long, passed Hocevar soon after and began to quickly close in on the leading duo.

With 24 laps to go, Ankrum went spinning off the nose of Rhodes, thus completely changing the complexion of the race.

Hocevar quickly reclaimed the lead on the restart, and then had to fight hard against Honeycutt and Busch -- his teammate. These three trucks were putting on a show until Friesen crashed into the wall, causing a caution. Enfinger destroyed the front of his own truck in the grass, while trying to avoid a direct hit with Friesen.

It was suddenly Spire vs. Spire up front with Hocevar and Busch holding the front row for the restart that followed. But before that, there was a brief red flag for cleanup.

The race resumed with six laps to go, but it was Ruggiero to spoiled the Spire party, taking the lead. In the back, a violent three-truck crash broke out as Garcia tried to pull off the track after hitting the wall. He was clobbered by Conner Jones, and Justin Haley jumped up into the air after ripping through the infield grass.

Justin Haley crashes, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Ram

Justin Haley crashes, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Ram

This triggered the second red flag of the race as the event was pushed into overtime. Hocevar passed Ruggiero, who slid sideways and opened the door for Busch to slip by, ensuring a 1-2 finish for Spire.

This is Hocevar's sixth career NCTS victory, and his second at Texas.

NASCAR Truck results at Texas Motor Speedway

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