XPEL 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Circuits of The Americas in Austin, Texas

XPEL 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Circuits of The Americas in Austin, Texas on March 26, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Four drivers, two overtimes and one corner created a finish for the ages as Zane Smith took the checkered flag in the wild XPEL 225 Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on Saturday.

Kyle Busch led a race-high 31 laps, but Smith led the one that mattered, coming from fourth to first through the tricky turn 11 hairpin in the second and final overtime. Busch was collected in a crash that also took out contenders Alex Bowman and Stewart Friesen and opened the door for Smith to sweep both stages and take home the victory.

“Truck races are crazy,” Smith said in victory lane following the win, his second of the young season. “You’re never out of it until you’re out of it. That was a wild one. “Any truck win you can get feels so great, especially when it happens like that in such dramatic fashion. It’s a huge statement from this team. Every single race this year, I’ve been in contention to win.”

Busch, who leads the NCWTS with 61 career wins, seemed destined to earn his first-ever truck series victory on a road course after pulling away from the field late, but the crash relegated him to a third-place finish behind Smith and John Hunter Nemechek.

“Great race all day,” Busch said, crediting his team for giving him a fast Safelite Toyota Tundra. “It doesn’t matter if you deserve it or not, you’ve got to be the first one to the checkers and we were not.”

Ben Rhodes finished fourth while Busch’s teammate, Chandler Smith, finished fifth. (Source: NASCAR Wire Service)

Pos	#	Driver		Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Gap	Interval	Laps Led	Points
1	38	Zane Smith		Ford	46	2:25'00.637			11	60
2	4	John Hunter Nemechek		Toyota	46	2:25'04.166	3.529	3.529	1	35
3	51	Kyle Busch		Toyota	46	2:25'05.339	4.702	1.173	31
4	99	Ben Rhodes		Toyota	46	2:25'05.822	5.185	0.483		50
5	18	Chandler Smith		Toyota	46	2:25'06.799	6.162	0.977	1	38
6	98	Christian Eckes		Toyota	46	2:25'08.563	7.926	1.764		34
7	16	Tyler Ankrum		Toyota	46	2:25'10.867	10.23	2.304		36
8	42	Carson Hocevar		Chevrolet	46	2:25'11.778	11.141	0.911		32
9	52	Stewart Friesen		Toyota	46	2:25'12.536	11.899	0.758		41
10	23	Grant Enfinger		Chevrolet	46	2:25'12.788	12.151	0.252		27
11	45	Alan Lawless		Chevrolet	46	2:25'13.454	12.817	0.666		26
12	19	Derek Kraus		Chevrolet	46	2:25'13.919	13.282	0.465		40
13	88	Matt Crafton		Toyota	46	2:25'14.009	13.372	0.09		24
14	2	Kaz Grala		Chevrolet	46	2:25'14.349	13.712	0.34		23
15	44	Kris Wright		Chevrolet	46	2:25'15.206	14.569	0.857		22
16	61	Chase Purdy		Toyota	46	2:25'15.684	15.047	0.478		21
17	15	Tanner Gray		Ford	46	2:25'15.892	15.255	0.208		20
18	30	Tate Fogleman		Toyota	46	2:25'17.208	16.571	1.316		19
19	75	Parker Kligerman		Chevrolet	46	2:25'19.603	18.966	2.395	1	20
20	43	Brad Perez		Chevrolet	46	2:25'22.992	22.355	3.389		17
21	33	Will Rodgers		Toyota	46	2:25'24.181	23.544	1.189
22	56	Timmy Hill		Toyota	46	2:25'28.072	27.435	3.891		21
23	12	Spencer Boyd		Chevrolet	46	2:25'29.367	28.73	1.295		14
24	91	Colby Howard		Chevrolet	46	2:25'30.314	29.677	0.947		13
25	7	Alex Bowman		Chevrolet	46	2:25'31.887	31.25	1.573	1
26	17	Taylor Gray		Ford	46	2:26'21.789	1'21.152	49.902		11
27	22	Austin Wayne Self		Chevrolet	45	2:23'40.733	1 Lap	1 Lap		10
28	37	Logan Bearden		Chevrolet	42	2:17'40.241	4 Laps	3 Laps		9
29	40	Dean Thompson		Chevrolet	40	2:25'24.445	6 Laps	2 Laps		8
30	66	Ty Majeski		Toyota	39	2:25'42.757	7 Laps	1 Lap		7
31	25	Matt DiBenedetto		Chevrolet	32	1:40'28.779	14 Laps	7 Laps		16
32	24	Jack Wood		Chevrolet	31	1:38'59.116	15 Laps	1 Lap		5
33	46	Matt Jaskol		Toyota	30	2:01'07.267	16 Laps	1 Lap		4
34	1	Hailie Deegan		Ford	29	1:28'53.088	17 Laps	1 Lap		3
35	9	Blaine Perkins		Chevrolet	3	7'17.605	43 Laps	26 Laps		2
36	20	Sheldon Creed		Chevrolet	1	2'26.370	45 Laps	2 Laps

NASCAR
NASCAR is the largest racing organization in the United States and is most famous for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Each year NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

Looking to the future, NASCAR is developing the Next Gen car, expected to hit the track in 2021. The new car is going to feature a redesigned body and under-the-hood enhancements to make NASCAR stock cars even more like the cars in showrooms across America.

Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Set on 1,500 acres in the rolling hills just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music since 2012. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world's most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences.

The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1 that must be seen in person to be believed. It is home to Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, NASCAR EchoPark Texas Grand Prix, and MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, and has played host to ESPN's X Games, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and more.

NASCAR
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Circuit of The Americas
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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