Practice #2 : Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)

Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt

Monday, March 29th, 2021

Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt) , Bristol, TN

Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt) logo
  • 14
  • 6
  • 24

  • Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)
  • Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt
  • Pole Winner: John Hunter Nemechek
  • Age: 24
  • Team: No. 4 - Mobil 1 Toyota
  • Owner: Kyle Busch Motorsports
  • Crew Chief: Eric Phillips
  • Start positions set by NASCAR's Performance Metrics Qualifying (PMQ).
  • John Hunter Nemechek won the Pole Award for the Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt by having the highest total PMQ.
  • PMQ is a total number calculated on four performance metrics from the previous race:
  • 15% of the driver's fastest lap time position.
  • 25% of the driver's final race finish position.
  • 25% of the owner's final race position.
  • 35% of the Owner Points position.

  • Monday, March 29th, 2021
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer
Martin Truex Jr. wins the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol

In defiance of conventional wisdom, it wasn’t an experienced dirt racer who won Monday’s twice-rain-delayed Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Nor was it a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular who took the checkered flag.

When the dust settled, Martin Truex Jr. was the unlikely occupant of Victory Lane—and a dominant one at that. Racing in the Camping World Truck Series for the first time since 2006, Truex led 105 of the 150 laps in an action-filled race that featured 12 cautions for 54 laps and saw pre-race favorite Kyle Larson and series leader John Hunter Nemechek in the garage with wrecked trucks at the finish.

It was the first career win for Truex in his third career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start, but it was the third straight victory this season for a Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota—and 83rd overall. Truex is the 35th driver to win in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series.

“It’s unbelievable, really,” said Truex, who was using the Truck Series race to prepare for the NASCAR Cup Series event later on Monday afternoon. “I guess they had to put dirt on Bristol to get me back to Victory Lane here. It’s been a long time. Man, that was a blast.

“I wanted to run this race so I could get more experience with the Cup car, and we got out there in practice and it felt really good. And I was having a lot of fun, so I just kept trying to work with the guys and tell them what I needed. It was really amazing how much the track changed, but I will have to say the (No. 51 Tundra) stayed really, really good the whole time.”

Truex took control of the race after reigning series champion Sheldon Creed led Laps 2 through 39. Ben Rhodes lined up beside Truex on the front row for the final restart on Lap 139 but missed a shift, dropped briefly to third and fought his way back to the runner-up spot.

Rhodes finished 1.149 seconds behind Truex, with Todd Gilliland coming home third and Chase Briscoe and Grant Enfinger completing the top five.

“We were running them back down there the last few laps, but, yeah, just the worst restart of my life,” Rhodes said. “Early in the race, I had an issue of getting it into fourth gear and missed a shift early on, but I really didn’t think nothing of it and had clean shifts afterwards—and then just missed it. Bummer for my guys, but the closest I’ve been to winning here at Bristol was on the dirt.”

Nemechek exited after a Lap 49 crash, spinning after contact from Matt Crafton’s Ford and sustaining heavy damage when the No. 19 of Derek Kraus slid into his No. 4 Toyota as it sat near the outside wall of the half-mile high-banked speedway.

Larson was unable to avoid the slow truck of Mike Marlar on Lap 99 and sustained extensive damage to his No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet after heavy contact with the No. 30 Toyota of Danny Bohn in the same incident.

“My spotter said they were slowing down the backstretch, and a I saw some trucks slowing on the bottom, so I was running the top,” said Larson, who was set to start the subsequent NASCAR Cup Series race from the rear of the field because of an engine change in his No. 5 Chevrolet. “I thought ‘I’m going to get a lot of spots here in (Turn) 3.’ So I ended up top, and there was somebody parked there.

“We were fighting. Our truck wasn’t very great, but we were making adjustments on it… I still learned something for the Cup race, which was nice… learned how to pass people, so starting in the back, that’s a help.”

  • Drivers Entered: 44 (8 drivers will not make the race)
  • Laps Scheduled: 150
  • Margin of Victory: 01.149 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 1 Hours 49 Minutes 30 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 41.096
  • Cautions: 12 for 56 laps
  • Lead Changes: 11
  • Green Flag Passes: 1,510 (16.1 passes per green flag lap)

  • Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt
  • Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt
  • Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
  • Age: 40
  • Team : No. 51 - Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota
  • Owner: Kyle Busch Motorsports
  • Crew Chief: Mardy Lindley
  • Martin Truex Jr. won the Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt, his first victory in three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
  • This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2021.
  • This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in his series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt.
  • Ben Rhodes (second) posted his first top-10 finish in his series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt. It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2021.
  • Raphael Lessard (third) posted his first top-10 finish in his series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt.
  • Chase Purdy (18th) was the highest finishing rookie.
  • This is Kyle Busch Motorsports 83rd victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
  • Martin Truex Jr. has now become the 35th different driver all-time to win in all three NASCAR national series.
Ben Rhodes celebrates in victory lane
Avondale, Arizona - November 3, 2023 : Ben Rhodes, driver of the #99 Kubota Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship, finishing first of the Championship 4 drivers in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Craftsman 150 at Phoenix Raceway.
Chris GraythenGetty Images
DRIVER
DRIVER
#
MAKE
SINGLE BEST LAP
RANK
SPEED
TIME
BHND
LAP
LAPS
TOTAL
MULTI-LAP AVERAGES
5-LAP
10-LAP
15-LAP
20-LAP
25-LAP
30-LAP
10-LAP AVG
SPEED
FROM
TO

Ben Rhodes
99
Toyota
1
86.944
20.703
0.000
2
39
84.887
2
11
Ryan Newman
39
Ford
2
86.889
20.716
0.013
2
11
85.278
2
11
Tanner Gray
15
Ford
3
86.868
20.721
0.018
3
43
84.654
2
11
Stewart Friesen
52
Toyota
4
86.605
20.784
0.081
2
56
83.822
1
10
Matt Crafton
88
Toyota
5
86.551
20.797
0.094
10
57
84.942
2
11
Chase Briscoe
04
Ford
6
86.547
20.798
0.094
18
40
0
0
Parker Kligerman
75
Chevrolet
7
86.372
20.840
0.137
10
63
84.823
2
11
Tyler Ankrum
26
Chevrolet
8
86.108
20.904
0.201
4
46
83.881
9
18
Johnny Sauter
13
Toyota
9
86.100
20.906
0.203
12
45
0
0
Kevin Harvick
17
Ford
10
86.083
20.910
0.207
4
26
0
0
Sheldon Creed
2
Chevrolet
11
86.063
20.915
0.212
2
71
84.671
2
11
Todd Gilliland
38
Ford
12
86.005
20.929
0.226
2
50
84.887
16
25
Carson Hocevar
42
Chevrolet
13
85.972
20.937
0.234
12
48
83.899
30
39
Chandler Smith
18
Toyota
14
85.952
20.942
0.239
4
52
85.113
4
13
Kyle Larson
44
Chevrolet
15
85.944
20.944
0.241
18
43
84.043
28
37
Raphael Lessard
24
Chevrolet
16
85.890
20.957
0.254
4
57
84.912
2
11
Daniel Suarez
02
Chevrolet
17
85.878
20.960
0.257
2
53
84.445
2
11
Martin Truex Jr
51
Toyota
18
85.845
20.968
0.265
3
31
84.347
1
10
Austin Hill
16
Toyota
19
85.788
20.982
0.279
4
41
84.516
14
23
JR Heffner
3
Chevrolet
20
85.743
20.993
0.290
4
8
0
0
Zane Smith
21
Chevrolet
21
85.674
21.010
0.307
3
71
84.096
2
11
John Hunter Nemechek
4
Toyota
22
85.669
21.011
0.308
7
50
84.512
2
11
Chase Purdy
23
Chevrolet
23
85.665
21.012
0.309
8
32
84.932
3
12
Grant Enfinger
98
Toyota
24
85.661
21.013
0.310
2
48
0
0
Brett Moffitt
45
Chevrolet
25
85.503
21.052
0.349
8
46
81.644
37
46
Trevor Collins
83
Chevrolet
26
85.494
21.054
0.351
4
24
83.042
3
12
Jessica Friesen
62
Toyota
27
85.490
21.055
0.352
3
56
84.252
2
11
Mike Marlar
56
Chevrolet
28
85.413
21.074
0.371
3
44
83.858
25
34
Ryan Truex
40
Chevrolet
29
85.389
21.080
0.377
3
36
83.954
2
11
Myatt Snider
33
Chevrolet
30
85.361
21.087
0.384
4
55
82.099
1
10
Bubba Wallace
11
Toyota
31
85.324
21.096
0.393
21
46
83.421
2
11
Derek Kraus
19
Toyota
32
85.300
21.102
0.399
5
33
0
0
Hailie Deegan
1
Ford
33
85.119
21.147
0.444
18
52
84.008
15
24
Tate Fogleman
12
Chevrolet
34
85.066
21.160
0.457
3
40
82.862
1
10
Jake Griffin
34
Toyota
35
84.870
21.209
0.506
3
16
0
0
Austin Wayne Self
22
Chevrolet
36
84.842
21.216
0.513
25
49
83.294
2
11
Cody Erickson
41
Chevrolet
37
84.575
21.283
0.580
30
37
83.006
4
13
Norm Benning
6
Chevrolet
38
84.531
21.294
0.591
12
29
0
0
Codie Rohrbaugh
9
Chevrolet
39
84.416
21.323
0.620
3
32
0
0
Danny Bohn
30
Toyota
40
84.380
21.332
0.629
4
49
83.435
2
11
Spencer Boyd
20
Chevrolet
41
84.010
21.426
0.723
4
47
80.203
15
24
Andrew Gordon
49
Chevrolet
42
83.936
21.445
0.742
3
52
81.734
18
27
Timothy Peters
25
Chevrolet
43
83.214
21.631
0.928
9
10
0
0
Jennifer Jo Cobb
10
Chevrolet
44
79.292
22.701
1.998
6
11
75.215
2
11