The Darlington Raceway is definitely one of the toughest race tracks out there. The recent Truck Series race provided further proof of the same. Rajah Caruth and several other drivers were involved in a significant collision causing a total wreckage. The incident broke out when the race resumed in Lap 99. Truck No. 5 of Dean Thompson lost control and collided with Corey Heim. This incident triggered a chain reaction that involved the trucks of Matt Crafton, Jack Wood, and Caruth in the ensuing chaos.
Following the media interaction after the race, Thompson remained unapologetic. Whereas, Rajah Caruth, who was a genuine contender, refused to blame him.
Rajah Caruth impresses with his understanding nature
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When asked about his thoughts on what happened, Dean Thompson absolved himself of all blame. He explained that the trucks tend to race very freely when they are fast, which made it particularly challenging during the restart. Thompson mentioned that he struggled to maintain control as his truck became extremely free. The interviewer asked again if there was anything he could have done differently. “It’s harder than it looks man,” the 22-year-old replied.
Caruth however, took the blame off Thompson. He acknowledged the fact that it was indeed a tough track to race at, and there’s nothing that the #5 could have done. He opened up during the post-race interview stating the same.
“I mean I’m not even that mad. It’s just like there’s nothing else I could have really done… Yeah, like I said over there it gets real tight. They’re off of two and I think the 5 (Thompson) just didn’t anticipate it and just got loose which happens to all of us you know. So bummer, that it wiped us out and a bunch of other trucks.”
Bubba Wallace’s Mentee did not just stop at that. He went ahead to thank every member of his team for helping him out. He also thanked Rick Hendrick for the opportunity. “But at least, we got some stage points and salvage the day I got loose and qualifying, and smoked the right side of it. So it was a good fight to get back into it. But got to thank everybody at Hendrickcars.com and the Hendrick Automotive Group along with you know Mr. H. And the men and women at Spire and Team Chevy for putting me in the spot.”
This wasn’t the only incident. The Darlington Truck Series race witnessed a lot more cautions in different stages of the race.
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An eventful race at Darlington
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Nick Sanchez, who won the pole, began at the end of the field due to unapproved adjustments and secured a second-place finish. The top 10 included Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, Chase Purdy, Colby Howard, Taylor Gray, Ty Dillon, and Tanner Gray. The race featured 12 lead changes among six drivers and seven cautions for a total of 37 yellow flag laps.
It was Kyle Busch who triggered the first caution on lap 2 and another on lap 12. Notably, a cut tire sent him crashing into the outside wall, ending his race and marking his first-ever last-place finish in a Truck Series race.
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Meanwhile, Ross Chastain clinched his first victory of the season, as well as his first at Darlington. He also marked his fifth career Truck Series win, in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on Saturday night. All these, despite a rain delay of over two hours and an overtime finish. Trailing Ty Majeski by over five seconds on lap 143 of the scheduled 147 laps, Chastain seized the lead after a caution flag and a slow restart by Majeski. The #98 Ford F-150 driver then fell back in the running order though.
After The intense Truck battle, the excitement is running high for the Cup and Xfinity Series races. Who do you think will win the big races tomorrow? Let us know in the comments.