Sheldon Creed took the lead on the final restart and cruised to win when the caution came out on the last lap of a wreck-filled Camping World Truck Series race Friday at Darlington Raceway.
The race featured a race-record 12 cautions, including a 17-truck incident.
Creed’s win is the first of the season for GMS Racing and Chevrolet. The reigning series champion’s victory also snaps Toyota’s seven-race winning streak.
Ben Rhodes overcame two flat tires and penalty for pitting too soon to finish second. He was followed by Carson Hocevar, Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger. Hocevar’s third-place is the best of his Truck Series career.
MORE: Race results
The race changed with 30 laps to go when the Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates John Hunter Nemechek and Corey Heim made contact on a restart. Both trucks were on the front row and pushed from behind and got into each other, triggering an accident more likely seen at Talladega or Daytona. Among the 17 trucks collected were those of Austin Hill, Chandler Smith and Zane Smith
STAGE 1 WINNER: Todd Gilliland
STAGE 2 WINNER: John Hunter Nemechek
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Sheldon Creed’s win was his first top 10 in the last four races. ... Carson Hocevar’s third-place finish is his best finish in 17 career series starts. His previous best finish was fifth. ... Matt Crafton’s fourth-place finish is his best of the season. ... Timmy Hill placed a season-best seventh. ... Austin Wayne Self was a season-best ninth.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Tanner Gray got loose and then was hit from behind by Ryan Truex, sending Gray spinning down the frontstretch and was hit by Akinori Ogata’s truck. Gray finished 33rd. ... A blown tire sent Parker Kligerman into Stewart Friesen and both into the wall, ending Kligerman’s race. He finished 26th.
NOTABLE: Kyle Busch Motorsports fell short in its bid for a series-record sixth consecutive win.
NEXT: The series makes its debut at Circuit of the Americas at 1 p.m. ET May 22 on FS1.