Date: Aug. 25, 2019
Event: Gander Trucks 250 (Race 18 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ont. (2.459-mile road course)
Format: Three Segments; 20 laps/20 laps/24 laps
Start/Finish: 4th/2nd (Running, completed 64 of 64 laps)
Winner: Brett Moffitt of GMS Racing (Chevrolet)
Road course ace Alex Tagliani earned his career-best NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday with a runner-up finish in the No. 51 CanTorque Tundra. On Saturday morning, Tagliani was third-fastest in first Gander Trucks practice and ninth-fastest in final practice. On Sunday morning, Tagliani made his way to the second of two rounds of group qualifying where he posted the fourth-fastest lap. Following qualifying, Tagliani participated in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series race, and after leading on the final lap, ended up finishing fourth.
As the green flag flew, Tagliani followed teammate Todd Gilliland into the third position, but soon reported that his Tundra was tight and he fell back, but an early pit stop for four tires, fuel and adjustments helped get him back on track and he was soon back near the front of the field. As the race came to a close, the Canadian driver was unable to gain on eventual winner Brett Moffitt, and he ultimately finished second in his fifth NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series start at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Stage One Recap:
- Tagliani put the CanTorque Tundra in the fourth position to start the 64-lap race.
- The Canadian driver reported that his Tundra was tight in the opening laps, and he fell back to fifth place, after initially following teammate Todd Gilliland through to third.
- Crew chief Rudy Fugle brought Tagliani to pit road with six laps to go in the first stage and he took the green-checkered flag in 13th.
Stage Two Recap:
- Tagliani began the second stage in the second position after most of the trucks in front of him pitted during the stage break.
- He reported that the No. 51 Tundra did not have enough front grip and under caution on lap 30, Fugle brought him to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel.
- On the restart, Tagliani was once again 13th, but he quickly moved forward into the ninth position.
- Tagliani finished the second stage in eighth.
Stage Three Recap:
- In the final 24-lap stage, Tagliani started second and remained there through the closing laps despite a challenge from the hard-charging Ben Rhodes in the 99 truck.
- This was Tagliani’s best career finish in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in five starts at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Alex Tagliani, driver of the No. 51 CanTorque Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
Really only one spot mattered to him today, but you came up one spot short. Talk about the runner-up finish.
“First of all, it was amazing to run for KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports). Thanks to everybody there, especially Kyle (Busch) for accepting for me to be in this truck. Thanks to Spectra Premium, CanTorque, RONA. We were just missing loading the front during the race in the fast corner, so I had to overslow the truck down too much in the corner and that’s what made the difference. But nevertheless, it was a pleasure to race for them and good point day for the 51 team.”
What do you think about the competition in the Truck Series and their road course abilities?
“It’s good. The trucks are good. This year, we came with a different tire and maybe we needed to make some changes. You can see that the competition is high. It’s not a very technical road course, but at the same time it makes for good racing. It’s tough, and if you’re just a little bit off, you can’t make it up.”
Gander Trucks 250 Recap:
- Brett Moffitt won the race with Alex Tagliani, Ben Rhodes, Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill rounding out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured 3 cautions for nine laps and six lead changes among five drivers.
How Tagliani’s KBM Teammates Fared:
Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota Tundra, finished 18th
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Tundra, finished 21st
Gander Trucks Owner Championship Standings:
The No. 51 team leaves the 18th race of the season ranked third in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Owner’s Playoff Standings. The No. 51 has earned six wins, 11 top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes in 2019.
Next Race:
Christian Eckes will pilot the No. 51 SiriusXM Tundra at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, Sept. 13. Live coverage of the event begins at 9:00 p.m. EST on FS1.
