Date: November 17, 2017
Event: NCWTS 200 (Race 23 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: Three Segments; 40 laps/40 laps/54 laps
Start/Finish: 5th / 18th (running, completed 131 of 134 laps)
Winner: Chase Briscoe of Brad Keselowski Racing (Ford)
Noah Gragson came to Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway with high hopes of finishing his rookie campaign on a high note. He fought a loose condition in the Switch Tundra early in the race, and once the truck was better, a flat left-rear tire in the final stage put him three laps down and out of contention. He finished the race 18th.
Stage One Recap:
- Gragson started fifth, but fell back throughout the first stage as he told the team his Switch Tundra was “wrecking loose.” He finished the first 40-lap stage in 11th and came to pit road for four tires and some major chassis adjustments to help the handling.
Stage Two Recap:
- Gragson started the second stage in 11th place and said the truck was still a bit loose, but not as bad as the first stage. He worked his way up to ninth to finish Stage Two. He pitted for four tires and another track bar adjustment. Quick work by the Switch crew helped him gain two positions on pit road moving up to seventh place.
Stage Three Recap:
- After a pit road penalty for another competitor, Gragson started the final 54-lap stage in sixth place. Unfortunately, he did not get the chance to see if he could compete for the win. Only seven laps after the restart, Gragson radioed to the team he had a tire going down. He came to pit road under green for new left-side tires, which put him three laps behind the leaders. He finished the race in 18th, while his KBM teammate, Christopher Bell, finished second to claim KBM’s second driver’s championship and sixth owner’s championship.
NOAH GRAGSON, driver of the No. 18 Switch Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
NOAH GRAGSON, driver of the No. 18 Switch Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:Talk about your race?
“That was a disappointing way to end the season. Our Switch Tundra started out really loose in the first stage, but we kept working on it during every pit stop. I thought by the final stage we’d have a really competitive truck, but a flat tire took us out of contention. I don’t know if I ran over something, or what, but it certainly wasn’t how any of us wanted to end our season.
“I do want to congratulate my teammate, Christopher Bell, on winning the championship. He had an amazing season and I’m glad he could bring the trophy home for everyone at KBM.”
NCWTS 200 Recap:
- Chase Briscoe won the race followed by Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, Ryan Truex and Austin Cindric rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured two cautions for a total of 12 laps. There were six lead changes among three drivers.
How Gragson’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished 2nd
- Myatt Snider, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 12th
NCWTS Driver Championship Standings:
Gragson finished the season 10th in the Truck Series driver standings.
