Date: July 18, 2018
Event: Eldora Dirt Derby (Race 13 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (0.5-mile dirt oval)
Format: Three Segments; 40 laps/50 laps/60 laps
Start/Finish: 7th / 8th (running, completed 153 of 153 laps)
Winner: Chase Briscoe of ThorSport Racing (Ford)
Dirt midget driver Logan Seavey made his first career start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway, but the rookie looked more like an experienced veteran leading 53 laps and nearly capturing the win if not for a few late-race cautions. After a couple tough restarts in the closing laps, Seavey finished eighth in his No. 51 Mobil 1 Tundra for his Truck Series debut.
Stage One Recap:
- Seavey started seventh after finishing second in his qualifying race.
- He quickly moved up to third following a restart on lap 15 and finished the first 40-lap stage in second place.
- Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr., brought him to pit road during the break for new tires and adjustments.
Stage Two Recap:
- Seavey restarted ninth since a few trucks stayed out during the break to gain track position.
- He made some evasive moves on lap 52 when two trucks spun directly in front of him. Able to avoid the wreck, he moved up to fifth when the race resumed on lap 61.
- Seavey was up to third at the conclusion of Stage Two and the team opted not to pit to gain track position, which moved him into the lead.
Stage Three Recap:
- When the final 60-lap stage began, Seavey had a great restart and pulled away from the field.
- He had a sizeable lead for 53 of the final 60 laps until a caution with 13 laps to go bunched the field back together. He lost two positions during the restart on lap 146 and was third when another caution came the following lap.
- With a two-lap shootout to the finish, Seavey restarted third. As the field fanned out, he fell back to eighth in the final laps, but still earned a top-10 finish of eighth for his first NCWTS start.
Logan Seavey, driver of the No. 51 Mobil 1 Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
What did you take away from tonight?
“This was a really cool experience for me. Obviously, I’ve only done a couple stock car starts. Mostly just open-wheel stuff and to get in here and you know, run up front there in the first stage, compete for the lead and then kind of be able to maneuver my way through the field in the second stage and then lead 50 or so laps there in the third stage, it was really, really fun. The trucks are so hard to drive and the track is – I figured they would work it before the race and they didn’t. I thought that would play to my favor. My truck is really, really good in the slick and I think it showed tonight. Overall experience was as good as I think it could’ve gone without those last couple cautions there at the end.”
Eldora Dirt Derby Recap:
- Chase Biscoe won race followed by Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton and Brett Moffitt rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured nine cautions for a total of 41 laps. There were seven lead changes among five drivers. Seavey led 53 laps.
How Seavey’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished 22nd
- Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 6th
NCWTS Owner Championship Standings:
The No. 51 team is third in the Truck Series Owner’s Championship Standings, 49 points out of first.
Next Race:
Kyle Busch will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 Cessna Tundra when racing action resumes next week on Saturday, July 28 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Live coverage of the race begins at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.
