Dickies driver Chad Chaffin survived an excitement-filled Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway bringing the No. 18 Dodge home in fourth position. Chaffin’s fifth top-five finish of the season enabled him to close the gap in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings. He now sits fifth, 187 out of first.
Chaffin started sixth and rode comfortable in the top-10 until the first of nine cautions came out on lap 26 for a spin in turn four. Predicting gas mileage would play a role in the race, crew chief Kip McCord called for the Dickies Dodge to pit for fuel only. On lap 31 Chaffin restarted seventh.
Over the next several laps the Dickies Dodge would fall out of the top-10 due to a loose truck. “It’s free, but I think it is starting to come around,” Chaffin said. Then the second caution waved on lap 39 and McCord told Chaffin to stay out. “This will give the truck time to settle in,” said McCord. “A lot of guys are going to pit, but we’re saving our tires.”
When others pitted, it moved Chaffin up to sixth for the restart, but by lap 60 he fell to 15th as his tires started to wear. “Remember you are on old tires and these trucks are on new ones,” said Spotter Jerry Adcock. “Stay in your groove and it will pay off for us in the end.”
On lap 67 the third caution of the night came out due to debris in turns three and four. Chaffin brought the Dickies Dodge down pit road for four tires and fuel. McCord called for a minor adjustment to the track bar to aid the loose condition. Chaffin restarted in 20th position after a slow pit stop.
He immediately charged to the front gaining 13 spots in 10 laps. McCord encouraged Chaffin to keep digging. Chaffin had just cracked into the top-five when the fourth caution waved on lap 105.
Chaffin pitted for four sticker tires and Sunoco fuel. The Dickies Racing Team cranked out an awesome pit stop picking up two positions and sending Chaffin back out in third. The race restarted on lap 113.
While racing third, Chaffin consistently gained on second place, Jack Sprague. Then the fifth caution came out. Quickly the race restarted on lap 131 and Chaffin ran in the top five until Sprague blew a tire on lap 155 bringing out the sixth caution of the night.
The caution allowed for another green-white-checkered finish. Chaffin was third. The race restarted and on the same lap two drivers tangled in the middle of the pack bringing out another caution before leader, Shane Hmiel, took the white flag. This froze the field in its current positions and the race would have yet another green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, Hmiel and second-place Hamilton got together in turn two handing the lead to Chaffin and bringing out another caution. The field was now set to restart for the third time under the green-white-checkered rule. Chaffin led the field down the back straightaway when Rick Crawford and Andy Houston tangled. The race was red-flagged on lap 170 to clean up the debris from the wreck.
It restarted for the last time on lap 172 with Chaffin as the leader. He got a great restart and protected his lead from second place David Starr for the first two laps. On the final circuit, racing into turn one Starr bumped Chaffin in the rear knocking him loose and sending him up the race track. Chaffin recovered to finish fourth, his seventh consecutive top-10 finish.
“Wow, what a wild night,” said Chaffin. “The truck was really fast and my guys were awesome in pits. I am a little upset with David Starr, but racing gives us those finishes sometimes. I am proud of the team. We came here to finish in the top five and gain points and that is what we did. In the end, it was a very strong night for the Dickies Dodge.”
David Starr won the Dodge Ram Tough 200. Dennis Setzer, Ted Musgrave, Chaffin and Hank Parker, Jr. followed in the top five.
