TALLADEGA, Ala. — Sammy Smith picked the last trip through the tri-oval to make his move Friday, slipping past Ty Majeski in a two-lap overtime dash to win the Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, his first victory in the series.
Smith drove the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and won in only his 11th Truck start. Behind him, four trucks crossed the line nearly together. Runner-up Tyler Ankrum beat Austin Green to the stripe by a sliver, with Majeski and points leader Kaden Honeycutt rounding out the top five.
The Iowa driver started on the front row next to pole winner Majeski and led a race-high 21 of the 86 laps, even after getting pushed out of the draft twice and falling back in the field during the middle stages.
The timing of the win was notable. Smith learned the same day that he will race trucks full time next season for TRICON Garage. He already has three wins in the second-tier national series.
Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, making his second Truck start of the year, gained 11 spots in the opening laps from his 29th starting spot before his day ended on lap 17. A flat tire sent Stewart Friesen sideways in heavy traffic, setting off a multi-truck pileup that also collected Stewart. No injuries were reported. Stewart called it simply a racing incident.
Honeycutt left Alabama with a 43-point edge over Layne Riggs in the championship standings.
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