Evans pitted one lap before the #16 and used the fresh rubber to gain time. The lack of passing on the road course allowed him to pull away.
"It's a big win for the whole team," said crew chief Ian Dillon, who made the call to short pit. "We'd love to be locked into every race next season, and this might give us some momentum to make that happen." Runner-up Jesse Makana had the chance to contend for a playoff-clinching victory, but he wasn't disappointed in the ultimate result. "It's why we go racing," Makana said. "They had the faster truck in qualifying and didn't make mistakes. Plus, if I followed Addison around another lap, I could've lost more than I gained." One driver, though, was not satisfied with having to run with the part-timers this time around. "We're getting beat by these stupid part-timers that give you no room and no respect whatsoever," Carter Friesen said after finishing 24th. "It's the dumbest thing. Meanwhile, we're out here driving our ass off to ride around and finish outside the top-20. It's ridiculous. I hope we're able to turn it around soon, because I'm tired of this crap where we do nothing all day." As the first part-timer to win in the NTS, Evans has guaranteed an open playoff spot on points heading into the final race of the regular season. Steve Rea, Adam Coon, and James Smith lead the charge on that front with multiple drivers still in contention. Every non-winning full-timer can still mathematically get in with a win at Texas World Superspeedway. A storyline possibly bigger than the win is Barry Watson's issues in the race. The #38 entered pit lane too fast on its lone stop and Watson was handed a stop-and-go penalty. The mistake sent him to 41st on the day, and he sits in 28th in standings, three points back on the cut line he must be above to make his playoff birth count. If he fails to make it, a second open playoff spot will be available. "I apologize to my team, that was inexcusable on my part and I crumbled under the pressure," Watson said. "I'm going to do everything I can to get back into this, but if I don't, even if a pit stop goes awry, I'm still pinning it on myself." Drivers are anxious to take advantage of every possible opportunity heading into the regular season finale. "All in all, this #54 truck will do what it needs to do in order to win," Steven Carmona said after finishing 34th in his native New York. "If it means moving a potential playoff truck off the road or into the wall, that's exactly what I'm going to do." Comments are closed.
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