Brett Moffitt Wins On Last-Lap Pass

Brett Moffitt
Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

In five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, Brett Moffitt had never led a lap.

But in Saturday's Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway, Moffitt picked the perfect time to take the point for the first time.

Powering around Red Horse Racing teammate Timothy Peters and five-time series winner William Byron off the second corner of the final lap at the two-mile track, Moffitt held off Peters by .098 seconds to win a NASCAR national series race for the first time.

Moffitt's victory, however, left Shane Huffman, Peters' crew chief, slapping his seat on the pit box in frustration. Peters, who led a race-high 42 laps, could have locked himself into the inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase with a victory. Running a limited schedule this season, Moffitt is ineligible for the championship this year.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"] But Moffitt made no apologies for taking advantage of the opportunity that presented itself when Byron pushed Peters into Turn 3 on the white-flag lap, cut to the inside and slowed both trucks down. Moffitt cruised around the outside off Turn 2 on the final lap and kept Peters behind him.

"I'm here to win," Moffitt said. "I said it earlier and I'll say it again. I'm not going to wreck him (Peters) for it. I'm going to race him clean because I know he needs to get in the Chase, but this team needs to win and these guys deserve to win.

"That's what we come to do, and our partners at Toyota want to do the same, and we got it."

Daniel Hemric passed Byron on the last lap to come home third, with Byron following in fourth and Cameron Hayley in fifth.

The good news for both Peters and Hemric was the wide margin both drivers opened over their closest pursuers in the race to make the Chase. Though winless this year, Hemric and Peters lead Cameron Hayley by 55 and 47 points, respectively, in the battle for the last two Chase spots.

If no new winner surfaces in the final two regular-season races, both Hemric and Peters are highly likely to qualify on points.

"It's a good day for Red Horse Racing," Peters said. "Congrats to Brett Moffitt. One-two finish. I wish we were ‘one,' but all in all, the company brings the trophy back. The 9 (Byron) locked onto our bumper there in Turn 2 and pushed us really hard down into Turn 3.

"We had to do all we had to do to stay in front. … Tough to swallow right there, but it felt good to run the way we did all day."

Both Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick entered the race needing to win to make the Chase. Reddick's Ford bounced off the side of Johhny Sauter's Chevrolet on Lap 70 and sustained heavy damage during contact with the Turn 3 wall.

Brett Moffitt (11) passes Timothy Peters (17) and William Byron (9) on the last lap at Michigan
Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Custer, however, had the lead for a restart on Lap 84, only to lose control and spin into the Turn 4 wall, grazing the left rear of Moffitt's No. 11 Toyota in the process.

"We didn't have the raw speed of the guys up front, but it drove pretty well, and it was hard to keep those guys off of me," Custer said. "The 11 (Moffitt) stopped pushing me — which it's his right to do that.

"We were kind of losing the 17 (Peters) there. He (Moffitt) went to the outside and I started getting tight. Once he got on my door, I got loose and over-corrected it. I just hate it for my guys that brought a great truck."

Like Hayley, Custer and Reddick will have two more chances to force their way into the Chase by winning one of the final two regular-season races.

Race Results

Pos. # Driver Make Star Laps Led Status Points
1 11 Brett Moffitt Toyota 6 100 1 Running 36
2 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 4 100 42 Running 33
3 19 Daniel Hemric Ford 13 100 2 Running 31
4 9 William Byron Toyota 3 100 9 Running 30
5 13 Cameron Hayley Toyota 14 100 0 Running 28
6 41 Ben Rhodes Toyota 19 100 4 Running 28
7 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 2 100 23 Running 27
8 24 Grant Enfinger Chevy 9 100 0 Running 25
9 21 Johnny Sauter Chevy 7 100 0 Running 24
10 02 Tyler Young Chevy 21 100 0 Running 23
11 33 Ben Kennedy Chevy 12 100 0 Running 22
12 05 John Wes Townley Chevy 1 100 0 Running 21
13 98 Rico Abreu Toyota 15 100 0 Running 20
14 66 Jordan Anderson Chevy 23 100 0 Running 19
15 44 Tommy Joe Martins Chevy 20 100 0 Running 18
16 22 Austin Wayne Self Toyota 24 100 0 Running 17
17 1 Jennifer Jo Cobb Chevy 26 100 0 Running 16
18 50 Travis Kvapil Chevy 25 100 0 Running 15
19 29 Tyler Reddick Ford 8 100 0 Running 14
20 51 Cody Coughlin Toyota 10 94 0 Accident 13
21 49 Reed Sorenson Chevy 22 84 1 Vibration 0
22 00 Cole Custer Chevy 18 83 18 Accident 12
23 81 Ryan Truex Toyota 17 76 0 Rear Gear 10
24 4 Christopher Bell Toyota 5 74 0 Accident 9
25 23 Spencer Gallagher Chevy 11 74 0 Accident 8
26 8 John Hunter Nemechek Chevy 16 62 0 Accident 7
27 63 Norm Benning Chevy 28 47 0 Transmission 6
28 71 Enrique Contreras III Chevy 29 40 0 Accident 5
29 07 Todd Peck Chevy 27 37 0 Engine 0
30 10 Caleb Roark Chevy 30 3 0 Electrical 3
31 6 Ryan Ellis Chevy 31 1 0 Rear Gear 0

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