The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series came to play Saturday afternoon at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, for its second race of the year.
Kyle Busch was once again victorious in Georgia, scoring his third consecutive win at the speedway since 2024 with help from Carson Hocevar. It was a time-shortened race due to showers and storms earlier in the day and an upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. While Busch piloted the Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet entry to victory lane once more, we’ll take a look at some other key storylines.
NASCAR Stays Consistent With Not Throwing Yellows
Last weekend at Daytona, NASCAR refrained from throwing the caution for every single spin. Race fans and the media wondered if the sport would continue to do the same this weekend at another drafting track.
During the truck race, the sanctioning body kept the race green for the most part, with only one caution for an incident. However, there could have been multiple cautions during the race, with several spins occurring.
For instance, Adam Andretti, making his Truck Series debut, spun once and NASCAR didn’t throw the yellow. This happened again with Tanner Gray, who spun late in the first stage. However, the race stayed green as the series was racing against the clock. Despite that, the sanctioning body has remained consistent so far. Kudos.
Corey Heim Makes First Start of Season
Reigning 2025 Truck Series champion Corey Heim returned to the series for the first time this year in a TriCon Garage entry. But it wasn’t the No. 11 Toyota Tundra entry that he won the championship in last year or years past. Instead, he piloted the No. 1 “All-Star” entry, which utilizes rotating drivers.
Heim qualified in the 20th position and had a strong showing in the 125-lap event. He led twice for six laps and won the first stage. Heim challenged for the lead multiple times before settling for a fifth-place finish, the 52nd top-five of his career. It is unclear at the moment when Heim’s next race in the Truck Series will take place.
Gio Ruggiero Continues Strong Efforts On Drafting Tracks
One week after his runner-up finish at Daytona and his win in the ARCA Menards Series, Ruggiero looked ahead to EchoPark Speedway. He was hoping for redemption at least on the Truck Series side of things.
He originally qualified in the 10th position, but due to unapproved adjustments, was sent to the rear prior to the race going green. Ruggiero made significant ground up in the first stage, placing in the 10th spot. He gained four spots in the second stage to wind up sixth.
The 21-year-old might not have led a lap, but the TriCon Garage driver showed his talent. He raced up front and challenged for the win again for the second week in a row. At the end of the day, Ruggiero wound up in third place, claiming his ninth career top-10 finish.
Adam Andretti Rebounds To a 12th Place Finish
Andretti was making his first series start in preparation for racing next week in the Streets of St. Petersburg. His goal was to gain experience ahead of time. He struggled early by getting loose off Turn 2 and eventually spinning several laps later in Turn 2 and quickly losing the draft.
However, with the help of some stage cautions and a late race caution, Andretti was able to move through the pack and finish in the 12th position. Not too shabby for his series debut on a drafting track, especially for the talented Trans-Am Series road racer. It’ll be interesting to see if his talent will shine next weekend on a street course.
As a side note, it was announced Saturday morning that former NASCAR veteran and current IMSA driver Colin Braun will drive the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram entry at the Streets of St. Petersburg as part of the “free agent” program.
