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Ross Chastain comes back from Iowa DQ with win at Gateway

Ross Chastain has done it again, taking the lead with a risky no-tire call and winning Saturday night's Truck Series race from WWT Raceway (Gateway) in Madison, IL.

Race Winner Ross Chastain, Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet Silverado TruNorth/Paul Jr. Designs

Race Winner Ross Chastain, Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet Silverado TruNorth/Paul Jr. Designs

John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

Following his disqualification after winning the most recent Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway, Ross Chastain responded with yet another victory at Gateway.

Crew chief Phil Gould made the risky call to take no tires during the final round of green-flag pit stops, allowed Ross to take the lead over Christian Eckes. 

But a late-race caution then set up a seven-lap shootout where Chastain had to fend off the pack before taking the checkered flag. With the truck passing post-race inspection, the win became Chastain's first of the season that counts towards the 2019 playoffs.

"These guys went home and we were mad," Chastain said in Victory Lane. "Felt like we had one taken from us.

"I didn't want to take tires and then it was up to me to freaking hold them off. I don't know how. I'm going to take that money home and they're not taking it from us this time."

Stages 1 and 2

Grant Enfinger and Stewart Friesen battled for the lead in the early laps with Enfinger ultimately emerging on top. 

Late in the stage, eventual race winner Chastain had a moment while trying to take fifth in the running. He threw a block on Matt Crafton which led to contact and nearly a wreck between the two drivers. But they both got away with it.

Enfinger would win the stage ahead of Friesen, Ben Rhodes, Harrison Burton, Eckes, Chastain, Sheldon Creed, Crafton, Myatt Snider, Brett Moffitt. 

The returned to green for Stage 2 on Lap 44 with Enfinger ahead of Rhodes. Crafton would take second after the restart before Snider worked by them both, pursuing Enfinger for the remainder of the stage.

Behind Enfinger and Snider, Crafton, Eckes, Creed, Rhodes, Todd Gilliland, Friesen, Austin Hill and Chandler Smith rounded out the top-ten.

Stage 3

Before the final stage, a handful of trucks took two tires and shook up the running order. Eckes would take the lead for the restart ahead of Burton, Chastain and Gilliland. Enfinger opted for four tires and restarted back in fifth. 

Chastain took them three-wide into Turn 1 and moved up into second behind Eckes. They and Burton were then able to break away until the critical green-flag pit stops beginning with about 30 to go.

Eckes took two right sides, Burton two left sides, but Chastain jumped both with a no-tire call. When Burton crashed after contact with Creed, Chastain was faced with a seven-lap shootout for the win,.

He held on with Eckes losing second to Gilliland at the white flag before getting spun off the nose of Friesen and finishing 14th. 

"Yeah, got wrecked by the 52 again. It's unfortunate," he said afterwards.

Cla # Driver Manufacturer Laps Time Laps Led
1 45 United States Ross Chastain  Chevrolet 160   21
2 4 United States Todd Gilliland  Toyota 160 0.704  
3 52 United States Stewart Friesen  Chevrolet 160 1.810 20
4 46 Chandler Smith  Toyota 160 2.061  
5 24 United States Brett Moffitt  Chevrolet 160 2.537  
6 98 United States Grant Enfinger  Ford 160 3.002 52
7 2 United States Sheldon Creed  Chevrolet 160 4.752  
8 99 United States Ben Rhodes  Ford 160 5.055  
9 88 United States Matt Crafton  Ford 160 5.466 1
10 13 United States Myatt Snider  Ford 160 6.477  
11 16 United States Austin Hill  Toyota 160 6.702 4
12 17 Anthony Alfredo  Toyota 160 6.831  
13 44 United States Kyle Benjamin  Chevrolet 160 7.586 3
14 51 United States Christian Eckes  Toyota 160 7.973 57
15 02 United States Tyler Dippel  Chevrolet 160 8.768  
16 18 United States Harrison Burton  Toyota 160 13.812 2
17 22 United States Austin Wayne Self  Chevrolet 159 1 lap  
18 3 United States Jordan Anderson  Chevrolet 159 1 lap  
19 12 United States Gus Dean  Chevrolet 158 2 laps  
20 20 United States Spencer Boyd  Chevrolet 158 2 laps  
21 97 United States Jesse Little  Ford 158 2 laps  
22 34 Bryant Barnhill  Chevrolet 155 5 laps  
23 33 United States Josh Reaume  Chevrolet 154 6 laps  
24 10 United States Jennifer Jo Cobb  Chevrolet 153 7 laps  
25 6 United States Norm Benning  Toyota 150 10 laps  
26 32 Daniel Sasnett  Chevrolet 80 80 laps  
27 54 United States Natalie Decker  Toyota 78    
28 8 United States Camden Murphy  Chevrolet 47 113 laps  
29 1 Cody McMahan  Chevrolet 32 128 laps  
30 87 Tyler Ankrum  Chevrolet 14    
31 74 Lou Goss  Chevrolet 12    
32   Gregory Rayl  Chevrolet 2    

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