Ben Rhodes takes Charlotte Truck win and $50,000 bonus

Rhodes, 26, needed to overcome a sub-par qualifying effort however had moved into the lead for the primary time on Lap 89 of 134.

A late-race wreck involving Kris Wright and Tyler Ankrum bunched the sector with Carson Hocevar within the lead, however Rhodes shortly powered again to the entrance on the restart with 24 laps to go and by no means seemed again.

Rhodes, the 2021 sequence champion, held off Corey Heim by 2.398 seconds to earn his first win of the 2023 season, which locks him into the sequence playoffs. He additionally collected a $50,000 bonus because the winner of the primary of three races making up this season’s Triple Truck Problem.

“I don’t actually know to be sincere with you,” Rhodes mentioned when requested his truck received so a lot better on the finish of the race. “I didn’t suppose we had been that good in apply and we didn’t qualify the very best.

“It got here to life at night time. I had a lot enjoyable. Charlotte is a monitor we come to, ThorSport Racing, we’re primarily based in Sandusky, Ohio, we come to the North Carolina guys’ home and we prefer to win.

“The entire season is so arduous to place collectively and it’s solely been getting harder over time. The tougher I attempt I really feel the tougher it’s to win a race.”

Dean Thompson ended up third, Hocevar was fourth regardless of reporting a attainable tire downside within the closing laps and Grant Enfinger was fifth.

Finishing the top-10 had been Christian Eckes, Christian Eckes, Matt DiBenedetto, Nick Sanchez and Taylor Grey.

Stage 1

Heim held off a fast-approaching Hocevar by 0.146 seconds to say the Stage 1 win. Thompson was third, Rajah Caruth was fourth and Zane Smith rallied from 14th to fifth.

Tyler Ankrum (engine change) and Sanchez (unapproved changes) each needed to begin the race from the rear of the sector.

Stage 2

Hocevar received round Heim with 15 of 30 laps remaining and cruised to the Stage 2 win.

Thompson ended up third, Smith was fourth and Stewart Friesen rounded out the highest 5.

Stage 3

Following the break between Phases 2 and three, the lead-lap vehicles all pit with Heim first off of pit highway. Caruth (crew member over the wall too quickly) and Tanner Grey (didn’t beat tempo automobile off pit highway) needed to restart from the rear of the sector.

On the restart on Lap 69, Heim was adopted by Hocevar and Taylor Grey. Six laps later, Hocevar ran down Heim and reclaimed the lead.

Armani Williams wrecked off Flip 4 whereas attempting to enter pit highway which positioned the race below warning on Lap 82.

Now within the gasoline window to make it to the top of the race, all of the lead-lap vehicles pit below the warning with Chase Purdy first off pit highway because of a fuel-only cease. The race returned to inexperienced on Lap 90.

Smith received unfastened off Flip 4 on the restart and triggered a multi-truck incident that additionally collected Caruth and Hailie Deegan to carry out the fourth warning of the race. Rhodes led the way in which on the restart with 38 laps remaining.

5 laps later, Hocevar caught Rhodes and handed him to maneuver again into the lead.

Kris Wright and Tyler Ankrum wrecked on the backstretch with 30 laps remaining to bunch the sector once more.

Hocevar led Rhodes and Heim on the restart solely to see Rhodes shortly energy round him and again to the lead with 24 laps to go.