Ben Rhodes had multiple chances to blow it, but to start off 2021, he’s two-for-two.
The Louisville, Kentucky native picked up his fifth career win and second straight to start the year, taking Friday night’s race at the Daytona Road Course.
“That’s the most stressful win of my career,” Rhodes said coming to the finish line as the race ended under yellow-flag conditions.
It was fitting, that that was the case, too.
The race featured a plethora of caution laps while wrecks were cleaned up and the field of cars cruised around the three-mile road course at slow speeds.
It made for a rough show, but runner-up finisher Sheldon Creed gave Rhodes all he could handle in the closing laps.
Creed pressured him and even took the lead off of one of the restarts, but Rhodes’ truck was just in too good of shape by the end of the race.
Now, Rhodes has a career high mark in wins just two races into the season and will go into the bye week celebrating in victory lane once again.
John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the podium after dominating the race early on and losing oil pressure in his KBM truck. His path to the third-place finish included getting the lucky dog spot to make up a lap, but nonetheless he made it back to the front.
Nemechek, though, just didn’t have what it would take to earn the win, as his tires degraded through the end of the race.
The NASCAR Truck Series returns to the track as the sanctioning body goes to Las Vegas in two weeks, competing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, March 5.
NASCAR Trucks Daytona RC Results
1. Ben Rhodes
2. Sheldon Creed
3. John Hunter Nemechek
4. Todd Gilliland
5. Riley Herbst
6. Matt Crafton
7. Derek Kraus
8. Kaz Grala
9. Timmy Hill
10. Christian Eckes
11. Stewart Friesen
12. Chandler Smith
13. Camden Murphy
14. Carson Hocevar
15. Austin Wayne Self
16. Codie Rohrbaugh
17. Dawson Cram
18. Johnny Sauter
19. Tate Fogleman
20. Tanner Gray
21. Tyler Ankrum
22. Chase Purdy
23. Parker Chase
24. Timothy Peters
25. Brett Moffitt
26. Raphael Lessard
27. Bobby Reuse
28. Hailie Deegan
29. Jett Noland
30. Danny Bohn
31. Ryan Truex
32. Norm Benning
33. Austin Hill
34. Cory Roper
35. Jennifer Jo Cobb
36. Lawless Alan
37. Sam Mayer
38. Jason White
39. Spencer Boyd
40. Zane Smith
